My attempt at the 2009 100+ Reading Challenge starts here.
Fate has brought you to this sketchbook - a slice of life behind the eyes of a seventeen-year-old Filipina residing in sunny England.
Prior to writing this entry, I was trying to upload songs on this blog. But it turned out to be the most epic of failures and I wasn’t able to upload even a single one. Oh well. Will try again next time.
I’m going back to the Philippines on Friday so I won’t be able to update this blog for a while. I don’t really want to spend my holidays staring at a computer screen. Lol :] But, who knows. I might say hello a few times.
For the past few days I’ve been tidying my room and whatnot. And packing my stuff, of course. Just wanted you to have a little sneak peek of my desk ^_^
Don’t ask where I got that toy vanity case from. Lol. I’m just glad I found it. Temporary storage :] Looks cute, though, doesn’t it? ^_^ And I got the little blue drawstring bags from - I dunno - a shop which sells beddings and stuff. Lol. I think these bags are meant to hold water bottles… I have no clue. Lol :] But for now I’m using them to store my brushes. They’re so cheap - I got five of them for only forty-nine pence :]
My mum bought this bag for me yesterday :] It’s a sling one. Will use it on Friday ^_^
Oh my days. This is the part where I get really excited. Guess what I got from the mail:
They spelled my name wrong. Lol :]
Unwrapping it was the fun part. Lol :] I am really excited to read this book - won’t read it until Friday, though. It should keep me occupied while waiting for my flight. I got this for only ninety-nine pence at ebay and I wasn’t even expecting to receive it today because the seller didn’t e-mail me that it has been shipped. So it really came as a surprise :] I just can’t wait to read it. It’s a comedy travel book. About a hitchhiker in Japan ^_^
This’ll probably be my last blog entry for a few weeks. I’ll post another one when I get back ^_^ Cheers!
Hey, guys! Meet my new baby!
It’s a pink LG Cookie :] My Nanay (my grandma) got this for me as a graduation gift. Unlimited texts and internet from Virgin Media. Even the more reason to update my Twitter. Hihi! Love love ^_^
Title: Peony In Love
Author: Lisa See
Rating: 5/5
Book 13 of 100: (The 100+ Reading Challenge)
Synopsis:
Peony has neither seen nor spoken to any man other than her father, a wealthy Chinese nobleman. Nor has she ever ventured outside the cloistered women’s quarters of the family villa. As her sixteenth birthday approaches she finds herself betrothed to a man she does not know, but Peony has dreams of her own.
Her father engages a theatrical troupe to perform scenes from The Peony Pavilion, a Chinese epic opera, in their garden amidst the scent of ginger, green tea and jasmine. ‘Unmarried girls should not be seen in public,’ says Peony’s mother, but her father allows the women to watch from behind a screen. Here, Peony catches sight of an elegant, handsome man and is immediately bewitched. So begins her unforgettable journey of love, desire, sorrow and redemption.
I do not have any clue on how to start talking about this book. It’s just way out there. I’m giving it a five because it’s awesome. And interesting. And entertaining. And, just like Peony, this historical novel is beautiful.
There is no easy way for me to avoid putting in some spoilers on this blog but, I gotta tell you, Peony died of her lovesickness. Ever since she fell for a young poet about her age, all she ever did was write poems (an activity not normally done by women at that time) and thoughts about The Peony Pavilion (which I think is the opera version of a drug - it makes a maiden addicted upon reading or watching it). She refused to eat or drink and was happy to sustain herself with only thoughts of the play and her love for Wu Ren. At one point, Peony’s father pointed who Wu Ren is but Peony decided not to look just because. She didn’t know that the man her father chose for her was the man, the poet, who she actually fell in love with. It’s silly because she wasted away thinking that she was going to marry a stranger.
If only she looked.
If only - this is probably one of the major themes in the book. I guess it’s true how they say that people die of false thoughts. And it’s sad. Her death, though, does not stop her from being one with Ren. Because she was not able to fulfill this ‘match made in heaven’ and still has other duties to accomplish in life, she roamed the earth as a ‘hungry soul’ - a soul with nowhere to go and is banned from Heaven or Hell.
In death she was able to write, along with her living sister-wives, a very heartfelt commentary on The Peony Pavilion which was acknowledged far and wide. It was as if she understood more about life now that she’s dead compared to when she was still alive and had her future set in front of her.
I saw you waste away as the words sapped your qi… Only after watching you these last few years as you’ve been with Yi have I realized that maybe writing doesn’t require sacrifice. Maybe it’s a gift to experience emotions through our brushes, ink, and paper… You wrote out of desire , joy, and love. We each paid a heavy price for speaking our minds, for revealing our hearts, for trying to create, but it was worth it, wasn’t it, daughter?
There are a lot of Chinese customs and traditions incorporated in this book such as that of foot-binding, ghost marriages and funeral arrangements. It’s very interesting, actually, and I find that the Chinese are very strict in giving respect to their ancestors because, according to them, their ancestors help in giving them good fortune and health. Even up to this day, these activities are still carried out. I really would love to witness one myself, except for the foot-binding part, maybe.
This book really swept me off my feet. It is lovely in every way and I would be more than happy to read it all over again if given the chance. It is based on a true story which I think makes it even more wonderful.
Title: The Alchemist
Author: Paulo Coelho
Rating: 5/5
Book 12 of 100: (The 100+ Reading Challenge)
Synopsis:
Every few decades a book is published that changes the lives of its readers forever. Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist is such a book. With over 30 million copies sold worldwide, The Alchemist has already achieved the status of a modern classic.
This is the story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who dreams of travelling the world in search of a treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the exotic markets of Tangiers and then into the Egyptian desert, where a fateful encounter with the alchemist awaits him.
The Alchemist is a transforming novel about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read omens strewn along life’s path and above all following our dreams.
Shoot me for being the last person to read this book. It’s a very worthy read - hands down. Which is probably the reason why I had a hard time finding a copy.
I really like this book. Oh, no - scrap that. I love this book. It’s just mesmerizing, you know? And I am sure you would agree with me, if you’ve read it, that this is absolutely the very book you would need to get on with your life after a nasty fall.
When a person really desires something, all the universe will conspire to help that person to realize his dream.
In my case, it did. It made me get on with my life, I mean. There’s this thing about putting in some life lessons and whatnot in books. But Paulo Coelho is just ever so clever at involving divinity in it which, I believe, is where it all comes down to in the end. It’s wonderful. I have never really thought of how everything in life is interconnected the way the desert, the wind, the sun and, of course, God made it all possible for Santiago to disappear from where he was standing and just apparate to another location.
From the church where he used to spend the night with his sheep up to the point when he reaches the Pyramids of Egypt, it is very clear how Santiago grows up to be a man of honour and bravery. He learns about life by actually living it. It’s ironic how people sometimes complain about what they have, or lack thereof, but if truth be told we do have everything we need already. And in realizing one’s dreams, it is not unusual to encounter obstacles along the way. It’s what makes the journey worthwhile.
Maybe God created the desert so that man could appreciate the date trees, he thought.
I do not think I would forget about this book. Ever. It has really deepened my understanding of life and dreams. From it I’ve learned that there is no such thing as problems - they are simply challenges. To overcome them, we are required to be one with our hearts and with the natural world.
Title: Magic By Moonlight (from the Stardust series)
Author: Linda Chapman
Rating: 3/5
Book 11 of 100: (The 100+ Reading Challenge)
Synopsis:
Nine-year-old Lucy is really pleased when Allegra Greenwood moves in next door and the girls quickly become friends. But when Allegra tells her that she is a ‘stardust spirit’, Lucy discovers a whole world of magic beyond even her imagination… As well as the ability to fly, each stardust spirit has their own set of very special powers dictated by their individual star. Very soon, Lucy finds out that not only is her secret identity exciting but also brings responsibility. She has much to learn about stardust and it’s going to be a rollercoaster ride along the way! The first of four books about friendships and family relationships weaving fantasy seamlessly into the every day world.
I do not have much to say about this book apart from the fact that it is quite an interesting fantasy read. Obviously, I got this from the Children’s section just to have something light and quick to rest my eyes on. It’s really nice how the author incorporated the themes of dreams and nature to make the ’star’ of the story, Lucy, a good example to children everywhere.
I did enjoy reading this although I have to say it’ll just be a one-off. I do not think I’d be that keen to look out for the rest of the books in the series.
If you haven’t already guessed, the word graduation seems pretty alien to British schools - well, just until further education at the most. Here they refer to it as Leavers’ Ceremony (the same way they call prom as Leavers’ Ball). We had ours on Tuesday the 23rd of June and, yay, I have now officially left sixth form college. ^_^
To be honest, ceremonies here in Britain aren’t exactly what I would call tear-jerker-y or memorable. It’s, like, different. Different from the ones we have in the Philippines wherein parents rush in to take pictures of their children and everyone else is in a very chatty mood. In England, everything is just so… proper. The ceremony started and ended on time, there were no technical difficulties whatsoever and everyone was present. You’re not even allowed to take photographs because the presentation was meant to be ’solemn’. No togas or gowns or whatever graduation attire - just come in your usual school uniform. See what I mean about not being memorable?
Having said that, though, I am absolutely a hundred percent thankful that I have come this far. Without sixth form college, I obviously would not have been able to attain my A-levels and other requirements for University. It was two years of good fun and tears. Good fun in the form of friends and teachers. Tears in the form of too much paperwork. No regrets, really. Sixth form stressed me out badly but, still, I do not regret studying here.
As far as having a very ordinary leavers’ presentation, I still have to say that I would miss my time at sixth form and the bonds I have made with my peers. It was a rollercoaster ride of emotions - I don’t think I would ever forget that.
Now that I have graduated, or as they say - left sixth form college, I think I’m definitely ready for University now.
Wish me luck :]
Hey :]
If you’ve been following my Tweets, you’d know that today’s pretty hectic. Aside from cleaning the house (i.e. throwing out the last two years’ worth of paperwork), I also had to do some grocery shopping. Which was fine by me - until it rained and my one piece of shirt got soaked =/
Seriously. British weather is depressing. You don’t have the slightest clue when it’ll rain or not. And the weatherman usually doesn’t help.
Anyway, putting all the fruits and veggies and eggs and what-have-yous aside, I still had a few pennies left so I went inside a charity shop. I love charity shops - they’ve got all kinds of stuff in there. Lol :] But what I’m really after is the book section. I loooove buying my books from charity shops. The only book I’ve probably bought from a high street bookstore is the first of Twilight and that was only because, at that time, no one had heard of it yet so I couldn’t really find one in a secondhand shop. Lol ^_^ And you can get a lot of books for your money in these shops and when you’re polite to the owners, they usually ask you to get another one from the shelf for free ^_^ And, of course, we can’t ignore the fact that our pennies actually go to charity, so it’s really a win-win situation.
So today I got two books - a comedy-slash-travel one and a biography-ish one.
The one you see on the left, The Mobile Library: The Case of the Missing Books, is one I’ve been eyeing on for a few months now and I haven’t bought it until today because I promised my mum I’d be a good girl and won’t splurge much on books/makeup. Lol :] And since I haven’t really bought anything for a while now and have been making good use of the public library, I decided to get this. In fact, I’ve started reading it once I got home and it is just absolutely hilarious! I love it. It’s about this librarian dude who went all the way to Ireland to take up a post which he didn’t really get and… I can’t reveal much because I haven’t gone halfway reading it yet. Lol ^_^
The next one, The Good Women of China, is a real-life story of a Chinese radio broadcaster who women usually confide in. It says on the back cover that it’s a biography. I have a feeling it’s a pretty sad story but, you know, I love China, it’s culture, the language (self-studying Mandarin student here ^_^) and whatnot, so yeah. And the story on Lisa See’s Peony In Love I’ve been telling you about was a massive hit on me and I still can’t stop thinking about it so this book should be kinda like a sequel or something. Lol ^_^ I might take these books with me when I travel back home because as far as I know, we’ve got a nine-hour stay in Hong Kong because the next flight to Manila is practically the next day pa.
So yeah. Random update :] Oh yeah, I’ve got my graduation tomorrow night :] Yaaaay ^_^ And the book I got from ebay, Hokkaido Highway Blues, should arrive on my doorstep any minute now. Can’t wait ^_^
Corinne Bailey Rae - Put Your Records On
So yeah. Sixth form college is officially over :] Well, not officially. My graduation’s yet to happen. I just meant that I’ve finished all my examinations a few days ago and I’m LOVING not going to school.
Having said that, I kinda miss the smell of fresh paper and pencils. :]
Anyways. I’m in the mood to blog. So yeah.
Going back to the title… Ahihihihihihihihihihihihihi. Sorry. It just gives me a giddy feeling everytime I hear it. Oh, and before you say anything, no one uttered this phrase to me recently. Lol. I just heard it between two of my friends. They’re so cute :]
Thing is, it’s this white girl who said ‘mahal kita’ to my Filipino friend. I dunno, I really think it’s sweet, don’t you? ^_^ I mean, whenever Filipinos say ‘mahal kita’ to each other, I think it’s downright corny (or maybe I’m just jealous. Lol. ^_^). But when there’s a multi-cultural thing going on, it’s kinda cute. Right? Right? Lol ^_^
Haaaaaay :]
It’s been raining a lot lately but that didn’t stop me from going out. Lol. Hey, I’m going to Uni in two months - I need to make the most of my summer holidays! ^_^
Speaking of Uni. I think I definitely wanna go for Biomed this time. Aargghhh, I still can’t make my mind up.
Last night, The Ring was on BBC1. I decided to watch it because, honestly, I’ve never seen it before. I like getting the odd jolt and stuff but I really can’t handle anything scary. Lol. What, I’m a baby, don’t judge ^_^ So yeah. I just got to the part where the girl’s face was shown when she died (and then her head just dropped or something) and then… uhm, and then… I JUST TURNED THE TELLY OFF.
Turns out I’ve never grown up. Still a baby. Still scared. Probably will never watch another horror movie again.
It’ll probably be different if I’ve got someone to watch it with me. The parents were asleep already and I didn’t want to wake them up. I just thought that maybe this time I’m all grown up to watch a scary film. But yeah.
If you’re reading this and you’ve seen The Ring and you think it isn’t too scary, well, uhm. I totally look up to you for that ^_^ Lol.
Anyhooooo… Oh, yeah. I watched The Hangover at the Empire Cinema last Thursday! ^_^ Weee, you’ve gotta see it. It’s hilarious :]
Lately I haven’t done anything productive. I mean, it’s summer, what’s there to be productive for? :] I’ve just been purchasing clothes and stuff for my Ate and Kuya as, you know, pasalubong and all that. I’m really excited to go back to the Philippines and just unwind for a while.
And pig out. It’s been ages since I had tahong. ^_^
Hey, blog. Yareet?
Eww. I just said ‘yareet’. I sound funny when I say that. I don’t think I’m ever going to get the hang of the North-Eastern accent.
Let’s start again. Alright?
‘Alright’. Lol. Much better. :] Now we’re getting London-y.
Speaking of London - I haven’t been to London in ages! I really really really want to go down south for a few days and just have a good ol’ walk aroud Camden. Or stand on a crowded tube. Anywhere but here.
In all honesty, I love the North East. I mean, we’ve got Hadrian’s Wall just around the corner; we’ve got Girls Aloud (I don’t really listen to them. But yeah); we’ve got the annual Air Show. But, you know. Maybe it’s that. London’s culture is a lot different from the North East, where I live, and I feel inclined to discover as much of Britain while I am here. Of course, I have no reason to leave England anytime soon (except for my holiday back home, but that doesn’t count) but, if you think about it, time runs a lot faster than the word ‘go’.
I don’t know where this blog entry is heading to. Prior to clicking on the New Post button to scribble this entry, I didn’t have a topic in mind to blog about. As per usual.
All I’m really saying is that I have one examination left to go and, woohoo, school’s out ^_^ I can travel again as much as I want to. Having said that, I’m broke so I need to find ways to get anywhere without spending too much money. Money which I do not have. Money which I will painstakingly need when I start University two months from now.
Is it possible to walk all the way to Scotland? Why not. Lol ^_^
Geez. I haven’t even gone back home and now I’m trying to think of all my dream British attractions. And where are my bags - I haven’t started packing yet! Going back to the Philippines in two weeks time.
I can’t wait. :]
And, oh. I’m currently reading Lisa See’s Peony In Love. Check it out if you haven’t done so yet. There’s stuff about the Chinese tradition of foot-binding. Creepy - but a really good read.
