my keyboard-and-screen twin

Last saturday in quotes

2009-10-02T23:11:00.003+08:00

Note: This was originally posted in my multiply account.

Ayan, gagayahin ko ulit ung "Week in quotes" ni tiyo.

1. "Hindi na po kakayanin ng motor ko hanggang ministop. Ibaba ko na lang kayo sa mataas na lugar."
- - - - - - - - - - - - at ibinaba nya kami somewhere na hindi ko alam kung saan.

2. "Maglakad ka na."
- - - - - - - -- - - - galing kay dad, sa phone, nung malaman nyang nakatenga na ako sa isang terminal ng tricycle sa may maharlika sa may circle.

3. "Wala na. Sarado na ang Cubao."
- - - - - - - - - - - galing dun sa taxi driver.

4. "Dito na lang muna tayo iha. at least dito hindi umuulan. pero matagal pa bago to umandar."
- - - - - - - - - - - -sabi nung ale na nasa jeep din papuntang north sana.

5. "Hindi rin makakadaan yung mga tao dyan!" [sa commonwealth]
- - - - - - - - - - - -okay manong, nakatawid ako.

6. "Sh*t. yung tsinelas ko mapipigtas na!!"
- - - - - - - - - - - - buti na lang at hindi. haha. sken galing yan...habang nasa halos hanggang bewang na baha at matangay-tangay ng tubig.

7. "Miss, dito ka lang din ba hanggang bumaba yung tubig?"
- - - - - - - - - - - - sbi nung isang nasa mcdo na nag-antay din na bumaba yung tubig.

8. "tsaka ka na mandaya pag may fries na!"
- - - - - - - - - - - - galing kay ate bie. hehe. yey. buti na lang nakita ko sila.

9. "Tatlong beses akong nag-attempt umuwi."
- - - - - - - - - - - - roommate ko na taga-bataan din. at sinabi nya yan pagdating ko sa boarding house.

#144

2009-10-02T22:37:00.004+08:00

1. I have a history of acidity that can go on forever.

2. How to help Ondoy victims is something I wish I knew.

3. I'm eating (or recently ate) mcdo products for two straight meals and snacks [that's when I was stuck at an outlet, waiting for the flood from the rains of Ondoy to subside].

4. I long to be on the road, while on a vacation.

5. So that's it, that's gotta be it [said by me after contemplating on how to cross that flood].

6. A little of this and a bit of that is better than nothing!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to getting all my papers done, tomorrow my plans include being ready for Pepeng and Sunday, I want to read and read and read and then get ready for my upcoming exams!

and I swear, this photo link is worth clicking.

prodding that artistic side to come out. Ü

2009-09-20T00:52:00.007+08:00

For several days, I have been obssessing about my artistic side to come out and manifest itself. I tried and tried in several fields: music, drawing, photography, writing.

So, here's a report on my "progress" so far:

In music - I try to sing more and more for I had proven that lack of practice makes one sound, uh, ugly. Haha. Sorry for that term. Also, I am continuing my guitar lessons, which aren't going very far, for I can only play when I am home and that's not very frequent. Anyway, at least I am making an effort, ayt?

In drawing - uh, this is area where I can say that I practice most. I mean, doodling is effortless! My creations lie amidst vectors and circuits...no wonder they all look anything but happy! haha. Here are some of my recent doodles [I used a G-tech with .3 tip, that's why the lines are sooooo thin]...which arent much to look at but I like them, still. Ü

pissed/nonplussed. happy/giddy. surprised

this is me last wednesday! haha

In photography - I only use my phone [which has a camera] in taking pictures, but I am determined to make them [the pics] look good. As you can see from the pics of my doodles, haha, I am failing miserably. Ü A sample of one of my few [possibly, this is the only one and it is not much] decent pics.

In writing - erm, I can't say I did anything on this. Every writing activity I engaged in is purely academic, and are all boring. Haha.

I guess, it is just practical to say that my artistic side is just nonexistent for there are still zero signs of it. Haha. But! These things make me happy...happier than I actually been this whole sem, so I think, I am going to continue this!! :D

Friday Fill-ins #142

2009-09-20T00:23:00.004+08:00

still could not find the other button

1. My car is still a dream/nonexistent...i know.

2. The field trip for my geography class is coming up next.

3. Lately, things seem okay, however boring that might be Ü.

4. Sleep [or my blog] is one of my favorite 'hiding' places.

5. What happened to being grateful Jaimee? /*says to self*/

6. Finding my faith is not impossible!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to [last night, actually] sleeping on my own bed, in our house in the province, tomorrow my plans include [today] training?and Sunday, I want to roam aimlessly around the town!

I know I know, doing this on a Saturday dort of defeats the purpose. heehee. :D

o-k

2009-09-12T23:35:00.002+08:00

In a hypocritical effort to stay awake all night, I went out and blogged. Well, to be more general, I went online.

I dont know if I will make it on time for the curfew, or if I will be "more alert and awake" by the time I get home, or if I will be able to review at all...but, yeah, I am online.

Anyway, another thing I dont know is if I will have the capacity to pass the exam tomorrow. Darn, I am beginning to really fear it...and the fact that I will go to the cheerdance competition tomorrow cant change that. Hm. Somehow, I am feeling the need to escape and not sit that exam though I know that the alternative [sure finals, as I am still hoping to be exempted] is more, uh, scary.

I can't discuss this directly with my parents but there are times that I think I cant afford to stay in my course...or even in my school..which is downright sad, I know.

- - -

Anyway, I must go back to the house, I cant let them lock me out. :D

Friday Fill-ins 139

2009-08-28T21:06:00.004+08:00

1. He was a _friend, that's why I just can't..

2. Being profoundly normal is what I look forward to most this time of year.

3. My best friend is teasing me about #1. Darn.

4. I want to shift from my current course to another, currently unnamed course, to be honest with you.

5. Appearances can be indeed deceiving.

6. The last person I gave a hug to was _my mum?.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to studying, blogging, watching a movie, tomorrow my plans include studying,ho, and sitting the exam and Sunday, I want to go home!

-- i cant seem to view the button, so i just replaced it with this one....

Friday Fill-ins 136

2009-08-07T20:29:00.007+08:00

1. Halo-halo is my favorite summertime food.

2. My favorite John Hughes movies is Beethoven.

3. My pup's fur is something I love to touch.

4. The full moon scares and amazes me at the same time.

5. I am feeling sleepy right now, and that's after 3 hours of sleep.

6. When daylight fades, it's cool to watch how dust beautifies the sky.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a DVD marathon!, tomorrow my plans include being able to swim for 25 meters and pass that practicals in swimming and Sunday, I want to be able to rest but no, I must study!

pic from here.

yum!

Pabago-bago

2009-08-03T12:21:00.003+08:00

Kailangan kong mag-aral.

Namili ako ng DVD ng HOUSE.

- - -

Nung Sabado, umiiyak ako dahil mukhang hindi ako makakauwi.

Kahapon, nung siguradong makakauwi ako, tinamad akong magbyahe. I had to talk myself into it.

Ngayon, ayaw ko na nanaman lumuwas.

- - -

Kanina, gustong gusto kong magblog.

Ngayon, wala na ako maisulat.

- - -

Madalas may magtanong sa akin kung naiisip ko daw ba magshift. Sagot ko, "every single day."

Kagabi, tinanong aku ng nanay ko kung kaya ko pa daw ba. Sabi ko, "Wala din namang madali. Kakayanin pa."

- - -

I want to have my faith back.

I stopped seeking it.

Sa Comp Shop

2009-07-28T22:52:00.003+08:00

Nakakapagod. Nakakahomesick. Nakakaubos ng resources. MAHIRAP.

Kung ipapadefine siguro tung exercise na sinusubukan kong gawin, yan na lahat yun. Parang wala na akong ibang ginagawa kundi ito pero hindi ko pa rin natatapos. Hindi na nga ako umuusad.

Gusto ko pa man din umuwi. Yung mga iba kong kailangan, nasa bahay. Yung mga damit na medyo required sa subjects (running shorts para sa pe, etc), andun pa.

gusto ko rin sana matulog ng tama at gumising ng tama at umatend sa math, pero hindi ko nagagawa. haha. Kasi naman, hanggang ngayon nasa computer shop ako, nagsusubok na pumasok sa server na balak lang magbukas pag oras na ng classes ng mga tao, e hindi lang naman ito ang subject ko.

Dito sa comp shop una kong naramdaman yung sobrang pagod, sobrang lungkot at sobrang panic mode ng sabay sabay. Hay. At on too of all that, nagawa ko pang magblog.

11:30 na. Nagsasara yun gate namin ng 12. Hindi pa rin ako nakakaconnect.

Friday Fill-ins

2009-07-24T20:27:00.004+08:00

1. I want to believe that the exam tomorrow is not the end of the world.

2. Sitting here, listening to the sound of rain falling, I so wanna grab a cup of cold coffee and a good book.

3. Cheeseburger Ü tastes so good!

4. Sometimes, putting others first is so hard to do. [Im baaaaaaad, i know].

5. Sunsets are breathtaking, really.

6. Well, maybe there is a chance that I'll finish my machine exercise tomorrow.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to being able to review for the exam and read my new book, tomorrow my plans include doing that machine exercise [!] and Sunday, I want to go home!

Friday Fill-ins #133

2009-07-18T00:08:00.002+08:00

1. McDonald's Cheeseburger Meal and coke float make a quick and easy dinner.

2. Map of the world is the book I'm reading right now.

3. July brings back memories of my last birthday [I'm turning 18 on the 22nd. hm.]

4. That I was not to sleep for a couple of days was obvious.

5. They say if you tell your dreams [I don't know, really.].

6. I have have have to think it over.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to doing nothing at all [bum, I know.], tomorrow my plans include studying for my exams and Sunday, I want to be ready for those exams!

The second week.

2009-06-23T17:53:00.002+08:00

Haven't experienced:
Still no homeworks [yay!]
Still no papers or readings or film viewing. [yay!]
Still no exams or quizzes [more yay!]

Already experienced:
Traversed two ropes. [whew! /pant pant/]
Slide for life. [OMG]
Lab experiment and lab report. [Is this right?]
Been to Daniw. Spoke with my mentors. [a treat!]
Gone malling! [yay!]
Spent cash on something not needed. [Boo!]
Read three books. [YAY!]

Still waiting for:
Angelica. [miss you roommate!]
Go anywhere with her ^^ [haha. gala.]
The Machine Exercise. [anxious-nervous]
Friday! [haha. I want to go home! /pout/]

God, it has been forever.

2009-06-15T19:51:00.002+08:00

Tomorrow's the first day of school.
Thirty minutes ago, I could not quite place what I am feeling.
I am not nervous.
I am not excited.
I do not hate the world.
I am not missing my home.
(These are my usual feelings towards the first day of classes.)

Now, I think I know.
I am apprehensive.
...quite short to dreading it, actually.

So much for a proper post.

2009-05-29T13:55:00.004+08:00

It has been almost a full month, I guess, since I posted something real..not a meme, but a real one with real updates. Hm.

So on with this.

I sort of received some news saying that I wont be staying in any of the dormitories inside the university.

Flashback: I stayed in the Kalayaan Residence Hall all of my freshman year. I mean, I am from Bataan, a province 3-4 hours away from UP. So I re-applied for my 2nd year. Unfortunately, when my mom called and asked if I was accepted, they said I wasn't. Back to present: So, me and my family would be in QC on Sunday morning, looking for a new house. Hm. That would be interesting, I hope. But really, I am hoping that they just made a mistake in checking the names. Hmm.

My aunt and cousin are coming back to the Philippines this sunday..

So, after that house or room or aparmet hunting, we will head to the airport to welcome them. Ü They're from the Middle East and I am really looking forward to meeting them again.

Have I posted some pics of me having curly hair? well, haha, here are some. Ü

Sorry for blurry quality. So there, yeah, I now have curly hair after several years of trying to make it straight. Ü Vanity anyone?

I'll enroll on June 3..and I could not keep myself from wondering, "how did I survive my first year?"

It was a hell of a first year..haha. I mean, living away from my family for the first time, attending classes in UP, taking up ECE, despising math, despising chem, despising english! haha. My best-liked subjects were a nightmare! hm. Haha. So, I am lookin forward to my 2nd year, really. But yeah, I am scared...very much so.

I want a pair of sneakers! haha.
I want to renew my faith. in God. in my family.
I want a new blog design. Haha. Ü
I've started light crafting. really really light crafting. hm.
I want to eat out with my hs classmates. again. I really do miss them.
I am probably going to Pagudpud on July 4. I just wish I'll be finished enrolling then. heh.

Friday Fill-ins

2009-05-29T13:10:00.007+08:00

1. It's cold and I believe there's another storm waiting to blow. [hm. rainy season's starting].

2. I am forcing myself to like tomatoes.

3. My favorite health and beauty product is lots of water. Ü

4. I would do anything for a nice long ride.

5. Well, first of all the start of term is near...and I am hoping vacation would be extended. hm.

6. My high school classmates and I; those were the cast of characters in a recent dream and it was ...I dont exactly remember. haha.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to some marathon [anime, I think], tomorrow my plans include getting a bloodchem, cleaning the house and sorting my books and Sunday, I want to find a house [story later] and buy me some sneakers and be at the airport to greet my aunt and cousin "welcome home!"

Taken last March 28, 2008. It's recognition day, 3 days shy of our graduation. Here are some of us [we were only 24 [?] in class] Darn, I sooo miss these guys. ]

-my high school classmates + our fourth year adviser.

If I Were

2009-05-24T00:22:00.005+08:00

Got this from my one desire.

If I were a month I would be: December, for then, the Christmas is within me. Ü
If I were a day of the week I would be: friday.
If I were a time of day I would be: 3AM
If I were a planet I would be: saturn.
If I were an animal I would be: a whale.
If I were a direction I would be: southeast. Ü
If I were a piece of furniture I would be: a couch OR a dvd player. Ü
If I were a historical figure I would be: --really, I have no idea. :[
If I were a liquid I would be: cold beer. heh.
If I were a tree I would be: fire tree.
If I were a flower/plant I would be: a daisy, gerbera...[that right?]
If I were a kind of weather I would be: overcast but not rainy. Ü
If I were a musical instrument I would be: a guitar or a piano or a violin. Ü
If I were an emotion I would be: rage. Ü
If I were a color I would be: green--me too. Ü
If I were a vegetable I would be: green and leafy.
If I were a sound I would be: the sound of waves.
If I were an element I would be: Na. haha.
If I were a car I would be: a suzuki swift. Ü
If I were a song I would be: Runaway by The Corrs
If I were a movie I would be directed by: Steven Spielberg. haha. cant think of anyone else.
If I were a book I would be written by: Paul Fleischman. ye.
If I were a taste I would be: spicy. haha.
If I were a food I would be: rice. Ü
If I were a place I would be: sea
If I were a material I would be: paper, old and worn. sigh.
If I were a word I would be: silly
If I were an object I would be: a book.
If I were a body part I would be: an ankle
If I were a facial expression I would be: quirk of an eyebrow.
If I were a cartoon/game character I would be: Ryoma? Haha.
If I were a shape I would be a: Ü or ♫
If I were a number I would be: 5..

Friday Fill-ins on a saturday. Ü

2009-05-23T23:21:00.003+08:00

1. Moving is always as hard as hell.

2. Above all else, I want to be free.

3. My best quality is my tolerance, which, by the way, is disintegrating.

4. I lost me in details.

5. In nearly 10 years, I wish, I have forgotten.

6. Time to be alone is what I need right now!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _sleeping on my own bed [this was last night...not pushed through], tomorrow my plans include _not ever having to worry [proving to be difficult] and Sunday, I want to go to the kids camp [maybe the only fun I'll ever have]!

"Here's to you. May your life be far less complicated than mine."

-Elizabeth James [Natasha Richardson] in The Parent Trap

image from here.

Being Silly.

2009-05-10T23:40:00.003+08:00

I saw something today. It made my heart flutter, it got my brain thinking of some uncalled for thoughts.

I know I can't pay the price if I acted upon one of those thoughts.

So here's me saying that I wont do anything regarding the thing that I saw. And here's me wishing circumstances have been different.

It's funny how life turns out the way we never fathom it would. I know it would not happen, not in accordance to my liking [heh]. I know it would not be worth it to even try.

I guess, I'll just keep on pushing the feelings and the thoughts [the thing I saw] evoked and pray that in time they will be forgotten.

I saw a pic of me and of a good friend. it's on his page. the primary pic. normal people would say it's nothing. But I guess I am anything but normal...and that I think I have feelings for my friend.

Friday Fill-ins

2009-04-24T16:24:00.004+08:00

1. Apparently there's some sort of low pressure area in the midst of summer.

2. I am craving for a sunny day.

3. 2009 had been *something* so far. <- Haha. Whatever. Ü

4. I never realized that was it. <- huh. dumb answer. I know I know. Ü

5. For too long I've been complaining about my life.

6. I am not obsessed with my hair [!]; I am not! <-having it permed, right now. Ü

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to getting through Saturday and Sunday Ü, tomorrow my plans include accompanying my grandmother to a hospital while she gets some operation and Sunday, I want to just loll around, read some and watch dvd!

hey, it aint summer for nothing, ayt? Ü

I pretty much started reading, again. plus 2 reviews

2009-04-23T19:14:00.005+08:00

Mostly rereading, actually. I said I am broke, right? haha.

Fortunately, a bookstore was on a "buy-one-take-one" sale last last last week. So, with the little money I have left, I managed to buy two books: The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton and The Sea King's Daughter by Barbara Michaels.

Got it here.

got it here.

So [for the two books :) ]:

I enjoy the narrative during the first parts of the two books. Unfortunately, as the stories unfold, they get more and more hard to understand. Maybe, that's just due to my ever-wandering mind..but yeah.

both fell short to becoming "good reads".

For The Sea King's Daughter, I did not like the way it ended...not the way it [the ending] was written, mind you. I sort of feel that the ending was not as mythical or mystical [that a word?].

For the The House of Dies Drear, I don' know. I just dont feel that strongly for it. Yeah. Haha. For my own mundane reasons.

The MAJOR Reading Fall out

2009-04-13T12:13:00.004+08:00

As in EPIC READING FAIL!

I pretty much just stopped reading. hoho.

I don't have new books: I. Am. Broke. I am broke. Summer's gotta be fun!..sarcasm, that you? leave. not even for a please?
I can't stand reading anymore: what?! huh. hoohoo. Well, yeah, I'd rather sleep...or bum around. ye.

So, how can anyone continue any reading streaks with these? Haha. Hoho. Huhu.

There is something with worded emotions, ayt? ya. haha. love it.

Anyway, I was counting on the summer break to finally get my hands on my "books"..unfortunately, they [the books, not the hands] remain fragments of my dreams...huhu. Well, my brother does have some e-books...but, who can stand them? My brother, apparently...but not me. ya.

Then, there's this effing hot summer! haha. It has me convinced that i should be in the beach or something where I can swim..or just eating ice cream. yum! haha...and not reading and posting reviews about them. hihi.

hmm. As for something new:

I want to get all crafty this summer.
i want to be organized this summer!
I want to watch some series this summer!
I want to EARN this summer!

Those are just plain too many. Ouwee. huhu. I know I wont accomplish all that...worse, I may get stuck half-way through everything. hoohooo...

Anyway, for a really nice nice plan this summer:

Can you give me my love of reading..pls? pls? ya.

I guess I have not shared it yet..

2009-04-07T14:38:00.002+08:00

..but the thing that I kept on hoping about for like months...that thing that has become a routine..

Well, God gave it to me. Ü

Now, there's nothing left to do but to stand on a hill and shout

2009-04-07T12:55:00.001+08:00

"It's summer!"

I have wished to know the names of the blogs of my two classmates in English

2009-03-24T19:07:00.001+08:00

And I forgot to ask. Today's the last day of classes.

Now I know exactly how you feel

2009-03-08T19:12:00.002+08:00

You told me it was terrible. I did readily agree for I was not really feeling it. But, two more seconds in close to the subject...I know exactly how you feel...and I agree, it's terrible.

How many have you read?

2009-03-07T19:09:00.002+08:00

Dear reader,

Apparently the BBC reckons most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here.

Instructions:

1) Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read.

2) Star (*) those you plan on reading.

3) Hash (#) those you haven't finished reading.

4) Tally your total at the bottom.

I have marked mine in the brackets provided.

5) Leave a comment if you wish re your totals or if you wish, you can begin a topic for discussion on any of the books.

Have fun and have a nice day!!!

cheers

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1 (X) Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 (#) The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 (X) Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 (X) Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 (*) To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 (X) The Bible
7 (X) Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 ( ) Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 ( ) His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 () Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

Pitstop Count: (X) -5, (*) - 1, (#) -1

11 (X) Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 ( *) Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 (* ) Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 () Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 () Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 (#) The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 (*) Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 (#) Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 (*) The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 ( ) Middlemarch - George Eliot

Pitstop Count: (X) - 1, (*) - 4, (#) - 2

21 (*) Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 (#) The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 () Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 () War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 () The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 ( ) Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 ( x) Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 (* ) Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 (X) Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carrol
30 ( x) The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

Pitstop Count: (X) - 3, (*) - 2 (#) - 1

31 (*) Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 (X) David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 (#) Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 (X) Emma - Jane Austen
35 (*) Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 (X) The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 (*) The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 (*) Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 (*) Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 (X ) Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne

Pitstop Count: (X) - 4, (*) - 4, (#) - 1

41 () Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 (X) The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 () One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 (*) A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 (*) The Woman in White - Wilkie Collin
46 (#) Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 (*) Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy -
48 () The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 (#) Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 (X) Atonement - Ian McEweN

Pitstop Count: (X) - 2, (*) -0, (#) - 2

51 (*) Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 ( *) Dune - Frank Herbert
53 ( ) Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 (*) Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 () A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 ( ) The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 (#) A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens - been trying to finish this one in years.
58 ( ) Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 (*) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 (*) Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez - I want this one badly!

Pitstop Count: (X) - 0, (*) - 5, (#) -1

61 (#) Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 () Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 ( ) The Secret History - Donna Tart
64 () The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 (#) Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 ( ) On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 ( ) Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 (*) Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 (*) Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 (*) Moby's Dick - Herman Melville

Pitstop Count: (X) - 0, (*) - 3, (#) - 2

71 (X) Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 (*) Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 (*) The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 ( ) Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 (#) Ulysses - James Joyce
76 (*) The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 ( ) Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 ( ) Germinal - Emile Zola
79 () Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 () Possession - AS Byatt

Pitstop Count: (X) - 1, (*) - 3, (#) -1

81 (X) A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 ( ) Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 (*) The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 () The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 () Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 () A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 (*) Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 (*) The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 (#) Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 (*) The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton

Pitstop Count: (X) - 1, (*) - 4, (#) - 1

91 ( ) Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 (X) The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint EXupery
93 ( ) The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 ( ) Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 ( ) A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 ( ) A Town Like Alice - Neil Shute
97 (X) The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 () Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 (X) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 (#) Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Pitstop Count: (X) - 3 (*) – 0, (#) - 1

Total: (X) - 20[dismal haha], (*) - 26, (#) – 11

* I am not sure of my tally, though. I'll just check the addition later. Ü
from here.

Why Am I

2009-02-26T20:09:00.002+08:00

Why am I looking forward to the day that I will move from one house completely on my own? The idea of packing away my things and then loading them into my car and then opening the door of my new place and then unloading the car and then unpacking the boxes and then arranging the house.

I am excited about the day that I will sit on my clustered living room, having supper with myself, tired, grimy, and planning how the next day would go.

Yet, I have some experiences with moving...two times my whole family moved from one place to another, and then now, I am living in a place all too far from them. All three I had [still having] problems coping up. I always feel homesick or something like that. I sometimes remember the smell of our old house and would feel very very nostalgic and would wish that we are still living there.

So, it is really really odd for me to feel this way. I do. So I am odd. and outta myself. Ü

routine?

2009-02-23T23:06:00.003+08:00

Every week, I get on that ride to the university hoping that I'll see you the following weekend.

. . . . hoping still. Haha

- - - ->>
I was a bit disappointed earlier...I saw some of your friends, only you were not with them..haha. Why do I sound some pathetic girl who's over-swooning over [haha, love that] someone. Well, I guess, maybe I am.

This started with my bestfriend's problem..haha..I was talking to her and trying to find out what it was or how could I help...and then she told me what her problem was...two weeks later, I also have the same problem...haha..somehow less complicated than hers, though. Ü

But I really dont think that I am over-swooning right now....maybe during highschool, I was....but now, I just miss being able to catch several glimpses of you, hearing snippets of your conversations with yor friends...I just missed the two of us being in the same school. That's all.. Haha. I am just missing you..haha. sorely so.

- - - ->>
Tomorrow, the hoping starts again...it will go on for the rest of the week until I go home next weekend and alas, all of it will most likely be crushed.

Ü

cheerful, still...though.

Friday Fill-ins

2009-02-21T09:03:00.002+08:00

1. Give me a bunch of chocolates and I'll be nice all day Ü.

2. Whenever I feel cranky, I eat. Ü.

3. I wish it's already vacation time.

4. Barbeque chicken meal in Ke*ny Ro*ers was the last thing I ate that was utterly delicious.

5. To live in this world, I read just to keep my sanity.

6. Other than this one, my roommate's blog is the last blog I commented on.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going home, tomorrow my plans include rest and helping do the laundry and Sunday, I want to be with my co-apps having fun!

Siya at ako.

2009-02-18T17:03:00.002+08:00

Nagpunta kami sa Katipunan kanina. Nakasakay ako sa car nya, habang nag-ddrive siya. Andami namen napag-usapan, though ang lapit lang naman ng Katipunan sa UP.

Tinuruan nita ako kung paano magpunta dun sa pupuntahan namin kapag hindi na niya ako masusundo..sosyal ko namn, diba? Hehe.

Tinanong niya rin ako about my college life and all..kung naka-adjust na daw ba ako, kung maayos daw ba studies ko...kung feeling ko daw ba tama yung course ko..atsaka kung masaya daw ba ako...

Tapos, andun na kami sa pupuntahan namin. Inikot namin yung place, nagpakilala sa mga ibang tao dun and nakipagkwentuhan sa director nung lugar.

Mabait silang lahat...mukhang gugustuhin kong magpunta lagi. Ü

Siya si Ms. Agnes...dentist. Pumunta kami sa student formation center, "DANWI"..ng Opus Dei...

I am seeking my faith...Ü

5-minute blogging, which has been distracted by a great blog and is down to two.

2009-02-16T07:11:00.002+08:00

I am leaving in less than an hour...I still have things to accomplish before that, of course, as usual with me..hehe.

First would be to pack!!! haha.

Then, I need to eat or my mom and dad would cream me the next time I go home..

Wake my brother up..

Take a bath, which usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes....I know, it's terribly fast but, hey, everything's gotta be fast-paced now, right? hehe

And of course, bloggg! Haha..

Only, I did not.

2009-02-12T17:17:00.002+08:00

I finished my MP yesterday, at around 5 pm...

Flashback, flashback:

I went back to the university last Monday, several hours after I put my last post up. I was feeling panicky, for I had not accomplished anything: my MP still wasn't working, I hadn't reviewed for the upcoming exam [heck, I still have not today...the exam TOMORROW!], and I had not sleep well...the very thing I was most hopeful about.

I resolved to just rest that Monday night...saying "I'll figure out a way tomorrow, that's for sure"..haha. If only I knew...haha...that Tuesday will come and go without the promise of an MP.

Then, yesterday, two people went out of their way to help me be logical. I could not have been more thankful. Haha. It was just at about lunch time yesterday that I figured what algo to use..hehe. Ü

Back to present:

Here I am, typing away...doing the inevitable...having fun [blogging is fun, yes?] after some, uhm, hardship[?]..haha.

So, later, I will print the lectures for the exam tomorrow and hope again that I'll be able to go through all of them tonight.

Happy Friday the 13th! hehe..

oh, and by the way, Happy Birthday to my MOM [tomorrow]!!!

I gotta finish this sometime after 6 am!

2009-02-09T02:57:00.002+08:00

I am so very determined. Haha. ÜÜ

My MP is going to be okay. Then I can sleep...sweet sleep. Ü

I wish I had gone to the mall, right after...

2009-02-07T14:55:00.004+08:00

my lunch with Uncle Japhet. Haha.

For if I had, I would sit the exam later with a happy happy heart..haha. I dont know why but I am so inlove with malls, even though I rarely buy..haha. Ü I just love strolling, my thoughts to myself, thinking what the others are thinking, sitting on the huge sofas and just minding my breathing, which would then be labored, for, I believe, I am thinking about it.

Here I am trying to will the hours away before I have to go back to the dorm and review...again [!] for I feel that what I accomplished in two readings is not enough to make me pass the exam later. Haha.

But before that, I have to meet a friend...for the first time. She will be the one who's, I think, gonna be in charge with me during my first days in the Opus Dei...I will be joining, have i told that here? Maybe not..

And even before that, I am determined to wait for my Wordpress blog to open. Arrgh! I've been trying for at least an hour or something. Think I should just give up? Haha.

I am so craving for the smell of home. Or even of the bus....Haha.

Friday Fill-ins

2009-02-06T19:34:00.003+08:00

1. Please don't tell me the test's been moved to an earlier sched!.for that would mean I missed it. aw..

2. Can you function well in the morning, especially in this weather?

3. The color green makes me want to be on that bus headed home! [I dont know why..but it does!]

4. I have a craving for cold coffee and a real conversation with my bestfriend..aww...

5. If my life had a pause button, I'd pause it now.

6. Eyes are the most honest 'features' [or parts] of a person.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight (yesterday night) I'm looking forward to reviewing for the exam, really Ü, tomorrow (today) my plans include _having lunch with Uncle, and reviewing still, then sit the exam..huhu and Sunday, I want to rise early and be home early!

Friday was no good either.

2009-02-01T00:40:00.002+08:00

I did something completely idiotic and stupid [is that redundant?] last Friday. It involved wanting to ditch classes, coming to classes late and homework undone, and pissing the hell out of my instructor...plus many many more. I dont even know why I am not melting out of shame here.

I could not even look back at last Friday and not be ashamed of myself...for once, I am seriously wishing that I am someone else.

Just When...

2009-01-29T17:16:00.001+08:00

I received a spiritual talk from a Korean...just now..just when I am badly in need of the sort. All the time he was talking, I was wondering if that might just be the affirmation that I am searching. Well, what else can it be?

I was seated on a stone bench, the one that was hardly occupied at the front of the Main Lib, trying to get a few minutes worth of review for some quiz that's not academic...huh. Then, he came, maybe that's the reason why, and asked if I have some spare time. I eyed him warily, trying hard not to show that I was wishing that time that I don't have any.

Well, torn between being the well-bred person my mo boasts of and the person wary of strangers...I did nothing. I said, okay, in a very small voice...

Then, it began..

Truth be told, there was nothing new in what he said to me. I know all of those things. I know that Jesus died on the cross and saved the whole of human race from its sins. The facts came and I know that I accept them...I believe in them...

Yet, why cant I hold on? Why does my faith in those things quiver? Why...why...

Everything is centered on my doubts...I am not giving a chance to my belief...

I was grateful for the talk, yes...but the frustration builds up...

I'm still lost...apparently.

Yet...sigh..I am still in two minds...

[Visit my other blog for some sort of a whole story.]

This just in..

2009-01-28T15:37:00.001+08:00

My relatively new and barely-used usb is defective! I dont want to replace it...I cant just reformat it....I badly need it...

Six Pigs in Heaven

2009-01-27T17:36:00.002+08:00

[yey. A review. Finally.]

This actually made me want to read again. I mean, for the last four or so books, I sometimes lose the heart to finish even before I was halfway. And, truthfully, I thought that Six Pigs in Heaven would just be like those other books.

I never knew any of Barbara Kingsolver's books. Heck, I only heard about her when a friend inquired about the book I was reading and I held it up for her. She said, "oh. kingsolver, she's real good." Now, I am thinking about digging her past works.

The story was captivating. I mean, feed me with something that would make me indignant and yeah, I would certainly read all through the end. I was impatient with the results and eagerly awaited the finish.

It was a story of a mother's love [to her adopted but otherwise cherished daughter] complicated with the rules and laws of an Indian tribe. A lawyer looked into the adoption and found out that the mother was ill-advised about it and the adoption was illegal. It was a search for the mother and daughter while they went to an escape/journey so that they will not be separated from each other.

All in all: Fascinating.

Book Reviews [and reading] fall out plus more.

2009-01-19T16:52:00.004+08:00

I have not posted reviews in the past few weeks...nor added to the list of books I've read. I dont know what's wrong with me, yet.

Hopefully, it's just one of my episodes, which, hopefully, might end soon.

/sigh/ I feel so tired and so out of myself that I dont even know where to begin describing how I feel.

Anyway,

I spent the majority of the afternoon texting my two bestfriends. One guy, one girl. They went into a misunderstanding and are both, I think and feel, miserable. I originally dont have any plans on posting the whole story but, I changed my mind. I should at least tell the framework.

So.

The girl told the guy she likes him. A lot. This is a fact that she told me a couple of months ago, when it was just starting. I am practically a novice in these things so the only things I could offer her were my two ears. Although, I told her that it's not a good idea to say it to out guy friend..since he spent 3 years in a seminary, only got out this year for a break to think things through. I thought that he would not be capable of dealing with these sort of things.

She still told him. Last January 1st.

He , lets name him B texted her back last friday night, or was it saturday?. And it was not about what she told him last. Well, in fairness to him, he shunned all of us out...not just her...and that COULD mean that he was not really avoiding her or something.

So, friday night or saturday, our phones started buzzing again. Actually, I was with him last January 14th for a birthday celebration of another of our bestfriends. [I have a lot of bestfriends...all of my classmates in highschool + B + many others]. I actually wanted to ask B right then and there....I chickened out.

Anyway, I finally managed to pluck out enough courage to ask him. Of course, I promised to keep this as a secret between the two of us.

I dont know what to do. I. Am. Torn. but I get to keep them both. Whereas to the other option, I say a thing or two to each of them, I lose....well, them.

Friday Fill-ins #107

2009-01-17T00:55:00.002+08:00

1. Enough with the freezingly cold mornings!.

2. A break in and attempted murder causes me to be conflicted.

3. I've been craving some inner peace and contentment.

4. Trying to sing the forgotten tune of a nursery rhyme makes me laugh.

5. I wish I could go to my best friend's school next week.

6. School and all its hardships and pains [haha] has been on my mind lately.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to being home [i am home!], tomorrow my plans include attending a wedding and looking for that inner peace and Sunday, I want to go to church and just celebrate God's goodness and love!

I have to agree with that "mind-fucked guy" in Wanted

2009-01-13T17:43:00.003+08:00

[the lead]

"The best thing [of living the most insignificant and the sorriest life there is] is that tomorrow, it will start all over again."

Haha.

Crappy way to start the week, I know...but I watched Wanted [again] over the weekend and was not bored with it, so..hha

I should be studying my pink fingernails off...haha...but, yeah..haha..

whatever..hha..

today:

I heard the life story of a marvelous woman...how great and how happy or active her life seemed to be..and she's gone now..

A plan of mine just got busted...

then, I heard from a long lost friend...

...I feel totally unconcerned..haha..

I am feeling pretty dumb right now..ahah..not numb..just dumb..or whatever I am feeling right now..

- - - -I am truly sorry for this post..

the Virgin issue.

2009-01-09T19:15:00.003+08:00

Someone sent me this message in my FS account last week:

"Hey. I know you're a VIRGIN!! I know I angered you there."

[notice the caps lock]

And here's something of my reply:

"I am just 17. Duh. I should be. And I am not mad...how can I be, when I am proud to be one? You're pathetic. haha"

And then he answered again:

"Hey.Thanks, you're not angry. What do you mean by pathetic?"

[his actual words]

I have not replied yet. Does his last message say that he purposely did that to make me mad? Did he intend it to be like an insult?

Well, if he did and it was all an attempted insult, that make his second account of pathetic-ness! Haha. 50 days in a growing-up school. haha.

For the record, I truly am not angry. I was in fact amused at how grown ups [he's older. duh. haha, so redundant, nikki.] can act insanely childish at times. I sort of chuckled when I read his first message. I laughed out loud when he replied back. That was before I realized that he might meant it was an insult...and that was I think, foul to my beliefs.

okay, I read that last part and I thought i should explain a bit. I am proud to be a virgin and 17, but I do not condemn nor think differently of those who do not go with my beliefs. I am just proud I held on and, yeah.

But that does not mean that I will take it lightly when I am being insulted or something. I mean, sex is never a prerequisite to being rightly human, is it?

This whole issue sort of just made me see how narrow-minded he can be. tsk. tsk. i thought only some teenage boys are like this. haha.

Friday fill-ins #106

2009-01-09T18:31:00.002+08:00

1. It's January;it's promising this is gonna be a difficult year; still, it's new .

2. The bus ride to home [aw] is what I crave most right now.

3. Cork and wine go together like blogs and ideas [huh? haha].

4. Sleep[!] is so nourishing.

5. Let us dare to patient and responsible for the rest of the year.

6. I so miss my home.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to alone time and a chance to read more [!] tomorrow my plans include buying my long overdue havs.. and Sunday, I want to just be home!

I am leaving in 2 hours..

2009-01-05T11:05:00.001+08:00

So there's this big big big possibility that I'll be away from my blogs.

If I can [and if I am lucky], I will post something by friday.

Cant wait to be home again.

I just watched Bruce Almighty for the 2nd time...

2009-01-05T00:18:00.005+08:00

...I am falling in love with that prayer of Bruce's in the latter part. Ü

"...Let her meet someone who's gonna see her all the time the way I see her now...through your eyes."

If only I could see people that way...and not let all my focus be myself....

I realized I am being pretty pathetic since the start of the sem...all through the holidays and the first week (is it?) of 2009.

I am sorry...truly now.

It's January...

2009-01-04T01:44:00.002+08:00

and it is freezing cold here.

I live in the tropics! [scowls]

Of course, this is going to be incoherent, since I have been brain dead since January 1st. But I really really want to share how freakingly awful I feel right now.

I am already homesick. I havent even left for school yet!

I am disappointed at something I probably should not tell.

I am all weepy and am such a mess right now.

I have to face packing in a couple of hours...about hmm? 17 hours?

I am cold...

I am freakingly self-centered right now.

I'm sorry.

I only have 4 days before I go back to the university...

2009-01-01T18:18:00.002+08:00

And I am impossibly childish about it.

It sort of feels that I dont want to go back.

photos, for now. ÜÜ

2009-01-01T14:45:00.012+08:00

captions [if one can call them as such] are below each set of pics...Ü
So we've been away for Christmas.

and we goofed around the camera...

and learned some local history...

and had some fun at the SEA...in DECEMBER! we did not realize that the cold would be just awesome..haha. huh?

and then enjoyed the view...which was just fabulous from the boat..

Some happenings..hehe. Ü

2008-12-29T19:00:00.002+08:00

We went on vacation for Christmas. haha.

Updates later. Ü

Creativity is gone again. ÜÜÜ

dashboard, swooning over the

2008-12-21T02:32:00.003+08:00

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

2008-12-20T23:15:00.005+08:00

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!]

2008-12-19T00:29:00.003+08:00

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]:

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

Yes! done it! haha. ÜÜ

100th post in the 99th Ü

2008-11-28T18:21:00.004+08:00

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

2008-11-23T21:11:00.003+08:00

got the image here.

The Lion's Game [and I]

2008-11-23T20:28:00.003+08:00

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

2008-11-19T19:27:00.007+08:00

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,

2008-11-16T00:19:00.001+08:00

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

2008-11-15T23:04:00.005+08:00

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!"

2008-11-13T18:48:00.002+08:00

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

2008-11-12T18:12:00.001+08:00

...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

2008-11-08T11:49:00.004+08:00

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!

2008-11-05T16:07:00.002+08:00

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!

2008-10-29T20:00:00.002+08:00

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.

2008-10-28T23:01:00.002+08:00

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

2008-10-24T23:43:00.001+08:00

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...

2008-10-22T12:10:00.002+08:00

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...

2008-10-20T01:22:00.004+08:00

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...

2008-10-16T14:43:00.004+08:00

...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?

2008-10-10T21:08:00.003+08:00

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

2008-10-03T14:51:00.000+08:00

takot ako.

Atonement

2008-09-23T18:29:00.002+08:00

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.

2008-09-23T18:20:00.003+08:00

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

2008-09-15T10:37:00.004+08:00

haizzz...I still want to stay here.

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

Freaking out

2008-09-14T00:21:00.002+08:00

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

2008-09-12T23:08:00.003+08:00

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...

2008-09-07T23:10:00.003+08:00

...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

2008-09-07T22:48:00.006+08:00

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.

2008-09-07T05:19:00.002+08:00

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

2008-09-05T20:59:00.002+08:00

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!

2008-09-02T18:08:00.002+08:00

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...!

2008-08-30T20:37:00.001+08:00

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

Alert: Blog Abuse!

2008-08-19T22:27:00.002+08:00

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.

2008-08-17T00:55:00.002+08:00

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

2008-08-09T19:51:00.005+08:00

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

2008-08-08T22:51:00.003+08:00

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

I remember.

2008-08-04T10:40:00.002+08:00

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

2008-08-03T18:05:00.003+08:00

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)

2008-08-02T21:02:00.005+08:00

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...

2008-07-26T10:32:00.002+08:00

/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

2008-07-21T14:13:00.004+08:00

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

2008-07-19T19:46:00.004+08:00

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...

2008-07-14T11:00:00.002+08:00

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...

2008-07-13T13:01:00.002+08:00

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

2008-07-13T11:12:00.002+08:00

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!

2008-07-05T22:49:00.003+08:00

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.

2008-06-22T02:04:00.002+08:00

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..

2008-06-15T10:21:00.002+08:00

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

2008-06-09T10:46:00.003+08:00

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

2008-06-09T10:31:00.002+08:00

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.