More than Words

I have always been fascinated with the power of words.

My love for the written word dates back from my early years of reading my first story books, mock spelling bees with my cousins, all the way through my first attempt at writing novels. ‘Written’, mainly because I consider myself more of a reader and writer, than a speaker. Yes, I am the typical the silent type who reads and writes a lot more, but talks less.

So when I gave birth to my Little Lady, it came naturally for me to encourage her to develop not just love, but passion for the same. I bought her books even before she could read, and taught English as her first language. She learned to speak in our native Filipino tongue later on, with a little struggle, attaining decent proficiency nevertheless, before she turned high school.

People ask me time and again why I chose to teach the international language first before our very own, hinting a patriotism issue—a lack of it, to be precise. To which I would retort: I want to give my child the edge and advantage—to boost her confidence in communicating with all kinds of people regardless of social status and educational attainment; to speak impeccably in public without stammering due to a lack of vocabulary or the fear of being grammatically incorrect; and to write meaningfully with purpose, clarity, as well as style. These are just some of the reasons to ensure that my child would be at par with the best of her generation.

But that is just me. As parents, we prioritize what we believe is best for our children. We can mold them to be the future political leaders of the nation, but they can always go towards a different path.

My daughter can be whatever she wants to be—president, beauty queen, linguist, head of a translation company, novelist, fashion designer, or chef, the possibilities are endless. But what matters most in her journey is that she has been prepared well and equipped with everything she needed to pursue her dreams, and the rest is up to her to make it all happen.

Feeling Divergent

Official Movie Poster of Divergent

Hi everyone! Happy New Year! I’m tied up with the holidays and school work so I did not have the time to update (I know, as always!). However, I had time to read :) This post features about my squealing reaction and love for Veronica Roth’s book, Divergent!

When I first read the beginning of the book, I felt bored because of the introduction. I decided to give up until I saw the first part about the ceremony, then I became interested and so caught up in the book that I cried whenever I had to stop and go to sleep.

The book is about a girl, named Beatrice Prior, who is unable to choose between 5 factions (a.k.a her way of life). One is Abnegation, her original faction, that is known for being selfless--they donate, share, and sacrifice anything for the sake of other people. The second choice is the Erudite, known to be smart, but vain. They are teachers, scientists, environmentalists, psychiatrists, and other well-known people that contribute to the knowledge and the order of the factions. The third choice is Dauntless, known for being brave and selfish. The fourth faction is Candor, the honest ones. The last is Amity, the peace loving people of the society. There is also the Factionless group whose members failed their faction initiation and therefore live in poverty. Divergent however, is the one that has more than two factions combined... the special one. Although Divergent is not a faction, but a person with special abilities and capabilities. 

After Tris received her aptitude test results, she got the result Divergent. And she’s told not to tell this to anyone, even to her family. After that, she picks a faction (I’m not going to tell!) and then progresses through the initiation. She had a hard time at first, because she did not have much strength, but she overcame those obstacles and came out on top. Of course in the book, there was romance. :) She got herself a boyfriend in the second part of initiation. How sneaky. Her friend has one also, but  I am not going to tell you any further, because that would serve as big time spoilers. Boohoo.

Anyways, if you like a great read, buy this book, or even better, the complete series of the Divergent Trilogy!!! Also please ship Tris and her boyfriend~ I would be happy to have someone to relate to! I swear, the story is very romantic and it will have you squealing in excitement and suspense. I am very relieved to hear that my favorite couple’s love has lasted very, very long. I am rooting for them, until now. :)

Plus, the movie version is showing in theaters on............March 21, 2014!!! Oh my gosh, I am so excited! :) I can’t wait to watch it! The actors look so cool and it seems like Mortal Instruments and the Hunger Games combined!!! After I watched the Hunger Games: Catching Fire, I've been thinking about the movie and I was jumping in and out of my seat. Literally! 

But that is another story. :)

In the meantime, please enjoy the official movie trailer. You can read the book first then watch the movie, which is still a long wait ~ more than a month away, or vice versa.

Thank you everyone, for spending (or wasting) your time to read this post. It really means a lot to me. I love you!!! :)

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