The Road

My Little Brown Book - Duke Ellington and John Coltrane

I'm currently 100 pages into Cormac McCarthy's best-selling and pulitzer-prize winning "The Road", and I haven't fallen asleep in reading a book as often as I had in reading this one.

What a listless storytelling this is! I didn't expect it to be a high-octane action-packed thriller in the same vein as Battle Royale, but gee does The Road ever make the story of survival lethargic! This is coming from a guy who hasn't fallen asleep watching movies besides The Awakenings (this isn't a bad joke! It's true!).

Grapes of Wrath, another Pulitzer Prize winner, isn't exactly the most "aggressive" novel ever, but I stayed awake reading it because of the lively character interactions and because each chapter is progressive, fresh, and eventful. While the theme of the Road (set in a post apocalyptic world where a father and a son tries to survive tribulations while traveling south) is inventive, the plot is tedious. All the father and son do (so far) is walk, sleep, scrounge abandoned homes, talk about love, safety, security and death, lathered, rinsed and repeated ad nauseum. When something interesting finally happens (like having an "enemy" show up) it is short-lived, and is afterwards followed by the tedium of their same-old "normal" traveling routine.

I'm not sure where this Pulitzer-prize distinction came from because I don't feel like reading anything classic. Last I checked, Pulitzer books aren't much of a bore. And while I can understand the beauty of understated storytelling, something HAS to happen in order for a story to be good.

At a 100 pages in, I haven't read anything happen yet.

So Far

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - U2

I guess my posts thus far involve me being angry at something. My apologies. I must write more positively. Happiness is two kinds of ice cream…

Anyway, I'm beginning to like this blog. I like how streamlined it is, I like the interface, I like the tags, I like the changeable background and title images (even if it is flawed), I like the uploadable music, I like the messageboard, etc.

In contrast, I'm beginning to see my friendster blog as an underdeveloped rural area. Not that I have anything against rural area. Ok, my bad, correct that. Friendster blog is more like outdated technology or a dinosaur. For all the stuff the friendster teams like to brag, they rarely ever add new features to their blog.

I hope to stay. I hope to get more readers. Maybe I should wish upon a star because after all, they're in my header image. Haha.

Oh, and by the way, the header image is something I made by myself. It's the top of my vector image version of Van Gogh's Starry Night.

Harry Potter and the Annoyed Reader

religious - musiq

What bothers me is the disturbing trend Harry Potter has started. Since its release, it’s impossible to go to any university or office without hearing conversations about Harry Potter. It’s everywhere, and it gets annoying when you’re at the restroom, only to hear someone wash his face while conversing to his friends about how book 7 ended (which I have heard several times now).

I’d like to think that one of the joys of reading a book comes from the suspense of not knowing what’s going to happen (and how rewarding it could be if the denouement turns out unexpected). But these days and ages, it’s become nigh impossible to read a popular book without its details already spoiled, unless if you’re the first to have read it. Is this the reason why people line up for the new Harry Potter: so that they will be the first to know what’s happened and will spoil the story to those who haven’t read while they feel their ego boosted? Why deprive the enjoyment of those who want to read but couldn’t afford it immediately? Why all this disrespect?

Also, does everyone have to follow the media hype? Is everyone out of touch with their own preferences that they just have to keep following the trend, without discovering the gems on their own? What happened to the time when those who go to the bookstore go to different sections scrounging for the book that speaks to them, regardless of whether or not it’s popular? Nowadays, the only books that people ever buy are those humongous hyped bestsellers piled in front of a bookstore: Harry Potter, The Secret, Laws of Attraction, Da Vinci Code, Rich Dad Poor Dad, The Alchemist, etc. I’m not saying these books are inherently bad, I’m saying that it’s likely that there are other books on the similar subject matter that could be better than all these. And yet people don’t take the trouble to read Bartimaeus Trilogy, Faucoult’s Pendulum, or Siddharta.

As for my assessment in Harry Potter series, I like it. I find the concept very appealing. However, I'll be damned if I just stick to Harry Potter without exploring other works of fiction and I can't remember a book release ever reaching the anticipation level of Star Wars. This guy here prefers bookstore quiet.

For me, the beauty in reading a book comes from its giving each of us a different experience. Everyone has their own biases and interpretations. It doesn’t matter how much a book has sold, if it doesn’t communicate a message appreciable by the reader then it doesn’t serve its purpose. A book isn’t supposed to be like technology where the latest is the best; it’s supposed to be like a t-shirt, in which only the person will know what fits him/her. Old or new, it doesn't matter. It doesn’t have anything to do with what sells and what everyone else likes. Just imagine if everyone is wearing torn jeans. How crazily monotonous would the world be then?

Life in Motion Blur

Freddie's Dead - Curtis Mayfield

I have been trying to cram several activities for a day, but I could only do so much. Work, school and church has kept me so busy and while I do appreciate how each can develop my character, I am now craving for breathing space.

Problem is, my breathing space doesn't always concur with the people who I want to spend free time with. Sometimes just reading books and doing all other solitary kind of crap can make me feel lonely and depressed, and so I'd call people up asking if we could meet.

And there's this girl who has been a long time friend of mine. I've bought her birthday gifts, and I've yet to give them to her. It has nearly been a year, and we both think it's been too long. So we planned to meet since 2 weeks ago, but we keep having to postpone this appointment because of unforeseen responsibilities popping up like an annoying Smileycentral Ad.

Gee, is life ever as unbearably fast as it is now! At this point, my life is like a photograph where I'm the lone still figure in a sea of motion blurs. People come and go very fast, I couldn't make sense of what's happening anymore.

So It Goes

If You Want Me To Stay - Sly and the Family Stone

I screamed. I was alone, unloading all my pent anger in a claustrophobic elevator. How did this happen? Why me of all people?

Although spare in luck, the morning and afternoon I spent in the office went down like a slice of pizza on a hungry stomach (though less satisfying). Today wasn’t a good day. I couldn’t finish my assigned work even if I had a solution. And I was scolded for neglecting a company policy the day before. I dissatisfyingly left the office, and hoped that I would be productive tonight by tackling my other assignment: my web design project.

Before heading home, I visited the bookstore. My creativity was dried and I needed inspirations for a web page. The origami book looked tempting (origami was my hobby in my elementary years), but the price made me hem and haw: should I buy it? After brooding for half an hour, I decided against it, and promptly took the bus home.

Ah, yes, the bus. The TV showed 24 Oras and I left just before they broadcasted their life-changing headline: Christine Reyes about to do a sexy movie. Watch as 24 Oras’ ratings skyrocket. FHM Nation rules.

My folks go out every Tuesday, and I expected to be home alone for a couple of hours. Nevermind that I bring my keys 95% of the time: even when vacated, the gates are usually unlocked, because I arrive soon after they leave and because our condominium’s security is tight. So why of all days did they lock the gate on the exact day when I didn’t bring the keys? I couldn’t get in and I’ll be spending at least 2 hours OUTSIDE!

And thus began the screaming. I was in agony, blaming myself for stupidity and blaming everything else for bad luck. Here I was, fired-up to start a web design, only to be locked outside of my shelter. What was I supposed to do in two hours? Netopia doesn’t have a Photoshop the same way as how the SONA doesn’t have an ounce of truth. My nearest best friend, the only one who lives within the neighborhood, went to Japan. All my other friends live cities, if not islands, apart. And there were no theatres nearby to make the passing of time barely noticeable.

My only choice was to stay in Starbucks, which I did. I spent the next few minutes finishing a book (Slaughterhouse Five) with only 30 unread pages, sending SMS’s, and staring at some latte-swirling customers as they yak tirelessly about their dumb colleagues. Great! And that was 30 minutes of getting preoccupied. With at least 1:30 left, I was left bored and having nothing else to do. So I sat and waited and sat and waited, and time was comatose. And I was famished yet I refused to eat.

I came back home at 10:30 PM. My suffering felt longer than that. Few days before, I bemoaned that “Free time has become an elusive luxury”. Guess what? I got more than 2 hours of free time today, and I was unprepared for it.

How did this happen? Why me of all people?

Night Dreamer

Night Dreamer - Wayne Shorter

I'm Kris; mind you, I'm not as loud as the celebrity, nor am I a girl.

Few people who read my other blog will start to wonder: why have I started another one? Surely I don't intend to abandon the former one, do I? Well, no. I could do without the ads, but I'm not willing to part ways with that blog after constantly updating it for two years (and seeing enough shares of highs and lows) .

But curiosity strikes, as I have been introduced to i.ph by my web design teacher, and after a little canvassing, I find this blog's design a lot easier to customize than Friendster's. I might want to create my own blog template in a foreseeable future, so I figure this would be as good place as any to start experimenting. Of course, what you're currently seeing in this blog are some of the defaults, as I've been too lazy to create my content as of now.

What I like most about this blog are the ability to edit the HTML codes (which is something I'd do in secret when posting in friendster) and the ability to post music. Everyone knows I have a rather weird taste of music, and I realize that this is a place where I can upload my music for everyone's aural pleasure/dismay. Lastly, one doesn't have to be a member to be able to comment on this blog. So if anyone chances upon my blog, do not hesitate to post comments.