Missing The Numbers

I did a draft of this yesterday because for two days, we didn’t have internet connection. Maintenance again.

I feel so lazy to update my account here. It’s not like before. I saw my stats lately and it has dropped tremendously. Some of my blogger friends probably lost interest in reading my blog. Maybe my content is no longer that interesting.

Anyway, this pandemic gave me an opportunity to read, read and read like crazy. Since I’ve finished my Goodreads’ Reading Challenge for 2021, I’ve chosen some light reading from my e-book collection. I’ve forgotten how good romance books are sometimes. For the first time in years, I cried over a book. Think the like of movie adaptation of The Fault in our Stars by John Green, The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks and several books by Richard Paul Evans made into films. This year, I am done with memoirs, cookbooks, thrillers and historical novels. I am presently reading a paranormal story. Trying another genre has that “kilig” factor. I am on my 108th read. So far, so good.

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Back To Blogging

It is almost a week now since I visited WordPress. Come to think of it, I was not even updated with other bloggers’ posts.

I am worried about my brother Alden. He is sick again. His doctor advised him to just stay home because the hospital there is full of Covid patients. He took oral dextrose the past days. Early this morning, we were on Messenger talking about health and life itself. I asked him when he gets well to draw a plan for me because I want an additional room when I get the proceeds of our endowment. The original plan of the house is already with him. May I again ask you to please include him in your prayers? Thank you, thank you so much🙏🙏🙏

I’ve finished my reading challenge for Goodreads 2021 two weeks ago ending it with Nelson Mandela’s autobiography entitled The Long Walk To Freedom. It’s all of 656 pages and I read it for six days, a compelling story that deals on apartheid and the Africans’ long struggle to freedom. Nelson Mandela was awarded the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize. I must admit this was my longest read this year but I learned a lot about the history of South Africa.

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Relaxing Wednesday

Finally, I could relax. We were done trimming the carabao grass yesterday afternoon. Gardening is hard of course but it is a fulfilling job. So lovely to see a clean garden from weeds and unwanted growth of grass. Now I can concentrate on replanting and sowing some seeds I bought earlier.

It seems I’ll be able to finish my Goodreads’ reading challenge for this year afterall. I was not able to read when we had Covid last May. It was almost two months before I started again. I’ve said before that I committed myself to read a hundred books this year. I am on my 86th book now. I found this lovely book online entitled No Promises In The Wind by Irene Hunt.

Here’s a brief summary of the book culled from Goodreads:

It’s a tale of a brave young man’s struggle to find his own strength during the Clutch Plague. In 1932, American’s dreams were simple: a job, food to eat, a place to sleep, and shoes without holes. But for millions of people these simple needs were nothing more than dreams. When he was just fifteen years old, Josh had to make his own way through a country of angry and frightened people. This is the story of his struggle to find a life for himself during those turbulent times.

It is actually a short novel which you could probably finish in one day. I slept late last night just to finish half of it. I am beginning to discover some unknown authors whose works are equally absorbing.

Today is the Feast Day of St. John Mary Vianney, the patron saint of Catholic priests. St. John Mary Vianney, pray for us as we continue to beg God for more priests who shine with holy and human virtues. HAPPY FEAST DAY👏🙏⛪

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Thursday, Is it?

Gosh, this rain never stops. That kind where you could not even go out and garden. Frustration, big time.

I recently found a copy of MARGOT by Jillian Cantor, an e-book. Reading it now. Margot is the older sister of Anne Frank if you are familiar with the latter’s diary. They both died during the holocaust.

MARGOT is the “what if” story though of this older sister, an engaging and interesting read. What if she was alive? She changed her name to Margie Franklin and worked as a secretary in a law firm in Philadelphia. Anne and Margot both kept diaries when they were hiding during the second world war. You’ll find how they lived during those times. I am still in the middle of reading it.

When I find a book that deals with history, fiction or not, I just can’t put it down.

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Waiting For The Sun

I am still frustrated. It rained the whole day yesterday so I still could not go out and garden. Monsoon rains and a typhoon in the north are affecting the country.

Visiting some random previous posts from my blog and the most emotional so far were those I wrote during my cancer journey twelve years ago and when Pope Francis visited the country in January 2015.

Sometimes I wonder how I was able to write sincerely from the heart, feeling everything with tears in my eyes. But I did. Those earlier posts were certainly inspiring for me now that I could look at them without being so emotional.

Oh yeah, I am now focused on reading. I’ve read 80 books since the start of the book challenge. I may be able to finish the hundred books I challenged myself to read this year. Lately, I’ve been reading historical fiction. I don’t know why but I love books describing about how life was centuries ago. Riding on wagon wheels instead of cars, candle lights instead of electricity, farms filled with different kinds of vegggies and ornamental plants, beautiful.

I started a different genre though last night about the story of identical twins. One died accidentally. The parents just relied on the story of the twin who was left behind when she uttered the name of twin number 2 when she saw the accident. They were seven years old. The parents were confused which twin really died because the one left behind seemed to manifest the character of the dead one. This is intriguing. I am in the middle of it.

A friend posted a photo of her graduation from graduate school. I told her what an accomplishment. Several years ago, she was a stay-at-home mom then she enrolled in an Education course. She is a guidance counselor in their school. Now she has finished her MBA. What a feat.

I wish the sun would show its face today.

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Yeay…Books!

I have’t touched a book since I got sick a month ago. I don’t know, my desire to read was nil. The words were foreign to me.

The other day, I attempted to read a Christmas story and I grabbed it setting aside the previous books which I started. I finished it on one day. It was a light read.

Yesterday, I looked at my e-book collection and saw Strangers by Dean Koontz. I don’t normally read anything about paranormal, detective stories and such. I will try to finish this one.

I am afraid I am quite late now with my Goodreads Reading challenge.

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Hey, I’m Back

Can’t believe that for exactly eleven days, I haven’t written anything here. I think I lost my muse. No other reason but being so engrossed reading. And when you haven’t blogged for a while, it is quite hard to start again.

Last night, I finished my 49th read. Lately, I was so engrossed in thrillers and historical fiction. I recently followed a series by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Remember the character Pendergast? That is if you are familiar with their books.

I miss writing on a PC. It’s been a while. Since this tab would not let me see my dashboard, I wonder how many posts I’ve done so far. The last time I looked several months ago, it already reached more than 3,000 posts on this blog alone. It always asks me to log in but when I do, I could not get to the site.

Vaccinations for senior citizens have just started this week. Per barangay, alphabetical listings too per database they have of all senior citizens in our town. I’ll probably get vaccinated next week. They told us we’ll have the Astra Zeneca vaccine. Has anyone of you been vaccinated with this?

It is mom’s 92nd birthday on April 20, that’s next week. I asked Fr. Pao if he could include her in his prayers. I attended an online mass which he presided early this morning.

Have a blessed week ahead. Keep safe my friends.

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Almost In The Middle Of March

AND it’s been a week since I wrote anything here. When you start not writing everyday, sometimes you just get lazy even visiting your blog. And it holds true for me. Did I miss blogging? I did of course but not as much as before. I think I have exhausted every subject that I could think of blogging about.

IF I were to collate all the blog entries I wrote on my five existing blogs, it would probably reach more than 4,000 posts. I seldom get to update the other four, my blog about Nate’s growing up years, my photo blog, blog about my garden and another one I started three years ago just in case I get to use up my remaining free usage. Yes, I am still on the free format.

MAYBE, I need to take a break for a while and blog again when I find a nice subject to blog about.

I am on my 36th book at Goodreads’ 2021 reading challenge. Talk about ghosts and hauntings, that’s what I am reading now. We’ll be celebrating 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines and Pope Francis will celebrate a mass intended for the Philippine Catholic Church.

May your weekdays be blessed and fruitful.

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Another Leaf Is Gone

Goodbye February, welcome March.

I just finished a lovely book last night entitled Water From My Heart by Charles Martin. This is how they introduced it at Goodreads.

“CHARLIE FINN had to grow up fast, living alone by age sixteen. Highly intelligent, he earned a life-changing scholarship to Harvard, where he learned how to survive and thrive on the outskirts of privileged society. That skill served him well in the cutthroat business world, as it does in more lucrative but dangerous ventures he now operates off the coast of Miami. Charlie tries to separate relationships from work. But when his choices produce devastating consequences, he sets out to right wrongs, traveling to Central America where he will meet those who have paid for his actions, including a woman and her young daughter. Will their fated encounter present Charlie with a way to seek the redemption he thought was impossible — and free his heart to love one woman as he never knew he could?”

I gave it five-stars. I was more interested in how life was described in Nicaragua. The spin of the story is so good. It’s more on family relationship, friendship, cut-throat competition in the business world and a love story too.

Charles Martin is one of the best writers I found years ago. I have read so many of his books and intend to find more.

February is almost at an end. Time flies, it’s been a year now since the lockdown and we’re still without vaccine, the only Asian country which seems to have no concrete plans for Covid 19. They’d rather hang streamers by sara duterte (daughter of their present president) to run next year. Pathetic!!!

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Sunday, Sweet Sunday

Today is the first Sunday of Lent. We renew our baptismal vows and renounce satan. Our godparents did it for us when we were baptized when we were babies.

My goodness, it seems that blogging has temporarily lost its appeal for me. It’s been a while. I have been catching up on my reading. I found new authors, discovered some awesome books too. For the first time I read Blindness by Jose Saramago, an intriguing and interesting story about people who were struck blind in their community and how they struggled to keep alive. It reminds me of the pandemic we have right now. I also found a copy of Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken. His poems are like short stories complete with dialogue about ordinary things. I have finished 28 books so far this year.

Been busy too uploading our Catholic page and two more private pages of which I am one of the admins.

I took some photos of my garden blooms and trimmed some plants. It is almost summer and my plants are beginning to bloom again. Sometimes I water the garden twice a day because the last few days have been sunny and hot during the day.

We are all observing Lenten abstinence even if mom and I are already exempted from eating meat because we are seniors. One has to give up something too and alms-giving is also recommended.

Happy and blessed Sunday everyone.

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