MY diary.

every word, every picture has its own story

[quotemadness]

“The bravest thing I ever did was continuing my life when I wanted to die.”

— Juliette Lewis

[jammybaldivino]

The Starry Night is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. Painted in June 1889, it depicts the view from the east-facing window of his asylum room at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, just before sunrise, with the addition of an imaginary village. My first lego as an adult and it did not disappoint. 21.08.2022 🌌 🌟 #starrynightlego #vangogh https://www.instagram.com/p/ChhjsQaPcYm/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[jammybaldivino]

“I think that’s the saddest thing in the world, the failure of love. Not hatred, but the failure of love. And was friendship that different in the end from love? You took the possibility of sex out of it, and it was all about the moment anyway. Being here, right now, in someone's life. Making room for someone in yours. Rebecca Makkai, The Great Believers Spanning three decades and two continents, The Great Believers is the story of a group of friends and their stirring emotional journey through the 1980s AIDS crisis in Chicago and its effects on the contemporary lives of survivors. This book is beautiful, gripping and important. Having been too young and too far removed from the AIDS epidemic, it’s hard to imagine what it must have been like to watch huge portions of your community become sick and die of this disease with no treatment options and so much stigma. This is novel is heartbreaking and healing at the same time and I will carry that in my heart for a long, long time. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 13.08.2022 #thegreatbelievers #rebeccamakkai https://www.instagram.com/p/ChMwMHuvxrH/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[jammybaldivino]

11.”I was pretending not to worry about the consequences of my isolation. But whenever I talked to anyone, I found myself overcompensating for the atrophy of my social muscles. Raven Leilani, Luster. The book is about a portrayal of a 23-year-old Black woman struggling to claim herself amidst falling into a white couple’s open marriage. Unfortunately, this book is not for me, but the writing is really good. It’s uncomfortable sometimes but totally raw and honest. My takeaway is that I’m glad my twenties are over. ⭐️⭐️ 15.05.2022 #lusterbook #ravenleilani (at Dubai United Arab Emirates) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdkxb6Tunv3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[jammybaldivino]

The book we all need by @aolanow 09.03.2022 https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca4SF3hKwbubsVuZF-PM3jFXN_CSfHq6fkI8SI0/?utm_medium=tumblr

[jammybaldivino]

7.”There was a kindliness about intoxication - there was that indescribable gloss and glamour it gave, like the memories of ephemeral and faded evenings.” “Life is so damned hard, so damned hard... It just hurts people and hurts people, until finally it hurts them so that they can't be hurt ever any more. That's the last and worst thing it does.” F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Beautiful and Damned First published in 1922, The Beautiful and the Damned achieved stature as one of Fitzgerald's most accomplished novels. The story is about a Harvard-educated, aspiring aristocrat Anthony Patch and his beautiful wife, Gloria. As they await the inheritance of his grandfather's fortune, their reckless marriage sways under the influence of alcohol and greed. Anyone who’s interested to read about privilege and failure, this book is for you. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 22.07.2021 #bookstagram #booklover #booknerd #bookish #booksofinstagram #bookaddict #bookstagramfeature #bookaholic #igreads #bookgeek #bibliophile #thebeautifulanddamnedbook (at Dubai, UAE) https://www.instagram.com/p/CRnvmwFDRto/?utm_medium=tumblr

[jammybaldivino]

6.”Food was how my mother expressed her love. No matter how critical or cruel she could seem—constantly pushing me to meet her intractable expectations—I could always feel her affection radiating from the lunches she packed and the meals she prepared for me just the way I liked them. Michelle Zauner, Crying in H Mart This is a memoir about growing up Korean American, losing her mother, and forging her own identity. In this story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. With humor and heart, she tells of growing up the only Asian American kid at her school in Eugene, Oregon; of struggling with her mother's particular, high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; of treasured months spent in her grandmother's tiny apartment in Seoul, where she and her mother would bond, late at night, over heaping plates of food. Crying in H Mart is a quiet, haunting, beautiful story of what and who we take for granted, and the little moments we never appreciate until they're gone. It also showcase the author’s deep connection of food and the love between a mother and her daughter. This book shattered me then pieced me back together. In case you didn't know, Michelle (the author) is the lead singer of an indie band called Japanese Breakfast @jbrekkie . You should definitely check her out. Her music is beautiful. 17.07.2021 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ bookstagram #booklover #booknerd #bookish #booksofinstagram #bookaddict #bookstagramfeature #bookaholic #igreads #bookgeek #bibliophile #cryinginhmart #michellezauner (at Dubai, UAE) https://www.instagram.com/p/CRa55P4jXjl/?utm_medium=tumblr

[jammybaldivino]

5.”Each workman was responsible for what he did and his number went into each bag—if there was some defect, they would go back to him. It wasn’t like an assembly line where someone did the pockets and someone else did the sleeves,” The House of Gucci, Sara G. Forden On March 27, 1995, Maurizio Gucci, heir to the fabulous fashion dynasty, was slain by an unknown gunman as he approached his Milan office. In 1998, his ex-wife Patrizia Reggiani Martinelli--nicknamed "The Black Widow" by the press--was sentenced to 29 years in prison, for arranging his murder.  Did Patrizia murder her ex-husband because his spending was wildly out of control? Did she do it because her glamorous ex was preparing to marry his mistress, Paola Franchi? Or is there a possibility she didn't do it at all? For anyone that has an interest in fashion and big brands, this is a great read into how these businesses are built, bought and sold. It’s not just about the glamour, advertising campaigns and the big names. The business part is where you learn the story of the Gucci brand and I must say, it’s like reading a telenovela. 08.05.2021 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #bookstagram #booklover #booknerd #bookish #booksofinstagram #bookaddict #bookstagramfeature #bookaholic #igreads #bookgeek #bibliophile #houseofgucci (at Dubai, United Arab Emirates) https://www.instagram.com/p/COm02l2H12L/?igshid=11ynoqzwaycb8

[quotemadness]

“One of the most expensive things you could ever do is pay attention to the wrong people.”

— Dr. Henry Cloud 

[jammybaldivino]

4.”Human knowledge is never contained in one person. It grows from the relationships we create between each other and the world, and still it is never complete. Paul Kalanithi, When Breath Becomes Air. At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade's worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, and the next he was a patient struggling to live. And just like that, the future he and his wife had imagined evaporated. When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi's transformation from a naïve medical student "possessed," as he wrote, "by the question of what, given that all organisms die, makes a virtuous and meaningful life" into a neurosurgeon at Stanford working in the brain, the most critical place for human identity, and finally into a patient and new father confronting his own mortality. This book is: Beautiful, Philosophical, Painful, Honest, and Heartbreaking. HIGHLY recommended. 27.02.2021 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you Paul, thank you for showing us what is life really about. Ps: Brb: I’m still crying. #bookstagram #booklover #booknerd #bookish #booksofinstagram #bookaddict #bookstagramfeature #bookaholic #igreads #bookgeek #bibliophile #whenbreathbecomesair (at Dubai, United Arab Emirates) https://www.instagram.com/p/CLy06FvHPrH/?igshid=13x1v2tfv5p0m

[jammybaldivino]

3.”White men get a choice. They get to choose they job, they house. They get to choose to make black babies, then disappear into thin air, like they wasn't never there to begin with, like these black women they slept with or raped done laid on top of themselves and got pregnant. White men get to choose for black men too. Used to sell 'em; now they just send 'em to prison like my daddy, so that they can't be with they kids. Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi. Homegoing follows seven generations, fourteen perspectives in total. It all begins with two half sisters - Effia and Esi - who will never know each other. One's experiences lead her and her family to slavery in America, the other's family find themselves mostly in Ghana. Yaa Gyasi is a brilliant storyteller. This book about slavery. It’s going to be hard to read. I adored this book, finding it illuminating, heart-breaking and beautiful to read. I can’t recommend it highly enough. 29.01.2021 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #bookstagram #booklover #booknerd #bookish #booksofinstagram #bookaddict #bookstagramfeature #bookaholic #igreads #bookgeek #bibliophile #homegoing (at Dubai, United Arab Emirates) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKp9-1pnIw-/?igshid=4tfxuuj5ixqe

[jammybaldivino]

2.”Know what you want in life and go after it. I worship individuals for their highest possibilities as individuals, and I loathe humanity, for its failure to live up to these possibilities.” Ayn Rand, Anthem Written in 1937. The story takes place at an unspecified future date. Technological advancement is now carefully planned and the concept of individuality has been eliminated. Clearly, Ayn Rand is ahead of her time. This book is not for everyone. But everyone should read it. A masterpiece. 16.01.2021 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ PS: thank you @jassspurrr and @billnerveza89 for my backdrop 😆 #bookstagram #booklover #booknerd #bookstagrammer #bookish #booksofinstagram #bookaddict #bookstagramfeature #bookaholic #igreads #bookgeek #bibliophile #anthembookreview #aynrandquotes (at Dubai, United Arab Emirates) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKG4hQNHomC/?igshid=pl112fcutyq0

[jammybaldivino]

2.”Know what you want in life and go after it. I worship individuals for their highest possibilities as individuals, and I loathe humanity, for its failure to live up to these possibilities.” Ayn Rand, Anthem Written in 1937. The story takes place at an unspecified future date. Technological advancement is now carefully planned and the concept of individuality has been eliminated. Clearly, Ayn Rand is ahead of her time. This book is not for everyone. But everyone should read it. A masterpiece. 16.01.2021 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #bookstagram #booklover #booknerd #bookstagrammer #bookish #booksofinstagram #bookaddict #bookstagramfeature #bookaholic #igreads #bookgeek #bibliophile #anthembookreview #aynrandquotes (at Dubai, United Arab Emirates) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKG4hQNHomC/?igshid=xo3h8358krcw

[jammybaldivino]

1.”Rule no 40: A life without love is of no account. Don’t ask yourself what kind of love you should seek, spiritual or material, divine or mundane, Eastern or Western. Divisions only lead to more divisions. Love has no labels, no definitions. It is what it is, pure and simple. Love is the water of life. And a lover is a soul of fire! The universe turns differently when fire loves water. @shafakelif The Forty Rules of Love. Starting 2021 with Elif Shafak. The Forty Rules of Love consists of two narratives. The contemporary one is about an unhappily married Jewish housewife named Ella living in Northampton, Massachusetts. Ella works for a literary agency and currently she is given a book named "Sweet Blasphemy" by Aziz Zahara. The sweet blasphemy is the second narrative of this novel. Sweet blasphemy is actually about a wandering dervish Shams of Tabriz, who is a mystic Sufi and he sees the vision of his death and he know that he should find a companion to whom he can deliver his knowledge to. This book talks about Love, hence the title. It will remind us how much of it are lacking in our lives. It teaches us about the power of kindness and how it tranforms a person into a beautiful soul. It has so many lessons that a few words cannot do justice on this post. The compassion, forgiveness, pity, love, friendship and faith are some of the many things which Shams wants us to adapt. This is a must read for everyone. A book that goes beyond all faiths, beliefs, thoughts and current societal conditions. 01.01.2021 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . bookstagram #booklover #booknerdigans #bookstagramfeature #booknerd #bookstagrammer #bookish #booksofinstagram #bookaddict #bookstagramfeature #bookaholic #igreads #bookgeek #bibliophile #fortyrulesoflove #elishafak (at Dubai, United Arab Emirates) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJgEVU4HLAY/?igshid=1qg63piiy4t6r

[jammybaldivino]

21. The only reason you say that race was not an issue is because you wish it was not. We all wish it was not. But it’s a lie. I came from a country where race was not an issue; I did not think of myself as black and I only became black when I came to America. When you are black in America and you fall in love with a white person, race doesn’t matter when you’re alone together because it’s just you and your love. But the minute you step outside, race matters. But we don’t talk about it. We don’t even tell our white partners the small things that piss us off and the things we wish they understood better, because we’re worried they will say we’re overreacting, or we’re being too sensitive. And we don’t want them to say, Look how far we’ve come, just forty years ago it would have been illegal for us to even be a couple blah blah blah, because you know what we’re thinking when they say that? We’re thinking why the fuck should it ever have been illegal anyway? But we don’t say any of this stuff. We let it pile up inside our heads and when we come to nice liberal dinners like this, we say that race doesn’t matter because that’s what we’re supposed to say, to keep our nice liberal friends comfortable. It’s true. I speak from experience. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Americanah This book is so important that everyone should read it. This book tackles and addresses so many important topics, especially around race and identity. All the praise and stars for this book. Just phenomenal. 04.12.2020 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #BlackLivesMatter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #bookstagram #booklover #booknerdigans #bookstagramfeature #booknerd #bookstagrammer #bookish #booksofinstagram #bookaddict #bookstagramfeature #bookaholic #igreads #bookgeek #bibliophile #americanah (at Dubai, United Arab Emirates) https://www.instagram.com/p/CIYiIeeH_nF/?igshid=oikwhs5129mm

[jammybaldivino]

21. The only reason you say that race was not an issue is because you wish it was not. We all wish it was not. But it’s a lie. I came from a country where race was not an issue; I did not think of myself as black and I only became black when I came to America. When you are black in America and you fall in love with a white person, race doesn’t matter when you’re alone together because it’s just you and your love. But the minute you step outside, race matters. But we don’t talk about it. We don’t even tell our white partners the small things that piss us off and the things we wish they understood better, because we’re worried they will say we’re overreacting, or we’re being too sensitive. And we don’t want them to say, Look how far we’ve come, just forty years ago it would have been illegal for us to even be a couple blah blah blah, because you know what we’re thinking when they say that? We’re thinking why the fuck should it ever have been illegal anyway? But we don’t say any of this stuff. We let it pile up inside our heads and when we come to nice liberal dinners like this, we say that race doesn’t matter because that’s what we’re supposed to say, to keep our nice liberal friends comfortable. It’s true. I speak from experience. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Americanah This book is so important that everyone should read it. This book tackles and addresses so many important topics, especially around race and identity. All the praise and stars for this book. Just phenomenal. 04.12.2020 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #BlackLivesMatter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #bookstagram #booklover #booknerdigans #bookstagramfeature #booknerd #bookstagrammer #bookish #booksofinstagram #bookaddict #bookstagramfeature #bookaholic #igreads #bookgeek #bibliophile #americanah (at Dubai, United Arab Emirates) https://www.instagram.com/p/CIYiIeeH_nF/?igshid=qezksmcht3nh

[jammybaldivino]

20. What would you change if you could go back in time? In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time. In Before the Coffee Gets Cold, we meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the café’s time-travelling offer, in order to: confront the man who left them, receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by early onset Alzheimer's, to see their sister one last time, and to meet the daughter they never got the chance to know. But the journey into the past does not come without risks: customers must sit in a particular seat, they cannot leave the café, and finally, they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold . . . Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s beautiful, moving story explores the age-old question: what would you change if you could travel back in time? More importantly, who would you want to meet, maybe for one last time? Hands down. If you're only going to read one book this year, then believe me, this is the one. The last time I cried over a book was when I read ‘Shantaram’ but this one I sobbed, goddamnit... No words. 21.11.2020 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #bookstagram #booklover #booknerdigans #bookstagramfeature #booknerd #bookstagrammer #bookish #booksofinstagram #bookaddict #bookstagramfeature #bookaholic #igreads #bookgeek #bibliophiles #beforethecoffeegetscold (at Dubai, United Arab Emirates) https://www.instagram.com/p/CH2gPOCnY7p/?igshid=438fjpqom1xk