Halina't silipin ang Diary ng Panget Ni: Uel Ceballos

Kung naghahanap ka ng babasahing babasag sa iyong katinuan at magpapakiliti sa natutulog mong ka-kesohan, bakit hindi mo subukang basahin ang kwentong nangunguna ngayon sa mga tindahan ng aklat – Diary Ng Panget by HaveYouSeenThisGirl.

Sa aking pagsasaliksik sa internet, napag-alaman kong Denny pala ang pangalan nitong si HaveYouSeenThisGirl na ayaw magbigay ng buo niyang pangalan (pero willing siyang magpapicture kaya naman makikita niyo ang itsura ng batang ito sa net). Okay, hindi siya Panget katulad ng bida sa istorya na si Eya. Pero sa pagtingin ko sa larawan niya, mapapansing isang simpleng babaeng likas na masayahin itong si Denny. Hindi malayong isipin na katulad din siya ni Eya sa maraming aspeto –malamang sa paraan ng pagsasalita, sa mga kinahihiligan, sa mga expression, at sa mga pananaw sa mga bagay-bagay.

Mabalik tayo sa kwentong isinulat niya. Sa edad kong ito na 25, aaminin kong bumenta sa’kin ang teenage love story na siyang tema nitong Diary ng Panget. Bukod sa umepekto sa akin ang mga katatawanang nakapaloob dito, tinablan din ako ng kilig sa love story nila Cross at Eya, kahit pa sabihing ang istorya nila ay karaniwan mo nang mababasa sa iba pang nobela at mapapanood mo pa sa karamihan ng mga pelikulang may kahalintulad na tema.

Pero ano nga ba ang naging kaibahan ng Diary ng Panget sa iba pang kwento at humakot ito ng milyon-milyong atensyon sa watt.pad na siyang naging dahilan para mapansin ng isang publisher? Lalo pang sumikat ang kwento nila Cross at Eya nang maisalin na sa aklat ang istorya at dumami pa ngang lalo ang naging mambabasa ng kwento.

Sa aking palagay, wala naman din talagang dahilan para hindi kagiliwan ang Diary ng Panget. Hindi ko lang tiyak kung aalma dito ang mga masugid na tagasulong ng tamang paraan ng pagsusulat at masusing pagobserba sa teknikalidad ng literaturang Pilipino. Bumenta sa kabataan ang kwento ni Denny,bumenta din ito sa mga hindi na “bata”(katulad ng henerasyon namin). Ibig sabihin lang, hindi mo kailangang magpakulong sa kombensyonal na pamamaraan para lamang maipahayag ang mga bagay-bagay na nais mong maibahagi sa karamihan.

Wika nga ni Denny, simple lang naman ang kwento nila Eya at Cross, typical. Subalit sa kabila ng kasimplehan nito, siguradong magpipinta naman ito ng ngiti sa mga labi at magdudulot ng kagalakan sa kalooban ng sinumang makababasa nito.

Kalabaw nga lang daw ang tumatanda, hindi ibig sabihin na nalipasan ka na ng iyong kabataan ay hindi na nararapat na babasahin sa’yo ang Diary ng Panget. Remember, we are forever young at heart! Kaya kung icebreaker sa mga nakakaburyong na problema at trabaho ang hanap mo, hetong Diary ng Panget ang babasahing nababagay sa’yo. Basta huwag ka lang OA na pa-deep at pa-high standard kuno dahil hindi mo nga talaga kasisiyahan ang pagbabasa ng ganitong istorya na kung tutuusin ay may makabuluhang mensahe namang hatid. Try to loosen up dude,makigulo ka muna kina Cookie Monster at Cookie Bear. Naway’y kagiliwan mo ang pagbabasa nito. Enjoy!

https://www.facebook.com/Now-Brewing-539673826127554/?ref=hl

Meet The Great Gatsby by: Uel Ceballos

I was amazed to meet Gatsby here – I mean the way F. Scott Fitzgerald presented him in the book; Jay Gatsby was quite intriguing. He was the sort of a mysterious man with deep sense of attachment to his past, driven passionately by his loyal love to Daisy Buchanan, and firmly determined to get things according to his plans.

The Great Gatsby was one of the greatest classic novels that you would treasure for a lifetime. This was not your kind of inspirational book, of which you could count on to uplift your spirit and develop your morality, but this was the type of novel that would serve as your window to human’s weaknesses and would leave you significant thoughts to ponder about.

photo courtesy of wikipedia

Jay Gatsby was an emotionally bothered individual -- toughened by difficult experiences in life, he lived with full dedication to fulfill his dreams and revive the relationship that he and Daisy had five years ago. And Daisy, oh Daisy was such a sweet siren who got me confused if she was really the fragile type or the wise one who played around with the irresistible effect she had with anyone. But one thing for sure, Daisy was the one who value status and money more than anything else otherwise Jay Gatsby wouldn’t strive really hard to level his self to the gaudy, fancy life that Daisy loved.

Looking at the story through the point of view of Nick Carraway also gave me the impression of seeing Nick as F. Scott himself. Nick was the cousin of Daisy here who happened to become Gatsby’s closest friend. You would be looking to the entire story through Nick’s spectacles, who shared the reader a shallow depiction of his self saved for the opinions and feelings he had towards the whole Gatsby-Daisy thing.

F. Scott Fitzgerald had given us a story that would leave us empathizing due to its ill-fated ending – nor affirming or refuting its possible existence. I, myself, was left drifting on thoughts of believing and denying. Denying to the sense that I don’t want such thing to happen in my case; believing because this was apparently the sort of reality and not just one of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s surreal ideas.

I wouldn’t mind reading this novel for several times. The author had written here substantial phrases that I wouldn’t mind re-reading and re-digesting on my mind. For this wonderful literary piece I will give it a rate of 8 cups of latte. 

Hope you guys can find time to read this one. The novel was followed by several film adaptations bearing the same title The Great Gatsby, the most recent was this 2013 film starred by Leonardo Di Caprio and Tobey Maguire.