A Journey Back to Wuthering Heights

My first encounter with the classic literature Wuthering Heights was in my junior high school years. It was one of the recommended reading material for the juniors’ Literature class, although it baffled me that we never did quite discuss the book thoroughly, but was only mentioned in passing. I actually tried reading it then but unlike
Jane Eyre or Pride and Prejudice, I did not find it compelling enough to hold my interest. The complex nature of the story was too much for my fifteen year-old mind then.


But after re-reading this book after so many years, I understood why I could not have appreciated it then.

Love that is on the brink of being destructive and obsessive, mental (and physical) abuse, domestic violence and revenge that draws the soul to downward spiral, are not exactly what a fifteen year old would be able to relate to, enough to encourage any attempt to ponder what lies beyond the surface.

I still cannot feel any empathy to Catherine and Heathcliff's star-crossed love. Based on my earlier pre-conceptions, WH was sold to me as love story of the ill-fated couple. That is all there was to it-- ill-fatedness. But no redemption at all especially for Heathcliff’s dark obsession to possess what is beyond his reach.

I found Isabella Linton, though a minority in the story, as the most compelling character in WH. She has transformed from a somewhat foolish young girl that was blinded by her infatuation to Heathcliff, to a woman who found the will and tenacity to fight back and break free from a tragic life under Heathcliff's abusive ways.

If something was worth a 5-star in this book, it would be Isabella Linton's transformation as a woman of strength.

My Latest Book Stash for Long Weekend Reads

If you are facing another long holiday weekend, going for a long drive (and not driving) or simply, enjoying a lazy day in your usual “lazy day corner”, here are a few books for a good, light reading. This assumes, of course, that we are of the same wave-length on the choice of good reads.

Strengths Finder 2.0

I have long been sold on the idea that we ought to play to our strengths. Always worked for me. The pre-requisite is knowing your basic strengths, assessed in a purely objective point of view. This book describes the thirty different types of strengths and provides a detailed description of how a person possessing those qualities can leverage it to keep them motivated, progressive and effective.

I have two of these kinds. The first book “Now, Discover Your Strengths” was given to me as a gift. The latest edition is now called Strengths Finder 2.0. It comes with a unique code that you can use to access the website Strengths Finder that will facilitate the assessment of your strengths. After taking the assessment, it will summarize your top five strengths. You will have to refer back to the book to have a deeper understanding of what those strengths mean, how it affects the way you think, operate, relate to people and so on. If you work with people, this book also helps guide a manager of others how you can develop the talents of your people based on their unique strengths.

The Little Book of Talent

Everyone has their unique set of talents. But how does talent differ vs. skills? How do you develop those talents to their fullest potential? This book is a compilation of 52 tips on how one can improve skills and develop talents. I like this book because the concepts were simplified and you can readily adopt them. Key here is being able to flex those mental muscles and turn what you have read into actual practice!

Classy

This was an accidental purchase for me while I was looking for the book The Food Rules. What is class anyway? Is it something that you are born with? Does being classy equate to being part of an elite circle and surrounded by all things posh?

This is a book that is worth reading especially for young women who aspires of growing up to be a lady and not a tramp. We see a lot of women today, young/not-so-young/young-once who embrace fleeting, trivial things that leaves a bad taste in the mouth in the hope of being classy but ends up being trashy. My daughter was interested in this book and I had to guide her through it.

This book include highlights on the following: how to dress sexy without looking like a skank, how to avoid sticky situations that lead girls to making bad decisions (think about homemade sex videos, those pictures that will haunt you to the grave, etc), behaving in public, why you are what you read, why one should avoid the rumor mill, and many more! The tagline: Because if you are not a lady, chances are you are a tramp.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven

"There's a story behind everything. How a picture got on a wall. How a scar got on your face. Sometimes the stories are simple, and sometimes they are hard and heart breaking."

I encountered this book more than three years ago, while I was reading another favorite book-- The Chicken Soup for Children with Special Needs. This book was mentioned in one of the short stories in the Chicken Soup series.

A few weeks after, while scanning the shelves at the bookstore, I saw the paperback edition. I did not bother to scan the reviews for this book so I bought it out because I was intrigued.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom is about meeting the people who came to your life for a reason. The setting of the story dwells at the events that happen shortly as you pass the after life. 

After the first few pages, I was definitely, irreversibly hooked. I finished reading it while waiting for Kevin during his Saturday speech sessions in La Marea. The story was riveting and poignant. I shed tears along the way while reading the emotional parts of the story.

Maybe because deep inside I already knew the first person I will meet in that afterlife. At that moment, there was no doubt in my mind as to what the purpose of my own life was all about. Never been clearer.

And I thought, that it would still be best to divine the purpose of your life while you are actually alive, and not have it spelled out for you in death while pondering into winds of eternity and wondering what you could have or not have done. So I raved that this book came to me at a great time.

"So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning."

I also could not help but remember friends, people who became a part of my life.  Most of them stayed on for a while; sometimes a really very short while, so fleeting, before life took me to another phase, another chapter. And there were people who actually disappear in your life, only to come back again, at a portentious time when you actually need them to be there. Such were life's mysteries and blessings.

"When someone is in your heart, they're never truly gone. They can come back to you, even at unlikely times."

I was in my late teens when I began to recognize the fleeting pattern of how people, places, faces passed by my life. There was and I predicted then, that there will be no permanence. Only series of changes. Moving from city to country.  Country to city.  One lifestyle to another.  New places, new people, maybe some friends to be made, friends to say goodbye to someday.  And that patterns never ends. And sure enough until this day, it does continue.

"There are no random acts. That we are all connected. That you can no more separate one life from another than you can separate a breeze from the wind."

That was many years ago and I never understood why.  When you are young and carefree, you may see the patterns of the future but you don’t want to over-analyze things.  But now I know better.  People do come and go in my life, most of them with a special purpose.  And when their mission has been served, we say goodbye.  Some of them do come back.  Some don't.

And that is how it is supposed to be. 

That was how my life was willed to be. So I accept it.

"Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you're not really losing it. You're just passing it on to someone else."

But through it all, there were the very few friends and acquaintances, who served as the bridge to my past, the present and maybe well into the future.

"And if you are ever going to have other people trust you, you must feel that you can trust them, too--even when you’re in the dark. Even when you’re falling."

And perhaps, that is why at the end of our life, the metaphorical five symbolizes the ones that truly last forever, not by virtue of time spent with them, but the meaning they were to bring into our lives.

"All endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at that time."

Picture Books: The Digital Age Photo Albums

Fourth Picture Book Coming Soon: ASEAN Vacations

In the digital age era, what do you actually do with the tons of electronic pictures from digicams, camera-phones and tablets anyway?

I grew up in the wake of the traditional photo albums.  Exactly what my daughter call The Olden Days. You get a roll of film printed at the nearby 1-hour printing shop (or in the earlier years, you come back for it after a few days) and hope that the pictures will turn out right. Then you paste them into the standard family size photo album decked with all the fancy decorations if you are up to it. Or slide them into the more convenient slip-on type of photo albums. I had a few pictures simply tucked into picture boxes when I ran out of space to store the heavy albums.

I discovered Picture Books during my first month at the Novena Square office. They were holding a 3-day showcase at the ground level of the Velocity Mall. I got curious and I ended up buying their promotional three picture books for the price of two. Upon purchase, you will receive a coupon that corresponds for one book. The coupon can be used for the next 12 months or so.

The package includes a CD-ROM which is very easy to use. It contains the software that will aid you in creating your own picture book. The program will also help you process sending the program file and orders electronically for as long as you are connected to internet. The final product will be couriered to you after a few working days.

I recall a small stall in a mall in Alabang offering the same service. The difference though is that they will have to format it for you. If you are an OC like me, you will have to provide a page by page, step by step specification on how you want the final product to look like.  And hope they actually get it right. Or be prepared to edit it to death.  I tried it (and had my patience tested) and never got round see the final product. Go figure.

With Picture Books, you can actually make them on your own sweet time. You can select what suits you best, based on their standard album sizes (rectangle or square) and format (landscape or portrait), hardbound or softbound. You can choose your designs, cover and picture effects, add graphics and captions, select only the pictures you would like. The works.

I was able to use all of my picture book coupons by now and waiting for the delivery of the fourth book.

And if I may brag (ehem), one of my picture book “Travelogue” has been selected by the Picture Book company to be included in their showcase. If you ever visit their showroom or catch them in one of the mall tours, you’ll find this album (and our faces) on display.  "Travelogue" was a picture book I created for the vacations we had in the different beaches and places in the Philippines. The breath taking view was a bliss to capture in picture! My next book spotlights the places we visted in South East Asia.

In the final format, the picture book makes a classy photo album because the printed medium is glossy and can double as a coffee table book. Be sure to use high definition pictures for the best results.

Can't wait for my next picture book!

The Food Rules by Michael Pollan



The Cover Page

This book by Michael Pollan came to my attention while reading Daphne Osena-Paez' blog. I checked the book review and excerpts before deciding to buy a copy. I got the 2011 hardbound edition. Earlier editions of the same book would have the 'pea in a pod' cover art.

I must say it's a must read for people who care about their health!  I am no health expert but I daresay that what goes into our system significantly affects the outlook of our health.   Not so many years ago, I learned this the hard way.   For moms like me, it is never too early -- or too late -- to imbibe good eating habits to our children (and yes, to our spouses as well!).  Fortunately, my two kids have no qualms about eating green, leafy vegetables.  Something I could have benefitted from when I was growing up.

And, I really hate to say this, but let's face it --  at a certain age, we have to put extra attention to our health if we want to live long enough to enjoy life (and for my husband and I, hopefully long enough to enjoy our grandchildren, if not beyond). 

If those are not great motivations to begin with, I don't know what is!   I am personally guilty of having too many excuses for sticking to healthy eating and this book is exactly the extra jolt I needed.

"The Food Rules" are centered on 83 simple rules to live by for a lifetime of good health, good food.  It's a fun, lightweight read, if not quite chatty. Reading it is like having an afternoon chit chat with an old friend over coffee.  My kind of reading.  I hope you get the drift.   As a bonus, the refreshing illustrations by Maira Kalman were a joy to see.

The 83 rules actually condense into 3 main concepts / chapters:

Eat Food.

Mostly Plants.

Not Too Much.

After finishing the book, I realized there is nothing rocket-science about the food rules presented.  We learned most of these were stuff we learned from grade school sciences and home economics. But it doesn't hurt to be reminded from time to time.   There were also new ideas I've extracted from this book that I've decided to immediately put into good use and I must say I'm pleased!

Rule 76: Place a bouquet of flowers on the table
and everything will taste twice as good.
I agree!!!  

Finds

Well, it's that time of the year again.

I'm not really big on birthdays, at least not my birthday -- it is usually a family affair. We choose to either have a dinner somewhere or if time permits, my hubby volunteers to cook something special for dinner at home.

I decided to celebrate it a little bit earlier this year by writing down my so-called "Splurge List." Nothing extravagant really, but a few of my favorite things that I'd like to get for myself.

I am quite pragmatic when it comes to perfumes because I get migraines with the wrong scents. But I like perfumes so I have to choose the fragrance carefully when buying. I like mild, lavender-vanilla scents. Benefit's Crescent Row line of fragrances caught my fancy immediately because of the fancy, pop-art packaging that Benefit is known for. The ultimate first moment of truth. I sampled the scents and was drawn to Carmella. Each scent was named after a lady and each has their unique style and personality. Carmella is the epitome of lady-like elegance and mystery. The scent hints of vanilla essence.





One of the challenges of walking everyday from home to office and viceversa is that one has to find the perfect shoes. Classy enough for the office, comfortable enough to not ruin your feet with blisters, sturdy enough to withstand all that walking. After my 4-year old Naturalizer wedgies retired last 2010, I have tried several shoes but none seem to pass the criteria. I stopped buying shoes for a while out of frustration because I ended up giving them away out of discomfort. I believe I found my soul shoes at last.

Got this from Studio Tangs.
The leather is soft so I am optimistic I wont get murdered feet in the process.

I found the book The Food Rules by Michael Pollan while browsing Daphne O's blog. I googled this book, read an excerpt and decided to hunt it down in my next strip to the bookstore. After picking it up, another book next to it caught my eye -- Classy by Derek Blasberg.  I'll tell you more about it when I'm done reading.

 I would like to add more gemstone pieces this year. I did not have to think twice when I saw this rose quartz drop earring with swarovski. It's easy to pair them off with my other necklaces and would be great for every day wear and special occasions.

So there! Ticked off the items in my "out-of-the-blue" checklist!

Requiem for the Bookstore

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”  ― Charles William Eliot

“Classic' - a book which people praise and don't read.” - Mark Twain

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! -- When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.”  ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

photo credit-- from Neil Gaiman's Journal (blogsite)

We were having our usual Sunday stroll at Vivocity when a big sign caught my eye. Page One is having a massive 70% discount on their books. Uh-oh. Not good. So I went closer and read this poster at the entrance confirming that Page One is bidding adieu.

This was the third bookstore that has closed down, in my last 16 months in SG. First there was MPH in Novena Square. Then the iconic Borders bookstore in Wheelock Place, just a few weeks after I swore I could live there. And now, Page One. I felt forlorn while reading their farewell poster.

Bookstores are businesses. Simple logic - for a business to thrive, it's must make it's bottomline. Else, cut the bleeding. Which means the sellout isn't that phenomenal. Which means people don't read books anymore. Maybe not as much as they used to. Maybe not at all.

Do people don't read anymore? Was it because the so-called more trendy and sophisticated e-books and reader tablets have replaced the familiar paperbacks? I did wonder.

And so the irony of it all is that when a bookstore is about to close, suddenly half the country decided they would like to read after all!   You can say I'm too prejudiced but I don't care.  We went inside to get more books for Kyla and some for myself but was met by a snake-like queue that goes around the bookstore. And every person has at least 2 bucketfuls each.  I hope they do intend to read those.  We balked at the idea of lining up for the rest of the afternoon.  I promised Kyla that we'll get her books from someplace else. There are also quite a number of children's book store nearby where we live. Quaint ones that reminds you of the Little Shop Around the Corner bookstore from the movie "You've Got Mail." I wish they won't die soon.

Here's a requiem to the bookstore. May their death cease.