Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013

2012 was a great roller-coaster ride. The challenges were difficult and somehow frustrating. But the rewards are so fulfilling.  I am grateful that I am coming out of it alive and well. And yes, I survived the rapture and the end of the world. Hell yeah! haha. Kidding aside, I don't know if things could get any worse. The hell I care. JUST BRING IT ON.

Whatever tomorrow brings, I only wish for one thing this incoming year, all I want is to be HAPPY. :)

Oh and by the way, I am moving to www.sarwrites.com. Can finally afford a domain name. Haha.

Goodbye, 2012. Hello there, 2013!

Book Reviews?

I've already read tons of books and I am thinking of writing a book review for the new books I am about to read or perhaps also those that I have already read. I want to share how an amazing book took me away or complain about how a book wasted my time (in a not-so-harsh way, of course! I'm not a good writer to even write about someone's terrible writing, as I am no book author and I am a terrible writer myself. I might as well keep my mouth shut when I think a book sucks.). Yes, I want to write a review. But, but, but...

Pass It On

A song is coming over me. I haven't actually heard this one in so many years, but it kept on playing over and over in my mind.  Thanks for the internet, I started listening to different renditions and all its related videos. Well, you know how it goes in youtube.

I loved this song back in my childhood years. I remember asking my kuyas in church to play this in piano or guitar, then I would sing my heart out even though I know my voice will definitely bleed their ears.

The song is true in so many ways. There's this feeling of glee inside me whenever I sing this. Just by that I can already feel God's great love over and I do want to pass it on.

I hope your Christmas is filled with God's love. Go ahead and pass it on. :)

It only takes a spark to get a fire going,
And soon all those around can warm up in its glowing;
That's how it is with God's Love,
Once you've experienced it,
Your spread His love to everyone
You want to pass it on. 

What a wonderous time is spring,
When all the tress are budding
The birds begin to sing, the flowers start their blooming;
That's how it is with God's love,
Once you've experienced it.
You want to sing, it's fresh like spring,
You want to pass it on. 

I wish for you my friend
This happiness that I've found;
You can depend on Him
It matters not where you're bound,
I'll shout it from the mountain top 
I want the world to know
The Lord of love has come to me
I want to pass it on. 

I'll shout it from the mountain top
I want the world to know
The Lord of love has come to me
I want to pass it on.

A few more hours

A few more hours, a mom's best home-cooked food will be attacked by eager kids. A few more hours when the clock strikes twelve, we'll all be helping ourselves with mouthful of servings of ham, spaghetti, macaroni salad, lechon manok, fruitcake or whatever bounty is placed before our tables for our noche buena.

That's a few more hours still. It's 4 o'clock, it's raining, and I'm hungry. So here's a dish of fried dilis topped with radish and tomatoes, plus spicy vinegar, and hot rice that's still cooking as of this writing. mmm.. nothing beats. :)

A few words before I go,

Be Merry.

A few more hours and it's Christmas!

A tale of two book formats

While browsing, I came across this:

We support the printed word in all its forms: newspapers, magazines, and of course books. We think reading on computers or phones or whatever is fine, but it cannot replace the experience of reading words printed on paper. We pledge to continue reading the printed word in the digital era  and beyond.

 ---------------------♥♥♥ ---------------------

Now, let me tell you my tale of two book formats.

Way back 2009, I was thinking of buying an ebook reader. It seemed like a heaven to be bringing an entire library in just one device. Plus, ebooks are way cheaper than real books (about 10 Php or $0.24 per copy uh-huh that's right, it's a c-o-p-y). I can even get them for free!

But since I can't afford to buy a kindle or a nook yet, I settled for a cheap china tablet with a 7" screen. I started downloading free ebooks, then bought some if I really can't find one that's free. My collection grew before I even know it.

Read, finish, then look for another one, repeat. That's how it goes. As I scour for new ebooks to read  it seemed like the previous reads do not exist anymore. It was there that I realized that awesome books (*cough* epic fantasies *cough*) deserve to be more than just an ebook.

It deserves a place in my bookshelf.

With every great ebook I read, my hand would itch to get a copy. I want something I can see and touch. Yes, I've seen the light. I know how cheap, practical, and convenient ebooks are. However, I always end up buying the real thing. Looking for a new ebook online at a click of the mouse doesn't cut the joy of spending hours on bookshops combing every shelf until I find a good book, or something that I've long been looking for.

ebook or real book? here's my e-reader with one of my favorite books

Don't get me wrong, I don't reject the idea of ebooks. I loved it. And I did not totally ditch my e-reader. I'm very thankful actually, for it saved my ass from buying a copy of those Twilight and Fifty Sh*ts of Gray kind of novels.

Nonetheless, real books for me are more personal.  The sound of the flipping pages, the feel of paper against my fingers, and the smell of the book that gives me the high is something I can never experience with an ebook. Plus, I dream of having my own mini-library. So what's the score?

BOOKS ARE FOREVER. Period.

P.S. By the way, I am living in a third world country where nobody cares when you  read a book while you commute. But bringing an ereader/tablet, is a different thing, a lot of eyes will be on you. And if you don't want to risk losing your hard-earned tablet, you don't want to bring it anywhere with you. Just saying.