The Long Goodbye

Good morning everyone! It is cloudy outside, there’s that kind of rain that seems to go on the whole day, the pitter-patter  of raindrops, somewhat soothing but I hope it would  just  stay that way.

I’ve just finished watching the Holy Mass at the Manila Cathedral presided by its Rector Fr. Regie Malicdem. What a beautiful and inspiring homily! You know something positive that this pandemic brought me, it is being able to hear mass every day because most Catholic churches have brought it online. Today is the Feast Day of St. Martha, the patron saint of servants and cooks. “Martha of Bethany is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of Luke and John. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is described as living in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem. She was witness to Jesus resurrecting her brother, Lazarus”

Allelujah! Finally, I was was able to find one more book that is on my wish list for so long now.  I haven’t read any book yet by Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye being the first one. It is a mystery and detective fiction.  Haha, it is included in the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.  I am curious. The best time to read? I guess when it is cold and raining like today. Sarap mamaluktot sa kama.

Oh, duterte’s SONA was one more of those accusations to his opponents and future plans for his friends in this world.  He would like to appropriate PLDT and Globe just so the third telco (chinese of course) would have a ready-made one with effortless preparation. As they say in Tagalog, “gusto nila yung walang kahirap-hirap”. Gosh, they are private entities and they are protected by the Constitution but as I have said before, what he wants, he gets.  Look what happened to the  largest entertainment and media conglomerate, he had it closed thru the lies of his alipores in Congress.  One of them is even questioning  the land title  of ABS CBN’s property. My goodness, they have been operating since 1946  and it is only now that these “good-for-nothing” politicians are questioning it? Shame, Shame, shame!!!  What about Covid-19? Do they really have concrete plans to address it?

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Seventy Four In A Hundred

One good thing about this lockdown (for seniors here) in this pandemic is that you have all the time to read and explore authors and books. There is always something you could catch up on every day, some choices aside from the books you are presently reading. I just recently cleaned Nissa’s book shelves and I think there are pretty good volumes there but we don’t really have much in common with books except maybe the whole series of Harry Potter, books by John Green (she has five of them in its cardboard jacket), one or two by Rick Riordan, some Paulo Coelho and most books she bought on my every birthday by Nicholas Sparks. Some years ago, she gave me a copy of Sparks’ new book which qualified me to attend his book signing in Manila. That was a blast.

Every year since 2015, I have participated in Goodreads’ reading challenge and I am proud that I surpassed the numbers I set myself to read. This year I opted to read 100 books. I am done with 74, quite advanced by 22 books as of today. The most number of books I read in the previous challenges was back in 2017 by reading 207 books out of 150 that I promised myself to read. I just looked at my profile and it says I joined Goodreads last October 2011 and had read 1,296 books since then. I used to have a virtual library at shelfari.com, a social book discovery website that I enjoyed. Amazon closed it last June 2016 so I have to start all over again at Goodreads. I couldn’t remember most of the previous titles I read but some of them were classics, memoirs, psychology books and fiction. One book that I used to have (I don’t know if I still have it in my shelf since typhoon Ondoy) that I would love rereading is Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl, The Road Less Travelled by M. Scott Peck and some books by Robert Fulghum. One of these days, I will have to rearrange my shelves again and find those favorite books in the past.

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On Memoirs And Autobiography

Oh, done with The Christmas Box Miracle then re-read The Christmas Box and since it is a very short story, I read it just close to two hours. As I’ve said in my previous blog post, the former reads like his autobiography detailing how the latter came to fruition.

I just started with a memoir by an unknown author (at least to me) Tara Westover. When I looked at Goodreads, I was quite surprised that Educated  was 2018 Goodreads Winner in memoir and autobiography. The memoir has spent more than half a year on The New York Times‘ bestsellers list and was heralded by Barack Obama as a “remarkable memoir of a young woman raised in a survivalist family in Idaho who strives for education while still showing great understanding and love for the world she leaves behind.”

Some people say that memoirs are refined edition of one’s life and journey since the authors wrote them but I guess it depends on the approach on how you will tackle it. I remember those books by Frances Mayes more particularly Under the Tuscan Sun and I even had the opportunity to watch the movie adaptation years ago.  It was a warm narration of how life was like in Tuscany. I actually found myself searching Google for those places mentioned in the book.

Tomorrow, I’ll tackle another portion of the garden to prune and weed. It didn’t rain today but the soil is  still soft for weeding.

Here’s one more thought to share:

They call themselves honorable but the way these congressmen  question them is so rude. They are reluctant to renew the franchise of ABS-CBN. It stands to lose around 11,000 employees. Give me a Carlo Katigbak anytime – the quiet, educated, humble, soft-spoken  and intelligent head of this conglomerate. Kulang na lang ibato ang tabo at palanggana sa ulo ng mga taga ABS. Manners please gentlemen.

Occidental Mindoro Rep. Josephine Ramirez-Sato reminded her colleagues that it is their duty to protect press freedom and freedom of expression at all times during the 12th House hearing on the renewal of franchise of ABS-CBN.

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The Christmas Box Miracle

If there is one author that I truly like and admire the most, it’s Richard Paul Evans. Haha, we are online friends at Facebook. I have been reading his books since I discovered one during a sale at National Bookstore years ago. It was still pricey at P600.00 pesos but I just loved the first few lines in the book. Unfortunately though, I lost that book and four more of his hardbound ones back in 2009 during typhoon Ondoy. I was able to replace most of them through gifts from generous friends. I even have a first edition copy of one of his books sent by a friend. An online friend I met at our Catholic page on Facebook is also so fond of reading and she was thrilled that I recommended RPE’s books to her. From then on, every  time she comes home, she brings me copies of those books I lost in the flood and newly published ones that I haven’t read yet. I have lots of quotes here (a hundred of them) that RPE generously shared on his wall. I am afraid some of them ate up my available space because they were in high resolution format.

I am presently reading a lovely one published last October 2001 entitled The Christmas Box Miracle: My Spiritual Journey of Destiny, Healing and Hope. This book is included in my wish list for so many years until I finally found a copy. Finally reading it. It’s his personal story of how he wrote The Christmas Box, self-published it in 1994  and it became a best-seller. It’s a holiday classic that was  an expression of love for his two daughters never intending for it to be published.  I think this is the best summary of the books he wrote because in each page, there were quotes from those books he published earlier. Faith and determination usually overcome adversity in life. Persistence in believing in a dream helps a lot. This is more like his autobiography written from the time he was a small kid  sharing everything with his sister and six brothers.

Here is one of his previous quotes which I compiled into an album at Facebook.

Here’ what he wrote on his Facebook wall years ago about how he views books.

Books can be such powerful things–they can console us, motivate us, they can unite us with the rest of humanity, to help us understand that we are not so alone in our thoughts, our dreams and our deepest hopes. To read something that feels so peaceful and familiar, as if it was plucked from our own mind and soul, is a powerful experience. I am grateful for the books that have affected me throughout my life. I am pleased that here and there my books reach my readers in this way. God bless.

By the way, I am on my 72nd book at Goodreads Reading Challenge 2020.

 

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Hope For The Flowers

“How does one become a butterfly? They have to want to learn to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.”
― Trina Paulus, Hope for the Flowers

Posted this photo before. Nate’s visit at the Butterfly Garden in one of their trips in Baguio. He can’t even go out of the house now but he is happy being with his Mom everyday.

 

Caught it while we were about to leave for Manila  years and years ago. Taken in our garden in Pangasinan.

 

 

One of those lucky days in the garden.

 

Look, it was inside the house.

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Where Do You Belong Here?

This was posted by one Adam Sharp on Tweetdeck:

They are names of people who read a lot.

• Bookworm (English)
• Book flea (Indonesian)
• Library mouse (Romanian)
• Read-rat (German)
• Ink drinker (French)
• Reading horse (Danish)

I’d like to be called a voracious  reader though.  In Tagalog, it means adik sa libro…..

Are you one of those who has insatiable thirst to buy and buy books even if you still have lots of TBR (to be read) ones? Or are you one of those who collects one particular author  because you loved the first book  you have read of her/him?  I am afraid I am one. There was a time when I got crazy over Barbara Taylor Bradford, Leon Uris, Robin Cook, Luanne Rice, Robert Ludlum, Nicholas Evans, Nicholas Sparks (Nissa buys almost all of his books as her gifts to me), Ken Follett and  Rosamunde Pilcher. Now I am into Charles Martin, Lisa Wingate, Richard Paul Evans, Mary Oliver, GGM and I like to read the other books of  Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Amy Harmon and so many more.  I am discovering new books thru Goodreads.

 

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Friday Thoughts

Gosh, it took me so long to get in touch with this online Pharmacy where I have ordered last month. I sent them the required prescriptions, Senior citizen’s IDs and the number of tablets/capsules which are good for one month. I sent it through Messenger but I tried contacting them this morning via phone. They have so many orders online since they placed their ads  on FB. Good thing, the pharmacist I talked to was so accommodating.

It is quite hard to go to Mercury Drug nowadays to fill up a prescription because of the long line of buyers who are mostly senior citizens. I don’t want Josef to stand in line for so long under the heat of the sun so I opted to order online, never mind if they have delivery fees and you have to wait for at least two days for them to deliver it.

This is the “new normal” so to speak. Senior citizens are now allowed to go out for basic necessities but deep inside, one is afraid to get caught outside because of this pandemic. I tried going out at the nearby “talipapa” here the other day. Just bought chicken and a kilo of pork. Good thing yesterday, Josef and Jovy bought one week supply for us because they will be staying at Jovy’s grandmother’s place starting today until Monday morning because they are on leave from work.   Haha, Oreo is excited, he is missing going around with them when they go out. He has his vaccines yesterday. They found a vet near our place.

Sometimes one gets bored just staying inside the house and puttering around  the garden. I am grateful I have my books with me to pass the time away. One doesn’t get bored reading. Right now, I am in the middle of  reading The Key To Rebecca by Ken Follett. If you love The Eye of the Needle and  The Pillars of the Earth and the two succeeding books, you’ll love this too. What’s not to love about anything historical?  I am looking forward to another book of his entitled  Jackdaws. 

And here is my observation for the day:

For them, there is a more serious and pressing matter – changing the name of NAIA (Ninoy Aquino International Airport).  What a misplaced priority 😦

 

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Where The River Ends

Just done with another book by Charles Martin called Where The River Ends. a beautiful story about love, commitment, sacrifice and a journey of faith as well.

I can totally relate because I’ve been there too almost eleven years ago. The only difference is that this is a work of fiction while my experience was real.  You know that thing they call slash, poison and burn. Went through the slash thing followed by poison but luckily, I didn’t undergo the burn option. when you think of those days that you have been incapacitated and you lived by faith and trust in God, you feel lucky that you were given a second chance at life.

Martin writes from the heart. The harsh realities of undergoing chemotherapy treatment, the almost lifeless  feeling once you are done with one session of it, the hope, the despair and when relationships go awry because your partner cannot cope with the emotional side of things. This is true in real life. This is actually my 8th read of his books and I love them all. I am actually looking for more.

 

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Christmas in June?

Ah, PAGASA, our weather bureau has finally declared the onset of rainy season yesterday. Summer is over. Goodbye summer. Except for the extreme heat, you have been somehow significant bringing sad news to the nation. Anyway, I hope the rainy season would not bring those dreaded strong typhoons this year.

Don’t laugh but lately, for the last three days, I’ve been reading short stories/short novels about Christmas. Christmas in June?  Why not?  If it means a little inspired despite this gargantuan problem named COVID-19, so be it. The truth is, I enjoy those stories related to my favorite season of the year. We may not have snow, we may not have those days that we have to go out in full gear battling the cold weather but we definitely have those cold nights of December that last until the end of February.  Maybe this year, we may not be able to celebrate the season the way we used to but I have enough memories of Christmas past that make me smile just remembering.  And sometimes I laugh too while reminiscing. Crazy, isn’t  it?

Gosh, we find ways to make the days worthwhile despite reading all the bad news brought by this pandemic. We try to stay normal in these days they call “new normal”.

Sometimes, a soul out there in cyberspace echoes your own thoughts and you smile because you remember your own struggle with words. Hooray to blogging!!!

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I Am David

Finished two books in one day, they are only about 200 plus pages.

I Am David by Anne Holm. This has been on my wishlist for a number of years until I found a copy online  yesterday.  Years ago, I watched some scene/trailers on YouTube while trying to find a full-length movie to watch. A twelve-year-old boy escapes from a Bulgarian Communist concentration camp and sets out on a journey to reach Denmark. Hooray, I finally found this book.  A good and touching read. I dreamed about David last night.  Couldn’t forget that face, I don’t know why.

I don’t know if it is only here in our country where some friends and other people in the media  are getting those cloned accounts on Facebook. Some days ago, there were people who were active in criticizing how this government works and they were invited for questioning. Should we be afraid to voice out our own opinions at these times when we need to learn what is happening around? Should we relinquish our rights to be heard?

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