TBBTRAVELS: TOKYO, JAPAN 2017.

Helloooooooo, guys!! I haven't blogged in forever lol and it feels like I don't know how to do it anymore. I have been quite busy last month because my mom was hospitalized, I left my job (YESSSSS!!! GOODBYE FUCKING HELLHOLE!) and I traveled! It was my first out of the country trip and it was so surreal I still have hungover. It wasn't the best trip (oh God, don't get me started) but it was definitely one for the books!

We booked our flights (connecting) October of 2016 so we had a year to prep-up. The visa application wasn't hard at all (thank God) unlike what I heard from other people. Tokyo blew my mind away. It was everything and so much more! Though I wasn't able to go to places I really wanted to visit like Tokyo Library, Gundam Base and Gundam Cafe among others, the experience was still so fucking amazing I feel like I'm still floating!

Diver City, Odaiba

The streets are clean, air is script and scented, everywhere is safe, food is amazing and it was basically like the country I wanna migrate to! HAHA! Seriously, people are soooo disciplined that when I went back here I was always cursing because people are unbelievable annoying here! The shops are all organized and Japanese people are hands down kind! I WANNA TELEPORT BACK THERE NOWWWWW! What amazed me most is the train system and how people line up all the time, plus the fact that you won't have any other choice but to walk! I've never really loved walking that much but Japan made me look forward to doing it every single day.

The garden near Tokyo Tower.

Korakuen Gardens

The leaves are glowing!

My friends and I stayed in Book Tea Bed in Azabu-Juban and the capsule hotel has bookish interior so imagine me squealing when I saw it! Books are in Japanese mostly and the English ones are classics! It was a nice place to rest after a day of walking and sight-seeing! I was also able to visit a few book stores and would try to share in another post!

I have around 300 pics and 15 vids but I won't post them all here. I decided to make a 14-minute video though because I know I won't be able to do Japan justice! But you should go and visit Japan, it's absolutely one of the countries to tick off on your Bucket List!

Have you been to Japan? How was it?

 

POP FICTION BLOG TOUR REVIEW: THE CONSPIRATION OF THE UNIVERSE BY KENNETH OLANDAY.

Title: The Conspiration of the Universe
Author: Kenneth Olanday
Series: Standalone
Edition: Paperback
Publication: 2017 by Cloak Pop Fiction (Summit Books)
Source: Finished copy provided by the publisher
Pages: 241
Genre: Romance, Magical Realism (?), Fantasy, Contemporary

Synopsis:
Luke believes in a quote by his favorite author -- that is you want something so bad, the universe will conspire to help you get it.

Luke must have wanted to find love so much that Eureka, the heroine of his favorite book, comes to life and falls in love with him.

There is just one catch: once Eureka reaches the end of her book's storylike in the real world, then her story with Luke will end, too.

Will the universe conspire to help the star-crossed lovers find true happiness with each other?

One thing is for sure, Luke will do everything he can to keep Eureka forever.

PURCHASE THE BOOK HERE:

LOCAL BOOK STORES

I just finished reading my second Pop Fiction book. My first was Karmic Hearts that unfortunately, I didn't enjoy at all. Texts were confusing, typos were all over the book and it was honestly a hard one to read. Though reading The Conspiration of the Universe felt as if it was still a draft manuscript instead of the finished copy, I enjoyed it well enough to land three stars.

If you have read Literally by Lucy Keating (and loved it), this one's for you. Eureka is a character in Luke's favorite book. She appeared in Luke's life just right in the middle of his heartbreak. It's as if universe conspired for Luke to fall in love again. They were happy but you know how it goes, once the book ends, so as Eureka's story in real life.

A scene in TFIOS had a cameo, too. The part were Hazel and Augustus went to meet the author of the book and confronted him about the ending, the characters and a sequel. This made me deduct two stars from my rating because apart from being super similar to Literally, I wasn't expecting another kinda dupe scene to pop-up. I was enjoying it despite the similarities because I thought that the spin of the story would be somehow unique and I would see the author's print in it but I didn't. Would have been a superb one if the story was you know, owned. I am not saying that this book copied Literally (it might have been written prior to Literally) but the similarities are so uncanny and I didn't experience 'discovering' new things in this book. It felt flat at times and aside from the typos and cliches, it wasn't the book I could say gripping or mind-blowing or anything that would stick for a while.

Matt's short story made me absolutely giddy though. He's a side character that I would love to see more from and by the end of the book, I was given a few pages from his point of view. He's absurd at times but definitely a friend you would love to have.

The Conspiration of the Universe is a story I enjoyed. I may have had some issues with it but seeing Luke and Eureka happy made the reading journey worth it.

Thank you for the review copy and for having me, Summit Books!

"Every day we had to make a choice. Most of the time, the effect of our choices would be so small that we'd forget about it. But sometimes, it would be so big that you'd never forget it for the rest of your life."

"Isn't love like a ground wire?"

Check out the participating blogs for reviews: