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After the Birthday Party

by Goodreads - The Filipino Group, Mina V. Esguerra (Goodreads Author) (Introduction)

4.84 of 5 stars 4.84 · rating details · 32 ratings · 14 reviews

Inspired by the reading and discussion of The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, members of the online and real life book club Goodreads - The Filipino Group share their unforgettable memories and life snippets dealing with love, loss, hope, and regret.

51 pages

Published July 28th 2012 by Goodreads - The Filipino Group (first published June 28th 2012)

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Jul 31, 2012 Kwesi 章英狮 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Kwesi 章英狮 by: The TFG Peeps

Shelves: 2012, borrowed, various

Wishlist, hoping someone will give me a hard copy.

Irretrievable Loss According to the Gospel of Angus
Exclusive from the Hardcover edition of After the Birthday Party

Our book club discussed The Remains of the Day and the discussion leader, as a related activity, asked us to write something that deals with love, loss, hope, or regret. I was wondering why he was giving such a personal activity, so I let it go for the moment.

School schedule became so hectic. I was feeding six-month old puppies and...more

23 likes · like · see review

Jul 24, 2012 Angus rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-and-blogged, 5-stars

Beautiful, Beautiful Memories

This is a surprise. I didn’t consider adding our little book of memories here at Goodreads. Yes, I said “our” because this is not my work. I may be attributed as the Author, which I changed to Editor, but it really is the collective effort of my beloved friends at our book club, The Filipino Group.

The project was sparked by the reading of Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day. Miss Kenton said to Mr Stevens that we cannot be forever dwelling on the what-ifs and cou...more

31 likes · like · see review

Jul 29, 2012 Blue rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, biography-memoir, favorites, owned, filipiniana

THIS BOOK PWNS ANY BOOK OK. Also, this is my 75th book, making my goal for this year complete!! Best book to complete a goal everrrrrr
Aaaaaand the stories are so awesome! I had so many feelings going while I read it. And it's hard to guess who's who, but I suddenly feel closer to the people who wrote them. DABEST. HANDS DOWN.

My feelings when I first saw this:

And when it sunk in...

NOW I CAN'T WAIT FOR SATURDAY!

Sorry. I just have a lot of feelings right now. *leaves for more drama and bipolarity*

16 likes · like · see review

Jul 29, 2012 Tina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, non-fiction, filipino, anthology

Being a moderator has its perks, because I've been privy to the development of this collection from the start. In a way, though, that makes me feel just a bit sad because I didn't have the chance to be surprised by the contents of this book when I finally held the print copy in my hands last night.

But that was just a bit sad. Reading a (soft) copy of this book while it was undergoing production made me more excited, not just for the event, but for when the people will finally get their copies. H...more Being a moderator has its perks, because I've been privy to the development of this collection from the start. In a way, though, that makes me feel just a bit sad because I didn't have the chance to be surprised by the contents of this book when I finally held the print copy in my hands last night.

But that was just a bit sad. Reading a (soft) copy of this book while it was undergoing production made me more excited, not just for the event, but for when the people will finally get their copies. How will they react? Will they figure out who's who? Will it make them smile, laugh or will they never show up again? :P

I stayed up with the rest of my book club friends until 5 in the morning after the discussion, and we spent a lot of time trying to figure out who's who. I guess that's enough indication how much we want to get to know each other after this. At first, I only really cared about figuring out a few of the entries, but when the night was over, I wanted to know who wrote what because of the heart that this collection contained.

I've always believed that being honest is the best way to get to another person's heart, and the honesty in my friends' stories really made its way towards mine. I am not the moderator of the discussion, nor was this my idea, but if you were one of the contributors, thank you for being honest. Despite the anonymity, the honesty is moving enough for me to realize how different we all are, and how we all face different things in life. More importantly, I realized that even if we are different, somehow, our common passions bring us together, and we're less alone. :)

I am completely biased in rating this collection with 5 stars, because I'm also a contributor. But really, this has reminded me yet again of a fact that I have realized and have been realizing every month as I see these people: I love my our book club.. :) I've always said this before, but it's moments like this that affirms me that saying yes to attending my first meet-up two years ago was one of the best decisions I ever made in my life. :)

To end, here's a quote I read during my welcoming remarks for the event from the The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society that pretty much sums up everything I wrote up there:

None of us had any experience with literary societies, so we made our own rules: we took turns speaking about the books we'd read. At the start, we tried to be calm and objective, but that soon fell away, and the purpose of the speakers was to goad the listeners into wanting to read the book themselves. Once two members had read the same book, they could argue, which was our great delight. We read books, talked books, argued over books, and became dearer and dearer to one another...our evenings together became bright, lively times - we could almost forget, now and then, the darkness outside.

:)(less)

17 likes · like · see review

Jul 30, 2012 DC rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: filipiniana, favorites, five-star

Have you ever wondered what happens when all the candles have been blown out, when all the presents have been opened, when all the guests have left? Have you ever thought of what happens after the birthday party?

In my opinion, we each take a pause within the day (maybe just before the day runs out), and just dwell in the yesteryears. That is what After the Birthday Party is all about.

It's about the free-roaming thoughts that come once the dusk settles in. It's about the little incidents that hav...more Have you ever wondered what happens when all the candles have been blown out, when all the presents have been opened, when all the guests have left? Have you ever thought of what happens after the birthday party?

In my opinion, we each take a pause within the day (maybe just before the day runs out), and just dwell in the yesteryears. That is what After the Birthday Party is all about.

It's about the free-roaming thoughts that come once the dusk settles in. It's about the little incidents that have molded us to who we are today, to who we are to become tomorrow. It's about the little heartaches that swell in our hearts, persistent and ever-nagging. It's about the little tears we've shed because we felt pain and happiness. It's about almost-forgetting, but never quite letting-go. It's about remembering.

The stories here, as varied as they are, are all about these memories. The themes ring of hope, love, regret and loss, but they also sing of strength, passion, loneliness and darkness. They take note of childhood escapades, of far-flung dreams, of wanton wishes. They declare in poems and move in stories. They cling desperately to the present, while shakenly staring at the past.

They are you, as you are your friend, as your friend is the kid crossing the street.

What makes each of these pieces closer to my own heart is the fact that I know these people. These are people I don't see everyday, but I know who they are. These are people who have decided that I, a stranger in their midst, can look into their own hearts to view their miseries and joys. These are people who have poured forth words to describe their most beautiful and poignant moments to me, for me, by me. A piece of these people are in my hands, and, as I have contributed my own whispers in this book, a piece of me is in yours too, dear reader.

After the birthday party, when all of the guests have gone
Go open up your own heart, and let it burst into song
Inside are laid memories, buried oh-so deep within
Enjoy the tear it gives you, and let the party truly begin

Thank you, friends, for a beautiful read :')

(view spoiler)(less)

12 likes · like · see review

Jul 29, 2012 Monique rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, compilations, filipino, non-fiction

There is nothing more beautiful, poignant and poetic than memories, regardless of the form their owner adopts to share them. Their beauty is in their realness, the emotions they evoke in the reader, and the fact that they helped shape someone - emotionally, intellectually, actually.

I have been a member of our book club for more than a couple of years now. Just thinking about that first time I met everyone still brings a smile to my face - I remember my batchmates Buddy, Aldrin, Lynai and Tintin...more

14 likes · like · see review

Aug 05, 2012 Patrick rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite, read-2012

After The Birthday Party is a compilation of personal anecdotes/stories/writeups by Goodreads - The Filipino Group (TFG) members. It's the result of an activity for the July 2012 Face2Face (F2F) discussion of Kazuo Ishiguro's book "The Remains Of The Day".

Most of the contributors, including me, didn't know that the submissions will get compiled into a book. I believe it's better the moderator did it that way otherwise I would have seriously hesitated submitting myself. Actually, there would be z...more After The Birthday Party is a compilation of personal anecdotes/stories/writeups by Goodreads - The Filipino Group (TFG) members. It's the result of an activity for the July 2012 Face2Face (F2F) discussion of Kazuo Ishiguro's book "The Remains Of The Day".

Most of the contributors, including me, didn't know that the submissions will get compiled into a book. I believe it's better the moderator did it that way otherwise I would have seriously hesitated submitting myself. Actually, there would be zero chance of me submitting if I had known about the real plans for this activity.

From a total of 25 entries well naturally I will have a few favorites. I'll share them here not to say that they are the best and most well-written of the bunch but just because they are the ones that resonated to me the most. Creative writing helps too, of course, so yes it is one factor but definitely not the sole criteria.

My fave five in no particular order are: "Tataynik", "Hope in the Puddles", "Pagbibinata", "Crossing" and "Lola". If I'm allowed to go over the five, I'll throw in "Hopeless Romantic, Not" and "Letter" there too. I still do not know the corresponding authors of many of the entries and I didn't bother memorizing those already found out during the guessing game. But some of the stories, in hindsight, were probably dead giveaways to me such as the one deliberately mentioning a saint and also the one which uses the phrase "walking cliche". Most of them, however, are just stories by no-name authors to me. And frankly I don't mind not knowing who wrote them. If they do decide someday to claim their stories, it would just be a nice bonus. I know not everyone will agree with me on this. I can understand why for others knowing the author matters as much as reading the story itself but to me it's not a big deal. I am simply content and glad knowing that our book club has such marvelous members willing to do all that it takes to support the group's activities, even at the cost of having to recall some not-so-good memories. The dedication of my fellow bookish members here is just so inspiring that I'll echo the statement of other reviewers: joining the real-life meetups is one of my wiser decisions in life so far.

This book is also truly one of a kind. It is a book I didn't even know was gonna get published (or printed rather, if that's more appropriate) but I still end up giving it the highest score possible. It's not like I have a choice here you know, else I'll suffer the wrath of my fellow book club friends. Yes... friends. Although I've only been active (used very, very, VERY loosely here) in the group for the past six months, I would unhesitatingly, unequivocally and with a firm voice call them now: friends. *tears* xD(less)

10 likes · like · see review

Jul 29, 2012 Ariel Acupan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Props to whoever thought of printing and sharing all of this "memories" to other members of GR-TFG. I got lucky in a draw winning one of the 5 extra copies printed. I'm "honored" (for lack of a better word, hehehe. but seriously I really felt that.:P) to have read the stories shared here because I know that true tears, hurt, regret, joy or laughter was behind it. While reading, it felt like the contributor was giving me a glimpse of his/her life at that particular moment. Some of the stories tou...more

12 likes · like · see review

Jul 29, 2012 Louize rated it 5 of 5 stars

July 23 of last year, during our 5th meet up, I was asked to lead the Invocation. In that, I have said that we have a common instrument, that God used our love for books to bring us together. I then added that I wish and fervently pray that as we started as a group with common interest, we may later end the occasion as friends.

As the months passed, I’m glad that friendship was indeed feverishly enjoyed. There were many moments and pictures that attest to that. Yet after last July 28 and readin...more

14 likes · like · see review

Jul 30, 2012 Veronica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: tfg, short-stories, real-books

Our book club came about because a group of people shared a passion for reading. Oftentimes, what we know about a member is limited to the books he or she reads. These stories remind me that there is a real person behind the book reader and each one has a wonderful story to tell. Every one of the storytellers shared a piece of themselves that they would not normally be willing to share. And though you did not know it was going to be published, the mere act of putting it on paper was very brave....more

15 likes · like · see review

Aug 07, 2012 Billy Candelaria rated it 5 of 5 stars

Thank you for this little book about love, loss, hope and regrets.This truly shows the heart and soul of people's memory. How it imprints and gives meaning to who we are individually. What makes this powerful are unadulterated blood lettings of feelings and perceptions that creates small little worlds that opens new horizons and possibilities.Snippets of people's life and there longing to etched their own marks, shared only to this group. Its an honor of reading you guys in this book. Something...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jul 29, 2012 Sir W. Gabriel Gapas rated it 4 of 5 stars

I don't have a copy of the book, but there are some selections which could have been with a better title. :)

All in all, the authors were honest and were very creative in word usage.

8 likes · like · see review

Jul 29, 2012 Ayban Gabriyel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Walang sinabi ang compilation ng Youngblood dito. Nakakabitin lang ng konti, medyo maikli. (more! more!)

10 likes · like · see review

Aug 01, 2012 Josephine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: filipino-author, gift, loss, lost, inspirational, pinoy

Full of heartwarming tales... the very proof why I'm in this profession... why I believe that Filipinos are such talented writers.

4 likes · like · see review

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Shelves: philippine-authors

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About Goodreads - The Filipino Group

Goodreads - The Filipino Group (GR-TFG)

We're Filipinos who love to read anything we get our hands on, and who love to meet to discuss these things we read. GR-TFG has been around the web since 2009, and started monthly face to face book discussions (F2F/F2FBD) in 2012. Members of the group range from all ages and come from all places, but we all come together for the love of the written word. We l...more

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