Just read: A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

 SPOILER ALERT

This is by far my most frustrating read ever. It’s just too long and dragging. Took me over a year to finish this because I just kindof got tired of nothing much happening. There’s no pivotal moment, no character development, nothing drives the book, not the characters, not the plot, it’s just there to make you feel bad from all the misery that Jude has endured. That’s all there is.

Overly contrived and overwritten, it’s the misery porn that makes it a heavy read, but once you get tired of crying you realize that there’s no credibility to Jude’s story at all. It’s just a series of traumatic events that he doesn’t seem to want to get over with, despite being surrounded with people who are more than willing to help you recover. It becomes unbelievable to the point where you wonder what the point is in all this writing.

I rated it 3/5 because mostly because of the writing style, but plot-wise there’s nothing to it.

And I hated Jude. I do not get his appeal. He’s just mysterious and intelligent but that’s it. And even his alleged intelligence isn’t convincing. All he ever feels is sorry and there’s not much depth to his character besides his dark backstory. I find it surprising how everyone is so drawn to him. And for that I blame the author.

At one point I also questioned what kind of friendship they all have that after decades of being in each others lives they still haven’t managed to crack Jude. They’re all walking on eggshells around him, enabling his self-harm. That’s no real friendship for me.

Overall it feels unnecessarily stretched out.

Life lately and my latest read (It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover)

I learned a bunch of new keyboard shortcuts today hahaha it's the shortcuts for ♥, ♦, and • respectively. That's a heart, a diamond, and a bullet point. I can't believe it took me this long to discover the correct alt codes for them. They're ALT + 3, ALT + 4, and ALT + 7 respectively yeheyy.

If you're wondering why it matters, they're my most used symbols when writing Youtube descriptions. And all these (two) years, I'm freaking copy pasting it from Google or from my old descriptions. So yeah, I'm pretty happy about it! And to make it easier to remember, the ♥ already looks like a 3 as in the <3 emoticon, a ♦ has 4 points, and I don't know about the • I guess the 7 looks like a gun or something, so may bullets haha or maybe connect the dots? Idk I think I've thought hard enough to not forget about it haha.

I finished reading It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover before going to bed this morning and I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads.

♦ SPOILER ALERT ♦

(I just used the kb shortcut for ♦ I'm so happy wahahaha)

I've never read anything like this before. One thing I liked about it is the perspective it gave me on domestic violence and abusive relationships. How it's not that easy to leave immediately once you start getting hurt physically. It starts once, then you forgive, because maybe it was an accident, or he was so sorry about it and promised not to do it again. Then it happens again and he's more sorry and your heart can't take it. You're bruised and confused but your love and compassion keeps pushing your limit further and further 'til it disappears into the brink of tolerance. Then one day you get slapped and you think you're lucky you just got slapped. It's awful. This book made me feel really hurt about the reality of such relationships. And the fact that it's drawn from Colleen's mother's personal experience only fleshed it out even more. It's a painful tale which ends right. I can't say it ends happily, but the ending is right and makes sense. I actually love it.

What I didn't like though are the characters. I didn't really care much for them. I struggled to read the first half cos it's fucking smut and I usually don't mind tropes granted they're explained well and makes sense. This book exhibited tons of it but it's super boring and cliche, there's insta-love, a love triangle, I'm-not-like-most-girls, and lots of sex I want to throw it off fanfiction.net.

It's my third CoHo and now I'm getting used to her style. She likes to mix young/new adult tropes with traumatic backstories, if only to make the plotline more emotional unlike most YA's. I actually like it as it's more psychological than fantastical and her storytelling tugs more at your feelings than your imagination. 

-----

Yeahhh so that's my life lately? Keyboard shortcuts and a book? HAHAHA daming ganap no but I hey i just uploaded a new vlog, check it outt

PS. I was supposed to work for real today but guess what huhu please pray for me. Half the time I think I should go work in the office already to regain motivation but I'm not ready to commute again huhu

Recently: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood and Verity by Coleen Hoover

I remember a time in my life when every time I finish a book I'm always excited to blog. Not about the book, but about my life, sometimes feeling the author's style has rubbed on me that I'm suddenly in such a great mood to write, even about the smallest things. But that's gone. I don't think I'm that girl anymore, I have grown out of it, the urge to write crushed down by more pressing things. Like work.

But hey, let's bring it back. I just recently finished two books and I didn't hate them, which means you're probably not gonna hear about it hahaha. If you noticed, I find it easier to complain about things I hate than to commend things that I love. Maybe hatred is something that converts easier into words? And love is something you usually wanna keep to yourself? Either way, I loved these two, so I have no words. But here I am...

So instead, let's nitpick. 

But first, even though this should go without saying... SPOILER ALERT.

What do I hate about Ali Hazelwood's The Love Hypothesis?

Ah, the fact that Olive thinks Adam is so tall and big when she herself is 5'8". Idk maybe 6'4" will always look huge to anyone looking.

Ahn's doting is so unrealistic

How Olive didn't realize that Tom had expressed interest in her project before rumors broke out about her and Adam, therefore contradicting every vile thing he said to her after the talk. I was waiting for her to somehow realize it but nah. Unless of course Tom knew of her way back because Adam has told his friends about an Olive Smith.

Next, what do I hate about Coleen Hoover's Verity?

This is a highly rated, much recommended book on Kindle PH group, and based on people's reactions I already prepared myself for a mind blowing ride. While it did not disappoint, I wasn't too convinced about the ending.

I liked psycho Verity's character. Her autobiography painting herself as a contemptuous mother, filled with dark and disturbing thoughts of killing her children and keeping her husband all for herself, what a horrifying read! It's all too good that I can't accept none of it is real haha (or not since the book was Open Ended [nice callback to Lowen's book btw]).

I guess I kinda saw there was a twist in that manuscript, I just didn't like how it was revealed. Everything was exposed in a letter hidden under the floorboards of her bed. A written explainer. What a bore. I was half hoping they'd discover the truth behind it from Amanda, who suggested the writing exercise herself. That way "antagonistic journaling" wouldn't sound like a silly alibi. Oh well.

That's it!

Since I'm nitpicking, you know it's not a big deal right? I'm just looking for ways to be annoyed. I'm way past those points and would recommend this book to anyone who wants to end their reading slump and catch up on their GoodReads 2021 Reading Challenge. Thanks to CoHo I'm on track. I'm excited to read another one of hers!

My thoughts on The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Finally completed reading The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. My rating? 3 over 5.

I found this book getting recommended a lot at Kindle Philippines fb group so I thought I'd give it a try after finishing Hopeless by Coleen Hoover (which I rated 4/5). Didn't think it would take me 3 months to finish it. I'm a slow and uninspired reader, and even by my standards 3 months is too long for a single book hahaha. It was so dragging.

SPOILER ALERT

Here's the summary from GoodReads...

A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

---

Interesting right? My favorite part about the book is really the writing style, beautiful prose poetry that vividly takes you wherever Addie is. I loved the time jumps between past and present, her relationship with her father, her child-like wonder whenever they head out of town, her frustration about getting stuck at their village forever, and her friendship with Estelle, who's probably my favorite character in this book.

But whenever it jumps to the present, I always lose interest. 

There are three main characters in this story; Addie our 300 year old heroine, Luc the god he struck a deal with, and Henry... Addie's special sadboi lol.

None of them had any character development throughout the story. To think Addie has lived 300 years, she didn't seem to have wisened up. The only thing special about her is her unorthodox distaste for being a homemaker and staying in Villon forever. But beyond that? We see nothing more, she's just loitering around, I wouldn't say the world but, Europe and America, looking for affluent artists who could draw her like one their French girls, char.

Perhaps it's a consequence of having lived three centuries. At a hundred she's learned enough to survive the world despite her curse. Another hundred and the weight of losing loved ones has taken a toll on her psyche. Another hundred and she's desensitized to loss and being forgotten, as it becomes a recurring theme in her god-knows-how-long life. Maybe that's why it seemed like she's not grown enough. Maybe this book should've ended when she's around 200.

Given Addie, it's hard for me to imagine how she found some kind of favor in Luc's eyes. As a god who answers in the dark, I had high expectations of his might. But he's just all flair. Their snide banters aren't even that clever. For a god who's in the business of souls, he probably a low ranked grim reaper who's more concerned about looking cool.

And don't get me started on Henry. He's an empty shell. Before and during the deal. There's nothing special about him. He exists solely to write about Addie, which consequently gave him the recognition he's yearned for so long, so yeah, good for him. Not for the readers though.

I don't know. I feel like the premise was wasted in trying to establish a love-hate relationship between Addie and Luc. I probably had wrong expectations. I wanted to revel in the sinister nature of Faustian bargains, much like in the TV series Once Upon a Time, because the writing style could very much pull off such vividry, but I guess it's too much to ask of someone who just goes with the flow, an undaunting villain, and a weak male character (Addie, Luc, and Henry respectively).

Vlog #16 and what I've been reading...

Can't believe I'm on Vlog #16 lol (by the time I publish this I probably already have Vlog #17 but anyways). Here you go!

And to expound a bit haha...

I dared myself 10 books this year and three weeks ago I just finished my first! A colleague lent me a copy of Educated by Tara Westover that I finished reading in two weeks. That's slow, but considering I didn't finish any book at all last year, that's a big deal! I'm suddenly out of my reading rut haha (hope so)! Educated is not the type of book I'd pick for myself, but because my officemate raved so much about it, I decided to download a sampler from Amazon before deciding to take on the whole text. The book is a memoir written by Tara Westover. In it she recalls her childhood with her family, survivalist Mormons tucked in the mountains of Idaho, up until she decides to enroll in university, leaving her family in pursuit of education.

Her journey is laced with incredulous accounts of violence and mental abuse, of freakish accidents, and unsettling family dynamics. It's also filled with a gripping unraveling of truths she didn't think existed, and of revelations that shattered her to self-invention. Definitely a unique coming of age story.

I didn't expect to love this book. I was so drawn by the writing that despite nothing much happening in the first few chapters, I found myself vividly immersed. A hundred percent will recommend!

So what's next?

Urgh, I hate to go back to reading Can You Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella but I really need to finish it 'cos I want to see how it's gonna redeem itself for having characters so poorly made. I'm almost done and in my head it's still a 2 over 5. The story is cute but the characters are just so blah I'm having a hard time connecting their relationships and their behavior with each other.

• First off, I don't understand how Emma and Lissie call themselves bestfriends when they're so awkward and dishonest with each other.
• Jenina's character is a straight up template
• I don't find Jack Harper romantic. He's a jerk who flirted with his target market for product expansion.
• It was so clear that Emma is a nobody in their company, and yet her officemates suddenly recognized her when Jack Harper starts describing her live on TV, while also spilling her deepest darkest secrets? Apparently, they know her that well?

Let's see how the book ends, I'm so anxious to get over it lol.

[Reaction] Let it Snow: Three Holiday Romances

Let it Snow: Three Holiday Romances is a novel featuring three intertwined stories about love on Christmas season. Written by Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle.

Forewarn: I didn't like this book for the most part, so this post is one big rant about how much it sucked. I gave it 1 out of 5 stars on Goodreads for the sake of Maureen Johnson's cute tale, but if that would bring the average rating down, can I just un-rate it for her sake?

Do not read this book if you don't want your head to hurt from rolling your eyes, and your brain to wither from mentally murdering the characters for being so shallow, whiny, and stupid.

The Jubilee Express by Maureen Johnson

The best of the three, also the reason why I endured reading the other two (specially Green's). Now it felt like a trap. My one star goes here.

It was Christmas eve and Jubilee was hastily summoned to her grandparent's house in Florida to spend the holidays because her folks were held in custody for getting involved in a riot over a Flobie Santa Village (a fictional line of decorative ceramic houses) sale. En route, the heavy snowstorm caused their train to stall.

Jubilee goes out to a nearby Waffle House to eat and warm up and there meets Stuart who offers her a place to stay until the train becomes functional again. They spend quite a time talking, laughing and arguing while carefully making their way to Stuart's place.

Subconsciously, Jubilee is already falling for him but it wasn't made evident until Stuart pointed out all the wrong things about Jubilee's boyfriend, Noah, whom she always speaks about with high regard, and who happens to be too busy to worry about her, even after hearing her parents got in jail, that she got stuck in a bad snowstorm, that she fell off a frozen creek, and is staying at a stranger's house over the holidays. She got pretty much in a you're-right-my-boyfriend's-a-jerk-why-didn't-I-notice state so eventually, she broke up with Noah. Especially after Stuart bluntly told her it's bound to happen given his apparent indifference to her dire situation. Then it's all about Stuart and Jubilee and their new-found romance.

To be honest, I feel like Stuart is the real jerk here. He completely snaked through Jubilee's relationship with Noah while subtly glossing how well they complement each other. Damn.

I enjoyed it mostly for the writing, it's a fun read. The name Jubilee is funny and could indeed pass for a hooker name, but it was a bit over-explained. I liked both Stuart and Jubilee together but I didn't like how she had to break with Noah like that: on Christmas and over the phone. Anyway, looks like Noah himself was struggling with the timing and was relieved to have Jubilee bring it up first. Whatever, kids.

A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle by John Green

Simply put, it's all about a bunch of teenagers' stupid journey to a waffle house in the middle of a bad snowstorm in order to deliver a game of Twister to 14 cheerleaders and eat hashbrowns and waffles. Keyword: bad snowstorm. I would say it's really about Tobin admitting to having feelings for his tomboy of a best friend, if only to push the theme, but his thoughts only wandered to that point more than half-way in the text right when I've decided there's not much to this story than their unfortunate journey filled with crappy jokes and road emergencies. I rolled my eyes a lot, I did, and my head hurt. I wasn't sold at any of their supposedly witty exchanges. It seems like Green has a penchant for designing teenage characters who are supposedly too clever for their age, but it failed to deliver (again. read: TFIOS).

Lame title, lame characters, lame story. It was a dragging read. Everything is too desperate. The characters are too over dramatic. Everybody thinks they're funny. If I were watching this they would all look like bad actors struggling to make a pun. The situation is unbelievable - who's going against a snowstorm to deliver a toy game to a bunch of cheerleaders like their lives depended on it? It's annoying. What kind of friend would insist on inviting his best friends to hang out with him at the cost of their lives? And who would trudge knee deep snow to impress a bunch of over-stereotyped girls? Massive idiots.

And what's with "the" Duke? It was explained too late in the story I was already too annoyed to accept it. Plus it only explained the Duke part and not the "the". It didn't make sense, I was even more willing to accept I got a badly transcribed e-book who got all Dukes accidentally replaced with "the Duke".

I have nothing good to say about this story except that I was glad at some point Tobin admitted how stupid they were for ever jumping into the idea of braving a raging blizzard for a couple of Ambers and Madisons (stereotypical cheerleader names, IKR). I think it's trying too hard to be funny but the story is too silly to make fun of. I'm so glad I'm over this part.

And now,

The Patron Saint of Pigs by Lauren Myracle

Just when I thought it will get better, that Green's was the worst and that the quality of the story would pick up at this point, I was even more disappointed.

Starbucks was mentioned a staggering 50 times in this story that my brain bled (58 if you include the mentions from the second story). It's no excuse that the main character works as a barista there. There's only so much words you can repeat in a novel for over 50 times in a span of a hundred pages that isn't an article or a pronoun and I'm sure as hell Starbucks isn't one of them. Record breaking annoying.

The story is all about a certain Addie regretting breaking up with her boyfriend, Jeb, who was currently stranded on a train on the way to Gracetown. He was on the same train as Jubilee (from the first story) and the two actually met and talked (she even lent her phone to him), I just didn't think it's worth mentioning until this point hehe.

To me, Addie is just a normal teenager who once had a boyfriend, made a mistake, broke up with him, and regretted it. Her character is flat, uninteresting, and it's true that she's self-absorbed. She's a very demanding girlfriend too. I don't understand what's so special with her that she gets to star in a hundred page advertorial for Starbucks.

The entire story circled around her paranoia that her ex didn't want to get back together because she got stood up when they were supposed to meet and talk about their issues. That, and proving to her friends that she's not as selfish as everybody thinks, by volunteering to pick-up a teacup pig for her friend and doing all means* to recover said pet after it was accidentally sold off to another person because she came to the pet store too late (these miniature pigs are said to sell like hotcakes, okay). Then she finds out the person who bought the pig, some old woman called Mayzie whom she has chatted with once while on duty, did it on purpose to freaking test her if she'll really go all the way to prove she has changed, calling herself a Christmas Angel, out to share the magic of Christmas.

WTF. Some old woman messing up with her day, stressing her out, even pushing her to do some level of thievery by stealing the credit slip from the pet store containing the buyer's name. I see no angel there, I see a bitch. My goodness this story is nuts.

* - that is calling the person who caused her breakup with Jeb

To be fair, there is some implied character development in here, but I just couldn't see it. Despite Addie's struggles in coping with her heartbreak, I actually think she's generally nice and likable in real life. Her character is just not that engaging.

Then there's the mysterious tinfoil man called Travis, a weird character clad in Reynold's Wrap who has a fancy for cups and is seemingly unaware of his unusual fashion sense. He appeared on all of the stories as if to stitch them together, but the characters are already woven well enough the book could've done better to exclude him as he wasn't really given that much attention aside from his odd choice of clothing.

I had a feeling they had planned something greater for him but in a rush to wrap up the book, he was turned into a symbol instead, a sad one at that.

“Why oh why does he dress like that?” I said, and not for the first time.
“Maybe he’s a knight,” Christina suggested.
“Maybe he’s a lightning rod.”
“Maybe he’s a weather vane, here to predict the winds of change.”
“Ooo, nice one,” I said, and sighed. “I could use a wind of change.”

Right, I could imagine where the knight and the lightning rod came from, but a weather vane? Unless he's sporting an arrow or a spear or a chicken over his head, I would never have thought he's there to predict the winds of change by resembling a weather vane. It's saddening how his presence was concluded that way. I'm sure there are better ways to write him off as whatever object. That one line just seemed like the author went, "Oh my God, the story's ending I forgot about Travis he's supposed to symbolize the winds of change. Okay, Christina, go mention he's a weather vane, they'll get it." Huhu. He's one of the very few interesting characters in the book, so I felt it a waste that he wasn't explored further.

But it's not all bad

Aside from The Jubilee Express which I hoped was turned into a different book instead, here are a couple other things I liked:

• Good job on interconnecting the stories. It did feel like one big Christmas story where everyone's related by only a few degrees.
• I liked the ending, with all the characters converging at a coffee shop (guess where) and all the couples being cheesy and lovey dovey. It's the one time I didn't hate Starbucks for being mentioned too many times.
• I felt Christmas and the festivity. I also felt how bad the snowstorm was, which is why the second story sounded utterly stupid to me.
• It's a light read which made it bearable, you can finish it in a day unless you go nuts and decide to tear it off in dismay. Kidding.

I'm sorry this rant got so long. If you've read the book or is a major John Green fan, I hope you don't get offended. :P It's the second time I was unimpressed with John Green, but I'm still curious about his other books, looking for what could possibly hooked so many. Maybe third time's the charm.

PS: Calling this a reaction instead of a review 'cos I'm not entirely being objective here. Some people find it funny, and I just had to ask where (mentally). Good enough for a light read if you're not easily annoyed like me.

In places no one will find

Earlier this week I chanced upon a trailer of The Choice on TV and wondered if it's based on the book by Nicholas Sparks (the one that had me bawling all over Jollibee). Turns out it is, so I'm super excited! I may not be able to watch it when it starts showing here though, cos seriously, who's up for some mushy and tragic love story on a February... with me?! If I was back home I could easily drag my sister to this but naaah. Nevermind. Will just download it later on.

Anywaaay, since I've already read The Choice, I decided to read other books by Nicholas Sparks. He's known for writing really good page turning, tear jerking, love stories. And I happen to be a fan of all the sad feelings he wants to relay from his books. I love romance. I love tragic. Together they make me really weak.

If it's not too obvious yet which book I read (hint: photo), it's A Walk to Remember, okay? :D

I gave it 4 stars over at Good Reads cos I love how easy it is to read, how it was written in a point of view of an older man, and how naturally the love story developed. Sure they were both too young. At 17, you'd expect boys and girls to be dead smitten in an instant but their story is different. It didn't "just" happen, and I like that haha.

I also love how the book revealed why the title is that way. When I realized that the walk to remember was actually Jamie's struggle of walking down the aisle on the day of her marriage while her body is giving up on her, I just cried.

"It was, I remembered thinking, the most difficult walk anyone ever had to make.

In every way, a walk to remember."

I'd put this a notch under The Choice cos it's still my favorite Sparks to date but come on, I've only read two so far haha, who knows.

By the way, here's the trailer to The Choice

Gabby is being played by Teresa Palmer! Yeah! The one who looks like Kristen Stewart, and who starred at Warm Bodies, and who thankfully has a lot more emotions to show and is an overall better actress than her kalokalike haha. Good grief!

Travis will be played by Benjamin Walker, I've never really heard of him, they look super good together though!

Oh, this trailer made me cry. arg.

Just read: Wonder by RJ Palacio

This isn't a book review cos I don't know how that works. Maybe this is more of a reaction.

From Good Reads:

My name is August. I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.

August Pullman wants to be an ordinary ten-year-old. He does ordinary things. He eats ice cream. He plays on his Xbox. He feels ordinary - inside.

But Auggie is far from ordinary. Ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. Ordinary kids don't get stared at wherever they go.

Born with a terrible facial abnormality, Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life, in an attempt to protect him from the cruelty of the outside world. Now, for the first time, he's being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. All he wants is to be accepted - but can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all?

Narrated by Auggie and the people around him whose lives he touches forever, Wonder is a funny, frank, astonishingly moving debut to read in one sitting, pass on to others, and remember long after the final page. 

I consider it rare that I get to finish a book in less than a week! HAHA super slow reader lang #sorrynotsorry.

Anyway, I loved the book because it's very light to read, has a nice theme, and relatable in many aspects because it talks about something universal that most of us have probably gone through one way or another.. school. Even though there are cultural differences, I guess my "middle school" experience (which, for me, is high school) pretty much weighs in the same. There are stereotypes: the jocks, the popular kids (who are usually the bullies too), the nerds, the outcasts, etc.

I have been bullied when i was 12 and have experienced being mentally ganged up by a group of popular kids. To be honest, it doesn't get too messy in an all-girls Catholic school, no one ended up in a cat fight or with a bloody mouth, but I remember the fear. It's there, it's real. The feeling of being scared every day, of not wanting to go to school, it's all too real. And for a 12-year old, it can get really bad. It got me super stressed out. Even now, after more than decade, I can still remember how freaking awful it feels.

"When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind"

I all out agree that we need to learn to be kinder than is necessary, and this perhaps is one of the central messages of the book. To choose kind, in whatever situation you're faced with. But to choose kind, over being right? I don't completely agree. If we disregard the right thing, what do we need justice for? You cannot teach without being right about something, and you have to reason that out.

I guess the kind of 'kind' the book, or Mr. Browne (Auggie's English teacher), wishes to impart to his students is to choose kindness if you find you can't express your being right in a peaceful way. Or to choose being kind to anyone regardless of how they look like, or treat you, or give you bad vibes. Or to balance your position so that you appear more kind, than right. That's valid. I would always try to be kind to anyone, no matter my mood. Key word: try.

But then, you can always be kind while being right, I guess that's the best choice. There's nothing wrong with being right. Insisting the right thing doesn't make you unkind, and in the same way being kind doesn't mean you're giving up what you're fighting for. But yeah, in whatever you do, be kind. And honest. Okay.

I like Auggie, he's smart and witty and is really a wonder. I think even if he isn't suffering from a severe facial issue, he'd overall still be a great guy!

I enjoyed reading the book because it was very light to read, just like a blog! I honestly couldn't tell the difference with the different POVs cos they didn't seem to talk differently from each other. I was bothered by Justin's chapter though, I seriously freaked out when I saw the first sentence started in a lowercase. Then I realized it was supposed to be that way. It was odd seeing that. Is that how you feel with my blog? I don't capitalize you know. Even as I write this, I'm struggling. T__T; It kindof breaks my typing speed. HAHA

I should finish this, IT'S A MUST READ. It's fun, a light read, relatable, and morally uplifting. Makes you want to really start being kind to everyone! <3

read, reading, watched, and coming soon

life and what's up!

Read

The Lost Symbol

before 2014 ended i was busy reading The Lost Symbol, caught yet again by Dan Brown's gripping storytelling. I've decided to put him on top of my favorite authors list now, because every time i read his book my mind reels in suspense and as far as his stories go, there will always be horrible deaths and unexpected traitors!

The Lost Symbol (i always confuse the title with The Secret Code for some reason argh) gave me some sort of enlightenment about masonic rituals, and how biblical they actually are.

nonetheless, i had second thoughts about finishing the book cos it could shake my faith (classic brown).

[SPOILER ALERT]

The masonic pyramid, according to the story, leads to the exact physical location of the secret 'word' believed to contain the Ancient Mysteries, which is essentially a manual on harnessing man's veiled God-like qualities.

as it turns out, this 'word' was actually a copy of the Bible, buried underneath a washington monument. i was relieved! i took it as a sign that the Word of God really contains answers, and that i should very well start the year by the reading the Bible. i was thankful of the humble reminder. :)

Reading

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

re-reading the book for the second time was definitely better. i had a better image of things and was more attentive to the details that were missed out on the movie. i'm having fun reading it! sadly, halfway through and my reading schedule was interrupted by something that demanded more urgent attention...

and that is...

Watched

Game of Thrones

i tried watching GoT i guess last year, but the first minutes of the pilot episode scared me enough to decide i will never watch it again in spite of the hype around it telling me otherwise. argh. having white walkers on the first scene scarred my memory i had to brand the acclaimed series as a horror flick not for the faint of hearts.

but you see, jeckie re-introduced the series to me by having me watch its other episodes. since then, i was crazy hooked! and learned better than to get attached to awesome character in hopes they'll somehow survive GRRM's fancy for killing them right when they've just won my heart.

just a few days ago i closed my late night marathons w/ season 4's finale, and just in time because i would have to spend the coming nights for another series...

a series of drawings.

Coming Soon

New children's book project!

this week, i got reco-ed for an illustrating job! thank you kuya rey! yeheyy! it's the first time i'm charging for my illustration services so i realized it's okay to drop an intro price, also because i was pretty much asked to give one hehe. Just like with Super Labandera, i don't have a lot of time left before the deadline so my entire Feb is full to the core. i figured i would have to make the same sacrifices as with my last book; no weekends, all nighters, and maybe even a day off from work. oh well. rush is rush! >XD

i couldn't complain though! for all its demands, i'm loving this opportunity! i'm excited to sit down and imagine the characters, the scenery. i'm excited to sketch and research, and finally go down to coloring. everything about this project excites me! haha!

i'm also excited to get an office chair for my room. haha

Keynote speaker!

someone from my college invited me to speak for a leadership summit for graduating students and org leaders. i accepted the invitation and am kindof excited. i'm just not sure my excitement will translate to the right words or even uhm, gestures when i'm finally on the stage. haha it makes me super duper nervous thinking about it. but oh well. i got to experience this at least once!

while public speaking is a killer, i've always wanted to try it out. see if talking to myself works. haha

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that's pretty much it! excited for the weekend! <3

See you at the 35th Manila International Book Fair!

one week to go! have you saved up for this? last year i came with a couple of my college friends and i took home a great haul! this year, i intend to do the same so mega tipid ako ngayon so i can buy a lot of great titles like before! >XD

Date, venue and time

The 35th Manila International Book Fair
September 17-21, 2014
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
SMX Convention Center
Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City, Philippines

Website: click here for more details!

Tickets 

Last year, tickets were sold at 20 pesos each, right at the venue itself. so considering that, this year's ticket price might be as cheap (sorry, haven't asked). But if you're still worried, guess what... YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY! A lot of exhibitors are giving away free tickets, like Fully Booked, National Bookstore, PCBS etc. Just go ask them when you visit their stores.

But if you're tamad like me, Adarna House is giving away free printable tickets, just PRINT THIS PAGE. that's already 4 tickets per page, and you can print out as many as you want! the gate also accepts black and white prints, so srsly, how cool is that? Thank you Adarna House! one day i'll become one of your artists hihi #bucketList

See you there! >XD

giving up on mortal instruments (for a while) and re-reading dan brown!

dan brown is now officially one of my favorite authors! on par with paulo coelho, and above sidney sheldon and judith mcnaught. brown has this level of technicality na ang sarap basahin. yung minsan nakakabobo pero compelling parin. haha! or maybe because it's the book itself, Digital Fortress, that i'm reading right now. you know, being an IT person, i have like an idea of the stuff he's talking about kaya sobrang interesting parin, even on my second read. haha

by the way! i added an image widget to update you on what i'm currently reading. AS IF! hahaha e bat ba, cute kaya may picture man lang sa gilid hehe 

i don't know if it's bad but even if i was taught how to read fast before, di ko sya ma-master! the technique was to read in segments to let your mind process words as a phrase, not word per word. it also says not to read aloud mentally pero kasiiii i find it better to read that way, the slow way, the word per word way, cos that way i get to bask in a plethora of words and engulf myself completely in that alternate universe the book offers. i hardly get that by reading fast. i hardly read fast anyway. haha. 

what i'm saying is, take time with your book. who cares if you're a slow reader? there's no pop quiz after.

on the other hand, reason why i'm temporarily giving up on City of Bones: ANG LANDI KASI! well sorry na, maybe i'm not so all-over this young adult genre. pero honestly ah, i was caught with the world building. i was interested on how their "underworld" will unfold slowly as the story progresses pero naman kasi i'm so over teenagers being so teenybopper with each other. pwede naman unimplied na lang yung romance which is waaaay waaaay better than affirming your unsuspecting hormones about a romance bound to interrupt the book's "world engine" (in reference to man of steel! haha). argh. 

all right, back to work. woot! it's 5% friday! LOL

34th Manila International Book Fair!

late post! came to the last day of the 34th MIBF with dan and edlaine! super bad weather buti na lang we were still able to enjoy it!

ang saya saya lang! wala lang, i really came to buy a bible and i'm happy with my purchase! secondary na lang yung makabili ng other books though i was nagaalangan pa kasi i hardly read books na. whenever i think of hoarding a lot of novels, i always think na errr may ebook naman eh! libre pa! haha

moa arena view from the parking lot (wala lang! haha)

anyway, national bookstore and fully booked offered most of their novels for 20% off! that's kinda big for really good titles but it's still bordering on the mahal side, so nevermind na lang ako. 

so i bought a bible, came in line for freebies (shempre! di pinapalampas yon! haha), took plenty of cosplay pictures, and hoarded books at the CSM booth! 

all from CSM (except for the clutch bible)

great titles huh? by the way, i'm selling these! just head over to my ebay page at http://myworld.ebay.ph/melodia04 and see my items for sale! 

with Misa of Death Note

there was a cosplay event at the upper part of SMX so we all took the chance to take home lots of pics with uhm, cool cosplayers. anyway HAHA i was never a fan of cosplay kahit na mahilig ako sa anime noon cos most of them look pilit. you know naman how judgmental i am. shempre in order to get our attention you have to be artistahin to really carry a character. it's not just about costume. yung iba nakakatawa na lang eh. hehe

spotted! ramon bautista and jun sabayton 

on the way out we spotted sir RB and jun sabayton! sobrang kulit! they already stopped accepting papictures kasi siguro pauwi na sila and mukang RB was with his girlie pa yata. kaya yun, group picture na lang. haha 

super duper enjoy day! dinner at ate fe's kitchen and desert at iscreamist after! 

2 sisig, lechong kawali, corn soup and chopseuy! busog sulit!

 first time at iscreamist! ang mahal pala don HAHA

orayt! the end! thank you Lord!

[reaction] the fault in our stars by john green

oh i've finally finished reading. first of all i had quite a number of expectations because

1) a lot of my facebook friends are reading it, attempting to read it, or showing an interest with it
2) it looks like a chick flick (the cover at least), which i assume is easier to read and will not take up much of my time, plus i love reading flicks and finally
3) it's turning into a movie, so i guess it must be something, eh?

after 200 pages i told you how i felt about it, how i was about to cry at what i could be reading in the future. in short, it was that compelling. BUT eventually i got bored, confused and i felt anxious about these dying kids pretending to be deep when in fact they're as selfish as any non-sick kid out there. lol

it annoyed me how i cannot distinguish hazel from augustus, even though they're not alike in terms of character, because they talk alike and use the same level of english, same construction, and same playful use of adjectives. it seemed like i was reading a monologue most of the time. it's like i'm just reading off of the author's head and not of their 2 independent thought clusters. it's hard to follow who's talking when i'm faced with just a series of open-close quotes with no he-said she-said. urgh. van houten also follows closely in this list of overly contrived characters. i mean, i get it, i get the difference between the characters but that's only because it is described there that hazel is a girl, gus is a boy and van houten is an old fat guy. i had a hard time creating a mental profile of the characters based on how they converse. i hope you get my point.

i like discovering characters not as they are described narratively but rather as the author puts words into their mouths. and on that part, i was pretty disappointed.

i also didn't like that they made out. as sick dying teenagers i thought they had a much deeper appreciation of love making. it felt unromantic when they did that. then again, that's just my cultural point of view kicking in.

hmm, i'd say that for an attempt to turn a usually superficial first-person teenage flick about dying kids into a profound life-examining death rant, i'd give john green two thumbs up. except that i find it too trying-hard for 2 teenagers to talk too much metaphorical sense. i admire the overall thought of the book though, the depth in which it mirrors life and death in the tongues of 2 non-adults is impressive. plus, it's a funny book considering how sensitive the topic is.

and finally, this isn't a negative review (err maybe?)... more of a reaction against my preferences in plot+style balance. in any case this won't hinder me from reading more of green's works. hehe >:D

halfway through The Fault in our Stars by John Green

i'm halfway! i'm halfway! this is probably the farthest i've gone reading ever since i started working, and that's almost a year ago already (btw, i'm nearing my 1st year anniv as a working girl!). i'm even afraid to share it too early cos i feel like this blog curses my reading sessions whenever i share about em, making me not finish the book at all. anyway, the illustration above is really cute, right? >XD credits to whoever made it!

a lot of people have been raving about this, so i thought i'd download an ebook. and so far, so great! i thought it was just another flick but on the first few pages i already wanted to cry. not because of what i read but because of what i could be reading soon... say, a hundred pages from now. i have a tendency to predict flicks, but they don't necessarily make me expect anything. it's just that what i've predicted makes me want to read further and further until i give justice to my premature tears. okay, that's actually an expectation haha.

i'm a fan of tragedy, what can i do? not that i want it to be tragic, but that's how i imagined it to end anyway. hehe

246 pages more! >XD

50 shades of what?

i was curious about this whole grey thing so i decided to download the trilogy as ebook. oha. that's probably my last confident download because of that bullshiz of a cybercrime law. then again, with a self-serving law like that which only protects its proponents, i believe they wouldn't care about small bloggers like me. HAHA and come on, i don't even think our country has enough technology to actually chase criminals online.

back to grey. note that i'm not finished the book yet hahaha. hmm, the first few chapters actually bored me. maybe it's because i've read tons of romance novels involving ultra rich and obnoxious hunks paired with young insecure and dead smitten girls. i didn't like how the 'love' story started... parang love at first sight lang sya ewww. it's like mr. grey instantly liked ms. steel without any clue on what's so special with her. puro given lang! the development of their feelings lack detail and progress. i didn't even like ms. steel's character, it's full of vanity and boredom and she's totally not lead girl material. as far as i have read, the only thing that probably carried this book off the shelves is the, as they put it, porn. WHICH i might say, is freaking overrated!!! seriously, i've read better lemon fanfics. come on. i'm disappointed, this book doesn't deserve the attention it's getting. or maybe it's too early to judge? k.

Paulo Coelho the Complete Collection FINALLY!!!! >8D

i'm broke, so what the hell. when i got home i felt pretty bad that i swept off a large amount of money for this. so i logged on to ebay to list the bookset. LOL i'm selling it!!! since i got it on 10% discount i could sell it for less than the original price and still get profit, but as i list down the particulars i.e. the book titles, i figured hey, i've been wanting to reread the alchemist and veronika decides to die! i haven't read brida! they say devil and miss prym is a good read! the witch of portobello alone is expensive! I CAN'T AFFORD TO SELL THIS. not when my heart breaks as i put them on auction.

i may have lost money, alright, but i couldn't have gotten a better deal. i may be a bit regretful about this super impulsive purchase but i realized, i've been wanting to buy this all along! i just never thought it's gonna be on this day. so i guess it wasn't really an impulsive decision.

Lord, i need a bigger shelf! >8D
yehey! time to cover these babies! >XD >XD >XD

books online!

the book i ordered on ebay finally arrived! it's a second hand copy of All American Girl by Meg Cabot. it's a favorite one of mine, and is the first ever book i read in a single sitting. been wanting to have my own copy hehe.
i'm totally getting the hang of buying books online, they're cheaper, for one! course, it doesn't matter if they're second hand, or even third as long as it's readable, and in good condition.

the thought of reading excites me a lot. if only i have a pretty couch in my room then i'd be more inspired! tamad e! the problem is, i forget everything i read! so i want to reread everythiiiing. as in, every single book in my shelf right now. also! whenever i wanted to read, the urge to doodle always kicks in. so note to self, if i plan on reading, bringing a book alone will do. no emergency ballpens, or paper. just a book. okay, maybe a ballpen cos you'll never know when you need to write! like when an emergency situation comes around that requires writing. like, uhm, weeeell. a ballpen is a staple item in my bag.

so here's yet another attempt to create a "progressive" reading list. course, knowing me (and this blog's to-do curse). i'll just stare at them.

on second thought, i'll just tell you when i've read one. haha

time for chuck! >:D

wrong about Flipped (spoiler alert)

at first it didn't quite interest me, but when i came reading towards the end, the seemingly shallow pseudo-love affair between bryce and juli became totally engaging because of uhm, the conflicts with their families. i thought it was all about how juli pursued bryce with all the positive energy in the world and even to the point of embarrassment. the story wasn't flipping enough AT FIRST. that's until juli came to the point of hating bryce because she finally discovered how much he's such a jerk. i loved juli's character for being so honest and straightforward and kind. i loved her more when she realized that bryce isn't worth her attention at all. then i loved her best when she gave the boy another chance at the end..... 'to be seen in a different light', as she puts it.

the thing about the basket boys sounded too flick-ish, like i'm watching straight from an overrated teen movie. right, it's a teen novel, i forgot. but anyway, it's a good thing juli broke from that almost-kiss. i would've hated her (a bit) if she gave in to her feelings hahaha. what's with me and my fancy for hard-to-get girls? lol. hmm, another thing, bryce being the it-guy seemed all too weird to me. he's a wimp. i didn't like his character until he decided to change, for juli. awww. the best thing bryce did in the book was when he planted a sycamore tree on the baker's lawn. WAHAHA that was pretty touching, coming from a totally good-for-nothing character. yeah

what i learned from the book? NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER, pertaining to guys though. and i meant it the other way around. don't put too much regard on looks cos once you get to know them for real, you might get disappointed. oryt. that's all. bryce granddad said something nice too, it goes somewhat like this...

sometimes, the whole is less than the sum of its parts.

i haven't gotten around into thinking about it cos i still don't get it. but it's a pretty cool thing to ponder upon, mathematically... cos it's like a riddle. and i've got an answer for it. LOL it's like, 1 + (-1) + 2 + (-2) = 0
there are 4 parts to the left side of the equation but the sum is still 0. HAHAHA i'm probably not making sense. sorry.

or maybe what his graddad really meant was, BRYCE is not worth it. like, there's LESS to him than his bright blue eyes and sharp jaws and shiny hair. he's a jerk inside, is that it? hm. i think so.

alright. next: THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak FINALLLYYYYY >;D

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during my siesta, i dreamt that i was working for the FBI. >8D i have this classified brown envelope with an FBI seal, and i was working at our basement, using this laptop. God knows what, but my dad's into it too. COOOOOOL

blow me away

chick lit still owns me, after all. it's the only genre i could finish reading in a single sitting. actually i've just finished reading Confessions of a Shopaholic (ebook) and i liked it! well, writers of this genre have the same style, which makes it easier for us readers to just grab a book by the shelf and not worry about getting uncomfortable (and bored) with unique sentence structures... blah blah blah, weirdly i get affected by stuff like that. i don't even care if people think i'm reading books for the dumb... well it makes me laugh, no other book can make me laugh like i do with flicks. hahaha anyway, i'm a sucker for romance, especially when reading chick lits wahahahaha because it always seems comedic and romantic at the same time. lol my giddy hormones are erupting like crazy on the last part of the book where Rebecca and Luke was dating. wahahaha

Luke Brandon, is such a handsome name for a guy. fares almost like Clayton Westmoreland from Whitney My Love (Judith McNaught). those types of names just get automatically associated with multi-million companies and luxury cars right? whew. rich sounding names!

right. i have a class in one and a half hour.
and when i get back i'll download the sequel. haha

the graveyard book - neil gaiman ++ colorgenics profile

it was a very interesting read! even though it took me months to finish it cos i could hardly finish a book in a single sitting nowadays, the interest was sustained. >:D

i could imagine this book being turned into a movie. hahaha [spoiler alert] --- i liked the book because the narration of the setting is so vivid, it also helped that it's illustrated, i could imagine the old graveyard, the hill, the sneer, i can even roughly sketch the characters based on the book. anyway, the story was cool.. LOL i can't explain it... the ending was sad though... >:( but it's ok cos it's what added to the story's distinct charm. it was written for kids so hurray for me not having to grab a dictionary or do some serious context clues-ing!

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on another note, here's something i tried at: www.goldinuniverse.com

my Colorgenics profile:

You are tending to pursue your objectives with concentrated intensity and it would seem that whatever obstacles may come into your path, you will stick to your guns and will not allow yourself to be deflected from your purpose. You are striving to achieve recognition and what is more - you deserve it.


You are very talented, imaginative and sensitive but you are holding back as you do not really like going it 'on your own'. In preference you would like to team up with someone, someone with similar attributes as your own, to explore - to seek out and go perhaps 'where no other man has trod before'. It is the unusual that attracts you and which will give you a sense of excitement and adventure.


You are a rather inhibited sort of person. This could be the result of your upbringing or of your schooling, whatever. You are able to obtain satisfaction from various forms of physical or emotional activity but all in all you are inclined to be emotionally withdrawn. As a consequence of this you find it difficult to sustain any deep involvement.


It is said that we are all influenced by our environment and indeed you are no exception. It would seem at this time that even though you may be surrounded by people, you are experiencing an inner loneliness. Fortunately you are sufficiently strong minded to realise that life has a great deal to offer you and that you may miss your share of experiences if you fail to make the best use of every opportunity. You therefore pursue your objectives with a fierce intensity and are prepared to commit yourself deeply and readily. You believe that whatever you would like to do or think 'you can do' - you do! It is because of this attitude that you may be considered by others as arrogant and even conceited, but its fair to say that whatever it is that you really want out of life you will put your heart and soul into it and will not take 'NO' for an answer.


The fear that you may not be able to fulfil or realise all of your ambitions makes you work and play hard. The thought of being prevented from achieving the things you want leads you to play your part with frantic fervour.