Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Rating:	★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Literature & Fiction
Author:	Rick Riordan

This is not the kind of book you want to read if you want an action-packed fiction. This is more highschool-ish, ka-level ng Twilight. Because it is based on Greek mythology, which for me is very interesting, it has no originality. It has a modern, hip, urban style heroic effects. Imagine Poseidon wearing beach shorts and floral printed shirts, or Ares in a rugged pants, leather jacket and a red bandanna on his head. Or, the wine god Dionysus telling you "Whatever". And this Percy kid who's a demigod, he's dyslexic and is having an ADHD. He doesn't impress me much. I'm already on the third book and I can see the same trend, one of Percy's friends is hold captive and he'd come to the rescue, he fights handful of monsters incorporated using Riptide and he'll triumph. Very predictable. But I'm reading it mostly because I want to know how this team of demigod teenagers fight Kronos in the end, and I'm waiting for some possible twists of the story along the way. Nothing beats The Lord of the Rings for an action-packed, heart racing, and mind boggling read.

Change We Can Believe In

I come across this book while going through my father's library.

"We faced hard days and our share of failure, but I learned then that no matter how great the challenge or how difficult the circumstance, change is always possible if you're willing to work for it, and fight for it, and above all else, believe in it."

-President Barack Hussein Obama

Norwegian Wood

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Romance
Author:	Haruki Murakami

Excerpt:
I telephoned Midori. "I have to talk to you," I said. "I have a million things to talk to you about. A million things we have to talk about. All I want in this world is you. I want to see you and talk. I want the two of us to begin everything from the beginning."
Midori responded with a long, long silence----the silence of all the misty rain in the world falling on all the new-mown lawns of the world. Forehead pressed against the glass, I shut my eyes and waited. At last, Midori's quiet voice broke the silence: "Where are you now?"
Where was I now?
Gripping the receiver, I raised my head and turned to see what lay beyond the telephone booth. Where was I now? I had no idea. .... Again and again, I called out for Midori from the dead center of this place that was no place.

***********

This is definitely an addition to my bests-list. This has opened my mind to the nature of equally loving two different persons of opposite characters, on how need can be misconstrued as love and how a beautiful friendship is transformed into love. I'm so overwhelmed by the story and the characters. Ito ang totoong "It's Complicated". :)

procrastination

i need to constantly remind myself that:

"PROCRASTINATION IS THE GRAVE WHERE OPPORTUNITY IS BURIED."

our neuro 2 exam will be this wednesday and although there are piles of things to be done (i.e., commed family progress reports, com diag and caduceus), i don't understand why i am so not in the mood for studying when i badly want to have a good mark in this exam. i want to end this sem with a bang, but, darnits! i'm so in a sembreak-mode. can't wait for:
Dan Brown's The Last Symbol (e-book, courtesy of Ate Karla)

Jane Hamilton's A Map of the World

Rebecca Wells' Little Altars Everywhere

..and movies, movies, movies.....
in less than three months, we're saying hello to junior clinical clerkship and i don't feel ready yet. nah! if i could only hold back time.
xoxo

because i am procrastinating..

i will share some lines from the book i am currently reading instead of my OB/Gyne books. it's called SURGEONS DO NOT CRY by Ting Tiongco.
*Man is a predatory animal. And in daily life, Man's favorite prey is the next man himself. Any display of weakness and uncertainty may often be exploited maximally by the person standing in line behind you on the sidewalk or in a bus. Of course, this does not happen all the time. But it happens often enough, especially between people who have nothing in common.
*All in the pretext of education and job opportunities abroad, we kill our culture.
*There is no person alive who never cheated. And there is no person alive who can guarantee that he/she will never cheat again. Given the chance, the person you meet walking down the steet WILL cheat. Some will cheat more than others. And more will cheat if they know they can get away with it.
* Man made time. And man can always make time for anything he wanted to do as Man can always claim the lack of time for anything he did not want to do.
*One's error of commission or omission may mean another person's life.
i am halfway finishing this half-inch thin collection of short stories of a surgeon from UP-PGH as i read during my spare times, or, the times when massive laziness of reading school books is all over me. just like right now. =) i will share the rest again, when i am procrastinating.

The Shinagawa Monkey

Mizuki was at her desk, listening to the radio in her room when she heard a faint knock at her door. She opened it to find Yuko Matsunaka standing there, dressed in tight polo neck and jeans. I’d like to talk with you, Yuko said, if you have time. ‘Fine,’ Mizuki said, frankly taken aback. ‘I’m not doing anything special right now.’ Mizuki had never once had a private conversation with Yuko, just the two of them, and she’d never imagined Yuko would come to her room to ask anything personal. Mizuki motioned for her to sit down, and made some tea with the hot water in her thermos.

‘Mizuki, have you ever felt jealous?’ Yuko began.

Mizuki was surprised by this sudden question, but gave it serious thought.

‘No, I don’t think I ever have,’ she replied.

‘Not even once?’

Mizuki shook her head. ‘At least, when you ask me out of the blue like that I can’t remember any times. Jealousy… What do you mean?’

‘Like you love somebody, but he loves somebody else. When there’s something you want very badly, but somebody else just grabs it. Or, there’s something you want to be able to do, and somebody else is able to do it with no effort…Those sort of things.’

‘I don’t think I’ve ever felt that way,’ Mizuki said. ‘Have you?’

‘A lot.’

Mizuki didn’t know what to say. How could a girl like this want anything more in life? She was gorgeous, rich, did well in school and was popular. Her parents doted on her. Mizuki had heard rumors that on weekends she went on dates with a handsome college student. So how on earth could she want for anything more?

‘Like what, for instance?’ Mizuki asked.

‘I’d rather not say,’ Yuko said, choosing her words carefully. ‘Besides, listing all the details here is pointless. I’ve wanted to ask you that for a while—whether you’ve ever felt jealous.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes.’

Mizuki had no idea what this was all about, but made up her mind to answer as honestly as she could. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever that sort of experience,’ she began. ‘I don’t know why, and maybe it’s a little strange if you think about it. I mean, it’s not as if I have tons of confidence, or get everything I want. Actually, there’re lots of things I should feel frustrated about, but for whatever reason, that hasn’t made me feel jealous of other people. I wonder why.’

Yuko Matsunaka smiled faintly. ‘I don’t think jealousy has much of a connection with real, objective conditions. So that if you’re fortunate you’re not jealous, but if life hasn’t blessed you, you are jealous. Jealousy doesn’t work that way. It’s more like a tumor secretly growing inside us that gets bigger and bigger beyond all reason. Even if you find out it’s there, there’s nothing you can do to stop it. It’s like saying people who are fortunate don’t get tumors, while people who’re unhappy get them more easily—that isn’t true, is it? It’s the same thing.’

Mizuki listened without saying anything. Yuko hardly ever had so much to say at one time.

‘It’s hard to explain what jealousy is to someone who’s never felt it. One thing I do know is, it’s not easy living with it. It’s like carrying around your small version of hell, day after day. You should be thankful you’ve never felt that way.’

~~~HARUKI MURAKAMI

****

Nobody lives a perfect life on earth. While it is healthy to look up to those above us and aspire to emulate or at least level up with them, let us not forget that there are those who are below us—those that reminds us to be grateful we are not living a hard life the way they do. We must be thankful for everything God has given us. Let not jealousy eat us from our core, because before we know it eats us wholly until nothing has left of us.

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Literature & Fiction
Author:	Haruki Murakami

It is basically a collection of Murakami’s 24 fictional short stories that tells about unusual characters and events that brings true-to-life messages. I love how he captures mundane everyday life experiences, the littlest unnoticeable emotions and strange occurrences that make one dig out what is inside of himself and realize his true worth. He also interpreted the meaning of dreams, hidden feelings, unspoken wishes and forbidden physical relationships. I particularly liked the romantic Greek exile of lovers who are both committed to their respective spouses; they went to a Greek island where no single soul knows them to start anew. I also liked the story of a brilliant student who after going to the university learned that there were many realities in this world. It’s a huge world, there are lots of different values coexisting, and there’s no need to always be the top student. There’s also a story about making us realize that the most frightening thing in this world is our own self. What do you think?

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Parenting & Families
Author:	Rebecca Wells

I included this in my most-fave books. =) The naughtiness of this four girls—Vivi, Caro, Teensy and Necie—is so much fun! They grew up and grew old together. I liked that they didn’t separate their ways even after marriage and they have their own special friendship rituals; they dealt with each one’s struggles—death of a loved one, raising up kids, marital conflicts—together. Their sincerity, love and truthfulness fueled their friendship, devoid of insecurity and jealousy because they know that each one of them has a peculiarly unique characteristic. After finishing the book, I sat down and ponder about my friends. Who can be Vivi, Caro, Teensy or Necie in my circle of friends? Who am I among them? I think I am lot more like Necie, the one who could sense a boundary around her and did her best not to step over the line.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	History
Author:	Khaled Hosseini

This depicts the story of two Muslim women, Mariam and Laila, who lived their life during the heights of changing wars in Afghanistan. Both women struggled to fight for their own rights as a woman under the banner of Islam. Unfortunately for them, they live in a country whose laws misinterpret, took advantage of and abused the true teachings of Islam and thus making it appear to the world how radical the religion is. It is pitiable for them that they are being treated as donkeys by their own husbands, given away by their fathers without their due consent, that they are not free to practice the profession they desire, that the laws are hard on them (wearing burqa, not being able to walk on the streets alone without the accompaniment of a mahram, prohibition of talking to a man who is not a relative..etc)—all because apparently, according to the teachings of Islam. I beg to disagree. As far as I know, Islam gives equal freedom and rights to both man and woman. Although we have given different liberty from that of men, that is because we have different roles to portray in this life—mother who nurtures and a father who provides. Women must not be deprived of education, our fathers should not allow marriage without our consent, we are only to cover the parts of our body that would draw attention from men, and most importantly, our husbands must treat us like a queen—with all love, kindness and respect that we deserve. Alhamdulillah, I am born to a society that accepts and makes me exercise my rights and freedom as a Muslim woman. Tashakor, Ya Allah.

The Kite Runner

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	History
Author:	Khaled Hosseini

Now, this is a superbook! I scarcely weep over sad stories (yeah, I feel for the characters, but cry? Not me.) but this one really, I have to admit, made me shed plenty of tears. This is the kind of a book that I have to pause reading and take in a lot of air before continuing cause it really breaks me. It tells about friendship, family, society and social hierarchy. It talks about the pre-Russian invasion of Afghanistan, the Shorawi occupation to the terrible Taliban era. I’m now a certified Khaled Hosseini fan. For a physician to excellently write like that is extremely admirable. Kudos to all Muslim and Asian authors!

Good Frog Hunting

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Entertainment
Author:	Laurie Graff

FINALLY, I finished reading Laurie Graff’s Good Frog Hunting (Looking for Mr. Goodfrog in other editions) after months of marveling of when I’ll be able to finish the book. I bought it last summer when I was desperate, no not desperate, “looking” for tips about lurve is more fitting term. It is one hilarious book as the main character, Karrie Kline, wanders into seeking Mr. Goodfrog described as a single male; rather than seeking Mr. Right who’s not only single but also intelligent, attractive, funny, successful, non-commitment phobic male. Her encounter with various men, in which she always ends up as one humongous loser, made me lose track of their names. She met a lot of frogs in the pond and hoped for that thing that’d last eternally, but nil came up that’s real. Nevertheless, she never made that portion of her life stop her from what she really loves—acting. Instead, she created a one-woman show based on her lovelife branded Frogaphobia. Then, nung successful na siya saka pa nagsidatingan ang mga walang kwentang frogs. Puchax talaga.

Why she’s searching for a boyfriend:
“…knowing the travel time would be spent praying you wouldn’t feel awkward standing alone with no one to talk to during all the awkward moments you’d be standing alone with no one to talk to because that’s what happened when you went to one of those things dateless and alone.”

Yet again,
“Was commitment fate, or just a decision one chose to make at a certain? Did love propel
commitment, or was it the other way around? And if that was the case, what’s love got to do with it?”

Ano ba kasi talaga?

The Fourth Treasure

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Literature & Fiction
Author:	Todd Shimoda

Next to Haruki Murakami, Todd Shimoda is the second Japanese author I was able to read. This talks about Tina Suzuki who was born and raised in America, without knowing anything about her roots including her father. Growing up, she was never bothered about learning her home country, the culture, and her biological father. Her PhD dissertation inevitably led her to the discovery and unveiling of the past that her mother had kept from her for more than two decades. I appreciated how Shimoda elucidated Japanese culture by his explanation of the magnificent Jap calligraphy.

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Literature & Fiction
Author:	Gabriel Garcia Marquez

With the six generations of the Buendia family, it’s like reading six books bound into one! It is not an ordinary fiction that an ordinary man can write. Hey, it’s Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, so what do you expect? It talks about strange relationships within the family and of the community, about politics, magic, and a little touch of science. It is an epic tale about generations, yet it describes the solitary journey of each character, which reveals a kind surrealistic world of fantasy which flares up one's imagination to a great extent. The point that everything runs around in a circle within the family is sooo true.

Life of Pi

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Travel
Author:	Yann Martel

This tells the story of a 16-year old boy who got stuck in the middle of Pacific Ocean with a an orangutan, hyena and Bengal tiger. Obviously with the tiger aboard, it is a major threat to their lives. I was terrified most of the time wondering which would be worse, to be eaten by a tiger or a shark? Okay, you’re not gonna make me tell you the entire story, don’t you? Piscine Morten Patel (yeah, that’s his name, shortcut Pi) had a great adventure in the middle of the ocean. Being a devoted Christian, Muslim and Hindu (yes, he practices three religions. Can you believe that? Well, I do. It’s written there.), well, he has many gods to call upon. Hehe, so that’s why he survived 227 days, I guess. Wanna know about it? Read the book. I really enjoyed reading every sentence of every turn of every page. By the way, in case you experience the same, the book’s got lotta tips for you to survive the thirst, the hunger, the threat (I mean sharks), the thunders, the heat and of course, missing your loved ones.

Soon

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Religion & Spirituality
Author:	Jerry B. Jenkins

Can you live without God? That is this entire futuristic book that tells the life 36 years after the World War III (2009). After WW3, all the leaders in the world united in the same idea that the threat to world peace is religion, therefore they are out to eradicate all forms of groups that talks about God. Those who are caught red-handed are immediately killed in the most brutal way, government considered this as cancer of the society. However, there are still underground believers who are labeled zealot extremists who spread the words of God and so they are being haunted. Whether God helps them in their advocacy is for you to find out. The book is a tale of the beginning of the end.

Memoirs of a Geisha

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	History
Author:	Arthur Golden

I've been very intrigued with the kind of life Japanese Geisha leads since my childhood. Whenever I see posters of Japan (probably promoting their Tourism), images of geishas greet my eyes. I wonder if all Japanese women wear those mask-like make ups and colorful kimonos. I learned everything about geishas from this book, and the misconception about their being prostitutes are very well explained in this book. I recommend this one.