Ask Me!

Hello, everyone!

First of all, thanks a lot for your wonderful birthday wishes yesterday. I think I received a lot this year than any other, from here on WordPress, on Twitter, and everyone who called and sent text messages, wow! Thanks a lot, guys! You all made it extra special, thank you!

Anyway, I’ve decided to write this post as fast as I could before I continue with my work again… I’m giving my readers a chance to ask me one question each. I will try my best to answer them all. Then maybe I can ask you back one question, too. I think it’s a good way to get to know each other.

So guys, let’s get started, ask me! 🙂

Photo credit to the owner, I just got this from Google!

Advertisement

Just Me and Some Lessons Learned

Guess what? I think it’s the best time of the year to give my readers that chance to get to know a little bit more about Just_Me, yes, that’s me! Today’s post will be a minute of random facts about me and some lessons I’ve learned in the past twelve months. Here we go…

1. I am a big fan of Roger Federer. I love Roger! 😍🎾

2. I can play the drums and it’s the only musical instrument I can play.🥁

3. I love to sing but I’m way, way, way out of tune.🎤👩‍🎤

4. I’m not comfortable on the beach, on a river, lake or whatever bodies of water. I’m not afraid of water, just not comfortable with it.

5. I have a bad habit of overthinking things waaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy tooooooo mooooooore than I should. 🤔😔

6. I am frequently misunderstood.

7. I can be wickedly sarcastic.

8. I’m a rebel. (Even just for the hell of it!)

9. I’ve tried meditation several times for the past one and a half years but failed. I think I need  more time.

10. I don’t have an appendix since I was 13.

11. I fell from a horse when I was 14.

12. I like Game of Thrones and House of Cards.

13. I’m a fan of X-Men (specially Wolverine/Logan!) and The Lord of the Rings.

14. I have a bachelor’s degree in Accounting.

15. I do not wear make-up.

16. I always wake up 10 or 15 minutes earlier before my alarm. ⏰

17. I love beer/alcohol and I don’t easily get drunk. 🍺🍻🍸🍾🍷🥂

18. I drink coffee like it’s my job and I want it black and no sugar. ☕️☕️☕️

19. I can eat a jar of peanut butter.

20. I’m a big fan of solo travel. ✈️🚕🚇

21. My dream job was to be a lawyer. But I really wanted to be a singer/performer, too!

22. I’d choose vegetables over meat.

23. I feel very much at home in libraries.

24. I’ve been keeping a diary since grade school though I don’t really write every single day. Since 2009 though, I made it a point to write daily and I was consistent with it until some time last year where I stopped for a while and continued again after a couple of months. I’ve decided to stop writing though since the new year.

25. I would love to do volunteer works in Africa or anywhere I haven’t been to.

26. I enjoy reading and I have more than 50 books unread on my shelf. I like historical fiction and surreal works like the books of  Haruki Murakami. 📚📚

27. I don’t like being late.

28. I’m almost always open to trying something new.

29. I love food. Food is life.

30. I don’t know how to save/control my own money so my mom does it all for me. 💰💰💰

31. I like long hours of travel.

32. Today is my birthday. 😊😜🤭🤫

And some lessons that I’ve notably learned this past year are:

1. Even the seemingly perfect relationships end.

2. Letting go of whatever painful baggage we’re holding onto allows us to feel better, be better and it makes us stronger.

3. Talking to strangers is one of the best ways to meet wonderful people.

4. Change is always possible, any time, any moment.

5. Embrace rejection.

6. Forgive everyone everything.

7. I’ve loved. And that’s all that matters.

8. The only people we need in life are those who want us to be in theirs.

9. Mean words can scar a person for life.

10. Some people can stay in our hearts, sure, but not in our lives.

There you go… I also feel like I’m in the mood to answer questions today so if you have any, feel free to ask in the comment section.

Enjoy the day, homo sapiens! 🙂

A Six-Word Story

I’d still say yes. Just ask.

Federer Wins 20th Grand Slam Title

Federer Wins 20th Grand Slam Title

https://federerfan07.com/2018/01/28/federer-wins-20th-grand-slam-title/

Quote of the Week

Two people who were once very close can without blame or grand betrayal become strangers. Perhaps this is the saddest thing in the world.

-Warsan Shire

Federer Reaches Milestone 30th Grand Slam Final

Federer Reaches Milestone 30th Grand Slam Final

https://federerfan07.com/2018/01/26/federer-reaches-milestone-30th-grand-slam-final/

Fog? Or Sandstorm?

The view from my office window today…

The Mystery Blogger Award

I momentarily stepped away from work to accept this nomination for The Mystery Blogger Award! A first! How cool is that? Huge thanks to Jyoti for nominating me and sorry for doing this so bloody late! Make sure to check out her blog here. She’s got tons of wonderful stuff to enjoy there.

The Rules:

1. Put the award logo/image on your blog.
2. List the rules.
3. Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
4. Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well.
5. Tell your readers 3 things about yourself.
6. You have to nominate 10-20 people.
7. Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog.
8. Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice.

The Mystery Blogger Award was created by Okoto Enigma where he says:

“Mystery Blogger Award” is an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging; and they do it with so much love and passion.”

Three Things About Me:

1. I’m a frustrated singer.

2. I can’t whistle.

3. I’ve consistently been writing a diary since 2009 until I stopped writing for a while some time last year. I started to write again a few months later and finally decided not to write anymore since the new year.

Jyoti’s Questions and My Answers:

1. Are you happy with your life? If yes, explain your happiness in one word.

I don’t have everything I want in life and things turned out differently the way I planned my life to be but I’m certainly happy as to what and where I am now. So if I were to describe my happiness in one word, it would be: blessed.

2. Which is your favorite color and why?

I’ve had several favorites at certain moments in my life. Like when I was in elementary school, I was so obsessed with green. I think I was really into nature at that time. In high school, I liked white a lot. Most of my shirts were white then. When I was in the university, I was into gray. I was a bit uncertain of the things that were going on then. So I always settle on things in between. Decisions weren’t too easy to make. I don’t know if that makes sense to you but it does to me during those years. After graduating though and until now, I find purple lovely and I like black a lot. Most of my clothes now are black. Helps me look a bit slimmer, too! 😉

3. Explain your way of life to your viewers.

For those who have been following me for some time now, you know I’m currently residing/working in Kuwait. I go to work Sundays thru Thursdays and have my days off on weekends (Friday & Saturday) which I usually spend reading, writing or sometimes watching. There’s not much to do around here unlike back in my country so it’s a bit boring actually. I have a very laid-back lifestyle and I don’t concern myself with fashion or the latest trends. I mostly eat out or order for delivery  because I’m not a good cook.

4. What do you fear the most?

My mom and an empty fridge. 😂

5. Do you think the one who nominated you is a good writer/blogger?

Definitely! 👍

The Nominees:

Laleh Chini

Pankhudi Singh

Bethany

Chhaya

Swalia

Jeni

Tashnee

Pradita

RoughBandit

Yaskhan

My Questions for the Nominees:

1. Space or ocean exploration and why?
2. What’s your dream job?
3. The first thing you’ll save from your burning house?
4. What’s your current favorite song?
5. If you could be anywhere else right now, where would you be and why?

There you go! I hope you all enjoyed reading and I’m looking forward to the answers of the nominees as well, I hope you accept the nomination. 🙂

Once again, thanks a lot, Jyoti!

Have a wonderful day, homo sapiens! 🙂

Burned Alive by Souad

Burned Alive is the story of a 17-year old girl who calls herself Souad, uneducated, beaten and victim of honor killing, from one of the villages in the West Bank region.

Written in simple prose, Souad tells us the story of life in their village. She talked about how women are literally worth less than animals and that men hitting their wives and daughters are a normal occurrence there. Women are not allowed to speak and think for themselves. They’re not allowed to look at men and if they do, they’re branded as whores or “charmuta” in their language.

At 17 years of age, Souad was already considered old to not be married yet. The father has to arrange the marriages of his daughters from the eldest to the youngest. Souad hoped to get married as soon as possible but her sisters have to be married first. She soon fell in love with a man who took advantage of her believing he wants her, too. She then got pregnant and the man disappeared. Sex (and getting pregnant) before marriage is a grave dishonor for some (if not all) Muslim countries. And in places like Souad’s, it is punishable by death. The man who does the killing is considered a hero. And in Souad’s story, it was her brother-in-law. He poured gasoline on her and set her on fire. It’s a miracle that she survived with 90% of her body burned. And even more miraculous to have given birth all alone later in the hospital where she was left to die.

I’ve known a little about honor killing already since grade school so this subject is not really new to me anymore and I find this book as something that describes the difficult life of Muslim women in places like the West Bank. Despite the advances in women’s rights nowadays, there are still many who suffer from inequality all around the world. Many argue about the realness of this story but I’m of the opinion that this really happened, that these atrocities are real. There was a part in the book where Jacqueline, the humanitarian aid worker mentioned that she was told not to involve herself with Souad’s case because it is family matter and that honor killing is part of their culture/tradition and that they should respect that. But I think it’s facetious to say so as in this case because it is clearly an oppression disguised as culture/tradition. How can anyone, man or woman, accept such barbarism as “tradition”? Come on, stand up for yourself, argue with your parents, strive hard to make a living, fight with your boss, work your ass to achieve your dreams, at the very least, you’re free!

This is a quick read. It does shed light to the issue of honor killing in the West Bank. How very harshly and cruelly women are treated by men, even family. Culture is culture, traditions are traditions. And I know it’s difficult to change that. But I still think, it all still depends on the mentality of the people involved, regardless of gender.

Quotable Quotes:

“Something in me is broken but people don’t realize it because I always smile to hide it.”

“The only way to help me stop suffering was to help me die.”

“Although I am able to walk about freely, I am a prisoner in my skin.”

“They tell me that I’m going to live but I do not believe that and I wait for death. I even beg for it to take me. Death seems preferable to this suffering and humiliation.”

“I was ashamed to still be alive, although no one knew this. I was afraid of this life but no one understood.”

Rating : 3.5/5 stars

Quote of the Week

The important people in our lives leave imprints. They may stay or go in the physical realm, but they are always there in your heart, because they helped form your heart. There’s no getting over that.

-Rachel Cohn

Federer Rolls into Australian Open Fourth Round — FedFan

Federer Rolls into Australian Open Fourth Round – Richard Gasquet battled hard and to the end, but in the end it was still Roger Federer who advanced to the fourth round of the 2018 Australian Open with a straight sets victory. The Swiss maestro started well, breaking in the fourth game and holding serve immediately…

via Federer Rolls into Australian Open Fourth Round — FedFan

A Six-Word Story

You do something unexplainable to me.

Wordless Wednesday

Federer Makes Winning Start at 2018 Australian Open — FedFan

Federer Makes Winning Start at 2018 Australian Open – Roger Federer walked onto Rod Laver Arena on a fine Tuesday evening as the defending champion, and sure played like it. With his serve unbroken throughout the match, he looked comfortable from start to finish, defeating world #49 Aljaz Bedene 6-3 6-4 6-3 in 1 hour…

via Federer Makes Winning Start at 2018 Australian Open — FedFan

A Six-Word Story

Can’t read loss… only feel it.

Maybe

Maybe that’s just as

far as you and I can be.

Half-written story.

Quote of the Week

We never really talked much or even looked at each other, but it didn’t matter because we were looking at the same sky together, which is maybe even more intimate than eye contact anyway. I mean, anybody can look at you. It’s quite rare to find someone who sees the same world you see.

-John Green

A Six-Word Story

I’m left with memories all alone.

Threesome :)

This halo-halo is flirting with me! 😉

A Reread: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

I’ve loved this book ever since I’ve read it in 2013. It’s one of the books that really left something in me. One of the very few that emotionally drained me. I watched the film adaptation and for those of you who have been following me for some time now, I’m not a big fan of movies based on books, so of course, I was disappointed. The only thing I liked in the movie was the boy who played the role of Hassan. Hassan has always been one of the top book characters very dear to me since I’ve read this and he’s the only thing that didn’t disappoint in the movie.

I’ve decided to reread this a few days before Christmas. I knew that the book is gonna make me sad and might affect my mood for the holidays, but I read it anyway.

The Kite Runner is the story of Amir and Hassan while growing up in Kabul in the early 1970s. Amir, a Sunni, is the son of a wealthy businessman (Amir calls him Baba) while Hassan, a Shia, is the son of Ali, their Hazara servant. The two boys are best friends but cultural and social barriers still separate them. Baba treats them equally as much as he could. Amir started to feel jealous of Hassan as Baba always admires him and always catches his attention without even trying while Amir on the other hand is trying too hard to impress him but Baba always gets disappointed.

Amir decided to impress Baba in the coming annual kite-flying/fighting tournament. This is where the story really started. My heart broke for Hassan the first time I’ve read this. And it still did the second time. And if I continue writing about it, I might delve into spoilers even though maybe most of you must have read the book already.

This is a book about friendship, father and son, brotherhood, relationships, jealousy, guilt, redemption, love, trust, freedom, forgiveness and mistakes. Mistakes we either make or make us.

Khaled Hosseini used a very descriptive and simple writing style. The way and the amount of historical background he provided in the book was good enough so as not to overwhelm the reader. I liked how the story was told as it made me get attached to the characters which is one of the important things to me when I read a book.

I was once again blown away by The Kite Runner and this will definitely stay on top of my favorite books, quietly seeping into my being.

Quotable Quotes:

“For you, a thousand times over.”

“And that’s the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does, too.”

“It may be unfair, but what happens in a few days, sometimes even a single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime.”

“It was only a smile, nothing more. It didn’t make everything all right. It didn’t make ANYTHING all right. Only a smile. A tiny thing. A leaf in the woods, shaking in the wake of a startled bird’s flight. But I’ll take it. With open arms. Because when spring comes, it melts the snow one flake at a time, and maybe I just witnessed the first flake melting.”

“When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife’s right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness.”

Rating: 5/5 stars

Quote of the Week

That was the thing about words, they were clear and specific — chair, eye, stone — but when you talked about feelings, words were too stiff, they were this and not that, they couldn’t include all the meanings. In defining, they always left something out.

-Janet Fitch

Liebster Award #5

What a way to start the new year in this blogging community! Another Liebster! This is just so sweet and cool and at the same unexpected really! Thanks a lot, Mab! Do check out her blog here. You will enjoy all the stuffs she has there for you! 🙂

The Rules:

1. Acknowledge the blogger who nominated your blog.
2. Answer the 11 questions.
3. Nominate 11 other new bloggers to encourage them.
4. Ask them 11 questions.
5. Let them know you have nominated them.

Now here are Mab’s questions and my answers:

1. What is your favorite pet?

Dogs, dogs, dogs! I’ve been bitten by dogs like more than five times when I was younger but I really love having a pet dog. I took care of all our dogs back home since me and my brothers were still kids. Both of them like cats and birds so the dogs are all mine. 🙂

2. What is your favorite snack?

I love food so it’s not easy to choose a favorite but at the moment I am addicted to pajeon.

3. Which place in your house do you like the most?

Back in the Philippines, my mom’s kitchen and in the living room beside the fireplace.

4. What is your biggest hobby besides blogging?

Reading. And eating, too! But before I came here, I also played tennis very often.

5. If you were able to possess magic, what kind of magic would it be?

Black magic! Witchcraft! Haha!

6. What is your biggest wish?

Hmmm… right now I wish I’m rich because there are a lot of things I want to do that requires a lot of money like building homes for the homeless, creating workplaces where jobless people can work and earn money, and other stuff where I can be of help to other people.

7. Would you like your blog to be your job and why?

I always mention I’m not a writer, I’m far from it though I sometimes seriously wish I am. So I never really considered blogging to be my job. But then, who knows?

8. What did you like the most in 2017?

The times I did things for the first time like breaking my “personal” rules.

9. What would your perfect holiday be like?

Somewhere far from all the hustle and bustle of cities. A cabin in the woods is ideal. Winter and snowing. With friends and family. Lots of food and booze. But no internet so everyone will talk with each other. Focus on each other present at that moment. No instagramming, twittering or facebooking!

10. What is the meaning of education?

I think, any enlightening experience is education.

11. How did you create the name of your blog?

I think I’ve answered this before on my first Liebster… I often feel that I’m such a mess, a walking chaos and so on but a happy kind of mess and all, and so the blog name… 🙂

Choosing who to nominate is always the hardest part here because I want to nominate almost everyone whether they’re new bloggers or not. So I just randomly choose every time I do this.

The nominees are:

Kumar Shresth

Rohini

Megha

Anugrah

Sophie

Brown girl on a budget

Geetadhaar

Vikash Goyal

Len

Nisha

PrimeOptimum

Preparing the questions to ask the nominees are easier as I usually ask whatever questions come to mind…

The questions for the nominees are:

1. Do you like to read? If so, what’s your favorite book?
2. Do you like movies? What’s your favorite?
3. What’s your all-time favorite song?
4. What are you more good at, singing or dancing?
5. What did you want to be when you were younger?
6. Where do you see yourself in five years?
7. How would your friends describe you?
8. What makes you angry?
9. If you can pick any talent, what would it be?
10. If you can pick one person in history to have dinner with, who and why?
11. What one question do you want to ask me? 🙂

So there you go… I hope you enjoyed reading and I’d be waiting for your answers, too! Thanks once again, Mab!

Seize the day, homo sapiens! 🙂

A Six-Word Story

You and I, an unfinished business.

Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a year filled with endless joy and blessings.

Happy new year, homo sapiens!

Photo credit: <a href="http://Background vector created by Freepik” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Here.

Quote of the Week

Sometimes the people around you won’t understand your journey. They don’t need to. It’s not for them.

-Joubert Botha