Readings – Shainne Hostalero

2024 Reads

In 2024, I embraced reading to find peace, achieving my goal of 20 books while minimizing social media use.

This year, 2024, has been very challenging for me–professionally and personally. Annually, I challenge myself to read a certain number of books. I don’t do much on the numbers but I’m happy if I’m able to hit my targets because it is a testament of my re-wiring to a more peaceful or quieter side of the earth, at least for me, which is reading.

I’m not sure, but I think I have shared this already in one of my posts here on the site, that I have started reading books since I knew how to. I was a kid in the no-internet-yet era so reading has been one of those hobbies I have gained affection for as a painfully shy child. As an adult, it matters to me that I read more than I scroll. Social media, as advantageous for all of us in terms of our careers, studies, and personal lives, could also have a lot of disadvantages–for most, I think, and this has been studied as well by many professionals and researchers, that we spend so much time on social media now than in other usual things we used to enjoy before.

Yet, we cannot go back to how it was before. That, we know for sure. However, I think, we should control technology and innovation leveled to us and how it can serve as well, rather than the other way around. In that sense, I infused reading on both digital and traditional. It saves me a lot of resources and space, too.

At the end of 2023, I know that the new year will be busier for me. And it was true, more than the level I expect, actually. On an average, I only target 20 books to read per year. Some years, I achieved more, but I’m happy just to hit a 100%. For me, it means that I have put an effort to reading and I have shied away from too much social media. All the more, with some exceptions (e.g., friends who will far, studies, video games, business, work etc.), I have valued physical interaction (or none at all, please, as an introvert) and my offline life which I spend with my friends, family, experiences, research, business, and of course, books.

According to my recorded stats (through an Excel file that I keep–if you know me, you’d know I like organizing things, it could be a good thing or a bad thing, up to you to choose), I have read 20 of 20 books (100% target achieved) with a total of 6,738 pages. Ten of which I read are e-books, and the other 10 are physical books.

Fable.co says that I am a “Chaos Connoisseur: Your eclectic picks scream “book hoarder convention”; still, you revel in stories that defy genres and expectations.” I had a hard time looking at what to read this year, even though I have already finalized a list to read–but I guess, it will really depend on your mood or what interests you (like films or TV series I have seen or things I have gotten curiosity about based on reviews and conversations with people).

If you are looking for books to read next year, 2025, these are some of the books I have read this year, 2024:

Title	Author
1. After I Do	Taylor Jenkins Reid
2. The Scarlet Letter	Nathaniel Hawthorne
3. The Duchess Deal	Tessa Dare
4. Some People Need Killing	Patricia Evangelista
5. Misery	Stephen King
6. Outliers	Malcolm Gladwell
7. The Idea of You	Robinne Lee
8. Verity (The Collector’s Edition)	Colleen Hoover
9. Surrounded by Idiots	Thomas Erikson
10. Howl’s Moving Castle	Diana Wynne Jones
11. Forget Me Not	Julie Soto
12. The Housemaid’s Secret	Freida McFadden
13. The Precipice	Noam Chomsky
14. Anne of Green Gables	L.M. Montgomery
15. Before the Coffee Gets Cold (#2)	Toshikazu Kawaguchi
16. Never Greener	Ruth Jones
17. Intimacy and Midnight All Day	Hanif Kureishi
18. Sweet Bean Paste	Durain Sukegawa
19. The Law of Innocence	Michael Connelly
20. Infinite Lives, Infinite Deaths	Douglas Candano

This 2025, I’m thinking to cut down targets to 12 (1 book per month). I’m thinking to immerse and absorb more from a book and give them more time in my head to process (or even share or make content about so you too can also dive deeper if it also spark your interest). We’ll see where the next year takes us. I hope it will be better for all us, more than we can imagine—if it’s not too much to wish for.

My 2023 Reading Wrap Up

Cheers to this year and to the next!

As we bid goodbye to 2023 in less than 48 hours, I’d like to look back and see where this year took me in terms of my readings that surely made a dent in my being and took me to various places all at once.

My Readings in Numbers

For easier review of how my reading challenges in the past years have gone, I maintain a spreadsheet file of the list and statistics of titles I have finished during the year.

This year, I took it upon myself to read 20 books as my yearly target. It was 50% less compared to last year’s 40 books, but I focused on immersing myself more in the titles I read this year rather than just hitting the numbers; thus, it did me better this 2023.

Reading Stats	Year 2023
Finished	30
Target	20
% Achieved	150%
Number of Pages read	9,833

Category	Qty.
E-books	21
Books (Physical copy)	9

I have overly achieved my target this year at 150% or 30 books of 20 titles, with 9,833 pages read all-in-all, 21 titles of which I read via my Kindle or via e-books. This 2024, since I have gone through a buying spree in a bookstore, I’d like to concentrate reading more on my physical copies. Reading via Kindle or any e-reader at that, has various advantages if I may say so, and I will probably talk about it in another post.

In just a bit over half a year, I have already finished my target of 20 titles. I slowed it down a bit because I had to concentrate on writing my dissertation and finishing my doctorate (which I targeted to finish by December 2023, and rightfully, the odds helped me, I finished December 2023)– so much wonderful content I can think of next–like, how targets keep you on track and craft something you can look forward to. Hehehe.

My 2023 in Titles

As raw as it gets, I will include my actual notes from my spreadsheet regarding the books that I have read this year. Consider this as my review. 😆

Titles	Authors	Remarks
1. Did You Miss Me?	Sophia Money-Coutts	UK setup. Oks naman
2. More Than You’ll Ever Know	Katie Gutierrez	Psychological Thriller. Mga few chapters towards the end, alam ko na kung sino yung killer
3. Fairy Tale	Stephen King	One of my best reads! Worth the pence. Longest book I read, I think, in the last 3 years
4. Archer’s Voice	Mia Sheridan	Nakakakilig!
5. Spare	Prince Harry	A book of rants. I should have not read this
6. People We Meet on Vacation	Emily Henry	Steamy hot and adventurous
7. Catcher in the Rye	J.D. Salinger	I don’t get the clout, good thing I didn’t buy the book
8. The Reunion	Kayla Olson	Kakakilig din ito hehe
9. Jar of Hearts	Jennifer Hillier	Ayos din ito, it could have been shorter
10. The Baby Sitter Club #1: Kristy’s Great Idea	Ann M. Martin and Johannes M. Martin	Nostalgic. Thank you Papa!
11. The Girl On The Train	Paula Hawkins	Typical Psychological Thriller, figured out agad kung sino pumatay
12. Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism	Mariana Mazzucato	Worth it! Had synthesis for this
13. You’re That Bitch: & Other Cute Lessons About Being Unapologetically Yourself	Bretman Rock	Incredibly funny!
14. The Devil Wears Prada	Lauren Weisberger	Classic na ‘to. A little different from the movie
15. Queen Charlotte	Julia Quinn & Shonda Rhimes	Yaaaaaas!
16. Creating Sustainable Value in Social Enterprises Stories of Social Innovation	Maria Assunta C. Cuyegkeng Raquel Cementina-Olpoc Ana Marina A. Tan	I used this for research. We need more books about this
17. Convenience Store Woman	Sayaka Murata	You’d be confident to be just you and alone (but not lonely)
18. My Darling Duke	Stacy Reid	Steamy! Haha
19. The Inmate	Freida McFadden	Crazy crazy!
20. Ang Tundo Man May Langit Din	Andres Cristobal Cruz	Now I know why this is a must-read
21. Mad Honey	Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan	AMAZING!
22. Happy Place	Emily Henry	Just glad I powered through. Oks naman but I’ll never read this again
23. Queridas De Rizal	Ambeth Ocampo	Jose Rizal as a ladies’ man
24. When Breath Becomes Air	Paul Kalanithi	Kakaiyak huhuhu about a doctor and his battle with cancer, a memoir
25. Like Water for Chocolate	Lara Esquivel	Crazy haha I couldn’t believe the ending
26. Bridge to Terabithia	Katherine Paterson	I thought I would not cry but I did. It’s about losing a friend (10 y/o)
27. Beautiful Disaster	Jamie McGuire	Oks at first, kakakilig but kakapikon na in the middle towards the end
28. Dating Dr. Dil	Nisha Sharma	Kakilig and spicy! Love-hate relationship
29. False Nostalgia: The Marcos Golden Age Myths and How to Debunk Them	JC Punongbayan	A hard book to read because it’s spitting facts. Nakakagalit
30. Something Borrowed	Emily Giffin	RomCom / Oks din, fast-paced, no further fillers

Currently, there are books I’m still reading, but better to cap off the year with 30 titles at most and get busy welcoming the year 2024. Reflecting on the things I did this year, I can say that I am blessed despite the challenges and losing people important to me.

These books are here for a reason and for me, they’re part of my everyday life as they take me on various adventures. As an introvert with an extroverted career, books help me recharge, entertain, and help me understand matters in the world that may or may not resonate with us.

Cheers to this year and to the next!

Embracing Spontaneity: A Year Without a TBR List and the Unexpected Reads That Transformed 2023

Not having an exact list to read for the year has been freeing for me. Instead of planning out what to read for the whole year round, I read whatever I see on my shelves.

This year, 2023, could be considered quite different from the years I had because, contemplating it now in this chilly almost end of November, I did not have a TBR or a To-Be-Read list.

Usually, I have a target number of how many I will challenge myself to read for the year. Last year was a feat as I targeted 40 books and ended the year with 61 books finished. It was a good experience and it sure did help me veer away from social media and actually put me into a habit of not checking social media sites as often as before nor centering my career on it. In this light, I was able to enjoy more, cook more, and write more and better–especially as I finish my dissertation.

I entered the year without any TBR list in mind because I did not want to put much pressure on what I should read. I also cut my target in half to concentrate on this huge year ahead as I knew that I was heading to the last months of my doctoral and I did want to focus. So instead of 40, I cut it down to 20, and before I knew it, I already finished the reading challenge last July.

If you are like me who does not create a certain direction when it comes to what book to read, I know you can resonate with this: read what you feel like. Some of my friends do notice that I gear more on romcom, fiction, and historical regency. I guess so. I think they are easier reads for me and I shy away from too technical stuff. I feel that when I am reading non-fiction, it is research material for me; that I feel like I am studying when in fact I want a breather. But, I still purchase and read non-fiction materials, especially Filipiniana and those written and published locally.

I know it is quite early to wrap up for the year, but I just want to share some of the books that spontaneously made it to my list and I did not regret getting my eyes and mind on:

1. Fairy Tale by Stephen King

_{Image from Simon & Schuster}

Originally, I borrowed the e-book from a digital library in New York, and I got hooked when I started reading the book. It is a thick book, about 600 pages long (just usual for a Stephen King) and the plot just kept getting better and better. If you are a dog-lover, you’d appreciate this book more; and probably cry your eyes out, too.

It was the adventure of a lifetime! It was gross, it was trouble, it was satisfying, all in one! If I were to be asked if this book, albeit long, could be something I could read again–yes, absolutely! I even purchased the hardbound copy of this book and it.was.worth.every.pence.

Hardbound copies are hard to come by and they are usually offered very limited in quantity in bookstores here in the Philippines. I found mine when I visited FullyBooked in their SM Grand Central branch.

2. Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism by Mariana Mazzucato

_{Image from Fully Booked (fullybookedonline.com)}

I first came across this book during one of my classes with Professor Jeffrey Sachs when I was finishing my Certification in Sustainable Development under the UNSDSN. This book was one of his reading materials that changed tons for me; by which, I was on the hunt on ever since then.

You can also check out the synthesis I wrote taking the Mission Economy book as an immense inspiration.

It was hard to source since I am living in the Philippines and book sources could vary on availability and their shipping. But good thing, my ever-trusted bookstore reserved one for me. They re-stocked, too! So if you are curious, you may check this book out here.

3. Creating Sustainable Value in Social Enterprises: Stories of Social Innovation by Maria Assunta C. Cuyegkeng, Raquel Cementina-Olpoc, and Ana Maria A. Tan

_{Image from Ateneo De Manila University Press}

When I first entered my doctoral classes, I already knew what I wanted to study and make a full dissertation on (it was a requirement by UP to send a plan of your ventured studies during the application process hehe) — Social Enterprise. As early as 2021 (I started in 2020), I already started gathering resource materials that could help me get inspired or get supporting literature. This book on Creating Sustainable Value in Social Enterprises: Stories of Social Innovation was one, if not the most useful books, I came across during my search.

It was published by Ateneo de Manila University Press and is an insightful publication following the stories of social enterprises and social entrepreneurs hailed from Ateneo. This brought me to the reflection and a dire wish to write something similar to it — and conveyed to my dissertation panel that the research I am currently working on be translated into a book and an open resource material (if permitting) to be read and used by others. One can dream, yes?

4. False Nostalgia by JC Punongbayan

_{Image from Ateneo De Manila University Press}

Also from Ateneo Press, this book debunks the myths of the “Golden Age” through facts available in research, data, anecdotes, and other valid resources. It is an insightful book that keeps you in an array of thought, wondering, “where did it stem from?” and “why?” or “how?”, and most of the time, throughout the book, “whuuut?!”

5. Ang Tundo Man May Langit Din by Andres Cristobal Cruz

_{Image from Google Books}

I first read this book in high school during our Filipino (or Social Studies class, I cannot fully recall anymore). Our class did not have a full-blown discussion of the book, but I remember us doing a reflection paper on what we understood.

Since I do not have a TBR list for the year, I revisited some of the readings in former classes that I did not fully grasp yet at a young age, but I am sure can better understand now that I am older. Then, I knew, why this is a must-read.

Not having an exact list to read for the year has been freeing for me. Instead of planning out what to read for the whole year round, I read whatever I see on my shelves (books I hoarded, e-books I purchased and borrowed from libraries abroad, and old reading materials in the cloud). In a way, I thrift my heart through buying books (not so much hehe but better than last year). I try to categorize purchases so I do not fill my shelves to the brim but also give myself an ample allowance if I cannot resist.

While I have an e-reader, I also still purchase physical books from time to time, especially locally written and published ones as e-books are not that large yet from our Filipino authors in the country; but also to get the feel of the pages as the experience is still different. And while I am also big on reading fiction, I also make space for other insightful titles like those books mentioned here.

For next year, I think I will follow through with this no TBR list, as there are more titles I can discover.

2022 Reads

2022 comfort and adventure.

Reading has always been a part of me, a hobby, and it intensified when my father gifted me a Kindle in 2019. The onset of the pandemic in 2020 helped me resort to reading more as a comfort to the anxiety-induced situation during the health crisis. The last two years have been good still–reading wise and this year has led me to good practices and disciplines in terms of reading because I am twice as involved and dedicated to reading; and it does not feel like a chore, because it really isn’t. It is a comfort and an adventure.

My only goal this year was to read 25 books, 60% higher than my goal in 2021 because I don’t want the pressure. Keeping count is not even a must in terms of reading; it just feels good to note everything, jot it down, and see how we improve. Numbers do not equate anything to readings, actually; it is just a measure of discipline for me. I’m sure I’ve read more than the ones I put on the list –academic articles, research, and other academic materials for my post-graduate studies, magazines even, and other blog posts; but I will only include here those books/novels I’ve read and able to take an adventure with.

Here’s the list of the books I’ve read in 2022 and some notes:

1 and 2: Priest and Midnight Mass by Sierra Simone

Okay, you don’t get to judge me, okay? These books are steamy and sinful. Hehe the writing is good and the books are unputdownable.

3. The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry

I’d be honest. I didn’t like the book and I should have dnf-ed it, but I powered through and I still didn’t like it after that. Maybe you’ll find it amusing or interesting, maybe it wasn’t just my cup of tea.

4. Before the Coffee Gets Cold (#1) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

5. Too Late by Colleen Hoover

6. The Unhoneymooner by Christina Lauren

7. Verity by Colleen Hoover

Oh the twist of this book! One of my best reads this year.

8. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

9. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

10. My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

11. A Kingdom of Dreams (Westmoreland, #1) by Judith McNaught

12. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Now I know why this book is a bit controversial. This may be where every plot like this stemmed.

13. Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

14. A Borrowed Life by Kerry Anne King

This is what I bought from my Amazon credits and get me through difficulties during my travel to Bacolod this year. Haha! I remember not sleeping for two nights because of a rambunctious and inconsiderate roommate. So, there, it was a kind of memorable book because it soothed me and comforted me.

15. Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover

16. Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia

17. The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas

18. The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks

Kind of Verity and Rebecca vibe.

19. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Worth the hype.

20. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Not worth the hype. At least for me.

21. Dekada ’70 by Lualhati Bautista

22. What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20 by Tina Seelig

23. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

24. Regretting You by Colleen Hoover

25. Normal People by Sally Rooney

26. All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover

27. The Art of War by Sun Tzu

28. Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid

29. Rock Paper Scissor by Alice Feeney

You’d love the twist!

30. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

31. My Evil Mother by Margaret Atwood

32. Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

Don’t read this at night, please.

33. The Viscount Without Virtue by Katherine Grant

34. Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

35. The Grown Up by Gillian Flynn

36. Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

37. Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster

I grew up watching Judie Abbott, the Japanese animated series. That was usually 9 or 10 in the morning on weekdays, which I look forward to seeing whenever classes are suspended. That series was based on this book. But reflecting on it, it was kind of creepy, right?

38. Book Lovers by Emily Henry

39. The Wedding Date by Jasmin Guillory

40. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

Brilliant!

41. Dusk by F. Sionil José

42. Daisy Jones & The Six

43. November 9 by Colleen Hoover

44. Maybe Someday (Maybe #1) by Colleen Hoover

45. Bata, Bata, Pa’no Ka Ginawa? by Lualhati Bautista

46. Maybe Now (Maybe #2) by Colleen Hoover

47. Maybe Not (Maybe #3) by Colleen Hoover

48. The HatingGame by Sally Thorne

49. Class Mom by Laurie Gelman

Downright hilarious!

50. Meet Me in Paradise by Libby Hubscher

51. Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo

52. Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

53. Ain’t That a Mother: Postpartum, Palsy and Everything in Between by Adiba Nelson

54. It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover

55. The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas

56. Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

57. The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

58. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

59. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

60. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

61. Dear Girls by Ali Wong

From the target of 25 books for the year, I raised it to 40 books and was able to finish the goal last July 28, 2022; and I kept going. It was a win for me to keep the discipline of reading at bay. This 2023, I wish to read more, but no pressure!

Books That Made Me Ugly Cry

I think I should pin down the books that made me cry and proved I’m not dead inside

It is the second to the last of 2022 and before I made the final list of all the books I’ve read to cap off the year, I think I should pin down the books that made me cry and proved I’m not dead inside.

Words have a way through me and before I knew it, I was crying so hard and all resonated with me. So, here are some of the books I (mostly) read this year that made me ~ugly~ cry (in no particular order):

1. Meet Me In Paradise by Libby Hubscher

With all my abandonment issues, there is this fear or anxiety of losing a loved one and this book just flared up all of those. Haha! If you have a sister and you are close to her, this is a nicer book to read. It is sweet, entertaining, sad, happy, and lonely all at the same time. Plus, breathtaking vacation views that you can duly imagine through how the book was written.

The right decision is not always the easy decision.
Meet Me in Paradise, Lubby Hubscher

If you are looking for a heart-wrenching read and want to have your own breathtaking vacation in the comfort of your seat, read Meet Me In Paradise. But, I can’t promise you that you won’t shed a tear.

2. Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Oh, you know this. This book is probably on all bookstands and it does not disappoint. If you play tennis or enthusiast of the sport, for sure you’d love this good read, though it is not a pre-requisite. But surely, if you have a father or a father figure, you surely will let those tears roll.

I was just ‘chill’ reading the book, but not until in the middle of it or towards 80% of it, I turned crying. You get to appreciate people more by the end of the book, especially those who are truly dear to you.

Some reminders when we get so competitive:

And we don’t cry when we lose, but we also don’t gloat when we win.
Carrie Soto Is Back, Tayloy Jenkins Reid

And something to ponder on in this world of ours:

One of the great injustices of this triggered world we live in is that women are considered to be depleting with age and men are somehow deepening.
Carrie Soto Is Back, Taylor Jenkins Reid

3. Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Another one from Taylor Jenkins Reid–who is one of my favorite authors who I discovered this year through her book Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. If you want to get passed a reading slump, you may read this Evidence of the Affair–it is less than 100 pages and consists of letters that are “evidence” of an affair. Though it is short, I can’t guarantee that you won’t cry, ugly-cry at that, in the end.

4. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

I have admired Madeline Miller for her creativity and it is evident in the book, The Song of Achilles. Incredibly good, actually! It was painful, lonely, and happy all at the same time. Plus, if you are like me that have an interest in Greek mythology or any ancient Greek folklore, this book gets a +1. And, get ready with your tissues!

5. Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom

If you are a reader, I guess you always come across Tuesdays With Morrie in some of the book recommendations. Well, there is a reason why–it’s that good. I read this book, hmmm, probably, 10-11 years ago (?) and I’ve read it thrice between those years, because when you are losing hope about life, it is a good book to read to appreciate life better. It breaks me every time–a good kind of break, if I may add. Do you need some pushing? Read this one by Mitch Albom.

Being with a team and somehow leading, this is what I always put in mind:

If you’re trying to show off for people at the top, forget it. They will look down at you anyhow. And if you’re trying to show off for people at the bottom, forget it. They will only envy you. Status will get you nowhere. Only an open heart will allow you to float equally between everyone.”
Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom

Someone asked by what is the purpose of life (seriously) and this one gets to me as if I have only read the book yesterday:

The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.
Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom

6. Before the Coffee Gets Cold (#1) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

I have always been curious about this book and then I found myself buying it from Amazon in a jiff. I am a fan of Haruki Murakami and he is a tough act to follow for Japanese authors — well, at least to me. I did remember, it was January 2022 when I first set my hands on Before the Coffee Gets Cold, and I finished it in a day because it is that good and I bawled my eyes out.

What if there is a cafe that brings us back to before? What if we can witness the things we wanted to then? How would it make a difference in our lives at the present?

7. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

If I were to be asked what book changed me, my way of life, and my reading, it is The Art of Racing in the Rain for me. I was 17 or 18 when I read this book which I got from Powerbooks (think the bookstore closed down branches in the Philippines). I was mourning the death of our dog then, and the book was torture for me, really, but it was also life-changing all the same.

Your car goes where your eyes go. Simply another way of saying that which you manifest is before you.
The Art of Racing in the Rain, Garth Stein

The book was funny and touching. It is as if it speaks to your core through the living thing–your dog, your best friend.

“Anyare?”: The Collective Mind

Collective Mind is how we can explain it, how we could describe it, and how we can answer the question simply put as “anyare?” or suffice to the wonders of our minds and reactions whether positively or negatively–“wow!”

During my master’s, I read an article written by Dr. Alexander G. Flor, the former dean and a professor in the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies (FICS) of the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU). Currently, Dr. Flor sits as a member of my dissertation committee, and my professor too in my two subjects this semester. The article I’m talking about is “Communication, Culture and the Collective Psyche.”

The reason I remembered was during our recent class, timely as it is, Dr. Flor brought up the said article. Since we are in the middle of the post-electoral scene from the recent 2022 National Elections, the article does make sense to at least navigate us through one of the many answers, if not the sole conclusion, to our questions about the said elections–like, of course, “how did IT happen?”

As a development communicator, one of my objectives, as also shared by Dr. Flor in the article, is a development communicator researcher’s biggest ambition–“to understand and explain how a socially beneficial idea assumes a life of its own and spreads throughout society without the benefit of planned and funded campaigns” (Flor 2007, p.99).

Collective Mind is how we can explain it, how we could describe it, and how we can answer the question simply put as “anyare?” or suffice to the wonders of our minds and reactions whether positively or negatively–“wow!”

This Collective Mind refers to the synergy generated through individual minds in the social system (p.106). Thus, our society has its social system and its collectivity has a mind. Communication plays a huge role in this narrative. In fact, socialization by sociologists and acculturation by anthropologists can only be achieved through communication (p.111).

Society refers to a whole comprised of various individuals. Apart from they share the same spatial, they are typically subject to dominant cultural expectations. In a democratic country just like the Philippines, people have invested power to decide, in our recent case, elected officials in the government, through representation. Communication and comprehension of what’s being communicated craft the society we live in; education, and media/digital media play a huge role today that make or even break forms of information and social construction.

Many may point disinformation and misinformation as part of it, the seeds that are planted reap differently than what was expected of many, now as far as the election results go, the minority (I’ll concentrate more on this in another research). Needless to say, communication is an essential element, if not the main key, of politicking. Hence, as communication scholars, and development communicators at that, (in unison with the sociologists, media personnel, and journalists), we all have a crucial role to play. May it be breeding new sources of knowledge or research, but also understanding societal engagement and cultural communication unbiased more importantly, as we try to be.

Collective Mind is how we can simply glue how we came about, the same goes with the People Power I or EDSA 1 in 1986 and People Power II or EDSA 2 in 2001.

Reference:

Flor, Alexander G. (2007). Communication, Culture and the Collective Psyche. Chapter 10 in Development Communication Praxis, pp.99-114. University of the Philippines Open University Office of Academic Support and Instructional Services. Diliman, Quezon City. ISBN 978-971-767-200-7.

Featured Image from the internet / Pexels.

Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

“Life is not a problem to be solved. Just remember to have something that keeps you busy doing what you love while being surrounded by the people who love you.”

By Héctor García and Francesc Miralles, Translated by Heather Cleary |
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 out of 5 Stars)

After Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover, timely that I received advanced birthday presents (woohoo!), and the book Ikigai was part of the loot.

Be led by curiosity, and keep busy by doing things that fill you with meaning and happiness.

I had many annotations in the books and I’d like to remember them so I can further explore them via research material that I can also share with everyone. I’d probably tackle some of these things in another post because it is deemed to be highlighted, expounded, and broaden to get more insights and exchange of trajectories.

This book wasn’t hard to finish. It was easy to read and you’d probably make mental notes if some of the things stipulated in the book you find yourself doing already; and if not, you’d probably want to try.

We were always told that life is too short. It’s true. I believe that still. But, reading stories of supercentenarians or those who reached over 110 years old, the longevity of life has something to do with passion, happiness, and the purpose you put into it or you discover. Either or, you may very well comply.

Ikigai translates to “the happiness of always being busy.” And not just being literally busy like how we do in our present work, but the craft of moving, of having passion, and following our desires which concludes to happiness is what ikigai means.

Having a purpose in life is so important in Japanese culture that our idea of retirement simply doesn’t exist here.
Dan Buettner, National Geographic

Active Mind, Youthful Body

Japanese gives importance to both mind and body. It is not just eating healthy that is essential but also taking care of one’s mind. In the world that we live in, stress could be part of our daily lives. We approach it in various manners, react to our stressors in a different light, let it consume us, or just simply let it go unacknowledged.

I work with various people with different characters, upbringing, and educational backgrounds. But given the latter, some of them, despite their educational achievement couldn’t guarantee a sound mind to be decisive, assertive, or just simply understand on a deeper level–we are too, at some point. This probably, I think, is a cause of the lack of brain workout.

Just as lack of physical exercise has negative effects on our bodies and mood, a lack of mental exercise is bad for us because it cause our neurons and neural connections to deteroriate–and, as a result, reduces our ability to react to our surroundings.

In other words: constantly use your brain, your mind–and this is not because I am harsh, it was proven by science. This section is what I took note to explore further given related literature and I shall share more on what I know about this one in another blog or article.

Our Ikigai

The authors say that if you haven’t found your ikigai yet, perhaps it is the time to discover it. For me, our life’s longevity cannot just be measured by its literal component–reaching the age of 100 or more–but rather, on how well we lived our lives, our purpose, and how we have contributed/shared and inspired others. Quality over quantity could be the simplest term for this thought, most probably.

It’s impressive to know how the Japanese live their every day–it is full of positivity, finding perfection in the imperfection, eating good food, and being surrounded by friends and loved ones. Not all of us could be fortunate to have all of these attributes in our daily lives, but if we have the chance, we must embrace them, appreciate them, and share them.

The 10 Rules of Ikigai according to Héctor García and Francesc Miralles

Stay active; don’t retire
Take it slow
Don’t fill your stomach
Surround yourself with good friends
Get in shape for your next birthday
Smile
Reconnect with nature
Give thanks
Live in the moment
Follow your ikigai

Rebecca

You could fight the living, but you could not fight the dead.

By Daphne Du Maurier | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 out of 5 stars)

Rebecca follows a story of an unnamed woman, referred mostly to in the book as Mrs. De Winter, who married a widower (Mr. Maximillan De Winter). They met in France and later moved to De Winter’s estate in Manderley which was crept by the memories of Rebecca De Winter, the late wife of Maximillan or Maxim/Max De Winter.

If you haven’t read the book and you are inclined to do so, kindly stop here as I might spoil some of the details. Hehe.

I could fight the living, but I could not fight the dead.

The book was said to be first published in 1938 and may be considered a classic. They said that the book is continuously printing and selling, and was impressive. I might have read fast-paced books prior to this to find that the plot of Rebecca is a bit slow for me. At around 50% in the book, I still wait for the twist, though I have already made assumptions on my own while on it.

My earliest assumption is that the house was haunted, but of course, it wasn’t in the book. The Manderley mansion was just full of memories of the late Rebecca because Mrs. Danvers, her personal maid, was fully in owe of her still. But my assumption that Mr. De Winter killed his wife was ought to be true. It was a good twist that a lot might consider gold especially if movies or films of this kind existed or if you haven’t seen one, but I, having been able to see and read some in the past, it was a little predictable to me then.

If only there could be an invention that bottled up a memory, like a scent. And it never faded, and it never got stale. And then, when one wanted it, the bottle could be uncorked, and it would be like living the moment all over again.

Rebecca was a charmer and surely doesn’t stick to one guy, hence the marital problems she and Mr. De Winter had that led to his motive to do Rebecca wrong. It was later on ruled out as suicide, and so he was able to walk as a free man and be with his new wife then. What was shocking in the end was the fact that Manderley was summoned by a fire, and Mr. De Winter and his new beau were able to not go back there and probably live a new life.

The plot twist was a little bit at the end of the book and then there were a lot of turns–like finding Rebecca’s journal and that she was sick, and Favell, her cousin, contest of Mr. De Winter’s verdict or lack thereof.

The book was okay and probably a source, of one of the sources, for films antics of its kind.

My Dark Vanessa

“The longer you get away with something, the more reckless you become, until it’s almost as if you want to get caught.”

By Kate Elizabeth Russell | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 out of 5 stars)
Trigger warning: Sexual Abuse, Rape, Grooming, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, Suicide

January of 2021, my first book to read for the year was Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. I know that the book was a controversial classic and that I think every adult should read it at least once. It followed Humbert Humber, a middle-aged man, who was in love with his stepdaughter, Dolores Haze, 12, or who he fondly calls, Lo.

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

Lolita inspired Russell to create the book My Dark Vanessa. Indeed, the context of the latter revolved around Nabokov’s creation. Though I was able to read Lolita, My Dark Vanessa was still a hard book to finish. It shakes one’s mind like how it should, anyway.

The book followed the story of Vanessa Wye who was once a fifteen-year-old high school student and was groomed by her English teacher, Jacob Strane. The two had a long relationship before Strane committed suicide amid student sexual assault issues thrown at him.

As you go on in the book, you will understand how Strane gaslighted and groomed Vanessa into a person who will just accept sexual abuse and rape. It was hurtful as a reader for Vanessa to blame herself and go after Strane’s defense in terms of her abuse. It was maddening. Anyone at 15 should just be 15 and not in, any manner, be groomed and forced to be adults and be relied on for consent. Strane, on the other hand, may have some psychological problems about his attraction to prepubescent girls. While he may say he loved Vanessa, a major part of their relationship was selfish/self-serving–this was also seen when Vanessa grew up to be an adult of her own right. Strane’s interest deteriorated, leaving him to assault further different students he teach. Again, it was maddening. And I do empathize with Vanessa–all of her trauma, all of the things he made her believe, her life moving forward, her self-blame, and even more.

To be groomed is to be loved and handled like a precious, delicate thing.
Or so how Vanessa was led to believe.

These things can happen, to us and to anybody we know. I hope our society may grow to be more understanding and shy away from victim-blaming. Victims, even suspects, have a lot going on in their heads and shall need professional help to intervene.

People will risk everything for a little bit of something beautiful.

The longer you get away with something, the more reckless you become, until it’s almost as if you want to get caught.

The book made me feel uneasy as it was supposed to be. It was written in a way that may help us understand issues like this. I hope you’ll make time to read this and understand. There are many Vanessa Wye and Lolita out there. Let’s take the time to help.

The Silent Patient

By Alex Michaelides | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5)

Today, mental illness and those who suffer to it have been slowly being looked into, accepted, and helped. More and more people understand and pay attention to it. But still, it is a long battle for society and the people to duly be educated, equipped of knowledge, and to comprehend what people who suffer need and go through.

Mental illness is precisely about a lack of this kind of integration—we end up losing contact with the unacceptable parts of ourselves.

The Silent Patient revolves around the story of Alicia Berenson, a patient who was convicted and placed in a mental institution— The Grove-for his husband’s death, and Theo Faber, a psychotherapist who worked on Alicia’s case.

Gabriel and Alicia Berenson, artists and married aren’t the typical married couple. Gabriel is a famous photographer and Alicia is a painter. Alicia, whose childhood was also tragic, has suffered different emotional winds that she learned to express through her art.

I didn’t want to die. Not yet; not when I hadn’t lived.

Theo, a psychotherapist, like Alicia also suffered a gruesome childhood because of his childhood. And the story has taken a turn on Theo and his issues.

We’re all crazy, I believe, just in different ways.

Like Theo in the story, he had some unexpressed emotions that took a toll on him as he went on with his life.

Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive, and will come forth later, in uglier ways.
Sigmund Frued

There were a lot of things lacking in Alicia’s life, her husband’s trust and belief in her are one. But Alicia could not ever kill her husband like how it panned out. Gabriel was shot point blank and Alicia became the bait to bury in this sin.

Choosing a lover is a lot like choosing a therapist. We need to ask ourselves, is this someone who will be honest with me, listen to criticism, admit making mistakes, and not promise the impossible?
Ruth

The turned out of events in this book was shockingly revealed, though a little prediction from my end has been concluded before I made it to the final stop.

*Spoiler Alert*

Theo was the killer, because Gabriel was once cheating with his lover. He set it up and use Alicia as bait. Though Alicia was wise and she recognized him even through disguised during the killing. Alicia kept a journal of events and she wrote about this, about it all, about Theo overdosing her that led her to coma.

The journal was then recovered from Alicia’s things and Theo in the end was arrested.