Moonlighting

I remember watching Moonlighting episodes in full at this time last year. I had time then because I started getting sick for days in between. I got well and somehow Hits TV stopped airing them after Season 3. Now it's airing again and back to Season 1 nonetheless. Funny enough, I also started coughing again.

The positive side of me contends it is just that time of year. Hurray for December.

Lift Myself

I signed up at a health and fitness center near the office. I was stoked by the dancing lessons they offer but lately, detox boxing caught my fancy, too. However, one thing I have tried twice and miserably failed in was tissu or aerial silk. Simply put, I cannot lift myself.

The trainer told me it's not about my weight entirely. True, for there are women larger than me who can glide smoothly up, up, and away using suspended silk cloths. 

I am not strong. There lies the big difference.

In 2016, I am going to make it a goal: basically make my arms and my core strong enough to lift myself. The aerial silk routines look so fun to do, if only I can do it. Then afterwards, I can probably dabble into pole dancing as well. 

Remember: strong, not thin. 

If I lose weight in the process, then that's a bonus.

The Sweetest Fun

It was November last year when I started thinking of someone more often than usual. The ebbs and flows have been intense, and then not, and then it's back again. In between working and extra-curriculars, trips and what-nots, of dead-end attempts to exchange Facebook messages, it's pretty safe to say, I made it one year of this good feeling.

The difference is that this one is not within my immediate compound, one that I am prone to see, accidentally or otherwise. So I do not know if this bodes well in my favor or not, seeing that all my attempts have been naught anyway.

See, this is the same kind of routine that only changes the other personality involved. I do not know why I gladly go through this again and again. I mean, in the words of Bachelor Girl:

• walking under a bus
• getting hit by a train
• sinking down at sea
• crashing my car
• going insane

It feels so good you just do it over and over, as if you're on a trampoline.

Mannequinny

I have one tiny gripe with plus-size mannequins. They are larger, yes, but no matter how quarterbacky their shoulders are, their belly part is still flat. Admit it, it's not entirely representative of what a plus-size should be. Come on, there should be more belly hanging out of it. Just saying.

Finishing

If only I could get myself to finish all the books I started reading, that would be remarkable. I can limit it to books I started this year so it won't be a tall order.

I seriously have a habit of ningas-cogon reading. It is a combination of very short attention span, too many welcomed distractions, and basically a poor will to see things through. Hahaha :)

I have a habit of buying a book then reading it that instant, with no clear commitment at hand. Two hours of tambay at a coffee shop? Sure, i can move past chapters, but when I get home, it's totally forgotten, and a new book comes along (or pulled from my plastic storage bins).

Little accomplishments, little tasks finished. That's something to make me feel better.

Do You Remember

You know what would be great?

If I can remember what I read.

Seriously, it's like I'm wired to be so into what I was reading, feelings and all, and once I was finished, months down the line, I can no longer remember what it was about. Sure, the plot and certain key moments still linger, but I forget most of it that it's like I have not read it at all.

Restart

The bug to write has not completely took hold, and has been more off than on in recent months. I guess as simple a sentence as, "I want to write again," might do it.

The Humans by Matt Haig

About the book: Our hero, Professor Andrew Martin, is dead before the book even begins. As it turns out, though, he wasn’t a very nice man--as the alien imposter who now occupies his body discovers. Sent to Earth to destroy evidence that Andrew had solved a major mathematical problem, the alien soon finds himself learning more about the professor, his family, and “the humans” than he ever expected. When he begins to fall for his own wife and son--who have no idea he’s not the real Andrew--the alien must choose between completing his mission and returning home or finding a new home right here on Earth. (from Goodreads)

Format: Trade Paperback
Source: National Bookstore, December 2014


MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK:

I am glad I picked this book one random afternoon before 2014 ended. It turned out to be my best read of the year so far; well, depending on the materials I will get my hands on in the next 7 months.

The book could be dark but it's hit-the-nail-on-the-head funny most of the time. It had me laughing at the alien protagonist even with his sinister plans (in the beginning) and journeyed with him when he realized that Earth and its underachieving, under-developed habitants have more to them that are worth appreciating. When he slowly learned to embrace Earth's ironies and imperfections, the gradual transition felt genuine, if only because it also confused him. The narration always comes back to the funny bits. I particularly loved his "97 Advice to Humans." So quotable, most of them. I love how Matt Haig used beautiful words to come up with such passages. Here is one I shared with my Facebook friends as I was reading it:

After this, I will gladly welcome another Matt Haig book. I was lucky I chanced on The Radleys in Booksale last month. I may not be able to read it soon but I am sure I'm already going to enjoy it as I learned his writing style with this book.