What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami

Two things that I like about this book – Haruki Murakami and running. I’m a fan of his works. I love reading and being trapped in his stories, at the same time I love jogging, not the professional running though. Jogging for me is not just an exercise, but a mental therapy. And to read something about it written by this amazing writer, is just perfect.

To talk about running is something so mundane and boring. But “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running”, really speaks for itself. It is more than about running.  It is more than about him being a runner or the marathons he had joined. It is about the experiences and the emotions embedded in every marathon he has been.

In this book, he shared his emotional and physical struggles in completing a 62-mile course and being an ultramarathon runner. He also shared his struggles when he was just starting to be a writer. In general, you will read, see and feel a part of H.Murakami’s soul with this book.

You will also see how his love for writing is the same as his love for running. As if one cannot exist without the other.

While you may enjoy reading and visually imagining his experiences in this book, you will also get to have some life lessons that will inspire you to work hard and reach for your goal. That 62-mile course and that ultramarathon is not just a one night thing. It took him months and years training to the point of even injuring himself.

This book may be different from his other works (especially if you are used to his surreal stories). But this book is just as amazing as his other works, except that it talks about his own life experiences. This book is also a good break from reading and living in his literary universe. And also a good way to know his other side and hopefully know him better. But if you are really a fan of him, this book will make you want to know more about this writer.

I recommend this book to those who love running, who love H.Murakami, or to those who simply would like to know how it feels to run a deadly marathon.

Rate 4 out of 4 – I really liked it and probably read it again.

It’s a Mens World by Bebang Siy

Akala ko noong una, ang librong ito ay madali at magaang basahin. Yung tipong patatawanin ka lang. Pero pagdating sa mga libro, minsan, “title can be deceiving”. Sa mga unang pahina patatawanin ka niya. Pero sa mga susunod na kabanata, magsisimula ka ng magisip, magtanong, at minsan naman ay makarelate sa kwento.

Hindi lang pala ito tungkol sa pagdadalaga ng isang batang babae. Hindi lang pala ito tungkol sa kung paano siya nag mens, nagkacrush, nagkaboyfriend, at kung ano pa. Higit pa ito sa mga bagay na normal na nararanasan ng isang ordinaryong teenager.

Tungkol ito sa buhay ng isang babaeng Chinese na ang nanay ay pinoy, na galing sa isang broken family, na nakaranas ng iba’t-ibang mabibigat na dagok ng buhay. Pero kung babasahin mo ito, para ka lang nakikipagkwentuhan at biruan sa kalye.

Magaan ang pagkakakwento pero may bigat ang bawat istorya. Yung mabibigla ka na lang na ganon pala yung nangyari. Yung saya na naramdaman mo sa umpisa ng kwento, mabigat pala ang dala sa huli.

Hanggang ngayon naaalala ko pa ang ilang mga scenes sa kwento. Bakit scenes? Hindi ko lang naman kasi binasa ang kwentong ito, pinanood ko siya sa aking isipan. Magaling kasi ang pagkaka-narrate ng bawat kwento – napakabiswal. Kala mo nanonood ka ng Indie kung saan bawat eksena pinagtagpi-tagpi para ilarawan ang buhay ng may-akda.

Ang tono niya pangbata, pero ang content niya pangmatanda. Ang galing, dahil sabi ko nga magaan ang pagkakakwento pero mabigat ang dala sa dulo. Dito ko nakita at naramdaman ang galing ng awtor.

Gusto ko ang paraan ng kanyang pagkukwento. Pero ang nagustuhan ko sa librong ito ay yung short story niya about sa isang marino. Ang linis ng pagkakagawa. Simple pero patok.

Manipis lang ang libro. Siguro kung mabilis kang magbasa, matatapos mo ito agad. Ako inabot ng buwan. Sa mga libreng oras lang kasi ako nakakapagbasa. Pero kapag dumating ka na sa mga magagandang part, hindi mo na to titigilan.

Masaya ako naencounter ko tong librong to.

Kung gusto mong basahin, bilhin mo. Wag mong itorrent or idownload ng free kung saan. Sulit naman siya.

 

Rate: 4 out of 5

Stupid Is Forever by Miriam Defensor-Santiago

What’s very charming about this book is not the jokes or the sarcasms, but the thought of a veteran politician using them. The jokes and hugot lines found in this book have been circulating the internet since time immemorial. The jokes have been passed down from generations to generations and from kanto to kanto. There’s nothing new about the content and the humor of this book. But for someone as intelligent and as fierce some as Miriam Defensor-Santiago, this book has become special and interesting.

With her videos circulating online as to how she uses jokes in her speeches, it was not hard to imagine her saying all the jokes and puns in this collection. With a serious and sometimes, poker face, you can still find yourself, grinning, with just the thought of her saying these.

It did not take me that long to finish this book, so I don’t have particular attachment to it. It was just a good book to kill time. The only sense that you can actually get from this book are the copies of some of her speeches, in which you can clearly see how intelligent and eloquent she is.

The book is ok. But I would not spend a dime buying a copy. I would rather borrow it from someone, just like how I borrowed it from my sister. But I might change my mind because of the illustrations. They’re really good.

Ratings: 2 out of 5. It was ok.

Twisted Travels by Jessica Zafra

If there’s one local writer that I love to hate, that would be Jessica Zafra. She’s a very good writer, very eloquent. She knows her shit and she perfectly knows how to weave it into words.

Her good writing is not what I hate about her – it’s that she is very intimidating and she tries to rule over us and the entire universe.

I like Jessica… And I like to hate her.

I have read some of her books, and this one, is not my favorite. Sorry. But I did enjoy it. It shows her creativity in using unlimited adjectives and adverbs to describe the places she’s been to.

Reading it gives you a detailed view of what it is like to be in that place, no matter how bad or filthy it is.

This book is not your typical travel book where she narrates about how delicious local cuisines are, how majestic the horizon is and how friendly the locals are. There is nothing like this in this book. The book title is very appropriate. Her travel logs here are really twisted.

While reading this, you’ll find yourself getting annoyed with what annoys her – the noisy and nosy locals and foreigners, the slow fast food chains, the bullying and racisms and other travel shenanigans.

Again, you don’t need to read the summary, the title perfectly sums up what this book is all about.

But despite all the negativity and twistedness that I got from reading this book, I still like it. Why? Because it is real. It is very authentic. It is pure (evil… kidding).

Zafra did not use any cliché adjectives and adverbs to sugar coat how beautiful it is to travel to different places. What she did was, she made us feel the inconvenience that she, herself, experienced during her travel. And as travellers, we have to admit, travelling is not all the time fun and wonderful. There are also setbacks that sometimes (or most of the times) ruin the mood.

Also, reading the book made me want to drink coffee. There are a lot of coffee references in it. Well, a good coffee is a very fitting partner when you want to take over the universe.

You will enjoy reading it. You will also get bored. But it will also make you think, wonder and get lost in her thought and in your own thought.

 

Ratings: 3 out of 5. I like it. 

Lourd De Veyra’s Little Book Of Speeches

May dalawang uri ng speakers – yung nanggigising at nanghehele. At wala man akong napakinggan ni isang speech ni Lourd na nasa librong ito, nagising pa din ako.

 

Yung gising na parang nakatira ng sobrang tapang na barakong kape na di ka na makatulog. Oo di na makatulog ang aking utak sa mga binasa kong salita sa librong ito.

 

Masyadong malaman, nakakaaliw at nakakainspire.

 

Yung tipong after mong basahin yung isang speech parang gusto mong itapon yung libro at makibaka.

 

Yung gusto mong buksan yung profile mo sa internet at linisin ito ng kung anong mga balbal at walang kwentang bagay.

 

Yung tipong gusto mong iresearch sinu-sino yung mga nabanggit nyang tao at yung mga gawa nila.

 

Yung tipong gusto mong simulan ang pag-aayos ng iyong pag-iisip. Hindi lang ito basta libro. Heto yung libro na nagbibigay kilos at gawa sa mambabasa. Masyadong nakakaaliw ang bawat speech na kahit obvious na ang panenermon eh maaaliw ka pa din. At talaga nga namang sagad to the bones ang mga panama. Kasi naman isa din ako sa milyong milyong millennials na tinutukoy niya.

 

Pero ang gusto ko sa lahat tungkol sa librong ito, nakakalimutan ko ang aking sarili. Yung tipong kapag may nabasa akong interesante titigil ka, titingin sa malayo at magninilay-nilay saka nalang ako tatango na oo nga no… pero…

 

Ang saya. Ang saya lang na naisipan nilang icompile ang lahat ng mga speeches ni Lourd sa isang libro. Para meron kang babalikan kapag bored ka na sa buhay mo. Kapag sabaw na sabaw ka na sa trabaho mo. Kapag sa tingin mo ligo na lang ang inilamang mo sa taong grasa. Heto yung pwede mong pagtripan para mainspire.

 

Nakakaadik. Kasi naman kahit san ako magpunta dala-dala ko ito at binabasa ko. Minsan pa nga sinikwat ko ito sa office namin at kapag sobrang bored at tapos na ko sa ginagawa ko, kukunin ko ito at pasimpleng magbabasa. Don mawawala ang boredom ko at maiinspire na kong magtrabaho ulit.

 

May samaligo din ata tong librong to. Kasi nagbibigay nga siya ng ibang powers sayo. At ang sarap ng feeling na masapian nito.

 

Maliban sa This Is A Crazy Planet, heto ang isa sa mga pinaka gusto kong libro ni Lourd. Swerte ko nga at una ko siyang nabasa ngayong taon.

 

Kakainspire lang.

 

Basahin mo din kung sabaw ka na sa trabaho, buhay or love life mo.

 

Favorite ko lahat pero ang lagi kong natatandaan ay yung “Sumayaw Ka Nalang” yung speech nya sa mga Masscomm Graduates sa UP nung 2014. Relate ako grabi. Kaya every year ko na ata binabasa to. Pinanood ko na din yung pangit na quality ng video sa internet.

 

P.S.

 

Ayaw kong tapusin yung book. Inuunti-unti ko. Wala na kasing kagaya nito eh. Pero sana magkabook 2. Sana talaga. O kaya makapagninja moves ako minsan sa mga live speeches nya. Sana. Sana talaga.

 

Ratings:

5 out of 5

Sh*t my dad says by Justin Halpern

The only reason that I decided to give this book a shot is because of its catchy title. I am not a fan of non-fiction books especially inspirational ones. But this book really catches my attention because of its witty and blunt title. And despite my indifference towards motivational and “chicken soupy” books, I was really happy and fulfilled that I have read it.

This book was crazy! It was very fun to read! I never thought that I would enjoy it so much. Up until now, I can’t still help myself but laugh whenever I am reminded of the cute and funny daddy anecdotes or sayings in the book.

My dad is not as cool as the one described in the book. And I am not a man who can easily relate to some instances or situations in here, but I do understand how lucky the author was for having such a wonderful, funny and really awesome dad.

Justin Halpern’s dad is a real smart guy who speaks directly, frankly and hits every problem, big or bad, with really good mindset. Started as simple tweet posts that gained a good online following, publishers of this book and Justin himself, did a good job in turning these social media posts into print. Its impact to social media was intensified when it was laid out on paper.

The book is just amazing with its short and simple but witty remarks and narration of some of Justin’s experiences with his dad. The situations and experiences are real and very relatable. Some of the remarks are really noteworthy. Stories, aside from being absolutely humorous, are also heartwarming. You can feel the love and concern a man has for his sons and for his family.

Aside from laughing really hard, I was touched and even cried a little to some of Justin’s story. The stories were really wonderful and moving.

The book is also a good reminder of the love that our parents give us. No matter how bad or messed up we are, they are still willing to accept us. It reminds us that they are the most wonderful people that we have in this world.

As I have said, I am not into inspirational book, but this one is an exception. I don’t mind reading it again. And I might read it again soon.

It was an easy to read book that will make you laugh so hard and inspire you more. This book is a total killer.

 

Here are some of my favorites:

“Sometimes life leaves a hundred-dollar bill on your dresser, and you don’t realize until later it’s because it fucked you.”

“You worry too much. Eat some bacon…what? No, I got no idea if it’ll make you feel better, I just made too much bacon.”

“You’re ten years old now, you have to take a shower every day…I don’t give a shit if you hate it. People hate smelly fuckers. I will not have a smelly fucker for a son.”

“People are always trying to tell you how they feel. Some of them say it outright, and some of them, they tell you with their actions. And you have to listen. I don’t know what will happen with your lady friend. I think she’s a nice person, and I hope you get what you want. But do me a favor: Listen, and don’t ignore what you hear.”

“No, you can’t go getting mad at people because they’re shitty. Life will get mad at them, don’t worry..”

“I just want silence… Jesus, it doesn’t mean I don’t like you. It just means right now, I like silence more.”

“It’s never the right time to have kids, but it’s always the right time for screwing. God’s not a dumb shit. He knows how it works.”

“I’m sorry, but if your brother doesn’t want you to play with his shit, then you can’t play with it. It’s his shit. If he wants to be an asshole and not share, then that’s his right. You always have the right to be an asshole—you just shouldn’t use that right very often.”

“What I’m trying to say is that what makes you up, its always been around, and it always will be around. So really the only thing you should worry about is the part you’re at right now. Where you got a body and a head and all that bullshit. Just worry about living, dying is the easy part.”

“Democracy ain’t so fun when it fucks you.”

“Out of your league?! What fucking league are you talking about?! You are a man, she is a fucking woman! That is all that matters, goddamn it!”

 

Ratings:

5 out of 5. I really loved it.