After the first few pages of this Haruki Murakami book, I was hooked. I couldn't stop reading it. I was engrossed. Finished it rather quickly, but then, it's a rather short book.
This book is simple compared to his other books. No magic realism here. It's just a story of a man, a story his life and the choice that he must make. It's a simple book, yet beautiful in its simplicity.
I won't go into detail on the plot or themes of the story. I'll just say that:
It is a morality story, it's about letting go of past mistakes that we believe define us, moving on with your life and choosing to be happy.
A contemplation on obsession.
This is, in the final estimation, rather depressing because it's about letting go of the notion that life is a dream and instead facing reality.
I didn't find the protagonist very likable. He has a little too vain, and a bit of an asshole. But I empathize with him. He's an only child, like me, and I think a lot of his faults stem from this fact.
I found the writing very lyrical. The words used are very simple, but there's this dream-like aspect to it. As if every moment narrated in the book has such infinite beauty and meaning to it.
Anyway, it's a pretty good read. Not perfect, and probably not as good as his other books. But it's still a good read.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Just A Thought
I often wish I could just quit law school, and be a wedding photographer instead. It might actually pay better.
My aunt abbie and I could make a wedding-service company. She can do the entourage's make-up, while I take the pictures.
My aunt abbie and I could make a wedding-service company. She can do the entourage's make-up, while I take the pictures.
One of those days
My mother and I had another one of our passive-aggressive fights.
Sigh.
The way my family acts sometimes makes me despair of growing older.
As young children, we are taught that with age comes maturity and wisdom. But sometimes, I doubt this. Is it possible that once we reach a certain age (Maybe twenty-something?) we've probably reached the treshhold of emotional maturity?
My mother still has a great number of insecurities. I had always thought that with time, one becomes more at peace with oneself. But my mother still bites my head off for saying phrases that make her feel inadequate.
She still bristles at the slightest suggestion that I might prefer or prioritize my relatives to her. I don't, not really, but she still unconsciously asks me to choose.
My relatives still bicker like little children, they still fight like little children who push and shove to get the best toys.
I have relatives who are still as emotionally needy as they were in their teens.
As a child, I thought with maturity one becomes more forgiving and patient. But my grandfather and father still aren't on speaking terms, and they haven't been for years.
As a child, I thought growing up meant being able to let the little things slide. But how could it be when so many little things are keeping my relatives apart?
I'm terrified of growing older, of looking at myself 20 years from now and realizing that I haven't emotionally grown, at all.
I'm terrified of having children, of having them look at me and realizing that I'm still the immature and insecure person I was at 22. I'm terrified of being mired in the kind of behavior so prevalent in my family, and of setting that kind of bad example to my children. I wouldn't want to raise a child in the same backbiting, petty environment I grew up in.
Sigh.
The way my family acts sometimes makes me despair of growing older.
As young children, we are taught that with age comes maturity and wisdom. But sometimes, I doubt this. Is it possible that once we reach a certain age (Maybe twenty-something?) we've probably reached the treshhold of emotional maturity?
My mother still has a great number of insecurities. I had always thought that with time, one becomes more at peace with oneself. But my mother still bites my head off for saying phrases that make her feel inadequate.
She still bristles at the slightest suggestion that I might prefer or prioritize my relatives to her. I don't, not really, but she still unconsciously asks me to choose.
My relatives still bicker like little children, they still fight like little children who push and shove to get the best toys.
I have relatives who are still as emotionally needy as they were in their teens.
As a child, I thought with maturity one becomes more forgiving and patient. But my grandfather and father still aren't on speaking terms, and they haven't been for years.
As a child, I thought growing up meant being able to let the little things slide. But how could it be when so many little things are keeping my relatives apart?
I'm terrified of growing older, of looking at myself 20 years from now and realizing that I haven't emotionally grown, at all.
I'm terrified of having children, of having them look at me and realizing that I'm still the immature and insecure person I was at 22. I'm terrified of being mired in the kind of behavior so prevalent in my family, and of setting that kind of bad example to my children. I wouldn't want to raise a child in the same backbiting, petty environment I grew up in.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
I'm dead
I just found out that I might be having Ma'am Avena for evidence next semester.
Someone please kill me now.
Someone please kill me now.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
The world did not stop turning
I (accidentally) erased all the songs in my iPod.
20gig worth of songs, suddenly just GONE.
Oddly enough, I don't feel so bad about it. Hmmmm.
I'm actually having a lot of fun selecting songs to fill my iPod with.
Any suggestions of songs and/or artists?
Vertigo
We were arguing again. Fighting seems to be the only thing we still do together.
Our lines are still tangled. I wonder if we ever understood each other at all, or if we ever talked without arguing. Now, we can't spend five minutes in each other's company without arguing about the most petty things.
It came to a point that we couldn't ride an escalator together without arguing.
You retorted to a comment I made. I just sighed and looked down. It was a long, long way down. The polished tile surface of the floor was so mesmerizing
I was gripped by the sudden urge to just JUMP. To jump away from all the excuses, all the anger, all the misunderstandings, all the drawn-out fighting.
I averted my gaze and looked at you. I looked at you intently, hoping that you would anchor me.
I laughed, shakily.
"Hold me, I feel like jumping."
You made an impatient gesture, ignored my silent plea.
No. I don't think we ever understood each other.
Our lines are still tangled. I wonder if we ever understood each other at all, or if we ever talked without arguing. Now, we can't spend five minutes in each other's company without arguing about the most petty things.
It came to a point that we couldn't ride an escalator together without arguing.
You retorted to a comment I made. I just sighed and looked down. It was a long, long way down. The polished tile surface of the floor was so mesmerizing
I was gripped by the sudden urge to just JUMP. To jump away from all the excuses, all the anger, all the misunderstandings, all the drawn-out fighting.
I averted my gaze and looked at you. I looked at you intently, hoping that you would anchor me.
I laughed, shakily.
"Hold me, I feel like jumping."
You made an impatient gesture, ignored my silent plea.
No. I don't think we ever understood each other.
6 weird things about me. Embrace your weirdness!
I was tagged by Deng Deguzman
The Rules: Each player of this game starts with six weird things about themselves. People who get tagged need to write a blog entry of their own six weird things as well as state the rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose six people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says you are tagged in their comments and tell them to read your blog.
One. I still read romance novels. I know, I know, this is sort of thing is only supposed to be a high school habit. But I still haven't broken the habit. I don't know why, really. I think, at the end of day, it's because I would still like to believe in happy endings. And that despite all the evidence to the contrary, it is possible to find someone you can truly be happy with.
Two. I sometimes sing Barney songs out loud. And not the just the Barney theme song, I sing even the obscure Barney songs. My friends get spooked. On one occassion, my friend cheska wanted to strangle me.
Three. I'm a homebody. I could probably stay in my apartment/house for weeks without getting bored and/or going insane. Just give me a room full of books, a truckload of dvds and a ref full of food.
Four. I cry a lot, when I watch movies. If someone dies dramatically, I cry. I cried when I watched Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, King Kong, Griffin and Pheonix (despite the crappy storyline), Legends of the Fall, Monster, Bridges of Madison Country and all the Lord of the Ring movies. That's just the short list of the movies i've cried over, I can't remember all of them. I also cry during movie fight scenes. I know, I know, it's weird. But when I first watched Hero (Jet Li), the fight scenes made me cry.
Five. I have vertigo. I don't like heights. Not because I'm afraid of heights, but because I'm afraid I will jump just for the heck of it.
Six. I have weird taste in men. I like geeks. I like nerds. Nerds are hot for me.
____________________________________________________________________________
I am tagging:
- My happy friends! Motto kasi ng happy friends ay, "Happily Weird, Weirdly Happy!". So all happy friends should fill up this survey:
1) Cheska Sayson
2) Kimberly Pagdilao
3) Gladys Bagsin
4) I am also tagging my weird friend Danes Lingat.
5) I am tagging my goddess, Diane Roscacia.
6) Lastly, I am tagging my kenkoy boy, Erwin Matib.
The Rules: Each player of this game starts with six weird things about themselves. People who get tagged need to write a blog entry of their own six weird things as well as state the rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose six people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says you are tagged in their comments and tell them to read your blog.
One. I still read romance novels. I know, I know, this is sort of thing is only supposed to be a high school habit. But I still haven't broken the habit. I don't know why, really. I think, at the end of day, it's because I would still like to believe in happy endings. And that despite all the evidence to the contrary, it is possible to find someone you can truly be happy with.
Two. I sometimes sing Barney songs out loud. And not the just the Barney theme song, I sing even the obscure Barney songs. My friends get spooked. On one occassion, my friend cheska wanted to strangle me.
Three. I'm a homebody. I could probably stay in my apartment/house for weeks without getting bored and/or going insane. Just give me a room full of books, a truckload of dvds and a ref full of food.
Four. I cry a lot, when I watch movies. If someone dies dramatically, I cry. I cried when I watched Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, King Kong, Griffin and Pheonix (despite the crappy storyline), Legends of the Fall, Monster, Bridges of Madison Country and all the Lord of the Ring movies. That's just the short list of the movies i've cried over, I can't remember all of them. I also cry during movie fight scenes. I know, I know, it's weird. But when I first watched Hero (Jet Li), the fight scenes made me cry.
Five. I have vertigo. I don't like heights. Not because I'm afraid of heights, but because I'm afraid I will jump just for the heck of it.
Six. I have weird taste in men. I like geeks. I like nerds. Nerds are hot for me.
____________________________________________________________________________
I am tagging:
- My happy friends! Motto kasi ng happy friends ay, "Happily Weird, Weirdly Happy!". So all happy friends should fill up this survey:
1) Cheska Sayson
2) Kimberly Pagdilao
3) Gladys Bagsin
4) I am also tagging my weird friend Danes Lingat.
5) I am tagging my goddess, Diane Roscacia.
6) Lastly, I am tagging my kenkoy boy, Erwin Matib.
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