Hallo! Have you ever tried making art for a book? Well, I told myself why not take a challenge of making art for every Book I read and review and start it this year. My piece for the Tales of the Peculiar was a nice start, though I tried soooo much harder to come up with a good one for my second read for 2017. And I came up with a digital collage.

It honestly feels like centuries since I trully loved the book I was reading. Though this was the first book I’ve read written by Haruki Murakami, I, already, totally agree he’s one of the greatest author we have. Have you read any of his works? Which book would you recommend for me to read next?

South of the Border, West of the Sun gave me the thrills I often feel in real life so I gave it the rate it derserves. (OMG I need to build up my review template for a better review.) Stories about growing up, relationships, heartbreak, and life realizations are always in the spotlight, but this one is sooooo smart and well-written compared to the others. Maybe it’s just that parts of it are most relatable to me than some plots of other stories.

I hate Murakami, though, for making me jealous and mad with Shimamoto as if I’m living the life of Yukiko. I really hate exes and those stories of getting back together especially when they thought they’ve already moved on. I hate that the past is still being entertained even though you’re telling the whole world you’re not interested anymore. Selosa ako. This book honestly made me cry as if I’m Yukiko reading my husband’s diary. I feel sad for Shimamoto, though. But honestly, I hate her dragging Hajime back into her life again.

I hate Hajime more. He’s almost like Ted in HIMYM, trying to convince his children there’s a good story about him meeting their mother when in the end, he just shown them and made them think and feel how much he loved Robin. I don’t actualy (still) get why the story ended up okay for the kids. So yea. I hate guys like that. I mean, if you’re still into a person, why take risks and marry another? Not to mention Hajime had these two wonderful daughters already.

I read the book in chunks whenever I see or have time. And here’s an update in my reading process:  I’m back to taking notes (not just highlighting quotes) on a separate review sheet particularly for this post, my art, and I don’t know, maybe personal growth? I used to take notes on the pages and exact lines of a hard-print book, but since I’ve got tooooooons of ebooks, I rarely read the physical ones (well, except when my eyes are already asking me to stop flashing lights).

Well upon reading the book, I realized few things:

1. When one of you (in a relationship) would have shifted away from the other, you would think you can stay in love or in whatever feeling you have for each other. But you wouldn’t. You’ll just miss her. Crave for her. It doesn’t mean you still love her the same way you did before.
   
2. There’s no good in grabbing a quick and one chance of happiness over what you really wanted for the future.
   
3. If you really know what love is, you won’t bite to any temptation in the first place.
   
4. Truth cannot always redeem us. Truth cannot always help. Some things are better left unsaid. Some things are better left undone.
   
5. But lies are becoming too common that people are starting to think it’s natural. It’s kinda creepy. I hate that Hajime’s a jerk, but he’s only been trying to tell the truth. Made me realize how complicated life is - how a hurtful truth is better than a wonderful lie.
   
6. It’s sweet to remember your first/past love. But I have to disagree with the idea of “first love never dies”. It has to die. How would you move on and live life if you let yourself chained to the past?
   
7. LDRs don’t always work. If you think yours do work, congratulations, welcome to the world of not being sure what’s true and not. #BraveSoul
   
8. How “honest” is “choosing my words carefully”? I mean, you already have broken her heart. You just need to explain why, what happened.
   
9. Everyone makes mistakes, but that’s not a reason to let yourself make mistakes!
   

“I really did think I would die.

That’s how lonely and sad I was. Dying is not that hard. Like the air being sucked slowly out of a room, the will to live was slowly seeping out of me. When you feel like that, dying doesn’t seem like such a big deal. I never even thought of the children. What would happen to them after I died didn’t enter my mind. That’s how lonely I felt You didn’t know that did you? You have never seriously given it any thought, have you? What I was feeling, what I was thinking, what I might do.“