• 005. Recently read: Goodnight from London by Jennifer Robson

    005. Recently read: Goodnight from London by Jennifer Robson

    I fell in love with Jennifer Robson’s work ever since I read the Fall of Poppies anthology of stories about World War I historical fiction. After reading All for the Love of You from the Fall of Poppies anthology, I started reading  The Great War series of her work. And all of them were page-turners. I still read them, always wanting to revisit their world.

    More than twenty years after the “war to end all wars” ended, another war of a global scale is the setting of Ruby Sutton’s story. A young American journalist and an orphan, Ruby is sent to work in London as a war correspondent for a weekly magazine. As the war continues to wreak havoc in many corners of the globe, Ruby grows and changes. I love her growth–she started as an overly inquisitive newcomer, and the story ended with her experiencing love, warmth and friendship.

    The story showed how people survived the war with courage, determination, and pluck. I can only imagine how tough (and dangerous) it was for people back then.

    (more…)

  • 004. Tempus fugit.

    004. Tempus fugit.

     

    Yes, it’s been a month. How time flies!

    I say this without a trace of irony. Days seem to fly by quickly, and when I say quickly, I mean obscenely fast. 

    And speaking of time, I’ve spent a lot of time processing what has happened the past month. No one was at fault–and as what I have said previously, it ended the way it did.

    And even before things ended, I have been obsessing over things that I shouldn’t have. Focusing on these things have made me forget that I have been shutting out other things in my life. (more…)

  • 003. February: “Went under a bus, got hit by a train.”

    003. February: “Went under a bus, got hit by a train.”

     

     

    The love month came in quickly and is leaving just as quickly. And frankly, it’s a relief.

    Emotions are all over the place, and I wish I could blame it on the hormones. Relationships start, and they end. As much as possible, I avoid talking about my romantic relationships. It’s not a matter of keeping it secret, but rather, it’s something between me and my partner. And to be honest, once people know about it, they will have a lot to say, and far too often, they are unsolicited advice, and in some cases jokes that are part unkind and part something else.

    A friend jokingly commented, “AFAM, sagot sa kahirapan!” It’s not a funny joke, and never will be. I had to shut that down quickly, as it was an uncalled-for joke. Even if it’s given by people you consider close friends.

    It was by no means an easy relationship. A long distance one never really is, and I know fully well the kind of commitment it entails. In many cases they do work out. But it did not in mine.

    I can say that it was wonderful while it lasted and I mean it. It was sad that it had to end, as my partner and I still care for each other. But he had a lot of things on his plate, and would require so much effort and time to get it sorted out. Both of us didn’t want to get to the point where resentments would fester, so we thought it was for the best that we part ways.

    Just because it was a mutual decision doesn’t mean that you don’t have the right to mourn the end of a relationship. Yes, it was also an on-and-off one, but frankly, that’s no longer anyone’s business. 

    Also, another takeaway: you have the right to mourn the end of that relationship in any way you want. In my case, I had to delete all the pictures he sent me. Otherwise, I’d stare at them all the time, and I’ll end up crying, ergo, not much work would be done. And we totally can’t have that. No, we can’t.

    So, what next? I’m going to have to carry on without him now. It’s going to be a huge adjustment, as there would be no chats before I wind down to sleep. No waking up to a good morning text, which tells me that he has been thinking of me. And I could no longer send the same kind of messages to him. I no longer have that right.

    But on the other hand, I have work and graduate school to keep me busy. And heaven help me: I hope I don’t cry at random times. Because I’m still grieving.