Form 5

Albeit book reading delays and setbacks, it feels great to be a student again!

Quoted from "Life of Pi"

On wild life:
“Animals in the wild lead lives of compulsion and necessity within an unforgiving social hierarcy in an environment where the supply of fear is high and the supply of food is low and where territory must constantly be defended and parasites forever endured.”

On Letting Go:
"It's important in life to conclude things properly. Only then can you let go. Otherwise you are left with words you should have said but never did, and your heart is heavy with remorse."

On Faith:

“Faith in God is an opening up, a letting go, a deep trust, a free act of love – but sometimes it was so hard to love.

On Despair:

“Despair was a heavy blackness that let no light in or out.”

On Relationship:

“It is true that those we meet can change us, sometimes so profoundly that we are not the same afterwards, even unto our names.”

Yann Martel's Life of Pi

Piscine Patel or “Pi” was the son of a zoo-owner who grew up near the zoo. Though he did not have first-hand experience as an animal caretaker during his childhood years, he knew enough to understand zoo business and animal behavior.

Pi was also a God-loving kid. His faith was, for his family, unbelievable to the point of being unacceptable. Pi embraced and actively practiced 3 religions: Hindu, Islam, and Christianity. He believed in the concept of one God.

At 16, he found himself on board a Japanese cargo ship to Canada with his family and the zoo animals. The ship sank and Pi tried to survive aboard a lifeboat with a wounded zebra, a hyena, an orangutan, and a 450-pound Bengal tiger.

Pi extracted all his knowledge about animals and said thousands of prayers just to survive. But will he make it to land?

I found Life of Pi an amazing story of living, surviving, and having great faith. The story is very entertaining, funny, and thought-provoking. It touched some issues which are, up to now, considered debatable.

The book discussed religion, and Pi practicing 3 way different religions is something which I found absurd. I grew up a Catholic and one of its common teachings is “one can’t serve 2 masters; one could be more loved than the other.” However, I do believe in the existence of a universal God – the God who created everything; the God worshiped by all believers of various faiths. In the book, it seemed as if Pi gave equal treatment to his 3 beliefs – something that is very difficult to achieve and master.

The book talked about zoo life – how it is similar with life in the wild. The debate for and against caging animals, in my opinion, would not be resolved. I enjoyed reading the author’s description about zoo life. I never saw animal territoriality could be viewed that way. While zoo life could be viewed as a minute and contained jungle, the issue about instincts in domestication still is a big question.

I tried putting myself in Pi’s position as I went through the story. Surviving more than 300 days of being a castaway is close to impossible. Having a tiger as a companion is simply unimaginable. Yet, author Yann Martel played with my imagination well, and as I flipped the pages, I also tried to picture everything as described. I found it hard to stop flipping the pages.

Life of Pi has an outrageous scenario – Pi’s faith, the tragic sinking of the ship, living with a tiger on a lifeboat, eating uncooked fishes and turtles, Pi bumping into a blind castaway when he turned blind, finding a patch of acidic land – yet the storytelling is disarmingly brilliant.

5 stars for this Man Booker Prize winner.

Snakes and Earrings by Hitomi Kanehara

Lui, a 19-year old “barbie doll”, got attracted to one of Tokyo’s punk – Ama. But this guy was not just any ordinary punk. Ama had serpentine tongue and Lui dreamt of having one. The teenage lovers lived together, drowned beer bottles every night, and shared passionate sex. But they hardly knew each other.

On the other hand, there was Shiba-san, Ama’s friend and tattoo designer. Shiba did Lui’s tongue piercing, and more. He agreed to design Lui’s tattoo for sex. Their first was dangerous, a sadist-masochist sexual play, and Lui did not resist. Soon, they shared a sexual relationship without Ama knowing it.

How well did Lui know Ama and Shiba? As Lui dealt with the pain of making the hole of her tongue-piercing bigger, she also got deeper into the realization of her emotions and did unimaginable measures to make things right.

I did not like this book. But I don’t hate it as well.

I like the book because the plot had twists that would make you stop and ponder. As I went through those twists, I had to stop and think of the possible reasons for the actions of the characters involved. I looked for signs and symbols that made the story dynamic. Truly, one could ask loads of thought-provoking questions, probably without definite answers. The book is as mysterious as its title "Snakes and Earrings".

Worry not, fellow bookworms. The mystery is not hard to decipher. I’m just trying to make a point that this book is deeper that what is literally written. I could say that the author – Hitomi Kanehara – is really a genius. She deserved the Akutagawa Prize.

I hate the book for being open-ended. I did not like it for its “sex stories”, which some of it, I found irrelevant to the plot.

The book is thin and simply written, thanks to its translator: David Karashima.

I am giving this book 3/5 stars not because I like it but because it is the whole number between 1 and 5. I really can’t decide if I like it or not.

BookMooch Craze

Last week I went to the Quezon City Post Office (QCPO) to get my mooched books. Yes, the arrival of mail notices got me hell-excited to visit the post office. The irony here was there is nothing really exciting in QCPO. It has no AC system. The air is humid and smelled of dust and heat combined. But the situation did not prevent me from grabbing my packages.

I decided to open the packages at home. Upon arrival, I immediately went to my room and deliberately tore open the envelopes. I was like a boy opening gifts on Christmas day. I got a hardbound copy of Laura Esquivel’s Like Water for Chocolate and a trade paperback copy of Paolo Coelho’s The Zahir. Both books are in excellent condition, especially the former. I am so pleased with these “gifts”.

How did I stumble upon BookMooch? I’ve been thinking about it but my memory failed me. One reason could be Shelfari.com; the Filipinos there are also engaged in mooching. Another could be Blooey’s blog entry about Bookmooch. I don’t know and I don’t really care. I’m happy with mooching and that’s what really matters.

BookMooch is a venue for persons who want to share their books, locally or internationally. All book lovers could say that there are books in their shelves that they don’t want to keep. Some of them opt to sell their books for a cheaper rate. Why not just share them with others? It isn’t a bad idea.

I started by making an account. For me to be able to ask or mooch books from others, I needed to earn points. I placed in my inventory folder all of my books that I am willing to send to anywhere here or abroad, including magazines. My inventory started with 12 books. I realized it wasn’t enough to get the books that I really want, especially if those that are available outside the country. So I built contacts. I took note of the bookmooch IDs of the active members of Flips Flipping Pages (FFP) and added them up. I had only one thing in mind: “Add more people.” It did not matter if they would reject my invites.

Bookmooch Angels Czar and Blooey responded by mooching from me. BM Angels are persons willing to help you get books from other persons, especially if you don’t have enough points. They are also more-than-willing to give advices on how to package your book better and how to send them cheaper. That was how I earned more points. Then I leveled up by sending books internationally.

I am now a bit familiar with postal services. I am still learning and the good thing is I enjoy it.

Here are some links you might want to read should you decide be part of BookMooch:

A love affair… with Bookmooch by Blooey
BookMoochers Pilipinas
Tips for BookMooch Newbies by Patti

Quoted from Sedaris

“Real love amounts to withholding the truth, even when you’re offered the perfect opportunity to hurt someone’s feelings.”

- David Sedaris in Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris

Today, at around noonish, the TMC Book Club met up to discuss David Sedaris’ Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim. I don’t know if I could call myself fortunate or damned, but I was asked to facilitate the discussion. Deciding to accept the challenge was more difficult than choosing between McDonalds and Jollibee for the book is nonfiction. It would mean criticizing the life of the author and who are we to judge? So why not focus on Sedaris’ style and craft as a writer? I’d like to start on that.

The book is very simple. No flowery words. You won’t experience nosebleeds analyzing metaphors and other figures of speech. It’s plainly a collection of essays regarding events of David’s life which he found funny or worth sharing. There are no twists and hidden clues and messages. You would get to the author’s point as you read. No need to go back to previous pages. No need to take down notes. It’s simple and a quick read.

The book was divided into 22 chapters which dealt with the author’s experiences from childhood until a few years ago. I found some chapters extremely hilarious. One example is the first chapter “Us and Them”. In here, David sorted all the candies he got from the Halloween Trick or Treat and stuffed all the best sweets in his mouth so as not to share it with others. I also laughed at Chapter 14 entitled “Six to Eight Black Men” – a story of a weird Dutch Christmas tradition involving being beaten and/or nabbed by six to eight black men.

Other chapters, despite the apparent humor, were poignant. “The End of the Affair (Chapter 12)” dealt with Sedaris’ realization on how he and Hugh (boyfriend) are as a couple. By the way, David is a proud gay. Going back, “Baby Einstein (Chapter 21)” talked about his feelings for his first nephew from Paul (youngest sibling).

At this point, I would like to tell you about the gist of our discussion. But first, allow me to describe our group. Half of the members who attended were females whose ages are 40 and above. Take note, these ladies are TMC’s honchos. The other half could be safely categorized under the young adult bracket. I was the only male present. Those who belong to the middle-adult bracket said most parts of the book are not funny at all especially the chapters that discussed poor values sets. An example is "Chapter 2 – Let It Snow". The common response was, “How could a mother lock out her children in the cold?”

About half of the group agreed that David’s family is dysfunctional, or at least the values formation is feeble. Majority said that one good thing about the author is that however embarrassing his situation could get, he would just to laugh it off. He knows how to turn a misery into something funny for his readers to enjoy. About 2-3 members noted that the book is more inkling to the serious, poignant tone rather than delightful. We all acknowledged the fact that he is a good writer and must have exaggerated some if not most of his stories.

Listed below are the questions I used and I hope it would help you understand the book or the author’s life and style better. I gave them the opportunity to share a funny event of their lives as long as they are comfortable with it.

• Which chapter of the book did you like best and why?
• Which chapter did you least like (if not hate) and why?
• In your opinion, which chapter has a serious tone?
• If David was born and raised in the Philippines, would he feel awkward being alone in an elevator with a boy he helped?
• Could you say that the source of David’s humor is his life’s tragedies and dramas? How so?
• Do you think David’s life and family are dysfunctional?
• Did you find the book funny or disturbing?
• Name one issue that Sedaris confronted as a child and still does now as an adult.
• In the chapter “The End of the Affair”, David said, “Real love amounts to withholding the truth, even when you’re offered the perfect opportunity to hurt someone’s feelings”. What is your comment on this?
• Were you able to pick-up “life-lessons” from any of his stories?
• As a kid, have you ever experienced stuffing your favorite sweets to your mouth because you don’t want to share or something similar to that effect?
• As a kid, have you ever bullied a younger sibling or friend to do something stupid (as what the siblings did to Tiffany when they were locked outside the house) for whatever purpose?
• Amazon rated the book 4/5 stars, same with online consumer rating. Do you think it is overrated?

I received a good comment about share-a-funny-story-of-your-life activity. The person said that at first she can’t think of any. But as she pondered on it, she found out that there were a lot.

All of us have funny experiences. Most of them were probably embarrassing. Some of them were mistakes of whatever magnitude. The good thing about it is when we think of it now, we find them hilarious. It’s a part of our life that we can never forget. Otherwise if it’s really traumatic, it would be repressed way beneath our subconscious. We laugh about it now because we know it is part of life. It’s part of growing and maturing. And somehow, we are proud to have gone through with it.

I rate the book 4/5 stars because I found it funny. Most parts really made me laugh. When we speak of its content, I give it only 3 stars.

***

Special thanks to Mae Dearest for helping me out on this project. xoxo.

Bob Ong's MacArthur

MacArthur’s concept was taken from a classic Pinoy joke: What do you call the feces that don’t go down the drain after flushing? The answer is “MacArthur” – “I shall return.”

MacArthur is the sad story of 4 miserable friends (probably in their late teens to early 20s) who managed to stick with one another even to the darkest parts of their lives. They lived different lives, but somehow they connected through their favorite pastime – shabu drug addiction. Cyrus is the oldest among the group. He is an orphaned boy whose mode of survival is via stealing. He lives with his grandfather who is a barber. Voltron is the daredevil who is willing to try almost everything to survive. Jim is married with children but does not have a stable source of income so he escapes the reality through drug intoxication. Noel is a college student who learned how to take things from their house and sell them to sustain their vice.

All four encountered tragedies which none of them was able to solve. Their lives have gone “stinking bad” but it was almost rotten when they realized it. The friends struggled to pull each other up in the hopes that they are not too late for redemption.

This is Bob Ong’s first attempt to fiction. And as usual, it’s a short-story written in Tagalog. As I read the lives of the four main characters, I said to myself that their situations can be really compared to fecal matter. The analogy is evident and touching to the point of being disturbing. Yet, albeit fictional, I could say that the stories of the protagonists do exist in the Philippines.

The story is tragic and sometimes morbid. But I guess if ones situation is comparable to the end-product of digestion, there could be no better ending to it. In any part of the world, society views thugs as trash, regardless of what brought these people to be one. In third world countries, poverty is almost always the primary cause and it is vividly portrayed in this book.

The thugs of our society, however we get rid of them, would always return and be around. "MacArthur". This book is timely and socially relevant. However, it does not offer solutions. It just tells us that these tragedies are real; they are out there in the minefields of life. Bob Ong probably wants to convey that if your situation goes really deep shit, there’s no other way but expulsion. Out you go. He could have identified a number of solutions to this problem but nobody knows for sure which is right. Who are we to judge such persons anyway?

MacArthur is an easy and quick read. But mind you, it could be heavy, disturbing, and even disgusting. Bob Ong is yet to hone his crafts as a fiction writer, should he decide to be one. If you’re curious, go ahead and get a copy. But I can’t really say you would like it. I don’t like it, but I don’t hate it as well.

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

It feels great to finally bookblog again. Work has been keeping me from reading and blogging. Now that I’m actually composing a write-up, the feeling is exhilarating.

I think I have mentioned in my previous notes that I am a member of TMC’s Reading Club. One of the books we discussed was C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. This was my first introduction to Lewis’ literary works. Clive Staples Lewis (1898 – 1963) was one of the literary giants of his era. The Chronicles of Narnia was one of his famous works.

The Screwtape Letters is the correspondence between Screwtape, one of Hell’s higher ranking devils, and Wormwood, his nephew and student. Each letter sent by Screwtape is filled with lessons and sermons on temptation and how to ensure a person’s soul to Hell.

A friend of mine found this book boring. Come to think of it, yes, it could be boring. The book is not storytelling. All you could read are plainly letters of Screwtape to Wormwood, a one-way conversation from uncle-to-nephew, teacher-to-student. The lives of the persons they are tempting were vaguely and briefly described. Worse is you can’t find a single reply of Wormwood to his uncle.

In spite of the manner in which this book was written, I found it funny, striking, intriguing, and clever. C. S. Lewis is a genius. Have you encountered a person viewing Christianity from the devil’s perception? I haven’t, not until after reading this book. Screwtape addressed Satan as “Our Father Below”. He named God as “The Enemy”. He also talked about worst spirits of their kind -- devils far deeper in the “Lowerarchy.” Here are some excerpts:

“Men or nations who think they can revive the Faith in order to make a good society might as well think they can use the stairs of Heaven as a shortcut to the nearest chemist’s shop.”

“He (the Enemy) wants men, so far as I can see, to ask very simple questions; is it righteous? Is it prudent? Is it possible? Now if we can keep men asking ‘is it in accordance with the general movement of our time? Is it progressive or reactionary? Is this the way that history is going?’ they will neglect the relevant questions.”

“Provided that meetings, pamphlets, policies, movements, causes, and crusades, matter more to him than prayers and sacraments and charity, he is ours – and the more ‘religious’ (on those terms) the more securely ours.”

"To claim to equality, outside the strictly political field, is made only by those who feel themselves to be in some way inferior."

If you are interested, brace yourself for you may find this uniquely and cleverly written book dragging and pathetic. I say this because yes, there are boring chapters. But it did not hinder me from appreciating it. I give Screwtape 4/5 stars from Hell!