Gleniz da MenaceREAD THIS IF…
This non-fiction book about the negative effects of television was published in 1985. It may seem irrelevant nowadays but not really. The reason why this book is still being read today is because it couldn’t be more relevant.
Unti unti nang nagiging masaya ulit ang December. Nabanggit ko noon na sinira ng Canada ang December, my favorite month of all time. Favorite month kasi nga, birthday month namin ni Kenneth tapos feel na feel mo sa paligid yung festive mood sa Pinas. Tapos eto din yung time na uuwi kami ng probinsya from Manila (kung san kami nagw-work noon) para mag-celebrate ng Pasko at New Year with family and friends. Kaya ang saya saya talaga ng December. Pero yun nga. Pagdating namin dito, parang ang bitin at ang pilit nung saya.
This book was recommended by one of our book club members (Thanks Pearl!). She learned that I have some interest in Stoicism and suggested this book to me. I had a hard time finding a simple definition of what Stoicism is but I think this one is helpful:
STOICISM • a philosophy that helps us direct our thoughts and actions in an unpredictable world. We don’t control and cannot rely on external events, but we can (to a certain extent) control our mind and choose our behavior.
http://www.njlifehacks.com
Basically, the book is encouraging us to have some kind of philosophy when dealing with life. And since I don’t have any religion, I think it’s a good plan. Although I’ve always thought that I turned out pretty well without being religious. That I don’t need to have a religion to be a decent person. But having a philosophy, as the book suggested, seemed appealing to me; and personally, a better alternative than religion. And this specific philosophy that the author is advocating for is Stoicism.
The primary concern of philosophy should be the art of living: Just as wood is the medium of the carpenter and bronze is the medium of the sculptor, your life is the medium on which you practice the art of living.
Epictetus
Every morning eto na ang naging routine ko:
6:30AM ako nagising ngayon. Ang sarap magbasa ng non-fiction sa umaga lalo kung self improvement books. It sets my day on a high note. Dapat talaga pinagiisipan ng mabuti ang morning routines. Kasi it can make or break your day.
My 6th book this month! Super duper proud of myself. Ngayon lang ‘to nangyari.
Yay tapos ko na! Kala ko hindi ko matatapos kasi first classic novel ko ‘to and super hindi ako sanay sa writing style (1813 sya na-publish). Hindi ko pa din napapanood yung movie nung sinimulan ko so nahirapan talaga ko kasi wala akong idea. Nung sinimulan ko, feeling ko hindi kaya ng comprehension ko yung mga ganito. Nakaka-intimidate. Kaya rin hindi ako mahilig magbasa ng classics.
Pero nag-attempt pa din ako kasi highly recommended sya ng mga members ng book club namin. The first 20% is a struggle. Ang hirap talaga i-absorb for me. Pero unti-unti syang nagiging interesting and na-overpower nung plot yung writing style.
QUICK AND TAMAD SUMMARY:
Merong 5 sisters at ang bida ay si Elizabeth Bennet. Ang one and only goal ng nanay nila ay maikasal ang mga anak nya sa matitinong mga lalake. Super plus points kung mayaman. And given the time period, I wouldn’t blamer her. In the process of finding suitable partners for her daughters, na-meet ni Elizabeth si Mr. Darcy. Good looking and mayaman si Mr. Darcy but Elizabeth hated his guts.
MONDAY
Nag-order ako ng ready-to-blend smoothies sa Goodfood. Tapos nagkaron ako ng bright idea kasi ang dali lang naman palang gawin. So bumili akong fruits, yogurt at granola tapos pinaghalo-halo ko lang sa isang medium-sized container. Pag frozen na at gusto ko nang gawing smoothie, bubuhusan ko lang ng milk yung container hanggang medyo mapuno. Blend and voila!
Ang sarap! Hindi ganun katamis. Hindi ko sya nauubos agad pero okay lang kasi kahit i-ref ko lang, masarap pa din sya kinabukasan.
May bago akong video upload sa Youtube. Nakakapagod mag-edit. Siguro mahigit limang oras kong ine-edit yung 4-minute na video na ‘yon. Pag pinanood mo hindi halata pero seryoso. Nakaka-drain. Kaya napapaisip ako. Worth it ba? Although nage-enjoy naman ako. Napapaisip lang ako kung mas maganda bang i-divert ko na lang ang attention ko sa ibang bagay. May maganda naman syang naidulot. Natuto akong gumamit ng After Effects.
TUESDAY
Sobrang ang ganda nanaman ng sunrise nung Tuesday. Sarap titigan tapos blangko lang yung isip ko. Naka-focus lang ako sa ganda nung mga kulay.
May bago akong salad na sinubukan. Favorite ko ‘tong brand na to kasi ang sasarap ng salads nila tapos kakaiba yung ingredients. Eto merong crispy wild rice, dried cranberries, at crispy asian noodles. Masarap.
Nagpa-flu shot din kami. Ang sakit at ang bigat sa braso! Sana tumalab. Kasi nung last flu shot namin nilagnat din naman ako. Pero ayos na rin kasi libre naman.
Sa pharmacy kami nagpa-flu shot, dito sa baba ng apartment namin. Kala ko dati sa clinics lang talaga pwede. Buti na lang pwede rin dito kasi convenient and wala ding tao.
At since inspired ako ngayong week na ‘to na magpaka-healthy, gumawa din ako ng frozen banana bites.
Malapit nang maubos kaya mag-grocery kami bukas. Buti naka-leave si Kenneth ng Monday. Wala siguro masyadong tao kasi weekday. Sana. Naghigpit na kasi uli dito kasi sobrang tumataas na ang cases. Hays. Gusto ko na ulit makauwi ng Pilipinas.
WEDNESDAY
Sa daming beses kong nag-crack ng itlog, first time kong nakita ‘to. May dugo! So nag-Google ako kung delikado bang kainin kasi ready na kong itapon.
Pero safe naman daw.
Blood spots are uncommon but can be found in both store-bought and farm-fresh eggs. They develop when tiny blood vessels in the hen’s ovaries or oviduct rupture during the egg-laying process. Eggs with blood spots are safe to eat, but you can scrape the spot off and discard it if you prefer.
http://www.healthline.com
Since safe naman, nag-move on na ko para gumawa ng frittata cups.
Eto yung mga araw na ang sipag ko ulit magluto. Isang motivation dun eh dahil nagtitipid kami. Nung mga nakaraang months kasi sobrang hagad namin sa deliveries. Eh nung palaki na ng palaki yung bayaran sa credit card, natauhan na ko. Malapit nang magpasko. Gift giving nanaman. Kelangan ng budget. At hindi pa din ako ganun ka-satisfied sa savings namin. Kaya kelangan magtipid-tipid.
THURSDAY
Inuubos ko na lang yung binili kong smoothies. Ang weird netong smoothie na ‘to kasi may berries tapos may kale. Parang hindi bagay. Pero nung blended na, hindi mo na rin naman malalasahan yung kale. Kaya baka gawin ko din ‘to para extra healthy yung smoothies.
FRIDAY
May sinimulan akong bagong series. For more than 2 weeks hindi ako nanood ng Netflix. Siguro hindi pa ko nakaka-move on sa huling series na natapos ko (Modern Family). Tapos bigla kong naisipan maningin ng palabas. Just in case may magustuhan ako. Madaling araw na ‘to siguro 1AM na. Tapos nakita ko yung Gilmore Girls.
Naririnig ko na ‘to lagi. Alam kong popular sya. Pero ngayon ko lang sinubukan. Ang cute nya. Medyo ang annoying lang ni Lorelai pag nagiging childish sya. And bakit halos lahat ng dialogue ng characters eh puro sarcasm? Uso siguro noon. Pero minsan ang annoying na. Hindi talaga sila nauubusan ng sarcastic remarks. Pero nag-eenjoy naman ako. Buti may nahanap na uli akong series na mapapanood pag gusto kong mag-chill.
May bago kaming delivery from Hello Fresh. Eto yung mga meal kits naman na portioned na yung ingredients so walang nasasayang. And pag tamad kang magisip ng lulutuin.
Yung meal na ‘to ay kakaiba. First time kong gumawa ng something na ganito. Yun din yung gusto ko minsan sa mga meal kits kasi nakakapag-explore ako ng iba-ibang recipes tapos nakaka-encounter ako ng mga kakaibang ingredients. Tulad nitong sage.
Tapos sobrang cute nitong mini jar ng apricot jam!
Masarap naman sya. Matamis. Kaya ko din siguro nagustuhan. Ang weird lang talaga kasi yung gravy may apple din.
May dumating din kaming package. Kala ko ba nagtitipid?! Haha! Pero eto naman ay na-order ko na bago pa yung realization ko na kelangan mag-tipid. Tsaka useful naman ‘to tsaka for the health (defensive much?).
Eto yung 3-layer mask. Kasi may nabasa ako na ideal daw na 3 layers yung mask. So naghanap ako at nag-order. Paubos na din yung disposable masks namin kaya okay din na may ganito kami na washable.
Yung last two items naman sa package ay pang-topping sa yogurt. Ang lakas kasi ng influence ni Jenn Im (Youtuber). Lagi kong nakikita sa yogurt nya yung cacao nibs and goji berries. Gusto kong i-try kase parang ang sarap at ang healthy.
SATURDAY
Nag-snow nanaman ng medyo malakas. Feeling ko tuloy tuloy na ‘to. Medyo decided na ko na ayaw ko munang mag-road test para sa driver’s license ko. Na-trauma na ko sa snow.
Feel na feel ko ang pagbabasa with my salad and snacks and yogurtwithcacaonibsandgojiberries 😂
SUNDAY (today!)
Done with our book of the month! And na-achieve ko na rin finally yung reading goal ko this year 😊
Sarap ng ulam ko. Bangus from Mama Nors tapos nag-sauté lang ako ng spinach at yung Beyond Meat sausage. Kung masarap sana yung vegan sausage na ‘to bibili sana ako ulit eh. Kaso hindi. Ang hirap maging healthy huhu.
Gutom na ko puro pagkain ang pinagsasabi ko dito.
QUICK AND TAMAD SUMMARY:
A ship is set to sail to Amsterdam to transport a super valuable and mysterious thing called ‘The Folly’. But someone is wreaking havoc and the passengers are relying on Samuel Pipps (world’s greatest detective) and Arent Hayes (his loyal bodyguard) to uncover the culprit. Thing is, Samuel is being held prisoner, so Arent has to step up and do the investigating himself.
This book is an adventure. Na-inlove ako dun sa setting and how the author narrates the story. It’s as if I’m there as a passenger enjoying the sea breeze, watching the dolphins, and being amused and entertained by sailors fighting. Super fond of how the author describes scenes.
Dusk arrived in ribbons of purple and pink, a few stars puncturing the sky. There was no land in sight. Only water.
I also liked how the chapters were short. My Kindle is set to show how many minutes each chapter would take to read, and most of the time it would show ‘5 mins left in chapter’, sometimes even 1 minute. So whenever I see that the next chapter would only take 2-6 minutes to finish, the tendency is to read “just one more chapter”.
I can’t remember being bored reading this book. Impatient maybe. Kasi gustong gusto ko nang malaman kung sinong nag-devise ng plan to sabotage the ship! They all seemed so innocent. Sobra.
Also, this is our book club pick for November.
START OF SPOILERS
Una kong hula ay si Vos. Ang creepy nya kasi pero parang ang obvious masyado. Kaya napunta naman ako kay Sara. Kasi she seemed so kindhearted. Kaya naiisip ko na baka may surprise sa huli na masama pala sya. And sobrang hate nya din pala yung asawa nya (justifiably so) kaya hindi pa rin talaga sya lusot. Gustong gusto na nyang makawala kay Governor General. So andun yung motive. Kahit nung nasa island na sila sya pa din yung primary suspect ko 😂
Naisip ko pa na, with the urge from Sara, si Lia ang nag-plano ng lahat. Kasi nga Promil kid sya. And at one point naisip ko rin na baka related si Lia kay Samuel Pipps kase pareho silang gifted. Mali nanaman!
Yung mga gripping scenes dun sa book is yung storm and nung nagkakagulo na. Feel na feel ko yung chaos. Nung una diba parang adventure lang tapos after mangalahati, puro patayan na. Nagulat ako nung pinatay yung Captain. Napaisip tuloy ako bakit nga ba nag-deviate sa plan si Crauwel? Magtatanong pala ko sa book club Discord.
Kaya naman kase hindi ko napagkamalan si Creesjie, kasi yung pinapakita nyang character is someone who only cares about having a wealthy husband. So I only perceived her as a simple minded woman who’s a gold digger and cares too much about her looks. Tsaka diba nagpakita sya ng interest kay Vos nung nag-propose sya and promised her a comfortable life. It’s all an act pala. Kaya rin nasa baba sya ng list ko of suspects gawa dun.
Mas mataas si Pipps sa suspect list ko kesa kay Creesjie. Pero sa isip ko kasi, sobrang imposible na maging involved sya kasi nga nakakulong sya. Sobrang pa-victim pati nya. Ang hirap din maging sobrang suspicious sa kanya kasi nung binigay yung background nya sa una, akala mo yun na ‘yon. Not until nung na-reveal sa huli yung totoong family history nya. Tapos yung Saardam pala is specifically designed para makalabas sya sa kulungan nya. Tss.
Anyway, nung hindi pa nari-reveal ang lahat, nag-panic ako dun sa fake act ni Isabel. Kala ko talaga totoo! In fairness kay Sara and Arent naisip pa nila ‘yon.
RATING [4 🌟]
While I enjoyed almost everything and sobrang nakakaloko yung culprits, I feel like the ending is the weakest point in the book. Hindi ako super na-satisfy dun sa execution nung reveal. And yung ending, parang, ganun na lang ‘yon? But I must say it’s still worth reading kahit medyo let down yung ending.
Nakakaasar yung magkapatid kasi halos walang remorse. Mej nakakaasar din yung sobrang curiosity ni Sara and Lia nung ina-unfold na nung magkapatid kung pano nila na-execute yung devious plans nila. Parang may halong wonder pa nga. Mas nangibabaw yung curiousity nila kesa sa galit.
Although ang intention talaga is to kill Jan Haan, ang dami pa din nadamay na tao. Plus the animals huhu. Mapapatay pa ni Vos si Arent. So parang hindi ako ganun ka-agree na walang justice. Naging “Let’s just forgive and forget and form a star-studded group.” na lang.
QUOTES
I chuckled at this:
“What brings fine sirs like yourselves down to the arse end of the ship?” asked the constable, putting a dried piece of fish into his mouth. Far as Arent could tell, there wasn’t a single tooth waiting for it.
Power should be a burden, not a shield. It should be used to everybody’s betterment, not merely for the person who wielded it.
Sara: Courage isn’t an absence of fear. It’s the light we find when fear is all there is.
Sammy had once told him that love was the easiest thing to spot, because it didn’t look like anything else. It couldn’t hide itself, it couldn’t disguise itself, it couldn’t go unnoticed for very long.
Click to view my digital book shelf.
Ang nostalgic ko kanina kasi nag-oorganize ako ng hard drive ko. Inaayos ko per category like ‘Family’, ‘Kenneth’, ‘Friends’ tapos per category, naka-organize per year and month. Like this:
Sobrang dami ko pang kailangan i-sort. Siguro nasa 25k photos pa or more. Tumigil na muna ko. Ang sakit na sa mata.
Ang saya talagang mag-reminisce. Kahit wala na ang Daddy (lolo ko), natutuwa ako pag nakikita ko yung mga photos nung andito pa sya. And pasalamat ako sa sarili ko non na nag-take ako ng pictures nung mga moments na ‘yon.
Noong digicam days, college days ko ‘yon, sobrang obsessed ako sa pictures. Kung nabasa nyo yung post ko na Fleeting Dreams, kahit ano talaga pini-picturan ko. Feeling ko pati ang galing galing ko. Pero nung nawala na sa uso yung pi-picturan mo yung bawat event, bawat inuman, bawat lahat, na-conscious na kong mag-take ng pictures. At pinagsisisihan ko yun kasi minsan, yung mga uneventful ganaps ang nakakatuwang balikan.
Ngayon, ang pictures na lang na nasa phone ko eh puro pusa namin at mga niluluto ko. Ang rare na namin mag-picture ni Kenneth kasi duh, palagi lang naman kami andito sa bahay. Pero minsan pala magpi-picture ako. Pandagdag lang sa memories. Tapos gagawa ako ng baduy na slideshow ireregalo ko sa anniversary namin 😂
Naisip ko din na gumawa ng mga throwback blog post (eto nanaman ako sa mga blog post series ko). Kukuha ako ng random photo sa hard drive ko tapos ita-try ko alalahanin yung nangyari nung araw na ‘yon. Parang ang saya non. Simulan ko na pala ngayon. Papapiliin ko si Kenneth ng year and month. Tapos random category.
So eto ako. Kumakanta kasama ang banda ko sa B-Side. JOKE. So eto si Sarah Gaugler. Pero ang reason talaga ba’t ako umattend ng gig na to eh gawa ni Saab kasi nga girl crush tapos reader ako ng blog nya etc. First time ko din sya ma-meet so ang saya ko nung gabi na ‘to. Pero parang nagka-issue ata si Saab at yung kapatid ni Sarah Gaugler. Haha basta may nabalitaan akong ganun.
So kasama ko si Nick dito. Si Kenneth malamang nasa Cebu for work. So eto ata yung mga times na kinupkop ko si Nick ng ilang months. Tapos nung nabalitaan kong nasa B-Side si Saab para mag-host ng gig, niyaya ko si Nick kasi malapit lang samin. Si Candy ata yung co-host nya. Hindi pa sila Cheats. Isingit ko na din yung pic namin ni Saab kahit sobrang nakakahiya sa balat nya.
Tapos naging crush ni Nick si Sarah Gaugler 😂
Ang hot nga naman kasi ni Sarah Gaugler nung gabi na ‘to. Tas nagustuhan ko din yung music nila.
Wala na kong masyadong maalala nung gabi na ‘to. Hindi ko na din alam kung sino pang mga tumugtog kasi sila lang dalwa yung kinunan ko ng pics. Ang goal ko lang talaga nung gabi na ‘to eh magpapicture kay Saab. And it’s a success! 😂
Yun lang! Magbabasa na ko ng BOTM namin. Gusto ko nang matapos kasi malapit lapit na rin ang discussion.
Since madalas na kong tumambay dito sa blog ko, inaayos ko yung mga categories ng every post para mas organized and mas madaling magpaka-senti pag feel kong mag-reminisce. Tapos nakita ko yung post ko nung October 2017. Ang title ay Art Day Fun Day + I’ll Be Careful on October 2020. Tapos bigla kong naalala kung bakit. Kasi every October… Pano ko ba i-eexplain. Basta 3 years yung interval ng mga hindi magandang kaganapan tapos nangyayari sya every October 22. Nagsimula nung 2011 tapos may nangyari ulit nung 2014 (the worst!) tapos nung 2017 ulit.
So napa-check tuloy ako kung anong ginawa ko nitong October 22, 2020. At sakto meron akong blog post on that day. Pero wala namang nangyari, sobrang uneventful. Haha. Nanood lang ako ng documentary ng BLACKPINK tapos konting hanash lang sa buhay. The curse is broken!!!
In the beginning part of the book, the author discussed how our society, our culture, our families and relationships shape our beliefs and identities. That we didn’t have a choice when we were little. And now that we’re older, he is challenging us to question these beliefs/practices or these “agreements”.
Another thing he talked about is how sometimes people just go with the flow to gain approval in order to have a sense of belongingness. Which is a natural thing for humans. Sabi nga ni Aristotle, we are social animals. But he also challenges that. Like saying no if we want to say no. Or attempting to ask even if it meant rejection.
Gleniz da Menace