first love never dies (a.k.a. ikaw na ang magbigay ng title pag jologs mode ka)

dediketed to my future children.

I've been catching up on my reading.
Yun pala ang epekto nang walang TV sa bahay. haha.

I love to read. I discovered this cheap thrill when I was five. At ang instant favourite reading material ko ay Readers Digest, lalo na yung section na 'Laughter, the Best Medicine' at 'All in a Days Work'. Aba, niyayabang ng nanay ko yan--I may be laziest and most careless kindergarten student (5 yrs old=kinder) she's ever met, but it's undeniable that I can lap up reading materials such as this. Siguro alam na nyang weirdo ako, maliit palang ako.

When my mother passed away, she probably took the RDs with her. Yung buong subscription. By that time I have ventured into other books and playmates. By then I made friends with Jessica, Elizabeth and Todd Wikins from Sweet Valley. Mula SW Kids to university yun-- nagkapalit palit na sila ng boy friend, at nag asawa na. Mag susyalera ang mga kaklase ko nun sa St.Paul's Pasig, kaya nabuhay ako sa pahiram hiram at book swaps. I left Sweet Valley at the age of eight, probably right after my mother's passing, followed by our relocating to a new life in Laguna. Grade four ako nung na-discover ko ang adult books stash sa bahay (nothing to do with adult as in bastos ha). May mga libro (tulad ng Danielle Steele) na mukhang off limits, at saka ko nalang malalaman na siguro kasi madaming hubaran at lovey-dovey dito. At dahil sa mga off limits na yan, iisang libro lang (yata) ang puwede kong basahin, at iyon ay isang hardback copy ng 'Memories of Midnight' ni Sidney Sheldon. Josko, tuwang tuwa ako sa libro na ito. Habang ang mga kaklase ko ay panay 'Nancy Drew' at 'Hardy Boys' ang sina submit na book reports, ako ay taon-taong nagbibigay ulat tungkol sa iba ibang nobela ni Sidney Sheldon. Nandyan ang vengeful na 'Rage of Angels', 'The Other Side of Midnight' at full of inspiration na 'Master of the Game'; ang ambitious na si Lara Cameron sa 'Stars Shine Down', ang tatlong madre sa 'Sands of Time' at madami pang iba. Buti nalang at binasa ko si Sheldon bago si Danielle Steele (actually, wala pa akong Danielle Steele na natapos, at inaantok ako sa kanya). Hanggang ngayon, Sheldon is still my favourite tabloid writer. harhar. Although I have to admit--mas okay yung mga nauna nyang novels, kesa sa mga bago nyang sinulat, tulad ng 'The Sky is Falling' or 'Are you Afraid of the Dark?'. Parang nung binasa ko yung dalawa na yun, alam kong retirement-mode na sya (by the way, he died last 2007, bless his soul). Bukod kay Sheldon, ang isa ko pang gustong manunulat ay si Grisham. Siguro sya at si Ally Mc Beal ang nagkukumbinsi sa akin nung mga panahon na yon, na mag abugasya. May Grisham collection din ako, kasi si Jay--knowing that I love to read, would buy them for me when he was already in Singapore, at struggling college student ako sa UST. He'll usually send them to me in bulk, and I usually read them on summer vacations. My favourite Grisham novel will have to be 'The Partner', kasi astig ito masyado. Kwento sya ng conspiracy at deceit at long term strat planning. Umaga na akong matulog nung binabasa ko ito. Then, there's Stephen King-- na pota, salamat sa kanya at ni celebrate ko ang pasko nung 1997 na takot na takot. Christmas vacation kasi nung sinimulan ko ang 'IT'. Madalas akong magbasa sa madidilim na lugar (bad habit), at dahil dyan tinakot lang naman ako nitong payaso na mental na pucha--nangunguha at pumapatay ng bata. Hindi ako nakatulog ng ilang araw dyan, leche sya. Mula 'nun, he became an instant favourite. I've been reading his 'On Writing' book for a year now. Hindi ako matapos tapos. haha.

I have a new favourite. Si Gaiman. I've only read two of his novels (na ewan ko kung pang-kiddy talaga, kasi medyo disturbing yung ibang scenes. Pero ayun nga sa isang short-story character nya, who are we to purport reality for the sake of 'guarding 'the innocence of a child? Para bang Brothers Grimm, kung saan they had to 'sanitise' the stories for the children, therefore not giving the real story): The Graveyard book and Coraline. The book I'm reading right now is his collection of short fictions: Fragile things. Nag eenjoy ako sa mga nabasa ko so far. Of those I've read, eto ang mga highly recommended:

1. a study in emerald
2. october in a chair
3. My Life -pwedeng pang monologue!
4. Sunbird

Okay. Tama na, at mahaba na ito.
p.s. to those who may have come across this post, and have nothing better to say or do (granted that surprisingly--you actually read this through and through)...your 'so what?' is welcome. :) it's just that I wanted this thing to be written down, for future references. Probably not for you, but for someone who may see value in this the next time she/he needs to know more about his/her mother (ako yun). :)