Jill and the Books Talk

Candid photo taken in Seville, Spain - September 2016 Have you ever felt trapped in an unfavorable situation which you know in your heart that you could have prevented if only you took heed and followed your intuition? Do you endlessly justify choices and decisions that go against your feelings or contradict with what you believe to be true? It could be uncomfortable to decline a request and so much more difficult if the one asking for your attention, time, effort or money is someone that you value. Let me share to you my story. I was once a people pleaser. I wanted to make everyone around me happy. I tried to accommodate everyone who needed me or anything from me. In short, I wore myself out believing that I am the answer to the problems of anyone who comes to me. I was so wrong!  Looking back, it was probably arrogance on my part because it made me feel good to be liked, needed and sought after. It gave me a sense of power. Was I happy? Not all the time. T...

A biography of the legendary Argentine first lady Eva "Evita" Peron. The book started with a mysterious and melancholic undertone. I quickly got absorbed with how Evita rose from a nobody to a very influential woman. The author wrote about both the remarkable and undesirable qualities of Evita. This book left me wondering about what was truly in her heart when she became a champion of the masses. Was she a sincere public servant or just a power hungry social climber? Towards the end of the book, I got bored with all the details about how Evita got even with those who crossed and belittled her in the past as well as those who opposed her husband Juan Peron. There was an entire chapter that sounded like a boring history book. Evita's death and the handling of her corpse was described in a morbid but intriguing way. The photos included made up for the minor flaws of this book.

As I start my mid-year prayer and fasting, I'd like to share something I have written more than 3 years ago.  January 14, 2011 at 3:12am This is an account of my walk with God. I was born to an Evangelical Christian family. I came to know Jesus Christ when I was at a very young age in Sunday school.  I grew up never lacking anything. There were times when we just had enough. There were times when we had more. There were times when the Lord had to discipline us but I never felt that I was lacking anything except perhaps a Barbie house and a grand piano which my parents never bought me and which were always on my wish list. Instead, they got me a Barbie bathtub for starters! I went to one of the best Chinese Catholic schools in Zamboanga City. I had to struggle to fit in whenever religion became an issue.  High school went by so fast. Nothing extraordinary but fun! Then my life changed when I got into the University of the Philippines Diliman f...

I was skeptical when my sister in law and dearest friend gave me this book. I thought to myself that I am very much aware of my identity as a woman in Christ that I don't need to know the "secrets" to capturing a man's heart. I am complete now that God wants me to be entirely His and it would be a bonus if it is His will to share me with a man who will be the physical manifestation of His love for me here on earth. And so this book sat on my shelf for a couple of years until I finally decided to read it. What made me? I needed biblical answers and real life stories apart from those of mine to share to the women whom God brought into my life. They needed answers and at times I find myself at a loss.  Never judge a book by its cover or its title for this matter. I was so wrong about this book!  The tone of the author was very straightforward, witty and oftentimes funny. Reading this book was like reading my diary. Everything I have ever felt, done and gone throu...

I turned my most favorite tea into cookies! Lady Grey is a variation of my first favorite tea since I was a child, Earl Grey.  Flavor: Black tea, bergamot, lemon and orange.  Mild, citrusy, fit for a lady!

I should have spotted the word Scholastica before reading this book but no! It was too late before I realized that this was written for pre-teens. Still, it was entertaining enough for some light reading for a woman my age.  The author wrote a fictional diary of the young Antonia based on facts. Had this been a book for women instead of girls, I would have wanted to read all about Marie Antoinette's thoughts on becoming queen, being married and not having children for several years, the French revolution all the way to the last minutes of her life. Which reminds me that 3 books such as I've described was written by Juliet Grey. 

After watching the broadway musical Wicked at the Ford Center in Chicago, I immediately bought this book and read it during my long haul flight home. It was a challenging book for a sleep deprived and exhausted mind to read. Overwhelming details, uncommon words and the descriptions were too lengthy for my liking. I was left with unanswered questions long after I finished reading. Still, I was captivated by the whole story plot.   In the children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the story was centered on Dorothy Gale who killed the Wicked Witch of the West. That was the story that everyone was familiar with during their childhood.  In Gregory Maguire's Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the story is all about a green-skinned little girl named Elphaba who grew up to be the Wicked Witch of the West. She's more than just wicked. She was an outcast who was befriended by a popular girl in school, fell in love, fought for what she believed in and ...