Third Book of Christmas: 45 Pounds (More or Less)

Finally, finally had the time to write about my 3rd Book of Christmas: K. A. Barson's 45 Pounds (More or Less)! So, it is about a sixteen year old girl named Ann Galardi, who is a size 17 and her mother's a size way too smaller than her.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I dunno, maybe because I can relate so much with her and the fact that we share the same name and dilemma. Coincidence much? :D Though I am not overweight, like her I can safely say that I struggled with my self-esteem that I felt like I always needed to lose weight. As a child, I have always been the 'tabachingching' in the family. I was that chubby and I grew up wearing that insecurity. Like her, I tried different diet plans just to shed the extra pounds but thank God I didn't have to resort on infomercials about weight-loss which Ann unfortunately did in the novel. Yes, as we all probably know, the kit---which includes prepackaged food that tastes horrible and an exercise DVD that's harder than she thought---is absolutely not faultless. But I think that's the highlight of the story and Ann managed to stick with it and I liked how Barson did an awesome job mixing the humor with the lessons of the story.

It was a fun read and I recommend it most especially for those teens who are dealing with overweight. Scratch that, I think every woman in the world, overweight or not, should read this. You will learn a lesson or two on how to just be yourself. Oh, or maybe, how to nab a very cute guy by just being you! About Ann, however, did she lose weight you ask? Yes, she did. But you have to read the book to find out what and how did that happen. You won't regret it, that I can assure you. :)

It's all about being comfortable with your own skin,

Second Book Of Christmas: Eleanor & Park

As I mentioned on my Twitter account yesterday immediately after I finished the The-Catastrophic-History-of-You-and-Me post that I'd be reading Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park for my Second Book of Christmas Challenge. Annnnnddd guess what? Yes, I'm done reading it!

Honestly, I'm kinda hesitant to post a review of it because if you noticed, my reviews are sorta, kinda, little bit 'informal' in the category side I might not do any justice at all to the awesomeness of the book and that's just unfair. You know what I mean?

Oh, well. Eleanor & Park is about the first love shared between two young teenagers who actually met in a school bus and found a way to eventually express that love inspite of the circumstances and despite their differences. It was cute and surprisingly sweet. Unlike, TCHOYAM, E & P has a rather more serious attack to it though I found myself cracked up a few times on Eleanor and Park's convos. They made me miss my teenage years at some point with all the sneaky glances, doodling hearts with your crush's name at the back of your notes, the music, practically every little thing about it--minus all the family drama, of course. Lol. Fine, geez I never thought I'm gonna say this but I did miss my ultimate crush back in highschool while reading it. *groans* Man, what you did to me, Park! *facepalm*

Anyways, moving on. If you happened to read The Perks of Being a Wallflower and liked it, I'm pretty sure you're gonna love E & P, too. The nerd in me just couldn't help but point out the similarities of the two, like for example, the song references! I really am a goner every time an author uses songs (most especially the ones I listen to) in his/her stories. I dunno, it always made me connect or fully understand a character. Haha. Ok, geek. :)) There's the whole protagonist-one-is-a-freak-while-protagonist-two-is-the-every-bit-definition-of-cool-and-popular-and-protagonist-one-fell-in-love-with-protagonist-two thing going on, as well. Though I am not saying the plots are the same, because they're totally not. But it will absolutely get you hooked! :)

You should definitely read Eleanor & Park! But I highly suggest it if only you're at least 13 years old because it has serious number of explicit words used and some mature content and I don't want kids to grow up so sudden by being exposed to mature stuff like that. Man, do I make any sense? I hope I do! Other than that, it's fine. However, the cliffhanger ending is just... I don't even know what to say. I hate Rainbow Rowell for it. Errr, not really. But. Yeah. Haha.

You know what to do,

First Book of Christmas: The Catastrophic History Of You And Me

Yesterday, I checked Saab Magalona's blog (because I am such a fangirl like that lol!) and found out she is giving away 12 books in 12 days before Christmas Day in there (so if you're a total bookworm and you wanna snag a book for free, go check out her blog and join her giveaway contest! :) ). I thought it was a great idea and I wanna do the same thing. Well, not exactly the same thing as in I will give 12 books away to 12 lucky winners. (No, sorry folks, I am not that rich. :D ) But I wanna do the 12 Books of Christmas thing, in a read-12-books-before-the-year-ends-and-if-possible-write-a-simple-review-to-each kinda way.

So to kick things off, I started reading The Catastrophic History of You and Me by  Jess Rothenberg last night at 9PM and found myself sobbing my heart out, quietly, in the dark at 2AM (a few times, anyway-ok. A lot of times, happy now? What?? *groans* FIIIIIINE. Almost the whole time! Geez, just how annoying can you get? Embarass me, much?? *grumbles under breath* Ok... Sorry you witnessed that. My alter-ego is just acting up today. Enough about her, tsk!) As I was saying, it was heartrending as in the you-need-a-pack-of-tissue-beside-you-while-reading kind. Oh, am I being too much of a spoiler so far? Don't worry, I won't share the juicy details. ;)

Though I wanna reiterate how much I loved and enjoyed reading this book! If you're into paranormal or supernatural-themed books minus the gory details (like those other stories I've read with the same genre, that it is almost creepy to read? Especially in the dark? At 3AM? Haha. Though I can honestly say I really enjoyed reading that ones, too!), you will totally love this one as well. Or if you're a mom/parent/guardian of a teenage kid and you want her to read a good book, I extremely recommend TCHOYAM because not only the flow of the story is super smooth you won't be able to put it down even for a second, the convos--err, dialogues are super relatable, too! Oh, and it has a lot of Disney and song references, as well that I end up playing some of 'em while writing this not-so-formal review hahaha! And though I know it is a story about teenage death, heartbreak, betrayal and a whole lot of hilarious angst, it is packed with bunch of lessons about life, love, friendship, forgiveness and the life-beyond, too. Furthermore, who can even resist a funny-charming-motorcycle-riding-leather-jacket-wearing-willing-to-sacrifice-even-his-own-soul-just-to-be-with-the-love-of-his-life-again-even-if-it-takes-forever-hero? Ooopsie! I didn't suppose to share that one!! :P

So there you have it ladies and gentlemen. My first book of Christmas and very informal review. Lol. I hope you pick up a book today!

♥,

PS. If you're looking for a synopsis of the book, you won't find it in here because I deliberately didn't write one since I tend to retell the whole story in the process and I bet you don't like that much, do you? I thought so. You can check it out on Goodreads, though. :)

Life > Death

Earlier this evening, as we were doing our usual family dinner, we suddenly heard a fuss outside. Apparently, a teenage kid knocked over a trash bin that was supposed to be taken away by the garbage collector. The kid was a nephew of the guy living across from ours. The guy got so pissed he admonished the kid so the kid went to his mother---who's a sister of the guy---to tell the story. And that was when the screaming fest began. Long story short, the guy---who actually had hypertension complication---had a heart attack minutes after his confrontation with his sister and was declared dead-on-arrival when his family were finally able to get him to the hospital.

It was that fast. Bam. In just a matter of a few minutes, he lost his life over what? A silly as a thing a trash. What a waste. I know I'm no perfect to say that I don't get mad over a petty thing, in fact, I do. Last time I check, I am still human. But in those fateful minutes when I learned that that guy was losing the battle for his life, I realized that life is too short to be anything but happy. As what The Beatles said in their song, "We Can Work It Out," "Life is very short, and there's no time for fussing and fighting, my friend." Let not our hearts be angered by things that are not worthy of such strong emotion. Like, when you're watching a film inside a movie house but you cannot focus on the movie because some kid is crying if not banging your seat with his feet. Or when your brother is being his obnoxious self leaving dirty clothes everywhere the house even if you have reminded him time and time again not to. Or how some neighbor love to play really loud music early in the morning that wakes you up every single time.

Annoying, right? But what can we possibly do about it? Yeah, we can rant and rave and huff all we want but what change will it going to make? Will it do us any good? No, because anger is a double-edged sword that when we use it against someone, little did we know that we are hurting ourselves in the process just as how we are hurting others with it.

Life is short. Be happy. Be grateful and if possible, always have a heart that is ready to forgive ourselves and other people's shortcomings. I know it is not an easy feat, though we can always try, yes? Oh, yeah! :)

Catching Up

Finally updated my blog and I just wanna reiterate how much I love my not-so-new theme because it is sooooo me! Hahaha. From the colors (you must have noticed by now that I am crazy over the color, purple combined with pink! Ughhhh! Sucker.) to the little banner up there (a girl reading a book! That is me). Sobrang cute, 'di ba? <3 p="">


But what really sold me out was the kitten. Yun talaga eh. Lol. Cripes, I missed these kinda days when I stay up super late at night (kahit morning na?) and not because I am studying or reviewing or something whatever that has to do with me clutching a pen in one hand and a scientific calculator in the other! Yayyyyy! Sarap! :D


And since I am over and done with the board exams already, I can now focus on more pressing things in life; like catching up with my favorite tv series and animes! And doing some movie marathon! And reading lotsa, lotsa, lotsa books!! Hahahaha.


Oh, the joys of being a temporary bum!

God Is Working... Even Now!

Have you ever had that feeling you are so so happy you cried? Well, I just had a moment with my mom---yes, we were both crying while hugging and laughing for a good few minutes---when I received the news that I passed the November 2013 Board Exam for Civil Engineers. It just felt surreal. In fact, until now it hasn't sunk in to me yet that I am now a licensed Civil Engineer. Really? Imagine that.

Maybe because even now that the exam was over, if it had not been to Him who stood beside me and is backing me up until this very day, I don't know where will I be today. This achievement is all His doing. Not mine. I am just a vessel so He can demonstrate His goodness, His mercy, His grace and faithfulness to everyone.

Maybe you are new to this blog, and you don't know me at all. I have always been an average girl. I am not the super-brainy type who ace all her exams from the day she was born; nor am I the genius-type who ace all her exams from the day she was born even without having to study at all! No, I am not those things. In fact, I failed two of my subjects during my latter year in college. So you can just imagine my insecurities prior to taking the board exams. I know that I couldn't do it on my own.

But what did God say? He said in 2nd Chronicles 20, verses 15-17; "Do not be afraid or discouraged... For the battle is not yours, but God's. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm... and the Lord will be with you." And He kept His promise. He went with me those two days last weekend that I took the board exams.

So, how do I know that He was there with me? That week before the exam dates, I was so tensed and I felt like I haven't reviewed quite enough. I felt like I still have a lot to study for, that there were topics I haven't been able to read and that there were still so many formulas yet to memorized. I was getting all panicky and anxious. And there came the spiritual upliftment activity that Dr. Marquez and other staff of Megareview and Tutorial Center (where I did my review, btw) and one verse in the Bible that the speaker shared struck me. It was in Philippians 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." I did just that. I lifted all my worries to God and He gave rest to my soul and peace for my mind. I dunno if you have experienced that kind of tranquil moment yet but it was a weird feeling. I kinda worry pa nga that I wouldn't be able to answer anything kasi I didn't feel nervous at all and my head felt so light. Yun na pala yun. The moment I received the questionnaires, that's when all the things I have studied for all came out of me. He made me remember formulas, principles and techniques. And surely, I know for a fact that it was Him who was doing all those things for me. He was working and is still working in my life.

Right now, I just want to thank You, Father God for helping me in my time of need, for the wisdom, the skills, the abilities and most especially the strength, the will and the determination to finish what I have started. Thank You for not giving up on me most especially on those times when I was so difficult. Thank You for Your grace, mercy and Your unfailing love that made me strive to be worthy of those things. Lastly, thank You for answering my prayers and letting me experience Your reality so I can also be a testimony of Your goodness to everyone. Thank You so much, Father God. Thank You, Jesus. This is all You. Let all the praises, glory and honor be unto You. :)

"No one whose hope is in you, will ever be put to shame." - Psalms 25:3

Blessed beyond belief,

Spread The Deliria

The most dangerous sicknesses are those that make us believe we are well.

So, I just finished reading Lauren Oliver's, Delirium─the first installment off the Delirium Trilogy─last night. Honestly, I was a bit hesitant to pick it that I stalled quite a time before I finally decided to start reading it and I didn't really understand why. Until now I am actually asking myself why did I ever put it off, nearly rotting (of course, I'm exaggerating. I don't do that to my books!) just sitting in my bookshelf for months because as it turned out it was such a great book! No, scratch that. It was outstandingly outstanding!

It was something like I have had never read before and I thought I am now infected, not with amor deliria nervosa; but with the "Delirium fever!" I am hooked! :D

It was that awesome of a read that it had been twenty-four-hours now and I hadn't moved on with the ending yetttt! I could not move on! How could I? When I am still feeling like grieving? When I feel like bawling my eyes out all over again whenever I saw my copy of the book! No kidding, I can not move on to Pandemonium yet because I feel like I haven't grieved enough for Alex's death, like I don't want to part ways with his character yet! Oh this is all Lauren Oliver's fault! Lol.

Seriously. How could one write a book so beautifully that even the most heartbreaking of all the heartbreaking endings sounded─seemed─just right and perfect and well, beautiful! It's just so unfair! I am now a fan of Ms. Oliver! :)

If there is one thing that I learned out of this book though is that not everything the government or people who are in the authority says is always right. Or the truth. And that, just because some things are kind of become a norm don't mean we will just keep believing and doing it. Sometimes, err, a lot of times, we must ponder and see right through every things they say, every rules they implement and every action they take. In other words, we must be the captain of our own lives. As what Lena had said,

I know that life isn't life if you just float through it. I know that the whole point─the only point─is to find the things that matter, and hold on to them, and refuse to let them go.

I highly recommend this book for you to read! I promise it is worth your every cent and every seconds of your time. Oh and hey, spread the deliria! :)

Infected with amor deliria nervosa and has no plan of getting cured,

PS. I heard the book is being filmed now into a series and is currently one of Fox TV's wildcard contenders (as of this writing, anyway) to season pilot so I really hope they get to pick it!! That would be so dope!! :))))

Catty Love

I have always been a catty person. Unlike most girls that I know, I prefer adopting cats over pups. Though I don't mean that I don't like dogs (in fact, I do. Most especially when they do those puppy dog eyes? Ugh.) nor do they frighten me, it's just that... I dunno.

I think cats are more touchy-feely and malambing. And that's what I love the most about them. Oh, and another thing that I love most about cats is when sometimes I call out their names and they would just look at me and continue whatever it is that they were doing like they didn't hear me and were snubbing me? Call me weird or crazy or what but I like it! Haha! It's like they were saying, "I'm not some silly employee of yours that you can boss around and do every darn thing that you like! I'm the boss!" :D

So, right now I have adopted two stray cats (because I don't get the logic behind buying a breeded cat when there are many stray cats available for adoption. But of course, it's just me.): Hampy and Dampy. (Don't laugh! There's a story behind the names, okay?) Actually, tatlo sila. But for some unknown reason, the most recent adopted one, sneaked out on me and I didn't see her ever  again. Baka nakipagtanan na at gusto nang mag-asawa. Hayaan na natin sya kung saan s'ya masaya.

Ok, enough of the side comments. Gosh. Ang dami ko alam! Haha!

Going back to my cats, I am so happy to tell you that my first baby, Dampy is now a certified mum!! Yay. She gave birth to four little cutesy kittens!!!

It was the morning of April 1st when I found her and her babies on the improvise bed that I made them where she could lay in. Imagine the feeling when you unexpectedly receive a gift from someone you adore so much? That's how it was. I almost felt like a six-year-old all over again gushing on a Christmas day about the gifts that I had received. It was such a happy moment.

It's such a shame I didn't get to see the labor thing, though. That would have been fun to watch I bet. Or not. But still, I am so proud of my baby! Man, I can't believe I am a granny already! :))

Can't get enough of 'em,

I'm Back!

Hey! Guess who's back? :)

Yep, I know. It has been almost a year since I last updated my blog and believe me it is depressing. It's like I intentionally neglected a very good friend for a good loooooong while without so much as a reason. That depressing. And bad. I'm bad.

Anywho, I'm back and blogging now and I really hope I will get to write entries again more often. Amen.

So what have I been doing for the past months I was out? Well... Aside from being the best daughter-sister-friend that I am, I was busy being a football fangirl for the most part (nothing has changed, haha!) and being a responsible citizen of this country at the very least. Charot!