Amazed: A Girl’s Infinite Pursuit to Grasp the Essence of Humanity in Writing

by Joanne Crisner Alcayaga, Joanne Crisner

Life is nothing as it seems.

And yet its simple but profound wonders are the core that makes human existence all worth it.

In this candid collection of essays and short stories, the girl with the infinite pursuit brings to light her insightful, heart-tugging, and seemingly ordinary moments in the chase to unravel the exquisite marvel that is our lives.

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays

Paperback

First published March 20, 2014

About the author

Joanne Crisner is a Journalism graduate from the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD). She had previously worked as a writer for a Public Relations firm in Makati but is now working as a Technical Analyst while doing freelance writing in her spare time.

Though she studied Journalism, Joanne is more passionate about creative writing, mainly doing personal essays, poems, and short stories on the essence and beautiful complexities of life.

Reviews

[Josephine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all the stories and the essays in this collection, obviously; otherwise I wouldn't have published it. My personal favorites however are:

for Real-Life Fiction – The Story of Mine
for Snapshots in a Day – Back to Basics
for Love – Fairy Tale
for Life – Alone
for Work – Writing on Writing

But my most favorite of all is "Enough." This piece made me cry ... I was just ... reading it and the next thing I know, I was crying and for the life of me, my tears won't stop falling.

I rarely cry and when I do, it's because I'm reading something that's really breaking my heart. As for Enough, well, maybe it's because I felt the love ~ the love that a daughter had for her father ~ and the love her father had for her. And it is because I understood their love that I understood their loss. The vastness of it.

I had a different upbringing. A love of a mother or a father for their child is something that is incomprehensible for me. At least for the longest time.

Maybe I cried because I understood, then, the kind of love that I lost ~ the kind of love I could have had if things had been different.

Congrats, Jo. Looking forward to reading your next one! ^__^

[Anreycosme · Rating 5 out of 5]

No wonder why people who reads this book got amazed...
Every story have a lesson to learn about life, and every aspect of it; relationship to friends, family and love ones,. Lesson about life related to work..and more..i am not so much a big fan of reading lot of books, I choose wisely which to read and spend my time,. And upon choosing amazed to read..I am 100 percent sure that this book is worthy of my time .. Every word are really chosen well and mean well.. During those moments I'm near the ending, I'm already thinking of all the best phrase or should I say praise for this wonderful book..truly amazing..One word that I really felt while reading this book..Amazed.. Couldn't say more..great job ate Crisner :)

Congrats Ate :) , I am always here and will continue to support you and all your dreams, in aiming to be a great writer.. You are really a inspiration not just to me, but for others too..and you always be one of my greatest inspiration in writing , and in reading..you always inspire me to read and to write..Cheers for the success of this book..

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Time can be misconstrued in so many ways, but its importance should never be underestimated. It is with this that I decided to not chase after time but to silently, gently, deliberately make it count. One day at a time…We have to creatively use time to make a moment that matters. Every single day.”

-- Joanne Crisner Alcayaga, Amazed

The quote above is just one among the many powerful and striking words that dear Joanne had so eloquently shared in her book, Amazed.

Truly, it takes such courage to share one’s personal story – especially those that makes us vulnerable – to others and Joanne did so beautifully in her book. Whether you have experienced a similar event or not, Joanne’s stories will pull the strings of your heart and her learning and wisdom from these events will make you think and wonder.

My personal favorites are Silence, Alone, and On the Side of Time. I am going through some soul-searching right now. Reading these essays/stories reminded me of some important things that I needed at this phase in my life – that it is okay to be just myself and that I don’t need to feel guilty when I am my silent self; that no matter how I tend to alienate myself in times of difficulty, there are people who love, care and believe in me; and that instead of chasing time, I should cherish every moment, live in the now, and just be.

Thank you for sharing a part of yourself, Joanne! May you continue to share your unique and beautiful light to the world. :)

[Mariz · Rating 5 out of 5]

"10 WAYS TO BE AMAZED"
1. meeting the person who brought joy in our heart
2. a place where we can be ourselves
3. meeting a person whose dream is to for you to reach yours
4. to feel the wonders of serene happiness in silence
5. looking to the world with untainted eyes
6. to know the art of listening
7. to experience an effortless LOVE
8. the power to choose which one to love
9. to simple touch one heart, one soul
10. to learn when to HOLD and when to LET GO

Life is all about learning and sharing... it takes a great courage to write something and share it to the public/ readers.. but it has to be a GREAT ONE, TO WIN YOUR READER'S HEART!!!

thumbs up:)

[Mark Angelico · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe fate has something to do to let me hold of this book. As I read in every part of it, though in a perspective of woman, reflects on what I feel that very moment. Pain, joy, pain, love. And after I finished reading it, I realized that life offers more than what I seek for the longest time. I thank miss Joanne for inspiring me, not just as a lone soul but also as a wanderlust writer of dreams. Her book, Amazed, is no doubt, really AMAZING.

[Naufaldi Akbar · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing