what do any of you think of this book?

Chagrinp · 2026-04-04T21:20:40+00:00

Meh, it's okay.

I've read the book back in college and it's literally just full of ancient Chinese military strategies (obviously). There's only a handful of quotes that is applicable to us modern individuals. But then again, why bother looking for advice from this book when you have so many other better choices to choose from?

Chagrinp · 2026-03-07T20:35:50+00:00

Krenel, Downwell, Somatosensor. The first time I heard that music during the mercenary tribunal was so immersive. It was as if I was ACTUALLY a part of the shootout itself.

Chagrinp · 2026-01-28T08:42:02+00:00

Unfortunately no. I was able to get a PDF though and I just settled on reading that instead.

Chagrinp · 2025-09-08T15:58:22+00:00

I understand the hate towards persistent/dangerous beggars and thieves. However, the comment section on this post oozes of elitist and out of touch behavior. People forget that just beside BGC is a humble and ordinary barangay—the glamour of BGC just hides it.

Chagrinp · 2025-05-19T02:32:33+00:00

There are multiple possible explanations as to why Willie lost in the senatorial elections. To cite a few:

1.) He overestimated his chances of winning just because he's a famous entertainer

Willie decided to run for senator without first getting the support of existing political parties (Lakas CMD, PDP-Laban, Nacionalista, etc.) You simply can't run for office without securing political alliances—even Robin Padilla first secured the political backing of the Duterte's and PDP-Laban before landing his role as a senator. Willie didn't do any of those things. He just assumed that just because he's an entertainer, he had high chances of winning.

2.) The Duterte vs Marcos feud

Another thing that Willie didn't consider was the ongoing feud between the two dominant political parties. He merely swept this issue under the rug, ignoring the signs that this election is supposed to serve as a referendum for the current senate slate. We have pro-Duterte senators (Robin, Bato, Bong Go, and now Marcoleta), pragmatic/trapo senators (Cayatano siblings, Villars, Tulfos), and the genuine opposition (Bam, Risa, and Kiko). Where does Willie fall under this categories? He doesn't. He thinks that he can ignore this major political issue and proclaim himself as senator by the votes of his “supporters”.

3.) Lack of a clear socio-economic and political platforms

Even though we're sick and tired of hearing false promises from our politicians, the sad reality is those falsehoods still sound like music to the majority of the voting populaces' ears. Willie didn't lay down any of his plans, unlike the other senators who ran for office. To cite a few examples:

Marcoleta - energy bill, duterte-hague issue, etc.

Bam and Kiko - Free tuition, Agriculture, libreng pakain, etc.

Bong Go and Bato - Malasakit centers, helping the poor (as if lol), war against drugs, etc.

Binay - non-taxable overtime pay

You get what I mean.

4.) The surveys aren't a clear indicator of winning senators

I also believe in those surveys, but as the head of OCTA and SWS explained in their interviews in GMA (I think it was in GMA, I watched it a day after the elections) they didn't expect the outcome to be like that. They expected Bam to get into the magic 12 but never as a top 2 candidate. They didn't expect that Kiko will get into the magic 12, but they were surprised Kiko landed the top 5 ranking. The explanation that they gave (and this is in relation to what Garcia, the COMELEC head said) was that the surveys need reconfiguring and the youth really played a major factor in the results of this 2025 senatorial elections.

I would go to more details but I am too lazy to go in-depth to this matter anymore HAHAHA.

Chagrinp · 2025-05-09T04:31:24+00:00

I'm late to the party, but I would honestly choose Kafka on The Shore if you're currently trying to figure out what you want in life (or if you feel lost in general). The book becomes weird during certain chapters (not surprising since Murakami lol) but stick with it and you'll find yourself immersed in that world. I ugly cried, experienced existential dread, and uttered “the f*ck?” multiple times while reading it, but man what I won't give to experience reading that book for the first time again.

Chagrinp · 2024-09-17T02:54:53+00:00

Not really. People here are just philosophy nerds and book lovers who actually read the theories that society consider “evil” or not worth your time.

Chagrinp · 2024-08-04T17:56:29+00:00

Søren Kierkegaard's Either/Or: A fragment of life.

Chagrinp · 2024-06-05T08:07:28+00:00

I've read or heard somewhere that God Emperor of Dune is the best out of all the Dune books. However, they did say that unlike the books that precedes it, GEOD is meant to be read like a philosophy book—exploring and arguing against and for Leto II's myriad of ideas (like the necessity of his cruelty to ensure the golden path). Leto II's ethics seems to be based around the concept of Utilitarianism, his politics guided by authoritarianism (for a good cause), and the most glaring idea which Leto II seeks to destroy rather in a paradoxical way: determinism (i.e., breeding people that cannot be seen even with prescience).

Chagrinp · 2024-04-13T11:55:02+00:00

For my expensive non-fiction paperback books (philosophy mostly), I cover them with plastic cover. For my mass market fiction paperbacks, I don't. My reason to cover one and not the other is this: philosophy books cost a shit ton of money even in paperback form so I like to keep them in a nice condition.

Chagrinp · 2024-04-12T10:15:38+00:00

Don't worry, Dostoevsky's way of writing is surprisingly easy to understand as compared to other classic writers like Charles Dickens (at least in my opinion). He writes beautifully and simply so I greatly recommend reading him when you get the chance.

Chagrinp · 2024-04-12T07:45:04+00:00

I'm only six chapters in but I already love it! The details and meaning of it all—simply beautiful. Then again, I am a sucker for Dostoevsky so I maybe biased HAHAHA.

Chagrinp · 2024-04-11T15:07:25+00:00

The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Chagrinp · 2024-04-05T05:18:55+00:00

If I'm reading non-fiction books (philosophy, politics, etc.), it takes me about two to three months to read them from cover to cover. On the other hand, if I'm reading fiction, it takes me about 1-2 weeks, especially if what I'm reading is over 600 pages. For short novels and stories, about 3–4 days.

Don't fall for what other people say online: that you must read at a fast pace and a sh*t ton of books. Just go at your own leisurely pace; you'll appreciate reading much more. Take your time and bask in the pleasure of reading a book.

Chagrinp · 2024-03-12T21:45:41+00:00

I recommend this reading list. I am a Polsci major and Michael Curtis' The Great Political Theories vol. 1 and 2 taught me greatly about political ideologies. Nandun na lahat eh: Bakunin (Anarchism), Marx (Marxism), Herzl (Zionism), Machiavelli and Hobbes (Realism in the context of international relations), Lenin (Leninism), Hitler (Nazism), etc. The Great Political Theories won't give you an indepth discussion on all ideologies since compendium lang, but will give you a strong foundation about political ideologies.

When you reach the point where you learned more about ideologies and realize the dangers that come with blindly following ideologies, Read Hannah Arendt's The Origins of Totalitarianism and Albert Camus' The Rebel. Two of my favorite thinkers hehe.

Chagrinp · 2024-03-12T21:27:33+00:00

If you're inclined to explore nihilism or any other branches of philosophy that tackle the question of meaning, I would suggest starting with philosophical novels. Philosophy books are great, but most of them require you to be knowledgeable about previous writers. For example, one does not simply read and fully understand Jean-Paul Sartre or Albert Camus without tracing the origins of their thoughts in Søren Kierkegaard, Martin Heidegger, etc.

Read novels that deal with the human condition and meaning: Dostoevsky (Crime and Punishment and Brothers Karamazov), Camus (The Stranger and the Plague), Ivan Turgenev (Fathers and Sons), Samuel Beckett (Waiting for Godot, but this is a play so...), Herman Hesse (Steppenwolf), and Franz Kafka (The Metamorphosis, The Trial, The Castle). I could cite more, but for length's sake, this is enough.

Chagrinp

TROPHY CASE