Every year, we go to Dolores and Lucban to celebrate Maundy Thursday. This year’s a bit different, though, since we visited other churches in Laguna and Quezon. It’s really tiring but it was all worth it! I never fail to enjoy myself when I’m with my family. I have tons of cousins, anyway, so having a good time is inevitable. I asked my mother about this and she said that what we did is called Visita Iglesias. I am quite hesitant to call it that since we didn’t do the Station of the Cross. There were too many kids with us, and they were quite a handful. It would be hard to keep them still. We spend around 20 minutes for each church, making sure to say our prayers and sometimes, to light a candle or two. [Read more…]
52 Books: February Books
Another late 52 Books post but this time, I tried to input more into my reviews. February was a really good reading month. Also, I read two classics. That’s quite something considering I rarely read classics. Thank heavens for book sales!
1. Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey by Chuck Palahniuk
Rant is a book I randomly bought simply because I wanted to read the works of Chuck Palahniuk. I read some reviews of this book before actually reading it.. The reviews were disheartening so I postponed reading this for about five months. It was a lucky day, though, when I finally peeled off the plastic cover and started reading. I immensely enjoyed Rant even though Palahniuk used an unconventional format. Maybe it’s even because of this format that drew me quickly to the book. The shift of POVs were quick and sudden so I got confused at first. But after about two chapters, I got used to the format.
The story line is quite confusing but any story line involving time travel can surely confuse me. But there’s something so consistent about his writing. What I also like is how he managed to make each character different from one another. There are so many POVs but each one has a distinct quality. Rant, though his POV isn’t included in the story, comes alive through the tales shared by the other characters.
I am eager to read another Palahniuk book. I already have Pygmy but I don’t think I am ready for that. But I really, really want to read Invisible Monsters. [Read more…]
The Lack of Motivation, Talent, Passion, Etc.
PHOTOGRAPHY CHALLENGE:
Without leaving your bedroom, try to take 5 interesting photographs. The goal of this challenge is to enhance your skills by taking ordinary objects and making them look as if they’re more than what they are.
Basically, I have to take photographs inside my room to challenge my photography skills or something. The thing is, I’m a lazy person and I just often take photos of stuff nearest to me. Yes, sometimes while I’m lying on my bed with a book in hand. So yes, I’ve taken so much photos inside my room already even though it’s so small that there’s not much to see.
That’s why I think photography isn’t really for me. To take good photos sometimes you need to exert effort and effort isn’t really something I often have. Also, it needs creativity to avoid repetitive photos and subjects (BOOKS LULZ) and I always think I’m not creative enough. I still tried this challenge, though, and I almost gave up. I do wish I’m better at photography. I want to take photos anywhere and anytime without having someone ask me gazillion questions about photography. I specifically abhor it when someone asks me whether I’m good. How am I supposed to answer that?
The Korean Experience
52 Books: January Books
I intended to post this about two weeks ago but time didn’t allow me (obviously). I also intended to write down my thoughts for each book after reading it but I’m afraid I forgot about it, too. Or I got too lazy to do it. I intended to do a lot of things, actually, but I didn’t really put in much effort. The good thing, however, is that I managed to read five books last month. I’m keeping track of my progress in Goodreads. It’s kind of nice to see how I’ve been doing. It’s also nice that I have a goal because I usually don’t have one. Heh.
I’m just not sure if January was a good month for reading. I read some good books, but none stirred me enough. I am not really a book critic, and sometimes most of the time, I feel like I don’t really understand what I’m reading. So I just usually base my judgment on the level of enjoyment I felt when reading and how much I was affected in a good way.
1. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
I’ve watched the movie a long time ago so I pretty much forgot what happened already. It’s good that I had forgotten, though. I liked the book. Not loved it because I think it’s too short. But Neil Gaiman is Neil Gaiman and I like how it feels as if I’m just reading a fairytale. His book has this “magical tone”. I don’t really know what to call it.
I just think the book’s a little rushed. Maybe it’s because I love details and though there are details, it’s not enough (for me, anyway). A lot has happened but everything just seemed to happen too quickly. I still like it, though. I should definitely rewatch the movie. [Read more…]