"Big Magic" (part 1/2)

"Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear" by Elizabeth Gilbert (author of the sensational memoir "Eat, Pray, Love")
Non-fiction, self-help, motivational
(c) 2015

Here are my favorite lessons from the first three chapters of Liz Gilbert's inspiring book:

I. COURAGE

• The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all, and then stands back to see if we can find them. The hunt to uncover those jewels--that's CREATIVE LIVING. The courage to go on the hunt is what separates a mundane existence from a more ENCHANTED one. The often surprising result of that hunt is the BIG MAGIC.
• "Argue for your limitations and you get to keep them." 
• Creativity is a path for the BRAVE but it's not a path for the FEARLESS.

II. ENCHANTMENT

• While the TORMENTED ARTIST throws a temper tantrum, the MUSE sits quietly  in a corner of the studio, patiently waiting for him to calm down and sober up so everyone can get back to work. 
• Ideas are alive. Ideas seek the most available human collaborator. Ideas have a conscious will. Ideas do move from soul to soul. Ideas will always try to seek the swiftest and most efficient conduit to the earth.
• An Idea is stubborn. It refuses to stop searching until it has found an equally stubborn collaborator. 
• If you show up for work day after day, you just might get lucky enough some random morning to burst right into bloom. 
• The Romans believed that an exceptionally gifted person WAS NOT a genuis but HAD a genius. It's a subtle but important distinction (being vs.having). This way, the vulnerable human ego is protected from the corrupting influence of praise and from the corrosive effects of shame. 
• "Just write anything and put it out there with reckless abandon" - Ralph Ellison

III. PERMISSION

• Golden Rule in the Gilbert household: If you're supporting yourself financially and you're not bothering anyone else, then you're free to do whatever you want with your life.
• You want to write a book? Make a song? Direct a movie? Decorate pottery? Learn a dance? Explore a new land? Do it. Who cares? It's your birthright as a human being, so do it with a cheerful heart. Let inspiration lead you wherever it wants to lead you. For most of history, people just made things, and they didn't make such a big freaking deal out of it. 
• I'll tell you who I am. I am a child of God, just like anyone else. I am a constituent of this universe. I have a right to be here. I have a right to my own voice and a right to my own vision. I have a right to collaborate with creativity, because I myself am a product and consequence of Creation. I'm on a mission of artistic liberation.
• If you're working on your craft every day on your own, with steady discipline and love, then you are already for real as a creator. You don't need to pay anybody to affirm that for you.
• Editors could reject me all they wanted but I wasn't going anywhere. I plan to stick around. 
• Smile sweetly and suggest--as politely as you possible can--that they go make their own fucking art. Then stubbornly continue making yours.

I'm currently in the fifth chapter of the book. I'll share with you my new learnings on a new blog :)

My 2016 in Books, Films, and Theater

2016 edition of my annual recap:

BOOKS

1. "Before Sunrise & Before Sunset' - screenplays
2. "A Raisin in the Sun" - screenplay
3. "To Kill A Mockingbird" - novel
4. "Kill Your Darlings" - screenplay
5. "10 Short Plays" - plays
6. "Write Here. Write Now." - autobiography/memoir
7. "Steal Like An Artist" - autobiography/memoir
8. "Gagamba" - novel
9. "Humans of New York" - photography, anthology
10. "Of God and Men" - memoir
11. "Brokeback Mountain" - short stories
12. "Princess Maryam" - screenplay
13. "Waiting for Godot" - play
14. "Biography of Mother Theresa" 
15. "Martin Luther King Jr.: History Maker" - biography
16. "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" - novel, self-help
17. "The Vagina Monologues" - play
18. "Dear Distance" - short stories
19. "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" - novel
20. "Humans of New York Stories" - photography
21. "Letters from Father Christmas" - letters

MOVIES

Foreign

1. The Revenant - drama
2. Sisters - comedy
3. 50 First Dates - rom-com
4. Macbeth - drama
5. Room - drama
6. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - action, comedy
7. Trumbo - drama
8. Diary of a Teenage Girl - drama
9. The Danish Girl - drama
10. Steve Jobs - drama
11. Kung Fu Panda 3 (because of my job!) - action, comedy, animation
12. Big Hero 6 - drama, comedy, animation
13. Eat. Pray. Love. - drama
14. Midnight in Paris - drama
15. Angry Birds (twice!) (because of my job!) - comedy, animation
16. X-Men:Apocalypse - action
17. Captain America: Civil War - action
18. Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice - action 
19. Families (from French Film Fest) - comedy
20. The Very Private Life of Mr. Sim (from French Film Fest) - drama, comedy
21. Dead Pool - action, comedy
22. Ant-Man - action
23. Kingsman: The Secret Service - action
24. Alice Through The Looking Glass - drama, fantasy
25. Guardians of the Galaxy - action, animation
26. Ghostbusters - comedy
27. Looking: The Movie - drama
28. Nerve - drama, suspense
29. Suicide Squad - action
30. Don't Think Twice - drama, comedy
31. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - fantasy
32. Sausage Party - comedy
33. Dr. Strange - action
34. Ms. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - fantasy
35. Miss Saigon: 25th Anniversary Concert in cinemas - drama, musical
36. Across the Universe - drama, musical
37. Moana - animation, adventure, comedy
38. AMY - documentary

Local

1. Buy Now, Die Later - horror, suspense
2. Walang Forever - rom-com 
3. Just the 3 of Us - rom-com
4. Imbisibol (from French Film Fest) - drama
5. Imagine You and Me (because of my job!) - romance, drama
6. Lando at Bugoy (from Cinemalaya 12) - drama
7. Ang Babaeng Humayo - drama
8. Apocalypse Child - drama 
9. Ang Kwento Nating Dalawa - romance, drama
10. Toto - comedy
11. Kabisera - drama (#MMFF2016)
12. Saving Sally - animation, romance (#MMFF2016)
13. Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 2 - comedy (#MMFF2016)
14. Sunday Beauty Queen - documentary (#MMFF2016)

THEATER

1. Tanghalang Pilipino's "Prinispe Munti" - musical, puppetry, drama
2. "Open The Door" - political satire, comedy
3. Red Turnip Theater's "Constellations" - play
4. Tanghalang Pilipino's "Tito Vanya" - play
5. Virgin Labfest sets A-D
6. Tanghalang Pilipino's "Sandosenang Sapatos" - musical, drama
7. Tanghalang Pilipino's "Pangarap sa Isang Gabi sa Gitnang Tag-Araw" - play, tragedy-comedy
8. Ballet Manila's "Cinderella" - ballet

TV SERIES

1. How To Get Away With Murder (season 2, season 3 fall finale)
2. Empire (season 2, season 3 fall finale)
3. Mozart in the Jungle (seasons 1 and 2)
4. Looking (seasons 1 and 2)
5. Stranger Things (season 1)

"The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari"

I stumbled upon this self-help book by writer and leadership guru Robin Sharma while browsing through the Personality Development section of Fully Booked.

I didn't pick it up the first time. I knew I would when the right time comes. And it did...three weeks ago when I was thinking of moving out of my comfort zone. 

The message could not have been more apt: be a monk, sell your ferrari. In essence, focus on the essential and rid yourself of life's excesses. Sharma didn't attempt to conceal it either, putting a tagline that it's "a fable about fulfilling your dreams and reaching your destiny."

In the book (also in Wikipedia), the story revolves around two characters, former law colleagues Julian Mantle and John, immersed in a 12-hour long conversation. Julian narrates his spiritual experiences during a Himalayan journey which he takes after selling his holiday home and red Ferrari. A successful trial lawyer, Julian collapses from a heart attack while arguing a case in court, and his lengthy recovery leads him to seek a spiritual path in the Himalayan mountains, under the Sages of Sivana, from whom he receive wise and practical lessons which bring drastic changes in his life. 

Julian shares valuable life lessons to John through a short story hiding The 7 Timeless Virtues of Enlightened Living. 

Here's the summary: "There was a [3] sumo wrestler who walked out of a [2] lighthouse in the middle of a [1] beautiful garden with nothing more than a [4] pink wire cable covering his private parts. While walking, he slipped on a [5] shiny gold stopwatch and fell to the ground. After what seemed like an eternity, he regained consciousness when the fragrance of the [6] yellow roses reached his nose. He then jumped to his feet in delight and was astonished to see a long, winding [7] path studded with millions of tiny diamonds. Of course the sumo wrestler took the path and, in doing so, lived happily ever after."

To spare you some time, here are the meaning of these virtues, according to Sharma:

Go pick up the book if you're into self-help. It probably won't bore you because the lessons are hidden in the form of a short story. It is unlike most self-help books these days which promise guaranteed change! in life after few bullet points and examples.

It's also helpful for meditation and Buddhism enthusiasts :)

"Of God and Men"

Memoir
Raymond Alikpala
2012, Maverick House Publishing

If you're a homophobic person, this book is not for you (or maybe in time, it will be). If you're a transitioning homophobic or you don't give a big deal out of homosexuality, then by all means, read this book.

Of God and Men is a memoir that can be read beginning with the Epilogue. It might seem to be a long read since it began with the author's childhood (he finished recounting his story when he was 40 years old) but Raymond Alikpala tried his best to walk you through a childhood that was strangely unique than what most of us experienced--a childhood that was relatable only to a minority of the population.

Alikpala grew up feeling and thinking that he was gay but acting like the opposite. Not everyone will be able to relate to him but I'm sure each of us has had a childhood that was confusing as well--forcing us to act what we thought was appropriate and accepted by the society we were growing up in--only to realize years later that we didn't exactly make all the right choices anyway.

Raymond, being gay, is no stranger to this tale. His story was, however, told with so much honesty that one would think he knows the author all his life.

Various chapters in Alikpala's memoir revealed his long desire to have a true best friend and lover, and his several failed attempts at that. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why the book is long, transparent, and detailed--so one can relate to him, understand him, and offer a friendship and care that this good son, ex-devout Catholic, overachiever student so deserves.

Alikpala's bravery in sharing his coming out story (read: to "come out" is a big deal and to "share" it is another) is admirable. While he remains a barely recognizable author (like most LGBT writers), the local literary scene needs more fearless souls like him so it could offer a broader range of stories for modern readers.

Of God and Men is the first book I read that highlighted the unlikely connection between faith and homosexuality. It was written in a controlled prose (meaning, the writer chose his words carefully) that it would pass for conservative readers but it also offered a bit of nasty storytelling that it would surely attract liberated ones.

Whether you're a member of the LGBT community or you just want to know more about it and about them, go ahead and grab this book.

It's just like talking to a friend over coffee: expect a conversation that is light, easy to follow, and can get serious and funny all throughout. Unfortunately, it doesn't end after you finish a cup because it's 447-page long.

My rating: 3.5/5 rainbow-colored stars

Fanboying

My love for reading has given me a number of rewards now.

I was able to meet some of my favorite writers and I had some of their books signed.

Social media has also enabled me to follow some of them online so I could be updated in their newest projects. It also enabled me to post the latest books that I read and tag their writers who have online presence. 

Fortunately, two of them have noticed my gratitude and they expressed their appreciation in return :)

Here is Dean Francis Alfar's book, "The Kite of Stars and Other Stories," as seen in my Instagram account:

Meanwhile, here is Arnel Patawaran's book, "Write Here, Write Now," also seen in my Instagram account.

Not only did he acknowledged my post--he reposted it on his @aapatawaran page! :)