Norwegian Wood

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Literature & Fiction
Author:	Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami's beautiful prose made me cry.The english translation of the book was superb, I wonder how its like to read it in Japanese.His descriptions were so graphic you can actually feel,taste and smell everything he writes about. With one exception- "the cold coffee tasted like printer's ink". Did he actually drink printer's ink to say with certainty that his coffee tasted like it or should he just have said " like I imagined printer's ink tasted like". This book is so different from the first two that I read. Dance,Dance,Dance and Kafka on the Shore, were peopled with strange individuals, had supernatural and metaphysical overtones and perplexing mind games.Norwegian Wood is a coming of age story of Toru Watanabe set in the late 1960s when he was in college. Its about unrequited love and complicated love triangles that one can really empathize with, because its like a shared experience.Reading the book is like entering a time warp as Murakami vividly brings back the 60's with songs like the Beatle's Norwegian Wood. But the characters had such a complicated,angst ridden life that I'm actually thankful how relatively simple and boring mine was at that age.I found a kindred spirit in Midori Kobayashi who tells Toru "I've got pretty good intuition.I'm hopeless as a logical thinker." That actually defined me but that's about all that I had in common with her. For me this line on page 292 summed up the transitory nature of being, of love, of memories and experiences that the book was all about. "Letters are just pieces of papers."Toru Watanabe said."Burn them, and what stays in your heart will stay.Keep them and what vanishes will vanish."The world after all is a world of illusion, the realm of impermanence. And it is only in our hearts, the repository of all these feelings, emotions and memories , that we will truly experience eternity.

Reading List on Shelfari

http://www.shelfari.com/o1516803450/shelf
Check out the books I love on Shelfari.

Whew, I passed my bogu exam!

Batch July7,2007 passed their bogu exam on March 8,2008
Front:Peachie,Marichit,Allan,Yukita -san,Yamanishi-sensei,Paul,Eric and Shad
Back:Lee,Ryan,Willy,Peewee,Clifford,Cecille and Ias


Manila Kendo Club batch July 7,2007 finally took their bogu exam on March 8,2008 and passed.The four girls were so nervous we blotched our first kada. Our batch pix shows us with our instructor Allan, MKC President Yukita san and Chief Instructor Yamaneshi sensei.On April 19,2008 I finally wore my full armor and posed with Ias, Paul and Ryan in seiza.Now....on to our first shiai.Kyaaaa!!!
Kenshin Diary-I did it, I passed my bogu exam. Twelve of us were given our bogu evaluation by Yukita sensei and Yamaneshi sensei the President of the Club and the chief instructor. Four women went first as we had to do the exam according to height, I had no.3 on my hakama.Hahaha, it was a comedy of errors at the beginning We were so nervous we did a different kata. My motodachi was Martin Angelo the lawyer friend of Peewee. I think Luis was the other one. Both just came back from Hongkong where the team of Martin, Luis and Ned finished second place. Luis Isorena also got his third dan at 17 he is the youngest 3rd dan in southeast asia. Mrs. Yukita congratulated me saying I’ll probably be the oldest lady first dan in southeast asia when the time comes. When we finally wear the bogu we will be at the go kyu level or 5th level I think that’s what James said. Of course we partied like always a week later at my house a combined celebration for passing the birthdays of Peachie and lee and a going away party for Lee who will go to Japan for language studies for a year. Lucky girl I will miss her. Yamanishi sensei came with a visiting sensei a science and IT high school teacher who is a 5th dan to the party and our sempais said it’s a rare event. He even bought beer for everyone.





Bagong Bogu April 19,2008.jpg

Ias, Paul, Ryan and moi in seiza with our bogu looking like samurai. we are now in go kyu level.

Happy kendoka in gi and hakama Marichit,Lee,Peachie,Cecille with Juvy,Cecile and Ronan




Kenshingurls Marichit, Peachie, Cecille and Lee on March 8,2008.jpg

Clowning around before the dreaded bogu evaluation.

Bagong Bogu 2 April 19,2008.jpg

Marichit,Moi and Peachie showing off my new tare.

Kendo training Dec 15,2007

Front: Shad, Lee,Ias, Marlone,Eric
Back: Clifford, Ryan,Marichit, Willy,Peachie, Cecille,Peewee

senpai Miguel, my kendo buddy Ryan Gomez & senpai Raymond at the kendo dojo Oct. 11,2008


Kendo senpai Raymond Gigante at the dojo Oct.11,2008



Ryan, Willy, Ias, Charles & Paul



And now the pain begins I quote Willy Reyes


Member ai (love)

Our instructors end of Aug 2007 Naomassu Yukita, Allan Zapata, Kutch Inting and Ricky

Kat-tun- Real Face

Real Face, the debut single music video of the hottest jpop group Kat-tun. Still on my best list of music videos. Watch Jin Akanishi, Kame, Ueda,Koki, Junno and Maru

Rammstein - Ohne Dich

The incredible Ohne Dich [Without You] music video from the German band Rammstein. Ausgezeichnet [Excellent!] oder wie die Jungen heute sagen - Spitze und Hammer!

This video is not for profit. All the rights goes to Rammstein and their owners
Lyrics ©2004 Rammstein.

Ich werde in die Tannen gehen
Dahin wo ich sie zuletzt gesehen
Doch der Abend wirft ein Tuch aufs Land
und auf die Wege hinterm Waldesrand
Und der Wald er steht so schwarz und leer
Weh mir, oh weh
Und die Vögel singen nicht mehr

Ohne dich kann ich nicht sein
Ohne dich
Mit dir bin ich auch allein
Ohne dich
Ohne dich zähl ich die Stunden ohne dich
Mit dir stehen die Sekunden
Lohnen nicht

Auf den Ästen in den Gräben
ist es nun still und ohne Leben
Und das Atmen fällt mir ach so schwer
Weh mir, oh weh
Und die Vögel singen nicht mehr

Ohne dich kann ich nicht sein
Ohne dich
Mit dir bin ich auch allein
Ohne dich
Ohne dich zähl ich die Stunden ohne dich
Mit dir stehen die Sekunden
Lohnen nicht ohne dich

Unofficial Translation ©2004 Jeremy Williams.

I'm going to go into the fir trees
There where I last saw her
But the evening is throwing a cloth upon the land
and upon the ways behind the edge of the forest
And the forest it is so black and empty
Woe is me, oh woe
And the birds sing no more

Without you I cannot be
Without you
With you I am alone too
Without you
Without you I count the hours without you
With you the seconds stand still
They aren't worth it

On the branches in the ditches
it's now silent and without life
And breathing becomes oh so hard for me
Woe is me, oh woe
And the birds sing no more

Without you I cannot be
Without you
With you I am alone too
Without you
Without you I count the hours without you
With you the seconds stand still
They aren't worth it without you

Credit: AliveForMusic  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPMHzPBrZeI