How do I deal with pressure from my parents? Sobra na mag-selfie ang kaibigan ko, paano ko siya sasabihan? Wala pa rin akong boyfriend. Should I worry? Magkano ba talaga dapat savings ko? How do I get clear skin? How will i figure out my "purpose" in life? Paano ba maging mas confident? Ikaw ba ay nalilito, hindi alam ang gagawin, o di kaya'y nag-aalangan sa next steps mo? In this book, TV host, editor, and columnist Bianca Gonzalez shares her personal life lessons, as well as insights from friends and experts, on how to deal with life's dilemmas—a must-have guide to life for every young Pinay growing up in this crazy, wonderful world.
The book contains helpful and sound advice though a bit repetitive and cliché. If I was the target demographic -- i.e. bullied highschool students, lovestruck and hormonal teens, confused young 20somethings -- I would say that this book was a great, trusty companion. But because I'm a 25yr-old who has been through these stuff and applied the same things to aid the confusion and still, not much have changed, I found the book to be an ordinary manual that mirrored the same advice I read from Seventeen, Candy and Meg magazine.
There are great, genuine life problems presented here but I felt like some of the more important problems were given answers that lack the required depth and rationale. Some problems were truthful and complicated but the solutions Bianca has provided didn't have the same weight. I especially hated that Bianca Gonzalez used Ramon Bautista as a love guru/reference because I'm not a fan of the guy. Maybe people find him funny and maybe the book only wanted to deliver the fun but Ramon Bautista's blatant, SEXIST opinions did little to answer the juvenile heartaches of forlorn teens. His humor is not exactly the comic relief that this book needs. All his superficial ideas about how a girl should look and what she should do to attract a guy can be easily flushed down the drain. It's unnecessary.
I appreciate the ideas about career and money because that's where I am right now. Learning that even the Greats went through a bout of rejections during their younger years brings about a satisfaction and sense of commonality. Rejection is a sucky shitty fear of mine so I'm thankful that even the most privileged have gone through the same shit at one point in their lives.
And ffs I'm sure this book went through several editing and proofreading phases so what's up with all the typos and missing prepositions?? I'm not a grammar nazi but one too many errors can be seriously annoying.
I liked Bianca Gonzalez's honesty. I admire her for baring it all, I just really wish she delved deeper into some of the more complex problems she presented.
In her first published book, TV personality and host Bianca Gonzales shares practical advices about important aspects in life like family, career, friendship, love, failures, financial management, and fashion & beauty. It's a good advice book for young women who want to learn more about which direction to take in life. Personally, I am not a fan of advice or self-help books, but I enjoyed reading this. It's also nice to read the snippets of life of well-known celebrities and get inspiration from them. I also liked the cute illustration and inspiring quotes/typographies. I'm sure many girls and young women could relate in this book.
Though the target audience is of the younger generation, there are still helpful bits of advice. Especially loved that typography, format and the interactive stickers. Just the book for the little boost I needed.
Book Riot read harder 2015 challenge: Recommended book
The book is very relatable 'specially to teens and early 20s. I guess I would've rated it a 5 when this book was published during my high school days and early college days.
This book did not disappoint. It is what it says it is. The book is full of life lessons and practical advices you can apply to your life. From the author's own experiences and other personalities', this one's a great guide to living your life to the fullest.
More like 2-star read, +1 lang sa mga valid points presented
Although na-appreciate ko yung pagiging well-rounded ng book dahil maraming aspects yung na-cover, yun din mismo yung parang naging problema ko sa pagbabasa nito. May mga heavy situations na sinagot lang sa isang paragraph, not so good advice pa dahil cliché at medyo paulit-ulit lang. Ang feeling ko habang binabasa 'to, para lang akong nasa Fast Talk with Boy. Isang tanong, isang sagot, next, no matter how serious the struggle is. On the other hand, gusto ko naman na may part "from the experts" na included kada section.
All in all, I must say na enjoyable read naman ito. I think mas targeted nito yung teens and early 20s (I feel old). Parang kachikahan mo lang yung friend mo na may main character syndrome char
Not bad for my first self-help book! Every teenager who is lost in their lives should probably give this book a go! The graphics in the book is cool too!
i love love love loveeeeeee thissssssss wala na me masabi basta it is one of my first great reads solid ni ms bianca. dito rin ata ako natuto magdonate donate
There is not much more to say, in terms of a review, other than to recommend it for others to read. I think that there is so much we can already learn from other people’s experiences and if it saves us from having to make the same mistakes – then that’s the real bonus.
One more reason to recommend this book to young women is that she sounds and feels genuine. Authentic. She owes up to the celebrity status, but she also uses that status to spread good. She does not try to convince us that she was perfect as she was growing up, and definitely didn’t try to come off as if she knew exactly what she was doing. That’s what makes her credible. She experienced life the way many of us did/do. Throughout the book there is also the sense of gratefulness – she acknowledges that she has been given a lot of opportunities and that what she has achieved now is a combination of her hard work, and the help of others around her.
I really like her, I like her example. And I would love for my nieces to get to know her thru this book, and maybe have her as one of their life pegs. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t agree with absolutely everything that’s mentioned in the book, but I support the overall message that it tries to convey.
I appreciate what Bianca is going for but I'm definitely way off her ideal target audience - high school me would've loved her book to bits, 20's me not as much. I'm too acerbic a person. And I've muddled through a lot of things already so maybe I'm just too "been there, done that" at this stage.
Let me just say this: sometimes, the answers to your life's biggest questions will not necessarily come in easy, bite-sized answers. Some questions I felt did not get the answers they deserved. I wish that had not been the case.
It is important to hear what other people have to say, though, since perspective is everything - you just need to remember that one piece of advice (or expert) is one of many.
I enjoyed a lot of the celebrity anecdotes and the prospect of them was the biggest draw to me in getting the book (the Anne-Luis portion was so endearing and Iza is #lifegoals). I also liked the bits about career and money and I'm quite interested in exploring what Chinkee Tan is all about.
All in all, not really the book I was hoping it would be but I do really appreciate the intention and the work behind it.
Finally got around to reading this: I think the demographic that would most benefit from this book will be those who are in their late teens-early twenties. I'm not in the demographic, and I've experienced things, which is probably why some of the advice sounded empty to me. It does make up for these since it is not only Bianca who shares her advice in the book, but also Experts in their field - she got LifeCoaches and experts to contribute for every topic - whether Financial, Fashion, Self, Family, etc.
The beauty of this book is that these pieces of wisdom from different was succinctly written and straight to the point. Also, I think there's some weight on topics such as Broken Families and Bashers since she had first hand experience on these things.
Not to say that I didn't get anything from it - there were some good points on Self-Confidence and Fashion/Style that I can (hopefully) apply in my life. And probably love too - very inexperienced in that aspect. And that Saving bit from Chinkee Tan.
I love this book! You can totally relate to every page (I have a lot of bookmarks on this book, hehe). One topic that I like is how to handle a quarter life crisis. We all have fears and worries about the future, what's in store for us, we feel uncertain. I've been through this a lot. I don't even know if what I'm doing is right. This book helps me to reflect and celebrate life as it is. To be thankful for everything that I have. One topic that I absolutely love is about Ms. Iza Calzado's life's journey to accepting & loving herself. Self-worth and Self-love, these two things I'm struggling most. It's a long process for sure, but I know it will be worth it. Thanks to Ms. Bianca for creating this book. I reeeeeeeaaaaaally learned a lot! A LOT! Especially about beauty tips & fashion! I should begin writing all the blank pages designed after reading each chapters so that I can look at it, 5-10 yrs from now.
"Dreams favor those who are sure" - Gang Badoy-Capati - on finding your life's purpose (I love this part).
The book is good for people 18 above. But more specifically 25 above. Good for Filipinas. Some values or lessons were somehow inappropriate, for me. If you don't have a strong value system, you might follow every tip/lesson. Not to criticize this books as morally inappropriate but some tips in life seemed... shallow? not so reviewed? It didn't feel right.. and I am 18. Anyway, I totally understand ate Bianca trying to help us via life experiences. We all have different ones but sometimes, still similar. I liked the stickers and typography. Nice job illustrator and letterer! I also loved the fashion and beauty section. It was somehow the reassurance I needed to feel more confident but not arrogant. This book was somehow the kick I needed to pursue improving myself and to continue my writing. (I also, love writing!) Overall, a good book for every young adult Filipina.
Bianca Gonzalez has finally accomplished her dream project. An excellent writer in both the digital and print world, she openly shared her life stories and anecdotes in different parts of the book. The book also included stories of her friends, mentors, and most especially her fans. The book can be read by various ages as some chapters are applicable during a certain point in one's life or position.
The book however, could have been a short and easy read if the content had a consistent thought process. It was nice to have each chapter focus on a certain aspect of life like family, friends, career, and the others but it also determined the flow of each chapter. There were also some typographical errors in several pages.
Love the simplicity of the layout and the content is awesome! You get to know Bianca's answers and other well-known celebrities in the same situation/dilemma (Yes, even celebrities had the same issues you have been) and experts that are well-known in their field so that they can address the issue more deliberately.
Learning from other's experiences and mistakes, taking time to reflect and perhaps charge it to lesson learned lists what-not-to-do, especially younger generation today who are easily influenced my media and technology. Very helpful indeed.
Overall, this book offers good and sound advices! I really hope I will remember all these advices and be able to apply them in my life! HAHAHA!
Bianca answers your burning questions on career choices (“Na-reject ako. Ang sakit! Paano ba ‘to?’), family and friendships, fashion and fitness, confidence, love (“Is there any way I can get him to see me as more than ‘a sister’?”) with wit, wisdom, and heartwarming honesty. Experts and celebrity columnists also chime in on various subjects, from discovering personal style (“Ok lang baduy. Basta confident”– Rissa Mananquil-Trillo), to confessing to your crush (“Tandaan, dalagang Pilipina ka!”—Ramon Bautista), work (“Things that matter really do not have a price tag.”—Atom Araullo), to finding your purpose in life (“Instead of strategy, use soul”—Angela Aguirre). Complete with fab illustrations by Pete Rich and calligraphy by Abbey Sy, this fun, funny, and inspiring guide to growing up
"There is no ultimate guide to growing up tailored for every one of us. As Bianca herself wrote: 'Ikaw lang ang makakasagot niyan…'" Continue reading our review here.
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I am not too old for this; I make mistakes. I am careless and continuously learning. I procrastinate and yet, meet deadlines. I overwork and get burned out. I overthink and worry less. Given to me on my 27th birthday. I read this in one day. It's a light read; like a friend giving advice, a shoulder to cry on or a pat on the back for a job well done. Very, very inspirational and you might say at some points, "Oo nga, naranasan ko din yun", and thankfully, survived!!
Tagal ko bago matapos 'tong book na to. Hindi sa wala akong time, kung hindi dahil sa nabobored ako kaya hindi ko matapos tapos. May mga magagandang part at makakarelate ka naman talaga, pero mas madami yung mga boring parts para sa akin. Yung pinaka nagustuhan ko, yung topic about sa fashion (well, you know us girls. Haha!) Still, job well done for Ms. Bianca.
It’s really good, for a teen like me–I have learned a lot through this book. You can totally relate in every aspect of this book. It’s really funny too–there’s Ramon Bautista in it! Totally worth the money.