[Book Review] Wallflower

Wallflower

(Rear Entrance Video 02)

By Heidi Belleau

October 21, 2013

MM Romance, LGBT, Contemporary Romance

This story was refreshing and I really enjoyed it. Common MM romance stories always feature white, dominant, strong and hunky protagonists. This one is an exception. Not only is Rob a geek, he's a beta-male, an introvert and he's Asian. To be honest, I went in and delved into this story without much expectation or pre-conceived notions. It was the description that got me to read the story, and I'm glad I did. 

Plot-wise, I love how the story delved into Rob's identity crisis. I think this is a common occurrence among the trans community. I have nothing but love and respect for transgenders because it's a huge act of bravery to step forward and be yourself despite societal pressures and blatant discrimination. It also tackled the issue of gender and sexuality (which most people still don't quite understand) without being like an awkward sex ed class.

I love how this romance story tackled the serious issues of identity crisis, gender and sexuality while keeping true to its form as a romance story. There were several light elements that kept everything from being too serious. Kudos to the author for being able to balance everything. 

Character-wise, I love Rob. Although one could say that he's a stereotypical Asian nerd guy, I have a soft spot for geeky protagonists. While he's bordering on stereotypical as an Asian nerd guy, there are enough elements to his character to make him unique. He's relatable in the sense that he's only looking for his own place in the world, much like everyone else.

I personally think Rob and I should be friends. I play MMORPG games, too, so we could bond over that. And if he feels like busting out Bobby, we could always bond over make-up.

As for Dylan, I love the contrast that he presents in comparison to Rob. He's self-aware and knows what he wants, which I think is something that Rob aspires to also become.

All in all, this is pretty thought-provoking for a romance story, and I loved it!

[Personal Update] Spoken Words

I have always been a “Words-Person”. As far as I can remember, words -- be it spoken or written -- hold a special kind of allure. I especially like it when I am able to command words to convey complicated thoughts and feelings.

When I heard about Harinawa, a spoken poetry event headlined by Juan Miguel Severo, I immediately reserved tickets without second thoughts. I couldn’t let the opportunity pass. As a writer, I’ve written my own share of poems. As a public speaker, I’ve performed countless poetry pieces when I was young.

Way before spoken poetry was a thing, I’ve been in several summer speech classes which trained grade school students in public speaking. These classes included poetry recitals, so one could say that I was “trained” when I was young.

I first heard about slam poetry (spoken poetry) in Colleen Hoover’s Slammed. I’m also a fan of Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye. Then, a random video-surfing on Youtube led to a seemingly harmless video of Juan Miguel Severo, pouring his heart out in his piece called “Ang Huling Tula na Isusulat Ko Para Sa’Yo”. The piece was heart-breaking and gut-wrenching, and yes, beautiful even.

As an Ilonggo, my native language is Karay-a. The dominant language in Iloilo is Hiligaynon. And the medium of instruction is English. I'm fluent in all three languages. There was very little need to learn Filipino, except for passing the Filipino subject in grade school. Sad to say, while I can understand Tagalog or Filipino, I suck at speaking it.

When I saw Juan Miguel Severo perform his Tagalog poem, I realized how beautiful Tagalog is. This made me want to be better at speaking and writing Filipino. Marami kasing mga salita sa Tagalog na hindi ko pa alam at hindi ko pa napapaglaruan. Hindi kagaya sa Ingles na gamay na gamay ko na at kaya kong gamitin at paglaruan kahit ako ay nakapikit pa.

Nang natuklasan ko ang ganda ng Filipino bilang isang wika, para akong isang batang nabigyan ng panibagong laruan. Nakamamanghang isipin na isang tula lang pala ang makapagpapakita sa akin ng ganda nga wikang Filipino na dati ay hindi ko masyadong pinapansin. 

Maraming salamat, Juan Miguel Severo. Hayaan mo, magsisimula ako sa pagsusulat ng mga tulang Filipino. Malay natin, baka sa susunod, kaya ko na rin ulit umakyat sa entablado bilang isang panibagong makata kagaya mo.

[Personal Update] I'm baaaackkk!

It has been a VERY interesting year, to say the least. Surviving law school was... something. Getting through a month-long bar exam was also... something. I'm even surprised I still have yet to go berserk even after all the somethings I went through these past few months!

Anyways, GREAT NEWS!!! Book Junkie Joint is now The Perfictionist!! Isn't it amazing? Well, not really, but you know...

Why The Perfictionist, you say? Well, if isn't blatant enough, I combined two words: Perfect and Fiction. I'm not saying I'm in search of the perfect fiction (because fiction is perfect in and of itself). I'm just saying that a well-put together fiction story is a perfect reading material for me.

After all the roller coaster ride I've been through, I'm finally back to doing what I love most: reading. And I couldn't be happier!

As I type, I'm flexing me metaphorical fingers (aside from my actual ones), and sighing in contentment. This is THE life. Heeee. But! My work is not yet done. I missed too many literary events and too many new books this year, so I have to catch up!

Also, THIS:

It's perfect AF, right?! (Please pardon the language. I'm not myself yet.)

I'm so happy to announce that Kids These Days (Stories From Luna East Arts Academy) is finally out in bookstores nationwide! If that is not amazing, I don't know what is!

Plans for the month of December? Why, reading and writing, of course! I'm thinking of writing a new story for Luna East.

Oh, and stay tuned for an exciting giveaway coming your way for a perfictionally perfect holiday!!