Our Saturday in Pictures

We slept later than usual since it was a Saturday.  We are looking forward to this day because it was our date for a movie, yes, The Twilight Saga:  Breaking Dawn 2.  My daughter and I trooped to a mall near our place and secured tickets for a mid-afternoon showing.  There were still long lines but manageable.

Still got a few minutes to kill so we did what we usually do.  Jeje time for mother and daughter. Strike a pose beside the movie's standee and in front of the huge mirror in one of the walls of the mall's tenant. :)

Taters popcorn and chips are our usual companion inside the theater.  I opt for barbecue flavor while my daughter goes for cheese flavored chips. We prefer iced tea and bottled water for our drinks. All set to see our movie once we have these little perks.

Above, my daughter lining up at Taters and posing at the mall's Xmas picture corner.

After watching the movie, we availed of the cinema's tie-up with Gelatissimo.  This tie-up has been on-going like forever. Haha. But I am not complaining.  I love Gelatissimo especially the belgian chocolate flavor. It's actually "buy one scoop and get one scoop". But come to think of it, that is not quite right. Coz I bought three scoops for my daughter, two scoops of chocolate mint and a scoop of belgian chocolate but the free is only one scoop of my choice of flavor.  But well, that's a hundred bucks I got for free if I am not mistaken. I will definitely clear this up when we get back. 

We dropped by Fully Booked to check if the last book from the Pretty Little Liars series is available.  Lucky daughter, the bookstore has stock.  She is on her 9th book now, Twisted, but one of the books seemed to be misplaced in another shelf, Flawless.

My daughter wanted a smaller bag which she can use on some days when there are only a few things she needs to bring to school. It was a pleasant surprise to know that the department store's bags section is on 50% off! We bought her a new cute bag. Next time I'll buy us both satchel bags. :)

Last stop was Classic Savory.  Since my daughter and I were still full from the day's lunch, popcorn/chips, gelato, I just decided to order pancit bihon guisado to go at Savory.  I wanted pasta but since it will be a Sunday  Pasta for me, I skipped that. I had a sudden craving for pancit bihon. My husband is not fond of pancit from Savory but I am. One order costs P195.00 and it's good for two to three persons already.  :)

Till next bonding time. :)

Movie, Books and Dining on a Saturday Afternoon

I have not been in this blog for more than two months! Being busy is not an excuse. Well, there is no excuse. But I meant to be back. :)

Yesterday, a Saturday, was bonding day for me and my daughter. I was really looking forward to it because I marked my calendar for the day to be our much awaited movie date. Her mastery examinations at school and the weekend should be relaxing for both of us. We watched The Perks of Being a Wallflower. We both love the book. I bought the book around 2000, maybe early 2000. I checked my book but unfortunately I was not able to jot down the date which I religiously did earlier in my early years of love affair with my books.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower circa 2000 

Anyway, last year or early this year, I handed over the book to my daughter. She learned about it I think because Logan Lerman will star in the movie. I let her read it and she loved it! Her best friend and one of her teachers borrowed it from her.

 A good book, or a good story, spans generations. From my generation, the Gen X to my daughter's generation, Gen Y or the Millenials, The Perks of Being a Wallflower appeals to us. We both love the movie too. Logan Lerman definitely fits the role of Charlie to a T! Emma Watson is beautiful. I really wanted to watch her apart from being Hermione Granger. She did not disappoint. But the best performance goes to Ezra Miller as Patrick, the transexual friend of Charlie and stepbrother to Sam (Emma's character). I now have a new favorite in the league of Cillian Murphy.

After watching the movie my daughter and I did a little shopping. Among other activities, this is one thing we love doing. On a general sense, what mother and daughter are not into shopping together? :) Starving we scouted for a restaurant. We don't have any dining place in mind.

We settled for Yoshinoya. I ordered for Gyudon. I must admit it does not look appetizing unlike how it is presented in Teriyaki Boy but I gave it a try. Hmmm, I didn't like it. It's not terrible. I just did not like it because I was hoping it will be at least somewhat like what we usually order at Teriyaki Boy. How do I describe the taste? It was like it only had a dash of soy sauce, a pinch of salt and it was served. It has nothing like the blend of Gyudon at Teriyaki Boy or Kimono Ken.

Gyudon (Regular), P115

My daughter ordered the Chicken Bento. The sticky Japanese rice was cooked well. The dessert - fruit salad - is also good, just like your normal, home made fruit salad. The mixed vegetables we did not touch. The four pieces of deep fried chicken is good too. I just don't know how it was a Japanese chicken when they tasted just like how I deep fry my chicken. :) It was good trying Yoshinoya but I don't think we will be back soon.

Chicken Bento, P159

Now, our favorite dessert the past weeks - brownies from Brownies Unlimited. We had our dessert there and I must say these brownies always satisfy us. :)

Box full o' brownies

Oh yes, finally, I have the book of Joel Osteen - I Declare. There was still no stock at Fully Booked but I saw it displayed at National Bookstore so we had to go inside and ask for a copy. I haven't started on this but of course, I will. I'm still in Paulo Coelho's Aleph.

I Declare! 

We went back to Fully Booked to check what notebook my daughter can buy. I think she got encouraged again to have a journal because of Charlie in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. :) I love this kimmidoll products. It's cute! I really want to buy more kimmidolls but they are pricey.

kimmidoll journal, Fully Booked

Busy writing on the first page of her new kimmidoll journal.

Our Saturday was really well spent. There's nothing in this world I love but being with my daughter. :)

Me and my daughter. :) 

HAPPY WEEKEND! :) 

The Hunger Games Trilogy

I am officially missing Katniss, Peeta and Gale. Even Cinna.

I finished Mockingjay yesterday, the final chapter of The Hunger Games Trilogy (written by Suzanne Collins). I know these books since they were released, from 2008 for the first book, 2009 for Catching Fire and around August of 2010 for the last book. Obviously I have not paid much attention to them until last December when my daughter wanted the books.

There were no single issue of The Hunger Games but they come in threes already. I bought the whole set for my daughter. I started reading it too. I got hooked.

Yes, this book is classified under the Young Adult (YA) category, roughly from age 14 to 21. But a middle-aged woman like me still loves this particular trilogy.

Why do I like it? Let me see. My thoughts are racing why I like these books so much I need to organize them.

1. Characters:
Katniss Everdeen's character is very interesting for someone her age who lived through poor conditions in a post-apocalyptic world. With a sister to take care of, a mother who seemed to withdraw from the world when their father died and an ugly cat who's another border in their house - she's both strong and vulnerable.

She poaches, she hunts, she trades in a black market, she manages her feelings for a certain boy. Stubborn, strong-willed for a 16 year old girl. She doesn't always make the best decisions but always manages to hold on and stand by her words and actions.

I am glad to note the writer did not make her a superwoman nor someone too pure and great but someone who shows her vulnerability, picks up where she messed up, plans another course of action, and do it.

The boys are there of course. I like Peeta Mellark for his being honest that it hurts. He bakes too! And paints and knows what to say and what not to say which makes him someone to lean on in times of distress. He's someone you look for when things are getting so chaotic.

Gale Hawthorne is the hunter, strong, good looking, fighter with almost the same family background as Katniss. I love his character in the way that he loves Katniss but not lovelorn. He lets go of the woman he loves knowing he is not the one she needs to survive. This he did with no drama. Letting go and moving on.

2. Setting:
As always, in every book I read, the setting plays a major part in my imagination. I get all the more enticed to read the book with how I imagine how the characters live and move in their houses, in their buildings or wherever they may be. In this case, in the arena where the hunger games are held. I cannot wait to see the Cornucopia in the movie version. How does the Capitol look like? The other districts? The whole of Panem?

3. Plot:
It's the plot where I got so really engrossed which also made me wonder why it's under YA category. The Hunger Games and later on in Mockingjay, Quarter Quell, leave nothing to your imagination the way battles are described. Your mind will see how it is happening. I mean it's very graphic your heart will race as to how this will end.

That's the reason why it's hard for me to put the books down especially reading towards the last part of Mockingjay. How on earth will this end? It's like there is always a cliffhanger. The author is very good at that.

For Catching Fire and Mockingjay, I can't seem to guess how they will end the story because the pages are thinning already but the story still does not suggest what is going to happen. As a reader, and I'm talking about myself here, I get to foresee or at least imagine how the story will flow. But with the two books I've mentioned, I was really waiting how they will hack it so to speak. In some books that I read somehow I know "oh it's bound to happen" (like Dan Brown books). But The Hunger Games trilogy excites me in this way, what will they do next?

Oh dear, I cannot wait to see the movie version of The Hunger Games. It's on March 2012. I love the preview.


I am not really keen on post-apocalyptic movies or television shows that's why I am surprised I love The Walking Dead and The Hunger Games. Well, pleasantly surprised. :)

Talking About Hobbies

As part of my hobbies I was supposed to share getting fit, going to the gym and browsing/preparing for more healthy foods for our menu. But I don't think they fit into a hobby. Hobby, as defined by dictionary.com, is "an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation". Health and wellness are my main preoccupation for almost three years now - a way of life.

So to make it simpler, let me share with you one of my passions which I have not outgrown - reading books. One thing that makes reading pleasurable for me is because I can have time for it even in an activity-packed day. It serves as my relaxation. I usually read at night until I fall asleep.

I have several favorite books which I read back, at least my favorite parts. Randomly, these are the books on top of my mind when I am asked what my favorites are:

1. Harumi Murakami's The Wind-up Bird Chronicle
2. J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye
3. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince
4. Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower
5. Ken Follet's The Pillars of the Earth (This has already been made into a mini-series by HBO. I can't wait to watch it.)
6. Douglas Coupland's Generation X
7. Patrick Suskind's Perfume (But I have not watched the movie yet.)

I also have a lot of inspirational books both spiritual and about leadership. I used to buy a lot of books which delves into esoteric, astrology, meditation, about the earth and space.

When I was about 13 years old, I bought my first book on space - about the black hole. This I clearly remember. I bought a book about meditation, maybe when I was about 10 years old, and when I handed it to the sales lady, she was dumbfounded. Like, "huh, you read this? You should be reading Archie" (which I do read by the way).

My favorite writer is Mr. Haruki Murakami. His writing is quite convoluted - in a good way - it keeps you enthralled and makes you ask yourself what is next, how come, where to. You need to have a lot of imagination...and patience...but you will be surprised you will be wanting more of his words page after page after page. His writing was described as humorous and surreal. I love the way he composes his words like they just flow and you get caught up with the way he creates his characters, wistful.


I used to cover my books with plastic cover but I don't do that now. A little more trivia with my books...
*I highlight every passage or quote I love.
*I keep the price tag. I am amazed at how books gets so expensive through the years.

There are some books I did not buy but read them online, thanks to scribd.com. I read all the Twilight series through a link provided by Mo Twister in his blog years ago. I also read Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol thanks to the zipped file sent to me by my good friend, Julie. I have searched for Eat, Pray, Love and The Art of War in scribd. But these two I will buy. Yes, I have not read EPL yet. Haha.

Happy weekend. It's a rainy Saturday morning - great for a coffee and a good book.

More Mommy Moments at The Mommy Journey.

Pi, Jesse and Celine

I bought two books the other day, one for me and one for my daughter. I picked up The Life of Pi reading its brief write up from the back cover.

.....combining grand storytelling with a profound exploration of ageless themes: faith and truth, fact and fiction, man versus nature, and innocence and experience.....

I have known this book years ago, read a lot of blogs and forums talking about how good the book is. But for some reason I have always skipped buying this. I started reading the other night and I'm onto a few pages already. I never thought this book will entertain me.

I'm liking it so far.

"Fiction, the selective transforming of reality? The twisting of it to bring out its essence?"

*****



Last night I thought of watching clips from Before Sunset. Just because. This is one of my favorite movies of all time. This movie all started from Before Sunrise in 1995 I guess (or 1994, I'm too lazy to google). In 2004 they met again, about nine or ten years after. Ha! I had a post about this in one of my obscure blogs. I wrote.....

Can I stand a movie with only two characters just talking for an hour and a half? Yes - beautiful people talking about whatever comes to mind, exploring possibilities. Excruciatingly honest. Intelligent scriptwriting, effortless acting. And its setting, Vienna, is one of the most romantic places for me - walking on cobblestone pavements and beautiful landscapes.

Existential ennui, don't we experience that once in a while no matter how old or young we are. The movie could be a documentary of anyone's life, a life that comes across one's thought but maybe has no chance to explore, to dissect and to experience because of being too afraid of going down the train and wander and face the what ifs.

And then they meet again. And I like the ending. So much.

I read somewhere a part three is being considered. I don't know how it can be any better than Before Sunset. But I'd welcome a third. Let it be as real and as unfiltered as the first two. Real? The feelings Jesse and Celine presented to us are real for some people at least.

*****

My favorite exchange of dialogues.....

A transcript from one of my favorite moments in Before Sunrise.

Jesse: Alright, I have an admittedly insane idea, but if I don't ask you this it's just, uh, you know, it's gonna haunt me the rest of my life

Celine: What?

Jesse: Um... I want to keep talking to you, y'know. I have no idea what your situation is, but, uh, but I feel like we have some kind of, uh, connection. Right?

Celine: Yeah, me too.

Jesse: Yeah, right, well, great. So listen, so here's the deal. This is what we should do. You should get off the train with me here in Vienna, and come check out the capital.

Celine: What?

Jesse: Come on. It'll be fun. Come on.

Celine: What would we do?

Jesse: Umm, I don't know. All I know is I have to catch an Austrian Airlines flight tomorrow morning at 9:30 and I don't really have enough money for a hotel, so I was just going to walk around, and it would be a lot more fun if you came with me. And if I turn out to be some kind of psycho, you know, you just get on the next train.

Jesse: Alright, alright. Think of it like this: jump ahead, ten, twenty years, okay, and you're married. Only your marriage doesn't have that same energy that it used to have, y'know. You start to blame your husband. You start to think about all those guys you've met in your life and what might have happened if you'd picked up with one of them, right? Well, I'm one of those guys. That's me y'know, so think of this as time travel, from then, to now, to find out what you're missing out on. See, what this really could be is a gigantic favor to both you and your future husband to find out that you're not missing out on anything. I'm just as big a loser as he is, totally unmotivated, totally boring, and, uh, you made the right choice, and you're really happy.

Celine: Let me get my bag.

And from Before Sunset.

Jesse: Oh, God, why didn't we exchange phone numbers and stuff? Why didn't we do that?

Celine: Because we were young and stupid.

Jesse: Do you think we still are?

Celine: I guess when you're young, you just believe there'll be many people with whom you'll connect with. Later in life, you realize it only happens a few times.

Jesse: And you can screw it up, you know, misconnect.

*****

Checking Rotten Tomatoes, Before Sunset is at 95%, and Before Sunrise is at 100%. Wow, after all these years, the reviews are still so high. I just have to agree!

The Lost Symbol

Finally I've finished The Lost Symbol (TLS) by Dan Brown late last night. (Thanks to Julie for the book.) I often say that if you've ever read one or two books of Brown, you have read each of his books. You are just waiting for the catch. And you probably know what the catch is even before you reach the middle of the story. The clues in TLS book did not come right away but still, you can already predict long before or somewhere near the climax of the story.

I enjoyed The Da Vinci Code (the book, not the movie) but after that, everything else I read from his books is just too Dan Brown. Predictable. Formulaic. Too contrived. Add more synonymous words or phrases here.

As for TLS, it was a roller coaster ride for me. At some point I was bored, I got excited on a few. A lot of situations are just too forced. Some conversations to emphasize I-don't-know-what-point are just too long. They can actually be deleted. One example I can't believe Brown even included here is how Katherine, the Noetic scientist, was able to weigh the human soul. Geezaz. Right. The way it was delivered here was really mediocre.

The build up on the national crisis fell short. In these days when scandals of high profile celebrities and "important" people can be categorized as common, who else gets shocked in a magnitude that will stun the world as described in the book.

This Dan Brown book is actually a soap opera, a high tech soap opera. The climax was good. The mother in me was touched. That twist satisfied me though I already guessed what it could be while nearing that part of the story. I excitedly read on to see if my theory was right. I felt victorious, lol.

I cannot find any reason why such a respected, intelligent Harvard professor can be duped twice. One, a phone call from a supposed assistant of his mentor. Second, a police woman in a hurry informing him about the state of his friend. The situations are just too obvious not to be in doubt.

I cannot find any reason also why after such a heartbreaking revelation about Langdon's friend's son was suddenly set aside by everyone to talk about "the lost symbol". Recovery from the revelation was so easy, huh. I thought it will end there but there are still a few pages left.

I was waiting for this book to end. I was really interested with their conversation about the power of one's mind - what your mind can perceive, your body can achieve. But heck, it's just too long. I will gladly read The Secret again.

One engrossing part for me is how Washington D.C. and the Capitol building were described. Looking out for all those symbols and signs would be very fun.

I still praise the research mixed with fiction on how the dots connected but there were so many scenes are like a repetition of the previous scenes. Doubts, surprised reactions, being convinced...and the cycle goes on.

There are no new developments in this book. What could have been a great plot that should have been explored, exploited further is about Mal'akh. That could have been more interesting.

The Pillars of the Earth

This book gathered dust on my book shelf for maybe four or five years. It was given by one of my mentors in my former company. Colleagues almost always give me books since they know I read a lot. Some books I read right away but some I eventually forget as books pile up.

A few months ago I made an inventory of my books and thought of either giving away some or read them before I purchase other books again. I decided to read them all.

I mentioned to a friend some titles in my possession I have yet to read. She gasped when she heard about The Pillars of the Earth. She nudged me to read it right away. Guaranteed I won't be able to put it down. Still I put off reading because I bought two new books by Eckart Tolle - The Power of Now and A New Earth.

Until finally I was done with the two books, I decided to read first Ken Follet's The Pillars of the Earth among the books lined up.

How on earth did I let this great book be left out on my shelf? It feels like a sacrilege. Yes, it's true, every turn of the page made my heart skip - rich in detail, very engaging.

SETTING. It felt like I was living in the 12th century England, the century I am most fascinated about. I marvel at how detailed Ken Follet described the era and the life of the people at the time. I can see, smell, feel each house, each castle, church and market place.

The architecture was so vivid I get to picture on my mind how the construction was going on (with a little help from Google since some terms are alien to me).

I was also interested with the food the characters partake. It put a big grin on my face learning about what kind of food people eat during Medieval times. I try to imagine how they were - ale, wine, wheat bread, boiled bacon with small onion, bowl of beef broth. turnips, jug of golden beer, etcetera. Bread was the staple food.

CHARACTERS. I love the build up of each character. No character was wasted even if they just appeared in a couple of pages. All roles are significant in the story that is unfolding. Everyone was given his perfect time to shine (and their time to fall). Strength of character was deeply ingrained with the major characters but they are with flaws too that you get to identify with them at certain points.

I love how the author created the names. You will know the cunning Waleran Bigod, the caring monk Johnny Eightpence, cellarer Cuthbert Whitehead, the jongleur Jack Shareburg.

This book has Father Philip, Prior of Kingsbridge, as the great mediator. Of all the men in religious clothing, he was the most righteous. Probably 90% were depicted as greedy for money and power and unjust. On my mind I was saying it's a good thing there never was an issue with Ken Follet and the Catholic church when this book was released.

The women were either powerful like Aliena and Ellen, devious like Regan Hamleigh and powerless like Elizabeth and some other minor characters. The men had their virtues like Father Philip as mentioned above, Tom Builder, Jack, Francis, among others. But in almost all the critical situations, it was always the woman who made the resolutions successful.

PLOT. Intriguing. It is amazing how the events, the situations are neatly interwoven spanning over 40 years captured vividly in almost a thousand pages. The story and the characters are fictional (but most probably inspired by some real characters or at least impressions on them) with actual historical events as its backdrop.

It's message in a nutshell is evil will never triumph over good intentions. It's a story of love's enduring power over vengeance and greed. Cheesy the way I put it but it's a very engaging read.

This is the kind of book that I was raring to know what happens next but at the last leg I felt a pang of sadness because I don't want it to end. It felt like the book, the characters have lives of their own.

The Pillars of the Earth gave me more than a glimpse of the way of living in the 12th century. It was as if I was there, part of their story. I get so absorbed reading the book that it was like living at Kingsbridge for real and I personally know Jack, Aliena, the prior of Kingsbridge, Father Philip, and the rest of the characters.

Surprisingly when I read about some comments about the book, they also felt sad having finished reading it. I thought I was the only one who felt that way.

What book do I read now? I tried picking up some books but can't bring myself to read them yet because I am still feeling the high of The Pillars of the Earth. It's like anything at this point is incomparable with the excitement I feel whenever I read each page of Pillars.

You see I love the books of Haruki Murakami and Paulo Coelho. I cherish their books and reading them bring my mind and emotions to higher levels of imagination and feeling. But with The Pillars of the Earth, I just don't want it to end. I want to transport myself, go back in time and see everything that is hapening at Kingsbridge. I want to live in Medieval England.

I was more than glad to know that the television series of The Pillars of the Earth is currently in production to be released on 2010! Watching the clips made me more excited as they seem what I had imagined them to be. I am just so happy. I hope they will be true to what the book gave its readers. I hope the series will be grand, majestic and breathtaking.

Something About Books

I got the advise from Wifely Steps about her blog post on books through her plurk. I checked her blog about it and it made me excited to post about my book preference too. Here it goes.

1. What books are you currently reading?
I am still on Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth. I am rereading some parts. I would like to give my thoughts about what the book espouses in my succeeding posts.

2. What books are on your to-be-read list?
Oh, a lot! But I will start on Pillars of the Earth. This book was given to me by a colleague years ago. One of my friends had been nudging me to read this as this is one of her favorite books. She said I won't be able to put down the book once I started on it. We will see. :)

3. What book/s would you recommend?
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

4. What book made you fall in love with reading?
I love books since I was five. I remember borrowing my cousin's books for her English class when she was in fifth grade. I still remember the title, More Stories on Parade. That started my love affair with books.

5. Do you have a book collection you’re proud of? Tell us about it!
I have a lot of books written by Haruki Murakami. I love the way he writes. I walk through each page as if I am a character in his stories. My favorite among his works is The Wind-up Bird Chronicle.

Twilight, the Book

Finally I have read Twilight. I am so late I know but the hype did not really get into me even during the film's showing. I intended to buy Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse at the start of the Twilight cult. But these books were sidetracked by my resolve to start and finish reading first around six books gathering dust in my bookshelf. After doing that I got interested with Coelho's The Zahir and Eckart Tolle's books, The Power of Now and A New Earth.

I completely lost interest in the Twilight series. I find an overreaction to all that is Twilight. It was funny how even the thirty somethings go gaga over Twilight. It just could be too juvenile for me.

The film was released last week of November and somehow I wanted to watch it because I got intrigued with the mixed reviews over at Rotten Tomatoes. I am never influenced by movie reviews. I want to find out for myself. But I have to read it first. I don't want to buy the book though since I am not yet done with A New Earth. An e-book will do. I googled where I can download Twilight. Thank you to the very generous blogger I found on the net who posted all four books of the Twilight series for our downloading glory.

I started reading and after maybe five nights I was done. It did not beat my three day record though for Da Vinci Code. But I will definitely buy all four books. All I can say is Edward Cullen is very powerful. Now I don't blame the thirty somethings who are so into this Stephenie Meyer series. I am so into the Twilight saga now, a certified Twilight Mom.

Most women fall for the kind of man who is commanding, a little brusque but has a good heart, one who never leaves you. This is the Edward Cullen type. Seductive, mysterious, intelligent warm, beautiful, sincere, strong, authoritative but sensitive.....and I could go on and on. Perfect. (Bur a friend commented, this would be the most boring man he'd ever encounter...no challenge at all...that is funny.)

This book is popular, almost has a cult following, because it is nice to feel how an Edward Cullen loves and protects a woman. Twilight is definitely Edward Cullen. Not Isabella Swan. By the way, a good example to my tween of what not to be when the time comes that she falls in love is Bella. Not even with an Edward Cullen (or should I say especially not with an Edward Cullen).

Isabella's character was created to introduce Edward. To magnify the intensity of Edward. To make him like a god. He is the redeeming value of Twilight. And anyone who is reading the book can fill in the character of Bella and feel loved by Edward.

The story is a tug of war of feelings - to leave or not to leave, to let go or risk everything. There is nothing more. I was getting excited to the part when Edward and James (a bad vampire) will meet and give each other a good fight. Edward to the rescue of her damsel in distress. The fight should be exciting....but what the...? Where is it? It felt like the author cannot think of a better way to describe how James was taken over so the story was cut to a scene where everything's all right. This was really disappointing.

But I like it that vampires in Twilight do not sleep in coffins, can go out during the day, that they shine like diamonds when the sun strikes them. Wow, how magnificent! I want to see that for real.

During the time that the lead actor to play as Edward Cullen was being chosen, I rooted for Chace Crawford - the Nate Archibald of Gossip Girl. Robert Pattinson just doesn't cut it. He was fine as Cedric Diggory (Harry Potter) but I wanted Chace to have his big break. Haha.

Now that I've read Twilight and have watched the trailer, it figures. Robert Pattinson seemed to have given justice to the character of Edward Cullen. His personality matched the character. Chace Crawford, in my own humble opinion, is just too pretty boy to have managed a very intense role and he is not as tall as Robert. Robert may not be as good looking as his character was described in the book, but certainly, he has the aura of a perfect vampire.

Now I want to watch the film. I want to see Edward Cullen. Laugh Out Loud.

Ripples

Didn't I say I should postpone buying a book because I have not finished reading a few books which were given to me as Xmas gifts? Well, I did buy one. I want to read something inspiring. I need that right now. I just need to read something to perk up and soothe my senses. Am I saying something contradictory?

I have succeeded so far in balancing my life. It's not like before that work eats up most of my time. I feel good about that. I just need a good book now to relax me more.

After The Alchemist and Veronika Decides to Die, I thought I had enough of Paulo Coelho's musings. Coelho is a master storyteller no doubt as he can clearly strike your emotions, at least for a lot of people who reads his book. But after reading the two books I mentioned, it felt like I read self-help books about finding your destiny disguised as novels. So I stopped reading Coelho.

But I remember coming across a famous quote from one of his books which has inspired me a lot when I first read it.

.....it is important to let certain things go. To cut loose. People need to understand that no one is playing with marked cards, sometimes we win, sometimes we lose…Complete the circle, not out of pride, inability or arrogance but simply because whatever it is no longer fit in your life. Close the door, change the record, clean the house, get rid of dust. Stop being who you were and become who you are....

I have no idea what book this quote was from. What is Google for if I won't find this book. It's from The Zahir. That's the little story why I bought the book. A book about obsession. I am just on the first few pages of the book and I must say I am enjoying it. Or more appropriate to say, I am feeling it. They are poles apart but this is like the way I feel when I read Haruki Murakami. Every page seems alive and every words written I can visualize and react as if I am in the story. At least for now that's how I feel for the book. Let me see how this will go as I go on reading. The book do not have enough good reviews but I don't want my own judgment to be diluted by reviews.

Taking this a little further, I must say though that for now I must start refining, enhancing my circle, let the ripples grow and reinforce more positive vibrations. More freedom, more creativity, more passion.

Fully Booked

I was looking around Fully Booked when I saw Perfume, The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind. Suprised to know it's now a major motion picture. Or am I the only who doesn't know it's already a movie? But can't wait.

I read this book years ago and it's still one of my favorites. I bought it at Booksale. I learned about the book from one of Jessica Zafra's write ups in Woman Today. That was maybe late, late 80s (I have to emphasize on the "late, late) or early 90s.

I often refer to Zafra's book recommendations before I buy. True enough, Perfume is different, with a surprised ending. It makes me puke till now but its unconventional ending is one of the highlights of the book. Anyway, I bought it around P35.00 if I remember it right, it's nothing
beyond P50.00, that I am very sure of. Hah, that's a great buy then. It
costs P599.00 today. But well yes, considering how long ago it was...

This was how it looked then, embossed and all, so 80s ba? I've kept it as I've kept all my books, the pages are already yellowish.

And this is how the book covers look now. What can I say, they are great!!!

My Library

I've signed up in Library Thing. It sure helped me catalogued my books. I don't know if this happens to you but there are times when I am in a bookstore, I get lost with what to buy with all the great titles and stories on the shelves. There are times I have something on my mind but I get distracted. So far, there are five books I haven't read yet and all of them are gifts from officemates.

Library Thing has a pretty good list of books which I don't have yet. I am raring to finish all my "pending" books and buy some more. Books give me a real high.

Some of my books are displayed in the side bar.

Of all the books I bought, I was greatly disappointed with Tuesdays with Morrie. Same old, same old. I promised not to buy any book by Mitch Albom. Everything is so cliche in Tuesday's...

I am hooked with Haruki Murakami books. I like his style. He captures emotions so eloquently. No matter how weird his plot goes, he still connects with his readers. One can still adapt and participate in his storytelling.