Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins

          Just another teen love story, but definitely a good one. Even though the words used were simple to the point that i wasn't able to quote a lot, i'd give it two thumbs up. :) Stephanie Perkins knows how to catch the attention of young love. You know, that usual start of a love story. From strangers, to friends, to lovers, to becoming strangers again, but still end up being together. DESTINY. :)

          But what I really love about this book is the setting. PARIS. The City of Light. The City of Love. <3 It has always been my dream to be able to visit this place, at least once, in my lifetime. There's really something about the Eiffel Tower that i can't stop thinking about. Paris' history is just so rich that there's so many places to visit. Museums, cafes, and theaters. I'd also want to see the Point Zero, so that i could make a wish. Haha. =)) So much for dreams, but i'll definitely give it a shot. :)

Like i said, it wasn't a very quotable book. But these are the lines that i liked. :)

How many times can our emotions be tied to someone else’s — be pulled and stretched and twisted —before they snap? Before they can never be mended again?

Sometimes I think there are only so many opportunities . . . to get together with someone. And we've both screwed up so many times that we've missed our chance.

The more you know who you are, and what you want, the less you let things upset you.

Home isn't a place. It's a person.

Jump then Fall

Fall in love with someone who writes.

They know how to create beautiful words,

that will crawl into your heart and soul,

making you fall for every note that slips from their lips.

The ink from their pen will drip off thoughts about you.

The paper written on will mold the feelings felt.

The writer will inspire the words that will make you fall in love,

with every letter shaped together just for you.

Intense

          So, my brother's girlfriend, Kaye, came to visit him today. I was on the computer writing, as usual, and they were talking while watching tv. Kuya excused himself. While he was gone, Kaye asked me if she can show me something. So i let her use my netbook. She opened Kuya's Facebook account and clicked an old conversation dated year 2012. She told me, "Basahin mo mula simula ah? Wag ka munang magsasalita or magrereact hanggang di mo natatapos." And so i did. It was a conversation between Kuya and some random girl she knew on Facebook. Based on the dates, the conversation  lasted for almost a year, which Kaye traced were the times when their relationship was somehow shaky and almost falling apart.

          After i read through the whole conversation, Kaye asked me. "So... Ano naramdaman mo after mong mabasa?" I didn't know what to say. All i did was shook my head and shrug.

          Honestly, i know that Kaye was hurt. Maybe, the reason why she showed it to me was because she wants to know what or how to feel about it, if we have the same opinion. But for me, reading all those lies Kuya said while flirting with someone he don't actually know, and telling her things that aren't true, is like a punch in the face.

WHAT HAPPENED TO BEING HONEST? TO BEING FAITHFUL? TO LOVE?

          I know that Kuya has his reasons. Maybe, he wasn't really him during those times and he completely forgot about  certain things considering Kaye. Of all the girlfriends Kuya had, i'm pretty sure that Kaye has been the one who influenced most of the good things in him. I mean, we're Catholic. But because of Kaye, Kuya was willing to follow the Christian outlook. He no longer go to church with us. Instead, he goes with Kaye. Also, he's been reading the bible more often than i can remember and other self-realization books which Kaye's church offer. God was the center of their relationship. That's what he told me. And for my parents, they don't mind if Kuya changes his religion as long as he still believes in God, whether it's in the form of other outlook.

          I just hope that Kuya realizes what he has done. I mean, Kaye is a great girl. She's nice, funny, understanding, God-fearing and always there to forgive my brother. I want her to be the one for him. I know that Kuya will be forever loved. He just have realize that Kaye is a keeper and i know he will be happy with her.

          So... about the title. "INTENSE". That sums up everything that happened today. I was in the same room with Kuya and Kaye when everything broke down. Kaye was crying confessing her fears, troubles and doubts and Kuya was listening and trying to explain his part. And me? I was just listening, scared, thinking that something worse might happen. So i lay down. And you know what happened next???

I FELL ASLEEP. -_____-

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. =))

Play with Me?

THE PLAYGROUND

Carelessly slipping off the slide, creating castles and fortresses in the sandbox and having the best ride on the seesaw with a playmate.

Don't you just miss being a kid?

Running like it's the first time you're going to see the world and no one's going to stop your unleashed freedom. We always have that special place in our childhood where everything's fun, free and magical. ;)

Oh, Summer

Remembering how I used to enjoy every moment of summer..... is everything i long for as of the moment. How the sun touches my skin, how the sand gets in between my toes and how the the water splashes against me leaving marks of dampness upon my bare skin.

Picture anything?

Yeah..... THE BEACH. :)

Summer isn't complete without any sun exposure, a dip in the pool or the absolute feel of the summer heat. As for me, i can no longer enjoy these simple pleasures.

But at least, some time ago, i was in the midst of these.

The Sad Truth

Relationships fall and whither because eventually, someone stops trying and it doesn't feel the same. The first couple of months or even years may be the best thing you ever wished for, but eventually, someone loses feelings, gets too busy, or doesn't even bother to try.

You know why?

Because they're comfortable.

The beginning is all about the chase. Can you keep up? If you can, then you'll get the hang of it and then you won't want to try anymore. You aren't afraid to lose them because they're yours. Arguing leads to fighting and it just gets worse from there.

It all flashes by so fast. Don't take anything or anyone for granted. So, cherish what you have.

How About a Cup af Tea?

          Good conversations start at one point. There are numerous topics to talk about, but only a few interests both sides of the party. That's where common thoughts go. I mean, you wouldn't consider something interesting if it's not worth talking, right? It may start from a question, which leads to an answer, resulting to another question, which needs another answer. Generally speaking, great conversations could last for long hours. It's a never-ending cycle.

What's the point of writing this?

Perhaps, it's the thought of appreciating good talks. :) Which i'm practically enjoying at the moment. :))

Music is Love

Isn't it sweet when someone learns your favorite song and play it just for you? <3

          It took me by surprise. A friend of mine asked me to call him saying he's playing the piano at that moment. At first, i was hesitant because it's the first time i'm going to call him. Ever since we knew and talked to each other, it has always been through text or Facebook. Virtual closeness. Right. :)) Maybe, the reason why i didn't want to make the phone call in the first place was because i was thinking about being awkward. :| As i was on the phone, i was waiting for him to say hello, but nothing. Suddenly, the piano played. And in that moment, i only knew one thing. :"> [No need to emphasize. I'm not quite sure how to put them in words.] Haha. =)) And yeah, i was smiling the whole time. :)

          I find it very unusual for someone to do something like that. But it was great. :) No, it wasn't great... It was  something MORE than great. :) If ever he gets to read this post, i'd like to thank him for what he did. He made me feel very special. And i hope, i could get to listen more of his music. :)

The song was "Secrets" by One Republic. But my favorite version was the cover made by Jayesslee.

Here's the link. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9OVYXRzB6U

Listen to his piano cover here. :D

https://soundcloud.com/coffee-na-si-milo/secrets-of-one-re

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares - Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

          It was indeed an adventure. A well thought story. A smart one. :) Who would have thought dares would give you a happily ever after? ;) Must read. :D

Whenever I went, I was at the wrong end of the stampede. No word is too grand or too infinitesimal to be considered. I want to believe that, despite all the evidence to the contrary, there is reason to hope. All this hoping for something or someone that’s maybe hopeless. I want to believe there is a somebody out there just for me. I want to believe that I exist to be there for that somebody. Prayer or not. I want o believe that, despite all evidence to the contrary, it is possible for anyone to find that one special person. We believe in the wrong things. That’s what frustrates me the most. Not the lack of belief, but the belief in the wrong things. You want meaning? Well, the meanings are out there. We’re just so damn good at reading them wrong. I don’t think the meaning is something that can be explained. You have to understand it on your own. I think we can find the truths that live behind our words. It is much harder to lie to someone’s face. But, it is also much harder to tell the truth to someone’s face. It’s hard to answer a question you haven’t been asked. It’s hard to show you tried unless you end up succeeding. We were people. And people had ways of finding each other. It was one of those moments when you feel the future so much that it humbles the present. You should never wish for wishful thinking. Wasn’t reality bound to be disappointing? It’s moments like this, when you need someone the most, that your world seems smallest. That’s the luxury of being a lout – you get to be selective about when you care and when you don’t. The rest of us get stuck when your care goes shallow. I’m told there’s no going back. So I’m choosing forward. Why is it so much easier to talk to a stranger? Why do we feel we need that disconnect in order to connect? We are reading the stories of our lives as though we were in it, as though we had written it. I suspected that when something was a beginning and an ending at the same time, that meant it could only exist in the present. Fate has a strange way of making plans. A dream deferred is a dream denied.

Every Day - David Levithan

This book is really something. :) Although i did hope for a different ending. :| These are the lines that i liked. :D After a while, you have to be at peace with the fact that you simply are. There is no way to know why. You can have theories, but there will never be proof. We all contain mysteries, especially when seen from the inside. Beneath every peripheral girl is a central truth. A sound waiting to be a word. We all want everything to be okay. We don’t even wish so much for fantastic or marvelous or outstanding. We will happily settle for okay, because most of the time, okay is enough. Simple and complicated, as most true things are. The Unwarranted Devotion. Putting up with the fear of being with the wrong person because you can’t deal with the fear of being alone. The hope tinged with doubt, and the doubt tinged with hope. She has been hanging on to the hope of him for so long that she doesn’t realize there isn’t anything left to hope for. People take love’s continuity for granted, just as they take their body’s continuity for granted. They don’t realize that the best thing about love is its regular presence. Once you can establish that, it’s an added foundation to your life. But if you cannot have that regular presence, you only have the one foundation to support you, always. The sound of words as they’re said is always different from the sound they make when they’re heard, because the speaker hears some of the sound from the inside. I am learning that a life isn’t real unless someone else knows its reality. Because what’s the point of something virtual if it doesn’t end up being real? This is what love does: It makes you want to rewrite the world. It makes you want to choose the characters, build the scenery, guide the plot. The person you love sits across from you, and you want to do everything in your power to make it possible, endlessly possible. And when it’s just the two of you, alone in a room, you can pretend that this is how it is; this is how it will be. I don’t want to throw everything away for something uncertain. There are so many explanations I can leave unsaid. There will always be more questions. Every answer leads to more questions. The only way to survive is to let some of them go. If you want to live within the definition of your own truth, you have to choose to go through the initially painful and ultimately comforting process of finding it. I wanted love to conquer all. But love can’t conquer anything. It can’t do anything on its own. It relies on us to do the conquering on its behalf. When first love ends, most people eventually know there will be more to come. They are not through with love. Love is not through with them. It will never be the same as the first, but it will be better in different ways.