The Martian (Người Sao Hỏa) by Andy Weir

This book is so crazy and Mark Watney is a fucking sneaky clever son of a bitch! Ezcuze me French, but if you’ve read the book, you know why I’m saying things the way I say it. Anyway, we love the book, enjoyed every moment listening to it on the way to work. I learned new emoji too.

“WATNEY: Look! A pair of boobs! (.Y.)” 

Loved the character, the monologues the science, the imagination and most of the jokes. The book is full of science experiment and was clearly written by a space nerd, a Dungeons & Dragons player, and a detective novel addict. I often enjoy books written by intelligent authors and Andy Weir has proven himself to be one of them. His theory, rationalization, and risky and fucked up experiments (carried out by Watney) are very believable. Trust me, I’m an engineer, not one as smart as Watney but at least one that is okay enough for someone to pay me to work my day job as an engineer. And most importantly, as I recently learn, an engineer with a roll of duct tape handy, even on Mars, is a true engineer.

The story did get me thinking more about my day job though, and certainly at those time I can’t be more proud of being in the field of creating and fixing stuff to help human life. It always amazes me how much we have progressed through out the years. From when Twenty thousands leagues under the sea is just a sci-fi to walking on the moon and landing a rover on Mars, all those sci-fi are become more like reality, in my lifetime. In the news today, Kim Lewis and his colleagues at Northeastern University announced their discovery of using a bacteria in soil as a potent antibiotics. Yes, from soil, the very earth you shit on everyday. Just like how Watney grew his potatoes using his poops and urine. Talk about living as a minimalist, surely he got it right, made good use of everything available and finished it up with a tad of Disco. Mama Mia!!

Speaking of Disco, I love that the Commander of Hermes is a woman. I know there’re lots of capable women out there with high paying jobs as leaders of countries and companies etc., but in reality, it’s not always easy being a woman to be trusted and respected by men for technical positions. It has to be earned. I think  Lewis earned it. She was a very strong character, you can’t help but respect and love her, as a Commander and as a woman: Being in space and had to make difficult decision, but keeping all emotions in check,  that takes some courage, actually, lots of it.

“It’s true, you know. In space, no one can hear you scream like a little girl.” 

Well, enough with the feminism craps, let’s talk about the boss, Director of Mars Mission Venkat Kapoor. Did Andy Weir go to Drexel U or what? I asked because I swear only Drexel engineering students can write about a Venkat that well. Dr Venkat, professor of Physics (or in DU engineering term, “system”) at DU Engineering school is quite popular, they even have a fanpage website for him, and that is exactly what I had in my mind when Venkat first appeared in the book. Venkat has such a good sense of humor, smart and care for his people, both NASA Venkat and DU Venkat. I just don’t believe it was a coincidence the one in the book is not so different from the one at DU. But do you believe they could be talking and swearing shit like Venkat, Annie, Teddy… at NASA? Seems like a too-good-to-be-true close team, and some scripts are as if it was written for a movie because no one in real life (or in the corporate world that I know of) talks like that.

Speaking of movie, I think casting Chiwetel Ejiofor for the Venkat role is not a good one, I imagine him to be Indian, not African, please, consult your Ethnic Advisory Board, if there’s one. Really looking forward to the movie! Yoohoo!