Starting Another Journal

I am excited to start another journal for my slow reading.

I started it with these words: Open your heart and let love in.

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More Books….Still

I am about done with my 2022 Goodreads Reading Challenge. I am on my 150th book which I promised myself to read this year. It is a historical novel based on things that happened centuries ago. I do still intend to record my book reads for 2023, but I wanna try slow reading and keeping a journal at the same time based on the books.

Of all the five books that a friend visiting from Canada gave me, I am pretty excited with Roger Housden’s Ten Poems To Open Your Heart. Even the dust jacket looks so enticing. I’ll start from this one of course. My friend suggested that I focus on the words, quotes and sentences. He said that the experience is rich and fulfilling.

Journaling….I will start with this in a few days as soon as I finish the 150th book this year. There is a biblical passage in every page. Here’s one:

“PLEASANT WORDS ARE LIKE HONEYCOMB, SWEET TO THE SOUL AND HEALING TO THE BONES. – Proverbs 16:24

Here’s my new journal. It will surely be another reading journey for me.

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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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When August Starts

It’s cold and wet. It’s August afterall. The rain stopped early this morning and I was able to visit the garden for a while. I love the raindrops clinging to the leaves of some of my plants. They look like silver jewels. My Kamuning has that lovely scent which I could smell from the garage.

I am on my 105th book this year. 69% of what I promised myself to finish reading by December. I found so many lovely books at ReadEra, all e-books of course. As usual I still prefer historical books. I always love reading about what life was like in the 15th to 19th century. I am reminded of our very own kalesa more than 50 years ago. Kalesa is a two-wheel horse-drawn carriage used in the Philippines more than half a century ago. It was a primary mode of public and private transportation during the Spanish colonial era. Now, they largely only survive as tourists attraction. They are still used today in the commercial district of chinatown and in the province of Ilocos where historical landmarks abound.

How’s your day? Stay safe everyone.

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Thank God It’s Friday

Hey friends, I am back after almost a week of not even visiting WordPress until now.

It is summer here now and it is so hot. We are due for some house repairs and supposed repainting but then again I am so lazy to contact a carpenter to do the job.

Alden is in the hospital at the moment. He had colonoscopy yesterday and ultrasound this morning. They will probably go home this afternoon. They are renting a room for my niece who serves as their runner when they need something from outside the hospital. He is in a three-bed ward so only one companion is allowed. He had to have another blood transfusion before his scheduled colonoscopy. I am praying he could recover soon. Please pray for him. Thank you so much.

I don’t think this is funny. VP LENI was interviewed a few days ago and they asked her about her favorite book. She said To Kill A MockingBird then went on to explain why. She was influenced by it on becoming a lawyer. Those detractors who don’t even know the title of the book bashed her again saying that she didn’t answer the question. She did but knowing how they seem to be all-knowing, they probably thought that To Kill A Mockingbird is not the title. It is just so annoying that these pretenders don’t even know a good book. If you are a reader, you remember the story and the title of the book which is your favorite, right? Which reminds, I like to reread that book one of these days. I don’t know where my copy got to.

Talking of being lazy, I finished three books by David Baldacci lately, The Fix, The Fallen and Long Road to Mercy. They are all so captivating. Enjoyed the read. I am doing some spiritual readings too for Lent. Watched a new episode of the Fourteen Stations of the Cross at the Hundred Islands in our province in Pangasinan.

By the way, today is April Fools Day and I am again reminded of the song The April Fools.

In an April dream
Once you came to me
When you smiled I looked into your eyes
And I knew I’d be loving you
And then you touched my hand
And I learned April dreams can come true

Are we just April fools
Who can’t see all the danger around us
If we’re just April fools
I don’t care, true love has found us nowLittle did we know
Where the road would lead
Here we are a million miles away from the past
Travelin’ so fast now
There’s no turning back
If our sweet April dream doesn’t last

Are we just April fools
Who can’t see all the danger around us
If we’re just April fools
I don’t care, we’ll find our way somehow
No need to be afraid
True love has found us now

There you go. HAPPY APRIL 😘🌷💐🛻🌞

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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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Saturday, Saturday

It’s almost a week now since my last post here. I have to submit to SSS several copies of mom’s photo holding a current newspaper before they were satisfied. Finally yesterday, I received an e-mail that they processed the renewal of Mom’s pension. She is a survivor pensioner so we have to renew it every year just to let them know that she is alive and kicking. She complains about being nervous when she wakes up and this morning she said that her one eye could not see. Otherwise, she is still healthy for her age of 92 going 93 by April. She complains that she could not go out. It’s been three years since she arrived back here. Alden could not fetch her because he is sick. My other brother who lives close by cannot drive yet because he had brain operation a few months ago. I am the only one who could take care of her.

I joined the 2022 Goodreads Reading challenge and committed myself to read 150 books this year. I am done with four. I am never in a hurry though. I choose those new authors and discover what they have to offer. Last year I was able to finish 144 books, an eclectic mix of historical, contemporary, memoirs, one YA book and a couple or three love stories. Here are the books I have rated ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.

A Winter Beneath The Stars – Jo Thomas

Evergreen – Belva Plain

Redeeming Love – Francine Rivers

What The Wind Knows – Amy Harmon

Knight in Shining Suit – Jerilee Kaye

Long Walk To Freedom – Nelson Mandela ( a memoir)

Cold Mountain – Charles Frazier

The Orphans Of Race Point – Paltry Francis

These are just some of the few titles I enjoyed reading last year.

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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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