Preserve Mankind with Kojie.san Men

Remember Mr. Darcy? In the world of literature, no one can attest that he’s a heartthrob. He’s a true-blue gentleman who makes women swoon because of his simple yet heartfelt acts. 

In the prehistoric times, men were viewed as the panacea to most dilemmas of the society. While women played significant roles, such roles varied from what the men were supposed to do. From security against wild animals down to the provision of food, men were anticipated to be as robust as they could be. However, as time evolved, the concept of manliness likewise underwent a few alterations. 

The beauty tools which used to be untouchable and flagrant now became normal. Having the consciousness that being busy is not an excuse to looking sloppy, men now go through hair treatments and facials to name a few. One can now walk brandishing a pink shirt without being called names. 

Despite the convenience of this concept alteration, it’s still best not to totally deviate from some of the things left by men in the past. For me, a man should not gauge his manliness based on what others dictate. Men-should-be-like-this statements should be used as mere guidelines but what matters is if such statements speak for someone’s identity and aspirations. I have no problem with men doing things befitting women because in today’s age, interchanges in roles are regarded as normative. 

Just like in the film Taken 2, it’s Kim’s turn to save her father from the hands of a man yearning for revenge. If you will remember in the preceding film, former CIA operative Bryan went through a perilous schlep to save his daughter Kim who was abducted and trafficked. One of the reasons why Taken 1 became a hit was its depiction of a father’s unremitting love for his daughter. 

The film’s a reminder that regardless of today’s liberal views, men can still preserve the concept of manliness by being chivalrous or compassionate to other people. It does not mean that one has to be a doormat. At times, it’s the simple things that matter like opening the door for an elderly or resisting the need to raise one’s voice in the midst of heated arguments. I believe that being a man does not equate to being Mr. Stone. Instead, manliness is radiated when one shows concern and courtesy. 

 Like Kojie.san Men’s advocacy, to be a man is to be a lover and fighter – both. For more information on how to be an applaud-worthy man, head on to Kojie.san Men’s Facebook page.

How do you define manliness?

Hana by Lauren Oliver (A Prequel to Pandemonium)

The summer before they're supposed to be cured of the ability to love, best friends Lena and Hana begin to drift apart. While Lena shies away from underground music and parties with boys, Hana jumps at her last chance to experience the forbidden. For her, the summer is full of wild music, dancing—and even her first kiss. - Goodreads

As its name suggests, this novella presents the story through Hana's eyes. In Delirium, Hana has this devil-may-care attitude that despite her being pretty and well-heeled, she seems to be so eager in finding ways to resist the dystopian world wherein love is banned. All along she's putting up a vivacious front when in reality, she has a vulnerable side. I felt pity for her especially when she found "love" in the wrong place. 

Spoiler Alert!

Yes, the ending is gripping but after reading Delirium, I already had an inkling that it was Hana who squealed about Alex and Lena's reprehensible relationship. *SIGH* Maybe it's out of envy. Maybe it's concern that fueled Hana to do such thing.

I do understand that this is a novella yet it left me wanting for more. Instead of Hana retelling the events in Delirium, I'm more interested in the things that took place in her life after Lena's escape. Still, I praise Lauren Oliver for interlacing a story that leaves a reader in a poignant state.

Skinny Love by Birdy

"And in the morning I'll be with you but it will be a different kind." 

Bibliophile Tool: Personal Library Kit

Everyone who loves books can attest that it's so difficult to lend one's precious babies. Even if you're done reading them, the feeling of attachment never goes away. You just can't let these books go because they made you feel mirthful, melancholic, and/or maddened at one point in your life. Books can likewise be regarded as assets which you'll later pass on to your kids, grand kids, and so on.  

Sadly, there are some who commits the Two Grave Sins of Book Borrowers: returning books with disheveled pages or not totally returning the book.  I don't know which one is more painful because when it comes to my reads, I am extra careful. Each page has to be turned with precaution and the spine shouldn't be completely spread out to avoid unsightly creases. Imagine how disheartened I was when a book was returned to me with folded cover and falling-apart pages. There were even chocolate stains inside!

As for the second sin, I do practice patience but you can still encounter people who have selective amnesia. Meaning, they only forget things connected with book returns. If you're like me who does not want to badger a person about his/her responsibility, this tool can help you - Knock Knock's Personal Library Kit. 

Through this kit, you can act like a librarian to monitor whose home your beloved book is staying in. It comes with library cards as well as the classic date stamper. One checkout card even says, "Overdue penalties may apply".  Your friend will then have a clear warning that your personal library does not tolerate borrowers who build their collections by "shopping" in other's shelves.  

Who said that reminding should be a ho-hum task?

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

 

Min, an arty girl whose passion includes classic films and quirky items, is breaking up with Ed, the school's popular basketball jock.  Despite Ed being a man-about-town, Min wholeheartedly gave herself.  Ed's past eventually reared its ugly head to their relationship fueling Min to end everything between them. As her mechanism to say goodbye and move on, Min puts all the items that she collected during the course of their relationship in a box - movie tickets, bottle caps, books, a pair of earrings, and a comb from a motel room to name a few. With much emotional depth, Min revisits the memory of each item and how it's one of the reasons why she needed to part ways with her first love.

This book is pretty special for me as it was given by Mia of Brave the Waves. Receiving books never fails to be a joy because it shows how much thought a person devotes to look for a title which he/she deems meaningful. Why We Broke Up is a bittersweet chronicle of Min's farewell to Ed - the schmuck who broke her heart. Most of us have been there - the awkward first date, the fancy phone calls, and of course, the heartaches that come with the oh-so-overwhelming first love.  From someone who had her first relationship during sophomore high school, I was able to easily establish a connection with the book.  I feel like I'm with Min as she ruefully ponders why she and Ed broke up. 

Ed, during the first few pages, is definitely a gentleman by all means.  He tries hard to have the same interests like Min. Min, on the other hand, goes out of her comfort zone to play the role of a "stage girlfriend" even if she sees basketball games as glib.  If not for the book's title, one can think that maybe, just maybe, they're really meant for each other. 

Each page is accompanied by vivid illustrations of the things housed by Min's memory box - something which I'm likewise guilty of having. 

                                 

Daniel Handler-slash-Lemony Snicket shows that at times, love really defies expectations of happily-ever-after and that at times, the people you love can really let you down. Although the plot of this book is apparently common, the way it shows the feeling of being disenchanted leaves a lasting remark. 

This is recommended for anyone who can't get past a breakup because Min will guide you through the realization that things do happen for a reason. If you're not in Splitsville, this is still a good read because looking back and realizing how much things have changed for the better can bring solace.

Again, much thanks to Mia of Brave the Waves for sharing this wonderful creation to me.

"The Reason Why" by Click Five

"That's the reason why when you're young you fall in love."

Date a Girl Who Reads

Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag.She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent.  Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilightseries.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

-by Rosemarie Urquico