Today...I Got HIT!

Today I got hit by a jeep.

Or to be more accurate, I was side swiped. And the impact left me down on the ground in disbelief & in shock.

What was different with today?

It was another Friday where I commute because the plate number of my car falls under today & I must either comply with the rules & adjust my driving time to fit the "open window" of 10am-3pm as I'm in Makati or refrain from using my car today. Given the continuing increase in gas prices, and it being a Friday, the logical thing was to use public transportation. I wasn't rushing when I got out of the house today. In fact, had much ample travel time at my disposal. With my Ipod playing India Arie, I casually walked a couple of blocks to take the jeep that would bring me to the MRT & then down at the Ortigas Center where I worked.

Perhaps it was because I was in high spirits & feeling carefree that all I saw was what was in front of me; which was a jeep slowing down to park just across the street. Perhaps it was also my thick-framed glasses that added to the blind spot & obstructed my peripheral vision. Whatever the case I stepped down from the curb & hoped to reach the jeep in time. And that's when it happened. I was suddenly struck with a force that spun me around so fast that the next thing I know was that I was on the ground with my arms out, my glasses on the street, a throbbing pain on my right knee & the feeling of being woozy. Instantly I know that I had been hit by an oncoming vehicle that came from my left & narrowly missed running me over. The driver stopped and was asking me if I was alright. People who saw what happened equally asked how I was feeling.

In truth, I felt nothing. I knew I didn't hit my head on the curb but instead grazed & banged my knee.

But I felt nothing.

I didn't get angry at the driver and like the old man in Disney's, UP actually shooed him away even when my mind told me to get his plate number should I decide to press charges. Immediately I knew there was a lesson to be learned here. Instantly I knew I was being alerted to something. Could it be the wake up call I needed to get myself out of my own devised inertia & finally scout & go for that job that I want? Could it be a reminder as well to finish that novel I've most recently revisited?

Or is it The Universe or Dad's way (from the ethers, that is) of shaking some sense back into me; to jumpstart me back into action? Either way I consider it a lesson learned & message received. And I thank my friends who took the time to call & inquire about my well-being. Either way you look at it, life, inspite of its upsets, drawbacks, delays, demands, doldrums and whatnots is still the best experience to have.

Thank you Universe.

 Message Received.

Today...I was HIT!

Today I got hit by a jeep.

Or to be more accurate, I was side swiped. And the impact left me down on the ground in disbelief & in shock. What was different with today? It was another Friday where I commute because the plate number of my car falls under today & I must either comply with the rules & adjust my driving time to fit the "open window" of 10am-3pm as I'm in Makati or refrain from using my car today. Given the continuing increase in gas prices, and it being a Friday, the logical thing was to use public transportation.

I wasn't rushing when I got out of the house today. In fact, had much ample travel time at my disposal. With my Ipod playing India Arie, I casually walked a couple of blocks to take the jeep that would bring me to the MRT & then down at the Ortigas Center where I worked. Perhaps it was because I was in high spirits & feeling carefree that all I saw was what was in front of me; which was a jeep slowing down to park just across the street. Perhaps it was also my thick-framed glasses that added to the blind spot & obstructed my peripheral vision. Whatever the case I stepped down from the curb & hoped to reach the jeep in time. And that's when it happened.

I was suddenly struck with a force that spun me around so fast that the next thing I know was that I was on the ground with my arms out, my glasses on the street, a throbbing pain on my right knee & the feeling of being woozy. Instantly I know that I had been hit by an oncoming vehicle that came from my left & narrowly missed running me over. The driver stopped and was asking me if I was alright. People who saw what happened equally asked how I was feeling.

In truth, I felt nothing.

I knew I didn't hit my head on the curb but instead grazed & banged my knee. But I felt nothing. I didn't get angry at the driver and like the old man in Disney's, UP actually shooed him away even when my mind told me to get his plate number should I decide to press charges. Immediately I knew there was a lesson to be learned here.

Instantly I knew I was being alerted to something. Could it be the wake up call I needed to get myself out of my own devised inertia & finally scout & go for that job that I want? Could it be a reminder as well to finish that novel I've most recently revisited?

Or is it The Universe or Dad's way (from the ethers, that is) of shaking some sense back into me; to jumpstart me back into action?

Either way I consider it a lesson learned & message received. And I thank my friends who took the time to call & inquire about my well-being.

Either way you look at it, life, inspite of its upsets, drawbacks, delays, demands, doldrums and whatnots is still the best experience to have.

Thank you Universe.

Message Received.

For Heaven's Eyes Only - Secret Histories Book 5

We all know or have heard of the expression, NO Rest for the Wicked. But perhaps a tad of that was forgotten or could be reworked for this novel, as there is certainly No Rest for the Ones who faced the Wicked! In this case, the new bad in the continuing Secret Histories series by award winning author and my fave, Simon R. Green.

Last we saw our hero, Edwin Drood, he was stabbed and left for dead in Book 4, From Hell With Love, after confronting the accursed Immortals who infiltrated the ranks and the family of Droods to assassinate their leader, the Matriarch. Although they were also successful in storming Castle Frankenstein to battle down the Immortals with the help of Frankenstein’s spawn, it was finally time for Eddie to get some peace and quiet.

But peace and quiet were not exactly what he had when the book opens up with a scene in a ghost dimension, or  Limbo, and has Eddie running up and down a cold, glass-frosted, and desolate looking Drood Hall. He’s all alone and hasn’t found a living soul to talk to except finding and talking to members of his family who already have died or those foes or friends that he has dispatched and died from the service of protecting the world from supernatural bad-asses, as that’s what the Drood Family does.

The Droods, all clad in their indestructible and retractable, Golden Armor, are our defense against the supernatural horde who want to lay claim to the world that is ours. In Limbo, Eddie encounters someone telling him, and alluding to it successfully, that his parents are actually alive. And of course, Eddie being the hero of our tale, never really was dead, as his girlfriend, the powerful witch Molly Metcalf comes into Limbo and brings him out.  Although he was nearly dead, he wasn’t quite so as Molly had the initiative of transporting his heart elsewhere; to a secret location and thus he couldn’t be killed. Dear reader, this was also a trick that Molly did in Book 4 when I thought she was a goner. I know, spoiler! Me bad.

But moving on, Book 5 continues on the mayhem and doubt instilled in the previous book and brings in a new malevolent force slated to create havoc in the world, by way of a Satanic conspiracy. The need to know who’s behind it and how deeply the organization has infiltrated the British and other governments of the world in preparation for the much touted, Great Sacrifice; once revealed was shocking enough to make me shake my head in disgust. Disgust, not from the writing or plot points, but for what it entailed for its success. Ah, Green, you still amaze me with each book outing.

Suffice to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this 5th book and urge anyone to not read it in random order but to start where it all began. From new characters like powerful telepath, Ammonia Van Acht, Charlatan Joe, Lady Damnation, Indigo Blue, the adorable spirit named Poof that finally has revealed itself and guards the Drood Library, to other noteworthy recurring and revealing characters like the Drood lovers Roger Morningstar and Harry Drood, the novel offers the same witty dialogue, repartee and snappish remarks between Molly and Eddie and also between other members of the Drood clan make this another classic Drood read for me.

Just when I thought Book 3 tired and burned me out early and left me for a revitalized reading, Books 4 and 5 certainly did that. And with another cliffhanger to top all endings, I fear that I may have to wait too long for the next book to come out next year. And because this is the supernatural James bond adventure that we have all come to enjoy and love with each release on the life of a Drood, Book 6 is aptly titled, Live and Let Drood.

Frankly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Where’s my Martini?

Shaken…not stirred. Please.

For Heaven's Eyes Only- Secret Histories Book 5

We all know or have heard of the expression, NO Rest for the Wicked. But perhaps a tad of that was forgotten or could be reworked for this novel, as there is certainly No Rest for the Ones who faced the Wicked! In this case, the new bad in the continuing Secret Histories series by award winning author and my fave, Simon R. Green.

Last we saw our hero, Edwin Drood, he was stabbed and left for dead in Book 4, From Hell With Love, after confronting the accursed Immortals who infiltrated the ranks and the family of Droods to assassinate their leader, the Matriarch. Although they were also successful in storming Castle Frankenstein to battle down the Immortals with the help of Frankenstein’s spawn, it was finally time for Eddie to get some peace and quiet.

But peace and quiet were not exactly what he had when the book opens up with a scene in a ghost dimension, or  Limbo, and has Eddie running up and down a cold, glass-frosted, and desolate looking Drood Hall. He’s all alone and hasn’t found a living soul to talk to except finding and talking to members of his family who already have died or those foes or friends that he has dispatched and died from the service of protecting the world from supernatural bad-asses, as that’s what the Drood Family does. 

The Droods, all clad in their indestructible and retractable, Golden Armor, are our defense against the supernatural horde who want to lay claim to the world that is ours. In Limbo, Eddie encounters someone telling him, and alluding to it successfully, that his parents are actually alive. And of course, Eddie being the hero of our tale, never really was dead, as his girlfriend, the powerful witch Molly Metcalf comes into Limbo and brings him out.  Although he was nearly dead, he wasn’t quite so as Molly had the initiative of transporting his heart elsewhere; to a secret location and thus he couldn’t be killed. Dear reader, this was also a trick that Molly did in Book 4 when I thought she was a goner. I know, spoiler! Me bad.

But moving on, Book 5 continues on the mayhem and doubt instilled in the previous book and brings in a new malevolent force slated to create havoc in the world, by way of a Satanic conspiracy. The need to know who’s behind it and how deeply the organization has infiltrated the British and other governments of the world in preparation for the much touted, Great Sacrifice; once revealed was shocking enough to make me shake my head in disgust. Disgust, not from the writing or plot points, but for what it entailed for its success. Ah, Green, you still amaze me with each book outing.

Suffice to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this 5th book and urge anyone to not read it in random order but to start where it all began. From new characters like powerful telepath, Ammonia Van Acht, Charlatan Joe, Lady Damnation, Indigo Blue, the adorable spirit named Poof that finally has revealed itself and guards the Drood Library, to other noteworthy recurring and revealing characters like the Drood lovers Roger Morningstar and Harry Drood, the novel offers the same witty dialogue, repartee and snappish remarks between Molly and Eddie and also between other members of the Drood clan make this another classic Drood read for me. 

Just when I thought Book 3 tired and burned me out early and left me for a revitalized reading, Books 4 and 5 certainly did that. And with another cliffhanger to top all endings, I fear that I may have to wait too long for the next book to come out next year. And because this is the supernatural James bond adventure that we have all come to enjoy and love with each release on the life of a Drood, Book 6 is aptly titled, Live and Let Drood.

Frankly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Where’s my Martini, shaken…not stirred. Please.

Trese - Book 3- The Best of the Lot!

To say that I was expecting a good read from my continued foray into the supernatural world of Alexandra Trese & her ghoul-fighting righthand Twins is an understatement. In fact, it was an awesome read! 

Expecting another series of paranormal vignettes stitched together with creative storyline by Budjette Tan & sharp depictive drawings by Koji Baldisimo plus the promise of more clues & hints to questions that loyal readers have wanted to be answered were just some of the expectations that greeted me when I started book 3.  But when I saw that it opens with a murder & in walks Anton Trese into the scene with our heroine, I knew that this was not just another book to be added onto the series, but rather was the beginning of a history lesson; one that should not be hurried.

At first seeing Anton Trese alive with no preamble whatsoever, it initially got me confused but having trusted the material so far, I owed myself as a reader to be led into the journey. We immediately pick up that this is a prequel and see that Alexandra has always been into the family business. And at 16 she had promise & held her own supernatural ground when enemies come knocking. But in the course of the reading, Alexandra along with her father uncovered the presence of the Bukidnon god of war, Talugbusao, connected in a series of murders. On top of that she must take care of its accursed progeny & face 3 trials to prove her worth as a champion, being the 6th child of the Trese line.

I don’t want to say a lot and give too much detail about the plot but let me just go out on a limb and say that Budjette has certainly brilliantly and cohesively weaved a tale that brings everything full circle in this 3rd book and like my favorite Tv show, Charmed, their 3rd season, as well as Book 3 of Trese provides the best writing of the series so far. With much care, not to mention creativity, in presenting Alexandra Trese both as a new player in the supernatural community and one who doesn’t shirk away from responsibility, I hope that Budjette has fully accepted that his responsibility to us the readers is to continue to give us amazing Trese adventures with each book outing while celebrating the culture that is ours; that is Filipino.

Fans of the Kambal will have a lot to cheer about in this one. I know I did! (And loudly too while reading).

More power Budjette and Kajo. May you always be inspired to equally inspire us all. If you love art, it will love you back.

Now off to…..work….and with Book 4 in tow. hehe