“The more you think about change, the more things you wind up changing; the more things you change, the better your whole life becomes.” — Mireille Guiliano, French Women for All Seasons

“Do not remain nameless to yourself — it is too sad a way to be. Know your place in the world and evaluate yourself fairly, not in terms of the naive ideals of your own youth, nor in terms of what you erroneously imagine your teacher’s ideals are.” — Richard P. Feynman, Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track

“When the revelation and the grace were lost, my life was lost. Those living things that had once been there inside me, that had been for that reason of some value, were dead now. Not one thing was left. They had all been burned to ashes in that fierce light. The heat emitted by that revelation or grace had seared away the very core of the life that made me the person I was. Surely I had lacked the strength to resist that heat. And so I feel no fear of death. If anything, my physical death would be, for me, a form of salvation. It would liberate me forever from this hopeless prison, this pain of being me.” — Haruki Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

“I’m different from other people, so the life I live will have to be different from theirs.” — Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

“It is true that those we meet can change us, sometimes so profoundly that we are not the same afterwards, even unto our names.” — Yann Martel, Life of Pi

Reading. I’m really glad it’s one of the things I’ve come to love doing. I admire people who are able to put their work out there. Their ability to weave words and produce something that educates and entertains will always be something that I’ll forever be grateful for.

Your turn. What books have you been reading lately?

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I’m especially glad that I got new books over the holidays. Some are even totally new to me. I like getting introduced to new titles and authors. It widens the scope of what I read.

I actually already gobbled up a couple of books included in the photo.

Two of the titles, I bought:

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
I like how the author gradually tells the story in an unhurried manner. How she introduces each character and how familiar her writing style seems to me after having read her other book. I’m not finished with this one because I’m too excited to read the other new books. Hahaha!

A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff
Romance that’s not too sappy. It’s a feel good read, actually. I believe that this books falls under Chick Lit (funny coincidence, really. You’ll see why as you read on) I like that it didn’t center around a broken relationship, a new guy or her fabulous new vintage shop. What’s too unreal was that everything was going in her favour in such a short span of time. Plus it felt like the author wanted everyone to have a happy ending too. Ah, well. Like I said, it’s a feel good read.

Gifted by my sister, Shai Coggins, are the following:

Will Write for Shoes | How to Write a Chick Lit Novel
by Cathy Yardley
I wonder if she’s telling me to *really* write. Sure, I will gladly write for shoes but to actually sit down and finish an entire novel, Chick Lit or something else, I’m not sure if a pair of shoes is enough to tempt me. Besides, I’ll leave all the writing prowess to my sister. She’s the published writer and not I. Let’s keep it that way. It’s been an interesting read so far. It’s sort of dissecting Chick Lit for me.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
by Stieg Larsson
We’ve had talked about this book, er, the series actually when we discovered that we both are planning to read them. She was gifted the 2nd book and she gave me a “going away” gift which included this title and the next one..

The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
She mentioned that she had initially planned on giving me the entire set (3 books) for Christmas but plans fell through. She then proceeded to tell me why she wanted to give it to me (told me the gist of the story since I admitted to not being familiar with the trilogy) and I ended up really curious. I’m so happy she decided to give me the 1st book because if she didn’t, I might not have known how awesome a read The Hunger Games trilogy is! I’m not into the whole sci-fi genre but the trilogy touches that in a way that’s not too unattractive for my reading taste. Now, I’m SO hooked!

Yes, I immediately searched for the rest of the books as soon as I got the chance. It took me a while to find the 2nd one and, boy, I had to stop myself from jumping up and down when the cashier at a local NSB told me they’ve got it in stock.

Coffee table book – Photo Idea Index: People by Jim Krause
2nd & 3rd books in The Hunger Games Trilogy – Catching Fire and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

I’ve also grown a soft spot for hard covers too. I’m seeing my growing preference in buying these over paperbacks.

And out of my passion for reading and hanging out, I’ve gotten myself a new reading nook — if you look at the photo, it’s slightly visible in the background). I’ve always wanted a swing out on our porch and now, we do. It caused a dent in my wallet but it’s well worth it! Apart from the fact there’s a certain feeling that makes me feel good inside whenever I buy furniture, I do love spending my mornings (when I’m awake at that time that is) with a cup of tea or coffee or my afternoons with a cold drink and a book.

Life is good. <3

P.S. The two photos included in this post were taken by my two new toys — a Polaroid PoGo and a Canon 60D. I’ll tell you folks about them in a different post!

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I would say I’ve been extremely busy over the past few months but the truth is, my life (and schedule plus priorities) changed in the course of the past year. I’ve allowed the wind to take me in a different direction — in the hope of finding myself. It’s true, I’m still on the road of discovery and it has been a rollercoaster of emotions. A love-hate relationship wherein the situations I’ve managed to find myself in and decisions I had to make have driven me into a passionate frenzy of craziness that this sudden halt had created an annoying void. My life, I find, has chosen to grow silent. It’s actually unnerving.

I sort of knew that I’d find myself here again. I’ve seen the signs but chose to look the other way. I couldn’t help it. I’m an eternal optimist and an incurable romantic. I’d rather work towards getting my happy endings than wallow in disappointed hopes. Better to acknowledge the change and adapt than dwell in the what-ifs and what-could’ve-beens of life. And I’m all for marking these changes and had started it off with my personal blog‘s new look. Nothing grand, just something that had kept my mind and hands busy last month and, now, I get to share this with you folks today.

Things come in their own seasons and events happen for special reasons. These things may not be wholly clear to me at this time but I’m certain that my understanding (at the moment I need it) will not fail me. I just need to keep my mind open and my heart turned upwards. Always remember where my hope is rooted and know that I will be lead to the place where I should be. Find strength to take each step towards a dimly lit future with the knowledge that — though I go at it alone (and seemingly misunderstood, unfortunately) — everything will be alright, simply because it’s true.

It’s funny how I realised that I’ve been surrounded by tasks deemed to be important which, in hindsight, I can now consider trivial. Then again, maybe they were important at that time but having taken myself out of it, these no longer hold bearing. Excuse me for thinking out loud. I guess, as I write this, I’m realising that there are still things that need thinking over. Looking at the books that I’ve managed to accumulate over the past year — some read and others I stopped reading mid-way — I’ve come to a conclusion about myself: I’m constantly chasing after adding something in my life… at the expense of another thing, hence, nothing was added at all, rather I had replaced things. I reckon I need to secure a balance.

The change will do me good. The lull will help me think more clearly and plan things concisely; not to mention, execute efficiently and effectively. And I have to admit that this is the much needed break (though I was hoping that I’d spend it on a beach somewhere, hehe) I’ve been waiting for. It does feel that I’ve finally come up for air.

Anyway, I’ve got books that needs to be read, thoughts to write down and a life to live. My dreams don’t end here and I’m not done chasing after them. It just seems that I’m needed somewhere else. I’m going a different direction now. Strange yet familiar, maybe, it’s actually not a different road. It’s just I who have changed and am seeing things differently.

Books in photo: [Read] Meatball Sundae, Seth Godin; Purple Cow, Seth Godin; The Last Song, Nicholas Sparks; The Time Traveller’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger; [Unread] The Numerati, Stephen Baker; The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli.

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Normally, I would buy myself a pair of shoes or perhaps an outfit or two but yesterday, I went straight to the bookstore.

Time suddenly went in slow motion as soon as I reached the bestseller aisle. A notable change in pace happened in my head. It’s like it calmed down. My thoughts went silent. Breathing was easier. I knew that I knew I was happy, know what I mean?

Anyway, I spent a considerable amount of time rummaging through the sale rack before making a beeline to the classics section. But, interestingly, I ended up with three (3) titles from various authors whose individual works I’m little familiar with or not at all.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind
The Gathering by Anne Enright
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

I’ve already seen the film version of the Perfume book and I found it interesting enough to want to read the book when I found out that the film was based on one. And I’ve heard of Atlas Shrugged and Ayn Rand, separately. Yes, I didn’t know that the former was written by the latter and the latter having written the former. LOL. But like I said, these books are pretty much risks on my part. I’m hoping that they’d hold my interest long enough to earn a spot in my current schedule. The blurbs were effective enough to make me grab them from the shelf and bring them to the cashier, however, the first few chapters are a different matter. Heh.

Never mind that my reading (to-do) list is getting longer by the minute (still haven’t finished a lot of the books on my list, gah), I’m still pretty much happy with these new books. They made me feel better. I wish I can buy all the books I want to buy and, yea, have time to read them too.

Another thing that made me feel better was enjoying a bowl of this:

Capped my little night out with this delectable Greek Salad from Shakey’s. I love this salad! The combination of greens, cucumber, tomatoes, olives, salami and white cheese topped with that delicious tangy sauce made my taste buds sing in rapture. I thoroughly enjoyed every bite. Yes, folks, it’s a dish you can actually order in Shakey’s for less than Php 200.00.

These things saved my Saturday and I’m hoping the memory will help sustain things for the rest of my weekend. How about you folks? How’ve you been? It’s been a while since I was here. Sorry about that. It’s just that there were major changes in my life the past month or so which made my schedule go topsy-turvy. Anyway, if you can share what sort of things you do to make yourself feel better, I’d appreciate it!

Photo taken using my Nokia 6700 Classic © 2009 Sasha Manuel

P.S. If you’re a Nokia user, I would suggest that you sign up for you own Ovi account. Apart from storing and sharing photos, it’s useful for contacts, calendar, and notes back-up.

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Travel back in time and imagine horse-drawn carriages and muddy roads. Get a glimpse of a miracle unfold in an otherwise ordinary life. Experience the magical encounter with someone great. Spend your nights in Rodanthe. Traipse around Sandition. Immerse yourself in the life of Alexander The Great.

There are days when I don’t feel like reading but for the past couple of months, books have been a constant companion in my bedroom, specifically right before I sleep.

My love for the Classics and Jane Austen have brought me to grab a copy of Sandition, the half-finished masterpiece of the great author now completed by respected author and Austen expert, Juliette Shapiro.

I’m certainly curious to finish reading this novel and hope to love it as much as I love the other Jane Austen books I’ve already read.

Choosing to read Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks, I have to admit was greatly due to movie trailers I’ve seen. Growing up surrounded by Contemporary Fiction, mostly romance for young adults, I’ve learned to appreciate the modern comedy no matter how shallow the plot may be. I reckon it’s easier to identify myself in characters if things are set in a familiar period. It was only when I was older did I enjoy ones that are not, hence, my love for the classics.

I haven’t seen the movie but I’m sure I’ll get around to doing that esp as soon as I finish reading the book. I wonder if this is the Sparks book that will make me cry. I’ve read A Walk to Remember and The Notebook (which my brother was sure would make me cry but he lost that bet, heh) and nothing so far. He’s the one to tug his readers’ heartstrings, huh? But I admit, his stories are good. It never felt like the writer was trying too hard.

My fascination with Historical Fiction, particularly if you talk of kings, philosophers and ancient civilizations, grew out of my affinity with stories of ancient mythology, Greek or Roman. Having consumed a number of books on the matter and watched movies like Gladiator, Troy, King Arthur, 300, and The Last Samurai, I simply haven’t had enough. It was only by chance that I saw this Steven Pressfield book, The Virtues of War. It’s a novel of Alexander The Great. Now, who wouldn’t be curious enough to read about that? Interestingly, he’s also the one behind the book (popularised by the movie), The Legend of Bagger Vance.

With these three (3) new books, I reckon I might lose sleep a little cuz instead of taking things in small doses, I just might not be able to put them down. Like what happened when I was reading the Twilight Saga.

Though come to think of it, it’s not something to complain about. I always love to read a good story. How about you folks? What sort of books to you prefer to read? Any new books on your reading list?

Photo © 2009 Sasha Manuel

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As much as I don’t mind being alone, since I can think of many things to keep my mind and hands busy, I have to admit that it does get lonely. Only a week into it, I’ve experienced extremes. From paranoia (of normal and paranormal but it’s more of the former than the latter, believe it or not) to luxuriating in the thick atmosphere of independence.

What do folks like me do in these situations? Do we party every night? Make a mess and simply not care? Turn on the A/C as much and as long as we want without fear of getting an earful of reminders of electricity bills, etc?

Funny but house-sitting is much more difficult as it seems. Heck, living alone is not at all glamourous as most young people think. It’s hard work. Full of responsibilities. I reckon, since I did live independently a few years back, I sort of knew what to expect as soon as I got back from the airport; after dropping my mum off. We’re just taking out rent control and, goshdarnit, this is helluva bigger place.

Sitting in front of the laptop that night, I remember feeling utterly small and very much alone. I knew I’ll need people to check up on me from time to time. That’s why I’m thankful that we live close to relatives plus friends would occasionally drop by and hang out. I’m slowly feeling a little comfortable with the setup, comfortable enough to accommodate more things to do at home (like I need more reasons to stay inside, yea? I work at home for crying out loud!).

Anyway, I knew I’ll be scheduling beach trips during the course of the months I’ll be house-sitting so I decided that I need to allot considerable amount of time spent indoors. What do I usually like doing indoors apart from going online-slash-working? What else? Read books, of course. Fantastic. It’s high time I read more.

Enter the recently purchased box set of the Twilight saga. Egad. Succumbed into the Edward-Bella-Jacob thing.

I didn’t really plan on buying the entire set in one go, actually. I guess, that’s the problem with having too much time on your hands and finding yourself in a bookstore with the intention of buying yourself a book. Note, a book! Ah, well.

I was on my way to Manila Penn that night for a Hens Party I organised for a friend. I knew I’ll be the first one there and I had forgotten to bring with me a book to help pass the time while waiting. So I figured buying one that time wouldn’t hurt since I was planning to buy new books anyway.

Twas Friday night when I started reading bits from the first book in the Saga, Twilight.

It’s now Thursday and I’m halfway through the third one, Eclipse. Not only that; I’ve finally watched the Twilight movie for three (3) consecutive nights actually. LOL. I’m still deciding if I’m watching it again before I sleep.

The Twilight Saga know resides in my once bare bookshelf. I’ve been organising the library in our house and have contributed most of my books to the shelves found in the den, hence the empty shelves in my room. However, I’ve been re-organising books the past few months so favourites and the un-read books are now back in my room. Which is great actually since it helps remind me that there are books left to be read. Hehe.

Enough about me. How about you folks? How’ve you guys been? Bought any new books lately? Have you read the Twilight saga? Come, let’s talk! This small person staying alone in a big house will surely appreciate it!

Photo © 2009 Sasha Manuel

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“I’M SIGNIFICANT! … Screamed the dust speck.” — Calvin

Life can be utterly and taxing-ly overwhelming. I’m barely halfway through the entire length of it yet I’m already tired, aren’t you? It’s all the falling, the detours, and the countless disheartening wrong turns. Lost and just about ready to throw in the towel. Yes, quit — even when you know there are loads of things still in store in the days ahead. Partly, I reckon, it’s esp because of that.

However, you still opt to take that step forward, may it be out of sheer will coupled with hope or just due to habit formed over time. You prod on. Toil. Breathe. But what sort of life is it without passion? Without direction? Where will you get the energy to live? And I mean really live.

Go back to the simple things. Find inspiration in the mundane. This will rekindle the fire you once had. This will allow you to remember why you were doing what you are doing; how you became who you are; which road to take to reach your goals; what steps to take to better yourself. This will help your entire self to grow.

Indeed, there’s treasure everywhere. All we have to do is look at life as a child would.

Funny, I just remembered how my nephew C would sometimes say “It’s impossible” whenever he faces something difficult to do and I would always tell him, “Nothing’s impossible, C.”

It’s in times like these that I choose to take a step back and brood. And dream. With Calvin and Hobbes. I ♥ Calvin and Hobbes.

P.S. Yes, I consult my Calvin and Hobbes collection for answers to life’s almost-impossible-to-answer questions. Hehe.

Image: amazon.com

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A perennial note-taker, an avid journal writer, a lover of the arts, and having a general fondness for literature. How else can I describe the stuff I busy my hands with outside the usual tapping on the keyboard and fiddling with the camera? I guess I’ve most of them covered.

Notes
Writing is my friend. I can’t imagine myself without it. I still love the smell of paper and watch words form as the ink touches the parchment. Life is poetry waiting to be transcribed, though I’m more of a story-teller than a poet. That’s probably why I’m more into notes. Notes that will help me form a full thought. Thoughts that fill my stories.

Doodles
Drawing, painting, illustrating… these are not my strongest points. I guess that’s why I prefer to call my scratches sketches, doodles. I doodle. There’s no complete thought nor emotion in the stuff I create. Just fragments of a thought. Half an idea. Nothing concrete. All passing fancies. Yes, you can say I’ve never even dared master it.

Scrapping
I’m a pack-rat. Er, sort of. I like keeping mementos with the intention of compiling them in one “scrapbook” but never (and I mean EVER) gotten around to doing it. I hold on to pieces of history like a leech but the sheer silliness of it pushes me to throw them away later on. Silly, silly, silly.

Stories
As much as I like telling them, I like reading them more. They take me to places that I’ve never been but have always wanted to go, meet people I’ve always wanted to meet, explore a period in time that’ll never, ever find myself in, and watch events unfold without having to wait and age.

To nurture these things, I treated myself to a Moleskine shopping spree over at Avalon.ph. I bought myself three (3) new ones to almost complete the large notebook collection. I already have the Ruled Notebook. New ones include: the Sketchbook, the Ruled Reporter Notebook, and the Squared Notebook. Honestly, now that I have these Moleskine notebooks in my hands, I can’t — for the life of me — figure out what to do with them. For fear of ruining its pristine, oh-so-new state. Dear me.

I decided to throw in a book, The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides, on checkout. I stumbled upon it while trying to finalise my order.

Shopping online, I find, is highly, highly convenient esp if the local online seller accepts PayPal. As much as other payment options like GCash or bank deposits are acceptable, it’s more efficient to use the method that wouldn’t require you to handle any other electronic equipment or leave the comfort of your own home.

Moreover, if you find a great online seller like Avalon.ph that offers great prices — I bought the Moleskine notebooks and the book at almost half the regular price plus my experience with them have been tremendously pleasant, it felt like I was actually transacting with a real person — you’ll realise that your money can actually go far and that you didn’t have to spend extra on gas, parking, toll fees and all those extra spending if you find yourselves in a mall.

What about you guys? How do you feel about online shopping? Have you ever tried it (online shopping using PayPal payment method in particular)? If you were to shop online, what sort of things would you normally buy? Ever tried Avalon.ph?

Photo© 2008 Sasha Manuel

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There’s nothing more exciting than a new book in my hands. I don’t know. I just love books. And the past year or so, I’ve been exploring titles and writing genres that’s outside my usual preferences. And today, I ease into a tender, wickedly funny tale of love and terror, sex and suicide, memory and imagination that’s found in a Jeffrey Eugenides book, The Virgin Suicides.

Curiosity in the lives of the virgin Lisbon sisters: Therese, Mary, Bonnie, Lux, and Cecilia, I sometimes can’t help take small peeks in the book’s pages and read reviews online. However, I’ve yet to finish another book and finish a tonne of work before I can actually curl up and enjoy my new book.

This is one of the few items I recently bought over at Avalon.ph. I was hoping they had a copy of this Milan Kundera book but, yes, twas out of stock. I was also looking into getting another one of Jeffrey Eugenides books, Middle Sex. Still working on building the shopping cart to save on shipping. Hehe.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this book but not too much spoilers, please! I’d love to let the story unfold by itself and let my reading slowly lift the shroud of mystery.

How about you guys? Any new book up on your reading list?

Photo Copyright © 2008 Sasha Manuel

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Photo© 2008 Sasha Manuel

I wonder how many of us remember the significance of September 21 in Philippine history. Personally, I haven’t really given it much thought until last month when I found this old book among old things while I was organising bookshelves in the den PLUS everyone commemorated Ninoy Aquino who was assassinated during the Marcos administration and I had chanced upon a documentary: Beyond Conspiracy, After 25 Years, The Aquino Assassination on telly.

For the clueless, 21 September 1972 was the day when Former President Ferdinand E. Marcos signed the proclamation placing the entire Philippines under martial law. Which, btw, Marcos likes to call “The September 21 Movement”.

And the old book I found is penned by the very same man who was responsible for it, Ferdinand E. Marcos, Notes on the New Society of the Philippines.

Photo© 2008 Sasha Manuel

Roughly, the book is around 34 years old and this is based on the last known printing stated in it, Fourth Printing May 1974. As you can see on the photos, it wasn’t preserved well (note the portion of the pages that were eaten away by mites). I remember seeing this book as a child and it had this blue book leaf (that is if I remember it correctly) now missing. I even started to tell off my mum for not taking better care of something that can be considered a relic. All she told me was she had forgotten that we had it. She even admitted to not having read it at all.

I guess since the memory of the martial law era, people don’t think kindly of the president or anything related to him. I was really young during the EDSA revolution but I remember bits, particularly being left alone with siblings and cousins cuz my parents and other relatives were all there. Anyway, that’s probably why the book was shoved at the back of some closet.

Of course, I also had asked my mum why we had copy and I found out that the book was given out for free. Imagine that.

Photo© 2008 Sasha Manuel

Kudos to the president, if that’s the case. Taking the responsibility of informing the people after a major decision has been made is a good thing. It allows the people to better understand what was in his mind esp leading up to the decision. Though, the downside with every published work, it most likely has gone through editorials and it’ll be difficult to determine the truth from fiction. But the idea that the president of a country would find the time to write a book is quite impressive.

“.. A leader cannot shirk his duty of explaining, elucidating, and educating, whenever he can.” — Ferdinand E. Marcos, Notes on the New Society of the Philippines

Talking to a friend’s father who was pretty active in the political scene during that administration, we agreed on how brilliant Marcos was. It was just too bad that his name has become synonymous to corruption and his administration’s reputation to dirty politics. And that’s even an understatement.

I haven’t finished the book yet but, so far, I’m quite fascinated. It feels like I’m reading Marcos’ thoughts. A little guarded but teaching myself to open my mind to what he has to say about the whole martial law debacle makes it a little challenging but still educational, nonetheless.

Contents

My Fighting Faith

Foreword

Chapter I
The Hour of Decision

Chapter II
The September 21 Movement

Chapter III
The Rebellion of the Poor

Chapter IV
The Question of Equality

Chapter V
The Political Bond

Chapter VI
The Conquest of Poverty

Chapter VII
Theory and Practice in the New Society

Appendix

Index

Believe me, this is one book that I appreciate even the Appendix and Index. Scratch that. Esp for the Appendix and Index. It allowed me to be on the same page with President Marcos (no pun intended).

Have any of you read this book or any of his published works? Share! I’d love to hear your thoughts on his writing.

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