Déjà vu (pages 89-124)

As Sam continues to relive the same day - again - she's starts to think that maybe she's dreaming? That's gotta be it! And she'll wake up and tell her friends all about it in the morning, but still, something isn't right. When her friends mention something about deja vu, she realizes that that must be what's happening to her, because she's experienced it before and thought it was very real. But...this seems a bit too real to be that. Sam made them late and so little things have changed throughout the day. A swimmer wasn't late for school like she had been the day before because of them stealing her parking spot and she's not gonna have to miss finals. Someone's girlfriend didn't catch her boyfriend cheating because Lindsay and Sam didn't catch them out eating and then have them caught fighting. Sam keeps feeling sick and so the party she's at -again - she decides to leave with her friends. I wonder if they'll get in the crash again? Will she die again? Or go home safe and sound? Or maybe relive that day again?

I myself have experienced deja vu, but not like this. I've had those eerie feelings that I've been there before and in that same location, with the same people, and them saying the same things. Some say it's caused by one side of the brain going slower than the other, while others think it's just caused by memories. Whatever the case, it's kind of creepy when you feel like you've been in that same spot before.

Sam trying to figure out why she's re-living this day again!

Before I Fall

Alright bloggers, so there's been a change in plans. I had mentioned in my last blog that I was going to blog about Blonde; a book about Marilyn Monroe. But after struggling through the book (it's over 700 pages with very tiny text) I've realized that I won't be able to finish it before my deadline. So, I'm going to blog about a book called Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. Here's what I've read so far... 


Samantha Kingston is one of those popular girls that gets away with everything - and she knows it and loves it. She has her three best friends - Elody, Ally, and Lindsay, and her perfect boyfriend - Rob - that all the girls at Thomas Jefferson High admire. In the prologue, Sam talks about what happened right before she dies and about how she didn't see her whole life flash before her eyes, but just a memory from back in grade school about a girl they used to make fun of. Then it goes back to that day. It was a friday (Feb. 12th), and Valentine's Day was almost there so there were "valograms" being passed out to everyone. She goes through her entire day and explains all her popularity rules and privileges that come along with it. This day ends up with her at a party and after the party, her friends are driving home and then they get into an accident. Breaking glass, screeching metal, and then the next thing she knows... her alarm is going off and she's in her bed. As she turns her alarm off and checks her phone, she notices the date - Fri, Feb 12th. Sam is so completely lost and no one seems to think it's odd that they were just in an accident last night and now it's the same day again? As she tries to figure it out, she relives that same day in the exact way she had the day before - sort of. I wonder if she changes anything if she'll still die in that accident? And if she'll repeat this day forever or not?! 


Keep following to hear more! :)

eat. pray. love. - 331 pages

Well, I've finished the book and I must say that as much as I enjoyed reading it and Liz's adventure, it got harder and harder to relate to it. This is definitely more a spiritual findings book so if you aren't into something like that, I wouldn't recommend it. It is truly an amazing experience and journey that Liz goes through, but watch out if you're expecting this book to be about some little vacation. The first part of the book is deceiving because it starts out with her miserable life and then going to Italy! The first part was my favorite part, and the rest of it was harder to relate it to my life I guess. It's a good read, and I'm sure Hollywood has made the movie good - I have yet to see the movie!


p.s.
the next book I'm blogging is Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates. It's a book about Marilyn Monroe! :)

Attraversiamo

Well, as all books seem to end with a happy ending, so does this one. Kind of cheesy, right? The author (who was the one experiencing this!) thinks so too! Are you confused..? not quite following me, are you? Remember Felipe? Ahhh yes, now you remember! Liz finally takes that leap of faith to be with him and finds herself the happiest she's been in a very long time. She was afraid that by being with him, it would mess up all her balance in her life just as all her other relationships had, but this one is quite different and therefore it actually works. Except for the fact that they live in two different parts of the world.. Oh, you didn't forget that Liz is going back to America soon did you? Her trip is almost over! After a nice little vacation away with Felipe, Liz realizes that she does want to stay with him, but is afraid that he might not want to commit to that and tries to avoid the topic for awhile. But eventually, they have to talk about it. And he comes up a plan. They'll divide their time together into four places - America, Australia, Brazil and Bali. America because that's where Liz lives, Australia because Felipe's kids live there, Brazil because his family lives there, and Felipe's business is in Bali. While it may not seem practical to others, it was completely the right thing for them to do given the circumstances!


by the way, I bet you're wondering the the title of this means... attraversiamo. It's Italian for "let's cross over". I'll let you think that one over on what it means in this book. :)

balance, peace, and new beginnings

Liz has finally come to find some balance and peace in her life; she spends her mornings with Wayan, with afternoon with Ketut, and her evenings with Yudhi or relaxing or reading by herself. One morning while visiting with Wayan, Liz meets Armenia, a gorgeous Brazilian that runs a multinational marketing business, and she invites Liz to a party that night. And this party, changes Liz's life. There she meets many men, but one she keeps in touch with - Felipe. They don't instantly connect, although she does flirt with all the guys, but later on things work out. At first, Liz is very hesitant to dive into a relationship with Felipe after finally discovering peace and balance in her life. She's afraid that it will throw everything off, and she'll go spiraling down back into what she had just worked on so hard for almost a year to get out of. Felipe understands completely, but also reassures her that he's hers if she wants him whenever. (Both of them have been married and now divorced, so they weren't looking to get married here or anything).
I can definitely relate to Liz's hesitance. Only being 16, I myself have experienced things that would make me not be the most trusting of guys right away. Granted, this stuff is very minor compared to what Liz is going through, but it's to the same idea. I really hope that things work out in the long run for Liz because it would sad to see her go through another terrible break up after everything she's been through!

 

new friends

Well, you know Liz - always making new friends. Her newest friend is Yudhi (pronounced You-Day) who is working for the Englishwoman that owns the house that Liz is renting right now. Yudhi has a truly sad story. After dreaming all his childhood of going to America, he finally did after working on a cruise ship for many months to get some money that has stopped in New York. He ended up living in New Jersey and joined a band where he met his future wife. They got married and everything was good until 9/11. Now, since the people in the middle east were all under suspicion because of this, Yudhi was afraid to go to the immigration office to become a citizen, but knew that he could get in even more trouble if he didn't and was caught. He was arrested even after they explained their story and sent back to Bali where he and his wife have been separated for awhile. 

Ketut teaches Liz about the Four Brothers that are always with us (even in the womb before we are born). They each stand for something : intelligence, friendship, strength and poetry. 

Liz gets hit by a bus the next day, which isn't a huge deal like you would think because she only gets a scrape on her knee but it gets infected. Instead of Ketut taking care of it, he tells her to go see a real doctor. This is where Liz meets Wayan, which changes basically everything from Liz's life from then on.... Liz learns that Wayan is also divorced, which is very looked down upon in this society here. The Balinese live in a caste system, and they live in compounds - meaning they live with extended family. So when Wayan divorced her husband, she was essentially without anyone besides her daughter Tutti.

Wayan (left) is Liz's new friend that's a medicinal healer

Medicine Man

When Liz gets to Bali, she immediately finds a place to stay and then right away goes on her search for the medicine man that she met over a year ago that told her she would return to that place to stay with him for several months. Mario (the guy that works at the hotel, who has become a friend) knows of this man and takes her to him. The man's name is Ketut Liyer. At first he doesn't remember her, but when she mentions that she's the book writer from New York he suddenly seems to remember. Ketut asks her to come visit him each day to help him practice English and she can sit in on all his sessions. Now, you might be curious as to what I even mean by a "medicine man". A medicine man is a healer, both spiritual and physical. If you are sick with a fever, you would go to the medicine man to fix it because you might be possessed by some demon. He'll give you perhaps a mixture of something or something to recite to help rid of the evil. (It's hard to explain it, but if you read the book you would understand what this guy is all about).
Since this book is the true story if Elizabeth Gilbert and her search to find herself, there are actual pictures of Ketut Liyer (who really exists!).

Ketut Liyer