Carey On!

There's this one film that I am really looking forward to watch. Since I just saw the trailer of the film and I don't want to pretend that I know a lot about it, I searched a synopsis of the movie.

Jenny ( Carey Mulligan) a very bright girl on the cusp of her 17th birthday, finds herself in a whirlwind romance with the much older David ( Peter Sarsgaard). Prior to meeting him, Jenny was working hard at secondary school to ensure getting to Oxford University. When she sees the lifestyle David can provide, one she never imagined could be hers, she's hooked and thoughts of Oxford are forgotten. Then, when things are looking pretty good for Jenny with the dashing ( yet a little too smooth) David, the truth hits her like a ton of bricks. Jenny goes from being a bright eyed school girl and a sophisticated young lady, all the way back to questioning if she really knows who she is at all.

Carey Mulligan is as cute as a button. Her portrayal in the movie is very convincing and her naivety and ignorance is full of sincerity. I was glad that finally, she won a Best Actress award for this film.


She just looks adorable and may I say, that she's just the girlfriend of Transformers cutie Shia LaBeouf.

Watch the trailer here..

NBA (not-so) All Star Weekend

The 2010 NBA All-Star Weekend in Dallas just wrapped up this morning. Finally.

It has been one of the most boring All-Star Festivities ever. The slam dunk competition was quite lame. Nate Robinson is such a high flier and has mad skills and creativity to back it up to prove his win for the title, but he hasn't shown any of those in his "winning" dunk. Winning the 3-point shootout competition is Celtic Paul Pierce. Steve Nash grabbed the title for the skills challenge beating his younger opponents in just 29 seconds.


Although the slam dunk competition was a "fail", the All-Star Game was another story. Even without Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul in the Western Conference lineup, the West team still gave a huge performance that led to a close fight with the Eastern Conference lineup. Still, D-Wade and LeBron James pulled fantastic plays. The game ended with the East winning against the West with just 2 points. Dwyane Wade was named MVP of the game.


In another NBA news, Kobe Bryant has just been named as Player of the Decade. He bested other players, including LeBron James, Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal. That's another title to boost his ego.

This All-Star has been so-so. From LBJ's flop Slam Dunk appearance, to Kobe not playing for the ASG. But the game still garnered the most number of live viewers with the total count of 108,713. Let's see how this will affect next year's festivity. See you in LA! (more ego boost for Kobe)

Early bets for AI Season9..

It's just the start of American Idol's Hollywood Week and it's also the right time to place your early bets for the whole running of the competition. Biases aside, I strongly feel that this season has been dominated with talented ladies. Usually, the buzz on early bets are for male contenders, but i see it the other way around this time. These are my bets.. *i hope they get in!* *fingers crossed*


Didi Benami


Lily Scot


I also like Charity Vance and Ashley Rodriguez. These ladies are like humming birds. Let's see if they do get in to the Top 24.


By the way, Ellen DeGeneres fits in to the "Paula Abdul" post almost perfectly. She's funny and refreshing. She definitely will bring a new life to the show. I will also look out for that.

Walk n’ Text

I am a big basketball fan. I watch both the PBA and NBA. I love watching UAAP and NCAA basketball tourneys. It all started way back 1996, Ginebra – Alaska Championship series. And since that day, I have been a Ginebra fan.

Some say that once you’ve become a Ginebra fan, you will always be a fan and I say yes to that. In this conference of the PBA, my team got into the quarterfinals round. They were up against the defending champs, Talk n’ Text. I have high regards in this team as well. Their players are great runners, shooters and defenders. They were actually a threat, especially when they imposed a 2-0 win-loss record against the Gin Kings in their series. Of course I was worried! But then Ginebra put up a fight and got their first win. The next game is a do-or-die match for my team. I decided not to watch the game because I was scared to lose. (yeah, that’s me.) but actually, there isn’t anything to watch. The whole bench of the Talk n’Text team deserted the court. They walked out in the middle of the game.


I was online on Twitter when it all happened. I was just reading the updates and the scores from people on the web. Then came Jason Webb’s post saying that “Talk n’Text walks out of the game”. And then people started tweeting a lot about it, so I went and watched the game. Everyone else is just waiting for the next thing to happen. Quinito Henson tried his best explaining what happened over and over again for the benefit of the people like me.

Apparently, TnT player Ranidel de Ocampo was called for a Flagrant Personal Foul 2 after hitting a running and shooting Ronald Tubid with his elbow. On the video replay, Tubid followed up the act by waving down his arm on Ranidel’s face. Tubid wasn’t called for any charges. After the referee’s call, TnT coach Chot Reyes ushered the whole bench into the dug out.

It was intriguing and quite controversial as even Manny Pangilinan, the team owner, followed them. PBA Commissioner Sonny Barrios was then called to meet with the coaching staff of TnT while the players get locked up in their room. Ginebra players and coaching staff was left along with thousands of people waiting in vain.

After a while, it was announced that Ginebra has won by default due to he walk-out incident. Later on, Chot Reyes went out to the press conference and shared their dismay about the unjust calls of the referees since their last game. Turns out, they were saying that the referees are more in favor of the Gin Kings. Coach Chot even has the statistics to back this up.

That being said, I still don’t think that a walk-out is necessary for this matter. It was just the last minute of the 1st quarter of the whole game. Their intentions and issues were valuable but this is not the right way to do it. Case in point, the crowd in Araneta Coliseum. It wasn’t a jam-packed game, but there are still thousands of people out there, along with the TV viewers waiting for a big game from both teams. There were refunds, right, but still, they should have considered the audience as well. I guess they were a bit self-centered in that situation. They acted like kids that could just quit any game as they wish.

I don’t know about the allegations with the unjust calls by the referees, but one thing’s for sure, this brought Ginebra to another level, as they were given a chance to tie the series, and eventually win on the next game.

I am a huge Ginebra fan. But this does not put me on the line to bash the TnT team. After all, they’ve paid for their actions already. Ginebra is on their way now to the semis. And that’s just what really matters to me now.

(This post just came from an outsider's point of view, for the real deal, click here..)

Me against the MUSIC.

I’ve always emphasized the thought on how music molds the emotional, mental and social awareness of people. Personally, a good music is essential to boost my day ahead. It gravely affects the flow of every situation and occasion.

This importance has been foreseen by other institutions that has used music as the main source of attraction for social awareness and change. True enough, a lot of the youth has accepted this trend. Several concerts and events are mainly flocked by teens and young adults. Music changed the way we see the world.

That being said, music is also a great factor even in politics. For those running for office, a good and catchy campaign jingle is more important than a good track record (no pun intended here). Just this day, the national election campaign has started but a lot of major politicians and candidates have already banked in on the airwaves their campaign jingles that bugged us these past few months. And with that, the good music has just been turned into an annoying amount of NOISE.

The choice for their political campaign jingle ranges from the loud, to the annoying. It always has to be laced with controversy as well (just for kicks in their “publicity”). Just before the Christmas season last year, Benigno Aquino III wowed us with his “star-studded” music video-slash-political-campaign-in-hindsight. The song was sang by Regine Velasquez and was written and composed by Ogie Alcasid. It was moving and has a great melody to back it up (just my opinion), but what bugs me is the tremendous amount of showbiz personality gearing up with torches and lights and candles. Thanks Krissy! *insert high-pitched laughs here*


Then, Gilbert Teodoro followed by using a song unsolicited from its singer/songwriter Rico Blanco. After a heated debate with a lot of people involved in this scenario, Gibo finally settled with a new song and new musicians, Rivermaya. Coincidentally, Rico was the former lead singer of the said band. (personalan?) (watch Rivermaya rock for Gibo..)

Bro. Eddie Villanueva was into the hip bandwagon by choosing rapper Gloc9 to man his jingle (that doesn’t sound right..but you get what I mean). Richard Gordon, on the other hand used the Philippine National Red Cross and the Christmas hit “Silent Night” (pun intended) to boost his campaign. (bakit di niya kuning endorser si Kuya Germs, “walaaaaaang tulugaaaaan!”).

And then there’s Manny Villar. The man of the hour. He started the bandwagon by releasing an “ad” using a song popularized by 6cyclemind. Then, he followed it up with his “Akala mo” jingle. This got quite some attention and has become the center of jokes and fallacies. But Manny Villar did not stop there. He released his most powerful weapon. Altogether now, “Nakaligo ka na ba sa dagat ng basura? Nagpasko ka na ba sa gitna ng kalsada?..” and so on. This song hit the country by storm. This has also become the most annoying campaign jingle ever to hit the Philippine airwaves. But despite its negative feedbacks, Villar seems to be raking in on the ratings. (not annoyed by Villar's infectious video? here yah go..)


Villar’s campaign deemed victorious. This threatened the top candidate based on the surveys. Noynoy Aquino needed to pull a showstopper. And so he did. His new campaign jingle does not just show his groovy moves and “cool” factor, he even sang, or shall I say rapped a part of it. As Simon Cowell would put this up, “it was ridiculous”. Noynoy. *tulala* (the link to his rap..)

Now, some of these candidates are denouncing “traditional politics” or “trapo”. But one way or another, campaign jingles are still part of these so-called traditions. I think they still have to re-think everything that they are trying to tell the people.

If only the elections will be based through these campaign jingles, it might be easier to pick your bet. But the upcoming election is something that we should take seriously. This election will hold our future for the next six years, which will also transpire to the coming years. Let us all put to mind that we should vote for the right candidate for the right position. It’s not about the campaign jingles, not about where they come from, or their family background. It’s all about granting our hopes for our beloved country. And remember,"the candidate is not his AD." (Gang Badoy via Twitter)

I myself have not made a decision yet on who to vote. But one thing is for sure, I will make my vote count for a better Philippines. Let’s all do.

JOLOGS ang TAGALOG...

Bihira lang talaga ako manood ng Tagalog na mga pelikula. Madalas, kapag manonood ako sa sinehan, foreign films ang pinipilahan ko. Nakakanood naman ako ng Filipino movies, pero kapag pinapalabas na lang din sa TV, at kung minsan, kapag wala na lang talagang ibang mapanood.

Nasa ganun akong kalagayan nang nailipat ko yung channel isang araw sa STUDIO 23. Ang palabas ay JOLOGS.

Hindi ito yung unang beses na napanood ko ito. Naalala ko bigla na maganda ang mensahe ng movie na ito. Tungkol ito sa iba’t-ibang uri ng klasipikasyon ng tao sa salitang JOLOGS. Ang Jologs o baduy para sa akin ay isa lamang “state of mind”. Tayo lang ang nakakakita niyan. Sabi nga ni Assunta sa pelikula, masama man daw siyang tao sa paningin ng iba, hindi naman ibig sabihin noon ay masama na nga siyang tao. Ang jologs sa paningin mo ay hindi jologs sa palagay niya. Ang totoo, lahat tayo may pagka-jologs. Yung iba, naitatago lang nila o kaya pinipilit i-deny.

Bottomline, wala namang masama kung manonood ka ng Tagalog movies. Meron naman kasing mga pelikulang Filipino na may sense at less commercialized. Jologs man sa iba, mas jologs pa rin ang Filipinong hindi marunong magpahayag ng paghanga sa pelikulang Tagalog.

Ako, siguro mapili lang din ako sa mga Tagalog films na gusto kong mapanood. JOLOGS ako. Pero di lang dahil sa panonood ko ng Tagalog films. Jologs ako dahil jologs ang kilos ko at ang isip ko.

Shet, ang jologs!

My Vietnamese Flog (Food Blog)

The next country I was fortunate to visit is Vietnam. Another relative, my Tita Lani has been residing here for almost eight years now. With my stay here for over a month, I have been to too many places and ate a lot of food that I never tasted before in my life. I was not actually expecting too much from this trip, but as I wrote down my experiences on my journal, most of it sums up to a lot of food trips and pigging out. This is a late discovery for me. Had I known that it will be important for a blog, I should have taken lots of pictures on my food trips.

Anyway, Vietnam is surrounded with different international cuisines. They have a whole street flocked with Japanese restaurants, they also have street for Koreans. On several places in the city are different Chinese, Italian, French and of course, Vietnamese restaurants. I was lucky enough to try some of these cuisines which I will share in this blog entry.

1. a certain Chinese restaurant

As I’ve said, it wasn’t in my agenda to do a food blog on my trip to Vietnam that’s why I am uncertain on some of the places I’ve been to. We ate here on my first night in Vietnam. The best on the menu? Their mango and scallops salad and their soft-shell crabs. I couldn’t resist the salad. It was supposed to be an appetizer, but I got a huge portion of it. The crabs are so cute! Literally, they are soft shelled and you can really eat the whole thing up.

hihi..just the left overs.

2. Highlands Coffee

Vietnam does not have Starbucks. How are the people living with that? They have Highlands Coffee. This is their answer to that question. Highlands is a home grown company that has the concept of both Seattle’s Best and Starbucks combined. They just don’t serve coffee and pastries, they also serve rice dishes and sandwiches, noodles and a lot more. I love the rice dish Nasi Goreng. It’s a complete and heavy meal that’s best downed with Tropical Passion Tea.

just got this online..it kinda looks like this..

iced coffee and brownie.

3. Alfresco’s

I actually tried Alfresco’s via delivery. First time callers will be given their own card with their number. Upon your next call, all you have to do is say your delivery number and there will be no need to ask for your particulars which will be very difficult if it was me. Using my tita’s delivery card, I ordered Pygmy Ribs and Carbonara. The Pygmy Ribs was a delight! It is served with a side veggie salad and potato wedges. The potato was really yummy. It was an out of this world experience. On another day, I ordered a Creamy Chicken and Corn soup and a Steak and Mushroom pasta. Memories of those dishes make me wanna go back to Vietnam and call them right away.

pygmy ribs and carbonara

4. Pho24

Pho is one of the traditional Vietnamese cuisines that you should try. Chia Gio is their version of our famed lumpiang shanghai. The difference is that the chia gio contains less meat and has rice noodles along with the filling. That makes the little serving a heavy appetizer. As for the Pho, it tastes so good! But beware, there are side veggies and stuff that will also be served. I suggest that you stay away from the green leaves if you’re like me. Someone who doesn’t eat something that doesn’t appeal to my nose. But what got me hooked up with Pho24 is their Café Sau da. This iced coffee is served in a glass full of ice and condensed milk at the bottom of the glass. Perfect. Sinfully perfect.

pho and chia gio

cafe sau da!

5. Au Parc

This is a place that has French and Mediterranean feel in all its corners. One of tita’s friends brought me here. While sitting in their colorful chairs, we ate several toasted breads and bagels, carrot and zucchini sticks along with two different dips that I don’t remember.(tee-hee!) I remember eating a lamb wrap with yogurt and lime sauce. If ever I’m going back in Vietnam, I’ll go back here as well. It’s a nice place to bond with friends.

au parc heaven!

6. Yogen Fruz

I’m not crazy about frozen yogurt. But when Tita Ana and Tita Ralph brought me here, I instantly became a fan!

melon blended yogurt with almond shavings..heaven..

7. Bud’s

I’ve been here because I was looking for my comfort food which is Cream of Mushroom Soup. Tita told me that their Cramy Clam Chowder in a bread might take my blues away, and yes it did! Went back in this place twice and had the same food. It was beyond comfort.

8. Chef Mamma’s

This restaurant fuses the Italian and Vietnamese cuisine as the owners were. What I love about this place is their mango shake. I can probably say that it is so far the best mango shake I’ve ever had. Their food isn’t bad either.

9. Little Manila

Now this has got to be the only Filipino restaurant that I tried in Vietnam. Of course, sinigang na baboy will always be on the list. The cook and the staff are Filipinos that’s why it wasn’t so hard to order the food like we usually do. The sisig was also notable.

10. Hanayuki

I am not a fan of Japanese foods, that’s why I was hesitant to eat here at first. But then, Japanese food isn’t just about the raw and uncooked meals, hence my order, Pork Curry Rice. And yeah, I’m really not a fan of Japanese foods. Haha! J

11. Spice Restaurant

This is a Thai restaurant. And when you speak of Thai, the number one food will always be Tom Yum. This food is really spicy. It’s spicier that Mia’s Korean soup. The button mushrooms and the shrimps are flooded with red-hot soup that really got me heating up to grab my drink. Luckily, I ordered a fresh coconut juice. This cute little thing downs the spice away and leaves a sweet after taste in my mouth. Perfect.

tom yummmmm!

fresh buko juice

Other notables:

• Ban Mhi is the famous Vietnamese breakfast along with Café Sau da. It is basically a sandwich made from a small baguette that has their own ham, liver spread, cheese, pickled veggies and sometimes, chilies. I love this sandwich, which you can buy in almost every corner and every street of Ho chi Minh City. They usually sell it wrapped in a newspaper or any blank paper they’ve got.

it kinda looks like this. got this online.

• O’star Potato Chips, Seaweed flavor. This chips tastes sweet and salty. It’s not your average potato chip that you can buy here in the Philippines. I would definitely ask Mia to buy me some when she gets there.
• Gulaman in a can. Seriously. They have this beverage in the market. Surprisingly, it actually tastes good. Goes well with the potato chips. Haha!
• KFC’s egg tarts are so good I can eat a box in one sitting. The thing is, they’re too greasy and messy to eat. So that leaves me with just two tarts in one sitting.:)

KFC egg tarts

The next time I’ll be in Vietnam again (which may be sooner), I will definitely take an effort to document everything that has to go in my mouth and in my tummy. I miss Vietnam. I will be back, I promise!

xinh chao!

Singapore-la!

I have loved traveling abroad since the first time I was given an opportunity to board on a plane and go to a place where people barely understands me. That first time, I went to Singapore. It was October of 2007. The travel could have been happier if I were with my friends, but no. I went on a study tour with other students from other universities. It was fun and educational, but I wasn’t able to really “tour” the hotspots of Singapore. During my week of stay there, I have come to meet a lot of new people, created new discoveries and was amazed at how progressive that country is. Their food is very much close to the Chinese; ducks, noodles and other poultry goods. But they also serve sea foods like crabs, shrimps and even octopus. There was even a food court that serves frog porridge.

Singapore is a highly industrial country. The place spells out cleanliness and order. The only place where I experienced a traffic jam is when we went to buy our “pasalubong”. Luckily, with my uncle residing there, I got the opportunity to ride their MRT, a double-decked bus and a cab, of course. There are so many things to discuss about Singapore, but I will simply rate the five things that I will never forget about this country.

#5 FOOD COURTS

Just like what I said, Singapore spells out cleanliness and that’s what I really liked about their open air food courts. Think of the Fiesta Market in Market! Market! But these places are less cluttered and the food is served with a huge portion. A simple meal already contains a side dish of vegetables (usually bean sprouts), asteamy rice and your choice of meat or fish. At the middle of all the tables and chairs is a small stall of fresh fruits that you can buy sliced and ready to eat.

Additional Info: you can reserve a table or a seat by just leaving a pack of tissue or cigarette on the table and no one will ever dare to steal that table.

#4 MUSTAFA MARKET

outside Mustafa Market

When I asked my uncle about the best place to buy pasalubong, he said Mustafa Market will do. So on our free time, I invited Kuya Ryan and Ate Rose to this place. More than just the stuff that you can buy here, what’s memorable for me is the ambiance of the place. Of course, being ushered into different buildings and universities and all, we were shocked with the crowd that welcomed us at this market place. For me, it’s more like the 168 mall in Divisoria. As its name implies, this place is crowded mostly with Indians. That kind of says it all.

Additional Info: it’s the best place to buy gadgets. They sell cheap and trusty gadgets and other techno stuff out there.

# GEYLANG STREET

one of the hotels at Geylang..

We have always envisioned Singapore as a progressive country. From an outsider’s point of view, this country is close to perfection. That’s why I will never forget this street. Geylang St. is the red flag district of Singapore and I have been there. The street is lined up with cheap hotels and motels. Ladies of different ages, styles and faces line up as well from daylight to night time. There was even one time when I saw a cute chinita wearing a short skirt and a see-through top in broad daylight. Good thing she has her umbrella to cover her up. (pun intended) Bottomline is, behind every pretty face is a scar, and even if you try to hide it, some will always find a way to take a peek on it. The other side of Singapore.

#2 MERLION/UNIVERSITIES

"the lounge area" at NTU

one of the school buildings at NUS

I was in Singapore for a study tour in Media Relations that is why we were invited in two universities; Nanyang Technological University and National University of Singapore. These two universities wowed me. With their high-class facilities and impressive faculty, it made me want to study there.

with my uncle

with the mini merlion.

And what is a Singapore trip without a visit to the Merlion Park? The Merlion is one of the famous landmarks of this country. Just behind the huge statue is a miniature version of it. A trip to Singapore without a picture with the Merlion is like a day without brushing your teeth. Eew.

#1 STRICT POLICIES

BEWARE!

I was scared on my first day in Singapore. I was afraid to get caught on doing something illegal for them. There is a lot of what-not-to-do in this country and that tops my list. No chewing of gums. No drinking or eating while aboard a public transportation. No spitting on the street. No finger pointing. Lastly, no smokeing. (that’s how they spell it) This just proves that everything comes with a price. Singapore-la!

My travel in Singapore isn’t that satisfying. I wanted to go back and take the “tourists’ tour” this time. I’ll definitely wait for that day. Or days. Or weeks.

The Reader Digests

The year 2009 has driven me to pursue my love for books. It was in this year that I purchased books that are infamous. The past years, I was reading books of J.K. Rowling or Milan Kundera or Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, who are all famed writers. And this time, I decided to become more adventurous with my reading materials.

All in all I’ve read atleast 16 books in 2009; books that range from the unknown to the well-known. And now, I am going to list down the books that entertained and even bored me in 2009.

Eleanor Rigby – Douglas Coupland

I remembered buying this book in Powerbooks Greenbelt along with another book, Piece of my Heart. It was the time when I was doing my internship in Makati. It was on sale and I got it for 50 pesos. This book touched me. It started out a little boring, but it suddenly made sense to me when the lead character, Elizabeth, talked about her loneliness and loneliness in general. The twists of the story were heart-warming and relevant. I saw a part of myself in her. And that’s how a good book should be, something that creates a relation to yourself which eventually pushes you to see what the story is about beyond its given context. I’ve reread this book so many times, and it still doesn’t fail to make me sad on certain parts of the story. The emotion stays.

Piece of my Heart – Peter Robinson

I bought this book along with Eleanor Rigby. You see, I love watching CSI. I love detective works and everything else about it. When I read the synopsis of this book, I was thrilled to see that it is all about an inspector solving a crime that crosses to a crime from the past. The only thing is, this book is just a part of a collection of several books of the lead character, Inspector Allan Banks. That being said, some parts of the story refer to the previous books of the series and it got me lost. Still, it was good and got my criminal and detective cravings satisfied.

The Historian- Elizabeth Kostova

This book was referred to me by my good friend Mia. At first, I was hesitant to read it because I am not fond of “vampire” stories. Even on its first few pages, I was so bored because it was quite descriptive and “wordy”. But when the REAL story came up, it absolutely blew my socks off! (not that I’m wearing any) ok, when I was reading this book, I was also reading Eleanor Rigby. I read Rigby in broad daylight and this one at night. And that decision is so screwed up! When the story finally focused on the vampire Vlad the Impaler, I started getting paranoid of someone watching me at night. Haha! It was creepy and scary, and guess what, I decided finishing the book one late afternoon. I loved it! Nice one Mia!

Degrees of Guilt (trilogy)

In 2009, MV Doulos, a floating bookstore, reached the Philippine shores and splashed our hearts with glee. Being the bookworms that we were, my friends and I went to the ship to look for any good deals. It was a challenge looking for the perfect book to buy, but Noselyn and I split our money in this trilogy. Every book focuses on one major character and their views on the death of a teenage kid. Laced with moral values and life-changing situations, I think every teen should read this book.

Para kay B – Ricky Lee

I once attended a script writing seminar spearheaded by Mr. Ricky Lee. He is a genius and his previous works were really worth watching (he is a scriptwriter for TV and film). So this book, being his first in the publishing industry got me all excited and pumped up to read. With all due respects to Mr. Lee, I was quite disappointed on how this book was done. Sure it was casual and laidback, but it wasn’t my cup of tea. The concept was brilliant, but I just find some parts of it scandalous and irrelevant. (geez.) But nonetheless, I am still a fan of Mr. Ricky Lee. Maybe I will develop a liking on his next books. I’m looking forward to that.

Kapitan Sino – Bob Ong

Here is another Filipino writer that I admire. And another Filipino writer that disappointed me. Don’t get me wrong, the story was relevant, but it was way too relevant that it was quite boring and stiff. It makes a good indie film material though. Ok, I would say that I like this better than PkB, but I am still more of a fan of Bob Ong’s previous works.

Twilight – Stephenie Meyer

Yes, I too was driven into this twilight mania, but I am not the type who goes gaga over it. Before the film version of this book was even released, my friends are already fans of this saga. I am interested and I even went to the cinema with them to watch the film. The film, in my opinion was good, though I haven’t read the book, but my friends keep telling me that a lot of the real story wasn’t shown. Still, it took me quite a while to finally go to a bookstore and get myself a copy of it. It was a good story. I personally liked it, but I am not much of a romantic person. Romantic as in, super cheesy and emotional. That’s how I saw the story in the book. It was too romantic for me, but the storyline was really impressive. It’s a totally different read from the Harry Potter series (since people were comparing it). This book is aimed for teenagers and young adults, while HP is for kids and early teens (and those who feel that they are young). Romantic. Impressive. Not my cup of tea.

Becoming Madame Mao – Anchee Min

Another referral from my friend Mia. At this point, I just realized that she likes reading ancient relevant Asian history, especially from China. Luckily, I’m not. (haha!) Still, I was urged by her to go and read it. It was interesting. It’s all about the first lady of Mao Tse Tung. It narrated the sorrow, pain and pleasure of becoming and being Madame Mao. But, it probably took me two months to finish this book. Not because of its pages, but because I easily get bored with it. I read few pages from time to time so that I won’t get bored to finish the whole book, because I admit, it’s still about history. And history is interesting, but is sometimes boring. Despite my conclusions on history, the book is amazing and informative. Props to that!

Child 44 – Tom Rob Smith

This book is one of Mia’s favorites. This is an action-packed book from start to finish. The thrill and suspense it gave me was satisfying and I could probably say that this is written intellectually. It was smart and puzzling at the same time. But deep inside this thriller is a heartfelt story of brotherly love and being true to your commitment and priorities in life. (wait for the film adaptation of this book produced by Mia and me) Haha!

Zelda’s Cut – Philippa Gregory

Gregory is one of the famous book authors in the world. That’s why I was shocked to see a copy of her book on sale for 50 pesos. I was excited to read and indulge myself to a book that I supposed was a good one, but I was, for the third time disappointed by such a great writer. The story was too shallow and the ending was really, really disappointing. N-A-K-A-K-A-B-I-T-I-N. Haay.

Snuff – Chuck Palahniuck

I bumped into this book by accident. I just saw this online and got interested in it. It’s a soft porn book. Yes. It’s probably the shortest story that I’ve read. I was able to read the whole thing in one sitting (or lying). It is funny and sarcastic, but in the end, after all the “weird” stuff that’s been said, it all goes down to the concept of that one true and great love.

Of love and other demons – Gabriel Garcia Marquez

One of the books written by this phenomenal author of Love in the time of Cholera. This book is trivial. In its own right, it is also controversial. What got me interested to read this is that of the religious side and that of the ancient beliefs all mashed up in a sticky situation. The book could get boring, and I did a lot of scanning and jumping off some parts triggered by that. In the end, this book is a masterpiece.

Sputnik Sweetheart – Haruki Murakami

I love Haruki Murakami. His stories laced with poetry and feminism always attracts my attention. In this particular book, he depicted the relationship of two best friends of the opposite sex and the possibility of going beyond their limitations. The female, who discovered her desire for another woman was the scandal of the story. But in the end, the best friends still ended up with each other. It just goes to show that love is unpredictable and can take you to places and situations you’ve never expected in your life.

Norwegian Wood – Haruki Murakami

Another Murakami creation that got me all hooked up. This book is all about reminiscing with the past and trying to mash it up with the present time. Haruki Murakami, I noticed is also musical in his own right. This book refers to the familiarity of the lead, Toru, to a particular day through the Beatles song Norwegian Wood.

Don’t read this book if you’re stupid

I was able to read this book while I was in Vietnam. Tita Ana and I went to an international bazaar and got caught up with books from Australia. We bought four books and I was able to bring home two of them. This book is Tita Ana’s. She lend it to me because I got interested in it too. Well, this book is a collection of sarcastic stories from the mundane to the bizarre. It’s got a little bit of the Western humor, that’s why I did not like it too much, but it’s not bad at all.

Weird Sister – Kate Pullinger

This is one of the two books that I brought from Vietnam. Agnes Samuel is the lead of the story and Agnes Samuel changed my nights. She is the creepiest book character that I’ve encountered! Just by reading the synopsis, you can easily detect the flow of the story, but the chills that it gave me were really unforgettable. I was, then again afraid of sleeping with the lights off. Agnes Samuel is one creepy woman and she knows how to send me the chills. This book smartly combined the elements of eroticism, romance, Goth and thrill that knocked the wind out of me. Very impressive.

No time for Goodbye – Linwood Barclay

I was hesitant to read this book at first because Weird Sister really blew me away. But late one night, I got bored and decided to read it. This book is also full of suspense and has the kind of plot that would make you think. I just think that the characters of the story were quite older than I expected. This can also make a good movie material.

Those were the books that I was fortunate enough to explore in the past year. I hope that my cravings for good reading materials will still progress in the coming years. I am really a true believer that a good reader is a good thinker. (or maybe not, in my case..haha!)

Xinh Chao Vietnam!

After a few weeks’ worth of waiting, I finally landed in the land of Vietnam. The place is not much different from the Philippines, but Tita Lani doesn’t think so. (haha!) Busy streets. Sidewalk vendors. It’s nearly the same. But the ambiance is different, I for one considers the city of Ho Chi Minh like that of a cross-over between Pasay and Manila.

First impression? I was actually expecting more of a rural type of surroundings, but the city is actually a little bit urban than rural. Traffic is really bad! The weather is just the same back in the PI (Philippine Islands).

After carrying 31 kilos of baggages, I found some abrasions on my right shoulder caused by my heavy hand-carry(6 kilos on my shoulder!). Anyway, as Tita Lani and I got in her place in Nguyen Dinh Chin, Tita Coco, Tita Ana and Mama Vek dropped by and welcomed me. Mama Vek gave me a million Dong (around 3000 pesos) for my allowance. Tita Coco treated us out for dinner at a Chinese restaurant.

I’m not good with chopsticks that’s why I was nervous about eating there at first, but Quyen, their Vietnamese friend, was kind enough to ask for a spoon and fork for me. I loved the mango salad with scallops! Heavenly..We ate soft-shell crabs, pancit with shrimps and steamed fish. The crabs were delicious and you can actually eat their shells.

The next day, Tita Lani gave me an errand to do. She gave me an address of the Vietcom Bank, where I will give some documents to a certain Mr. Tuan. She has to go to work that’s why I went there alone. The experience of going out alone in a non-english city was really scary for me. But luckily, I was able to accomplish this with the help, of course, of Tita Lani.

When i got home, I had an early lunch of pancit and pizza. I spent the rest of the day going online and watching tv. When Tita got home from work, we went out to meet with Tita Ralph. We had dinner at Highlands Coffee (yes, they serve rice dishes and a lot more). After that, we went to the Citimart for some grocery items. I bought 2 green mangoes to satisfy my loneliness for the next day.

Tita gave another errand for the next day. I will be paying her phone bills this time.

Now, I should be sleeping. The day’s over and I need to rest now.