Hello, Love.

An Introduction of Sorts Currently reading: TBA

[hellohellolove]

"There never was a choice for us, was there?"

In my relatively short life, I’ve read books that were so good they made me want to rejoice the day their authors were born. I’ve also read ones that were so bad they made me question the credibility (and sanity) of their publishers, ones that were so awful they gave me the urge to hit something for my wasted time, and ones that were just plain wrong I didn’t even bother finishing them.

And then, there were those books. Books that I can’t decide if they were good or bad or somewhere in between. Books that I’m not sure if I loved or hated. Books that I don’t know if enjoyed or not, but definitely left me feeling... scattered after the last page.

Mia Asher’s Arsen: A Broken Love Story is that kind of book.

It wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot. I was skimming over paragraphs and there was even a point when I wanted to give up reading it entirely, but I persisted because what the hell. Then, the last few chapters came... and I suddenly found myself getting affected by what was happening. And then I finished it and now there’s this pain in my chest that I can’t explain.

My heart hurts and I don’t know. I just... don’t know.

[hellohellolove]

Makati Underground, where picture-taking is apparently prohibited. I wasn't aware of this rule; I thought the ad on the ceiling was cool so I took a photo. Next thing I knew, a guard who looked irritated was telling me to put my phone away. Strange.

[hellohellolove]

Before a colleague left for France, he asked me what pasalubong (souvenir) he could get me for when he comes back. Naturally, I said I wanted a notebook. Any notebook. I was expecting a sort of cutesy notebook with the Eiffel Tower on the cover; I wasn't expecting a hardcover Moleskine and three Moleskine cahiers. Needless to say, I was over the moon when I got them. Now I'm using the purple cahier as my stage manager's notebook. I'm a lucky girl. 😊

[hellohellolove]

Journaling-Junkie's February Journal Challenge Day 14: What I Like About Valentine's Day

Personally, I'm not really into Valentine's Day--I neither like it nor dislike it--but I'm a big fan of love. And in a world where caring is often seen as a weakness, I love that humans still have at least one day dedicated to romance. Some may gripe about the fakeness and cheesiness of it all, how it's just another capitalist ploy designed to make money off of the gullibility of the masses, but the haters and non-believers won't change the fact that Valentine's Day is being celebrated all over the world and that at the heart of it all, there is only--quite simply--love.

[hellohellolove]

"Of course I feel angry," I said angrily. "What do you expect? It was a stupid thing to ask." "Yes," she agreed. "It was a stupid thing to ask. I see that you're angry. I don't need to ask a stupid thing to understand that." "So why did you ask?" Slowly she turned herself around, pivoting on her knees, until finally she was facing me. "I asked for you," she said. "For me?" "So you could hear the answer."

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

[hellohellolove]

Journaling-Junkie's February Journal Challenge Day 13: The Ideal Bouquet

Two things I love the most in this mortal world: the color orange and office supplies. Hence, my ideal bouquet would be made up of orange pens, pencils, scissors, clips, etc. plus a mini-Sonic Screwdriver for accent because Doctor Who is also love.

[hellohellolove]

Journaling-Junkie's February Journal Challenge Day 12: Soft Candlelight

I don't have a candle, but I thought my reading light would do as an alternative. Not as romantic as soft candlelight, I admit, but it's quite a nifty little thing to have and perfect for reading and writing all night long.

(The poem I wrote down is After a While by Veronica A. Shoffstall, another favorite of mine.)

[hellohellolove]

"Why am I crying?"

[hellohellolove]

Journaling-Junkie's February Journal Challenge Day 11: How I Fell in Love with Writing

I'm not really sure which came first, my love for school supplies or my fascination with pretty handwriting, but both definitely had something to do with how I fell in love with writing. When I was young(er) at the end of every summer vacation just before school re-opens, I would practice writing my name over and over again using my new pens and pencils until I find the perfect handwriting to use for the rest of the academic year. Then I discovered that I could use written words to escape reality, to talk to myself when no one would listen, and I was hooked.

(In the photo is the large Moleskine notebook I used for the playwriting class I took almost two year ago.)

[hellohellolove]

Journaling-Junkie's February Journal Challenge Day 10: Romance Novels and Notebooks

Those who have been following my blog for a while now would know how Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series basically consumed my life late last year. In case anyone wants to know what I think of the novels, this post--which I wrote after finishing the eighth book--pretty much says it all.

[hellohellolove]

Aaaaahhh your handwriting is very wonderful! I love seeing your posts about your journal on my dash! ♡ May I ask any suggestions to keep a journal? What pens and type of journals do you recommend the most? Thank you very much! :)

I honestly never thought that my handwriting would get an “aaaaahhh” from someone, yet here you are. You’re so sweet. Thank you, a million times over.

I’m probably not the best person to give suggestions on how to keep a journal because I can barely keep one myself, but I’m always trying so that should count for something, right? ;-)

My suggestion is this: Imagine your journal as your Tumblr blog. Instead of clicking ‘like’ on a quote or text post, write it down on your notebook. If it’s a photo, you could print it out and paste it. When you’re reading a book and you come across a passage that hits you, write it down. It would take more effort, but it could be worth it. You could also use prompts. I find journaling-junkie​’s monthly journal challenges very useful in helping me keep my journal.

For pens, I recommend using any pen with pigment ink like the Uni Pin Pen because they don’t smudge and bleed through. I’m left-handed so I tend to make a mess when I use gel pens. And as for type of journals, I prefer the write-whatever-I-want one. I recommend it if you’re the kind of person who likes to be alone with your million-a-minute thoughts. Writing will definitely help you sort through them, based on my experience. For a notebook brand, I recommend the Leuchtturm1917 because it’s really pretty. Hahaha! But beyond that, I love it because it has page numbers, which prevents me from tearing the pages when I get frustrated with my writing. It encourages me to let my mistakes go and just move along. :-)

Thanks again for your message! Happy journaling and lots of love and light to you! :-)

[hellohellolove]

Your handwriting is really pretty! ;_; I hope you have fun at writing! :)

Hello there! I already enjoy writing (at least most of the time), but getting messages like yours certainly adds to the fun. So thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope you have an incredible day! :-)

[hellohellolove]

You're handwriting is SUPERB! Love it <3

Hello! I think YOU are superb for telling me about it. Thank you! Have a wonderful day! :-)

[hellohellolove]

Journaling-Junkie's February Journal Challenge Day 9: A Celebrity or Fictional Crush

First of all, let me just say that all of my crushes are either celebrities or fictional. But since I can't possibly name all of them here, I've chosen Fitzwilliam Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. He's not someone without flaws, yes, but there's something irresistible about a proud and arrogant gentleman who could admit when he's wrong and also (hu)man enough to apologize for it. Plus, he says things like "You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you," so resistance is pretty much futile.

(The quote I wrote down is from the 2005 film directed by Joe Wright. A lot of people has Colin Firth as their Darcy; Matthew Macfadyen is mine.)

[hellohellolove]

Journaling-Junkie's February Challenge Day 8: Sappy Lyrics

I've chosen the chorus from I Knew I Loved You by Savage Garden. The words are extremely cheesy yes, but that song has always been one of my favorites.

[hellohellolove]

Journaling-Junkie's February Journal Challenge Day 7: A Language of L'amour

I've always considered my first language as one of the most romantic in the entire world, which is why I love translating English things to my native tongue. The poem in the photo is my translation/adaptation of Blank Sheets by Kiana Llanos.

[hellohellolove]

Journaling-Junkie's February Journal Challenge Day 6: Favorite Romantic Comedy

The romantic comedy genre is a thing I live and breathe for so I thought picking only one favorite for this challenge was going to be tough. But it turned out it wasn't. It was quite obvious, actually. I just looked into my journal from last year, found this entry on You've Got Mail and I'm done.

"Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address."

And with a line like that, I couldn't have chosen any other, even if I tried.