Prex J.D.V. Ybasco's Blog, page 4

PBN 30-day Book Challenge Day 6: Book that Broke your Heart

DISCLAIMER: THE 30-DAY BOOK CHALLENGE IS CREATED BY PROFESSIONAL BOOK NERDS. I’M MERELY RESPONDING TO THEIR PROMPTS FOR MY OWN WRITING CHALLENGE.

There is no other book more haunting to me than Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix.

When Sirius disappeared behind the curtain and wouldn’t answer Harry’s calls, I bawled not unlike Luffy when he cried for Ace (that scene also made me cry btw).

If you read the novel, you’d know that what comes after – the talk with Dumbledore and the realization that Sirius isn’t going to return – hurts more. You empathize with Harry as he destroys the headmaster’s trinkets. You even have the urge to hurl the book across the room- at least I did and still do every time I reread the book.

Then you’ll start thinking, crap, there are two books left in the series. How is Harry going to survive this? But he does survive through the pain. In the end, he’s still the boy who lived. And that reassures you that you can also move on from this tragedy.

Except it doesn’t reassure you at all.

Because unlike Harry whose story ends in The Deathly Hallows (or Cursed Child), you will have another opportunity to meet Sirius once you read The Prisoner of Azkaban, witness his frustration in The Goblet of Fire, and watch him sacrifice himself for the order in The Order of the Phoenix.

You can either skip the book or write several fanfictions but it just won’t be the same.

PBN 30-day Book Challenge Day 5: Favorite Classic Novel

DISCLAIMER: THE 30-DAY BOOK CHALLENGE IS CREATED BY PROFESSIONAL BOOK NERDS. I’M MERELY RESPONDING to THEIR PROMPTS FOR MY OWN WRITING CHALLENGE.

Like in my previous post, I have a number of honorable mentions. Among them are Illusions, Anne of Green Gables, Screwtape Letters, and Jo’s Boys. The rest of them I already wrote about in my previous posts.

Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers however is my featured favorite classic novel. What inspired me to read this was an anime called “アニメ三銃士(Anime Sanjushi).” Some elements in that anime were so different from the actual novel including Aramis being a woman (anime) and Constance . I was stunned in the beginning but I eventually loved the book so much that I wrote a paper on it when I was in high school. I even discovered a number of Dumas’ great works.

The exploits of d’Artagnan and the three musketeers, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, were so fun to read and so fast-paced that I managed to finish reading this in a bookstore once while waiting for a friend. It was easy when one lived in a dormitory near a bookstore and could go there three hours early.

Though my interest in the novel was piqued by the adventures of the lead male characters, what kept me going was Milady de Winter, the definition of femme fatale. Before Cersei Lannister became a household name, there was Milady.

PBN 30-day Book Challenge Day 4: Book You Remember from Childhood

Disclaimer: The 30-Day Book Challenge is created by Professional Book Nerds. I’m merely responding their prompts for my own writing challenge.

I have three responses to this prompt and they aren’t any of the Harry Potter novels.

Winnie the Pooh and Friends

Among the gifts I received as a child, this book-set, in particular, is memorable for two reasons: enjoyable reading time with my mom when she used to read stories to us, and painful bruising as my siblings and I hurled these thick books at each other.

Call of the Wild

The very first book that introduced me to the wonderful writing of Jack London was this precious novel, The Call of the Wild. By the time I managed to read this, I was already exposed to Free Willy, Flipper, Balto, and The Lion King so I already expected a somewhat feel-good exciting adventure. Needless to say, Buck became one of the canines I couldn’t help but root for. I decided to read more works for Jack London since then including The Sea-Wolf and White Fang.

Hades Factor

I read Hades Factor for a writing assignment when I was in high school. It was one of the thick novels in the small library of my school and what attracted me was its distinctive blue cover. At that time, it was oddly satisfying to finish reading a book students my age never read. I have to reread this and give the work the justice it deserves since I can’t recall most of the details.

A Reader-response to Kristin Ward’s “The Girl of Dorcha Wood” #TheWriteReads #Blogtour

DISCLAIMER: THE WRITE READS PROVIDED ME A DIGITAL COPY OF THE NOVEL THE GIRL OF DORCHA WOOD BY KRISTIN WARD IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.Summary I got from Goodreads:

Treacherous. Evil. Dark. Dorcha Wood is all of these things. And none of them.

The people of Felmore talk of Dorcha Wood in whispers, if they speak of it at all, fearing the wrath of the Cú-Síth should their words be carried on the wind. Those murdering beasts still roam the darkness of the forest, the last remnants of the cursed Aos Sí, a race of elves, long since vanished from the world.

But to Fiadh, it is home. Haven. A forest whose secrets become known only when it chooses to reveal them. Her life is one of balance until the outside world shatters it.

From the moment Fiadh set eyes on Gideon, the peaceful rhythm of her life was lost. As a new path unfolds, Fiadh confronts the reality of old hatreds, the consequences of things hidden, and the truth of who she really is.

Author’s Bio from her website:

Kristin Ward is an award-winning young adult author living in Connecticut. A science and math teacher for over twenty years, she infuses her geeky passions into stories that meld realism and fantasy. Kristin embraces her inner nerd regularly, often quoting 80s movies while expecting those around her to chime in with appropriate rejoinders. As a nature freak, she can be found wandering the woods – she may be lost, so please stop and ask if you see her – or chilling in her yard with all manner of furry and feathered friends. Often referred to as a unicorn by colleagues who remain in awe of her ability to create or find various and sundry things in mere moments. In reality, the horn was removed years ago, leaving only a mild imprint that can be seen if she tilts her head just right. A lifelong lover of books and writing, she dreamed of becoming an author for thirty years before publishing her award-winning debut in 2018. Her first novel, After the Green Withered, is one of many things you should probably read.

My Thoughts on The Girl of Dorcha Wood :Structure

Some novels which are part of a series can stand on their own. It has its complete plot, but then there are elements or events that tie it together with the rest of the series. On the other hand, some works are so dependent on the succeeding parts that a reader gets a cliff hanger at the end of the novel.

The Girl of Dorcha Wood belongs in the second category. I noticed how big chunks of the novel establish the tone of how mysterious and dangerous Dorcha Wood is compared to Fiadh’s perspective – the grass is greener inside the fence. Other parts of the novel give bits and pieces about the different kingdoms and their backstories, race, and creatues enough to entice the reader to continue. This structure opens a floodgate of questios: Why can’t the story be a single long novel? Is it perhaps a genre consideration? Do YA fantasy readers prefer shorter works? It makes me wonder how else Fiadh’s story would unfold that it has to be in a series. That said, the the structure works for The Girl of Dorcha Wood because as a reader, I get that desire to read the second work.

Characterization

As the protagonist, Fiadh exudes a strong female character vibe (she can communicate with wolves and Cu Sith!) but is unfortunately stunted by events in her life like the passing of her mother and Gideon’s change of heart. I want to see her character develop even further. I would have prefered to see how strong she really is and what makes her special aside from communicating with a mysterious being (Long live the Cu Sith!) and healing. That telepathy with the other predators in Dorcha Wood is one great highlight. Perhaps, her grief and weariness will spur her to hone her skills in the succeeding novels and that’s always exciting to read about.

Darragh’s characterization as an antagonist is so perfect, any reader will hate him and want to see him perrish the most painful way possible. However, in my opinion, he is too perfect which makes me wonder if he’s the main antogonist in the series or someone (Xander) –thing– more sinister is lurking in the background, waiting to pounce. This formula has been used before in some animated movies. Either it happens to be true or not in the next books, I will be patiently waiting.

Gideon on the other hand leaves little to be desired, apart from his physique unless the next installment of the series redeems him. Until then, I refuse to write more about him and his cringey expressions of love.

Lore

I like how YA fantasy authors prove the paradox in lore and world-building- they are limitless yet bound to one’s creativity. As a person who grew up reading Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, and Dragonslayer, and watching Disney and Pixar movies, I have great expectations for a fantasy work that promises a new world filled with creatures I haven’t met before. The Girl of Dorcha Wood, or at least the first novel meets that expectation so well, I want to get my hands on the second book. Either to tear Gideon’s or Darragh’s face off, I can’t tell tell, who knows? More than that, I’m curious to know how powerful the Cu Sith and Aos Si are, whether Darragh’s mom continues to have this sick relationship with him, and best of all, I want to see Krulan in action again.

PBN 30-day Book Challenge Day 3: Book you did not finish

Oh, boy! Where do I start?

First, let me set the scope of ‘books I did not finish’ to novels. Rarely do I crack open a non-fiction book and start reading from the beginning to the end unless they are works of Stephen Hawking and Ayn Rand. Neither will this post include anthologies and poetry collections.

My decision not to finish reading a book is often influenced by whether I have to create a review or not. If I am obliged to as part of a blog tour or I simply want to write an occasional paper about it or a theme it revolves in, I will try to finish it no matter how long it takes, how difficult the concept is, or how boring it is. Besides that, I simply stop reading a book when it doesn’t fit my preference or when I think my time is better spent on more rewarding activities like watching Netflix or scrolling my social media feed. With all the books I have, physical or digital, I think it makes more sense to devote time to the genre of novels I find fascinating.

Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight is one of those novels I didn’t finish and I haven’t picked up ever since due to preference concerns. To be fair, I’m not one of those who badmouth the novel or the series in general- I can’t because I didn’t finish it. How can I hate something I know nothing about? Neither am I influenced by those reviews. I’m just not big on romance and vampires.

Shine by Jessica Jung is another novel I decided not to continue reading. I remember being distracted by the first-person narration. Whether it’s a good book or not, I have yet to determine.

There are other books I did not finish for one reason or another. Suffice it to say that I can always pick them up again when I run out of excuses other stuff to read.

PBN 30-day Book Challenge Day 2: Favorite Book by Your Favorite Writer

This prompt is quite challenging for me to respond to as I tend to think the work is a separate entity from the author in terms of the scope of favoritism. Reading the same novel from the same author does not immediately mean the author is one’s favorite, does it? It only means the reader likes the novel so much. The same way that one has a favorite author for reasons such as great humor and writing style but believes a work from another author is his favorite read. Let’s bring this closer to home: for example, I consider Lemony Snicket my favorite author. His writing style tickles my brain. Now, if we say that reading the same works over and over again correlates to one’s preference of authors, then J. K. Rowling may be my favorite author. It is funny though that I don’t have a favorite standalone novel from her and can only think of her Harry Potter Series. The same thing can be said for Lemony Snicket’s and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s works.

This is why I’m nominating my honorary favorite author, J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit as probably my favorite novel. Granted that it is the prelude to The Lord of the Rings but it is considered a standalone novel. The works supplement each other but aren’t dependent that they cannot exist without the other.

The exciting encounters with different beings like a gigantic spider and a magnificent dragon in The Hobbit can transport anyone from mundane activities in the real world to Middle-earth in an instant. Who wouldn’t want that? Apart from this, I was simply blown away by Tolkien’s different storytelling style when I read the book for the first time. Coming from The Lord of the Rings series where Tolkien impressed me with the made-up languages he created and the more serious tone he applied, I was amazed by how the lighthearted narration in The Hobbit as if Bilbo was my own grandfather who spun a yarn.

PBN 30-day Book Challenge Day 1: Favorite Book in a Series

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban has always been my favorite book since I was a child. To be fair, the series is one of my favorites but this book, in particular, takes the cake for me. You’d think by now, I’d have a review of it in my blog but I refuse to write a comprehensive one. Who wants to spoil their own childhood memories?

There are so many things I like about it. I get to witness Gryffindor win the Quidditch Cup after two years of mishaps. Harry gets a new broom. Best of all, Sirius Black enters the scene. I also like the fact that I get to understand James Potter more. For a son to hero-worship a father he never met is one thing. Having Lupin, Sirius and Dumbledore attest to James Potter’s character makes Harry’s admiration for his father very reasonable.

To me, the best part is how the sequence with the Time-Turner plays out. In those moments I reread the entire Harry Potter series, I had thoughts of “Someone was bound to see Hermione attending those classes with the number of students in Hogwarts.” But entertaining that question meant ruining the experience of disappearing through the walls between platforms 9 and 10 at King’s Cross station (“From the hundred of people at the train station, nobody saw people disappearing through the walls?”).

December Project: 30-day Book Challenge

c) Professional Book Nerds

I missed NaNoWriMo2021 so for the whole month of December, I’m going to write thirty posts using Professional Book Nerd’s 30-Day Book Challenge as prompts. This challenge might have been created for Instagram stories but I thought I could use them for a less fleeting series of content.

I’m setting some guidelines for myself:

Follow the order of the prompts for post schedule. On days when I miss, I simply have to write about the preceeding prompts before posting the one scheduled that day.Write a 200-word post. More is encouraged, less is disparaged.Skip prompts that don’t interest me. Time is valuable and I prefer to use it on things I find enjoyable… like sleeping.

This intro serves as my summary post where I link all of my responses to the prompts.

2021 Looking for INTJ 8w7s Results

Disclaimer: This was an amateur survey I created to satisfy my curiosity. It was flawed in a lot of ways and through the responses, I could tweak some items here and there and come up with a better version.

To this day, Looking for an INTJ 8w7 is my top ranking post and I couldn’t help but wonder if many were as curious to know what that type indicates as I was-or am. I had a number of assumptions and it’s fascinating to know if those would be proven wrong or …right.

I received a number of interesting responses to the survey and I’m taking them in with a bucket load of salt. *First survey flaw* I can’t trust all responders are INTJ 8w7s after all (unless I could transport myself and observe every respondent which is currently impossible, and entertaining the possibility, exhausting and time-consuming). The way I see it, a potential respondent could fall in any of these categories: 1) mistyped individuals who would easily jump into the bandwagon, 2) INTJ 8w7s who are typecasted as ENTJs, 3) INTJ 8w7 who know and have confirmed they are INTJ 8w7s and finally 4) INTJ 8w7s who are oblivious to their typology, couldn’t care less and are living their lives relentlessly pursuing the objectives of their Ni supported by their auxiliary Te. Given this, the respondents of this survey would be either 1 or 3. Needless to say, I’ve pruned responses I deemed are unnecessary unhelpful.

Date Survey was deployed: September 10, 2020

Number of Respondents: 66

The survey will be improved and updated based on the responses provided. What you are about to read are the results of the quantitative parts of the survey. The qualitative responses, easier to subject to bias reporting, need to be treated with more care.

You only have two minutes for the results? Just watch this video.Which type did INTJ 8w7s find out earlier?

Assumption: MBTI> Enneagram.

A number of MBTI sites and articles I visited and read refer to MBTI + Enneagram combination more often than Enneagram articles with MBTI classification.

My Response: I got my unofficial MBTI typology first before the Enneagram one.

How did INTJ 8w7s confirm their MBTI type?

Assumption: 16 Personalities > Official MBTI > The rest

16 Personalities, as it’s free and has been popularized, can reach more audience as opposed to the official and paid typology exam. A portion of those who took the unofficial site would be interested to ‘validate’ their type.

My response: 16 Personalities, Human Metrics

Resolution: More sites were provided so this survey question will be updated with those responses.

To what extent are INTJ 8w7s interested in their MBTI type?

Objective: To determine INTJs’ level of interest in their MBTI type and compare it against general interest in their Enneagram type.

My response: 3

How did INTJ 8w7s find out they are 8w7?

Objective: To determine if INTJ 8w7s sought to understand their Enneagram type as much as they tried to confirm their MBTI.

To what extent are INTJ 8w7s interested in their Enneagram type?

Objective: To determine 8w7s’ level of interest in their Enneagram type and compare it against general interest in their MBTI type.

My response: 4 (Extremely Interested) Why else would I create an amateur survey?

Interpretation: The majority is extremely interested in both MBTI and Enneagram results but there’s a significant difference between Enneagram and MBTI results. It seems that many lean towards MBTI.

Which do INTJ 8w7s think is more accurate?

Objective: To determine if respondents prefer one typology over the other.

Assumption: The majority of the respondents would claim that both were accurate and would treat both typologies as parts of a whole.

Results: From these results, we can infer that a small portion of the respondents prefers one or the other. It is worth mentioning that 1% of the respondents believe that neither one is accurate. It would be interesting to know why.

Did INTJ 8w7s read articles about their type?

Assumption: Many INTJ 8w7s would have read a number of articles about this combination out of sheer curiosity.

Results: It’s baffling to note that a number of INTJ 8w7s didn’t read any article about their typology. Perhaps their main source of typology information isn’t necessary a reading material but a video or a series of videos. Or perhaps they aren’t as interested in knowing what this combination entails. Or, there aren’t many resources about INTJ 8w7 as a whole. Sure there are several Google pages dedicated to the INTJ worship alone but the combination? I’m wondering if this question should be improved because it contradicts the results of being interested in the typology.

What are INTJ 8w7s fields of interest?

Objective: To get an organic view of INTJ 8w7s fields of interest as opposed to the more popular statistics.

Results: It is quite obvious that I need to revise this section to include the other options provided by the respondents and to eradicate stray responses like “everything.” One cannot study everything all at the same time with the same level of interest. It goes against focus, organization, and efficiency. Rather than Ni-Te, this response is more of Ne-Ti (those who have an intensive understanding of cognitive functions are free to agree or disagree).

How much time do INTJ 8w7s spend on their field/s of interest?

Assumption: Ni-Fi drivers of an INTJ would mean spending more time on a field of interest.

Results: Given that I already assumed that INTJ 8w7s devote much time to their fields of interest, I’m now considering the implications of having a 1-2 hour response. This may mean: 1) Daily activities e.g. house chores or work might have prevented these respondents from devoting more than two hours of their time on their field/s of interest, 2) two hours is sufficient enough to devote on one’s interest/s- can this be a sign of efficiency? 3) the responders have locked on a specific interest, narrowing them into one or two and pursuing them relentlessly in that span of time.

Will INTJ 8w7s continute to study about their MBTI + Enneagram combination?

Objective: To determine if INTJ 8w7s would keep on trying to understand the implication of this combination

Results: This for me is a healthy ratio of results. Putting it into perspective, it may be as much as how many people care about their birthdays or blood types. This information (birthday or blood type) is good to know and very important particularly when filling out forms but isn’t detrimental to decision-making unless it’s a health concern. Knowing one’s typology does not need to be the sole focus of anyone’s life.

Would INTJ 8w7s be interested in talking with each other?

Assumption: Yes. It will take a carefully crafted question or topic. What the topic would be, how long the discussion would last, how animated or not the conversation could be are more interesting to figure out.

No matter how good or bad or generic this survey is, I don’t have any means of knowing if the respondents answering my questions are actually INTJ 8w7s. Anybody can appear “organized,” “efficient,” “strong,” “determined”, or “aggressive” online (Hi, ISTJs!). It seems quite pointless to conduct a survey in the first place apart from blog engagement. Then again, questions need to be answered; curiosity needs to be satiated in one form or another; improvement is the next step to take. Until a test that will provide the MBTI / Enneagram combination is published and the only resources available are assumptions on what an INTJ 8w7 is like, my amateur survey (with better versions) will continue to collect data.

What I read in September-October 2021

I’ve been overthinking about the future content of this blog which causes me to take for granted its present content. But since that is not here nor there, here are the articles and blog posts that have piqued my interest:

How Much Do I Need to Retire? (Investopedia)

What is it about: The article provides a guideline for people who want to enjoy financial freedom at a certain age.

What I think about it: This article is highly relevant to me. I want to enjoy an early retirement and write. Since writing is not a lucrative job unless one has been in the industry for a long time (even that has its own argument), I want to be able to save as much as I can while I still have a profitable job. The guidelines provided aren’t restrictive in a way but I think it’s a good way to have a baseline or a target in saving money. It makes the idea more attainable.

Discussion Post – The Benefit of Glossaries in Fantasy Novels!(Becky’s Book Blogs)

What is it about: Becky created a Twitter poll to assess how many responders appreciated having glossaries in fantasy novels.

What I think about it: One of the things I liked about The Lord of the Rings was the glossary, and it was so helpful particularly. How else would I understand those Elvish and Entish languages?

How a book a day can keep pandemic stress away (National Geographic)

What is it about: Making time to read with kids during this pandemic provides a way for both parents and kids to disperse that dark cloud of stress permeating the room.

What I think about it: Choosing the right materials to read with the family these days is very important. This is one of those ‘traditions’ that need to be kept whether there is a pandemic or not. The upside of doing this during the pandemic is kids, and their parents in return, do not focus on something they cannot control.

How the pandemic made us more adventurous drinkers (BBC)

What is it about: It’s one of those articles in which the content is summarized by the title.

What I think about it: Not focusing on the interesting numbers presented in the article, I thought the mere fact that people can get drunk and remain safe in their house is a big answer to how we are more adventurous drinkers. There’s also the case of being able to replicate expensive bar drinks with cheaper tools bought from online stores.

Why introverts excelled at working from home (BBC)

What is it about: Having online meetings timeboxed, agenda-focus and less on socialization, less stimulus from chattering colleagues, or the sound of printers and elevators enable introverts to work better at home. Since introverts do not get their energy from interactions that much, they have adapted well or considerably better than extroverts.

What I think about it: (I’m not sure how I missed this article in July.) Introverts and extroverts have strengths that often get downplayed for the sake of preference. In this article, for instance, extroverts are lumped into these boisterous people who overpower more sensible introverted colleagues. Stereotyping? Apart from this, I quite agree that telecommuting has given communication a different structure. With conference calls, it is a lot easier to identify those who are sensible whether extroverted or introverted.

Why we’re so terrified of the unknown (BBC)

What is it about: The article provides a great perspective on uncertainties as one leading cause of anxiety. A person exhibiting high intolerance for uncertainty tends to catastrophize and is subsequently paralyzed by fear.

What I think about it: I find this article and the study it was based on fascinating as I fall under the “I should be able to organize everything in advance”–well, not everything, that’s impossible, but you get the point. Not all uncertainties are bad, that is true, but if I can lessen the uncertainty I encounter (e.g. a new Netflix series may be disappointing so let’s watch The Big Bang Theory again.), I will.

From this month’s list of articles, anyone can infer that the pandemic is starting to stress me out. Nobody wants this pandemic to happen (unless of course, you subscribe to conspiracy theories), and nor do I. By accepting things I can control and those that I can’t, I am able to survive and live with the stress. These articles are better and are more credible resources than any of a thirty-something writer with a different background and conditions can tell you hence, the selection.