the book thief

it only had 46% rating on rottentomatoes, with the consensus pointing to "a bit too safe in its handling of its nazi germany setting". but to me, the book thief handled this topic very well. just right. i don't really need to see the levelled cities or misshapen individuals to understand the movie's message. we all know what happened and the magic of the book thief is bringing a different view of the horrors of world war 2 and why such grand human conflicts should be avoided at all cost.

the book thief, based on the book of markus zusak, tells the story of a german girl named liesel, played superbly by sophie nelisse. after losing her brother to tuberculosis, she was adopted by a childless couple, played by geoffrey rush and emily watson, befriended rudy (played by nico liersch), a next-door neighbour. with the war blazing on and their own government "cleaning" the society of unwanted race, her papa decided to protect and hide in their basement a son of a former colleague, who happens to be a jew. liesel developed an extraordinary friendship with max (played by ben schnetzer) and her love for books became even stronger. her mama makes both ends meet by doing laundry for a mayor's family. the nazi government ordered the burning of all books but through her newfound relationship with the mayor's wife, liesel got a chance to open her horizons by spending a lot of time in the family's library. this went on with liesel even being allowed to "steal" books from the library. the germans were about to lose the war and with the allies closing in on berlin, liesel's town was bombed and her family and nico's family were all killed. she was then found by the mayor's wife and lived to old age to tell her story.

most films about world war 2 were about the victims of the third reich. the book thief was one of the few instances of how the terror of hitler's evils actually affected the very own people that he long wanted to purify. throughout the almost 6 years of conflict, germany lived off a peaceful life until the allied forces came in from the west and the red army captured the east. such was what the movie had. bombardment was only seen toward the end of the film. there were no extended battle scenes as these are not needed, and for this alone, i liked the film very much.

 

death as the narrator was also interwoven in the film and this added the magical realism to it. it is heart-tugging, telling the viewers about how fragile a man's life is. the film is successfully understated, effortless and captured the beautiful german town feel. its rich characterization was one of the film's strengths. theirs are relatable and likable. from the loving father to a strict but equally caring mother, to a muted nazi general wife, to a fun-loving pre-pubescent boy, to a persecuted jew who just wants to see his family again… all characters were well-written and very human. at the heart of it is sophie nelisse's liesel, balanced essaying of innocence and courage. academy award winner geoffrey rush and academy award nominee emily watson were their usual greats. 

the book thief is about human beings struggling to find their humanity against a background of evils. it is about finding the courage to face difficulties and more importantly, the bravery to use your own life to make a difference... pyrotechnics not needed.

bellarocca

four years ago.
Bellarocca, Marinduque. 

binge

with the long weekend, i had the time to go binge-watching! randomly, i selected the following films:

1. the imitation game

2. the giver

3. love, rosie

4. frozen

i watched the first half of frozen over a year ago but only got the chance to finish it this time. the imitation game is a great film... the giver is so-so and love, rosie is quite an enjoyable one.

tiwasay

simbughaw ng himpapawid.
simputi ng dalampasigan.
singlinaw ng tubig-dagat.

ganito sana ang tiwasay at ganda ng darating na linggo.

isla ng hagonoy.
kapuluan ng britania.
san agustin, surigao del sur. 

Hinatuan

engkantada.
Hinatuan Enchanted River.
Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur. 

epson

isang bendor ang epson. gumagawa ito ng makinang panlimbag. lider sa palimbagan at maituturing na tagapanguna sa anumang may kinalaman sa limbagan, mapa-ink man 'yan o anupaman.

pero bakit sa landas na ito, iba ang ibig sabihin ng eps? di na nga kailangan ng malalalim metaporo pero halatang-halata ang pagpapalapad nito ng papel. nalalapit na naman ang katapusan ng buwan at dapat nang asahan ang wala sa hulog na mga hirit nito. ito ang mga hirit na di naman talaga kailangan. para lang may masabi at maramdaman ng mga tao ang kanyang nakapanghihilakbot na presensya.

ni walang anumang pinsala ang pipigil sa kanyang lason. kailan kaya siya mabubulunan ng sariling papel?  

 

sabado

buti na lang, sabado bukas
pwede tayong lumabas
humanap ng gagawin
di na kailangang isipin.

photos

i'm not a photographer and i don't have any plans of becoming one. while some of my photos were shortlisted and was once selected as part of the company's employee calendar, taking photos is just one of those "happy things" that i like to do. before the era of digital cameras, i had my nice n-600 'automatic' camera. back in high school and college, one has to buy 24 shots film roll, have it loaded and snap photos during field trips, programs and of course, during graduation. after a roll was finished, i'd go to the trustworthy photo station at the corner of gen. luis and buenamar to have it developed. next step would be having the photos recopied (for family and friends), neatly organize them in an album and select 1 or 2 to be framed.

many years ago, i bought my first digital camera, a kodak. this cam allowed me to snap pics from memorable travels and pretty much anything. from my first trip to hong kong, china, indonesia and all domestic travels, i had this camera. i still have it but i rarely use it because i don't have a rechargeable set of double a batteries.

in 2006, i bought a motorola razr v3x… much to the chagrin of the 'premium' one. this handset boasted of 2 mp camera. but after 5 years of being together, moto blue left me. for a while, i refused to buy a new phone. my sister gave me a samsung feature phone, which i used until the moment when i had to buy a new one because of my november 2012 trip to korea. about a month before flying to seoul, i bought my starmobile astra at glorietta 4. this smartphone finally opened my horizon to the world of apps and the first one that i downloaded was instagram! of course, for the love of photos, i instantly got hooked. in no time, pictures taken from starmobile and even older pictures from my kodak and izhi's olympus digicam landed on my instagram account.

late 2014, my starmobile phone started acting up. while it still functions, i can still use it to take and edit photos and of course, call, text, surf, but i know it's time to get a new gadget. this was also the time when i wanted to have an underwater camera so quickly i ordered a pentax/ricoh cam on lazada. i first used this in my trip to catanduanes. as all other pictures, photos from pentax/ricoh also landed in my instagram.

throughout the rest of 2015, photos from my starmobile and pentax/ricoh were the staple. but in december 2015, i finally decided to convert and get an iphone 6s. yup, i decided to take the plunge, as aydisi peeps kept on hounding me that i have to have the phone. now, after nearly 3 months, my instagram account gets to show photos snapped thru iphone 6s. because of this, i have started to post a few pics on facebook again and even posted my first photos on twitter.

just this late morning, we were chatting about how getting a new gadget alters your behaviour. and true enough… i now look at zalora and lazada on mobile, activities that i exclusively do thru laptop in the past. i bookmarked a cheap gopro-like gadget that hopefully performs at par with the branded one. 

at the heart of this really is my love affair with photos. that joy brought about by keeping a record of a nice place, good food and unforgettable experience, as well as being able to share it with family and friends, and even with others. we all are visual beings and looking at and sharing very good photos are natural to us. now i wonder what new gadgets will come out and where would this love affair with photos take us. for the meantime, i will enjoy the beautiful snaps from my new phone and have them shared online. #awesomephotos

Hagonoy

awesome Philippine destination.
Hagonoy Island.
Britania group of islands.
San Agustin, Surigao del Sur. 
February 2016.

Tinuy-an Falls

one of the mightiest of them all.
Tinuy-an Falls.
Bislig, Surigao del Sur.
February 2016.

Hiyor-Hiyoran Island

Hiyor-hiyoran.
Britania group of islands.
San Agustin, Surigao del Sur.
February 2016.

babae

araw ng kababaihan ngayon. sa buong daigdig, ipinagbubunyi ang katangi-tanging handog ng babae sa kung anong mayroon ngayon sa mundo. di lang dahil sila ang nanganganak kundi dahil sa kanilang mga haplos ay nahuhubog ang mga tinig, kamay, paa, utak at pusong humugis, nagpapagalaw at magpapayabong pa sa mundo.

lumaki akong pinalilibutan ng kababaihan. iba't ibang personalidad at katangian ngunit silang mga matatatag, istrikto, masaya, may prinsipyo, makapamilya at puno ng pagmamahal ang nagsilbing aking mga gabay at sandalan, lalo na noong papalaki pa lang ako.

si mama ang aking unang sandalan. lahat ng sasalihan kong timpalak at kung anu-anong programa, tiyak na di mawawala ang kanyang suporta. mula kay mama, natutuhan kong balansihin ang pagpupunyagi at kung paanong gantimpalaan ang iyong sarili sa tama at rasonableng paraan. kapag matumal ang hanapbuhay o masikip ang pamumuhay, matutong magtiis. ngunit kapag maalwan naman ay ikalugod at matutong magbahaginan ng biyaya, pamilya man o kaibigan.

si lola ang walang sawa sa panggigising at sisiguruhing handa ako sa bawat umaga na may pasok. dahil madalas akong bangungutin noong bata pa ako, si lola ang aking katabi pagtulog dahil madali siyang magising. siya rin ang nagmulat sa aking mga mata sa elemental na bahagi ng mundo, ang mundo ng mga di nakikita. puno raw ng hilahil ang kanyang buhay pero kay lola ako natuto kung paano maging masinop sa pera at paano magtipid… di ka nga naman sigurado kung kailan mo kakailanganin nito. 

   

si ate rose ang patawa ng pamilya. maging sa pinakamaliit na bagay ay may nakikita pa rin siyang katawa-tawa. ang reyna ng aming tindahan, daming benta kapag siya ang bantay. nang mag-asawa siya at tumira sa bulacan, siya pa rin ang nagpapatahi ng mga pantalon kong pamasok. bakasyon at swak sa sarap na mga pagkain at ulam ang patuloy naming pinagsasaluhan sa bahay niya. sa kanya naman galing ang pagpapahalaga ko sa pagtawa at kasiyahan at kung gaano kalalim ang halaga ng "kababawan" sa buhay.

  

si ate she naman ang taong-bahay. nang mamatay si mama, siya na ang humalili sa pag-aasikaso sa bahay. kahit na nga nakabukod naman sila ay sinasakop pa rin kami sa baba. siyempre maski paglilinis ng bahay at lalo na kapag walang ulam o pagkain. siya rin ang walang sawang naglalaba ng uniporme ko nu'ng nasa hayskul ako! patuloy ang kanyang presensya, lalo na ngayo't kailangan ni tita jo ng suporta para kay papa. ipagtatanggol ni ate she sinuman sa amin kaya sa kanya ko nakita at natutuhan ang halaga ng pamilya at pagiging tapat sa iyong pinagmulan.

si ate joy ang walang sawa na magpainom sa amin ni liezl ng bitamina… para raw tumangkad kami. sa kanyang kuwarto kami nakisunong ni liz at nang bumukod siya, walang patid ang aming mga gimik tuwing katapusan ng linggo. mula megamall hanggang makati, nililibre niya kami para manood ng sine at kumain sa labas. nagtinda-tinda rin siya nu'ng nasa kolehiyo pa siya kaya naambunan ako ng sangkatutak na mga damit. nu'ng nasa UP ako, pinag-encode pa niya ako ng napakaraming papel at siyempre pati na ang pagpi-print! kay ate joy ko nakita ang halaga ng paglalaan ng oras sa mga mahal mo sa buhay. maging sa pagsulat ng maikling liham o paghahakot ng gamit patungong novaliches, ang mga ito ang mananatili sa iyo.

  

halos magkasabay kaming lumaki ni liezl. dahil siguro kapwa bunso kami at maagang lumisan si mama, kuha namin ang lahat ng suporta mula sa aming mga ate at mula kay lola. si liz ang aking kalaro sa kalye, kakuwarto at kasama sa maraming bagay. lagi siyang nandiyan para ipagluto at dalhan ako ng pagkain, kahit na nga mahirap nang bumiyahe dahil sa 2 bata. pinaglalaba't pinagpaplantsa pa niya ako magkaminsan! sa kapatid ko naman ito natutuhang panindigan ang bawat desisyon at 'wag mangiming bumangon muli at magsumikap.

si tita jo naman ang aming pangalawang nanay. naging bahagi siya n gaming buhay nang ako ay patapos na ng hayskul. dahil sa kanya at kay papa, di ko kinailangang magtrabaho habang nag-aaral. di ko rin kinailangang lumapit sa ibang kamag-anakan para maitawid ang pangangailangan. sa awa ng diyos, natapos naman akong maluwalhati. higit sa lahat, ibang lebel ang pag-aaruga niya kay papa. marami siyang pinagdaanan sa buhay kaya naman bilib ako sa kanyang pagpapakababa at laging bukal sa loob na pagtulong sa mga nangangailangan maski na nga wala na rin siyang maibibigay.

mapalad ako at mayroon akong tulad nila… mga babaing pinagtibay ng panahon, mga ulirang nilalang na umagapay at umaagapay sa kani-kanilang mga anak at pamilya. inspirasyon para sa nakararami at tunay ngang dapat ikarangal.

salamat sa inyong lahat… utang ko sa inyo, sampu ni papa at kuya bob, kung ano ang mayroon ako ngayon.

sa kababaihan ng aking pamilya at lahat ng babaing patuloy na nagpupursige, saludo ako sa inyo. maligayang araw ng kababaihan!

stay

song of the season... Stay by Carol Banawa.

I want you to stay, never go away from me
Stay forever
But now, now that you're gone
All I can do is pray for you 

To be here beside me again

Why did you have to leave me
When you said that love will conquer all?
Why did you have to leave me
When you said that dreaming was as good as reality?

And now I must move on
Try to forget all the memories of you and me
But I can't let go of your love that has taught me
To hold on

 

I want you to stay, never go away from me

Stay forever
But now, now that you're gone
All I can do is pray for you
 

To be here beside me again

Why did you have to leave me
When you said that love will conquer all?
Why did you have to leave me
When you said that dreaming was as good as reality?
Ooooh

And now I must move on
Try to forget all the memories of you and me
But I can't let go of your love that has taught me
To hold on

Why did you have to leave me
When you said that love will conquer all?
Why did you have to leave me
When you said that dreaming was as good as reality?

Why did you have to leave me
When you said that love will conquer all?
Why did you have to leave me
When you said that dreaming was as good as reality?

I want you to stay, never go away from me
Stay forever
 

I want to stay, but I have to go away
Mmmm

Oooooh
Oooooh

lady violet

life-musing lines from the one and only dowager countess violet grantham... sharp, witty, timeless, heartfelt, funny, truthful, loving, satirical, wise, traditional, modern, great.

Tagpupuran

Tagpupuran beach.
Lingig, Surigao del Sur.
February 2016.
Happiness.

Hagonoy Island

Hagonoy Island.

Britania group of islands.

San Agustin, Surigao del Sur.

February 2016. 

Happiness.