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
