bethgstories

  Sahara Sevilla works efficiently as an ESL instructor. Despite the fact that what she wanted was to write news and feature articles and do interviews. Regardless of what her Judgmental Titas say about her inability to do the things she’s supposed to do. Besides, she has the 100 percent support of her overprotective parents and witty friends. One drunken night leads her to the mighty handsome Danilo Almendras, a resident neurologist that lives next door. He was smart and nice and doesn’t have the time to date. As much as Sahara doesn’t want to get involved with him with the little time they have together, Dan gives her the comfort and the kind of certainty she never thought she needs. So when she got promoted to work in South Korea, she was torn. She knew it was time to be more independent and prove The Judgmental Titas they were wrong about her all along. But is she really willing to take all that in exchange for something that’s obviously more important to her? And if she isn’t,...

Cheaters have no right to be happy. I'm not bitter, okay? I'm just triggered by the cliche yet mainstream storyline Sa Wakas presented. This Pinoy rock musical was actually shown last year, and I could no longer remember the reason why I missed it. Thankfully, there's a farewell run this year where I finally took the opportunity to see it and decide whether it was really worth raving about. The show I've seen had Vic Robinson instead of Pepe Herrera. Both actors are equally great, I think. They played the role of Topher (did I spell it right?) the great, cheating scum. The music is great, no questions asked. Sugarfree is one of the OPM bands whose music conquered the FM stations across the country, and it heavily reminded me of my graveyard shift nights when I'd listen to the radio on the bus and in cabs. There were songs I didn't even know were sung by them. No, I didn't necessarily have them on my playlist since my playlist consists of hits fr...

It was only two weeks ago when I realized I don't own a single pair of black shoes. No, I do not have an imeldific shoe rack (though I'd love to have one) and most of my shoes shout comfort and they're all laid back. I read somewhere that girls should have at least a pair of black shoes. Maybe I am not a girl. Or maybe, I am not THAT girl. The kind of shoes I wear has a back story. Myasthenia gravis is a neuromuscular disorder which I was diagnosed with in 2012, and wearing high-heeled shoes would be suicide since you lose your balance and coordination at some point. Flats, ballet shoes and sneakers (I looove Converse) were my ultimate surviving buddies and all of them can be worn with my cute dresses. I've been to places wearing comfy shoes, but as much as I've learned to love my cute and comfy get-up, circumstances proved that there's much more I could go to if I'd try to wear ladies shoes. After my thymectomy, I decided that my body, especially m...

Si isn't like the Bob Ong books I've read in the past. Gone were the comical words with satirical context. Gone were the portrayals and constant references to the society where we exist. Instead, I've read about love, hope and faith, the two sides of these three, and the power of both sides to make or break the person within us. Love is the most powerful thing ever existed on the face of the earth. No, you can't touch it, nor you can see it. It's the only kind of ideal matter that gives you a thousand more feelings. The feeling of being able to soar up the skies and live your dreams. The feeling of being able to conquer and defeat anything that tries to break you and put you down. The feeling of being able to give everything you have, despite your weakness and incompleteness. It is only love that makes you recognize the missing piece of yourself despite your wholeness. It fills you up even if you're already adequate, yet you'd never be more than ...

If you were to sing at your ex's wedding, what song are you gonna choose? This is one of the "supposedly" funny memes circulating on Facebook, and as much as I wanted to give my answer in the comments section, I didn't want to spark controversy (in case the exes were also lurking in that thread). But here, allow me to let go of my restraint and answer the question. The song would be I'll Remember, sung by Madonna. I guess it's pretty much straightforward, because why not? Let's face it - no one really forgets their exes, unless you happen to be one of those people who got involved with more than your fingers could count. Besides, this song is totally relatable to just about, well, everyone. It tells something about the truth, about changes, about love and about learning to let go. Truth begins when all lies end. And heaven only knows how many lies your ex has told you. When he said he was supposed to work overtime but he's out there ha...

If I was dragged back in time, maybe I'd look for other things I never noticed before. Things that could make a much better impact towards my present self. But of course, I wouldn't have come up with this hadn't I read this book. At first I thought this is another YA love story, given the way it looks. But no. Proof of Forever teaches us about friendship, the validated reasons why we, more often than not, lose it, and what we could've done to keep it. As I grew older (and maybe, wiser), I realized that grown up friendships are complicated. I didn't really understand what makes them so, but lately I find myself thinking about the people I used to call friends, and how come I'm not talking to them anymore. It's almost as if I already forgot the basics on how to make friends, or maybe, life happened. Friendships require us to be completely honest , but sometimes as much as we want to give a hundred percent honesty, some things prevent us from...

Facebook just reminded me that today, one year ago, I saw Mula sa Buwan. It was the first musical I've seen last year, and the one that still affects me until today. I'm not sure if it was because of the fact that Ultimate Crush saw it too and we both like it, or because Nicco Manalo was a super magnificent Cyrano. But I know for a fact that the songs seared a mark in my head and in my heart, making sure I wouldn't forget about them for a long time. The CD was sold during its February shows and some of the songs were also released on Spotify not so long ago. Believe me when I say that these songs effectively motivated me to finish the book that I'm writing (more about this later). Though I love listening to the entire album, there are a few songs that made it to my mixtape, the always-on-repeat playlist. 1. Ikaw. Imagine being compared to the beautiful sunrise - so warm and bright (uhmm, did I just quote a Moffatts song?) Lovely and heartwarming, right? Can...