bethgstories

I long ago stopped watching dramas for escapism - most of the time, I binge-watch to remind myself that there is more to life than articles and ads and endless social media scrolling. But I am in constant search of light, toe-curling romance because this spicy piece of property hasn’t been cuffed yet and maybe it’s gonna be that way for a very long time. That’s how I discovered this jdrama - Momoiro Anzurio Sakurairo (Colors of Romance) is only six episodes and it quenched my thirst for romance. Most comments would say that the premise is good but it lacks and execution. I would say maybe I enjoyed this drama because its execution is unusual and something I haven’t seen in the romance stories I encountered in the past.  Kuroda Tetsuya (Kizu Takami) looks like a dream - and maybe that’s one of the reasons why Kawakami Anzu (Okunaka Makoto) felt an instant connection to him when they saw each other the first time. That and the fact that he saw her in her raw, unfiltered version. It hap

This post may be too late but I had to remove the carousel I uploaded on Instagram for aesthetic purposes. So here I am, sharing with you (once again) my June reads, and this time, this post is going to be here for good or for as long as this domain is alive .  1. The Premonition, Banana Yoshimoto This book has a magnificent prose. I love the way the words were weaved they sound almost lyrical. I wonder if it was the translator or the author, but it doesn't matter. The siblings gave me some Autumn In My Heart vibe it weirded me out in the beginning, but overall, I was entertained. Maybe I am Yukino in some life aspects. In that case, I desperately want my Masahiko! 😂 2. Idol Burning, Rin Usami Fandoms feel like a sensitive topic - they are so powerful and scary that they can make or break my internet existence. When Goodreads recommended this to me and discovered it was about fangirling, I didn't hesitate to read it.  Because I, too, am a fangirl.  Read my full review of this

There might be spoilers ahead. After the enjoyable experience Revenge has given me, naturally my thought process is to read another book from the same author. With Yoko Ogawa, there are a lot of books to choose from, and I chose Hotel Iris as my next read. My reason being 1) there's another Hotel Iris in one of the books on my reading list and 2) why the hell not?  Hotel Iris is such a short read, and if it was another book, I might have finished it in one sitting too. But no, it was a challenge to digest. I had to put it down in some parts where I felt uncomfortable, and somehow tried to find an acceptable reason why a 17-year-old naive girl would want to spend time with a 67-year-old experienced man... except for the fact that she was a teenager and when teenagers think they're in love they would go heaven and hell and beyond rationality. At one point it felt like I was watching a Japanese adult video (no babe, stop pretending you haven't seen one), especially during t

Fandoms feel like a sensitive topic - they are so powerful and scary that they can make or break my internet existence. When Goodreads recommended Idol Burning and I discovered it was about fangirling, I didn't hesitate to read it.  Because I am a fangirl.  I spent most of my teenage years swooning over good-looking men who didn't even know me. Faces of strangers hung on my wall and each of them was part of my every night prayer. Their music was my after-class devotion and MTV was my salvation on days when trigonometry proved to be so much harder than it seemed. I collected teen magazines, compiled interviews, pasted cut-outs of their songs into a binder, and placed them on my bedside table. I recorded their singles from the radio and made mixed tapes that I would play depending on my mood, my emotional needs, and the weather. Life revolved around those men, and I would often daydream, what if... what if Nick Carter really married me.  Akari didn't have any romantic feelin

The Pinoy Indie Authors (PIA) reimagined once again. After the successful Manananggal In the City , they were at it again, this time featuring the Tamawo, and this time, I was there not as a spectator but rather, one of the authors. Tamawo or Tamao is a mythological creature of Philippine mythology. They are believed to be malevolent but extremely handsome with very pale skin to white skin that sparkles under direct sunlight, they also have light colored hair, and fangs. They reside primarily near the sea or any body of water. Their Western counterpart would be the Germanic Elves. They are said to abduct any human female that catch their eye. They do this for one purpose: to breed with them. It is also believed that their saliva is some kind of aphrodisiac or has that similar property/ healing property. Tamawos are more commonly known as engkanto, and I've heard a lot of stories about them. I remember one of my older cousins used to say that if the hairs on your arms and legs are g