Being the loser that I am, I did not catch on the Twilight bandwagon early and instead decided to take my own pace as I try and read all the books in the Twilight Saga.
I've already reviewed New Moon in this blog, but I was at a loss to review the first book, Twilight.
Anyway, in the third installment of the series, it chronicles Bella as she tries to choose between Jacob and Edward on who should own her heart.
The first part of the tale also covers a back story on Edward, Jasper, and Rosalie, which was most interesting, and definitely worth pondering upon.
The latter part, ugh, it was one of the most excruciating reads of my life. It dragged on and on and on. I didn't want to know the full details of how Edward and Jacob were playing mind games just to win over Bella. Nor did I need to know how selfish Bella was when she was asking Edward to stay by her side. Nor was I amused about how Bella started using "Please?" to get whatever she wanted from Edward. Ugh. Pathetic.
To be honest the writing was definitely not something to be also amused about. I feel a fifth grader could write better plot lines and story twists than this.
Well, there was a bit of action in the book, maybe centered in one chapter. But most of it was "missed out" because the bulk of the action was handled by Edward's family & the wolf pack at some other clearing. It was narrated briefly through Edward's communication with the wolf pack through *gasp* his mind-reading skill.
I sure hope the movie is better than the book though. For one, it should feature more action sequences and definitely should focus on the vamps and werewolves more. Bella is just plain boring for me. It's really painful to read through her point of view as it contains nothing but Edward, Edward and Edward.
Seriously, can a girl ever be that pathetic? To only just want to be the damsel in distress all the freaking time? Is one ever that accident prone and has the worst luck in the world? Gah.
I am seriously not amused with this book.
Nevertheless, I will continue to read on the fourth book in the series, "Breaking Dawn." I do hope it will be so much more interesting than this third installment.
I would give this book a 2/5 rating. I'd read better books but this one has its ups as well.
Sometimes I wonder why I even bought this book in the first place. Is it about the hype that surrounded it? Perhaps so. Or maybe it was because of the vamps and werewolves. It cost me P260 pesos from National Bookstore [I got it at a 20% discount]
So far, my personal ranking of the Twilight Books are as follows
1) New Moon -- because there was a character development in Jacob, and the tale was quite amusing [the Volturi part in Italy, Jacob's transformation & love, good, good]. 2) Eclipse -- just because of all the back stories 3) Twilight -- the first book is the worst of all. I can't even bring myself to blog about it because it bored me half to death. I had to stop for a few months and go back to it because I just couldn't stand not finishing a book.
I am a wee bit bored and tired from last night so I might as well lighten things up with a blog post to release some of the stress and tension from my little brain lol.
So, last Wednesday, my friend and I saw (500) Days of Summer in the cinema. It was shown a few months ago in the US and some other countries and I have no clue why it took so long to show it here in Manila.
It stars Joseph Gordon Levitt (I loooooved him in 3rd Rock from the Sun. It's one of the best telly shows in the 90s IMO) and Zooey Deschanel (who I think looks like Katy Perry and she turns out to be Emily Deschanel's little sister!)
Anyway, on to the story. It;s a story about Tom, and how he chronicles 500 days of knowing, dating, and getting over Summer, a girl whom he thinks is "The One" for him.
It's a typical chick flick, although presented in such a non-linear way [ie first scene may show day one, then the next would show day 100+ ] throughout the movie. I also loved that there were some scenes show in parallel -- ie the scene of what really happened & in half the screen, shows what Tom had pictured the scene to happen in his mind.
Anyway, unlike typical chick flicks, the story did not really have that happy happy ending where the hero and heroine would get back together and live happily ever after. No, no. It just goes to show that the movie is [un]predictable in some aspects and makes you wonder what surprises the next scene would bring.
I think it's like an independent movie, but maybe it was just presented that way? I honestly have no idea.
So, would I recommend watching this movie? Yes! Definitely. But it's not something you'd watch over and over and over again, unless you're a superfan of Zooey or Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
On other movie news --- I've just seen a rerun of Notting Hill on the HBO a few days back and I bawled. That, on the other hand, is my favourite movie of all time. Hands down.
On bookish news -- I'm nearly finished with Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer [yay!] and halfway through Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone. I hope to put up the reviews on it very, very soon. I've done much reading on these two during the readathon.
On other books? Well, I'm currently juggling reading 7 books at one time, so forgive me for the lack of bookish updates.
Which reminds me that I have a backlog of travel posts as well.
So, the readathon officially ended an hour and a half ago.
Now I'm trolling around the internet, trying to find something else to do. Lol. How pathetic am I? :P
It was my first time to do the readathon, and I was surprised it was so much fun! And here I thought it was going to be all stressful as I try to read page after page of books, and trying to "compete" with other readers in trying to read books but it didn't turn out that way at all.
I enjoyed being a cheerleader -- I managed to visit some websites that I didn't know about and also getting a peek in how other readers were progressing in the readathon. I managed to find out books that I had no clue existed in the first place, and also take a peek at some upcoming releases in the latter part of 2009 and in 2010. Amazing.
I also managed to take part in some of the mini-challenges. I love the way my heart thumps faster than normal as I try to post in my answers in the fastest time possible to get back to reader and/or cheerleading. It was fun stress! lol.
So, here are my final stats from the readathon. I'll look forward for the April leg, I just hope that I would be free on the day they schedule it.
Pages read - Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer - 36
Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone - JK Rowling - 124
Kissing Games of the World - Sandi Kahn Shelton - 6
Pride & Prejudice - 2
Total number of pages read - 168 [hmm... okay then. others have read 1000+ pages but to each their own. I am a really slow reader anyway]
Mini challenges completed - 14
Prize won - One! A random cheerlead prize. Wheeee!!! My first prize ever from the readathon -- and since I've started cheering as well! teehee.
Number of other sites visited/cheered on - 31, I think? I don't really remember since I've only kept track during the third hour! teehee. *blush*
Overall, the readathon has been a success for me. Wheeee!!!
It's nearing the last few hours of the readathon and I am now in the mood for some mini-challenges! :) Having done my errands for the night, I am free until 8PM Manila time to read like crazy [cramming] and also participating in last-minute mini-challenges.
This is hosted by Princess Bookie and I should jot down 8 of my favourite things. Here goes.
1. My mum <3 2. Goofy, my little doggie, whom I treat like my own baby 3. Money, money, money, and lots of money. 4. My house. I <3 it. I grew up in it, and houses all my stuff, my mum, and my baby Goofy as well. 5. Our car. It's old now, but I still <3 it. 6. Travelling. [Not a thing? Hmm... maybe different countries then?] 7. Concerts and events. I really, really love them. 8. My laptop! What else? :)
** Could the list go infinitely? I would put in my mobile phone, dvds, music, and so much more ***
Click on the read more link below to see all the contents!
HOUR 12 - 7AM Manila time
So, I woke up at 7:30AM [Manila time] with my mom and my dog out the garden, playing. I've slept for 5 hours [not bad at all], and I'm completely refreshed and am continuing reading Harry Potter. What else did I do? oh. I read some posts whilst I was asleep and opened my mail and read twitter. Normal internet stuff. Maybe later I'll cheer lead again but I've got to catch up on my reading first!
Many thanks on all those who commented on my other post. Will reply as soon as I can :D
Book I'm reading now: Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone
Pages read - Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer - 25
Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone - JK Rowling - 68 and counting
Total number of pages read - 93+
Mini challenges completed - 7
Prize won - One! A random cheerlead prize. Wheeee!!! My first prize ever from the readathon -- and since I've started cheering as well! teehee.
Number of other sites visited/cheered on - 18, I think? I don't really remember since I've only kept track during the third hour! teehee. *blush*
Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now?
Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone - JK Rowling
Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
Kissing Games of the World - Sandi Kahn Shelton
Pride & Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. How many books have you read so far?
None, as I said before, I read very slowly :P
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
Hopefully finishing Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?
Not really. I'm going out later so I'll just read audiobooks in the car or while running errands, and read physical books while waiting for my mom
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
Does eating count as an interruption? I don't really have interruptions. It's just me, my PC, my bed, and a stack of books beside me.
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
That it's stressful but fun? lol. I actually won a prize, which was also a surprise!
7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Not really. Keep it going, I love the readathon :)
8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?
I'd probably store up more audio books, it's very useful! Plus, maybe some really thin novels as well. I don't really have any thin novels so I can't complete a book within an hour or so.
9. Are you getting tired yet?
Nope, I just woke up! :P It's 8 in the morning here in Manila
10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
Whilst cheerleading, it's fun to "read" audiobooks. That means you're reading and cheerleading at the same time! Multitasking! :D
HOUR 13 - 8AM Manila time
Okay. My first distraction. After eating breakfast and catching up on posts, my dog suddenly whimpered and wants to go out and spend time with me. I couldn't say no, so I went out and played with him for a while. :)
Now back to reading and the stats:
Book I'm reading now: Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone
Pages read - Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer - 25
Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone - JK Rowling - 71 and counting
Total number of pages read - 96+
Mini challenges completed - 10
Prize won - One! A random cheerlead prize. Wheeee!!! My first prize ever from the readathon -- and since I've started cheering as well! teehee.
Number of other sites visited/cheered on - 22, I think? I don't really remember since I've only kept track during the third hour! teehee. *blush*
***ENTRY TO MINI-CHALLENGE*** Okay. This is an entry to the musical mini-challenge.
This is the song I remember whenever I "read" books. Well, simply because it has the words "read between the lines" in the lyrics lol. Anyway, it's from my favourite band, Boys Like Girls, and the song title is "Up Against the Wall"
HOUR 14 - 9AM Manila time
Book I'm reading now: Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone
Pages read - Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer - 25
Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone - JK Rowling - 81 and counting
Total number of pages read - 106+
Mini challenges completed - 14
Prize won - One! A random cheerlead prize. Wheeee!!! My first prize ever from the readathon -- and since I've started cheering as well! teehee.
Number of other sites visited/cheered on - 29, I think? I don't really remember since I've only kept track during the third hour! teehee. *blush*
HOUR 15 - 10AM Manila time
Book I'm reading now: Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone
Pages read - Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer - 25
Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone - JK Rowling - 81 and counting
Total number of pages read - 106+
Mini challenges completed - 14
Prize won - One! A random cheerlead prize. Wheeee!!! My first prize ever from the readathon -- and since I've started cheering as well! teehee.
Number of other sites visited/cheered on - 29, I think? I don't really remember since I've only kept track during the third hour! teehee. *blush*
***DEWEY MINI-CHALLENGE*** Without Dewey then the 24hour readathon would probably not have been conceivable in the first place. Many thanks to you. This readathon is in your honour. I haven't really known you personally nor had a correspondence with you, but your memory still remains.
HOUR 16 - 22 - 11AM-5PM Manila time
I will probably be offline, we're going to church, then the grocery. Right now I'm off to lunch. No cheerleading nor physical reading but I'm bringing my audiobooks along.
Have fun everyone :) Will post once I'm back online
HOUR 23 - 6PM Manila time
Book I'm reading now: Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone
Pages read - Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer - 36
Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone - JK Rowling - 85 and counting
Kissing Games of the World - Sandi Kahn Shelton - 6 and counting
Pride & Prejudice - 2
Total number of pages read - 129
Mini challenges completed - 14
Prize won - One! A random cheerlead prize. Wheeee!!! My first prize ever from the readathon -- and since I've started cheering as well! teehee.
Number of other sites visited/cheered on - 29, I think? I don't really remember since I've only kept track during the third hour! teehee. *blush*
HOUR 24 - 7PM Manila time
End of event meme -- quite sad that the readathon is now nearly over.
1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Hour 6, that was 2AM Manila time. I literally logged in to the updates and zonked out after reading a few lines in "Kissing Games of the World"
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? I am very biased to fantasy books, they normally interest me, so I would say the Charlaine Harris series, Harry Potter, The Twilight Saga. All right, I am also big on the popular title books. I haven't read that much titles yet to really recommend something that's not in the New York Times Bestseller list
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Probably more mini-challenges? That is definitely something that readers would need to at least preoccupy themselves while online and is a welcome distraction from reading.
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? It's well organized! The posts are on time, and there are numerous reminders also for cheerleaders. Not to mention the surprise draw of winners. That's always fun!
5. How many books did you read? I've tried reading 4 books, finishing none of them. LOL. But I did make significant progress in them.. Like in Harry Potter, I've finished more than 1/3 of the book. Something I would never have done on normal days [as I'm probably busy with work or watching the telly or something like that]
6. What were the names of the books you read? Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone - JK Rowling Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer Kissing Games of the World - Sandi Kahn Shelton Pride & Prejudice - Jane Austen
7. Which book did you enjoy most? Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone.
8. Which did you enjoy least? Pride & Prejudice. I had difficulty with the language, sorry :(
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? Go go go cheerleaders! Create a mini-list of blogs you'll want to visit and try and leave comments as much as you can :)
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? Oh, more than likely, if I'm free at the time! I would sign up again as both a reader and a cheerleader. They're good fun!
Book I'm reading now: Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone
Pages read - Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer - 36
Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone - JK Rowling - 106 and counting
Kissing Games of the World - Sandi Kahn Shelton - 6 and counting
Pride & Prejudice - 2
Total number of pages read - 150
Mini challenges completed - 14
Prize won - One! A random cheerlead prize. Wheeee!!! My first prize ever from the readathon -- and since I've started cheering as well! teehee.
Number of other sites visited/cheered on - 31, I think? I don't really remember since I've only kept track during the third hour! teehee. *blush*
***CLICK ON THE READ MORE TO SEE THE POST...*** ~This is a long, comprehensive post of all the hours I'd stayed up for the readathon~
HOUR ONE [8pm Manila time]
So I tucked in my audiobook of Eclipse [I had a drastic headache tonight, must have been after all the partying from last night] and since I logged on to the readathon page, there was a mini-challenge that I was keen to do.
Mini Challenge # 1
Where are you reading from today? I'll be reading from home, currently at my mom's bedroom since the internet speed here is faster than my room [currently using Wifi internet]
3 facts about me … I read very slowly I live in a third world country I love to travel
How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? Currently have less than 7, but maybe more as we go along?
Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)? Nothing much. I just hope to complete at least one book, I'll be very happy with that.
If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, Any advice for people doing this for the first time?
It's my first time!! :D
HOUR TWO [9pm Manila time]
Still "reading" [ie listening] to Stephenie Meyer's Eclipse. I am currently browsing through the blogs, and hopefully i'll continue to do so until around midnight [Manila time] tonight!
Mini-challenge # 2
So I joined another mini-challenge and it's about the readathon trending on twitter.
So here's the screenshot of my post as well as the trending topic in twitter. Awesome!
HOUR 3 [10PM Manila time]
Okay, so I've switched from "reading" Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer to "Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone" by JK Rowling. Still reading via audiobooks because my eyes and head are still hurting. And well, audiobooks give me a much better chance of multi-tasking than by reading physical or electronic copies of books. Good thing I stocked up on audio books then.
I've left off on Chapter 20-something in Eclipse whilst I'm on Chapter 1 in Harry Potter.
More updates to come!
I've joined in a few more mini-challenges too, one of them pinpointing my location whilst the others are commenting in the websites recommended by the readathon.
Done a bit share of cheerleading too.
My, this is hard.
I have to log out for now and change rooms. My mom is getting sleepy and I've got to relocate.
HOUR 4 [11PM Manila time]
So, I'm still on Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone. Pages read from the first three hours [including Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer]: 34 pages [I know, pathetic, right? But I had to eat at 8PM, plus move stuff around & do other chores, and cheerlead... all right, I'm rambling now].
HOUR 5 [12MN Manila time, October 25th]
Book I'm reading now: Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone
Pages read - Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer - 20
Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone - JK Rowling - 35 and counting
Total number of pages read - 55
Mini challenges completed - 4
Prize won - One! A random cheerlead prize. Wheeee!!! My first prize ever from the readathon -- and since I've started cheering as well! teehee.
Number of other sites visited/cheered on - 8, I think? I don't really remember since I've only kept track during the third hour! teehee. *blush*
HOUR 6 [1AM Manila time, October 25th]
Book I'm reading now: Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone
Pages read - Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer - 20
Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone - JK Rowling - 56 and counting
Total number of pages read - 76+
Mini challenges completed - 5
Prize won - One! A random cheerlead prize. Wheeee!!! My first prize ever from the readathon -- and since I've started cheering as well! teehee.
Number of other sites visited/cheered on - 15, I think? I don't really remember since I've only kept track during the third hour! teehee. *blush*
Okay, it's official: I probably won't be posting on hour 7 as my eyes are already drooping and I'll just read a physical book to get me to sleep. More updates tomorrow [Manila time] and hopefully more challenges to join in! Will be creating a new post tomorrow as this post is already too long!
Good night folks!
I never expected the readathon to be this fun :P Many thanks to all cheerleaders and other people who dropped by my blog during the first hours.
So, last Sunday, October 18th, I went to SM North Edsa's The Block atrium to catch a show by a new British band called Raygun.
Well, I don't really know them much, except that a good friend of mine is totally addicted to them [esp the bassist] and begged me to come. Well, since I had nothing to do that Sunday afternoon and I'm curious to see if this band is cute good, I am happy to oblige with her request.
I arrived at SM North around 4:15pm -- the show was at 5pm and I'm not really expecting it to start on time given that no one really follows the exact time here in the Philippines.
Calallilly [sp?] started the set by singing a few songs [not a big fan of them, sorry, don't know any of their song titles] followed by Raygun.
Raygun setlist [many thanks Dez!]
1. Can't say no 2. Rocketblast 3. Waiting in Line 4. Just Because 5. Lord forgive me 6. See you later
Just bloody 6 songs? Come on! The event was only around 30-40 minutes long! Meanwhile, enjoy some photos I shot at the event. There's probably gonna be more uploads once I have the time to upload them.
At the end of the concert, there was a meet & greet. Oh, I actually won a contest from a local music channel here in Manila and I got a free t-shirt and poster [which I got signed] from the band. I also got my photos taken with them too [but no, I'm probably not going to upload my photos with the band here].
The next day, the band went to a radio station. I was initially slated to go but since I've also got to work, I decided to choose the latter. Hey, I don't want to get fired! I need the money to pay off my bills & necessities lol. The band would have to wait.
Hopefully the band would come back. Until then, I'm off to enjoy my life! :D
Forgive my lack of updates recently. I've been ill last Friday and I've had a really packed weekend!
First off, this Saturday, I went with a good friend of mine to watch the Spring Awakening musical here in Manila, held at the RCBC theatre.
We're lucky enough to get good loge seats, and our view was excellent!
For those of you who are unfamiliar with this theatre production, Spring Awakening is a play first done in 1891 by Frank Wedekind. It was initially banned for show in Germany due to controversial topics [more about that later]. It tells the tale of a group of teenagers, mainly Melchior Gabor, the "perfect" student -- always getting good grades and is a role model to his peers, Moritz - the goof, he's tagged as a failure, and is very curious about women, Wendla - an innocent girl who eventually falls for Melchior, and Ilsa - she's the "rebel" -- she is living in the streets.
I loved this musical! It is absolutely fantastic -- the music was so good [it was written by Duncan Sheik], it had me singing the lines "blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah" after we have already left the theatre and was on our way to a second-hand bookstore. This soundtrack is currently on queue on my download list. The performances were great, but there were some downsides: 1. There are some scenes that got me all confused -- some characters did not have the proper closure that I expected [ie Ilsa and Melchior]; also the adult parts got me confused as well. Who's the parent of whom? If only one actor plays one female adult and one male adult, and you would only have one costume the whole play, wouldn't you get confused as well? 2. Not enough props -- there was a part where Melchior was supposed to be in a graveyard and there were tubes everywhere, but uh.. the Manila production didn't even have fake tombstones in the area.
Guess those are the downsides and ups for now.
Now, for those of you who are going to watch [in other countries, or for the next run of this play in Manila, whenever that may be], here's some things you have to prepare yourself for: *a bit of spoilers. Skip this part if you want to be totally surprised* 1. There's some instances of masturbation that were shown in the play. It's not the explicit kind, of course, but still, don't be shocked. 2. There's some breast & butt exposure [but I heard that there was nudity in the other country's version? can anyone verify this? I am off to surf reviews from other countries after I post this] 3. Suicide is tackled 4. They talk about sex 5. Male kissing is also included [yes, the homo kind, not the bromance kind] 6. Abortion
Overall, the play is very good, its worth my time and money. It's one of those plays that made the hairs at the back of my neck stand up. Good, good, good. Actors were also awesome [Joaquin Valdez is good as Melchior, but the dude that played Moritz? Hats off to you, you were also good as well], the venue is in the Central district as well so it is very accessible!
I think the last run of the play here in Manila was last Sunday, October 18th, but hey, here's wishing to another run!
After the concert, we went off to a secondhand bookstore, and I snagged myself a copy of "The Duchess" by Amanda Foreman. Whee!
Finally! This post was going to be posted a few days ago but I was having difficulty editing my blogger post!
After my last depressing blog entry, I decided to post a more happier one -- The 24 hour readathon! It's going to be next Saturday, from 24th of October 8pm Manila time till the 25th of October, 8pm.
I will be reading from 8pm-12mn [possibly even 1am], then from 9am till the evening. [minus a few other personal time as well]
Below is a list of books I hope to be reading during the whole readathon:
1. Cleopatra's Daughter - Michelle Moran 2. Angels & Demons - Dan Brown 3. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
My backup pile: 1. Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone - JK Rowling 2. Me & Mr Darcy - Alexandra Potter
It is quite a short list, given that I read very, very slow.
I will be posting updates through my blog or through my twitter account @rubyreads every hour, will be joining the mini-challenges & also cheering the other readers on *phew*
Not a book nor a travel related post. This is something more personal and maybe, music related.
I just need an outlet to post my thoughts and feelings about this issue so bear with me.
I got a text from one of my closest friends last Sunday, saying that Stephen Gately of Boyzone just died.
At first I was doubtful that this was true. Boyzone's manager was undeniably the greatest tabloid story maker of all time, going to lengths of exaggerating stories about the artists he manages.
But this time, the stories were true. He did indeed die tragically whilst on holiday in Majorca, Spain. Cause of death was still unknown.
So why am I moved by this death? Well, to be honest, Boyzone was a HUGE part of my life. I was around 12 when I found their music out, and was always listening to them whilst I was dealing with my father's illness, and eventual passing. I grew up with them, their songs always make my heart skip a bit, and since I was quite young when the boyz went to Manila and dealing with a loss of a loved one in 1998, I never got to see them live.
My mom tried her best to make up for lost time of me not being able to watch my favourite band on earth. One day, when I found out Stephen Gately was going to Manila for a promotional tour at the Hard Rock Cafe, my mom helped me secure tickets and even drove me and my best friend to the concert.
That was the first time I've ever seen Stephen Gately personally.
I want to upload the photos but I've got to find the hardcopies and the negatives first. In that day and age, there were only analog cameras. I was granted access to a press conference [God knows how I got in], and also front row seats in the performance. *sigh* Those were the days.
Stephen used to be my favourite member in Boyzone when I was younger until he was eventually overshadowed by Ronan Keating.
10 years on, in 2008, I was lucky enough to be sent on a business trip to London.
A few days before June 1, 2008, I was surfing the internet to look for concerts in London while I was around. Lo and behold, Boyzone were performing in Wembley Arena on June 1, 2008 as part of their comeback tour. [Another travel-related blog post will be uploaded within the next few weeks/days about my trip to Wembley]
I was a bit apprehensive at first since I've no one to go with but hey, I don't care if I'm alone. I've got the ultimate sign: I've got 6th row front centre block tickets during my last minute booking. See photo above on how close I was :D
I was shocked. I immediately booked it and well.... I got to see them live on June 1st, just a few hours after landing in London.
That's how big a fan I was.
High school friends, officemates, and other friends all left me messages about Stephen Gately's passing.
And I was deeply moved that they immediately thought of me after [well, being one of their biggest fans in the third world from grade school until now, who wouldn't forget me?]
It just goes to show how life is so short. :( There were so many people tragically dying in 2009. You don't really know when you're going to go.
So while the fate of the band is still in limbo, and whilst the rest of the boyz are still coping, we still have to move on right now.
Since I don't have any bookish related things to share, and since a friend of mine wanted me to blog about some of my travels, I might as well start off with a long overdue post from a trip to the UK last June-July 2008.
After a long plane ride from Manila to Dubai and finally to London, I landed on June 1st, Saturday, around 8AM. [More info in another blog post]
After resting in my apartment in Smithfield, unpacking and cooking my lunch, it was time to go sightseeing with my friends!
First up was North Greenwich.
** Map of the different areas in Central London's East Side. Taken near St. Paul's Cathedral by myself **
From Farringdon station, I bought myself an Oyster Card [tip: buy an Oyster card! It is accepted in the bus and the Underground and you'll get fares that are so much cheaper than the typical single fare rate]. I honestly have no idea which station or line of train we rode in and where we stopped! I was at a daze! I think we went down the Circle/Metropolitan line [again, I don't remember] in Westminster [or was it London Bridge?] but when we headed for the Jubilee line, we found out it was closed! Good thing there were free bus services that were shuttling us around the areas where the Jubilee line was supposed to service.
Note: If travelling in London, most underground lines or stations could be closed during weekends because they're under maintenance service. Before you enter the train station, always read the advisories first to make alternate routes. The underground station is quite confusing to understand at first, but every station has free maps in it, and most station has an interchange or another station within walking distance so you could easily find your way around it, easypeasy! :) Also take note that some stations or train lines close earlier than the others so do make your research and you'll be fine :)
We went down the O2 Arena.
Map of London's underground. Confusing? Not really. The different colours represent the different train lines and the circles are station names.
The O2 Arena is a large multimedia arena that used to be called the Millennium Dome. It is the venue for some of the concerts hosted in London. At the time I was there, The Osmonds were playing, and two days before were Boyzone [more about Boyzone later]. It was such a huge venue, it houses a cinema [called the Vue], an exhibition hall [called the O2 Bubble -- King Tut was exhibited at the time, it was actually their first exhibition in this venue, and again, this will be elaborated on another post], various restaurants and bars [Entertainment Avenue], and some other stores. Plus, the dome itself is very distinctive -- you could easily see it from aerial shots of London. *sigh*
There is no entrance fee to go around the O2 grounds, but separate entrance fees if you're going to watch a concert or go see an exhibition in the hall. If you're going to convert from peso to pounds, be sure not to be shocked at the prices cos some of them are absolutely outrageous! At the time, the pound-peso exchange rate was nearly P90 so do the math :P
** me at the O2 Arena **
After the O2, we also went around the North Greenwich area, which will be covered in another post!
One of the classic books from Jane Austen. The last time I actually read this book was in high school, for a book report from school.
And so I took out my old book from the shelf at the basement, and decided to re-read it for the October book discussion of my book club [well, the book discussion was postponed until November until further notice]
The basic plot of the book is simple: boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, girl rejects boy because she thinks him to be a pompous man, girl then thinks that rejecting boy was stupid, boy does everything to make it right for girl, girl realizes she loves boy, boy and girl meet again, confess their true feelings and live happily ever after.
Such is the story of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth is the second of five children, all girls, whom their mother has no real dreams but to have all five of them entered in suitable marriages with husbands that are rich, or have enough money on them. Mr. Darcy is born in high society, Elizabeth was just a simple girl who believes in falling in love before getting married. See the prejudice in the two different circles where Elizabeth and Darcy belong to.
It is such a quintessential fairy tale but is one of the most romantic love stories of all time. It's book has been in circulation for nearly two centuries already, could you believe it? In my book it says that its first printing was in 1813! My gosh. And it still continues to delight readers until today.
But honestly, it was one of the most boring books I've ever read. Ugh. Maybe it has got something to do with the "Old" English writing. The author tends to overexplain everything and was written in such a minute detail that it was enough to bore me to sleep not just once, twice, but many times as well. Oftentimes, I find myself being sleepy or drowsy just after reading 5 pages of it. It was such a painful book to read. *sigh*
But nevertheless the book has its ups as well, there were moments that were so sweet you couldn't help but ooooh and aaaahhh and imagine what is happening between Mr Darcy and Elizabeth at the time. I especially loved the scene at Pemberley! *sigh* Those are page-turners on my book!
This book has been translated in the book screen a few times already, but the only one I've seen was one where Elizabeth was played by Keira Knightley. If you found the book too painful to read as well, might as well watch the movie as it stayed true to the book and at least there, the visuals could help you imagine what's it like back in 1800s England, where there were no mobile phones, no airplanes, and each "love" would almost necessarily lead in a proposal.
Some of the characters are very, very irritating. I especially hated the character of Mrs. Darcy and Lydia. Ugh. Could anyone be more whorish? I couldn't believe that their mother would also go so far as to yak her way in influencing her children and who they should marry. Ugh. Such pretenses.
And yes, Mr. Darcy is the quintessential guy that every girl would like to be with forevermore. No wonder there are so many spinoff books that are coming out with Mr. Darcy's character in it [oh, which reminds me, the next book I have to read [aside from the review ones] should be a spinoff book]. My next read would be Me & Mr Darcy by Alexandra Potter. Watch out for my review here once I've finished the book. I looooove Colin Firth's portrayal of Mr. Darcy in Bridget Jones' Diary! [I have to read that book as well].
Overall, I'll rate this book 3/5. I would have rated it a 4/5 but the "Old" English really irked me off! There are some words I just don't understand [then again maybe my vocabulary isn't that vast?]
Read this book if: 1. You're curious about 1800s England and would want to know how people amuse themselves back then and how people courted each other then. 2. You're a masochist who wants to read novels in "Old" English [like me!] 3. You want to relive your grade school or high school days where you were forced to read classical novels in your English class and have to review them or answer guide questions to pass. 4. You're in for a good love story and want to dream of your own Mr. Darcy or Elizabeth Bennet 5. You have to read it for a book club 6. You're interested in where the spinoff books or movies got their inspiration from.
RandomHouse has been kind enough to provide 3 copies of Kissing Games of the World by Sandi Kahn Shelton. This book will be released on your bookstores by November 11th, 2009! [of course, that's the US release date.] Please read on below for the book summary and the giveaway information! So excited to read this book!
Book Summary:
If there’s one point that Jamie McClintock and Nate Goddard can agree upon, it’s that love is overrated. Jamie doesn’t have time for it. Nate doesn’t need it. And they certainly don’t want it from each other.
Jamie, a struggling free-spirited artist, is a devoted single mother who hasn’t been in a serious relationship since her boyfriend abandoned her after their son was born. Nate, a charismatic jet-setting salesman, is widowed and estranged from his father and five-year-old son, Christopher. Jamie would rather glue glitter to pinecones than go out on a date. Nate spends most of his nights wooing his clients. Then one afternoon Nate’s father drops dead of a heart attack. In that moment, their highly guarded worlds collide.
When Nate shows up at his childhood home to settle the estate and reclaim his son, he discovers that Jamie has been living in the Connecticut farmhouse as his father’s roommate. Mistrustful of each other’s motives, Nate and Jamie bicker about everything from children’s nicknames to Jamie’s fashion choices to Nate’s home renovation methods. It doesn’t help that Christopher prefers Jamie to his absentee father.
But after the funeral, Nate and Jamie begin to see each other in a more forgiving light. Nate, traveling to sales conferences all over the country with a sullen Christopher in tow, learns he can’t breeze his way through single parenthood. Jamie, who has moved back in with her sister, wonders at the wisdom of her unconventional choices as a woman with a child to support. And both begin to realize they don’t know as much about love as they thought. Still wounded by past heartbreak and sorrow, can they learn to trust each other and open their hearts?
Giveaway Info:
Sorry guys, but this is open only for US addresses only. For those overseas, you may enter if you have a friend or a relative with a US address who can send the book for you.
Giveway will end on November 10th, 2009, 11pm Manila time, [11AM EST] where I'll draw the entry and post the three winners in this blog! Fair chances of winning, right? Good luck everyone :D
To enter:
- For 1 entry, please comment below with your email address so I can contact you.
- For an additional entry, become a follower of my blog. If you're a previous follower, please let me know in the comments and you'll get the point
- For another additional entry, post this giveaway on your twitter, blog, forum, or as a sidebar. Please also let me know the site where you've posted the entry to :)
Three entries per person! What are you waiting for? :)
So I found out about the 24 hour readathon sometime early this year, but due to my excessively hectic schedule early this year, I decided to forego it. Lo and behold, they are having another readathon this October 24th!
It starts at 8pm here in Manila, and will end on October 25th, 8pm as well.
Now, I'm not much of a reader. In all honesty I prefer to watch telly shows, movies, and chatting, but then again when I look at the vast collection of unread books at home I realized that now's the time to actually participate and dwindle down some of the unread books I have.
I signed up for both a reader and a cheerleader. I read fairly slow so being a cheerleader will give me a much needed break to just surf and discover new blogs and hopefully new books to read as well.
Do I have a shortlist of books to read during this readathon? Well, I've got a few books that I've read a few pages of that would give me a chance to finish, hopefully.
Of course I wouldn't commit to the whole 24 hours. I need my 9 hours of sleep [its a weekend and I need to get much needed rest for a very busy weekday ahead], 2 hours for Church, 1 hour for lunch and dinner, and 1 hour for doing personal stuff.
So I could only commit 11 hours to the readathon but never mind, it's the thought that counts.
I encourage you guys to sign up as readers or maybe even as cheerleaders as well. As the post states, you don't really have to commit the whole 24 hours to the event =)
Figured I'd take a break from publishing a backlog of book reviews & travel updates to come up with a little meme!
**some of my makeup stash**
First off, I love, love, love, love to travel. Yes, I love to travel even more than I love books! My dream destinations are the UK [again] and Italy. One of my dreams is to go on a Eurotrip for at least 2 months, trying to explore every city I go along =) That will make me so happy! I LOVE Europe!
Another love -- stuffed animals and makeup. They make me so happy!
I also love concerts, music, theatre & events. Nothing like being invited in an event. Text or ring me up a day or two before an event and I'd definitely confirm!
**red panda from Ocean Park, Hong Kong**
Next. I love tv shows & movies. Equally as much as I love books! My favourites at the moment are True Blood, The Vampire Diaries and the Tudors. Maybe a bit of Gossip Girl as well.
And finally, books! My preferences are:
1. Books set in England, most specially in London!! There's nothing like imagining what's happening in the book & mixing it up with my own memories. 2.Historical fiction about royalty - Kings, queens, prince and princesses. oh my! The scandal and society! 3. Other historical fiction - what's it like living back then? But I mostly prefer European historical fiction [again, the bias for European stuff] 4. Paranormal - vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters. :D Immortals intrigue me. 5. Fantasy - a whole new world, anyone? 6. Autobiography/biographies - partial to british royalty, personalities, singers & artists. Mostly of the European kind too [except for Nick Carter] 7. Mystery - who killed whom? what's the backstory? I loved Nancy Drew when I was a kid and it passed on until now!
Lexi Smart was just an ordinary girl. She's 25, not that pretty, lives in a small flat, and has a loser boyfriend. Until one day, she wakes up, she's 28. She's had an accident and realizes her life is everything she's ever dreamed of: her handbag is Louis Vuitton, has a gorgeous, [not to mention, rich] husband, and is the boss in her department.
Just a catch though. She can't remember what had happened in the last three years of her life: how she met her husband, how she reached the top ranks of her firm. Nothing!
Until a scruffy architect shows up, and turns her world upside down!
Guess that's all the summary I could give without giving away too much spoilers :)
Thoughts: I initially borrowed this book from a colleague of mine from work. I am a huge Kinsella fan [ie Shopaholic series] and I am determined to read all of Kinsella's works because they are sooo hilarious and fun! Plus, a good dose of chick lit can definitely make your day! But honestly, this book didn't really make me laugh out loud [unlike Shopaholic] nor make me think "awwww....." as I was reading through the book. Jon definitely was an "awwww...." moment but that's it, nothing else.
I loved Eric's character -- he seems like THE perfect guy -- rich, with utterly gorgeous looks, successful. Turns out he has a bit of a square personality so moving on....
Apparently smell triggers a person's memory best! I totally agree with this.
Read this book if: - You're in a good mood for some light, chick lit reads - You love Sophie Kinsella and would just devour anything by her - If you are in a mood to dream and wish what it's like to be one of the ultra fab people - You're in a mood for a love triangle romance :D
I rate this book 4/5 -- definitely worth the time in reading it!
Okay, just an update for those living outside the Philippines: Last Saturday, our country was hit by a typhoon [a hurricane to those who live in the US]. We normally have five categories for storms: Signal # 1-5, which ranges from the wind speed brought about by the typhoon.
Manila was tagged under Signal # 1 last Saturday.
So to residents, it wasn't much of a big deal. We experience typhoons from June till September so it wasn't really that much of a big deal. Until the rains poured in. It started raining Friday afternoon, and it didn't stop until Sunday morning.
Apparently in a span of hours, the typhoon Ketsana dumped more rain in Manila than Hurricane Katrina & low-lying areas were immediately flooded.
What's scary was that the flood just came out of nowhere. Areas that never experienced flooding before were suddenly filled with water. Water levels rushed up quite quickly, it caught everyone by surprise.
Thankfully we're still okay. Our kitchen got flooded because the grounds outside cannot take the water in anymore, but we managed to get the water out of our house by Saturday evening. The outside of our village was knee-deep in water, and we never experienced that kind of flooding before.
Some friends got stranded, others tried their best to save what they had.
It was a good thing we had supplies of food. We lost electricity for a few hours but it was turned on again, which prompted us to charge our mobile phones and batteries for flashlights.
At the moment, there is another super typhoon that is headed to the Philippines, it will hit the Northern part of Luzon but it is expected to bring rainfall again. And to think that other areas still have floodwaters in the area.
I guess I could say that I am quite lucky. There isn't much damage to our house [except for a door that expanded with the flood water and can't be closed anymore], as compared to what my fellow Filipinos have suffered.
But like everything, we will rebuild and we are thankful that most of us are still alive.
Haven't been reading much books lately, so updates and/or reviews would be posted as soon as I can.
Thank you so much for all your overwhelming messages!
