1. Ana Karenina, Leon Tolstoi
2. Madame Bovary, Gustav Flaubert
3. War and Peace, Leon Tolstoi
4. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
6. Hamlet, William Shakespeare
7. The Great Gatsby, Francis Scott Fitzgerald
8. Time Regained, Marcel Proust
9. Tales, Anton Chejov
10. Middlemarch, George Eliot
11. Don Quijote de la Mancha, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
12. Moby Dick, Herman Melville
13. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
14. Ulysses, James Joyce
15. The Odyssey, Homero
16. Dublineses, James Joyce
17. Crime and Punishment, Fedor Dostoiesky
18. King Lear, William Shakespeare
19. Emma, Jane Austen 20. Cien años de soledad, Gabriel García Márquez.
The only two Spanish books: by Miguel de Cervantes, father of the Spanish Language Academy, and our very own Nobel Prize Gabo.
People will suck life out of you, only if you allow them to do so. This is what I think of when I find out about something that upsets me, or something that makes me doubt either myself or those around me. Then I stop and think about the source, especially when it’s someone who spends his/her life oozing venom through every pore on their skin. What kind of credit can we give to a person like that?
One thing is reacting to different situations in the heat of the moment, when we get hurt, because that’s our animal instinct. But another very different thing is doing something with malice and with the sole purpose of hurting someone for whatever we think they did against us. And while I think we’re entitled to express how we feel, we just can’t spend our time trying to deny we make mistakes too, and blaming other people for everything that goes wrong in our life.
When I got separated, I spent way too much time blaming myself for the failure of my marriage. Then I found some balance, and I realized mistakes were made by both of us. To this day I can say I hold NO resentment against my ex-husband, and while there are times when I still feel frustrated, I keep in mind I cannot read his mind or try to figure out the reasons why he did what he did. It’s just not worth it.
To be able to look in and accept we’re to blame as much as the other person, is one of the most important steps on the way to recover when relationships go sour. It doesn’t make us or the other person good or bad, it’s just that sometimes things are not meant to be. So instead of oozing that venom every single day, I think we should let our heart heal.
No matter how angry or disappointed we are, there is a way with words some people don’t seem to have. To point fingers without mercy and do things only to disgust others is probably not the best path to follow. In the end, the only one who will get hurt is us.
I don’t know if radio stations do their publicity with the well defined intention of shocking people. While getting ready this morning, I was listening to my favourite station and then this ad came up, inviting girls to some kind of modeling contest. They literally say “Why waste time with classes and school when you can become a model?” — Well, excusez-moi !
While I’m an advocate for people’s going after their dream, whatever it is, I also believe that those who have the chance and goof fortune to be able to go to school, should not only seize the opportunity, but also be encouraged to keep going. And modeling is a honourable career like any other, but I personally don’t think telling girls that school is a waste of time is the proper thing to do. We all know models work for just a few years, and then they’re out of the game. Sure, they make a lot of money, but what’s next?
But this isn’t about Prêt-à-Porter stuff, this is about wrong messages being sent to the masses. Since when is school a waste of time? Since when is education something you don’t get anything from? Between this one and the most powerful piece of technology we’ll ever pee on, I wonder who are the masters of advertising out there.
I’ve never been a video game player. I spent a good amount of time playing Mario Bros. and Ice Climber when I was in High School. Other than that, my electronic game phase goes way back to the Atari days when animations were simple and Pitfall was like the coolest thing in town. I was never good, though.
But since we all have a child inside us, I recently purchased a Nintendo DS Lite (pink!) I’m very fond of. I saw the gadget when visiting some friends over the holidays, and I thought it would be a nice piece of entertainment to have. Mine came with the game Animal Crossing and I love it. At first I thought it was the same thing as The Sims, which I really don’t like because taking care of the characters’ nature calls every 5 minutes isn’t appealing to me. But Animal Crossing is fun, and kinda cute.
I just started playing a few days ago and I have absolutely nothing in my little house. I hardly know my way around town, and shaking trees to pick apples is the only way I have figured out to get money when I sell them. I had a shovel to dig fossils, but in a bad move I went and sold it, and now they’re out of stock at the store, so I have to wait. To say that I suck at the game would be incorrect, I’m just getting familiar with it. But I like it!
First Friday of lent today, huh? Yeah, meat is not on the menu. I followed this tradition when I lived with my parents, and then I kinda forgot about it. I’m trying to go back to the tradition, so I have tuna to make a soufflé, and I’ll try not to eat too much today. Small sacrifices, for those who believe in what we’ve been taught.
When reading the church bulletin I found a list of ideas for “Fasting.” It isn’t about going hungry for hours or days. It’s about giving up some of those things that give us so much pleasure. But also those things that aren’t good, but we indulge in. And I’m not talking about smoking, drinking or eating sweets. I’m talking about spending great part of our time holding feelings of resentment toward others. Gossipping, saying bad things about people, trying to find a way to get back at them for whatever we consider they did wrong.
Why do we become judges? And why do we like to dwell on feelings of anger and hate? Forgiveness doesn’t help the person we forgive. It helps US! Even more, why do we like to look at the mistakes of others rather than looking in and realize we are not perfect? One thing is responding like the human beings we are, when someone hurts us, and another thing is deliberately using actions and words to damage that person.
Lent is a period of reflection. And I don’t pretend to be self-righteous on this post, I just wish people (including myself) stopped for a moment to think carefully about their day to day actions. In my convictions, I know God is merciful, but how much is too much when it comes to living in this world? We can make it heaven, or we can make it hell.
Appetizer Where on your body do you have a scar, and what caused it?
No big scars, since I’ve never been badly hurt. But I have a couple on my knees, the first thing that touched the ground when I fell as a kid. I remember a big gash when jumping off my bicycle. Oh yeah, dare devil!
Soup What is something that has happened to you that you would consider a miracle?
This is funny. When doing referee on a Tennis tournament, I was standing next to one of the net posts. I heard someone call my name, so I turned around and said “What?” — Then, one of the huge light bulbs from the court lamps fell right where I was standing just one second before. The curious thing is that nobody really said my name. I could’ve been hurt badly by that thing. I consider that a little miracle.
Salad Name a television personality who really gets on your nerves.
Oh, this one is easy. A character: George Constanza from Seinfeld. A real life person: Donald Trump. His face kinda repulses me, I don’t know why.
Main Course What was a funny word you said as a child?
I don’t know of any words, but when my mom was potty training me, she said “Baby, you have to tell me.” So every time I wanted to go to the bathroom I told her “Mommy, I have to tell you!”
Dessert Fill in the blank:
I have always thought gender was pronounced guender.
I removed myself from the world and spent about 4 hours in the most hidden corner at the local library, writing the story of my life. I need it in order to get an annulment from the Catholic church. I’m exhausted, I feel like I’ve been doing brain cardio or something. 8 pages written and I haven’t even finished! Too many questions asked, too many details required. At least I got to the “I don’t love you anymore” part. Oh, the drama! I wonder if I should get copyright for this one.
This should be interesting. Tiring, but kinda therapeutic.
BTW… Since you’re reading my weblog: Take your time, sunshine. I’m not in a hurry to have this done. Either you send the papers I need, or you’ll have the Ecclesiastic Tribunal contact you ANYWHERE you are. Your choice! You got a lawyer, I got the Pope, meh!
