Some happenings..hehe. Ü

We went on vacation for Christmas. haha.

Updates later. Ü

Creativity is gone again. ÜÜÜ

dashboard, swooning over the

I am so loving that "101 posts in the dashboard...

Only now, it's already 100 and 2.

I guess there's absolutely nothing I can do about things that I love...they are so going to change..haha. Ü

- -

What started as a sign of progressing in my blog, became something mushy..haha.

I hate myself today...and as I made the point earlier [in my pen-and-notebook twin hehe], I believe it's okay to hate myself sometimes...I can assess myself and yeah, see more things to hate...and then learn to accept myself as me...huh? haha.

whatever. Ü

The Copper Beech

Got the image here.

I really enjoyed reading this book, which was some sort of a surprise since I never did like Maeve Binchy's Tara Road [review later]. I fell in love, got hurt, speculated, gossiped [well, figuratively], got excited and rejoiced with the characters.

The Copper Beech, for me, was a representation of the line that goes, "you never know" . It was a story of a town, as seen by different eyes, each telling his own experiences, confessing something he did which is most of the times a secret to everybody else but the reader [me] and himself and the Copper Beech Tree. It was, as the 'teaser' [printed on the cover of the book] said it:

...But not even Father Gunn, the parish priest, who knows most of what goes on
behind Shancarrig's closed doors, or Dr. Jims, the village doctor, who knows all
the rest, realizes that not everything in the placid village is what it seems.

...the young people carve their initials and those of their loves, into the
copper beech tree in front of the school house

What I really liked in this is the way the people of Shancarrig, the village, seem to have different personalities...as it would always appear in this kind of story. I mean, on one chapter he is something...on the next, he is something else. It shows the human nature to prejudge someone...or postjudge someone...and thus forming different 'generalizations' of that someone. [I am sorry if I am being vague.]

I loved the fact that no one would really know it all but the copper beech tree and me [of course]. Haha. Ü

All in all: Loved it. Better than Tara Road.

100 things [100th post!]

Finally, after almost a month, I have the time!! This is a very random list, so read only if you can stand randomness. So to start [I'll try and keep each number short, promise]:

1. My full name is Jaimee Nichole Catipon Castillo.
2. I have a big brother, 4 years older. And we look a lot like each other. Ü
3. I am a blog-whore. Can't get enough of blogging communities. Ü
4. I am addicted to pictures..though it's not obvious. Ü
5. I believe I have chronic insomnia. Ü But I love love love sleeping. Ü
6. I am obviously hooked with Ü's. hehe
7. I hate lizards...all kinds..they give me the worst kind of goosebumps.
8. I also have this growing abhorrence of ants..as our house is crawling with them.
9. I am in my first year in college.
10. I am taking up Electronics and Communications Engg.
11. in the University of the Philippines - Diliman.
12. I read. A lot. and I believe that keeps me sane.
13. I have this dream of being able to adopt a child someday.
14. I am a Youth for Christ member...and also serve through Kids for Christ..
15. My mom, dad, big bro and I are all Christian Catholics.
16. I have this tendency to get dislocated about everything.
17. My sense of balance is zero. I stumble upon everything...but I know how to ride the bike. Ü
18. I am learning to drive Dad's van.
19. And to play the guitar.
20. And to be less rant-ing, and be more grateful.
21. I have this dream of writing for a magazine...not entirely in line with my course, but yeah.
22. I can't sleep properly without Taba (translation for 'FAT') [nicknamed Tabee.], my pillow since I was a kid. Ü
23. The family treats her [Tabee] as family. hehe. Ü
24. I easily get hooked to songs and when I already am, I play them over and over and over again.
25. They got my name by adding an extra 'e' to my Dad's name: Jaime. Ü
26. I believe I can sing...not spectacularly, but yeah, I think I can carry some tune.
27. I did not like the Twilight saga.
28. I am a can't-get-over-Harry-Potter fan.
29. I feel the grief of the parents who never witnessed their child/ren grow up. IDK why.
30. I easily cry when I read poignant stories...
31. I rarely cry when I am hearing them..afraid that my grief would surpass the teller's.
32. I really want to have a body part henna-tattooed. But mom and dad don't approve of it.
33. I suck at Drafting.
34. My creativiy is chronic, too. Sometimes there, sometimes none at all.
35. I was told that I am like a car bumper...
36. ...I absorb shock.
37. ..and people share things about themselves with me...
38. which I think is a major blessing...hey, what isn't? Ü
39. I love to travel.
40. I have plans of going to places.
41. I have problems of travelling lightly...got to always have extra things..
42. I used to find it highly disconcerting to break rules...
43. I am learning not to feel that way. Ü [bad bad]
44. I will never abandon my family.
45. Or any of my friends.
46. Especially, never my faith.
47. I am friendly.
48. But I have this tendency to be a snob, due to overwhelming shyness.
49. I am in love with Christmas.
50. I am single for as long as I can remember. hehe. Ü
51. and I love it.
52. I am 17. Will be of age next July. Ü
53. I have a [to quote my Eng10 teacher] 'brain too small for' remembering birthdates.
54. I am afraid that I flunked all the long exams I took before the Christmas break.
55. I seriously want AND need a computer with me in the University.
56. A movie marathon-er wanna be. But, I dont have the resources.
57. I am bit by bit memorizing the keyboard...as almost every mark on the keys have gone.
58. I am learning to have this in my heart: "Whatever that is you've gone through, still, blessed be the name of the Lord."
59. I rarely get sick, but when I do, it's a bomb.
60. I want to learn at least one of the martial arts. Ü
61. And to be able to play a piece with a violin.
62. I have a 20/20 vision...better, I think.
63. Though I think I am going a teeeny weeny bit deaf.
64. I used to like swimming..
65. I started to avoid them when water enters my ears and would actually stay there forever.
66. I am a bit paranoid.
67. I wish I have legos, still.
68. I am craving for Oreos, right now. Sugar rush.
69. I find it hard to let go of things...that's why I am dislocated.
70. I am constantly homesick.
71. I love lanyards and lan laces...hate wearing them.
72. I am crying right now..because of this and this. Stories of stillbirths.
73. I am wishing Dad and Mom were home. Today's dad's birthday! I remembered! hha. Ü
74. While I am writing this, the internet connection went off twice.
75. I am missing press(ed) works in a newspaper.
76. I want to be in a production team...those behind-the-scenes people
77. I crave for cold coffee about once a month...
78. I want to have a coffee-house-like nook in my future house. Ü
79. I am in love with vintage things.
80. I want to have longer patience.
81. When I was a baby, it was debated upon if all of blood should be 'drained' and then replaced with some of my dad's.
82. I had some blood infection, then. Mom and Dad's bloods dont go well together.
83. I was color yellow for some time.
84. They did not do the 'draining' thing.
85. I was told there were some complications in my liver, but otherwise, it's definitely okay. Ü
86. I once thought that I was jocular...
87. but I turned inward (shyness), and I think I am not an effective joker.
88. What I love most during vacation? Idle time. [lazy lazy]
89. The connection's off again.
90. I get scared when this happens...90 things already! haha. Ü
91. I am still spooked by the dark.
92. I hate doing the dishes.
93. I'd rather clean the bathroom.
94. I am a sinner.
95. I use cuss words.
96. I love my family like crazy, though I dont often show it.
97. I choose to believe...I know God will supply the faith.
98. I have a nun-aunt! Wishing her company every once in a while...only met her once.
99. The only things I can hear now [apart from the typing sounds] are the hum of the fridge and my brother's snoring. hehe. Ü
100. my heart overflows with my Saviour's love...

Yes! done it! haha. ÜÜ

100th post in the 99th Ü

I am currrently 'buying' off my time till i write my 100th post. I mean, I might be new to the blogging world, but I somewhat know that it [the 100th post] is important! I mean, duh?! haha. So.

That's why I am here, writing nonsensical things, again! I am quite giddy with excitement about actually writing my 100 things about me [I think it's customary? no? i am still doint it anywa. Haha]

Hmm, let me just share that I gave in to the newest craze nowadays, entitled: Twilight. I dont know if I can be ashamed of myself more. haha. I mean, I have been talking my mouth off about how a love story can never just equal Harry Potter [forgive me, i am a can't-get-over-harry-Potter fan Ü]. But, almost everyone I know talks about it like it's really good and interesting and all that...and Edward Cullen was just to die for, so i was intrigued. Then, i watched the movie and all the previous desire to actually by an expensive book withered. haha. Can't emphasize my disappointment enough. Ü So I am now saying to everyone that I thought it's okay, but it's not for me so as not to admit that I wasted 160 bucks for something that I don;'t even want to think about. haha. beat that! Ü

Hmm, and please tell me how weird am I? When i saw the UK edition of the harry potter 6 earlier, i felt this guilt and then melancholy crept inot me. I sort of felt that i should be holdinig my own copy of the book now, rereading, for the IDK, but maybe because of the movie's trailer being out already...

Then, i figured out that I should just stop this...I am showing how I hate myself with this. Ü

got the image here.

The Lion's Game [and I]

This wont be a real review [as if I have written something worthy of my books Ü]. I mean, this will be just our story, as in the book and I. I believe that there's this story beyond the plot of the book, one that involves the reader/owner, don't you think?

So:

It started with a previous read, Plum Island by Nelson DeMille. It features John Corey. I loved Corey's character so much that I wanted to read everything of DeMille's. But, I soon found out that I don't want any other lead characters...I only want John Corey. Then, at about the same time, I learned that there were a few more books which features him as lead. The search began.

The search was the hard part. I already saw the third book [Wild Fire], but of course, I wanted the 2nd book, and since I dont have all the resources in the world [I dont have enough money! Ü], I continued plowing through book sales mall after mall. One that complicated the search was the fact that I did not have the sense to look up what particular title I was looking for. [Darn] I looked for books written by DeMille, read the teaser and then was disappointed for that's not the 2nd. It was only after 2 months of searching that I became certain of the title [The Lion's Game]. I AM NOT THE BRIGHTEST! hha. Ü I was only certain that Wild Fire was the third because of the teaser, haha, there seemed to be a gap if that was to be the 2nd. Ü

So I continued. Ransacked all the fiction section of the book sales af all the accesible malls in our area. Then, nearing the end of the 3rd month, all the efforts were rewarded! Haha. Ü I found it at a previously searched outlet. Actually, it was still pricey, but...you know the feeling. I bought it anyway.

Then, another obstacle stood in my way. Ü I was currently reading another book and per [my] policy, I never put any unfinished book away and start with a new one. So, I waited impatiently until I was through with it....then, indulged!!

The book did not disappoint me. It made the wait worth it. Haha. The story is to die for. Corey is loveable as ever. haha Ü. And you know how an exciting movie ends? When the credits suddenly show and there's this musical score that still sneds chills down your spine? Yep, that's how The Lion's Game ended. There was just this abrupt thing but it's totally forgiveable. Ü

Currently: Searching for the 3rd. The stocks [in my fave booksale outlet] ran out. Ü

The Nanny Diaries

Got the image here.

Background: It was just luck that I got this book. I was browsing in a BookSale outlet and there'e this buy-one-take-one promo. I spotted a book that I really like [after about an hour of searching] and the problem was I still haven't picked up the second one. So, what I did was, I picked a book at random then paid for my purchase.

At the van, I got curious about my second, random book. So I looked inside the bag and was surprised that it was a title that I recognize. Haha. I think I might have read it from another blog. Haha.

Review: It was indeed a good book. I enjoyed the way the story turns from being "Ahww!" to "Grrr" to "Ahww!" again. I mean, it was full of emotions. You were laughing like a maniac over a sentence and was suddenly angered or irritated by the next.

I learned to love Grayer [the kid], and his antics made me want to find a four-year-old and be his nanny. Really. I was amazed at how Nanny [the lead] managed him and his overly bossy and assuming mom and his indifferent dad and their huge family problem. Yeah, it was amazing.

These plus Nanny's hh [Harvard hottie] and the parties and the university life and the crazy world of kids with too rich parents and the injustice of it all = me reading until the very end. Ü

All in all: A really nice read.

I just noticed,

that the previous post is got to be the most post-like thing that I did with this blog for so long. Okay. Back to the laziness' lair. haha. ÜÜÜ

Presumed Innocent

got the image here.

This gotta be one of my best reads ever. No, it's not because of extraordinary plot [I thought it's somehow 'old'] and no, it's not because of the way it was written [it drags sometimes]. It's because of the fact that despite all of the things above, Scott Turrow made me read it till the end. I don't know what it is in the book that just made me hold on...probably to know if Rusty [the lead] is guilty of the crime or not and if he isn't, who is?

It started very innocently. Actually, there's not much in the first, at least according to me. I read on because I heard it was really really great...and my roommate's excited that I'd finally read one of her faves. Then gradually, as I progressed, I thought that the first part was not really bad at all! It built the foundation of my obssession with the book's ending. haha. I mean, Rusty's obssession with the [murdered] Carolyn, not his wife, and the story of the investigations...all had impacts on whether I think Rusty innocent or not.

Well, like the jury, I presumed that he is innocent. Haha. Erase that, will you. I presumed him innocent then I'd know he's guilty and hope that nothing like that happened to him. Then I'd think he is innocent and would suspect others...and the cycle begins again. This is where the first part of the book [the part that I thought boring] comes into play. I judged his personality with those pages, Rusty's and the other characters' as well. And that made me drew up conclusions..conclusions that I know will remain unanswered until I finished reading the book. Heavens! haha.

The trials were a real treat. They made me decide that yeah, being a lawyer is really cool; being that smart is really cool; outwitting someone in a cross-examination is cool; having someone confess because of one's questioning is cool...Guess? I want to be a smart-ass lawyer someday. I was at awe during the whole process. I totally loved that part.

The ending? Oh my God. It was more than brilliant. Even though I was not surprised with the way the story ended, I had somehow foreseen that, with all of my conclusions it's not hard to have that one...but the way it was delivered was a bomb. it had me guessing until the last word. Then the truth was out...ah! was not that bliss? haha. Ü

Anyway, this can take me all night if I dont stop it. So...

All in all: Impressive. Great. Engaging.

How I wish I can say "I dont want to be involved with this group anymore!"

The title basically sums up my first week here. I practically spent it dodging those who bug me to be active. Darn! I was lured there under false pretenses! Okay, that's pretty harsh...but, yeah, i never knew what's in for me until I was already deep into it.

Any advice?

I just want to be home

...and away from all the craziness of it all.

I guess I had too much of a vacation last sembreak.

First Weekend of the 2nd Sem

Here I am, at home [Ü], wondering what made me go to the supposedly first day of the 2nd sem. I mean, the travel to the city is expensive and there was not a single class which formally started. The instructors would not also want to open their classes on a friday.

/sigh/ Anyway, I did go yesterday. Haha.

There were some things that went right: catched up with roommate, went to the mall, had a bit of fun. We also went to the dorm manager's new office and borrowed some books.

I am not in the mood to write some updates at the moment. Haha. Really. I feel like I am not okay or something. Darn. haha. Ü

enrolled and ready to go!

yep, I finally got through the gruelling process of enrollment. haha. And now that I am done with it, I found the 'beauty' of schooling again! Haha.

Hmm, even though it took me three days to enroll, I am trying to put everything about it behind. Now, I am just thankful that I am finished...ÜÜ

Wee! I passed!

I have been worrying about a major subject...I really did not think that I would pass it.

I had the results earlier and yes! God has once again proved that He is beyond all of my worries...I know it is because of Him, I know I can never do it on my own!

ÜÜI am just so happy..haha. Ü

Halloween is getting into me...really.

The ghost stories, the spooky tales, the horror flicks, the strange things that people do...myself includedÜ.

True that the designs in the malls are cute and the costume parties are fun...it's just that I am getting more and more spooked and afraid by the moment...

haha...so the title should be "I am being a big chicken, again".

Ü

RECON

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed and wish with all my might.

May everything be okay on this trip.

May I find HIM again.

Ü

Moving on...

I have started some of the things that I ought to be doing...finally.

- - - - -> > > >

It just occured to me that I am nearing the 100th post. Haha. It actually took me several months to achieve that. Wow. Hahaha. I thought that by the rate that I was doing last April and May, the 100th post was just around some corner. Anyway, 14 more to go after this one before the customary 100 things bout me.

That's something to occupy me for a time. Ü

- - - - - - > > > >

Tomorrow, mom and dad will have an out-of-town trip. I was so bitter! huhuhu..I mean, I was really looking forward to being dragged along that trip. Whatever. Anyway, I myself will be going somewhere this Saturday. I hope it'll be good. Ü

- - - - - - -> > >

I am really nervous of a major subject for the next sem. I need that subject!!!!!!

- - - - - - > > > >.

later, my classmates and I will be spending the afternoon together. Don't ask me how, I don't know, but I supre hope that it'll be fun. We don't need to be awkward after missing each other's company ang looking forward to this kind of gala again.

moving on...

I wrote about being stuck to my plans without ay doing any of them at all. Yeah well, I've started! yey! [confetti]



The only problem is the question "will I ever finish any of the projects I started?" Or "Until when am I going to stick with them?"



Anyway, the first step is done!



yeyeyeyeyey.

Still...

...wanting to do everything. Why can't I let go of some of my plans? I know that I can never accomplish everything that I thought of, of the things that I promised I would do.

sssssssttttttiiiiiiiiilllllllllllll here. stuck.

totoo ba?

na and nagsabi ng

"Walang taong pangit. Nagkataon lang na yung mukha nila hindi uso at hindi 'in'."

ay si bob ong?

- - - - - > > > >

Namimiss ko na magbasa ng mga libro nya...kso yung mga books ko na sinulat ni bob ong ay either hiniram na forever o hiniram na nakalimutan na ibalik. Wenk. haha. Ü

ngayon ay

takot ako.

Atonement

She reads books...>

I think the book's great. Really. Despite that I did not expect much from it, for reasons that I myself do not know, reading it and following the three main characters had been fun.

It was that great that I, also, felt the urge to actually kick Briony and make her realize the injustice of what she had done. It had me squirming (?) for the world to see that the victims were just victims.

Then, i was thrown off guard by the last bit. I did not see that coming. I was told that I had the knack of feeling where the book is heading, but with Atonment, I failed. I flipped the pages again and again, trying to understand what had just happened with the story that I was so absorbed in. And when I did realize what the author did, I found myself saying "nice" too much that my roommate asked me what the matter was.

All in all: Briony's tale was superbly told.

on why I've been away.

I have been neglecting all of my blogs these paset few weeks or so. Frankly, I could not see why. I have free time, 17 hours free internet in the main library and all that.

Really, I wonder why.

Also, I have not read any book since my last, ATONEMENT (which exceeded my expectations, if I do say so myself), and still, I do not know why.

True, I have lots of exam coming up, I have several articels which are due sometime soon, but seeing that I have not started acting on those matters....

...I also do not feel that I have that long stretch of time, with nothing to do but to stare at the ceiling of my roon..

- - - - - - - - - > > > >>

Maybe it's just me....haha. of course. Darn.

going back

haizzz...I still want to stay here.

AT HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Freaking out

Someone's been searching for me in the net. People may ask, "so what? go get a life." I see their point. It might not even be me they're searching for. Or if it was me, maybe it was someone I know, who remembered I keep blogs and all.

Well, to tell the truth, the only thing that freaks me out is the fact that it might have been one of my family. haha. I really dont know. But I am not very comfortable with my family knowing the depths of my mind. I rather keep those to myself, thank you. haha. yet, I write them here. Whatever.

I am soooooo weird. I cant understand myself. Maybe I need to re-know me. Ü

Taho-P10

Many would prefer a cup of expensive ice cream with swirls of Belgian chocolate. Frankly, I could not see why. For apart from the nice taste, which include the "fragrance" of the chocolate that I find sickening when taken in large doses, and the classy look one would immediately acquire as one starts to eat it, I still find it as a rather pretentious thing to eat.

Well, everyone has his own taste, and as for me, I would rather have the fresh, soft tofu, with the sweet, sticky carmelized sugar for syrup, garnished with chewy sago: locally known as Taho. Served in a disposable cup, with a disposable spoon or a fraction of a straw, steaming and giving off such a delicious scent, it is an eveyday thing for me and as far as I can tell, for the common Filipinos, as well.

I really love the way taho's ingredients counterbalance each other. The blackish brown of the arnibal (carmelized sugar) breaks the monotony of the white of the tofu and together blend an interesting mix of colors that are appealing to the eyes. Also, the sweetness of the syrup is made acceptable by the neutrality of the tofu. The sago, on the other hand, provides texture to the otherwise too smooth a way the other two feel to the mouth.

Apart from the way it affects my senses, taho also serves a reminder. A reminder of early mornings, waking up to manong's "Tahoooo! Tahoooo kayo riyan!", of rushing out of the house with my brother, tousled hair and morning breaths, and demanding the adults for some of the taho. Also, taho connects me to the masses. For, interestingly enough, taho is also now a diversion, an alternative, to the more popular morning habit of the Filipinos called "kape at pandesal", and having it any time of the day, everyday, is just a very Filipino thing to do.

Now, do not get me wrong. I do enjoy a cup of expensive ice cream with swirls of Belgian chocolate. It's just that eating something like that worries me. I mean, it leaves me penniless and I have to think of a way to compensate. With taho, however, I can have a local version of the costly stuff, and I can always have it...guilt-free, financially, that is.

Ü

John Grisham...

...never fails to surprise me. Surprise in a good way, of course. I just loved every bit of his books that I have read. I know I am far behind, yes, but I have heard people talking of his writing prowess, and I believe all of those that I have heard. Ü

So his books are on the top of my TBR list...which I do make, really, if its only in my head...at least. Ü

King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table

Image from here.

*

I have never really knew any of the tales of King Arthur and of any of his knights. Well, I know that King Arthur was the one who was able to pull the sword and he became the greatest king of his realm, but apart from that...I was ignorant.

*

Then, there came this book. I borrowed it from a friend last summer. I did not read it immediately for I was sort ot uninterested. Just the same, I brought it with me when I packed the books that I would like to read in the university. Then, only last week, I tried to read the first part again and was drawn into the stories.

*

Roger Lancelyn Green did a good job of telling the adventures of the knights. I learned a lot, really. It was nice to read something like this, I mean, something quite unlike the other books that I have been perusing. Ü

*

I remember looking at my brother while he was reading the book and I wondered how can he put up with it. I first thought that it was a tedious read, boring and the like. i dont know what came to me and I liked it a lot out of a sudden.

*

All in all: Enlightening. A good read.

Really, be careful what you wish for.

I got my wish of so long (that I finally make a paper) and am currently being torn by the complexity of it all.

/sigh/ And I actually thought I would enjoy it. I have been staring at the monitor for several hours, and my work is actually nothing, rubbish, garbage. Totally a waste. It is already 5 AM here...I need some rest.

ÜÜ

on the 41st..Ü

Yes, I am still progressing! Book number 40 is done. ÜÜ

I dont know but I am really a fast reader but these past months have been a drag...it's so un-me. Well, anyway, I am moving on...which is always a good thing, isn't it?

Ü

-ber months are here!

So, it's the 2nd day of September. Finally, after the longish wait, here comes the -ber months! As in those ending with -ber.

Actually, this only means one thing: Christmas is nearing. Yey! My favorite time of the year is almost here. The days are shorter, the nights longer and colder; people seem to be more tolerant and are relatively kinder; ...and the list goes on.

I really dont know why I always feel this way every year. Maybe because of the fact that mom always, as in always, start to play the old Christmas songs on September first....or maybe it is just the season.

- - - - - - > > > >

I just can't wait to go home and listen to the songs that I''ve heard, every year, during september first....and during the days after.

the book's here...!

Yep, the one that i won several mnths ago..hehe..

Alert: Blog Abuse!

I am guilty. Terribly so.

I have not posted anything blog-worthy for like weeks. I just used my twin for keeping track of the books that I have read. I know. I am such a bad blogger.

Anyway, I really can't promise more posts in the near future. See, blogging away from home is sort of expensive. Haha. Ü But I'll promise that I'll write more substantial posts in the coming days. ÜÜ

Now, that is something.

All of the dashboards of all of my blogs have changed over the week.

Nice change. Nice look. Ü

oh, and 34 books already. I am going to post the titles next morning!

Anniversary post

4 months to the day that i started this blog. haha. It's just sad that I can't update more often...been busy, I guess.

I just want to thank Blogger for housing my twin all this time. Haha. For providing her home and the works of the like.

I believe it is high time to make friends. Haha! ÜÜ

32 books in 4-and-so months

Yay! If I keep this 'streak', I might be able to finish the hundred books. hehe. ÜÜ

I remember.

I remember afternoons in our first house, filled with childish play and dodging the “authorities” who were telling me to go to sleep instead. I remember the scent of the living room, the coolness of the terrace around midday where one could just relax without a care in the world.

I remember the first move. The new house, unfinished yet brimming with promises. I remember the various changes that were made to maximize the space. I remember the new kitchen being constructed. The continuous pounding in the roof and floor making my head ache. I remember the dreams being dreamt and fulfilled within its extended walls. I was happy. I was sad. I missed the old ways. The family prayers that were said in the newly-tiled sala bonding us the way sunday-night-outs never could.

I remember the packing. It was such a cruel world, I thought then. I remember the trucks taking all of our things away. I remember walking slowly, knowing that it would be the last time.

I remember the new house. I remember the first storm. The second floor was flooded, the first, quite dry. I remember sleeping in the only bedroom in the third floor. Mornings were cold, nights were full of bugs attracted to the light. I enjoyed the solitude. I remember being up there, in the “tower”, reading to my heart’s content. The calls of “Dinner!” went unheard until someone goes up the stairs. I loved my new home. I am longing to go back to the one I left.

I remember my ultimate move. To a dorm, 4 or so hours away. I remember choosing which clothes to bring or to leave behind. There were so many bags, so many things to carry, yet I know I am leaving a half of myself. I remember being the last one to turn to bed that night. Casting the house a look and trying to take it all in, wanting to cast the image of a friendly place in my mind.

I remember the adjustment. I remember the tears, can still taste them. I remember being okay. I remember being not.

I remember so many things. So many houses have withered, so many homes were left. The only piece of feeling connects all these. DISLOCATION, heightened by this post, by the way I am remembering the old places now.

I must get away from the memories. This is not the time for them.

Angels and Demons

I can't write a really nice review about the book. The only thing that I want to say is: I think Angels and Demons surpassed the The Da Vinci Code.

*

The book is masterfully created. (I may have said this for any other book but...) This one is unputdownable. It kept me at following Robert Langdon with more vigour than I did in his second adventure. The pacing was such that I can't afford to just leave the book and do anything else...I must get to the end.

*

Dan Brown, once again, proved his prowess.

*

All in all: /go figureÜ/ Impressive, great, breath-taking, will get you offguard.

Ciento Freshientong Isko Ako (UP Life)

Passing the UPCAT is one thing. Living up to the title, "Iskolar ng Bayan" is another (and I dont just mean the acads).

I have learned that some things are happenig because we, ourselves, let them happen. I have realized that I could make a change. I have seen that I should not wait until there are more of us who are willing to make a move.

With all of this, I have finally decided to stand up and fight for what I believe in.

And So I thought this is prohibited...

/Sorry for this entry./

Blogging using the internet connection in the main library, that is. hehe

Well, I guess it's pretty much okay to do so. hehe. I came here to do some research, for my english class, and got access to my blogs instead. haha. What a nice way to spend my free hours here.

I actually managed to read several books this week, and I feel pretty good about it. I mean, I have not quite managed reading three books a week even during the summer.

Okay, gtg. They might notice me. hehe..

Nectar in a Sieve

Got the image here.

One question kept bugging me while I was reading. It is: How can anyone keep on hoping despite of all the things that has befallen her?

The book tells us of a tale of a woman, her struggles to continuously care for the people she loves. Set in a place where floods and drought and hunger strikes, one after the other, Rukmani bears witness to how her daughter becomes a prostitute, her 4 year old son died of hunger, another gets beaten to death because of thievery, and her other sons having jobs that she does not trust.

Yet she survives. Helped by the presence of her husband who is described as "poor in everything but love for his wife", she is able to make it through. I remembered being appalled by their optimism even though it is clearly evident that their situation would not improve.

Appalled as I was, I saw the marvel of Rukmani's spirit. Her ability to hope struck me as something so fascinating. Those are the things, I realized as I was nearing the end, that keeps her living. She draws reason from her dreams of a better life, to continue her struggle and never give up.

Just one thing that I probably did not 'like' about the book was the fact that it was so "heavy". Heavy as in it was sad and depressing until to the very end...but the tale concludes in a satisfyingly, though. It's just that I could do with an added bit of happiness in Rukmani's tale.

All in all: Impressive. Go read it.

two books in a week.Ü plus updates

yey! I am finally moving forward with my reading challenge. Ü

I actually lost count but I think I am already reading my 24th book. hehe.. I had given in to the urge of buying all the books that I want. Darn. i can't have that! I have to save money!!

Anyway, I have survived my most dreaded exam in my entire student life. Well, physically that is. haha. As if I have a choice of not being able to do so. hha.. The results are another matter though. haha

hmm, I have reason to believe that I gave a wrong email add to my prof in Eng 1. She said she's going to send a file and I have not received one yet. Plus, I was a bit disoriented last Friday and I really think I made a mistake. i just sent her an email, though. i just wish she'd still care to send the reading..hehe (that's a nervous laugh, by the wayÜ)

And I am just fascinated by the ability of people to multi task. haha. For as I am writing this post, I am also working on another post in another blog, chatting with my mom and sort of catching up with my friends. hehe. /shrugs/ Now that I have written these down, I can't seem to see what is marvelous about it. /sigh/

I'm about to leave...

yep. in 45 minutes or so, I have to leave home. I can't go back until the August 2nd and 3rd, for my next two weekends are packed with exams. The worst bit is, I'll stay in the university even on the weekend before my 17th birthday! Darn.

This is actually the least likeable part of going home...

Okay, to make things clear, I am not that sad...I am not just happy.

and I just realized...

It's my third monthsary in blogger! haha..(actually it was last july 9th)

So like me to forget a really big day such as this one.

Anyway, I have to go and leave my blog and study...big time. huhu..

Spinners

Got the image here.

What I love about the book, is the way it got me speculating, on what 'legend' it was based, until almost to the very end. Maybe it is because of the fact that I have never read any of Donna Jo Napoli's other works. I never knew that she is reinventing the old fairytales and makes them new and fascinating reads. (okay, I am not saying that the fairytales we all loved when we were little are boringÜ) So, in effect, I kept on guessing until the very last part and that resulted in my 21st book! yay! haha

According to a review in Amazon.com:

In Spinners, she and coauthor Richard Tchen weave a tale of a young tailor who
cripples himself while spinning gold thread on a magic wheel to win his
beloved's hand. Spurned for his ugliness, he watches her marry the miller and
die giving birth to the child he knows is his own. The girl grows up to become a
master spinner, but only when the cruel young king commands her to spin straw
into gold do we begin to sense a creeping familiarity. When a deformed man
demands her firstborn child as a return for spinning the gold, we are almost
sure. But not until the very last, when to save her baby the young mother must
guess her unknown father's secret name, do we, like her, know that this is
Rumpelstiltskin, of whom we've heard tell long ago. In Napoli's story-spinning
hands, however, Rumpelstiltskin is not a spiteful dwarf but a lonely outcast
yearning for the love of his grandchild; rather than a hand- wringing victim,
the young queen shows herself to be a strong and resourceful survivor given to
imaginative solutions. (Ages 12 to 16) --Patty Campbell

Unfortunately, the end was something like a let down. Well, not exactly the end, but the events leading to it. They had this rushed feel in them. I agree with the other reviews piosted in Amazon.com that the other three-quarters of the book is better and the final part does not 'compensate' (sorry for the wordÜ).

All in all: Okay.

20th book! and Updates!

the thick thick thick book is done...(so are the other readings I mentioned in my last postÜ)! Anyway, I just want to post some updates for I've been away from any computer for two weeks straight. *ack!*

Hmm.. What to say? oh yeah... I became a member of a group without me knowing it. (scratch head) And then, I think they are about to induct me to a position. Yikes. I really can't have that! Darn.

And I had my forst long exam in Math 17. I did okay. hehe. Went completely bersek in arithmetic. haha. Anyway, I passed. haha. Ü

and I finally went home on my own. It's pretty simple, see. First, I'd take a jeepney ride to SM North Edsa. Then, I'd walk for about three to five minutes, while trying to maintain balance as I was carrying a big bag of my things and the road is slippery for it was raining. Then, I'd wait for like 20 minutes, praying that my clothes wont be soaked by the time the bus passes. Then, the bus comes, and I'd wave frantically and run (yes, run..rain, big bag, slippery road and all) until I catch up with it and hop in. Then, I'd spent the first half of it standing (the bus was full) and i wont be discounted as a student for that darn konduktor did not hear me say i am a student.

Anyway, for all that rant, all I wanted to say is that maybe it's better if I just go home on saturday mornings. hehe Ü

Then, I am beginning to be oh so worried for my ES 1 class. It's not that I dont like drafting or engineering drawing, it's the fact that it actually hates me. hehe. I stay more than half of the night trying to do my plates and none of them would be good enough to gain me a really good score. I mean, I am pretty happy for the grades I am getting, but not improving in something that you really work hard for is another matter.

Oh, and I would be needing a pen name! yey. It's for my Eng 1 class. Ü I am thrilled and 'determined' to come up with something that suits me. hehe. I hated the way that sentence sounded, though. hehe.

Hmm, I guess my post is quite long already. hehe. Ü got to go. Ü
review of the 20th book might be posted later. Ü

three and I am home.

I'm home for the weekends so I want to use this free internet and post some overdue updates.

Let me start with my professors. Ü God has been really good to me...He even guided me to pre-enlist in the subjects not under the terror teachers...or those who simply refuse to teach. Ü All of my profs are cool and they make me think for they inspire me to be on their level. haha. Ü

The next one would be the UP life. I must admit that I experienced many 'firsts' during my two weeks stay in the University. The first place where I ate beef and isaw. The first place that taught me not to adhere to the impulse of buying extremely cheap books and use that money for the jeepney fare. ...which taught me that carrying an umbrella is not just 'in' but is also a necessity. ...which taught me to sit anywhere, on anything that can support me (or on the floor, the sidewalk, the stairs). ...where photocopying the reading materials for one meeting costs me my allowance for the whole day. ...where I can go back to my room (where I sleep in) in the middle of a class and not be reprimanded or anything. ...where I get food and other stuff for free just because my student number starts with the digits 2008.

The last one would be the 19th book! yay. I am done with it. Ü It's as I did not admit that I can;t reach the mark. Anyway, i am gonna try. Ü The 20th is a bit thick and the other readings I have are also thick, so i guess I have to prioritize those other readings frst. Ü

I am acepting my defeat..

boohoo..

The challenge? I cant do it. Aww.

I've been busy for my first week...and I cant imagine what the coming days have in store for me. I have been neglecting my blogs, have not read anything since saturday and the bookmark on my (where am I?) nth book has never been moved since saturday.

And so, I am announcing it again. I am not likely to complete the 100 books by May of 2009. But, in the spirit of trying (haha!), I am going to keep a list of my reads, still, and figure out where a year of busyness would take me.

Anyway, Christine from She reads books... said that she has already mailed my book! yay! I am just so thrilled. haha Who doesnt know? I have badgered everyone I know about it. haha. $-6 weeks! about a month or so. What a great birthday treat for me! ( i was born in July)

Ahm, what else? I'll be posting weekly...twice a week ifthe sched permits...so I am saying bye bye temporarily to my blogger...which I have probably done in my last post.
hehe..

Till next weekend.

oh,and Happy Father's day tp every dad in the world. (I cant be with my dad...awww.)

happy 2nd monthsary to my blog

okay.. the title basically says it all.. haha

anyway, as promised, this is the post for my second month here in blogger (blogspot). There are no special updates, except for : Tomorrow is the start of my first year in college. yeah. big deal. hehe

And, as my last post 'said', I am already in the dorm since last saturday..I made a few friends...and my roommate is just what I hope she'd be..yep. I am lucky.

And, I went with my former classmate and one of my greatest friends and saw a movie. hehe. I was just about 24 hours here (as of yesterday) and I've already been to a lot of places. I tried not to spend much...for I want to help mom and dad. Had a good time, nonetheless.

I am looking forward to Dan's "arrival" today. hehe. Then, we'll go and look for our classrooms. That'll be a lot of walking. hehe.

Anyway,I dont have so much time for now. I am just renting. No more free internet for me. aw.

first night in the dorm

Aww. I dont know what got into me last saturday night. I was just so sad and lonely and grumpy and teary and everything else that's negative.

art and an update

Okay, so I want to use the remaining hours of free computer and internet to the fullest. haha! So here are examples of what I am doing these past few hours. Ü

So there,haha. I know, they are just all childish 'doodlings'...but I felt especially attached to the first drawing. dunno why

- - - - - - > > >

Reading challege update: 17th book now done. Ü

friday fill-ins 1st edition!

1. Idle hands are dangerous (watdapak?!).

2. I love jumping (during cold mornings and I'm late and I'm still sleepy) in the shower.

3. My favorite time of the day is when the sun is just starting to set and I dont have anything to do and watch its progress.

4. The last tea I drank was C2 green tea (haha. bottledÜ).

5. I like to travel in the Summer.

6. My mother always said try and find a man who's just like your dad.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to a TV marathon, tomorrow my plans include going to and staying in the university's dorm and Sunday, I want to locate the buildings of my classes!

packing up.

I guess I have to ready my suitcases sometime today. I would be leaving, oh too soon.

A gigantic wave of melancholy just swept me off to the sea...but I guess, I would be back to the shore and the wave would rock me, slower and slower...until I am finally rested on the sand and okay again.

I drew the suitcase using Paint.

Ruby: A Novel

Got the image here. (Obviously)

I really liked way the characters, especially Olivia and Ruby, clearly showed the tendecies of the people who grieve and of those who are badly in need.

...and the way the promise of healing after a really devastating experience can indeed happen to everyone. 'Hanging in there' would help, but sometimes, one needs another person to rely on...and something to hope for to be able to continue and move one.

I also found the scenes from Olivia's past marriage reasonable. They somehow 'reason' out why she just cant live normally anymore. It's just that there were too many of them. But still, they were okay. Really.

The ending is okay. I have to agree with the Library Journal review, though. It is a bit anticlimatic. But, again, that's the only way there could be a 'happy ending', if you could call it as such.

All in all: Satisfying.

yay! I won!

The giveaway I told about some time earlier? Yep (as if there's another one! haha!), that's the one. Check Christine's post about it, here.

That's the best send-off gift ever! hehe. ÜÜ

Fair Exchange

Got the image here.

I have no words for the book except that I am disappointed that it is already the end of the story. I just want to keep on reading. It had me wanting to just follow what happens to the characters. Ü So, also from here:

Drawing on the secrets, lives & affairs of two of the most famous &
passionate figures of the late 19th century - Mary Wollstonecraft & William
Wordsworth - this is Roberts' most romantic novel to date, written in beautiful,
beguiling prose. In the early 1800s, Louise, a French peasant, fearing she is
about to die, calls for her priest. She has a secret to confess. Though the
priest is impatient, she wants to tell her tale from the beginning. It opens in
London in the 1780s, when Jemima Boote arrives at Mary Wollstonecraft's school.
Later she follows her beloved teacher to Paris, wanting to be part of the
erupting revolution & then - 6 months pregnant - retreats to the village of
Louise's youth. Her arrival coincides with that of another young mother-to-be,
Annette, who has been sent by her parents to the country to hide her disgraceful
pregnancy & to get over her infatuation with William, a young English poet.
In an abandoned convent they take up their waiting: waiting for their babies,
waiting for their men. While borrowing hints & facts from the lives of
Wordsworth & Wollstonecraft, the intriguing mystery of the lives that unfold
as a result of these pregnancies, is Michele Roberts'
own fascinating creation.

All in all: Intriguingly mysterious. Impressive.

Kalayaan!

yay!

I'll be staying in the dorm!hehe. weeeeeee...I am so happy.

some updates...late and earlyÜ

I am now officially out of new books to read. /sob/

I bought 4 books (at a really good price) to read this past 2 weeks. Yes, you heard that from me...4 books? 2 weeks? and I am only at my 12th book when I decided that! darn. I. AM. DOOMED. haha.. Infuriatingly exaggerated: Yep, that's me. Ü

Anyway, passing over that (and coming back to my point) I managed to read them all (thankfully!) and now, without any prospect of buying 4 more books ( I am broke) and without anything left in the house that I have not read, I am now stuck.

Hmm..

Oh, and the 16th book's done!

Hmm.. what else? Oh yeah, the housing results would be posted today. Kalayaan, tanggapin mo ako! Parang awa mo na! hehe. I somehow wish that I would be accepted!!!!

And today's the end of the summer classes! (Not yesterday, the instructor had someting to do in Manila.)

wee. Giveaways!

Christine from She Reads Books... is giving out books! I just 'joined'. Find out how by clicking here (her post).

The end of classes!

I am so excited for tomorrow! It would be the last of my summer classes. Yes, I told everyone that I was bored...but it's not because of the actual lessons (they're pretty good; I learned loads) but merely, it is the fact that I do not have anyone to talk to. haha. I am not a snob, just shy and quiet with new people.

Hmm. Today, I was taught how to fix some 'minor' problems of cellphones. I now know how to openline, to upgrade and update. I still need to have some more tries to get the hang of it. I managed to upgrades some cellphones of some of my classmates, though.

I believe mom would be disappointed when she learns that I might not be going back to my classes after tomorrow. What should I say to her? haha. I really dont know.

***

Will I ever make the 100th book? /sigh/ Ü

Reading challenge update: 15th book just finished. 16th book on progress.

The Chocolate War

Got the image here.

Every young adult should read this! Reading the book is looking at our real world...and learning and growing from it.

*

What I like most in this is the way I got to know the boys (the characters) as if they are from my own neighborhood. It was as if I grew up watching the bullies (in the book) taunting other kids (those who were bullied in the story). The cruelty, the occasional guilt, the refusal and the tumult it caused were told in a superb manner.

*

The story is marvelously structured and the ideas were conveyed masterfully. The suspense and the overwhelming reality of The Chocolate War got me excited for Beyond the Chocolate War (is it a sequel? haha I dont know, but I'll still be looking forward to it...or to any work of Robert Cormier.Ü). I really hope I will be able to read it soon!

*

All in all: Impressive. A must read.

Five Mile House

Got the image here.

(I really dont know how to write a proper review as anyone who read the other ones already knows.Ü I just write what I think about the whole book, nothing too formal or too studied or anything. Have patience please. Ü)

*

Five Mile House contains everything that I look forward to in a book. The mysteries, the suspense, the secrets, the passion, wicca and the events that would really really lead you into thinking. It has just enough of these good bits that I consider this as one of my best reads this year.

*

The book started with Eleanor and in my perception, it ended with her as well. The prologue was a bomb and the last part was to die for. Yes, I sound exaggerated, but i do feel that way.

*

As for the whole story, I found myself reading something totally different from what I expected (a disappointment at first) but it was something that turned out to be far better than what I anticipated. It was filled with twists and turns that I seriously felt the need to go and get a break only to discover that I can't! I am rooted to the book.

*

The suddenness of some of the revelations and the slow but deliberate way some secrets were unraveled got me gripping the book tighter...for at times I was blown away, and at times, I was too impatient to get it over with. haha.

*

I loved the way it was told by a character in an omniscient view of all the others in the story. It showed how every little thing is connected to another detail that is all in all important in the book. The chapters ended like they were goading me to read on and find out what's gonna be next.

*

As I've already told, I was overwhelmed with the different subplots that are intertwined and got the book to a really good ending. There was the House (apparently), the ghost, the detective, the children, the wicca (witchcraft), the passion the women showed, the obsession, the thing compared to the Holy Grail...there were so many that I am still in a state of marvel at how Karen Novak gathered all this together and created such a beautiful beautiful story. She is really good. Ü

*

All in all: Impressive. (already in my TBR list!)

blunders

haha. it turns out that this is my 40th post and not the last one. Anyway, the links are already posted. Ü

first month and 40th post

hmm...it just occured to me that I have not celebrated my first month here in blogger. Actually, ever since I posted "Newbie", I was already planning to do something special for my first month.

And tada! I forgot it. My bad.

Anyway, since this is my 40th post (is that a notable thing? /sigh/), I think I could do that celebration here. It's just that, I dont know how to do it. haha.

I am saving that "100 things 'bout me" article for my 100th post, so I cant do a '40 thing about me' today.

Oh, I know. Now this is not a really good thing but it is new nonetheless. Ü I am marking this day with the links of my other pages, my other blogs. haha. I said I'd do that a while ago and now, I will. Ü

The links would be on the sidebar.Ü

Friendster, Multiply and LiveJournal accounts. Ü Anyone here uses them, too? Please add me (now that's a fat chance! haha.. I still have no blog friends here. haha). That sounded bitter, haha. Well, I am not, in case you're wondering. Ü

Slacking off

Wow. It's almost the end of May and I have just finished my 13th book (review later). How slow is that? Wow. hehe. yeah, well, I am reading my 14th. Ü

With this record, I really doubt if I can ever, I mean, ever get to my 100th mark.

Hmm. I've been busy lately. The classes are actually a drag...a major drag. Yep, I am just heaving myself every morning. Pep talking myself so that I can get off the bed and so that I can keep myself from just sitting on the bus till it takes me to where I really want to go to.

*sigh*

At least, tomorrow is my last day for this week. After it, I can relax, till sunday that is. Ü And maybe do more reading. Ü

Summer School Part 2 (not a rantÜ)

So, I continued attending the classes. The last three days of my life looked like a giant pendelum...swinging to and fro.

Remember me telling you that I'm not comfortable about it? Well, my faith in my better judgment prevailed. I know that I'll need the classes, so I returned yesterda. My official first day could have been a lot worse. I learned things though I can't say that I enjoyed it. I have no one to actually talk to. Yes, my classmates are all kind and all but they have been together for so long, bonded for so long that it is so hard to break through and be included in the bond.

Then, my second day is far better than yesterday. The instructor was absent. haha. But it's not that. It's the fact that i learned again...this time, I had fun, too. I am actuall looking forward to going there tomorrow.

Darn. If it's not just for the early alarm....Ü

The House on Belle Isle and other stories - Book Review

Got the image from bookcloseouts.com

Contents: Friend to Women, Miniature Man, The Correspondent, Wings, Father Judge Run, Postman, The House on Belle Isle

*

Carrie Brown has written seven beautiful stories that I have felt eager to turn page after page and to start the next one as the previous ended.

*

My first impression of the book was it's like a sedative. Reading it made me feel calm. It seemed that the words are like the gentle breeze that plays with one's hair in the late afternoons. Then, I began to notice some eccentric points, then felt the longing in ALL of the stories, then got attached to the characters, as if they were old friends and I stumbled in their blogs...all of which just made the book better.

*

The abrupt endings got me a bit disconcerted...specially in the first story. Ü I wondered if I am to conclude it myself and that I can make someone read it and he will have a different perception of things. But as I go along, I saw that that is not the case. They are real endings. They are not suppose to leave the readers hanging, speculating on what might have really happened or something.

*

And, for the best bit of it (as I see it) is that all of the seven stories looked like they were taken from poems. I don't know how to put it but maybe it's the images that are so vivid and striking they seem to leap from the words.

*

I just noticed that many of the stories in the book started in the present then some flashback of memories then would revert to the present. It's just that when I am on the last story and I saw that it would have another dose of the past, I felt that I should go and get a rest from reading the book for a while. Oh, well...it heightened the melancholy tone and I felt the last story the most.

*

All in all: Impressive.

...and it turns out that I dont have to go back.

Yay!

Maybe I'll start along with the second batch.Ü /sigh/ Talk about a very great relief!!!!!!

Summer School...

...and why i dont want to come back for the second day.

So it started this morning. I had to get off the bed by 6:00 AM. yyyaaaawwwnnn. I am feeling apprehensive about all of it...a feeling heightened when I found out that they packed a lunch for me. Darn! What am I? A first grader? They said that it's not certain if there's a cafeteria or something nearby. They were all saying they have old friends at the place where I will be studying...then why did they not text them a day before and asked if there's a place to buy food. I am embarassed for I am certain that there will be some place to eat lunch...it is a training center! Though I am really touched with the concern, I was impatient...it's bad enough that I'll start when all the others are already half-way...but with a packed lunch? How can I ever fit in?

Then, my studying involves nothing but sitting down and looking wistfully at the things that the other students are fiddling with, wishing that I could be with them...blended with them...not to be called when the staff, the instructors and the director of the place are going to have a snack so I can join them. I hate to be singled out that way. I actually did not understand a thing of what was going on in the room earlier. I just sat there, listened hard and wished that I can relate.

After that, a lot of things went wrong, too. I had such a bad day I did not care that I got home early and had time to relax and sleep. I brooded on the things that happened and everything about today just make me wish that I am not going back tomorrow...

- - - - - >>>>

I believe I am turning to be more and more ungrateful as days pass.

Kindertransport - Book Review

Got the image from target.com

The book tells of another side of the Holocaust that few of us know about. It revolved not on the camps, not on trying to survive day-by-day in Germany...in fact, more of the story occured in foreign lands. It is about a brave decision of a mom to send her eleven-year old girl away so as to escape the growing dangers in their own country. It narrates how the girl tried to cope with the new surroundings, new people, new language. It tells of how she strived to be accepted in a world totally new and different from where she came from. It shows how she acted in an ungrateful way to everyone...with everyone (even herself) not knowing that all she needs is genuine love and affection, the two things that are so difficult to give to a child not your own. It is Ollie's story.

Kindertransport was written in a way that you can feel Ollie's own longing tugging at your heart. It was as if she kept a diary all along...one can still see the purity of the eleven-year old girl who waved at her Mama and Oma until they can no longer be seen. Though, one will also "feel" that she matures as she grows...

It's not so much 'dark' so the kids can read it and relate to it but it nonetheless conveyed all the fears and horror and pain troubled times (like in wars) can cause us. It is a perfect example that life goes on, no matter what...and that one just has to keep on holding on to the things that keep one alive.

It is a beautiful read.

And I only wanted to write a book review...

I can't believe I actually spent 2 hours on trying to compose a good review then end up with nothing for I can't give justice to the book!

It was a really really good one...told a very moving story...was written in a way that one can feel the pages bleeding with emotions the author herself felt (it was an autobiographical story). And my review looked flat, looks as if there are no feelings behind it and all.

Maybe I'll post one tomorrow...after I have more time to think and when people around the house are not trying to look at what I am writing. Yeah, well, this might not happen for I'll be having summer classes in preparation for my college days. I think I mentioned it already (have patience please!). My parents signed me up for this...and I feebly agreed, not knowing that is from 8 AM to 5 PM. It's practically as bad as school...well, to be fair, almost as bad as school. School is from 7 to 5..yeah yeah..

I can't believe I actually spent 2 hours on trying to compose a good book review then end up with nothing for I kept thinking of my summer days that are now slipping through my fingers. fast. even though I hold on to them. hard.

I can't believe I actually spent 2 hours on trying to compose a good book review then end up with nothing but a rant.

And I can't believe that this post actually made me feel even worse than I was about my summer and my bad review...

update, reading challenge.Ü

Contrary to the my post regarding the 100+ Reading Challenge, I wont edit that particular one anymore but instead, I put another page element and list down the books that I've read since last week.

I am 10% done with the challenge. Ü hehe...I can't wait to lay my hands on another book..hehe..my mom actually told me that I thrive on books...what am I? A termite? tsk tsk..(shakes head)..hehe..though with the things are going, it might probably be true.

wee..third post.Ü

I am back to my writing flare (?). This is my 3rd post for the day. hehe..yeah, well...this just say one thing...my brother's not at home. He is away fot his on-the-job-training. I am not saying that I am glad that he is away. It's just that this way, I have the computer for myself, for the whole day at most. Ü

But I do wonder if my blogs would ever be updated once I started college. I expect I would be busy and all the Internet cafes would be jampacked. But i will definitely find the time to do so. Ü

Oh, and the list of my other blogs would most probably be posted some time this week.Ü

I just joined the 100+ Reading Challenge that I found here in blogger. Ü I can't start the list yet, for I don't know if I can include the books that I just reread. Anyway, i will be editing this post as soon as I am certain of the rules.Ü

P.S.
Click the pic to go to the 100+ reading challenge site.Ü

Enrolled and oriented...exhaustion eats me!

Finally enrolled last monday! Got my Form 5A staped "Registered" and my tuition and fees for the first semester paid. Whew. I dont know if mom and dad still have money in the bank...hehe (nervous laugh.Ü).

It started with a College briefing. The Dean spoke to us and i was overwhelmed with her words. Apparently, it was hardest to stay in my department. Only about 50% of the of the students get to graduate. And yet, she said that if we manage to finish the course, it is guaranteed that we will land good jobs even though we have not yet taken the board exams. She said that it takes only one look in our credentials, that we graduated from the University of the Philippines, College of Engineering. hehe (again, nervously).

Then, we were advised about our subjects. My pre-enlisted subjects are okay, though I am still underloaded. I have to take Engineering Drawing 1 (ES 1) to comply with the required number of units for the first sem. Unfortunately, all of the schedules for ES 1 were in conflict with my other subjects. It meant that they have to re-arrange them. I am not too happy with the way my official schedule looks like. I have to really really run for it...If I dont, I wont make it to my next class. 7-10 AM, then 10-11:30 AM, then 11:30 AM to 12:45 PM...oh well, i just have to make the best out of it, I guess.

And I attended the Freshaman orientation Program yesterday. It was okay, though it would have been better if I do not live 4 hours away from the school. hehe. I have to board a bus and travel for 16 hours in the last 48 hours. Anyway, the emcees were good, the venue was good and program went well.

I was exhausted from all of thr bus and jeepney rides, but at least, now, I am enrolled and oriented...I am bound to start college soon! Pray for me, though...please? Two days of college doings and I am already travel-worn.

cleaning pics..Ü

The area got so cramped, so dirty that it was relief when I stretched for a couple of seconds and took this pictures. Anyway, it's done. It's all spic-and-span now. Ü

of the title of the last post...

its another update.Ü the campus map of my future university.Ügo check it out.Ü

And I've spent an hour poring over the campus map they posted on the web...

I have not been able to keep up with my postings lately...as everyone can see.

So, updates!!

I finally downloaded the images ot one of my cleaning fits..hehe..the only question now is when do i get the urge to upload them..hehe.Ü

I had my hair done by one of the most expensive salons here in our place...and I don't like the looks of it. *sobs*

My enrolment is on monday! (I have probably mention it some posts ago.Ü bear wth me please.Ü) Mom and Dad are going with me...Mom to help me with my registration process and Dad to, I think, look for an alternative residence since the dorm has no results yet. Then on the 6th, I will go, yet again, to the University to attend the Freshman Orientation Program...on the 6th I have to go alone. Weee...I am so excited and anxious and nervous about it that I feel my tummy churning as I type away...but then again it might just be the lateness of the hour (11:50 PM of the 3rd) and all of my supper must have been digested already.hehe..Ü

Oh, and i finally got that ringtone that has been in my fantasies for so long..hhe..again, this is something behind the trends but still....hre it isÜ

"tut tut tut...paging the driver of the black BMW, please proceed to the lobby now...tut tut tut"

I'm in Cloud 9!

updates...

Whew..finally. after several days of being silent, I am now returning to my blogs. Lately, I am being anti-downloading, anti-writing, anti-reading, anti-TV...and there's only one thing that occupied me these past few days. And that is...tadah! yeah, staring at nothing...contemplating on my enrolment on monday, and dreaming of the days to come. I can feel myself going fatter and fatter by the day...as in I eat, lose myself into nothingness, then sleep...I've been a very boring slob, I know. Anyway, I am going to link some of my blogs here, okay? Yeah, as if someone can ever stop me...or as if anyone's interested..haha..Ü

Oh, and next friday, I am going to a weekend trip with my parents...surely by then, I will post many pictures...and write about how it goes...hehe..so excited.Ü

of anger and calming oneself

I got really angry ealier. The anger that I want to kick something just to ease it. This just made me even more frustrated for I can't show my feelings here. Not here. Not in the house. Everyone would just get in the way of me calming myself.

Well, of the reason...I was forced to do something i really dont want to do. Something that they think was a real treat. Then, it went okay enough for me not to look back and feel embarrassed or ashamed of myself. Then, when we got home, one of my companions (the one who forced me) started making remarks about how I acted...that I should this and should that....damn! I was doing you a favor! Cant you keep you mouth shut?

All the time that that person was talking and bragging about the thing, i was here, in front of the PC, turning up the volume of the headset until it was so loud I can feel my eardrums throbbing in pain. Still, I can hear everything...

Then, my parents arrived...and the person started telling them about what happened and I got really impatient for all the questions I was asked. i tried to answer as okay as I could, though. So that they cant tell that I am angry already.

Of calming down, I started to breathe like I just run a marathon...yeah, it works for me. I dont know..yeah, I am weird. hehe. Then I vented my feelings on researching something I really really need...it's how to skip my appointment with the dentist later..no, it's true. mom said it would be the first thing this saturday. And it is the wee hours of saturday. I guess I really can't avoid it.

After about 2 minutes of this, I found out that I already calmed down. i am not angry anymore..just resentful and somewhat hopeful that I would not be in the same situation ever again.

Wow, I think I can work in an anger management org or somthing. hehe.Ü

- - - - - >>>>

oh, and of the pictures of my cleaning, I'll post them as soon as I can. I am being anti-downloading at the mo'..haha..

Did it..finally pre-enlisted Ü

hehe...the title says it all. haha.Ü

I finally accessed the site yesterday and being the slob that I was, did not write about it immdiately. *sigh*

I guess I was just overwhelmed by the feelings of having a temporary schedule...temporary until they approved of it...and I was pretty much hoping that they will, so...hehe..

It's just sad that my friend and I got as much chance of being classmates in any subjects as me accomplishing all the cleaning I was set for today...I so feel like a house elf. haha...maybe I'll post some pictures later of how I am getting on. hehe..ÜÜ

a soon-to-be-college-freshie's problems

What a nice way to start the day...haha...another rant? Anyway, I woke up at 5:15 this past morning...grabbed a piece of bread, then 'readied' my things. I then took a really cold bath (and it's summer!) then got dressed.

I am to go to my soon-to-be college and arrange a couple of things. No, to arrange two things:

1. My medical certificate. I got through this one pretty much okay, except for occasional bites my tongue got for the retorts that I sort of want to throw at some people...Well, I guess, as my father says it, "everything is for your own development"...yeah, like being made something of a fool and you can't do a thing about it is a development thing...haha. Anyway, i can still take it. *stabs self* haha (weird, stabs oneself then laughs? *sigh*) And I was finally stamped as "fit to enroll". Ü
2. The housing results. Word got to my friend that the results are posted on the campus. *sigh* Why did I ever believe it? So, I checked...and voila! It says there that it will be sometime later...no, much later that I expected it would be. My parents are actually close to being "panicky" at the mo'...they keep on saying that i will never have a decent house to stay if I dont look for something else. Anyway, I am holding on to it. naks! haha. What a confidence...trust me, I don't feel it. haha. I just feel being too optimistic today. hehe.Ü

Then, after that, me (my brother and I) grabbed a bite at M*d*n*l*d*..haha..it's as if those * can hide it. Then, he took me to the bus terminal and I went home.

In short, I was pretty much on the road today...except for the time that I am trying to access the enlistment of subjects in the net.

rants, rants, rants...*sigh* and I am wondering why I feel down lately? hehe..Ü

Anyway, it's late. haha

Time Saving tips...or how-to-not-be-late-in-an-appoinment tips

Try not to get near any of your blogs...or if you can't help it, the just dont try to fiddle much with the templates...or the "next blog" button and read blogs of different people. Try and convince yourself that it's time to prepare and several persons are waiting for you...then, try to heave blog-crazy self away from the PC and prepare...

...no, don't read that one chapter of your current book. Try not to reason out that you're a fast reader and a couple of minutes wont make any difference. Remember that you take about an hour in the shower...and again, reason out on why it's just that long...

--------------->>>>>>>>>

A couple of reminders for me every time I have an appointment. *sigh*

here's one excited photographer: ME

haha..so, time has changed..hehe..Ever since mom let me borrow the family camera, I have been trying to capture moments, failed and took pictures of still objects instead, which is a very hard thing to do (note the sarcasm please...hehe).

But, earlier, I got this...

It's a bird, locally known as maya. It was perched on an electric line...Dunno if this is just a small thing for others..haha, but for me, it's quite big..hehe..being able to capture a bird's pic this way is something I have never done before..hehe.Ü

Church Hymns/ Religious Songs::2

All for Love
>>>by Hillsong

all for love a Father gave
for only love could make a way
all for love the heavens cried
for love was crucified

oh how many times have i broken Your heart
still You forgive
if only i ask
and how many times have You heard me pray
draw near to me

everything i need is You
my begining my forever
everything i need is You

let me sing all for love
and i will join the angels song
ever holy is the Lord
King of glory
King of all

oh how many times have i broken Your heart
and still You forgive
if only i ask
and how many times have You heard me pray
draw near to me

everything i need is You
my begining my forever
everything i need is You(repeat twice)

all for love the Saviour prayed
Abba Father have Your way
for they know not what they do
let the cross draw man to You
to You
to You
to You

everything i need is You
my begining my forever
everything i need is You(repeat twice)

This has got to be my favorite song of all time...it makes me feel blessed and all I want to do after listnening to this is to praise God. Here is the link for a video of this song I found in youtube..watch if you have time.Ü The last part is awesome...you can see so many hands raised for worship...

^^here's another of the models I found at the local store here. The cover says it's a cricket.^^

this one's a bit more complicated, though..if you look closely, you can see one of it's legs is bent in the wrong way..that's got to be my fault. haha.