Harry Potter for grown-ups

I watched my last Harry Potter movie last night on 3D.  I had to do overtime work and left the office about seven pm when I met up with a friend. Unfortunately all we could catch was the nine o'clock show and it was expensively 3D. But I said that to give allegiance to the last of the series, we should not mind the expense. After all, I was a Harry Potter fan for almost thirteen years. Very little people knew about Harry then. And the world didn't seem normal ever since :D

I started reading Harry Potter in 1997. A very good friend, Gjean insisted I read the book,The Sorcerer's Stone. She had to borrow it from a cousin who bought it in London because nobody heard about J.K. Rowling at that time. It was aimed to be a children's book but I loved it. I bought a copy and gave it to my nephew to encourage him to read. My friend and I started following Harry after that, even after she moved to Canada. When she came to visit me a few years later, she even bought me a hard-bound copy of the sixth book.

I went to a lot of trouble just looking for those books every time they come out. I don't usually buy the books I read - because they are all quite expensive. Most of the time I just borrow them from generous friends with some begging and bribing.

There was a time I had to beg a friend, RP, to let me borrow his since there was a long line of borrowers in a single Harry Potter book back home. So he sent the very thick hard-bound (the Goblet of Fire I think it was) from Manila to Iloilo by mail so I could read it. That was sooo nice of him :D

My other friend, Ethel, a lawyer, who buys these books a lot, gives me first dibs because I was the one who introduced her to Harry Potter. Borrowing the Harry Potter books alone was an adventure. I read the Deathly Hallows with an e-book copy in a tiny PDA. No wonder I have very thick prescription glasses now.

The first Harry Potter movie didn't come out until 2001 - ten years ago. Daniel Radcliffe was a tiny boy back then. Look at him now.

Anyway, I have to work today. It's a Saturday but that's ok now that I've seen Harry Potter. I would not recommend you watching it if you're not a fan. You will need a lot of catching up to do. The movie is for fans and it did some justice although I still do wish it would go on and on.



I feel separation anxiety. They are all so grown-up now. Sigh. And so am I. Lol.

Animal Farm

Just finished reading Animal Farm by George Orwell yesterday. I was smiling to myself all throughout the book. Its resemblance to real life is uncanny. Sad. Sick. But True. I often wonder if this country is going in that same direction. But I still have hope in the goodness of people though. I'm not impressed with Noynoy, but at the very least, I think his heart is in the right place.

I've been telling my old boss how ironic that politics is preventing good and honest governance. And pitiful that we cannot separate one from the other. Or can we?

I cling to the hope that we can. That we have great leaders who will choose for the good of all and not a chosen few. We need more pigs like Snowball. I'm sure we have plenty of unappreciated stallions like Boxer. And visionaries like Major - only I hope they don't die early - and I hope we roast all Napoleons of the earth and lock their mouths with apples.

In the book, the initial commandments of "Animalism" have been changed to suit the privileged few. It's painful to read and more painful to see it happening in real life. While the small pickpockets rot in prisons for long periods of time, those who steal millions from the country scoot away free. As Orwell, or Eric Blair in real life wrote, "All animals are equal. But some animals are more equal than others."

Old Major had a dream. It's my dream too.

On Committed

So I've been reading Elizabeth Gilbert's book, "Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace With Marriage" all weekend. It's her follow-up to the recent hit "Eat, Pray, Love" which they made into a movie.

My friend gave it to me as a birthday present with a written note on the title page about "being committed to our addiction". My friends and I, in a recent get together has finally admitted our addictions - that we are Addicts to certain things, or certain someones. Amongst my friends, only one is married but might not be married for very long. It's timely that my friend picked this book as my 40th birthday gift. I, though still adamant about not getting married, also need to make peace with this institutional commitment which is holy matrimony.

Let me quote my personal favorite lines from the book. They are also the most obvious ones people learn but take for granted anyway. They might not mean anything to you but if read within the book, these lines will be appreciated in the paragraphs where they are at:

But for the very reason - exactly because she had chosen her spouse out of love - her marriage was more fragile than she realized. (I was not convinced about marriage at this point, and neither was Elizabeth Gilbert).

The Buddha taught all human suffering is rooted in desire. (Nyahaha! Don't we all know this!)

The Quaker teacher Parker Palmer once said of his own life that depression was a friend sent to save him from the exaggerated elevation of false euphoria that he'd been manufacturing forever. Depression pushed him back down to earth, Palmer said, back down to a level where it might finally be safe for him to walk and stand in reality. (This is something I can relate to right now so I marked it in the book).

Don't overthink this, buddy, okay? Just put one hoof in front of the other and you'll come out on the other side just fine. (I'm placing this on my desktop as a daily reminder of getting by at work).,

It is not we as individuals, then, who must bend uncomfortably around the institution of marriage; but rather, it is the institution of marriage that has to bend uncomfortably around us. (You have to read this in it's proper context to get the point but I want it here for posterity)

Rome, don't be an idiot tonight! (Haha. Great song to sing to your future spouse.)

Also, since I don't want to type the whole page here, please read the "really, really big issue of mine" - and mine too, on page 184-185. :)

Here are some more that might prove more useful to you if you are married or about to get married. I'm sorry if my quotes seems useless to you, but they are useful to me so bygones. Here's a link to a blogger who probably has even greater appreciation for the book Committed: Borrowing Wisdom. Because she wrote so many quotes from it :)

I'll be back to work tomorrow. I'm taking my quotes and making them my mantra for the week.

awake

Been awake since twelve midnight. I think I just ruined my natural wake-up call.

I was working all afternoon and decided to sleep early. Since my biological clock just seem to need 5-6 hours of sleep, I woke up past midnight and can't get back to sleep. So now I'm just waiting for the sun and for my phone to to signal me off the bed.

It's Monday and I feel like I have to drag myself to work. I love what I do but for days now, it feels like I'm doing nothing for nothing. Nothing at the day job inspires me, no exciting project on the horizon and no meaningful tasks to look forward too.

Good thing that I have friends at worknwho is always ready for a good chat.

There are days when I wish I could just stay home and curl up with a book. This is one of them. Finished Stieg Larrson's "The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo" (the first book in the Millennium trilogy). Last week I read the "The Girl who Played with Fire" (the second book of the trilogy) and fell in-love with Lisbeth Salander, the computer hacker who solves crimes as a researcher for a security agency. I'm now waiting for book three: "The Girl who kicked the Hornet's Nest"which I guess would end the Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist saga. The author had a plot for ten books but due to his untimely demise (yeah, I know, read too many spy thrillers), he got to write only three. I have a feeling I'm going to hate book three because there would be more intended for book four.

Stieg Larsson is a Sweddish author who died at 50 in 2004, of a heart attack. The story is sometimes quite violent but I like how he makes unexpected twists and turns of the plot. It never turns up like you expected ... almost like Korean movies. LOL. And I just love this Salander girl with her tattoos and her powerbooks and her boxing. I love how Larsson places secrets in his characters and the neurotic tendencies that each of them has. A must read.

devour, deliberate, devote

I've been reading - or rather listening to the audio book "Eat Pray Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. I started it right after a friend's bbbbbbbreak-up. Which goes to say I gave too many unwanted advice, narrated too many learned lessons and experiences before the book. So I found the book quite interesting because evrything I've been telling my friends about God, soulmates, religion, approach to life and depression were echoed in the book. And I said to myself, "Oh goodie! Someone actually agrees with me!" So I recommend reading it to women ... or men ... in their  mid-life who thinks they have seen too many bads,and have taken too much effort to look for the goods. It would be the journal I would write if I was as good a writer as Elizabeth Gilbert. And I didn't even have to go to Italy, India or Indonesia to learn those truths. They unfolded themselves in every experience and learned from everyone I meet.

There's that noteworthy part of the book about Liz crying in the bathroom while the husband is asleep. I went through that, only on top of my bed (er, no husband), in the middle of the night, fetal position weeping. And I heard the same words, "Go back to bed" - only in Hiligaynon - from deep within myself. And that it was the most practical thing I could tell myself that night. And I slept exhausted but I had surrendered myself to whatever comes when I wake up.

And don't get me started about my thoughts on God, heaven and hell - sigh - Liz Gilbert Knows LOL because I have those same thoughts - except I'm Catholic. But I would like to embrace God in all forms of religion. And I would preach that God does love me - encompassing, unlimited, unconditional. I believe God thinks I'm precious ... and I make him laugh ... so yeah, I'm pretty special. And you are too, if you can only believe that truth.

And soulmates. Yes, about those, let me just quote from the book:

People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life.

A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then leave.

A soul mates purpose is to shake you up, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light can get in, make you so desperate and out of control that you have to transform your life, then introduce you to your spiritual master..."

See? Sounds like me - only written better :)

I just love people who thinks the way I do. It just confirms that I'm not the only crazy person in the world. And in our similarities in thought, we also find we are unique - the one and only :)

I should write more about this but not now. My thoughts are somewhere else, between me and someone else LOL! Geez, I wonder if God plans to drop me a David, or can I hope? - a Felipe LOL :)

Read the book sister. You'll know what I mean.

The Speed of Dark

The Speed of Dark is a near-future science fiction novel by American author Elizabeth Moon. The story is told from the first person viewpoint of an autistic process analyst. It won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 2003, and was also an Arthur C. Clarke Award finalist.

Just finished the book. I am ... feeling good at the moment. I liked it so much I needed to blog about it but now I have no words to describe it. The ending was unexpected. Sad and happy at the same time. It seems like I'm feeling both. I totally love the new Lou Arrendale. It can be very scientific but those were necessary. I love the way it was written. It was like living inside an autistic person. Very enlightening. It's wonderful. I really love it. Must read.

Some quotes:

It's all knowing what to start with. If you start in the right place and follow all the steps, you will get to the right end.

No matter what I do, no matter how predictable I try to make my life, it will not be any more predictable than the rest of the world. Which is chaotic.

One thing nobody can do better than you is be you.

People are people, messy and mutable, combining differently with one another from day to day - even hour to hour.

They have what I want ...

What does ...
1. Bruce Banner (The Incredible Hulk)
2. Henry DeTamble (The Time Traveller's Wife)
3. David Rice (The Jumper) and
4. Edward Cullen (Twilight)
... have in common?

Well, they have what I want; The super power to avoid ... TRAFFIC. ;)

There are just too many cars in this city. And since taxi cabs are now incredibly expensive, I hate, abhor, loathe ... to have to face traffic. Think rush hour. Ugghhh.

The one at the most disadvantage would be Bruce Banner me. It would require me to do some heavy lifting to get to where I want to be. But then again "heavy" would not be heavy if I was the Incredible Hulk. But I think it would bother me quite a bit if I have to be green just to get to all those cars. Not counting the havoc I would create just by passing by.

The Henry DeTamble me would be capable of doing the one thing the other three can't and that is travel through time. Again, it is unfortunate that I would have no control on which time I go and when. And there's the nudity factor, too. I don't think that would be too comfortable. It would be a health hazard. Not only for me, but for the people I would surprise by just appearing at of nowhere.

Now the David Rice me would have been ideal. I think it would be cool to take anything moving and just take it with me no matter how big it was. Hmmmm ( I can think of some LOL). But I hate the possibility that I would ruin my mother's floor tiles should I be in a hurry to get home. Although I would like to skip immigration. Egypt, France, London. That would be nice.

And the Edward Cullen me? Well, I don't mind being a little bit more paler than I am now. And I would love that I would lose my ability to blush because that is total drawback when you're trying to hide something. And if I was a vampire, I would be hiding a lot. I do mind being thirsty for human blood though.

Should I have one super power in the world,
and I might change my mind tomorrow,
I want what they have.
The super power to be rid of traffic.



Hi Lea. I know you'll be reading this :)

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

My book arrived Monday morning. Someone placed it on my desk. I jumped when I spotted the LBC plastic that covered it. Thanks to our bunso for going with my whim to buy the book between his busy schedule and sending it over the seas just to complete my happiness. Wehehehe.

I assured my brother that he doesn't need to read it. It's a chick flick book, not for men despite the vampires and werewolves in the story. The plot though complicated does not really have the depth and twist I would want in the books I read. But I do love it. Because I'm a chick that gets attracted to witty exchanges between male and female as well as an inborn obsession to romantic love stories. So there. Despite going "bleeeech" on diabetes-inducing phrases, I have to admit it. I'm a chick. This book proves it.



There is a certain relief to seeing an end to a certain obsession.

Unfortunately, it was a slow relief. I was SWAMPED with work. This week, every time I get home, I get to work immediately after dinner until midnight. Sometimes I go over but I try to make it a point to stop at midnight to give myself time to stop worrying over deadlines and expectations (mostly mine). Because I don't go off to sleep when I get to bed, I read my new book. Unitl one in the morning. To make sure I don't look like a zombie the next day.

At the office, I finish all my immediate tasks in the first hour and work on the mundane stuff later. After I get that all done. I read my new book. I read it as I walk slowly to the bathroom or to when delivering a document to another office. I read it on the ride to and from the office. I read it as I drink my coffee or when I'm waiting for my sister. I read it when I walk to the atm and read it in the elevator. I read it when I can. I have discovered that I have hidden powers to avoid people , walls, steps and other distractions when I walk while reading the book.

So I finally finished it today. All 754 pages of it. And I have satisfied my hunger.

Finally! Now I can go on with my life.

Eclipse

I'm not through with it yet, but it's official. I hate Eclipse.
Much too sweet. Bleccch!

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

Finished Book two by reading after getting in bed and finishing just before I had to get up for work. So I haven't had any sleep. And I'm starting to look like a vampire in my office table. And feeling every inch of my sleepiness like I've just been to Italy and back. Sigh. That Bella is one lucky girl. :)



I've been neglecting work. I figured if I could just finish all pending jobs by this weekend and get my hands on the third book within the week, then the last book would be a fitting read for November 1 - the day we celebrate our dead ;)

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Just finished Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. BIG GRIN. Except for specific parts which to me were excruciatingly corny, I really, surprisingly love it. Again it's back to Korean telenovelas although I seem to have outgrown those. Well maybe except for that Korean actor ... what was his name? Beong Jung or something like that.

Anyway, can't wait for the next book. I already called my brother in manila to try to get me the three other books in paperback. Because I could not stop reading from night to morning, I started to have double vision. Too much black letters on white background maybe? I hope to God this doesn't last.Maybe with a few more winks, I will be back to normal.

Why excruciatingly corny? I can't help it! I hate repeated expressions of undying love although I know from experience that they are not really THAT EXCRUCIATING when you actually hear it from someone you actually want to hear it from :) But to see that on TV or hear it or read it? I am more ... critical. Maybe some writers just say it better than others? I know, I'm quite nasty about it. Evil laugh.

I'm not complaining about Stephanie Meyer though. I like her writing. After Harry Potter, I like the idea of having a new series to follow. And knowing that this happens in high school? Imagine that you were a teenager in the 80's reading Sweet Dreams in paper back. Close? Na-ah!

Must Read

Insufferable

My cousin loaned me a copy of BBC's Pride and Prejudice on DVD starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth ... the TV movie which was mentioned in the book Bridget Jone's Diary. Watched in with my sisters and a friend of ours who got hooked into it. He ended up staying until 10pm just to see the end of the movie. The problem was it was an old copy and some parts were not as clear as it should be. We missed the part where Colin Firth is suppose to jump into the water exposing a bit of ass - Sayang. Every time the video konks out, my sister would say, "Insufferable!" It was. But we didn't stop watching until we reached the end.

I've read the book once and loved it. I also loved every movie which mentions it in part or base a whole plot from it. To name a few: You've Got Mail (Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan), Bridget Jones Diary (Colin Firth), Pride and Prejudice (Keira Knightly) among others. And I've just read in Wikipedia that the Japanese manga Hana Yori Dango by Yoko Kamio, was loosely based on Pride and Prejudice. Hana Yori Dango was also the basis for Meteor Garden.

Hay, I just love, love, love, love ... Jane Austen and her books.

Next to Atticus Finch, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy would come as a close second. :)

Personal Legend

My friend has been telling me all about Oprah. She can't stop watching her and the wisdom - mostly for women - that she gets from the show. I'm an Oprah watcher too. I don't watch it every night but I do enjoy it when I can. Today, I got home and my sisters were watching Oprah with guests like Martha Beck etc. They were talking about thinking positive, the laws of attraction and something about a love list :) They say what you give off is what you attract.

And I remembered this tiny book that has words that I keep repeating to myself over and over again. Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist" says:

"When you pursue your personal legend the universe will conspire with you to make it happen."
"My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy confides to the alchemist one night as they look up at a moonless night.
"Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself," the alchemist replies. "And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity."

I just came home from a talk with a friend. She was asking me if I could be part of a panel to talk to kids - about 500 of them all about my days in the youth ministry. I said no for personal reasons. The reasons were superficial but might prove to be something the kids need not hear - at least, not until they've grown in their spirituality. I told her I am pursuing a journey, that I am at home with myself, and that I appreciate what I have and what's been happening to me. And she affirmed, I am in the right place :)

I am in pursuit of happiness. :) My own personal legend. And it is what I choose it to be. And I do believe that the universe is conspiring to make things happen to me. And God is happy with that.

My last post, I was talking about needing new clients for the second half of the year. A day after, I got an email from a client asking for a meeting. How's that for conspiracy?!

Mitch Albom

If you've read Tuesdays with Morrie, you know who Mitch Albom is. My one day read today is called "For One More Day". And here are my favorite quotes:

People figure I crossed the line. The truth is there is no line. There's only your life, how you mess it up, and who is there to save you. Or who isn't.

Mothers support certain illusions about their children, and one of my illusions was that I liked who I was, because she did. When she passed away, so did that idea.

You can be a mama's boy or a daddy's boy. But you can't be both.So you cling to the one you think you might lose

Kids chase the love that eludes them.

A child should never have to choose.

and here's more:

When he went blundering back to God,

His songs half written, his work half done,

Who knows what paths his bruised feet trod,

What hills of peace or pain he won?


I hope God smiled and took his hand,

And said, "Poor truant, passionate fool!

Life's book is hard to understand:

Why couldst thou not remain at school?

- Charles Hanson Towne

Rewards and Punishment

After a grueling three weeks of work, I should be reaping my rewards just about now. Hehehe. But I can't. Because I made plenty of mistakes - minor though they may be - but it has resulted to the postponement of the above mentioned rewards. So I'm being punished instead of being rewarded. It's easy to laugh it off now. The stress has lessened, my ego inflated (you would be too, if you see your work displayed and congratulated), and my soul at peace. But I will be denied of my rewards two days late. And I'm fine with that.

The best part is I get my reading time back. Current read is "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy:

"Ammu said that human beings were creatures of habit, and it was amazing the kind of things they could get used to."
"It is curious how sometimes the memory of death lives on for so much longer than the memory of the life it purloined."
"It was a time when the unthinkable became thinkable and the impossible really happened."

New vector art to come soon.

Last day

Received a Christmas Card from a long lost friend plus plus plus. We haven't talked for months. The card was unexpected and the short note that came with it is - ugh! (tug heart strings) endearing. Just when you thought you've found peace, the waves roll in. ;) I think I like my life when it takes a tumble. Chaos is not my element, but here I am welcoming it with mixed feelings. Yup, I so love Christmas cards from long lost friends +++.

As promised, I'm posting my vector drawings of my nieces. Sorry if you find it so small but I also wanted to tell you that I've become a deviant :) and will start posting my drawings on my DevianART space. I've posted one of the bigger pics there too in case you want to view it. You can access the link here.




A word of advice to little kids out there who loves to read, never ever read the Chronicles of Narnia and the Series of Unfortunate Events Series at the same time. I'm doing just that and one tends to overshadow the other. I have such high respect for CS Lewis. I'm not sure if the movie ruined the book for me but it pales in comparison to Lemony Snicket. But I've seen that movie too and I still liked the book. There's a difference in writing styles. I don't know. Maybe it's the timing. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe reminded me too much of Christ's crucifixion - hehehe. And the Magician's nephew - too much of Creation. I should just read one series first then go to the next. The Chronicles of Narnia are ruined for me - all because of the Bauldelaire kids. Not even Aslan can change that.

Going out with friends tonight for therapy. Will celebrate the last day of work this year with wine and song. :) A belated Merry Christmas to everyone and a Happy New year too.

Oh almost forgot. My braces were removed two days ago. I am now metal free for 4 days. I will be fitted with retainers this Saturday and that will remain till my dentist have fixed all my fillings and caps. And that will empty my pockets some more - can't believe the cost of fixing teeth nowadays. But I love my teeth. Yup, it was all worth it. ;D

Drawn By Desire

Finished the book English Patient and Umberto Eco' How To Travel With A Salmon. Love both.

It's going to be a very busy week. Sometimes I can't stop to think but just do one task after the other. It's therepeutic somehow. But I miss my rest. And I will miss my books. Just started a new one but looks like I won't be able to touch it till next week.

Two choices:
1. Leave everything familiar to you, live independently without the comforts of home to pursue love, and take a job which you detest although it may not be permanent, live as a second-class citizen but have the opportunity to live your dreams after ten years.

Or

2. Stay with everything you love deeply, live like a queen, Go to a job you enjoy and never feel like you're working everyday of your life but never have the opportunity to make your dreams come true.

In a map that Singh found in Lord Suffolk's room:

"Mapped by R. Fones. Drawn by desire of Mr. James Halliday."
"Drawn by desire ..." He was beginning to love the English."

English Patient, Michael Ondaatje

I am drawn by desire. Hehehe.

PhotoFriday: Girl

I promised her I'd take her pic and give her a big photograph for her birthday. I didn't realize what I was getting into until she showed up with 4 different outfits and asked who will do her make-up. hehehe. A friend did her hair but her father didn't approve of any make-up. We had to set-up a quick studio at the office for her "photoshoot", and borrowed a fan for effect. Good thing I was using a digital camera. At first, she was all model-like, imitating the fashion models on TV with pouts, and runway poses and she refused to smile. Was able to convince her that she looks much sweeter posing like a 7 year-old would.

This is not the pic I gave her. But I like this one most.

Photo Friday: Boy

Click on pic for larger view.


Taken after a golden wedding anniversary mass last July at Odiongan, Romblon. Wearing his barong, flip flops and his favorite mouth ornament :)

Book of love

Been listening to this song over and over after watching the movie Shall We Dance on HBO. It's not the movie. It's not even Richard Gere. But the song just keeps repeating itself in my head over and over again. Almost sung it aloud on the jeep ride to work. But Aaaaaaaaaaaaai ... can't get it off my head.

And I'm not even in-love. Just floating above ground but have my feet tied to a post of responsibility. Sigh. My book of love is not long and boring, but it remains close for now.

- Peter Gabriel

The book of love is long and boring
No one can lift the damn thing
It's full of charts and facts and figures and instructions for dancing

But I, I love it when you read to me
And you, You can read me anything

The book of love has music in it
In fact that's where music comes from
Some of it is just transcendental
Some of it is just really dumb

But I, I love it when you sing to me
And you, You can sing me anything

The book of love is long and boring
And written very long ago
It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes
And things we're all too young to know

But I, I love it when you give me things
And you, You ought to give me wedding rings

You ought to give me wedding rings