Book review: Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine (2017)

Synopsis:

Eleanor Oliphant feels everything in her life is fine until she meet an IT officer named Raymond and both of them save Sammy and both of them has a lot to share about.

Review:

I think this book is more about friendship between Raymond and Eleanor instead of romance itself. While in the end, it is clearly that Raymond invited Eleanor to attend the concert together and both of them seem to see each other regularly and completely enjoying each other company. Raymond always help Eleanor for her well being and Raymond always give her emotional support.

This book give me another insight about romance. Romance isn't always about sexual things. Yet, there are a lot of connections we can see between Eleanor and Raymond. How they support each other emotionally and enjoying each other company. How they just make each other life towards better than before. I think that is what love is all about.

I really enjoy this book and I take sometimes to indulge myself in reading this novel and feel hard to say good bye to this book. This book definetly is a must read fiction/friendship book.

Rating: 4/5

Kind regards,

Selene.

Ace Water Spa

Dear All,

It have been a long time since I write my last review. I am sorry for that. It's because of my new job. Hope you guys don't mind. Anyway, now I want to write a different review. I want to review one place that I really like and enjoy right now. Yes, maybe you can guess from the name. It's Ace Water Spa. The location is in Pasig and Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. The place is clean and organized. There are guards and you have to use proper swimming attire and caps. So don't worry about out of "nowhere" people ^^. You get 4 hours to play in the water. But for me, it's more than enough. Even if you get over time, the over time price is just 100 php per hour. The price is the same for weekday or weekend. But I suggest you go on weekday so there's less people.  

Ace Water Spa is premier hydrotherapy massage according to their websites. I really like it because it feels like you are going to spa but instead of someone massage you, you use the water to massage you. You can choose from soft, medium, and hard jet pump water to spray your body. Personally, I really like their rainfall accupunture and bubble bed. It's really relaxing. Besides, what I also really like is their hot herbal spa. There are Jasmine, Rose, Mint, and Lavender. The hottest one is Lavender with 40 degree Celcius. It's really hot but at the same time relaxing. It was suggested to use the spa for 1-2 minutes. After that you throw into cold pool for about 30 seconds for cold immersion therapy experience. So, you subject your body to very hot and very cold water in order to make your body stronger. At first maybe you thought it's an unpleasant experience but no, it's really enjoyable. But if you are sick, maybe you should not do this. 

Besides the jet pump, there's also lazy river where you can just lay down with mattress and let the water carry you forward. They also have lap pools for people who want to swim properly. Last but not least, the price itself is not too cheap but also not too expensive. With metrodeal, you just need to pay around 385 php or about $10. For me, it's worth it. Unfortunately, the location itself is quite far from my place, especially with every time surge pricing Grab. The total cost is around $25 including transport. Of course it could be cheaper if you use public transport. 

I just remember that there's Ace VIP card that you can buy for around 1385 peso or about $40. You get many benefits with this card. For me, maybe it's not the right time to buy this card since I don't know how long I will stay in Philippines. But maybe someday in the future because I really like this place. 

Update

If somehow by miracle, I will stay longer in Philippines. I will definitely buy this card. But for now, I think I may have to move to another country. But I will always remember about this place and memory I have during my stay here.



Regards,
Angela

Book review: Turtles All The Way Down (2017)

Synopsis: 

Sixteen year old Aza Holmes together with her best friend Daisy tried to solve the dissapearance of billionaire Russell Pickett. They aim to get the $100,000 rewards for finding the billionaire whereabout. 

Review:

This book is really beyond my imagination, in the good way. I never read John Green novel before and this one definitely my favorite. I watched 'The fault in our stars and that movie also touch me as well. 

Aza Holmes, an anxious high school girl who tried to be best in everything she's done. She wants to be a good daughter, a good best friend to Daisy, a good girlfriend and maybe a good detective too. This book really has a good plot and I really enjoy reading it. Even I was sobbing while reading it. I mean Aza' character will touch your heart because that kind of anxiety really happens around us. I like the love connection between Aza and Davis too. I think the ending implying that two of them somehow will end up together, I hope that too.

This book is definetly a must read fiction book of this year. I really recommend it. I hardly put down this book, because this book just so touching and emotionally deep. 

Rating: 4.5/5 stars.

Kind regards, 

Selene.

Book review: The Fragile Ordinary (2018)

Synopsis: 

Comet Caldwell is ordinary girl who loves book very much and likes to experiment with her clothes. She just feel her life is as boring as she is until she meet Tobias King, who makes her life and her feeling upside down.

Review:

I understand the world of Comet Caldwell, I've been there when I was a teenager. It's like turn back time to where all I was thinking is just fiction books and clothes. Comet always wonder how kisses and hugs and intimate with guys feels like, will those be similar to romance books she read? I think almost every girl has that kind of curiousity.

Since she'd met Tobias King, she felt her world rocked upside down. Tobias befriend with Stevie who is drug addict and his fellows who did the same. They did not care about study and act as rebellious students, like mocking the teachers and made dirty jokes. Since Comet loved Tobias so much, she tried to befriend with Stevie, until she felt that she can't accept the drug habit of Steview, she wants to  cut her friend relationship with Stevie and his crew. Apparently they dislike the act of both Tobias and Comet. So they keep torment both of them with nasty acts and words. Comet and Tobias tried their best to endure their nasty behaviours.

Comet herself has problem with her parents. She felt her mother had jealousy issues towards her and treating her like a stranger. She never care about Comet. All her mother care just her husband, Kyle. Even her parents asked Comet to call them by name directly. So when Comet met Tobias, she felt that he is her source of love, the only one who can fully love her. Until oneday, something bad happens to Steview and they lost him and this changed the life of others who ever know Stevie, including Tobias and Comet.

This book has a good plot and writes the emotion of Comet towards Tobias beautifully. I always liked Samantha Young' writting, including this one. I like Comet's poetries. Anyway, I never see something like Comet' parents issue, where a mother is always asked her husband attention very much and Kyle as her husband follow what she wants and they are very romantic until they forget about Comet. It's sound surreal for me. Most of what we see these days is parents who loved their kids too much until they forget to be together again and become distant with each other.

Overall, this is a good book if you're looking into romance or high school romance books or even just family romance books, you definitely have to grab this one.

Rating : 4.2/5

Best regards,

~Selene.

Oneday

You told me once

You never believe karma

You always believe 

What you do want to believe

Yet I believe 

What goes around comes around

No matter what we did

It's always come back to us eventually

Life is not about showing yourself
Comparing that yourself is highter than others
It means nothing beside your pride
Pride that doesn't benefit others

I hope that oneday
You learnt your lessons
Life isn't always about yourself
Life is about giving and loving

-Selene

Book Review: Eligible (2016)

Synopsis:

The Bennets family had heart attack and this caused all their five daughters to come back to Cincinnanti and figure out their life afterward.

Review: 

This is the modern story telling of Price and Prejudice. I did not quite remember the last time I watched that movie. It's been a while and now there is the modern story telling of the story. Actually the story is quite fairy tale, but the idea of the story is classic and entertaining. The writting itself is good and has good plot to bring you to keep flipping the pages until the end.

Mr and Mrs. Bennet had five daughters, all are looking for better life, because Mr. Bennet had heart attack and it caused five of them to come back to Cincinnanti to help their father. Jane is the oldest, she really wants to get pregnant and she did the sperm insemination program and she's pregnant afterward. Jane later fall in love with Chip Bingley, who appeared in Eligible program. Liz Bennet is the second daughter is the journalist and she never want to have children. She is the financial helper for the family and she take care of all the family members. Liz attracted to the cool and best brain surgeon named Fitzwilliam Darcy. Starting from their hate sex until they become fall in love with each other. Mary is the third daughter. Mary is introvert and secretive. Mary join bowling  league which she always keep it secret even from her family. Mary's doing college seriously and she likes her status single, she's just not ready to share or accept someone to her private place. Then comes the fourth daughter, Kitty. Kitty interest in openning beauty salon, because she likes doing manicure pedicure and even take the short course for that. Later Kitty date Shane, Liz' house agent friend. Shane had black skin and this caused her mother Mrs. Bennet to dislike Shane. Kitty and Mary share their apartment which is paid by Liz in the beginning until they find jobs and settled. The last daughter, Lydia. Lydia dated Hamilton, her CrossFit gym instructor. Later they want to elope after Ham' transgender status known by the family. Mrs. Bennet is depressed and cried for days. She can't accept that her daughter is married to a transgender.

Though a lot of things happen, they keep the family together at the end. Liz is the one that really help her family a lot. She even left Darcy because she need to help her family. Though her love story with Darcy is sweet. The whole story itself is just a fairy tale. yet this book still good for weekend escape. I recommend this book if you're looking into sweet and lighthearted romance. I prefer the story would be more realistic, but it is what it is, it's just the modern story telling of Jane Austen' book Pride and Prejudice.

Rating: 4/5

Kind regards,

Selene.

Book Review: All the ugly and wonderful things (2016)

Synopsis:

Wavonna Quinn is the daughter of drug dealer and addicted mother, She trusted no one, even her own parents. She hardly talk since young age. Oneday she met tattoed ex-con who also her father' thug named Kellen, she felt her whole life changed. She can feel how good his heart and they developed love for each other despite their differences.

Review:

I just finish this book. This book took longer than I expected. This is the first time I read book from Byrn Greenwood. The story is about a little girl named Wavonna Quinn who is the daughter of Liam and Val. Both Liam and Val has abusive relationship. Val is sick and hurt of Liam' cheating and abusive behaviour. Liam is drug dealer. Liam often hit her mother, so Wavy can't trust her own parents. Sometimes she'd been located at Val' sister, aunt Brenda together with her brother Donal.

Oneday, after staying at aunt Brenda place and when she and her brother get return to their home, they find Val and Liam are dead and Wavy herself found naked with Kellen at his desk and her brother Donal went missing. Kellen get arrested because of this and sentenced to six years in jail. Wavy had to live with aunt Brenda and Donal is claimed to be Sean Quin' child, so Wavy had to live without Kellen and Donal, the two persons that she loved the most.

She feel lonely and pain but she'd survived. Until oneday at college, she found out that aunt Brenda never told her about Kellen' last court hearing. After release from jail, Kellen had to report to sex registry in his area and he is banned from seeing Wavy. Yet, Wavy did not give up. She sent letters the to judge requesting to remove the ban, so she and Kellen able to see each other.

I liked the love between Kellen and Wavy and I liked how's the story written, it is beautiful and smooth. I was enjoying reading every chapter, it was told in several character point of view. This book leaves good impression and I think I am interest to read her other love novels.


Rating: 4/5


Kind regards,


Selene.

An Obidient Child

You told me

repeatly

I have to be strong

I have to be independent

Life is very hard

that I need to be tough

I need to be on my own

You keep telling me those

I have my own thoughts

Anything that reverse of what you thought

The underlying basic that always be the same

I want to live simply

There might be oneday

That I can reach my dream

Dreams that beyond your understanding

Because you never understand a single thing about me

I can't be your obidient child anymore

It's weird even to myself

I can't feel sorry anymore

I guess I am grown up more than I know

Who knows

Once upon a time
There are two roads in front of us
Some people say choice is dangerous
Because it means you cannot turn back
Still we choose to be brave
And belive in our hearts
One day we can reach the stars

But all who enter the stars dies
For the truth it belies

We were trapped in fate
Unable to be truly free

Even though our hearts are right

Still we commit the sins
The sins cannot be forgiven
But we can only move on because of that sins.

No words can express the feelings

Not even the fallen tears 

There are too many things to be said

But don't know how to say it
Everythings stay in my heart
But it's okay
Because you can say it

There's no end to sadness
Only an everflowing pain
Pain that we know very well
But will never get used to
Because this heart will never accept nor denied
These shattered feelings
Tear each other apart
Only you want everyone to get along

We want peace
But these hearts won't let go
Our fate cannot be changed
Still we never give up
Chasing our dreams mean suffering
Too many things have been broken
Except you choose to leave the past behind

Still
Can we enter the stars ?
Can we still be alive and achieve our dreams ?
Is this all fate ?
Can our hearts be truly free ?
These lingering questions
And our contradictory life
Our contradictory feelings
Who knows the answers


Regards,
Angela

Destiny

Some people destinied to be a mother
They are blessed with children
Even marriage fall apart
They might not be the best wife
Yet they are very good mother

Some people destinied to be single
They choose not to get married for life
They might have not find the right one
They prefer to focus on their own passion
The purpose of their life

Some people destinied to be a lover
Promising to be there for each other
They bring the best of each other
They just being good together
They connect deeply like soulmate

Just a simple reminder
Whatever your destiny is
The rule of life is
Do not get attached

Anything could be gone
It is not our own life
Because life itself is a gift


~Selene

(Selene is my pen name)