Oink McOink’s Randomness

When I was young, my mom told me “Instead of loitering around, why don’t you read a book.” a few weeks later.. “You read books too much..do something else.”

So that’s how my love affair with books started..meh

The first book I bought was Peter Pan, Not because I like the flying kid with perfect teeth, but because it was the same book as the one in the Hook movie (some sort of movie sequel of the Peter Pan novel.) When I saw it, I told myself that I just got to buy it.

So from Pete came other books, or I borrowed from my niece’s school library. I mostly read classics, from historical to girly books. I’ve read The Count of Monte Cristo, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Little Women, Crime and Punishment and many more.

You get alot of insights in reading the book, rather than Watching the movie or from someone else quoting it, not to mention you get to see some nice quotes from time to time (more on that later). For example, a misunderstanding that got cleared once I read the book; Juliet’s monologue in Romeo and Juliet..

O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.
Juliet, act ii scene ii

Frankly, before reading the play, I thought Juliet was looking for dear Romeo in that first line..meh But after reading it, I understood that it was not so, Juliet is asking why Romeo is Romeo, A son of Montague that is in fued with her family, the Capulets. Well, that’s a better meaning than just looking for Romeo.meh

But Romeo and Juliet is not my favorite Play, the honors fall on two: Cyrano De Bergerac by Edmond Rostand and The Two gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare. I’m quite a romantic myself (I hope my girlfriend would agree to that.meh) and I find Cyrano’s tale a lovely and endearing story.. It proves that the heart can be found in any face. The reason I like The two gentlemen of Verona is rather lame; I liked it for one dialogue of a character in that play:

And why not death, rather than living torment?
To die is to be banish’d from myself;
And Silvia is myself: banish’d from her,
Is self from self: a deadly banishment!
What light is light, if Silvia be not seen?
What joy is joy, if Silvia be not by?
Unless it be to think that she is by,
And feed upon the shadow of perfection.
Except I be by Silvia in the night,
There is no music in the nightingale;
Unless I look on Silvia in the day,
There is no day for me to look upon;
She is my essence; and I leave to be,
If I be not by her fair influence
Foster’d, illumined, cherish’d, kept alive.
I fly not death, to fly his deadly doom:
Tarry I here, I but attend on death;
But, fly I hence, I fly away from life.
Valentine, act iii scene i

I love this dialogue, enough said.meh

When I was in college, a classmate and a crush of mine lend me a Stephen King book titled Pet Sematary (yeah, its spelled that way on purpose.meh) and became a Stephen King fan ever since. Pet Sematary for me is the best horror story I’ve read so far.

Then I’ve read Anne Rice’s to Dan brown’s works. I find Rice’s new concept of the vampire mythology refreshing but I kind of disliked of her portrayal of men to men (vampiric) affection bordering on homosexual love. >.> it gave me nightmares…well…no, not really.meh

In Dan brown’s work, I found another great entertainment. I don’t mind the people saying it’s the work of evil for attacking the foundation of the Catholic Church, since all they said is BS and I don’t really care much for my religion since they’ve claimed to never butt-in in state and political affairs and yet their actions tells the opposite. My opinion is they’re as much of a heathen as the heathens they’ve claimed to be so.

And so my randomness about books is coming to a close.. and I guess I should list my favorites..

My favorite books, in no particular order are:

The adventures of Tom Sawyer
Pet Sematary
Anne of Green Gables
The Da Vinci Code
The Three Musketeers
Scarlet Pimpernel