Being an adult meant you had to work at a job you hated in order to support your family.
-- Narrator ("The Lost Notebooks of Giselle Chin")

Importance: Giselle's parents raise her with beliefs that she does not agree with. Tony and Mercy teach her that work is the most important part of life, and thus imply that Giselle's future as an artist will be unsustainable. Giselle ends up reacting to this notion by going against her parents' expectations and developing a life and identity as a visual and performance artist. She does not want to work for the sake of working, but wants to work to create something she believes in.

If you did not maintain the days, what proof would you have of your existence, time passing?
-- Narrator ("The Lost Notebooks of Giselle Chin")

Importance: Giselle assumes the responsibility of recording her and her family's memories when she is a child. Even at a young age, she understands the importance of documenting and memorializing the...