bethgstories

If there is one thing I regret doing in 2019, it's all the time I spent scrolling mindlessly on my social media apps. Baler, April 2019 2019 was supposed to be a year of adventures, new discoveries, and accomplishments. I wanted to meet new people, visit new places, sit on a new table dining, and try to do things I've never done before. The first weeks of the year were full of excitement and hope, as I thought of the stories I'd be sharing about the new things I would learn. But I guess I wasn't meant to do all that. Instead, 2019 became a year of self-discovery, discernment, and cultivating my existing relationships with other people. Work peepz. Only two people in this photo are still in the company. Guess who! College friends, February 2019 I've read somewhere that if you do not have the need to filter the words you say, it means you're with the right people. I proved this to be true, on so many levels. I learned to accept the fact that I...

There's not much that I know about the Himala film of 1982, except for one, the main lead was Nora Aunor; two, it was written by Ricky Lee; and three, the film is constantly played in local TV stations during the Holy Week. When I saw the poster of the musical I got thrilled, and told myself that I should see it after 2 musicals slipped off me. Plus it's a Ricky Lee classic. So I got myself a ticket to one of the shows during the opening week. Turns out, it's going to be one of the best things I forced myself into.  The venue isn't that huge - I suppose the PowerMac Center Spotlight can hold not more than 500 people. The audience surrounded the stage, kinda like what they did in Si Saldang, Si Marvin at ang Halimaw ng Gabi that reminded me of the classroom-held plays back in high school. The performers didn't require lapels and microphones, and there was only a single piano that accompanied their powerful theatrical voices. They didn't have makeup (m...

Right Where You Left Me is my latest release to date – I introduced it to the world in April last year, two days after my birthday. It was supposed to be for a workshop but I wasn’t able to finish it on time. While I must say that I had so much fun writing this book, needless to say, the making of this book was actually more challenging than doing all my other books combined. The inspiration Just like If I Knew Then, some people in this book exist in real life. Dan Almendras is based on Dr. Danni Diestro, the neurologist behind my successful battle against myasthenia gravis. He gave me full consent to do this, provided insights on a day in the life of a resident doctor and even gave me the permission to use one of his adorable graduation photo as the book cover, courtesy of the UPCM Collective. Sahara Sevilla is based on the female lead of that random Thai romantic comedy movie I saw on Facebook (yes, on Facebook) one lazy, rainy afternoon. The lady was an ESL instructor an...

If I Knew Then is my first self-published book in print – it was released back in October 2016. After almost 3 years, I can still remember the euphoria that washed over me. I mean, it wasn’t the first book that was published in print under my name, but it’s definitely one of the projects I did that required me more energy, sleepless nights and midnight coffee. You know that feeling of giddyness and excitement and butterflies in your stomach when you finally see the successful fruition of all your hardwork along with the blood, sweat and tears spilt? That feeling. Amazing, right? The new cover. Photography by Nathan Hill featuring his wife, Nicole Hill. The inspiration I wrote this book in honor of my high school girl friend Nicole, who became the official beta-reader of all my books eversince I started going indie. I’ve always talked about writing a story based on her character, as most of the stories I wrote when we were teenagers featured me, my crushes and the people I hate ...

Kasie West has to be one of the contemporary young adult authors who writes interesting plots. I read The Fill-In Boyfriend a couple of years back, and that’s why I picked By Your Side as one of the items to complete my NBS Thank You Sale book haul. I just knew this decision would never let me down. And yes, it didn’t. What is it about? The plot couldn’t be more typical at first until the conflict unfolds in just a few more pages. 17-year old Autumn Collins got trapped in the public library on a long weekend. No phones, no computers, no means of communication to the outside world. How this no-communication-to-the-outside-world thing happened is kind of unfathomable, given the fact that she’s in – technically – a research facility. Apparently it happens and the reasons for this were actually well-established. The second game changer is that she discovers she wasn’t alone. Dax Miller , a guy that no one knows but goes to her school was also trapped in there. He’s dark and mysterio...

This book heavily reminded me of David Levithan’s Everyday series. Stahler actually released this book in 2009 and I wonder if A’s story is based on the heganger . What is it about? We all know what a doppelganger is, but this book has a far more morbid idea of what a doppelganger is all about. The book is about a teenager who refers to himself as a monster–he is a doppelganger, a shapeshifter that kills humans and takes the physical appearance of their victim. But this teenage heganger is totally different from the ruthless, heartless monster that he is supposed to be. As he assumes the body and the life of a teenage boy, he is suddenly confronted with complex human emotions and caught himself dealing with them like a normal human being does. He doesn’t have anything else but himself He doesn’t have a name, his mom said their likes don’t need or even deserve one. So he calls himself just that, a heganger. I could understand how he could probably handle mingling with other hu...

Here’s to a not-so-cozy cozy coffeeshop I’ve been to, in the middle of a crowded mall, Zoo Coffee. Welcome to Zoo Coffee No, it’s not the first time I went here, and heaven knows (along with my plot bunny vault) how many stories Nicole and I have formulated in this place, just like what we did in Lucca. Or how many copies of my books I’ve sold and handed to my friends over cups of coffee on its wooden tables. Or how many lonely afternoons I’ve spent here thinking about my life and my long term plans even though I totally suck at planning, just like what I was probably doing the evening I went there. It was a Thursday night, and as much as I wanted to go home and call it a day, I went there in hopes of clearing out my clouded head. I was supposed to get one of their pastas, but I wasn’t feeling the salted egg spaghetti which was the only thing left on the menu, so I settled for dessert. I remember just how overwhelming their waffles were, both it terms of serving and inexpensi...

The moment I closed this book, I want to strangle Macie Merrik and all the likes of her. It was in 2015 when I got absorbed in reading YA books about bullying that resulted to self-harm and suicide. I read every Goodreads recommendation that I could find and tried to imagine what sort of self-satisfaction these bullies get in bringing their poor target over the edge. How come they’re getting away with this? How come this is not okay but it’s happening every day? I Swear is one of the books that made my TBR list some 4 years ago. At the time, it felt like a classic – a teenager (Leslie Gaitlin) killed herself because of the unrelenting bullying she received the past 3 years of her school girl life. Parents are pressing charges so who’s to blame when the bullying goes too far? Written in four POVs The book is written in alternating POVs of Beth, Katherine, Jillian, and Jake. Too bad we won’t be able to see what’s in the ringleader, Macie Merrik’s mind, which I think would be fu...

I love rainy days, and if the word pluviophile is legit, then I’ve found a new word to describe myself. The white sound that is the raindrops on my roof at night, the cold breeze that makes me pull the covers tighter around me, and the smell of the morning after when I open the window mixed with the aroma of coffee are some of my life’s greatest pleasure, I kid you not. And it’s going to be a lot better if there’s a good book I could curl up with and a cup of coffee in front of me. You may have read these books too, but if not, this is definitely an entry for you. I still have a box of books I haven’t read yet, brought about by the number of book sale hauls I did the past years (MIBF 2017, Book Binge Bazaar 2018, Power Books Supersale 2019, etc.). While I find the time to sort them by genre and maybe arrange them using the Dewey Decimal System, let me tell you about some of my recommended books perfect for a cozy, rainy day in bed. Ang Bahay Ni Marta. I've always wondered what ...

Source He was smart and nice. He’s one of the better people to talk to simply because he has that depth, something you’ve learned to expect from people you spend most of your free time with. Plus, you could use some company. The past few months have been cruel and heartbreaking and a new friend is a breath of fresh air. He was definitely a welcome change to the gut-wrenching truth you’re learned about some people who you treated as friends, that not all of them would stand by your side when everything else fails. His place in your life quickly elevated. You told your friends he’s just one of them—a friend, but you perfectly know that deep within you, he wasn’t. He was that guy you know you’d want to spend more time with, maybe share a dream or two, a thought or two. Still, you tried to guard your heart. It wasn’t so long ago when it was broken and mended, and you understand that you can’t give your still-bruised-though-slightly heart to this person. At least not yet. He deserves ...

I always misspell BANH MI, forgive me. Banh Mi Kitchen has been one of my go-to favorites whenever I need that quick fix of a no-rice heavy meal. There’s only two branches I know of—the one in Pearl Drive where I would normally go since it’s near my workplace and the other one is in SM Megamall and I’m not even sure if it’s still there. This signature Vietnamese sandwich is something that everyone should try because in my opinion, it’s healthier and more socially acceptable when it came to quality and price. Let’s take a closer look of what it is made of. The bread. I’ve read somewhere that white bread is bad. They provide excess calories and since they are pre-sliced and packaged, they mostly consist of highly-processed simple carbs that is digested quickly and do not really provide many nutrients (Medical News Today, 2017). This Vietnamese baguette which is most probably average pre-packaged white bread is so crunchy the sound will make your forget the bad things in ev...

Not all exes are the same—I mean, your former boss is also an ex, right? I get it. It’s not every day we’re motivated to go to work. Yuppie flu really does exist… and it’s when you wake up in the morning to your alarm clock (sometimes before that), and you sit in the bed or maybe stare at the ceiling for several minutes trying to decide upon the reasons why you have to drag yourself up and get ready for work. All the reasons you come up with are perfectly valid, but at the back of your head you’re trying to justify just why they’re not valid at all and how you deserve to just stay in bed all day. Yup, I call it yuppie flu. I’ve been to a total of 4 employers my entire working life, including the one where I’m currently employed. That means I’ve submitted 3 resignation letters, and the last one was handed in because I was dying, literally. Every ending has a story before that, and resignation letters are just the same. If my high school book report has 5 major parts, I have 5...

Oh yes, for once the traffic wasn’t so bad—I got home much earlier than my usual ten-thirty. Of course, I was pretty excited because that meant I’d be able to work on some of my projects list. I just finished outlining another story, so I thought of adding more words to the actual manuscript or maybe finish a chapter. But I didn’t do that, not right away. Instead I rummaged my old file folders, lingered a bit in the short stories sub-folder, and found some hidden gems. There were short stories, all written several years ago that reminded me of how I used to write. Wordy. Conflicts that are no longer (maybe) socially acceptable. And they all involve accidents. I had no idea what to do with these back then. All I know is that, I wanted to write, and that I did. Plus, my frustrations toward the customers I handled during my long nights as a customer care specialist was just too much to behold I would sometimes just write them down. I put everything into words. I wrote when my hea...

I wrote I Still… in 2015, during the very first writing workshop I attended, #JustWritePH. This was by far the most generous workshop I attended, because it was free and didn’t require me anything but to attend the live session and it’s only if I wanted to ask questions to the speakers. The speakers were also great,   including Liana Smith-Bautista, Ria Lu of Komikasi, Mina Esguerra of #romanceclass, Ines Bautista-Yao of Summit Magazines—just to name a few. In this workshop I learned about loglines, narrative elements, the importance of beta readers, editing, publication, and even how to pick the right cover for your book. All of this while we were writing our story which we would eventually launch in its digital format as an output of the workshop. This book is technically the second book published under my name, followed by Come and Rescue Me which would be released October that same year. I could still remember how many nights I spent trying to somehow perfect the story. Nic...

Nicole introduced me to Lucca Bakery as she wanted their five-layer chocolate cake for her wedding. It became our “place” after that, where we’d catch up over cups of coffee, otherwise formulate scenes for my next story which usually involve our ultimate celebrity crushes and ourselves. But my girl has to leave, so I’d sometimes go there by myself, thinking of the good times and that’s when I would be able to play with words and write again.  The bakery has been there for years now, and the only branch I know is located at SM Megamall. This place is perfect for grown-up catch ups (when you gossip with class) and I sincerely believe it was built in a way that would encourage people to talk to each other rather than hide behind their laptops and consume a single cup of americano for their six-hour stay. With its variety of excellent food in affordable prices, I think this is the place where everyone in the barkada belongs, when all of them are tired of fast food and the line...

Should I get up now? Wait, it’s still dark outside, I can still have like, seven minutes, right? Should I go to work today, though? What if I just call in sick? After all, I feel very sick and exhausted right now… and it’s for tomorrow. Oh yes, these malicious thoughts cloud my mind, if not all the time, then most of the time when I wake up and think about going to work. I believe most of us have gone through this most daunting decision every working person has to make. The decision that could make or break your career, depending on the circumstances. When I was working in the call center industry, this was something I always ask myself in front of the mirror as I brush my hair and put on my eyeliner. Should I go to work today? Surprisingly, the answer is always yes. Should we go to work today? Starting your day right I’m not really sure what it means to “start your day right”. Is it watching gruesome news while having your morning coffee? Or smi...