A Book A Month Challenge

This is a super late post because I am super lazy to blog. So last February, I kind of challenged myself to read a book or two every month. And by book I mean, a three hundred or so pagelength kind of novel. This book is what I read last month.

I'm a certified bookworm since I can't remember when. Saying I love to read is an understatement. Reading, to me, is like an addiction, a stress-reliever and a leisure rolled into one. If for some other people, their guilty pleasure is, eherm, food; mine's books. (Although I admit I love to eat, too! :D) Going back to books, I dunno why but I have this inexplicable wonderful feeling every time I open a book and its familiar yet indescribable scent fills my nostrils; and how the pages rustle every time I flip them next. Ah, heaven!

For the last decade or so of my life, I have read quite a number of books/novels/short stories already. It's such a shame though, that it's just now that I got to read Pride and Prejudice, that classic of a historical romance novel by Jane Austen. Bummer, I know.

Anyways, Pride and Prejudice is about...

The classic tale of love and misunderstanding unfolds in class-conscious England near the close of the 18th century. The five Bennet sisters – Elizabeth, or Lizzie, Jane, Lydia, Mary, and Kitty – have been raised well aware of their mother's fixation on finding them husbands and securing set futures. The spirited and intelligent Elizabeth, however, strives to live her life with a broader perspective, as encouraged by her doting father.

When wealthy bachelor Mr. Bingley takes up residence in a nearby mansion, the Bennets are abuzz. Amongst the man's sophisticated circle of London friends and the influx of young militia officers, surely there will be no shortage of suitors for the Bennet sisters. Eldest daughter Jane, serene and beautiful, seems poised to win Mr. Bingley's heart. For her part, Lizzie meets with the handsome and - it would seem - snobbish Mr. Darcy, and the battle of the sexes is joined.

Their encounters are frequent and spirited yet far from encouraging. Lizzie finds herself even less inclined to accept a marriage proposal from a distant cousin, Mr. Collins, and – supported by her father – stuns her mother and Mr. Collins by declining. When the heretofore good-natured Mr. Bingley abruptly departs for London, devastating Jane, Lizzie holds Mr. Darcy culpable for contributing to the heartbreak. But a crisis involving youngest sister Lydia soon opens Lizzie's eyes to the true nature of her relationship with Mr. Darcy.

The ensuing rush of feelings leaves no one unchanged, and inspires the Bennets and everyone around them to reaffirm what is most important in life.

Jane Austen satirizes society superbly in this romance about a young woman---Elizabeth Bennett, to whom you will come to love---who learns about her own prejudices and a man---Mr. Darcy---who learns to temper his pride.

The dialogue is brilliant though in old-ish English kind of way. The fun part of the book, aside from the 18th century etiquette and manners and puns on social class, is no matter how many times you read this book, the prose is so fresh that you always wonder if Lizzy and Darcy will hook up! :)

Pride and Prejudice is a classic work of literature that you should dare not miss!


Go forth and read,
Joey

Perks of Being Single

Well, it's officially February 14th on this side of the globe and it's
a special day (for most of the couples out there) so allow me to greet
y'all a very... "Happy Hearts' Day, everyone!!" Yay! Great!

It feels great, right? It's great if you are with someone romantically
and your relationship is going perfectly well. Then, your special
someone will bring you to a dinner date that he personally arranged
for you, you'll exchange gifts with each other, you'll dance and the
sappy story goes on and on until you-know-what-happened-next. Kidding! :))

But what about those people who happened to be included in the
so-called 'love-less' population? Can't we be happy, too? Well, news
flash, we can. Yes, me included. In fact, there are perks for being a
bonafide single on Valentine's day. Here are some:

1. You don't need to buy your partner a special gift. Can you just
imagine the money you're gonna spare and the hassles you're going to
avoid from just the thoughts of what present to give him/her? For sure,
that is one thing you'll be most thankful about for being single!

2. You don't need to go to a spa or salon or boutiques to look
extraordinary just so you can impress your date/partner. You'll be happy
you've kept yourself from making a serious damage in your bank
account/credit card with those...unbelievable things!

3. You can eat all you can and all you want without having someone to condemn you for
being such a glutton or how bloated you can get out of eating those
chocolates you so love.

4. You can do pretty much whatever you want. No one is gonna get mad
at you if you choose to ditch your partner and marathon movies/books instead.
Also, you can wear your favorite baggy clothes and sweat pants like how you
used to without having someone to tell you to glamorize yourself a
bit more. Hell, you can even skip a bath if you want to and nobody
will even care!

5. You are not required to date. If you're a guy, you can give as many
flowers and chocolates to as many girls as you like without bothering
to think about a jealous girlfriend to nag at you for being so 'generous' even if those girls you have
given those gifts to are your girl best buds. The same goes if you are a
girl, you can receive as much chocolates and flowers as you can
without worrying about your boyfriend warning you to accept them not. As
well as in dating, you are free to accept or decline any invitation to
go out with whoever you want. You're free as a bird!

6. You can sleep the day off if you wish without expecting someone to
disturb you. I value my rest so much because I have a hard time
sleeping at night due to my freaking insomnia. So, for me, long hours of
undisturbed sleep is a total pleasure and absolute happiness. But it's
just me :)

7. Lastly, you can spare yourself from all the pains, heartaches and
drama if your partner chose to play jerk on you and decided not to
show up on your date. Or, you can keep yourself from the
disappointment if your partner's idea of a Valentine's date didn't
meet half of your expectations of how you wanted it to be.

So there you have it, folks. The perks of being a bonafide single on
Valentine's Day. You see, being single also has it's own advantages, too.
And just because you don't have a special someone yet, doesn't mean
you wallow in misery and self-pity in one corner of your room and cry
your eyeballs out like it's the freakin' end of the world! Remember:
Happiness is a choice and a matter of perspective. Choose to be happy
whether you're single, in a relationship or it's bleeping complicated. :D

And don't forget to spread the love,
Joey

PS. Oh no, I'm not suggesting all you committed people to ditch your
partners to experience these things! Please, no. And I don't wish to
encourage you single guys/girls to remain single for the rest of your
lives, either! This blogpost is entirely for entertainment purposes only. At
para masabi lang na may Valentine blogpost ako. Lol! :p
Seriously though, date if you must and fall in love. It is the best
feeling in the world after all. And I strongly believe that each one
of us deserved to love and be loved in return. ;)

PPS. I can't believe this blog already has 3k+ pageviews and
counting!! Yayyy! I'm soooo happy!!! Thank you so much to each and
every one of you who take your time to check out my posts and read them. I truly and
sincerely appreciate it!! Thank you soooo much!!!! xoxo

For The First Time

I've been a big fan of the PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) since childhood days and ever since, I have always wanted to watch the games live. Or even just once in my life. What fan who calls herself one won't want to, right?

But then, with all the odds and circumstances--namely studies, studies and studies (hehe!)--it was just last Friday that I was able to watch PBA live! Yey! Finally! :) (Believe me, I was all giddy and excited that I barely slept the night before! Hahaha.)

So we went to Smart Araneta Coliseum later that afternoon. We stayed at the parking lot first so we could greet the players before the game. (Note: That was a trick I learned from Ate Diana. Hehe.) Fortunately, we saw Cyrus Baguio (of the Alaska Aces and my longtime crush ever!!! *shrieks* lol) and boy, my heart raced like hell I was afraid it would leap out of my chest! I was so starstrucked, stupefied and tounge-tied that even after I took a pic with him I was just looking at him like I was a some kind of a schoolgirl who met her ultimate crush for the first time and he was some kind of a dream came true! Oh wait, I've a huge crush on him, right? So it was definitely a dream came true! :D

With Ate Diana and Melizza :)

With my fellow first-timer (haha!), Izza. This was taken during the 2nd game between Bmeg and Meralco :) Kung maka-pose, 'kala mo nasa NBA eh no? :p

My first live PBA game experience was so fun! I couldn't quite describe the feeling but it was awesome seeing your favorite players/teams do their thing in the court right before your very eyes. It felt surreal. And I'll most definitely be watching again! :)

Credits to Ate Di for the photos! <3