Gleniz da MenaceWow nasusunod ko ang morning routine na ginawa ko. Tapos na kong mag-meditate, yoga, magbasa (naka 45 mins ako agad sa goal kong 1 hour per day), kitty care (scoop litter + refill tubig + vacuum ng nagkalat na litter) at gratitude journal. Naksss.
Pero mukang hindi ko magagawa yung exercise. Kasi after kong mag-yoga, nakaramdam ako ng several sharp pains sa tagiliran ko, yung area na inoperahan ako. Kaya maghihinay hinay muna ako.
Game.
1. Modern Love by Daniel Jones
Heartfelt. Some stories are meh. 95% of the stories are by published writers. [3 🌟 – Full review]
2. Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Unlikeable characters. Annoying as hell. Whatever. [1.5 🌟 – Full review]
3. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
Balik eskwela feels. Information overload. Science and Technology. [4 🌟 – Full review]
4. Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
Vulnerability. Compassion. Medyo paulit-ulit. [4 🌟 – Full review]
5. Storyworthy by Matthew Dicks
Highly entertaining. Lots of interesting personal stories. A must-read for everyone. [5 🌟 – Full review]
6. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Strange in a good way. Disturbing but charming. Love Merricat. [5 🌟 – Full review]
7. Essentialism by Greg McKeown
Streamlining. Mostly about corporate work and super busy people. Elitist? [2.5 🌟 – Full review]
8. The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
Humility. Role of luck and risk. Be flexible. [4.5 🌟 – Full review]
9. Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
Super entertaining start tapos biglang nag U turn. Too much testosterone. Keso. [2 🌟 – Full review]
10. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Great storytelling. Entertaining pero may part na too woo-woo for me. Makes you want to travel and learn new languages and eat yummy food. [3 🌟 – Full review]
11. The Chicken Sisters by K.J. Dell’Antonia
Delightful start and middle. Unlikeable main characters. Spilled secrets and sabotage. [3.5 🌟 – Full review]
12. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Be more rational. Wag tamad magisip. Nakakabobo yung pagka comprehensive. [2.5 🌟 – Full review]
13. Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Creativity. Wow. Will definitely reread. [5 🌟 – Full review]
14. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Hedonism. Beauty vs Morality. No likeable characters. [3.5 🌟 – Full review]
15. The Whole-Body Microbiome by B. Brett Finlay, Jessica M. Finlay
Probiotics will save the world. Consume yogurt and kimchi. Don’t use antibacterial agents – soap and water will do. [3 🌟 – Full review]
16. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Hilarious. Smartly written. Must read! [5 🌟 – Full review]
17. Lifespan: Why We Age—and Why We Don’t Have To by David Sinclair
In a nut shell: eat healthy, exercise, importance of intermittent fasting. Lots of medical jargons. Dense. [3.5 🌟 – Full review]
18. The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday
Vague. Didn’t like how it was written. Too in-your-face. [3 🌟 – Full review]
19. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
Quirky and strange protagonist. Made me want to work in a convenience store while reading it. Weird overall but in a good way. [4 🌟 – Full review]
20. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Korean culture. Nakakagutom – you will crave Korean food. Love and loss pertaining to her mother. [4 🌟]
21. The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman
Helpful in building relationships. Informative. There’s something problematic in the ‘physical touch’ example. [3 🌟]
22. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
Melancholic. Tragic. A few “WTF!” moments. [3 🌟]
23. The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal
Right book at the right time. Remember what’s reallly important. Feel your feelings but you don’t always have to act on it. [4.5 🌟]
24. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
LGBTQ+ themes. Coming of age. Made me more interested in mythology. [3.75 🌟]
25. Educated by Tara Westover
WOW. Must-read. Inspiring. [5 🌟]
26. Arsenic and Adobo (Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery #1) by Mia P. Manansala
Cozy mystery. Nakakagutom. Fun read pero asan yung adobo? [4 🌟]
27. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
Adult fairytale. Humorous. Intriguing. [4.5 🌟]
28. Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean
Kulang sa build up yung love story. Cringy. Okay yung premise pero di ako fan nung execution. [2 🌟]
29. The Healing Self: A Revolutionary Plan for Wholeness in Mind, Body, and Spirit by Deepak Chopra
Helpful book on taking care of our bodies and minds. Can be technical at times which I like. Relaxing to read. [4 🌟]
30. Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain by Lisa Feldman Barrett [5 🌟]
A quick, interesting read. Neuroscience. Teaches people on how to be a better human being—didn’t expect that. [4 🌟]
31. Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson
Somewhat of a page turner. No matter how many theories my mind came up with, I didn’t see that twist coming. Didn’t like how the diary was formatted. [4 🌟]
32. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Atmospheric. Mushrooms. A bit far-fetched. [4 🌟]
My digital bookshelf in Notion: https://bit.ly/33DzOpp.
READ THIS BOOK IF…
QUICK AND TAMAD SUMMARY
Keiko is a 36 year-old Tokyo resident who works in a convenience store since she was 18. Masaya naman sya at wala syang balak na mag-quit kasi sobrang kuntento sya sa trabaho nya at sa buhay nya in general. Kaso andaming echosera na sobrang judgmental kasi sa age daw nyang yon, dapat daw may asawa at anak na sya. At dapat daw makahanap na sya ng ibang trabaho kasi minamaliit nila yung trabaho ni Keiko as a convenience store worker.
I would assume you already read the book so hindi na ko magta-try ikwento, pero gusto ko lang i-highlight yung mga moments na meron akong na-feel na strong emotions while reading the book like yung sobrang natawa ako or nagulat ako. Tapos may konting personal stories kung pano ko naka-relate.
At speaking of gulat, matiwasay lang akong nagbabasa kasi sinimulan nung author yung storya na bata pa si Keiko. So na-imagine ko naglalaro sila sa park with her playmates. Cutie cute cute. Tapos may nakita silang patay na ibon. Nung pinakita nya yung dead birdie, at nai-imagine ko pa yung enthusiasm nya, sabi nya sa nanay nya, “Let’s eat it!” At dun ko na-realize na kakaiba ‘tong si Keiko at kakaiba ‘tong librong binabasa ko.
Ang ganda ng gising ko ngayon. At ang ganda ng lighting dito sa apartment. Wait picturan ko.
Nung nagising ako ayoko pang bumangon. Tapos biglang nag-tiptoe si Walnut sa likod ko tapos minassage ako. Sarap 🥰
Kagabi sabi ko kay Kenneth bumalik na kaming Pilipinas. Baka mas magandang dun na lang kami. Feeling ko sanay na sya. Kasi parang hindi nya masyadong sineryoso yung sinabi ko. Tapos na-realize ko din na baka eto na talaga ang epekto ng December sakin. Tapos nababasa ko pa sa family group chat namin na may out of town sila. Nalawasan nanaman ako.
Hindi ko pa talaga siguro tanggap. At feeling ko hindi ko talaga matatanggap. Na malayo ako sa kanila at ang daming okasyon na hindi ako kasali. Na tamang tingin na lang ako sa pictures nilang magkakasama at masasaya. At ang worst pa, ako naman ang nagdesisyon na pumunta dito. So bakit ako nagrereklamo.
Wait wait. Nagsimula ako sa ang ganda ng gising ko tapos biglang eto nanaman ako sa pagra-rant ko about sa distance ko sa family. Tigil muna. Isipin ko na lang muna kung anong gagawin ko sa magandang araw na ito.
Magbabasa ako. Mag-eexercise ako bago maligo. Tatapusin ko yung book review ko ng Convenience Store Woman. Maglalaro ako ng AI. Baka manood ako ng k-drama. Ongoing na ang paglalaba so that’s good. Nakapag-yoga na rin ako. Gagawa ako ng bagong posters for the book club. Yun. May in-applyan nga pala kong Illustrator job. Ay wait wait wait!
Bakit hindi ko ‘to nakwento. Kinontak ako ng Procreate!! As in legit sila talaga yun kasi nag-DM sila sa IG ko tapos totoong account talaga nila kasi may verified badge.
Kahit nakita ko na yung badge, hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala. Feeling ko na-hack sila. Ang tagal ko nang hindi nagd-drawing so hindi ko alam bakit out of the blue nahanap nila ko at kinontak nila ako! Ako! Grabe yung validation na na-feel ko. Kaya bigla akong napaisip kung bibili ba ko ng iPad para mag-continue ulit kasi nga wasak yung screen ng iPad ko (thank you Walnut).
Yung home button tanggal na rin kaya nilagyan ko ng washi tape 😅 Naibenta ko naman yung Wacom ko so meron akong kaunting funds pero nanghihinayang pa rin ako. Tingnan natin.
So may in-applyan akong illustrator job pero malabo naman akong makuha dun. Lalo pa ngayon hindi naman ako active. Pero love ko kasi yung company kaya I took my shot. Ayun.
READ THIS BOOK IF…
DO NOT READ IF…
The title of the book is a bit of an oxymoron. Kasi nga pano sya magiging “way” kung may obstacle nga. So title pa lang, it’s clear na ang gustong iparating ng book ay yung mga challenges daw, mga setbacks, mga “obstacles”, yun yung makakatulong satin para mag-improve at mas maging resilient. Yung mga problema, hindi natin dapat syang iwasan. Dapat natin syang daanan.
The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.
Marcus Aurelius
He says the best way out is always through
Robert Frost
And I agree to that, or in so far
As I can see no way out but through.
READ THIS BOOK IF…
May shinare yung author about sa lola nya:
She told me to enjoy my youth, to savor the feeling of being young. Adults, she said, always ruined things. Don’t grow up, she said. Never grow up.
Lola nung author
Wala naman ako masyadong realization about dun sa sinabi ng lola nya. Shinare ko lang kasi interesting and I kind of agree. Wag maging laging seryoso sa buhay. Minsan kelangan natin maging playful at mag-try ng mga bagay bagay. Kasi ang mga bata diba laging curious.
Nagpapahinga muna ako sa paglalaro ng Axie. So magsusulat muna ako dito. Mga nangyayari sa buhay ko ngayon. In general ano nga bang nangyayari sakin ngayon? Ah. Medyo nagiging busy ako ngayon. Kasi manager na ko. Haha. Wala akong magagawa kasi manager yung tawag nila pag meron kang pinapalaro na Axie teams sa iba. Yun yung pinagkakaabalahan ko these past few days. Pagha-hire ng scholars. Hindi ko rin alam bakit sila tinawag na scholars.
Busy din ako paglalaro. Yun lang naman yung routine ko eh. Make sure na may pagkain kami during meal times whether magluto ako or umorder online, matapos yung paglalaro ko ng Axie, at try na isingit ang pagbabasa between those two. Plus maki-update sa nangyayari sa cryptoverse para maging at ease na meron pa kaming pera pagdating ng retirement namin. Yun. Importante na meron tayong routine para hindi kung ano-anong pumapasok na mga unnecessary things sa utak natin.
Kausap ko kagabi ang Mama. Nagkkwentuhan lang kami at kinakamusta ko sila kasi nag-positive sila ni Tricia. Ayoko munang makampante hangga’t hindi pa sila nakakarecover talaga. Basta everyday winiwish ko sana maging okay na sila at maging back to normal na. So sa pagkkwentuhan namin, tinanong nya ano daw hapunan namin. Sabi ko ito:
Ayun. Tapos ngayon anniversary nila. Hindi sila makapag-celebrate ng maayos dahil nga naka-quarantine pa sila. Baka umorder na lang daw sila ng food or magluto ang Papa. Hays sana talaga ok na sila. Buong family kasi ng kuya nag-positive din. Daddy rin ni Kenneth. Buti naka-recover sila ❤️ Kaya Mama at Tricia magpagaling na kayo.
Dami naming nadiscover sa Costco last week. Nung nasa Costco kami ewan ko pero parang walang topak si Kenneth. Anything na ituro ko umo-okey sya. Madalas kasi laging kontra. Mahal daw etc. Pero that day di sya masyadong kontra so ang dami naming snacks. Pero nung pauwi na nag-away kami haha. Biglang naging masungit. Lagi talaga yun! Umiinit ang ulo pag naggrocery kami. Sinabi ko na nga na wag na syang sumama. Mag stay na lang sya sa sasakyan. Nakakahawa kasi yung negative energy. Ang saya saya kong maningin ng mga prutas, karne, chocolate, tapos biglang pag tingin mo sa kanya feeling mo tinotorture sya. Kakasura.
Ah tapos last week, pumunta kami sa birthday-an nung officemate ni Kenneth. So na-meet ko din officemates nya. Ang saya din nung gabi na yun. Ang sarap ng food at company. Tapos may karaoke pa so nagkantahan din. Nagpalitan lang kami ng mic ni Hope (katabi ko) kasi mahilig din pala syang kumanta. Sana maulit!
Ang saya din pala nung baby shower nila Trix kaso wala akong picture. Noon na lang ako ulit nakapaglaro ng Pusoy Dos tapos super cute ni Muy.
Wala na kong maisip na significant na nangyari. Ah last. May Nintendo Switch na sila Nick so naglaro kami nung minsan ng Overcooked 2.
Bulok ni Nick! Hahaha joke. Pero medyo kasi merong game na tarantang taranta sya (naka-video call kami) tapos sigaw ng sigaw pero yung character nya nakatayo lang 🤣🤣🤣 Tanga eh hahaha. Sana maging available ulit sya gusto ko ulit maglaro. At para magamit naman yung Switch namin na naka tengga na lang.
Ayun.
Lately, nawawalan na ko ng time and energy magbasa. And nafi-feel bad ako about it until narealize ko na hindi naman dapat. Initially, I felt bad dahil baka hindi ko ma-reach yung goal ko na 50 books this year. Napatigil ako bigla and napaisip. Sa mga bago at interesting information na natutunan ko from reading this past few months, ilang percent yung na-retain sakin? Parang ang konti lang. Hindi kaya sa sobrang dami kong nabasa, na-jumble na masyado yung utak ko which resulted to less retention? Hindi ba mas maganda kung I read less books pero mas madami akong naaalala?
At yung isa pa, I already read 27 books this year and I have to remind myself that it’s nothing to scoff at. For a lot of people, it’s already an achievement. So parang ang useless nung pagka feel bad ko. But I would still like to be able to read more than I usually do. Pero siguro less pressure from myself na lang.
I’m currently reading The Healing Self (my non-fiction pick) and Tokyo Ever After (our book club book of the month). So far nag-eenjoy ako pareho sa kanila and malapit ko na matapos yung The Healing Self. I chose this book dahil baka makatulong sa chronic condition ko. I’m taking meds pero gusto kong samahan ng ibang approach para holistic yung pag-improve ko.
Ayun. Kelangan ko nang mag-exercise para makaligo na ko para makakain na ko para makapag farm na ko ng SLP. Good morning!
READ THIS IF…
QUICK AND TAMAD SUMMARY
A bank robber has taken hostage a group of strangers. Bank robber sya pero sa apartment viewing naganap yung hostage situation. From an outsider point of view, kakabahan ka kasi baka kung anong mangyari, but what happens inside that apartment is something else.
Funny and heartfelt. Memorable and quirky characters.
Akala ko, Big Magic na ang top book ko for 2021. Pero after ko ‘to basahin, wala na. Sobrang nalito na ko. Sobrang ganda!!! Book of the month namin ‘tong Anxious People and ang dami rin nila na na-inlove sa story, sa writing, sa cleverness, sa characters at kung ano pa mang namiss ko. Ang galing talaga.
I’m back to vlogging! Pero this time mukang legit. Yung mga nauna kasi parang joke time. Eto mukang matino na.
Grabe yung oras na ginugol ko pag-edit para makuha yung color grading (naks!) na gusto ko. Pero ang saya. Sobrang worth it. 3 days ako nag-edit ng paputol putol tapos nung 3rd day, 2AM na ko natapos. Nung parang satisfied na ko sa final product, ang saya saya ko. Gising pa din si Kenneth non tapos paulit ulit ako sa kanya na, “Worth it! Sobrang worth it!” Haha frustrated na kasi ako nung huli kasi ang daming pasikot sikot.
Disclaimer: hindi sya groundbreaking. Haha. Basta natuwa lang ako na medyo decent naman yung kinalabasan. Extra natuwa din ako nung tinanong ako ng kapatid ko at nung ibang friends ko kung ano daw gamit kong camera at mic. Eh yung phone ko lang ang gamit ko, iPhone 12 Mini to be exact. Ayun! Thank you kung papanoorin nyo 😄
Gleniz da Menace