The Carousel

In between my slow reading and blogging, I managed to read some fiction books. I just finished The Carousel by Rosamunde Pilcher. I have about fifteen of her earlier books plus one trilogy which I patiently collected over the years. My favourite of course is The Shell Seekers which I have already read twice. I have always been fascinated by books about Cornwall, Scotland and Ireland. I love those open spaces, beaches, the weather and castles.

Of course Pilcher is my favourite too. The Carousel is a delightful read, nothing fancy there but several comforting lessons on loving, friendship and family ties. And of course beautiful scenery too of Cornwall. One of these days, I’ll reread her other books.

The sun hasn’t shown its face for two days now and it rains at night. I was planning to trim those birds of paradise I planted outside but they are so wet, so inconvenient to remove the dried leaves and flowers.

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent for the year which culminates on Easter Sunday. Here’s the lovely prayer for the day on sacredspace.ie.

Dear Lord, help me to be open to you

for this time as I put aside the cares of this world.

Fill my mind with your peace, Your love.

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From My Journal….

I ❤️ you Mary Oliver. I haven’t read about your words as shared by Roger Housden but I am beginning to appreciate them. I love the way you write your poems in paragraphs. They remind me of your book Devotions which was a birthday gift from another friend. Aren’t I lucky I have friends who also love to read?🌷

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Ten Poems To Open Your Heart

Finally, I am done with the 2022 Goodreads Reading Challenge. Capped it with a historical novel about Scotland and England which I really enjoyed.

A few weeks ago, I told you about the five books given by a friend who spent a month here from Canada. He taught me how to slow read these lovely books. So, I am starting a new journal too.

It’s a book devoted to love, to a loving compassion for others and to a love that embraces this world and the next.

Imagine perusing the words of such famous poets like Mary Oliver, Neruda, Sharon Olds and many others.

Housden says in his eloquent introduction: Great poetry happens when the mind is looking the other way and words fall from the sky to shape a moment that would normally be untranslatable….When the heart opens, we forget ourselves and the world pours in: this world and also the invisible world of meaning that sustains everything that wss and ever shall be.”

How poetic🌷❤️😘

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Blessed

Ver, a balikbayan friend from Canada gave me all these books this morning. He is a photographer, writer, poet, vlogger and a voracious reader. I learned from him several authors and their works. Can’t wait to read them all.

I particularly want to know how Roger Housden analyzes ten poems which include that of my favorite poet Mary Oliver, Rumi, Neruda, Naomi Shihab Nye and other writers. Finally, I have books by John O’Donohue, A Celebration of Rumi by Andrew Harvey, The Ascent of Truth by Thomas Merton (my fourth book of him) and Albert Camus’ The Outsider.

Many, many thanks Ver, so nice seeing you and exchanging news with you.

Isa ulit magandang kumustahan at pagkikita🥰😍😘

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P.S. I Love You

This book has been on my reading list for a number of years but it is only now that I tried reading it.

I seldom read love stories nowadays, I am more focused on historical fiction, memoirs, poetry, cook books and some inspiring ones that I get to find now and then. The other day though, I tried finding an easy read novel in between my reading genre.

P.S. I Love You is a book about two teenagers who found ‘true love’ despite their young age. A rich boy and a poor girl. I thought it was one of those stories that has good ending. I can truly relate because the boy died of cancer, that traitor illness that some of us encounters. P.S. is actually the initial of the boy.

I enjoyed reading this one, finished it overnight and still included in my Goodreads Reading Challenge for this year.

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Everyday Life Nowadays

Okay, I am blogging offline, will have to publish this when we have internet connection. The past two days, Globe Telecom has been down. I wonder when it will serve our connection again. Though I could blog and read other blog posts, they are not updated on my tab.

I usually wake up at 5am almost every day except when Josef reports to the office three times a week, from Monday to Wednesday. Since Jovy brings the car to work every day ( she works different time), Josef takes a ride with his officemate who lives in the town as ours. They pass by every day at around 4:50 am since our street is a short-cut to Pasig area then to Bonifacio Global City where JP Morgan Chase is located.

You know the morning routine of a senior citizen like me. I sweep the yard, clean the dogs poop, water my garden plants, then hose the garage. I clean the house first before preparing breakfast. Since I only take plain oats and nuts every morning, I only need hot water for it and for my chamomile tea. I only prepare breakfast for mom and Josef. He works at home twice a week. By around 8:30am and 9am, I’m usually done with the morning chores. Lunch is at 12pm. I take a slice of whole wheat bread with what dish I have prepared earlier. Then I’M FREE.

Take that to mean the rest of the afternoon is my “me” times when I am able to read and update our Catholic page and group on social media where I’m one of the admins. Reading takes the cake of course. I recently read two books which I both rated five stars⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.

Home Before Sundown was written by Barbara Hannay while The Sweetness of Forgetting was penned by Kristin Harmel. Both are new authors on my list. I just copied some lovely words from Harmel’s book.

– the dawn’s narrow finger are just reaching the horizon

– life changes you, even if you don’t realize it while it’s happening, and it turns out you can’t take back the years that have passed by

– you do not always have to see something to know that it is always there.

Presently I am reading We Were The Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter, another e-book about the holocaust. Seems like an interesting read too.

The mother of a friend died and they live in the same town as we do. My friend and her family are coming home from Australia and we’ll see each other tomorrow together with some priest friends and brothers from the Society of Saint Paul. Fr. Pao will be celebrating mass.

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Reading Updates

I appreciate that I found the Goodreads app a few years ago. Based on my virtual library there, I have read around 1, 616 books. I’ve participated in their Goodread’s challenge the past six years. I am about 80% done with my challenge this year finishing 120 books so far out of 150 books I committed myself to read.

I just recently read The Tumor by John Grisham. A short take about malignant brain tumor, a far cry from the usual subjects he writes about. It is a fictional account of how a real, new medical technology could revolutionize the future of medicine by curing with sound – a focused ultrasound. I also found a new author in the person of Kathleen Grisson called Glory Over Everything, a historical book when Negros were sold as slaves in America. It’s an e-book that kept me glued. Though some fictions are historical, they are probably based on research about those earlier years.

Think about having wagons instead of cars as means of transportation. I have just started Water for Elephants, a popular book that I keep postponing to read.

There is a Goodreads page on Facebook and that’s where I find titles I am curious to read. Sometimes, there are many short reviews about one particular book that I have read before or some titles that I have seen for the first time.

Reading is such a wonderful hobby, it takes you to places you haven’t been to.

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Another Weekend

There’s that trigger again reminding me to start another blog post. I feel so lazy. I haven’t visited WordPress in a while.

I had a conversation with a friend from Canada (there were four of us when we were in college). Grace met an accident last Easter Vigil, had multiple pelvic bones fractures surgery which was not successful so she had a hip replacement surgery. Then she got infection in her gall bladder so she went under the knife again. Among the four of us, she is the only one who was not affected by cancer. All three of us had it, the two with breast cancer and me with colon cancer. Three survivors. Grace introduced me to their parish priest who also blogs about all of his homilies. I visited his site and left a few words via e-mail. He answered, how nice.

Last January, Sr. Thea, an FMM nun, told me that she was diagnosed with lung cancer this time after several years of being free from it. I don’t know about Precy since we haven’t gotten in touch for so long now. She changed her cellphone number.

Grace told me to be gentle and allow myself to grieve. Sometimes though, I still feel so low and couldn’t think of something nice to blog about. But I read, I am on my 82nd book this year. I found a book with Japan as the background during the 15th century. Just started so I don’t know yet if it is worth-reading or not.

I was laughing finding this on my newsfeed except that I no longer use a library card. I mostly read e-books nowadays and have my virtual library at Goodreads.

Another image the words of which I find provoking but it’s true. I remember a friend who told me once that the journey to life is not always a straight path.

Have a beautiful and peaceful weekend😘☺💐🌷🎉🎈🎊

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And More Books

Hey friends, I’m back. How are you guys?

I can’t believe I’m done with 25 books as of last night, an eclectic mix of historical fiction, paranormal stories, a bit of romance, book of poems and thrillers. It is about 16% of my goal of 150 books this year. At the moment, I am reading another book by Isabel Allende entitled The Japanese Lover. It was set during WW II. I’ve read about three of her books, I love her writing style. She is a Chilean-American novelist.

Yes, I am updated with what is happening around in our political midst. I don ‘t know why but the Commission on Election who is tasked to take charge and also protect our voters in the whole country is favoring one presidential candidate. So obvious. The other day along with the Phil. National Police, they started removing tarps and repainting murals done by the youth who favors VP Leni. And mind you even if they were done and posted in private places and residences. There is no existing law preventing private citizens from posting those tarps and making murals as long as they are not participants of any political party. It is the citizens’ right protected by the Constitution. COMELEC, DO YOUR JOB. The commisioners of this government body are all political appointees from Davao where duterte hails. His daughter sara (without an h) is running as VP of marcos junior.

As it is, the opponent keeps lying and he insists that he is an economist but the truth is, he failed at Oxford and only spent a year there. He was kicked out. Economics is a difficult course. Lots of Statistics. Labour Economics, International Economics, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Econometrics and Financial Analysis are just the few of the subjects you learn from the course. I should know, I majored in Economics.

I wanna say one thing: LIES NEVER TRIUMPH IN THE MIDST OF TRUTH.

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Another Five Stars

WordPress says it is time to blog again. Yes, I set up a schedule twice a week though sometimes I don’t even follow.

I found this lovely site on Play Store where you can download books, put up an online library and choose what to read. Although I’ve already read most of them, there are still lovely ones out there. Authors are alphabetically arranged so you can find your favorites among them.

I recently discovered Jo Thomas. I love her writing style – talk about reindeer, lovable dogs, rainforests, silence, the Northern lights, meals cooked in woodfire, reinder hides as seat warmer and of course Denmark and into Jo’s snow-filled world. A Winter Beneath The Stars is a heartwarming hug of a story. Beautiful setting.

I am giving another ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to this one.

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