Too hot!
Sizzling hot!
Nathan Grant's and Victoria Bennett's romance escapade is not for the faint of heart, and I would not recommend this book for humans under 21 years old, both for males and females.
Tempting Victoria is a new adult novella written by Filipino author Mina V. Esguerra. I already read some of her books and most of them are sweet and clean romance. The best read I got from her works is That Kind of Guy, and finishing Tempting Victoria made me think that her style did mature as time passes by. It is a short read with a bonus story Kissing Day, about Chris and Diana.
Not so long ago, I made a rule that I would not, temporarily, read books with sexual tensions. After almost a year, the rule expired this week. I needed an ice breaker as I read Paulo Coelho's book set. Following Dear Alex, We're Dating. Tama, Mali?! Love, Catherine, Tempting Victoria is my second break.
Just like any other books I read from Mina V. Esguerra, I enjoyed reading Nathan's and Victoria's romance. There's a lot of teasing, kissing, and sex, and they could not deny the physical attraction between them. I just sighed whenever they gave in to their desires. The female lead, Victoria Bennett, is projected as someone who is capable and in control of her choices in life, but not until when it comes to falling for our male lead, Nathan Grant, he, on the other hand, is a chic magnet and who loves to have sex with women whom he finds attracted to him.
Vic tried to deny Nathan, but she just could not do that. How is that even be possible? I kid you not.
Get a copy of the book, if you want to more about how they end up together despite all her rejections and denial. I was surprised Nathan did not give up on her. And again read this, if only you are 21 years old and above, and you are not faint-hearted, alright?
Though I would prefer it if they got married first, before doing it, and I know how primitive my idea is, but that is just a thought from me.
I'm coming out! I'm coming out. I want the world to know. I've got to let it show!
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| Selfie was taken circa 2015 |
I am beginning to open up myself to others. Slowly, gradually, I am stepping out to make another debut in the world of society. But this time I am not doing it alone. I have someone greater than anyone has ever lived. I have someone who is all-powerful. I have someone who never runs out of love for me. He never fails me. But I did many times, I failed Him. But He forgives me always. He even sacrificed himself to save me from death. He is my salvation, my redeemer. His name is Jesus. The Son of God.
Last 2019, things got messy in my life. I was broken. Crushed. I was seeing death as something trivial yet scary. All my possessions, what I had achieved were temporary things I could lose any time. I realized there were things I could not control or even change, more so death.
I had this thought that the pain and grief I felt would be easily gone if I just die, and that was an easy way out. I gave up fighting. Because I always only got hurt. People did not like me or what I do. They rejected me, the real me. I was not good enough and all of us would just die anyway, so why even try to live? If you live, you will just die. Life was meaningless, pointless, even hopeless.
I was withdrawing from physical reality.
I was living to die. I was...
But, then...
Someone pulled me back to life. He sent angels through people who might know me or not. A divinely orchestrated plan led me back to The One who loved me first. To Him who always chased me. To Him who never let me down.
To my LORD.
I lost to surrender my life to Him and learned a lot and still learning and re-learning a lot about Him. I love Him, yet I know that He loves more and more, deeper than the depth of the sea. My brokenness works just like what Romans 8:28 says: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose."
I was no longer a slave to my pain, grief, guilt, and shame. I am free. I no longer carry a heavy burden, because Jesus said in Matthew 11:30, "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." And He brings me genuine peace, the kind of peace Paul said in Philippians 4:7, "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Now, that I know the lengths, the heights, and the depths of God's love for me I no longer have the idea of wrong love, the kind of love this world projects and humans unconsciously acquire.
Matthew 22:39 says "And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself," --love others as you love yourself, see? You must love yourself the right way first, God's way, before you express the right kind of love to others. Knowing God and having an intimate relationship with Him will give us more opportunities to learn more about the kind of love He wants us to have and to share with others. How to do that? Own a Bible. Read His words. Talk to Him. Pray to Him.
Some of my Learn to's to better love yourself the right way.
1. Learn to say no
We have that tendency to always yes, even though we want to say no. I think we have that innate mechanism wherein we often do things to please other people. We take pride in saying yes all the time. We do not want to let down other people because they have some expectations, if not too much. As I became an adult, I thought I have to please every single person around me. I was so afraid to disappoint them, though I acted like I did not care I was so scared to be hated by people.
I always wanted to make a facade that I was capable of doing anything assigned to me. I was trying to act like I was a jack of all trades due to the fact that I was so afraid that others might say I was useless. That's why I had a habit of saying yes if someone was asking me for a favor.
So, next time someone asks you for something let's say a favor, it would not be so bad if you take your time and think about it before giving a response. Instead of pressuring yourself and letting others down might as well consider it first. It will be hard in the beginning, you may feel guilty and think of yourself as a bad person. But you'll get through it, pray for it.
2. Learn to take it slow
Do not rush yourself. If something needs to be done, let's say a task from work, give yourself time to think. Give yourself space. Breathe in, breathe out, before you start anything, whether it is work or personal task, much better if you even pray for it. Don't rush. Take it slow. You can pause and rest if things are tiring you down.
3. Learn to give not only take
I came from a poor family, so I tended to get stingy sometimes. I had this idea that I should keep more to myself since I did not have much. I did not hate giving, but I took more of what I could and what I should.
I thought if I kept more I would have more. Yet, in God's economy, this belief is so wrong. It is more like the more you give, the more you will be blessed. It will return to you ten folds, you will live abundantly. Spiritual and physical. You will not be lacking. He will supply all your needs. Needs, not want, alright?
So share what God has blessed you with, and always ask for discernment. We are born in this world with nothing, we will leave taking nothing. We are the stewards of all His creations. We should take care of them and never abuse them. Be more giving.
4. Learn to forgive yourself and others
Don't be hard on yourself. Lower your expectations. People make mistakes. People will disappoint me and you. You and I will disappoint others as well. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Be more forgiving to yourself and others. If God can forgive us, who are we to deny ourselves and others of forgiveness.
I have to learn and re-learn all of these because they take practice and discipline to make them a habit. The truth is we are still in our sinful nature, our own flesh reeks of sin. It is hard for a naturally bad-nature human to be good without learning and discipline. It takes habits to form a character, a good one. Despite the messy parts of our lives, God did not forsake us. He sent someone to save us so we can return to our original form. God loves me. Period. So be sure to love yourself, the way God does.
So, again, who else will love you? None other than, but Jesus, certainly, eternally. Accept Him in your life and you will never be the same.
Where do you get that extra cash during this lockdown?
A lot of Filipinos lost their source of income due to the CoViD pandemic. I know that most of us are looking for a job to have an extra income to support our family's basic needs, and the online world posts a lot of potentials where people can earn money.
Right now, I have two sources of extra income where I earn not much, but just enough for what my family and I need. I sell online and write reviews.
1. Online selling
I have an account on Shopee which sells brand new and pre-loved books. It also has a small physical store near our house. I started my independent book store last August 2018. The physical book store is not frequent by people, since only a few know it, probably it is just me and the rest of the family. I get my sales more on Shopee, sometimes through Facebook or Carousell. Last time, I checked the sales I already earned and spent 33,000 pesos something in a span of a year (excluding the sales thru FB and Carousell) which do not really cash on hand thing, the digits are more of a system-generated sales report from Shopee. In short, I do not have the 33,000 pesos on my hand in case you are thinking that I have cold cash in my pocket. I have spent most of them, and keep the capital cycling as it serves its purpose.
Reading books is one of my hobbies, so I enjoy selling books. You may also find things around you which you can sell online. Some of my friends are also selling online through Facebook and Instagram. They sell make-up and pre-loved clothes, bags, and footwear. Maybe now is perfect for you to clean and organize your stuff and declutter while earning a few pesos at the same time.
2. Review writing
I came across a post in one of the bookish group I am affiliated with on Facebook. The post advertised about a writing job with average earnings of 5,000 to 10,000 pesos. I am usually skeptical of this kind of post online, they appear fraud to me. Clicking the message button, I still had doubts in me. I sent interest and I got a reply right away. I was tasked to write a short review of 120 words of the latest book I read which was The Alchemist at that time.
Thank God, I got the job and earned almost 7,000 since April 20. And again I do not have the cash on hand. I already spent it on our basic needs. The job requires me to read books and write my impression of the story I read.
You may also find ways on how to earn online just like me. If you are good at drawing, someone may commission you. Or if you are also good at writing, you may find a job just like mine.
I am blessed that I earn from the things I love to do: reading and writing. You may never know as you scroll down on your Facebook or Instagram feeds with your smartphone or laptop, you might find a part-time just like how I did. Now is the time to start utilizing those gadgets for something profitable and helpful. I refer to the decent ways of using the internet to earn money, alright? Are we clear on that? And I pray that this post somehow helps you with what you are going through right now. Keep safe! God bless!
A gentle reminder: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. ~1 Timothy 6:10
Who doesn't love bubble milk tea?
I did. I was in love with it. I always wanted it. I craved for it ever since I got to taste the sweet drink and the chewy bubble pearl. I was delusional.
I thought just because it has the word tea, it was also healthy. But I was wrong.
The milk tea house has been a booming business all over the Philippines since 2017 or 18 and said to be originated from Taiwan, the same origin as Meteor Garden and the F4 fever.
I was a fanatic of bubble milk tea, but not until last 2019 at the beginning of the year. A doctor I met once advised me to stop drinking tea or milk tea, coffee, and soda, as well as eating chocolate due to the medication she gave me. I was banned from consuming chocolate and I hiatus from consuming my all-time favorite drink, bubble milk tea, for about a year and had few secret rendezvous with my lover bubble milk tea and chocolate at the beginning of my withdrawal.
There are a lot of unhealthy drinks in the market like soda, artificial fruit juice, and unauthentic chocolate drink, and milk tea just added to the list. These kinds of drinks are harmful to health if not consume moderately. These drinks contain mostly a lot of sugar, and when I say a lot, it is more than what our body needs. People may not easily and totally get away from these drinks since they are what the markets offer to its customer, and to be honest they are a lot much cheaper than those organic products we get to see online. Good thing I am not a fan of soda or any artificial fruit juice drink, but I was crazy for chocolate drinks and bubble milk tea.
This year 2020, I decided to look for an alternative and healthier choice of milk tea drink, and since I no longer taking that medicine after a month of doing so, now I can freely go back to drinking my all-time favorite, milk tea and tea alone. I list down two of my go-to healthy drinks and where to buy them:
1. Gold leaf tea bags
Gold Leaf Teas is the largest local hot tea brand in the Philippines, bringing world-class premium teas to the home of every Filipino at unbeatable prices!
I get to purchase quality tea bags for an affordable price from them. They offer a wide variety of tea. I prefer getting my supplies of tea from Gold Leaf Shopee store since they always have discounts.
Drinking tea is good for my tummy. If I feel bloated, I just have to drink tea and I get to release the air trapped in my stomach. It has calming effect and also known as an antioxidant to help you remove the toxins brought by harmful elements in our bodies.
If you want to try drinking tea, you may click the link to visit Gold Leaf online store: https://shopee.ph/gold_leaf
2. Celestial Milk Tea
Celestial Milk Tea is your heavenly milk tea. It's healthy and affordable for the price of 195 pesos per liter. They have three different flavors, all sugar-free: winter melon, Okinawa, and salted caramel. Instead of using the mainstream milk available in the market, CMT uses 100% carabao milk in making their tea. Their milk tea has lower cholesterol, higher calcium, and energy booster. A healthier choice for all the milk tea lovers out there!
Other benefits of carabao milk are that it contains riboflavin needed for normal growth, the agent against skin swelling, inflammation of the lining of mouth and tongue, and dizziness. It also has vitamin A for good eyesight, and vitamin D, calcium, and phosphorus for strong bones and teeth.
Aside from milk tea, pure carabao milk is also available from them and can be purchased for 219 pesos per liter. It is much cheaper than buying from the ones I saw on Shopee.
You may visit their page and message to order your very first heavenly milk tea:
So, have you decided what to put in your glasses next time you crave a flavored drink? I hope you will make the right choice and you may also suggest what other healthy yet affordable drink I should try next time. May we all choose a healthier way of living this 2020! Keep safe!
Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and in any way affiliated with any of the products mentioned above.
Are you still waiting for God's best?
How long have you been single?
Are you getting tired and impatient sometimes just like me?
Three decades have already passed in my life and I have never been in a romantic relationship. I just turned 30 this year last April. Calling myself as NBSB (No Boyfriend Since Birth) is wearing me out at this point, and I would never ever want to mention that infamous acronym for inexperienced women such as myself. I once heard from a professor in my graduate studies that individuals who have not been in a relationship are abnormal. I do not know how much truth is there, but probably he has a point, and the way he said it just sounded harsh.
Some people around me keep on saying that I am too old to be an NBSB, maybe it is because they are concern that I might end up as an old maid--alone in my old age. It hurts me to hear them say that because the truth hurts, and I know that it is possible. But I try to brush off the pain of reality.
So if you have the same experience as mine, even in just a tiny bit. Maybe you will learn to love this book as much I do.
Dear Alex, We're Dating. Tama, Mali?! Love, Catherine is a guidebook for dating by Alex Gonzaga. Aside from writing, the author is a multimedia artist: actor, singer, host, and a content creator in her well-loved Youtube channel. It is written in Taglish and in a conversational style which makes the book easy to read as if I am actually talking to the author herself.
In case you are wondering about the contents of the book, here is the gist of what to expect from this guidebook.
I assure you that you'll be satisfied with all the practical and witty tips from Alex Gonzaga's personal experiences on the dating. I like the transparency and authenticity of this book and admire the author's courage in sharing something so private and sensitive matter to the readers.
While I am already 30 years old, I must say this guidebook still applies to me because of my lack of experience. Moreover, young people should read this before they even think of or start dating.
Teenagers, you all should read this. I demand you to read Dear Alex, We're Dating. Tama, Mali?! Love, Catherine. Please. This is for your own good. I promise.
I love the author for sharing advice that is not just practical, but also spiritual. Right now, Jesus is my boyfriend. And I am not closing the door, if God wills it, then The One will certainly come. In God's time. In God's way.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
I believe in angels. Do you?
So following my read-a-thon of Paulo Coelho's The Deluxe Collection, I just finished reading my fourth book from the book set, which is The Valkyries.
I have known the term Valkyries from the Mythology lessons in my high school days. It is part of Norse mythology and I recognize them as similar to gods and goddesses. They are allegedly supernatural beings in Norse myth.
I didn't want to preempt my expectation of this book because of its predecessor. I read The Zahir before The Valkyries, and to tell you the truth I do not like some ideas from the book, but I will never recommend The Zahir not to be read. I enjoyed reading it, I love the whole journey that comes along with the book.
Going back to the book at hand, The Valkyries is a book of faith. Paulo, the writer himself, is also the main protagonist of the novel along with her wife, Chris. Most of the details are based on the author's personal experience with little ingredients of fiction to smoothly lay down the idea of the story.
The experience of reading this book confronted me with my very own stake in faith. Have I believed enough? Have I truly surrendered everything to the LORD? Have I sincerely accepted His forgiveness through Jesus Christ? Do angels really exist? Have I talked to my angel or have I even seen one? Provoking thoughts that will make you hold on to this book at the very end.
Paulo and Chris are on a mission to see and be able to talk to their angels. It was originally only Paulo's desire to see and be able to converse to his angel, but his wife, Chris, was drawn gradually to the whole journey and conspiracy of meeting an angel.
Desert has always played a significant role in Coelho's works. Just like in this novel, it is a supernatural place where supernatural things can happen. It is a double-edged sword, it has its danger and beauty. One of the magnificent creation of God where angels would likely appear, where miracles most probably transpire. It is a sacred place of mystery and conspiracy.
The Valkyries in the story are women who travel and dwell in the desert. They are women of liberty. Wild and free are how others perceive them, lesbians, even. But they are not. They live a life of purpose. Others might never understand it, but there are great fulfillment and freedom in living out your purpose without submitting to what the current society calls normal. Others might even say they are insane.
There is a world beyond what we can see right now. The spiritual world is closer than we think. Its parallel existence to our current reality is more than authentic than we could ever imagine. There is a physical and spiritual war. What's persistently transpiring now beyond what our eyes can see is the spiritual war. Our soul can see it, yet it is corrupted by the sin of this world. We should receive the gift of free salvation through Jesus Christ, our LORD, accept Him, surrender our life, and be renewed in the power of the Holy Spirit, and all these are possible because God loves us. Because of love everything is possible, because of love, you and I will be freed from the corruption of this world and be able to come out victorious in this so-called spiritual war.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
Roses are red, violets are blue. Look me in the eyes and tell me you love me too.
I am not sure if my introduction makes sense but they just ran out of my mind and insisted to be written on this blog.
Contemporary poetry has a huge following in this modern era. Lang Leav, Michael Faudet, Rupi Kaur are a few to name international writers in the book category of prose and poetry. I read works from Lang Leav and Michael Faudet, but never Rupi Kaur, maybe one of these days I'll get to read my e-book copies of her book. Leav and Faudet's works are good.
There are few Filipino writers who also work on contemporary prose and poetry. I got to read some of them.
1. Maybe You'll Love Me When I'm Gone by Neil Jed Castro
This is the first book of Neil Jed Castro. I bought a copy from the Big Bad Wolf Manila 2020 in the ABS-CBN Publishing booth for a discounted price. It talks about the what-ifs when someone disappears in your life. I have my favorites and you can check them out in my review vlog about Maybe You'll Love Me When I'm Gone by Neil Jed Castro.
2. What If It's Too Late by Neil Jed Castro
My second book from Neil Jed Castro is What If It's Too Late? It is about love and regrets in life. I so love the covers of his books. I also made a review vlog of this book.
3. Shadowed Truths by Charlene Tinaza and Kim Derla
Shadowed Truths is an independently published prose and poetry book by Charlene and Kim. It presents the realities in life and mostly the harsh ones and how to accept and overcome them. Click here for a review vlog of this book.
4. The Last I'll Write About You by Dawn Lanuza
The Last Time I’ll Write About You is popular Filipino YA and romance writer Dawn Lanuza’s debut collection of poetry. Featuring beautiful, relatable poems about first love, this book is the perfect companion for anyone who has loved, lost and emerged anew.
I got an e-book copy from amazon.com. This collection of poems shows us the art of moving on from our first love, especially the unrequited and also the ones that did not last.
6. Before I Lose My Nerve (this is NOT about you) by Layla S. Tanjutco
If you’ve ever had your heart broken you would know that it takes courage to love again. Before I Lose My Nerve is a collection of poems about heartbreak, the journey to finding the courage to love again, and realizing the kind of love that one deserves.
I got this book for free from the author way, way back through amazon.com. Thank you, author! This book talks about moving on triumphantly from heartbreaks and people who let you down.
If you like other recommendations, I also wrote some prose and poetry books, they are available on Amazon Kindle except for Unspoken Words ni Olivia.
Let's plant plants!
Since I was a kid, I was exposed to gardening even though we live in an urban place.
I can still remember clearly when I was in elementary, we had a subject EPP or Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan. I think if translated in English the subject is called Home Economics and Livelihood Education. Tell me what you think, did I translate it correctly or not?
Well, this subject was where we had activities in gardening. By group, we were assigned a small lot to take care of and nurture. It was a rectangular lot of almost 10 by 2 feet, I think, I do not know how to convert the size in a square meter. Anyway, we prepared the soil with the use of a trowel and water and barricading it with the use of straw rope tied on a tulos, a piece of wood, in every corner of the lot. We also made our own trowel by using tin cans and a piece of wood for the handle.
It was our teacher, Mr. Yambao, who guided us throughout the process of gardening. Each group planted peanuts on their garden lot as for the signal of our teacher. Now that I realized it, it was one of my favorite subjects. I always looked forward to this class, we got dirt on our hands and even in our clothes, but it was an experience and essential lesson I would never forget. I always look back to this experience whenever I see gardens or farms, especially ones with edible plants.
Every summer or Christmas vacation, we used to visit my father's province in Nueva Ecija, and this place is known as the Rice Capital of the Philippines. With my sibling, cousins, titos and titas, I got to see a vast horizon of farm fields with grains and trees like mango and some others I could not name since they were far from me, and as always I am entranced with that kind of scenery.
Fast forward during this Extended Enhanced Community Quarantine, I tried planting. There is no much available space in our residency, so the best way is to do urban gardening. My father already has plants placed in recycled plastic containers. He has been gardening ever since I can remember. Mostly, we have ornamental plants and some trees like papaya, guyabano, bayabas, and alateris in some small available lot in our residence. I am amazed by my father's talent in gardening, one of his many.
Now, I am returning to gardening. During this pandemic, I realized the importance of reconnecting with nature, to God's creation, through the simple way of gardening at home. I am aware that I got to do this and other stuff because of the community quarantine due to the danger brought by CoVid-19, but I hope and pray it can be part of my new normal after lifting EECQ on May 15.
Seedlings are coming out. Seedlings! Truest in its flesh! I felt giddy and excited when I saw the two okra seedlings this morning. I could not believe they were actually sprouting. (Yay! Yey!) This is my second attempt, and they are growing. My first attempt failed, but my father knows much better when it comes to planting. He gave me some tips on how to plant seeds the right way. I am still waiting and looking forward to the other seeds to come out.
I got seeds for free from the City Agriculture Office - the City of Santa Rosa, Laguna through the office of Barangay Caingin City of Santa Rosa Laguna. They still have plenty of vegetable seeds. You can still drop a message on their Facebook to get some seeds for free so you can start your own planting journey.
Every time I water the plants, I try to talk to the plants either silently or verbally. Just this morning, I read some Bible verses to the seedlings, since watching #CLOY I was reminded that I must talk to the plants and say good things. Aren't Bible verses good words to say?
I did not like the love story in this book.
My third book from The Deluxe Collection of Paulo Coelho's books is The Zahir. The term in the book title is quite new to me. Zahir is something that is not used in an everyday conversation and I wonder what meaning lies behind the word. At the beginning of the book, it was defined what the title meant. So you better get a copy of this book and see for yourself.
I had high expectations with this book since it was a predecessor of Veronika decides to die, and it did not fail me after reading The Alchemist. To be honest I did not like the other philosophical views mentioned in the novel, specifically the ideas of marriage and sex. The narrator of the story felt like he was so casual in taking another woman in his life when he was not even sure if his wife was alive, kidnapped, or left him for good because he was such a scumbag. He had no idea of the reason behind the disappearance of his wife and he willingly accepted a new woman to bed with him. Other people would think this is something normal, but not for me. Other people would believe that being open-minded with that kind of relationship was a sign of maturity, but again, not for me. And the same goes with the missing wife, Esther, she wasn't even different from her husband. She was missing for two years and at the end of the story, I realized she was just the same as her husband. It was like they had an open marriage with those years they were apart, and I do not approve of practicing such.
Paulo Coelho himself appeared in my mind as the narrator of The Zahir whenever I read the story. I could not shake off the idea that it was him. That's just how I imagined the protagonist and it stayed like that until I finished the book. It took me a long time to finish the book since it was thicker than the previous two books I read from the same author. I concluded reading the book in a week probably with rests in between.
I almost put down the book because I was not fond of ideas the narrator was persistently showing me, but I did not let go of the book. I was entranced by the whole journey of finding the missing wife. The mystery behind the lost and found journey of the narrator was a stronghold for me to never read the book unfinished. The narrator brought me with him every step of the way in discovering everything behind the story of his missing wife. It felt like I was with him investigating and exploring the different possibilities in life as we delved into the energy of love. I felt him, all his struggles and confusions just to find and maybe get back his wife.
This kind of love story is never my cup of tea, nevertheless, I enjoy the story, and if time and circumstance permit me I will not hesitate to read the book all over again and relive the excitement and experiences with the narrator.
The Duterte Manifesto: Mag aral mula sa mga banat at mga talumpati ni PRESIDENT RODRIGO DUTERTE is published by ABS-CBN Publishing. I got this book from the Big Bad Wolf Manila 2020 book sale for 20 pesos. If I remember correctly, 145 pesos is the original price of the book. It was part of the bundle of 5 books for 100 pesos I bought from the ABS-CBN booth.
I read this book for just more than an hour. It was just a short read, but a meaningful one. I know DU30 a little better now, before I didn't care whether he lose or win the 2016 Philippine election. I am glad that God appointed him as the president, and under this pandemic CoVid-19, he is our president. I pray for his good health and may he continue to seek guidance and wisdom from God in making every decision for our country and every Filipino.
Read this book and get to know our president a little better. I promise it is worth your time.
This book isn't about dying even though Veronika decided to die.
Veronika decides to die is my second book from the works of Paulo Coelho from the box set The Deluxe Collection. The title is intriguing and relevant. I didn't hesitate to read it after the out of this world experience with the book The Alchemist.
I like Veronika. She is brave. People of society will call her eccentric, weird, or strange. She was mad for taking her own life. She was tired of the sameness she experienced every day in her life. At the age of 24, she felt like she already at the end of whatever. She had enough of her life on earth.
What's the purpose of life if you feel like you had enough bullshit of people around you? All the pretensions and prejudice of this wicked world is something worth to be thrown and burned in hell. This world is crazy. And as if life isn't as crazy as is the author, Paulo Coelho, offers us an eccentric, spiritual, mystical view of who is the real mad man in this world full of pretensions and greed for temporal things this doomed world offers.
Vitriol is a significant term in the story of Veronika decides to die. Dr. Igor connoted the term 'vitriol' as bitterness in layman's term. He believes that this is the cause of depression and other mental health. And his unsolicited experiment with Veronika proved that the cure to this entity called vitriol is the awareness of death or awareness of life. It means that if a person is aware of the feeling or truest existence of death or life, a person with depression or other mental health will have a better chance of overcoming and defeating such a dilemma.
Simply, bitterness begone. Let's be crazy and mad enough to live life to the fullest. Do not conform to the ways of this world. Do not submit to the wicked ways of this temporal reality. Be transformed and live your life according to His will!
Romans 12:2 says "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."
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