After the fourth chapter of Dubliners

Eveline.

That was the fourth chapter of the book.  I just finished it and just started with the fifth, After the Race.

The thing is I got confused.  I am not sure I am getting what the book is all about.  So, I googled the book, which I don't normally do.  I looked for the study guides which might tell me things about the book without spoiling my enthusiasm.  And gladly, instead of ruining it, the more it made me want to go on and read more.

Well, from what I have read so far, it looks to me that the book is not a story about just one person or one central character.  The way I see it, it seems that each chapter is not about one central character, but instead, one central place, Dublin, and each chapter tells about the people of Dublin, thus, the title, Dubliners.

I guess it's too early to feel stupid about not getting the book by the title itself.  But I think I will have to read more to find out if what I discovered tonight is right.

My book entries will also be posted here from now on.

I've been thinking...

I haven't been blogging a lot lately.  My book blog doesn't have too much posts, too, just like this one.  One of the reasons is that I haven't been reading, too.  The last book I've read was "Ang mga Kaibigan ni Aling Susan" by Bob Ong, and it definitely changed the way I know Bob Ong.  But I guess I'll talk about it later in future posts.

So...

I've decided to put my book entries here, too, and I think this probably ease things out for me when it comes to posting.  I really hope it would.

She goes home with nothing. Not even an empty victory.

Beaten maid gives up fight.

This isn't Nuan.  But I'm not sure if she is or isn't the one in the story.  She might not be Nuan because Nuan gave her name.  This news didn't name the victim.

Nuan is the fighter that I wrote about last September 2010 and you can find that post here.

Yes, I wasn't too positive about her decision to fight, because I have an idea of how it was to file cases and fight for your right there.  The ever-changing laws of Dubai are like the ever-changing dunes of its dessert.  What you know about the law today might not be the same tonight, or even this afternoon.  That was one of the many reasons why I wanted Nuan to come home instead.

If this is Nuan, then, I won't say that I am happy that she took back what she said.  But neither am I sad because she didn't get what she wanted to fight for.

But Nuan or not, it's still good that she will come home.

Had she decided to come home earlier, she would have already spent quality time with her kids.  And who knows, she might be already getting ready to leave for Taiwan for another promise of a better job and a brighter future.

This is the reason why I so wanted Nuan to come home instead of fighting.

If this isn't Nuan, then good for her to have decided to come home.

As for Nuan, I still await.  Her story is one of the very few reasons why I still read UAE's Seven Days newspaper.

This is Nuan's story.

Our Neighbor's Chocolates

We used to live in a town in the same province, and was a neighbor to a family whose dad goes abroad for a living. That was during those times when the term OFW wasn't even coined yet. This was when I was not even ten years old, which was about thirty years ago. This neighbor already brings home imported chocolates and gives us some as his pasalubong. There were Milky Ways, M&M's and Snickers. I liked Milky Way and M&M's and my sister went for Snickers.

Fast forward today.

We are in the capital of the province, where we moved thirty years ago. It turned out that this same neighbor moved in this town, too, a few years after we did. And as one of the proofs that this is a small world, we crossed paths, go to the same church, the same gym and even the same sari-sari store to buy load.

Their father still goes out of the country, and now I can say that he's an OFW.

We met before Christmas, and their dad was home for the holidays. After all those years, they again, gave us some chocolates for pasalubong.

That was when I got nostalgic.

Back then, I thought someone who goes out of the country was a seaman. Not a domestic helper, a nurse, a welder, etc.

Back then, I thought imported chocolates only meant Milky Way, M&M's and Snickers.

A lot of things happened, a lot of changes have transpired.

But the chocolates and their gesture will always remind me of how we were neighbors and how neighbors were during those times.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I haven't been blogging nor tweeting.  I have been busy both with the holidays and CityVille, my newest addiction in Facebook.  But, I think it won't last long since the need for zoning permits to expand withers my spirit.

But the holiday spirit doesn't wither me and will not wither me.  Although this year we didn't buy any fireworks, not even the Liwayway sparkles we bought last year, the spirit was strong as ever.  And I think it was even stronger, for high hopes this year.

I know that a lot of people didn't buy a lot of fireworks either.  Although our neighbor had some fountains.

Last night's 'putukan' didn't last the way it used to, as compared to how it was when I was a kid and not afraid of fireworks.  I remember there was one new year that I was the one who lit the 'sawa' fireworks which was at that time one of the most expensive, if not the most expensive fireworks.

But our zest for fireworks started to wither when my cousin was trying to do the "Darna" trick out of pulburas taken out of the bawang.  For some reason, instead of just the darna effect, it went boom and scared him, although it didn't hurt him.  After that year, we stopped buying those paputoks altogether and just settled for fountains.

This year, I realized that no matter how many or how less your fireworks and your media noche treats are, there is nothing compared to the spirit for the hope of a better year.  And we Filipinos never lose this.