"She decides to make a list of the things that make her happy. She writes ‘plum-blossom’ at the top of a piece of paper. Then she stares at the paper, unable to think of anything else. Eventually it begins to get dark."
Neil Gaiman (The Sandmain: Endless Nights)
Had a very stressful and tiring day today. We had our ACL and core strengthening circuit training at Loyola International Multispeciality Clinic as part of the activities for internship. I almost fainted due to the exercise regimen given to us to test our endurance. As you all know, I am a very sedentary person and exercise or physical exertion was never my thing. And I hated every bit of movement I had to do a while ago. Here are the summary of the whole training:
With 5 lbs. ankle weight strapped on our both ankles we did the following:
- high marches x 2 rounds in the hallways (~20 m)
- butt kicks while walking x 2 rounds in the hallways
- lateral walking with dips x 2 rounds in the hallways
- partial lunges walk x 2 rounds in the hallway
And here goes the other exercises:
- run up and down the stairs 10x from 1st floor to 2 floor
- forward planks x 1 min
- side planks x 1 min on each sides
- ab crunches x 20
- diagonal crunches x 20
- superman exercises x 5 seconds hold x 10
- pelvic bridging with single leg up x 20
- push-ups (as many as possible) for ~ 1 min.
- 10 mins. on treadmill
- 10 mins on bike
- 10 mins on stepper machine
So you see how difficult it was for me to finish this training. I swear, I can feel like my legs will be sore tomorrow. They are aldready aching like hell right now.
As for my stress and weariness, I found a way to somehow relieve them. I decided to stop by Fully Booked Katipunan on my way home and voila! I found some books that I have been looking for for ages! Of course, it felt like my energy was restored. And so here are the books I got from today’s haul:
- Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (Finally! The last booooook!!!)
- Unnatural Creatures by Neil Gaiman (In paperback! The cover is very lovely, btw)
- Tell The Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt (After months of searching for this, my luck finally worked!)
- Legend by Marie Lu (I’ve been meaning to buy this but it wasn’t available in paperback before)
See? I am so happy with my mini haul. Now my only problem is the soreness that’s slowly creeping up on my legs and thighs. As for my mental capabilities, I think I can still survive a chapter or two of reading Gaiman’s book before finally going to slumber. :D
"Stories you read when you’re the right age never quite leave you. You may forget who wrote them or what the story was called. Sometimes you’ll forget precisely what happened, but if a story touches you it will stay with you, haunting the places in your mind that you rarely ever visit."
Neil Gaiman (M is for Magic)
NOVEMBER BOOK HAUL
I know that November is hardly over, actually it’s just the second week, but I just can’t help myself. Maybe it’s because I finally have my allowance and I can splurge on books. Or maybe, I think that my book addiction is getting worse. Anyways, here are the books I got from Fully Booked a while ago:
- The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling - When our queen writes a book, you buy and read it. That’s an unspoken rule. Well, for me. Of course, as someone who grew up following the Harry Potter series, I was excited of the prospect of a new book, by my favorite author, with a different genre. I know that this was released way back this September, but I was not able to reserve a copy. But as they always say, better late than never right? So yeah, I am really thrilled but a bit nervous to know how this book pars with her previous masterpiece.
- The Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch - It is often said that judging a book by its cover is a sin that should never be committed by bookworms, but my goodness! When I caught a glance on this book’s cover, I immediately fell for it. And so I read the summary and got more curious as to what the story is all about. Apparently, the book’s central theme is witchcraft as part of human history. It focuses on the medieval era when sorcery and magic was deemed as work of the devil. It was a time when people are persecuted for alleged use of dark arts. I have to admit, I was hooked. I love witch lit and this one is based from the actual dark ages.
- Slanted and Enchanted: The Evolution of Indie Culture by Kaya Oakes - Much like with The Hangman’s Daughter, what first attracted me to this book was its colorful and creative cover. But it wasn’t just the cover that convinced me to buy it. It was the subheading that caught me. “The Evolution of Indie Culture”. If you have been following me for a long time now, you would know that I am a huge fan of contemporary indie music and movies. I’m not even big on reading nonfiction but I really wanted to know more about this genre so I bought it.
- Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman - This is a book I have known way before when I was still in my freshman year in college. I have read some of the stories found in this book when I borrowed my friend’s copy. I particularly loved Babycakes and Troll Bridge. I am not new to Gaiman’s writing since I have read Coraline, The Graveyard Book, Fragile Things. But his short stories are just weirdly interesting, like there are deeper meanings beneath each of them. And that’s why I think that’s it’s time I get my own copy and read them all.
- Bakit Hindi Ka Crush Ng Crush Mo? by Ramon Bautista - This is a book written by one of my favorite local personalities in the industry of show business. I have been idolizing Ramon Bautista for his unusual wit and humor. It’s just different since his sarcastic approach on different issues have a realistic way of informing people about it. Since I’ve heard that he was publishing a book, I really wanted to get my hands on it as soon as possible. But, alas, during the book fair I attended last , the book was already sold out. So imagine my happiness when I spotted this at one corner of the bookstore. This book is a hilarious take on the Hierarchy of Need and how people get too caught up with their desires.
- You Have To Stop This by Pseudonymous Bosch - I know that I had only been done with the first book in this series, but I wanted to complete my copies so badly. I haven’t bought this last book before because it was out of stock, but then I got my opportunity at last, a while ago, so obviously, it goes to my checkout basket.
- The Magician by Michael Scott - Like the previous book mentioned, this is a book I bought because I wanted to acquire the whole series before even starting with one. I was supposed to buy the next two books, but unfortunately, the third one wasn’t available so I only purchased this, the second book in the Nicholas Flamel series.
So that’s it. Seven new books to add in my shelf. I know that my to-read pile has grown a lot and yet, I haven’t been able to knock off at least half of the books in it. Oh well, my problem now would be finding the time to finally read these babies.
"She seems so cool, so focused, so quiet, yet her eyes remain fixed upon the horizon. You think you know all there is to know about her immediately upon meeting her, but everything you think you know is wrong. Passion flows through her like a river of blood. She only looked away for a moment, and the mask slipped, and you fell."
Neil Gaiman (Fragile Things)
"Because there are mysteries. Because there are things that people are forbidden to speak about. Because there are things they do not remember."
Neil Gaiman (The Graveyard Book)
"The tongue is the most remarkable. For we use it both to taste out sweet wine and bitter poison, thus also do we utter words both sweet and sout with the same tongue."
Neil Gaiman (The Graveyard Book)
"We were never lovers, and we never will be, now. I do not regret that, however. I regret the conversations we never had, the time we did not spend together. I regret that I never told him that he made me happy, when I was in his company. The world was the better for his being in it. These things alone do I now regret: things left unsaid."
Neil Gaiman (The Sandman #72)
"Things need not have happened to be true. Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot."
Neil Gaiman (The Sandman, Vol. 3: Dream Country)
"I think I would rather be a man than a god. We don’t need anyone to believe in us. We just keep going anyhow. It’s what we do."
Neil Gaiman (American Gods)
"Words can be worrisome, people complex, motives and manners unclear, grant her the wisdom to choose her path right, free from unkindness and fear."
Neil Gaiman (Blueberry Girl)
"Too much talking these days. Talk talk talk. This country would get along much better if people learned how to suffer in silence."
Neil Gaiman (American Gods)
"Death’s a funny thing. I used to think it was a big, sudden thing, like a huge owl that would swoop down out of the night and carry you off. I don’t anymore. I think it’s a slow thing. Like a thief who comes to your house day after day, taking a little thing here and a little thing there, and one day you walk round your house and there’s nothing there to keep you, nothing to make you want to stay. And then you lie down and shut up forever. Lots of little deaths until the last big one."
Neil Gaiman (The Wake)
"The tongue is the most remarkable. For we use it both to taste out sweet wine and bitter poison, thus also do we utter words both sweet and sout with the same tongue."
Neil Gaiman (The Graveyard Book)
"Books make great gifts because they have whole worlds inside of them. And it’s much cheaper to buy somebody a book than it is to buy them the whole world!"
Neil Gaiman
