bethgstories

Comicbooks are expensive--at least that's what I believed growing up, so I left them to the more privileged kids. Besides, I've had my own share of excellent childhood memories. The past few years have been cruelly advanced though, and while most people my age get all hyped up and excited in social media about the upcoming sci-fi films based on the comicbooks they religiously followed over the years, I don't have a single clue about what's going on (thankfully I don't feel like an idiot because I know I don't have to). So when I received the email announcing we're going to watch Captain Marvel last Thursday as a treat from the office (they do this every month), I reluctantly hit the Yes, I'm going! button. And I hit it because who says no to free popcorn and hotdogs and Coke? I perfectly understand that I'm in no position to talk about how marvelous or superb the movie adapatation, or even how accurate it is. So this is not exactly a review, but basi...

Noli Me Tangere is my all-time favorite literary masterpiece after we dissected El Filibusterismo (its sequel) in senior high school. I guess that's how superb my Filipino teacher was in my junior year. I even went wholeheartedly, when she required the class to see the musical which, she would say after, had a lot of inaccuracies it was such a waste. Last Sunday, I came to see Noli Me Tangere The Opera, and it was such an experience to see Crisostomo Ibarra and Maria Clara come to life in the form of opera singers. I'm not gonna lie, I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't a musical, which I am a fan of. I would very much love to hear how the actors would deliver the romantic dialogues in Ang Suyuan Sa Isang Azo tea in non-operatic voices . I'd love to hear Salome's voice come to life when she said, "Tell me how you passed the day... hearing it from your lips will please me so much as though I have been with you," to Elias (but of course this migh...

I remember I told myself, "let's not buy YA books anymore because I think we're past that," but this book simply made it to my shopping bag as I hoarded some from the Power Books super sale. Inexcusable appears to be "that kind" of read, where you are confronted with questions of social significance and challenge you to use your moral compass. The prospect of reading a book about date rape written in an unconventional manner ignited my curiosity. Well, the book is written from Keir's point of view, a teenager whose life is marred by teenage angst and superstar ego (he's in a sports team in school). And yes, he is the rapist. Keir lived with his dad, Ray, who was described to be a good man, a kind man. Upon turning the pages, this description gave me a picture of a soft-spoken man of the house who couldn't even swat a fly on the kitchen table. Then, there's Fran and Mary, Keir's older sisters, who somehow made it a point to make Ke...

Please look after mom is so ironic, because moms usually look after their children, and not the other way around. I picked up this book when I saw the author's name, because I might have seen a lot of Kdramas the past years but I've never read a book written by a Korean author. Plus, I've long ago learned that reading books by authors coming from different parts of the world meant an introduction to different cultures and culture-based principles and norms and that fascinates me. Although, Please Look After Mom is more than just that, for this is a story that each one of us could relate to, regardless of where we came from and regardless of the norms we're accustomed to. It talks about the joy, the pain, and the mysteries of being a mom, and how we, as children sometimes and maybe completely forget that Mom can't just be Mom. Our moms could have been someone (or something) else, had they not been our moms. There's no better profession in this wor...

Alone/Together is the first movie I've seen this year, and it's a love story that gave me a hundred feels. This shouldn't be unexpected, since the last movie I saw from the same director made me shed a hundred tears, too. This is not a review of how great or not the actors were, since this is also the first #lizquen movie I've seen (I'm not a fan of loveteams tbh, or I no longer am). This is more about the things I've reflected as I watched the film.    Life is not a race. I don't personally condone the idea of not finishing school on time--I sincerely believe that time is a valuable thing and in this case, it should be treated with immense caution, perhaps just like the truth. But I've said it somewhere in one of my previous posts, life is not a race . If we're more comfortable in finishing something at our own comfortable pace, then so be it. Because really, we never know what the future holds, and what other wonderful things could transpire in th...

It's been a week since I finished reading The Spy, and I am still undecided if Mata Hari's life story invites us to dare to be different, or keep to ourselves and stay at home for a peaceful life just like how a woman should be, according to what the society dictates. Paulo Coelho has a knack of writing books that seemed to be celebrating womanhood, but in the end they make me think if that was really what he's trying to say. The Spy is no different. Albeit being a historical fiction, the book was written from Mata Hari's point of view, which made me empathize with her more and made me feel where she was coming from. The book began on the day of Mata Hari's execution. Everything about that day was vividly described, and though we all know most of the descriptions were probably done in pursuit of literary excellence, they left me with an idea that she must have done something so terrible to deserve such a terrible fate. It turns out, she j...

"Kaya nga nag-asawa para magkaanak eh..." (That's the reason I got married, so I could have children... ) were the words of the jeepney driver to his friend who just got on his jeep. The friend motioned to his wife, carrying his son, and he said they are on their way to the hospital for the baby's check-up, and also for his wife to get her contraceptive shots. I am a daily commuter. Ever since I got employed, I have to battle with the ruthless Manila traffic, along with the dust and smoke and other forms of allergens and smells and grime that is the metro. As annoying as this may sound, the bright side of it is that I can use the time to listen to an entire Backstreet Boys album, or meditate and reflect on the reasons for my existence (both valid and invalid), or eavesdrop to the different stories shared by the other passengers and judge reflect on them. This morning I didn't have my earplugs on, and upon hearing manong driver's words...