I ENVY YOU, PHOEBE CAULFIELD

Today I did nothing but bum out. I woke up early, had my coffee, and read my Sunday paper. And then I changed my profile picture in Facebook and then I listed down the things I'll do:

- write 1 blog entry (something about recent purchases)
- wash office uniforms
- iron office uniform for tomorrow
- read 1 chapter of LOMA 305 reviewer
- finish The Catcher in the Rye
- upload Christmas pics (net shop)
- upload Christmas vids (net shop)

And then I put priority numbers...



(5)- write 1 blog entry (something about recent purchases)
(1)- wash office uniforms
(2)- iron office uniform for tomorrow
(3)- read 1 chapter of LOMA 305 reviewer
(4)- finish The Catcher in the Rye
(6)- upload Christmas pics (net shop)
(7)- upload Christmas vids (net shop)

Now it's time to start my weekend chores!

I was soaking my uniforms in detergent when a "magbobote" passed by. I dashed upstairs to get my dump of plastic bottles and sold it to him. *grin* It was supposed to be in my To-Do List but I missed it out because I wasn't sure when a magbobote will pass by.

After that, I didn't feel like washing clothes anymore, so I skipped that task. I didn't feel like ironing yet, either, so I moved to task #4. 'Finish The Catcher in the Rye'. Anyway, this here was the point of this entry. I would just like to share to everyone how I was moved by this book.

I am no literary genius so I don't want to write anything here that would resemble a technical review (or critique). But I would tell you this, if you are fond of reading, you've got to read this book! It has no amazing occurrences, nor any shocking twists, but I got pretty darn entertained. It was poignant, and real, and it felt homey and warm. It made me want to meet Holden Caulfield (the main character) in person, and yet, it made me not want to do that. The author, J.D. Salinger, was just amazing. His storytelling is so good, it made me believe that the narrating persona was indeed Holden Caulfield, that he was as real as this ballpen I'm holding.

I mean a lot of people rave about this book, so I lowered my expectations, just in case, so I won't get disappointed. I recall when people raved about Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, I borrowed one copy right away, only to find out that I didn't like it. I couldn't even bring myself to read more than 5 pages in one sitting. So what I did, I followed what Jessica Zafra once wrote that went something like this, 'if you don't like a book, then don't put yourself through all the pain of finishing it. Not even if it was a bestseller of sorts'. So after a few attempts to finish Tuesdays with Morrie, I finally put it down. A lot of other books, of course, met the same fate under my hands after that. And let us not even bother to talk about Stephanie Meyer. I put down was that Twilight? even before I finished the first page.

So anyway, I just finished reading The Catcher in the Rye and it made me feel all sorts of emotions. It just hit home. That's what I loved about it most. There are no monsters in it, no twisted characters, no cliffhangers, no action-packed Quidditch games (disclaimer: I love Rowling), and no extraordinary whatevers. It was just a sublime storytelling about a very endearing boy who is... well, uhmm... human.

It has always been a great joy to finish a book. Especially if it's a good one. And when I say good, I only have two criteria: (1) while reading it, it has to make me want to read it more, and (2) I have to be not disappointed when I flip over the last page.

And this one, I tell you, is way more than those. YAY! I'm so glad I purchased this book. Next up would be this...

...the fourth installment of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Miserable Mill. Yeah, that book series they made a movie of, which starred Liam Aiken (Stepmom), Emily Browning (Sucker Punch), Jim Carrey, and Meryl Streep. Fine read too. The only unfortunate reality about this is that this is the last book I have out of the 13(!). The owner I borrowed it from was only able to purchase the first four books. So yeah, maybe I really have to consider e-books this time. My officemate told me she has the complete set.

Also, after I finish The Miserable Mill, I'll move on to AMERICAN GODS. *grin*


My second Gaiman. I'm so excited!

I love love love reading, but I love more the fact that it really makes me happy. Thank you, Lord, for giving this passion to read. Please let me have a good eyesight until I die. :)

By the way, I added an extra entry in my To-Do List.

(5)- write 1 blog entry (something about recent purchases)
(1)- wash office uniforms
(2)- iron office uniform for tomorrow
(3)- read 1 chapter of LOMA 305 reviewer
(4)- finish The Catcher in the Rye
(6)- upload Christmas pics (net shop)
(7)- upload Christmas vids (net shop)
    -  Hear Mass :)

========

"You know that song 'If a body catch a body comin' through the rye'? I'd like--"

"It's 'If a body meet a body coming through the rye'!" old Phoebe said. "It's from a poem. By Robert Burns"

"I know it's a song by Robert Burns."

She was right though. It is "If a body meet a body coming through the rye." I didn't know it then, though.

"I thought it was 'If a body catch a body,' " I said."Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all."

- The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger (1951)