The Little Prince

I do research on books I want to read. A book on my list must somehow be talked about, not necessarily very popular. But I do not read reviews just yet (or sometimes never)  because those can affect my opinions towards a book. If some people say the book is extraordinary, then it must be so I'm reading it. I do not want to make the same mistake again of just entering a bookstore, reading a book's description at the back and if I'm feeling right, then I'm getting it. That should not be, at least not for me. I ended up being frustrated because the book was not really what I wanted or worse, I choose not to finish it. It was such a waste of time and money. 

I have few books on my list now and the last item is The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. I was surveying bookstores online and 'offline' (hihi)  finding the best deal. Little did I know that The Little Prince is just sitting around my shelf for so many years now! I did not notice it because I was busy with my "matters of consequence" as the Little Prince puts it. Someone lent it to me but I guess the old ugly brown pages took away the interest in me. The cover was not even original anymore. The book title was rewritten using a red marker. Shame on me for literally judging the book by its cover. Haha!

from Google images

Now let's go to the five reasons why I love The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

1. The story is short. I love finishing a book in a snap. Once I read the first words of any book, I'm always in a hurry to get to the end, always curious of how the story will end so I am glad that this book has few pages in it. After all, it has already been taken for granted long enough. It has to be read and finished at once! But then again, I have a dilemma with books of few pages. At times, I also don't want to finish reading a book because I'm having such a good time with it. I don't want to lose the feeling of awesomeness especially when I'm at the climax. Haha! Confused moments.

2. It's a children's book for grown ups. How amazing is that? I mean this is not one of those Disney fairy tales. I think it's a children's book because the title seems to say so, the main character is a child, the animals are talking but it was written somehow poetically that a young child could hardly grasp. Furthermore, the issues 'discussed' are too complicated for a child to handle. The book reminds us that we were once a child but we tend to forget that when we become grown ups.


3. It makes me want to read real children's books again. Those which I was only forced to read because I had to submit book reports. Well, I was not really forced. I felt obliged because it was part of school works. It was really seldom that I did it for leisure but now, I'm inspired to read again fables, fairy tales and the likes with great moral lessons at the end.

4. The drawings are not extraordinary. This is part of the story. The narrator is not an artist but attempted to draw as a young boy. He was discouraged when the adults found his drawing differently from what he wanted to imply. I find this funny because I also find the drawing as a hat had it not stated that it was a picture of a boa constrictor which swallowed an elephant. I hope I'm not giving away too much here. Drawings being far from attractive is a good thing to me because it looks so childlike and I can identify with not so extraordinary drawings. In all years of my existence, my considered masterpiece is a five-petal flower with a toothpick-like stem and two confused-between-oval-or-round leaves. :)

5. I love the dedication. 'To Leon Werth when he was a little boy', which makes me want to dedicate it  to myself too when I was a little girl and to the child in all of us. May we always be reminded that 'what is essential is invisible to the eye.'




... An ordinary passer-by would think that my rose looked just like you - the rose that belongs to me. But in herself alone, she is more important than all the hundreds of you other roses: because it is she I have watered; because it is she that I have put under the glass globe; because it is she that I have sheltered behind the screen...

Seashells On The Seashore

“The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea.”

                                                                                                           --Isak Dinesen

I cannot agree more with Isak Dinesen especially on that third cure. Haven't you always find the sea so peacefully calm it can mend a broken soul... (even just at a moment). That's the best reason I can justify my love of the sea - PEACE. My next best reason is JOY.  Who goes to the sea and find no joy at all? The sea has been a witness to a number of joyful moments in my life - with family, friends, and even with just 'myself and I'. 

I go to see the sea even alone. Good that beaches are just few miles away from my home. But I have this favorite beach house at Lago, Glan, Sarangani Province. That's about an hour away from Gensan. This was first introduce to me in 2008 when the office guys and gals celebrated a year end party. It was a private beach house owned by a colleague's friend. We had the best party ever and so we went back the year after, in 2009, and only had the chance to come again in 2012.

The beach house captured my heart in so much admiration that I was always secretly wishing we'd go there every end of the year. Thanks to Sir Efren and his friend for a beautiful venue for celebrating fun and nurturing friendship.

Special thanks to Laiza for the photos (again). I better have a new camera soon!

Eat Pray Love

from Google Images

                                    

It is not my intention to give book reviews in this blog because I admit I am not good at that. Firstly, because I am not a wide reader in terms of genres. I only go for books on psychology, business, health, biography, spiritual, travel, and sometimes romance. I am more for the realistic ones with no offense to those who love fiction and fantasy. And, because I have this mantra that all things are good and beautiful and I'm not the one to judge which one is better or lesser than the other. Haha! So every book is good and I always have high respect for all authors.

As I have vowed to read more books this year, I started with this world-celebrated one. Eat Pray Love. I know. This is so lame. Is it just me who have not read this? But finally I've read it! I am ecstatic on this choice to start this year of my reading adventure. I've seen the movie first. I fell in love with it but the book is better, as everyone says when a movie version comes out. So here are the five reasons why I love Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. And please don't expect that there are other five reasons why I don't love it because there really is none. This is the one book that I have read from cover to cover with so much anticipation leaving no word unread. That's how much I love it.

1. Elizabeth Gilbert is brilliant, honest, and funny.

She definitely knows her craft. It is evident in her words. She cites other writers and philosophers, inserts history, talks about other people's stories interestingly and vividly. She is not embarrassed sharing her embarrassing tales and she is intelligently funny.

2. I love to travel.

Who does not? And this book gives a picture of Italy, India, and Indonesia - all the good stuff, which makes me want to go to these places, too...which makes me want to plan a year long solo trip, too... which makes me want to increase my travel fund... which makes me want to change my life plan and start seeing the world now instead of just traveling in the Philippines. Haha! These books. They sometimes confuse you so be careful on what you read. I bet those Twilight fans wanted to be vampires for once. 

3. I can relate to Liz.

Everyone loves reading something they can relate to. It's not that I'm a divorcee, in a depression, or in a stage of inner chaos. But sometime in my life I was in some kinda sorta inner chaos. She expressed all the chaos in words perfectly the way I wanted to define mine. Her seeking for real happiness which she confessed could only come from God (whoever or whatever we know Him or It to be) is something I am still in pursuit of. Her finding pleasures from food and company and love are things we all can relate to. Plus, I think we have the same mantra on seeing good and beautiful in everything and everyone.

4. The book is a true story.

As I have mentioned above, I am more into things realistic and this is a true story of downfall, struggles to get better, and success of a woman which means it can happen to me or to anyone, too. So this is something I can get inspiration from in my own journey.

5. The story has a happy ending.

This is not a fairy tale but it has a happy ending.  I love happy endings. Liz finding a love so sincere in the name of Felipe in the last pages of the book makes me giddy. Love really heals all wounds.

This is such a feel good book! 

Eat Pray Love!

Side note: I'm waiting for my next book which I purchased online yesterday. I'm excited! :) And oh by the way, thanks to Laiza for giving me a copy of Eat Pray Love. I now owe you a lot Laiza girl!

Oh High School Life

Best four years of my life! And I bet yours, too! :) I want to count the ways but I'll end up blabbing here which is the last thing I'd like to happen. Just imagine crazy nerds meeting the hard core crazies. Complete riot I tell you but that weirdo combination makes all the beautiful complications. Those days! 

I never saw it coming. I was caught unaware that those best four years were already a decade ago! Ooh lala! How time flies so fast... really fast this time. Every December since we graduated from high school, we tried to do a little gathering - be it all day and all night swimming, magdamagang videoke, or just chattering over eating and drinking... as simple as that, nothing biggy. But we decided to level up this year because it has already been a decade guys! That's a milestone! :)

We celebrated in a decent function room for the first time ever! It's just so awesome to think that the once gusgusin teens from the province have become valuable professionals of this country... and of the world. So we at least deserve that decent venue. Hehe. Thanks to Sun City Suites for upgrading us to a bigger, more bonggang room which was not really necessary because of our number.

I made this goodies corner as the first part of bringing all those good old days back. The milk powder with the tiniest straw. The Bobot candy which has lost its free gold bendable ring. The Dragon Sid which made snacking exciting. My all time favorite Hebi which I thought was spelled as Hibi all those years because we all pronounced it as that and a lot more! Don't you just feel so young all over again just seeing these!

I also created this Whose Baby Is This game. Some of our classmates already got married, had a child or children so this was a way of getting updates. We also had souvenirs and game and raffle prizes which made the night more exciting. Prizes were from sponges, fans, mugs and more sponges. Hihi. So household!

Other classmates could not come because of a handful of reasons which made me wonder - Meron ba talagang reunion na kumpleto? We were twelve classmates with two spouses and a child plus a surprise guest - Sir Gani, our oh so thoughtful adviser! He never missed a reunion. We were deeply touched.

Sir Gani is the neatest and calmest math teacher I've ever known. I actually try to imitate his style but I just cannot focus on my writing on the board when I have the solutions fast running in my head. I bet my students sometimes wish I'm as nice as I look. Looks can sometimes be deceiving, you know. Hehe.

Anyway, Sir Gani had a reenactment of our most memorable moment of him. He caught us cheating on his math subject. I'd like to believe that it was our first time we cheated and not just the first time he caught us. Haha! He then let us pass all our papers and tore the 41 sheets all together. That was the first and the last time he got angry but he was still the calmest man on earth when he was angry. Slow claps for you, Sir! Thank you for being so inspiring and I'm so proud of how far you have gone in your career. Keep it up! :)

A lot has happened in that few hours. Let these photos speak.

Delete the fact that we've become professionals because when we get together, we can get a whole room rocking. We miss everyone who missed this event! Until next December pipol!

As the head of this get together, I'd like to extend my super heartfelt thanks to the following people:

To Rain, Clintford, Mark Anthony, Borj, and Harvey for sponsoring this super bonggang reunion. We literally did not bring anything but ourselves because you had it all paid for us. It was unfortunate that you could not come but your thoughtfulness pushed this event to the next level. We would have been happy just eating pansit canton and pandesal and halo-halo in Maharlika but you wanted so much more for us. Indeed, it felt better drinking water and soda from a wine glass. Haha! Thank you so much!

To Lourdes for being the host, the game master, the photographer and the talented momma of a more talented Everest. I just feel that she will be more talented than you. :) Thanks Everest for dancing "Tiny Bubbles". You are the cutest!

To Reicel for the playlist of our not-so-old songs and the collection of our not-so-old photos. I miss hearing Eminem, Britney Spears, the Hansons, M2M, etc. and I love looking at our then innocent faces.

To Luv for preparing and wrapping the souvenirs and prizes before taking an unexpected vacation. I love my yellow SB mug but I have not won anything from the raffle, as usual.

To Sahara for our registration forms which I totally forgot when the gang started coming. Hehe.

To Nenia for the most awaited prize of the evening and for the untimely exercise just to get what I left from my house. I really appreciate your extra efforts and support Nenskie. :)

To Rex for the super fun-looking tarpaulin. I like the layout.

To Champoy, Jayr, Michael (and wife), Aileen, Joev, Jervin for coming. It was a great time guys.

To Harvey, Borj, Raya, Melai for skyping. Next time, be sure to come, it was hard laughing aloud  and updating lovelives through skype with a loud sound system in the background. Haha!

Thank you all very much for the wonderful years of friendship! 

Resolutions 2013

Resolutions are everywhere during new years and here I am adding my own list. :) I'm sure we all have these which is actually good because we are kept reminded for the whole year. This is my first time to let the 'public' know of my resolutions. Well, I don't know how public this can get because I don't really have much readers yet but anyhow, I'm still posting.

Before I start enumerating, I first want to share a lesson from my goal-setting and goal-getting history.

"When you're up for a run, don't carry a lot of eggs. Just take what you can so you won't end up dropping all of them."

I tend to do a lot of things, ending up not finishing any. So this year, I'm doing 'less but more'! I'm summing up my resolutions to five.

1. Read more.  I don't have a problem reading anything, sure but I have not read a lot of books the past year. Thus,  I will read more books because I love books and I miss reading them. I have a rich imagination growing up which I owe to my love for reading.

2. Eat more.While other people are more into losing weight especially after the holidays, I'm feeling that it's time for me to gain a little weight. I'm getting a little concerned about my eating habits. I love food! This blog turns into some kinda food blog at times because of my obsession with food and restaurants but there are really days when I don't feel like eating much. I don't skip a meal. No, I don't do that. My problem here is just... at times  I don't eat enough. There! So I'm eating more! :)

3. Skip more. Our body is made to move so I'm moving more! My favorite form of exercise is skipping. I just love how childlike it can get while getting the right amount of cardio exercise. Plus, it doesn't need a lot of space, equipment, etc. Aside from skipping, I can run more! 

4. Save more. I will save up more for something big. I already have few projects in mind even before the start of the year so I'm getting excited here. I was a little good with my finances last year and I'm determined to be even better this year. I learned to share and to spare. This year, I'm saving for some things and some investments.

5. Love more. This here is a little general. I want to be a better lovaah! Hihi. Lover of myself, family, friends, work, and life. Basically, I wanna live the moment because my mind tend to wander on my past and worry about my future. I know that life is more than here and now but what happens today is what will count in the future. So I will love living each moment!

May we all be faithful to our resolutions this year by doing them one at a time and taking the baby steps until we acquire them as habits and not just another thing in our to-do list. Cheers to a 'better us' year!

What about you? What's on your list?