Books The Widower And I 12:54 PM It´s rare for someone to say something to you just a few words really and actually make you see yourself from a completely different vantage point. -How To Talk To A Widower The Single Woman’s 30-Day Blogging Challenge Day 22: What fictional character in a movie, TV show, or book do you identify with and why? The Widower And I This 22nd challenge got me stuck for 4 days! I've seen a lot of movies and T.V. shows and read dozens of books that it was so hard to pick one character that I could identify with. Actually, I knew who to write about the first time I saw the 22nd challenge---Doug in How To Talk To A Widower. I just had some hesitations. Doug is a guy and he is a widower! If you haven't read How To Talk To A Widower yet, I encourage you to do so. Especially if you like unpretentious characters like Holden Caulfield in The Catcher In The Rye. Doug was devastated when his wife Hailey died. He tries to live though and tries to stay normal but he couldn't escape the ruthlessness of being lonely at night. He hates it when people feel sorry for him. He knows he'll be okay soon, but that doesn't mean he'll stop feeling the pain. He doesn't hurry things up, he lets time heal him, he lets Hailey's memories comfort him, he allows himself to feel his love for her even after she's gone. He trips, he fails, he struggles through the cruelty of life, but he doesn't stop living. He tries to be okay. He knows he'll be okay. He is so human, so real, so gritty...so me. You'll laugh at his boo boos, you'll grieve with him, you'll feel his love, you'll love his imperfections. Let me write here again why I love Doug: I know exactly what it means to act as normal as possible for the world to see. I know how hard it is to hold on to something you used to have but isn't there anymore. I know how awful it is to deal with something that happened so abruptly, so sudden, and how cruel it is that the world would not even give you enough time to let it sink in first before it goes on. I know how crazy it is to get pissed and then feel guilty about getting pissed and then get pissed about feeling guilty. I know how difficult it is to cry yourself to sleep, wake up without feeling the purpose of waking up anymore but getting up anyway and showing the world you're still okay. I just know how messed up Doug felt and I’m glad that he made me realize I’m not alone, even if he’s just a fictional character. We all have a Doug in us. Hey, did you find this post helpful or entertaining? Please go ahead and share. Share buttons on the left and at the bottom of the article. Big thanks! Subscribe to About Life And Love by Email
Books Pag-ibig Ayon Sa Librong Para Kay B Ni Ricky Lee 12:45 PM Para Kay B ni Ricky Lee “Hindi mo pwedeng mahalin ang isang tao nang hindi mo minamahal ang hilaga, silangan, timog at kanluran ng kanyang paniniwala. Kapag nagmahal ka’y dapat mong tanggapin bawat letra ng kanyang birth certificate. Kasama na doon ang kanyang libag, utot at bad breath. Pero me limit. Pantay-pantay ang ibinibigay na karapatan sa lahat ng tao upang lumigaya, o masaktan, o magpakagago, pero kapag sumara na ang mga pinto, nawasak na ang mga puso, nawala na ang mga kaluluwa at ang bilang ay umabot na sa zero, goodbye na. Pero, the memory of that one great but broken love will still sustain you, tama nga na mas matindi ang mga alaala.” “Ang great love mo, hindi mo makakatuluyan. Ang makakatuluyan mo ay yung correct love.” “Samantalang sa tunay na buhay, pag nangyari, iyon na. Walang revision.” "Merong umiibig na habang nagtatagal ay lalong nawawalan ng IQ. Merong pag umibig ay napupundi ang 4 out of 5 senses, touch lang ang natitira. Merong ang tingin sa pag-ibig ay tali. Meron di makahakbang dahil sa pag-ibig at merong namang nakakalipad. Merong ang tingin sa pag-ibig ay hapunang walang sawsawan. Merong pag umibig ay nahaharap sa salamin, sarili ang sinasamba. Merong ang tingin sa pag-ibig ay parusa. Ang iba'y iibig sa hayop, dahil noong unang panahon ay mga hayop sila. Ang iba'y iibig sa mga bahay, kinikilig kapag hinahaplos ang barandilya, nalilibugan sa mga kisame, pinagnanasaan ang sahig. Patuloy silang mananakit sa mga babaing umiibig sa kanila dahil hindi nila kailanman malalaman ang puso nila ay gawa sa kahoy." "Pero merong isa sa lima, harangan man ng kulog, ng ganid, ng lindol, ng teknolohiya, mahahanap niya ang kanyang mahal. Siya lang ang magiging maligaya." Hey, did you find this post helpful or entertaining? Please go ahead and share. Share buttons on the left and at the bottom of the article. Big thanks! Subscribe to About Life And Love by Email
Books How To Talk To A Widower: A Book Review 10:57 AM We read to know we're not alone -William Nicholson There are friends who can finish each others sentences. Friends who know exactly what you’re thinking by merely looking at you. Friends who understand how you’re feeling without you explaining anything. That’s the kind of friendship I share with How to Talk to a Widower. It’s a book. Ha-ha. I bought it last 2011 on sale (from Php525 to a whopping Php50. Hah!) but I couldn’t find the time to read it. I was swamped juggling three jobs, making plans and well pursuing another dream. I went dating again after two years of not seeing anyone new so you can say sitting down to read a novel was not in my to-do list. Well, I quit all three jobs, the dating didn’t really work out and several things happened after that. So one ordinary day I found myself reading How to Talk to a Widower. I think the timing was impeccable. I think this is exactly the right time for me to read it. Like the universe already knew I will need this good read someday, two years after I bought it. I felt like a found a soul mate in Doug, the widower in the story. No, I didn’t lose a spouse as I’m not even married yet. I admire his frailty. He grieved because he has to. He didn’t like the shallowness from the people around him. He loved Hailey with all his heart. What captured my heart is this: I know exactly what it means to act as normal as possible for the world to see. I know how hard it is to hold on to something you used to have but isn’t there anymore. I know how awful it is to deal with something that happened so abruptly, so sudden, and how cruel it is that the world would not even give you enough time to let it sink in first before it goes on. I know how crazy it is to get pissed and then feel guilty about getting pissed and then get pissed about feeling guilty. I know how difficult it is to cry yourself to sleep, wake up without feeling the purpose of waking up anymore but getting up anyway and showing the world you're still okay. I just know how messed up Doug felt and I’m glad that he made me realize I’m not alone, even if he’s just a fictional character. If you like how “informal” and raw Catcher in the Rye is, I think you’ll like How to Talk to a Widower too. It’s hilarious but poignant. It’s unpretentious, realistic and easy to relate with. It’s very human. The characters are ordinary and flawed. Their relationships are dysfunctional and well, normal. It doesn’t have a happily ever after ending and that’s the other beautiful thing about it. The story goes on. Doug moves on but he takes his sweet time. Hailey, his deceased wife, will always be a part of him. The way he refuses to forget about her even after over a year made me wish I have a Doug too. Even when women throw themselves at him, he remains loyal to her memory. Yes he dated again and even so humanly and irrationally jumped into something he shouldn’t have but at the end of the day, it’s still Hailey. Laughing and grieving with Doug was a refreshing experience. I felt alive…and normal again. Rating: Perfect 5 Hey, did you find this post helpful or entertaining? Please go ahead and share. Share buttons on the left and at the bottom of the article. Big thanks! Subscribe to About Life And Love by Email
Books Lessons Learned From Charlie 11:19 AM Life's full of second chances. Don't waste yours. In case you haven't read the book The Death And Life Of Charlie St. Cloud or seen the movie Charlie St. Cloud, the story is more about finding your reason for living. When Charlie's younger brother Sam died, he found it extremely difficult to move on. He felt like he also died with him in the car crash that took his life. He wasn't grateful that he was given a second chance because he couldn't see the purpose of living anymore. Until this girl came along and taught him how to live again. Now he's torn between keeping his promise to Sam, and pursuing the love of his life. Lessons Learned From Charlie Death can never separate us from the people we love. They will always be alive in our hearts. Life catastrophes are inevitable, but the choice between letting it steal our hope and joy or moving on is up to us. Sometimes, it's okay to break our promise if it will eventually release us from the prison we built for ourselves and for the other person. It's normal to grieve over a loss but at some point, we need to let go. Not only for ourselves, but for the other person too. Death is indeed the beginning of another life, both for the person who died and the person he left behind. Nothing just happens. Everything has a purpose. There is a solid reason why we're given a second chance. Let's not waste it by living a directionless life. When we let go of the past, we open ourselves to new and beautiful possibilities. It's not easy to let go and move on that's why we need other people to help us. Don't shove them away. Let's be more compassionate and understanding towards others. We don't know what they've been through and what they're going through. We can let guilt eat us alive or let forgiveness give us a new life. There's no such thing as a lost cause. Follow what you believe in. It's always worth the risk. Take as many chances as you can. You'll never find the meaning and reason for living if you keep on living in the shadows of the past. It's better to put your faith on something than believe in nothing. Ultimate lesson learned from Charlie St. Cloud: Love is the ultimate force in this universe. Love conquers all, especially the fear of living, fear of giving and fear of not receiving something back. If Tess didn't come along, Charlie would have been stuck in the past, playing catch in the woods with Sam every night for the rest of his life. He would have died in vain without finding the reason why he was given the second chance; why him and not Sam. It's a powerful story about love (and Zac Efron playing the lead role is reason enough to watch it, c'mon). Not just about romantic love but also about the unconditional love we have for family and ultimately about selflessly loving ourselves. All photos from Google images. Hey, did you find this post helpful or entertaining? Please go ahead and share. Share buttons on the left and at the bottom of the article. Big thanks! Subscribe to About Life And Love by Email
Books Where True Magic Lies (A Harry Potter Lesson) 1:26 PM What makes the Harry Potter novel enchanting? For me, it's not about the spells or the magical creatures. It's about the rare kind of friendship formed between the characters. Where True Magic Lies The friendship of James, Sirius and Remus. All three of them died in the novel. Not together, but all three sacrificed their lives for a greater cause. That is for the boy who lived and for the next generations of witches and wizards. For both the wizarding and the Muggle world. My favorite line about friendship in the whole story is what Sirius said: "I'd rather die than betray my friends". Then of course Harry, Ron and Hermione's friendship. A friendship that started in a rather unusual place (they saved Hermione from a towering troll in a girl's rest room), but lasted for a lifetime. No abandonment, as they all went where ever Harry went even if it meant exposing themselves to grave danger (even after Ron left because the Horcrux around his neck made him, he wanted to come back immediately regretting his action). Of course there's fighting and misunderstanding between them. I don't think it's considered a genuine friendship if there was no squabble whatsoever. I believe that's why they were able to defeat the Dark Lord. They stayed together and they're all willing to sacrifice each others' lives and comfort to protect the other. They're all willing to stop their time and drop everything that matters to them in the name of friendship. Real magic happens when there is genuine friendship. Friendship is where true magic lies. Photos from Google images Hey, did you find this post helpful or entertaining? Please go ahead and share. Share buttons on the left and at the bottom of the article. Big thanks! Subscribe to About Life And Love by Email
