Lack of self control and irresponsible spending habits

 

So for some reason my brain is currently addicted to buying physical copies of the books I really like.

Like, I'm literally buying them on Impulse.

First physical copy I bought.. correction, physical "SIGNED" copy I bought was Obsession by Harleigh Beck. I went crazy and bought it from Etsy directly from her shop in the UK. Girl, do you see that???

Ordered this last December, took 2-3 weeks to arrive via Air Cargo. It Arrived Dec 27 at our local post office but the post office was an ass and never delivered the item. I went to get it myself on Jan 9th. Unbelievable.

but y'all I was over the moon when this arrived...

My very first signed copy from Harleigh..💖💖💖

This is Harleigh's shop on Etsy. Come check it out.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/HarleighBeckAuthor

My kids are roasting me for buying books and not reading them. But I already did. I read this last year on my Kindle but I need it on my shelf too.

Moving on to my recent purchases. I came across a post on the blue app from a local seller and my eyes immediately zeroed in to the book Pen Pal on her pictures. I ran to my messenger and hit her with a message asking for the book. Now I have it in my hands. 💖

Now tell me if this isn't perfection..

Goddamn..😃

Bought this from Hey Book Lover PH - https://www.facebook.com/heybookloverph.

I also made an unboxing video of this perfection in my hands. 

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1DGUoGvMM5/

P.S. I haven't read this yet so it's still sitting on my physical TBR.

Then just a few days later, when I opened the clock app. I came across a live feed of a local book seller who sells most of the books I wanted on my shelf. And you know how it goes...

I joined the live and bought a book without hesitation. The next book I bought was Leave me Behind by K.M. Moronova. 1500 pesos right down the drain y'all but I have no regrets. I only made a reel and completely forgot to take pictures.

P.S. I haven't read this book either...but we'll get there... eventually 😅

See it here.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/145xrBoopU/

Now a few days later the same seller posted another update that she'll be doing another live and guess what I found?!! Chokehold by Leigh Rivers and Harleigh Beck!!!

I will never let that book go no matter what so as soon as she goes live I tagged mine on that book immediately. I'm buying that thing no matter how much it is. It's been out of stock since forever and I need to have it. I need to have it!!!

So yes I blacked out. It was shipped out by the seller today and It'll be here in a few days. I can't wait!!!!

It's their very first co-write and I just fell in love with this story.

It's MM by the way. Stepbrothers. Yes, taboo I know... isn't that fun? Just read it. I promise you won't regret it. It's dark as fuck so definitely check your triggers before diving into this.

And this is pretty much what's going on in my life right now. Brought to you by my lack of self control and irresponsible spending habits.

Thank you for being here

love ya.

Rai

Hisashiburi!

 

Hey Everyone,

It's been a while. I haven't been writing and for that I'm sorry. 

There's been a lot of changes at work and we had been occupied since. I barely even had time to finish my books and do things I love. So to make it up to you...here's a little update.

I had been recently diagnosed with fungal infection inside my body. Unbelievable. I had this rash on my left leg that I thought was just a bug bite. I ignored it because I didn't think it was that serious. But a month later the rash was still there and it's getting worse by the minute with all those ugly, itchy bumps. Plus I have this persistent stomach issues and rhinitis that won't go away. It was horrible.

So I went to the doctor to get checked and that's the diagnosis. Where did I get the fungal infection? I have no idea. Possibly because of the puppy my Dad got my kids, since puppies can bring spores that lead to fungal infection and I had the rash since it came. But I'm not entirely sure. Now I've been going through medication and is halfway through the month and I'm strictly on a hypoallergenic diet. Which is great by the way. I noticed that my stomach issues, headaches and rhinitis all disappeared since I started eliminating allergens from my food. Also I went Gluten free and dairy free which also helps. I feel so much better now. I don't think I'll ever go back to my previous eating habits. Although sometimes it's really tempting to taste the things I used to love and also I can't eat takeout. Doctor said I had to be mindful of what goes into the food. I couldn't eat anything with preservatives. The only condiment allowed is salt. Sad right, but I'm willing to sacrifice a bit to be healthier.

By the end of the month after I finish my medication, I'll see my doctor again to follow up and continue medication. I was told this takes a while to treat so I have to be patient. I'm also gonna get myself tested for Coeliac Disease just to be sure about my food allergies. I wanna be sure if I am allergic to gluten since I felt better ever since I went gluten-free. That way I know which kind of food to avoid. The only sad thing about this is, there aren't a lot of options in the market for gluten free and dairy free products. I have to be really picky and make my meals at home to avoid accidentally taking allergens. And good lord I thought going vegan was the solution but it turns out vegan food is highly dependent on soy based protein like "tofu" and I can't even eat that thing. I'm allergic to soy. So I guess I won't be a 100% vegan. My diet now is a mix of vegan and hypoallergenic food options. 

Anyway...I'm not upset about my situation. I'm glad I was able to get myself checked and be properly diagnosed. I'm just struggling a bit with food but I'll eventually figure it out. My family has been very supportive of my wellness journey and recovery and I truly appreciate them for that. I'm posting some snippets of advice and the kind of food I eat on my page "Rai's Reading Nook" for awareness.

If you got to this part, thank you so much for reading. I appreciate you. 

See you next time.

Love,

Rai

Happy New Year!

 Happy New Year Everyone!!!

My post is a bit late but I hope it still gets the message through. I hope everybody had a blast welcoming the new year. Last year was tough for some of us, including me. But it was also a year full of blessings. 

I remember ending 2023 with my spirit almost broken and starting 2024 with my heart shattered. I had COVID I was sick for almost a month and I lost my job during the first quarter of 2024. I was close to losing my family. I thought I was gonna let go of my partner because we had it so rough I didn't know what to do. I was the sole breadwinner of the family back then and my partner was running our small business. Things quickly went south and our business went downhill. I couldn't sustain our living expenses due to being sick and we didn't have any other sources of income aside from my salary. We couldn't even afford to buy a decent meal for our kids. It was so depressing. In March last year we had decided to move back with my mom so I can breathe a little and start all over again. To be honest, I had no idea how to start from scratch. I knew back then that I can redeem myself...but I didn't have the heart to. I was too tired and too depressed to do anything. For a month, after arriving at my mom's house, I did nothing but sulk. I was strong for too long, and I needed some time to feel.

2023 was when I rekindled my love for reading. I was in a state of burnout and I was disconnected from everything. I was mindlessly scrolling through the clock app when I saw a video of someone reviewing Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton. Something in me just snapped and my brain just focused on buying the book no matter what. Thankfully, I found a seller through the blue app that sells authentic copies of the book. I bought the duet from them. (this was right before things went downhill though but it was getting there)

So, yeah. These books had saved me from going insane with my problems back then. These were the books that got me distracted from all of life's bullshit back then. These were my introduction to Dark Romance. I never knew about that genre until I read these duet. It was good. I gave these a five star rating. The first book was already dark but the second book was darker. These books tackle modern societal problems that aren't really being addressed openly. Like, Sexual Assault, Rape, Trafficking, murder. You get the picture. The second book was waaayyyy darker I'm telling you. But I liked it better than the first book. I'm not a fan of Zade though. I didn't join the bandwagon. Now, After over a year of reading again. I figured that this was mellow compared to other books out there. If you think these duet is dark. I've read more depraved and darker shit than these and I'm lovin' it. Also, these weren't spicy at all. There were scenes yes, but I was more focused on other things happening to Adeline rather than their love story. It was a bit off. Now that I think about it. If I'm re-reading this, I'll give it 4.2 stars. 

     Now, going back to my story...after a month of sulking, I finally had the courage to pick myself up and continue. I'm a mom, I need to be strong for my kids. It seems like God had other plans for us, because after what we went through, he led us to a more beautiful path. I trusted him and showed me how I could make my life even better. An offer then came from a family friend of ours for a job. I immediately took the opportunity. 8 months later, I'm still with the same company and currently working with a great team. Not only I was able to redeem myself, I was able to keep my family in tact and provide for more than what they need. I met the lowest version of myself in 2024 but at the same time I was the strongest in 2024. I am beyond grateful. So if you are struggling, trust that it'll be better. Don't ever quit on yourself. Better days are coming.

If you made it this far, thank you. I appreciate you. Happy New Year and God Bless. 

Today, I decided to start a blog. Obviously, here we are...🤣

I've always wanted to share my thoughts to world. I honestly didn't know where to start..so I guess writing here would somehow help me squeeze my thoughts out and share it to anyone who would be interested.

 I created this blog mainly to write about my reading. I have always been a bookworm since I was a kid. My grandma thought it was good but honestly, now that I'm older I think it's just a trauma response. When I was a kid my grandma didn't let me go outside and play. She only wanted me to study and read and study and read. The only time I'm allowed to go out is if I'm going to school or if she's asking me to buy something for her at the store in front of our house. My early memories of stuff I read were mainly the comic books that my Uncles have lying around. They didn't want me to touch it though since it's precious to them. So I sneak in to their office and read when they're not around. Also, the comic strips on the newspaper back in the day. I would love to cut them up and collect them when my grandma's done reading them. One of my Uncles would bring me comic books whenever he comes home from work. In our currency, it was about 10 pesos back in the day. Yes, it was that cheap. It was the main source of entertainment for kids back then. We had TV but we only had local channels and only the adults are allowed to watch. No, we didn't have cellphones or internet back then. It was the 90's. How I wish we could all go back to such wonderful time. When humans still communicate and don't face their phones all day. Anyway, going back...My father (biology) would also take me to his office sometimes to pick up books that were just piled up inside a stockroom. I remember reading them everyday. I even had a small library somewhere in our house back then. I think that's where I started.

So fast forward to the future. As I get older, I get less and less time to read books. I transitioned to reading magazines when I graduated college since it's easier and faster to read. Back in 2012, I remember collecting Cosmopolitan Magazines. I bought the physical copies every month. Then, I came across the book Fallen by Lauren Kate. I think it's about  girl who reincarnates every 17 years to find the love of her life, but whenever they made contact she burns or some sort...I could hardly remember...but it was really good. I wasn't able to complete the series though.

Now after that...I came across the Fifty Shades Trilogy...yes Ma'am, those were my first spicy read. I even watched the movie. But the books were better. Promise. They didn't do justice with the movie. I was disappointed with who they casted as Christian Grey and there were some scenes that were cut. I thought it was so taboo and scandalous since I haven't read anything like it before.. but I was wrong...

Yes I had the physical copies of these books.. with the original covers.. I had...I had them....but my apartment got flooded and I lost them. 😭

It's still one of the most memorable trilogies I've read of all time. My very first spicy read. But if you're looking for more smutty reads I have recs. 😜

This trilogy looks vanilla in the face of all of the smut I read lol 🤣🤣🤣.

If you got to this part, thank you for reading. I appreciate you. 

Love,

Rai