When It Rains...

It's been raining non-stop for the past three days with what feels like no end in sight. I honestly thought it was going to get better when I stepped out earlier to have my car fixed (busted speedometer, but that's another story to tell) because, for the first time in days, I actually saw the sky. But as soon as I got home...

It's raining again. I can hear gusts of wind this time. I find this scarier. And I can only imagine what it's like for those people who live on the streets, without any place to take shelter from the torrential rain and flooding. If only I had superpowers. :(

This is worse than Ondoy. I think what made Ondoy disastrous was the fact that it took us by surprise. Nobody thought that it could cause so much damage. Four years later, it's like nothing has changed even after so much preparation. We live in a tropical country and we know since the beginning of time that we experience this kind of weather every single year. You'd think it'd be fixed by now, especially after Ondoy, but looking at the news footage and the pictures, we know otherwise.

So san napunta yung kinakaltas na tax sa sweldo ko buwan-buwan? Sa bathtub ni Napoles?

Hay. I can complain about corruption all I want, but it's not gonna make the rain stop. I'll just focus on something else, like making sure my family, friends, and students are okay.

Stay safe and dry, everyone! Stay indoors, stock up on supplies, and charge your phones. This could be another long, sleepless night.

20 Minutes

Twenty minutes before my first class of the day, and I have this urge to blog. LOL.

My parents are back. And what do they bring with them? THIS.

My mom's Ginataang Alimango, one of my favorite dishes ever. That sweet crab meat infused with coconut milk and semi-pureed squash and string beans is just heaveeeeeeeeen. I think I stayed at the dinner table for more than an hour. :))

What's your favorite dish?

A Game of Thrones: Musings

I just finished re-reading the last few chapters of George R.R. Martin's "A Game of Thrones." Back when I declared this book as "read" over at my Goodreads account, I must confess that I just skimmed through the last parts because I figured I wouldn't miss much since I watched the series. I have never been so wrong. :))

I was absolutely amazed by how much imagery the book had as I plowed through the last chapters. Even the smallest of details, like a twig snapping or a sword dropping to the floor or Summer licking his wounds after fighting with Shaggydog, added to the overall intensity or subtlety of a certain situation. It made me feel like I was there - a tree, a wolf, a brick on the wall, a Gold Cloak, a Dothraki, a servant...you name it. I was there, and I was everywhere.

The characterizations are also somewhat different. In the book, Cersei is colder and more evil, Catelyn has a personality of a rock (I can't seem to sympathize with her here than in the TV series), and Tywin has a stronger aura of authority that it actually scares me.

I am not saying that the HBO series sucks. I've been following it religiously for the past two seasons, and now that it's on its third, I am quite excited to see what will happen. I'm also curious to see the changes they've made to the story. This is, after all, an adaptation - you can't expect them to follow everything to the letter. There were parts in the TV series that were not in the book; they added those maybe just to make things more interesting and exciting.

Photo from www.beyondhollywood.com

Though the HBO adaptation provides excellent visuals, they're nothing compared to what I see in my head. Why? Because it's in my head, and it's mine and mine alone. :)

Speaking of Game of Thrones, I think the 3rd episode's out. Must. Watch. Now.

Bittersweet

Photo from Cha Oquendo, AB Comm

Dear Graduating Students,

Today is your day. After four years (maybe more, heehee), it’s finally over. As you’re about to enter what they call the “real world,” I sincerely hope that you take the lessons (both academic and life) you’ve learned and use them to take the industry and the world by storm. Yung tipong pag pumasok kayo sa isang kuwarto, may hangin-kulog-kidlat-buka-lupa effect na magaganap. Heehee.

(That was the first part, which I posted on Facebook. Here’s the rest of my message.)

As I sit here in the audience watching you receive your diplomas, I can’t help but feel this overwhelming sense of pride. You guys grew into young, mature individuals with unshakable principles and unwavering passion right before my eyes, and there’s no denying that you will go far in life.

You’ve been thanking me for various reasons for the past few days. Now it’s my turn. Thank you for being a part of my life, even if it’s just a short while. I was not with you every step of the way, but whenever our paths do cross in school, I learn something about myself and life in general from each and everyone of you. You may not know it, but you helped make me who I am now, and I am very grateful because you all made me feel that I’m actually doing something right.

Congratulations, my dear kiddies. I am so proud to call you my students. Itayo ang bandera ng mga sabog! Woohoo!! (Just had to add that last bit, sorry if it killed the mood. Mashado na kasing seryoso, di ko na ma-take. LOL)

Nagmamahal,
mizkei

Day 19 (Bookworm)

I grew up surrounded by three things - computers, music, and books. The last one is mainly my mom's influence; she'd have all these Robert Ludlum, Agatha Christie, Sidney Sheldon, Tom Clancy, John Grisham and all those suspense thrillers and espionage novels in our bookshelf. She used to tell us how she couldn't put down a book once she started it, to the point where she'd read in the car while waiting for the stoplight to turn green and get so engrossed that the car behind her would honk the horn to pull her back to the real world. LOL. Thank you, Mama, for getting us hooked on books.

Another picture of you.

I took this photo a couple of weeks ago out of boredom while on house arrest due to sickness caused by fatigue, and now I'm using it as my profile photo on most of my social networking sites.

When we were kids, I would throw curious glances at my older sister whenever she chuckled while reading a book (I think it was one of David Eddings' Malloreon books). I gave in and asked her what was funny, and she told me to read it. I did, and soon enough I was laughing too. That got me reading all sorts of things after, from Goosebumps to Sweet Valley to Sherlock Holmes. I also got to read some of my mom's Sidney Sheldon books (Master of the Game, If Tomorrow Comes). Eventually I went on to heavy reading and started with Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series (14 books, each of them are about two inches thick, which I think I need to re-read from the first book), and my younger sister's own collection (Virgin Suicides by Jeff Eugenides, Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, Angels and Demons by Dan Brown).  It also helped that my high school friends are bookworms as well. I'd borrow Stephen King and Chuck Palahniuk from my best friend Ju, and I got lots of book recommendations from KC, Ria, Lai and Au. :))

But I wasn't really an avid reader. I read, sure, but I would usually prefer one genre (sci-fi/fantasy for the longest time) and the intervals between books were pretty long. Now it's like I can't get enough of reading. I pick up a book and I am transported into a different world, living a different life, seeing things through different eyes. I become the hero, the sidekick, the villain, and the bystander all at the same time. It's a weird, interesting, exhilarating feeling, and it certainly gets my mind off things (like stress from work and...other, more personal stuff LOL).

I started this thing two years ago, where I'd set goals for the year like how many movies to watch, or games to finish, or books to read. I set my book goal last year to 3, and I finished 9 books. LOL. This year I'm aiming for 7-10 books, and I am now on my 5th (Heat Wave by Richard Castle) in just three months. Who knows, I might up the ante and try for 20. And I plan on pushing through with that long term goal - to finish all the fiction books in our book wall. Wish me luck. :))

Check out my Goodreads account to see what I've read so far, plus the books I plan to read. :)

Day 18 (Hello Summer!)

Okay, so my attempts at PROPERLY doing the 30-Day Blog Challenge have been an epic bust. Oh well. Still, that doesn't mean I'm gonna stop. I am going to finish this, even if the gaps in between the entries are quite far. Maybe next time I can do this the way it should be done, when I am no longer confined to certain work-related responsibilities. *ahem ahem*

Something you crave a lot.

Ah yes, summer. For most people, the word is synonymous to the beach, outdoors, tan lines, and "gotta start dieting so I can have that beach body I've been dreaming of." For me, it means heat, perspiration, and discomfort. Don't get me wrong, though. I don't hate summer, but I'm more sensitive to heat and it makes me really, really cranky. If I could live inside the refrigerator, I would. So these days, I've been craving for this.

Thank you, my dear Ate, for treating me and my mom at Razon's BF the other day. This was just what we needed to beat the dreadful summer heat. 

Razon's is known for their simple yet exquisite halo-halo - finely shaved ice, milk, bananas, macapuno, and two slices of leche flan on top. I'm not a big fan of macapuno, but it was so hot that I ate it anyway and I didn't care if it gave me another coughing fit (yes, apparently I am still sick). Five minutes later, no more halo-halo. LOL. Razon's, I heart you, but I really wish you'd add mais con hielo to your menu.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

This is the second Neil Gaiman book I've read and it still amazes me how he can come up with these things. It takes a creative mind to write a story like American Gods (and I can imagine tons of research), a story that can weird you out but keep you hooked at the same time. There were moments where I had to reread a chapter just to see if I understood the events that unfolded correctly.

American Gods follows Shadow, an ex-con who finds himself widowed a few days before his parole and, after being employed by an old man named Wednesday, gets caught in a bi-dimensional war between powerful mythical beings.

The story has a lot of subplots that I kind of found out of place. It's like going through a city with a lot of twists and turns and then you'd find yourself in a dead end. The characters are somewhat predictable; you could tell who Mr. Wednesday is right off the bat, and Shadow's kind nature and quiet intensity makes it easier to guess what he'd do in certain situations. I think what really kept me reading was the sheer "weirdness" of it all (religion, gods and rituals, both ancient and modern) and yet it all seems so believable, thanks to the author putting in copious amounts of research.

So did I like it? I don't know, really. But I have to admit that it was a bit anti-climactic; I was expecting the book to end with some sort of bang but it fell short of my expectations and left me scratching my head and asking "That's it?" Still, I have to applaud Mr. Gaiman for the creativity.

The 2012 Status Report

They say that whatever happens to you or whatever you do on the first day of the year is going to happen to you all year round. So far I've been eating, Facebook-ing, Twitter-ing, XBox-ing, Monopoly Deal-ing, and videoke-ing. Hmmm. What bright future lies ahead of me. LOL.

I had a love-hate relationship with 2012. The ups and downs were too frequent that it left me mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted. Still, I'm thankful for the things that happened, and I think it's safe to say that I've learned a lot (about myself, mostly). Now that 2013 is just beginning, I'm quite excited. There will be a lot of changes and big decisions to make, and though it scares me just thinking about what might happen, I know everything will fall into place. Lezdudiz!

Enough talk. Now for my annual status report. :)) 

MOVIES

35 of 60 - FAIL. :| I got distracted by the XBOX. xD

The Mistress. This Guy's In Love With You, Mare. Tiktik. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. The Avengers. Ironman 2. The Hunger Games. Cabin in the Woods. Battleship. Dark Shadows. Men in Black 3. Magic Mike. The Dark Knight Rises. Total Recall. Wrath of the Titans. Super 8. Sherlock Holmes 2. Chronicle. Get Smart. Hellboy. Hellboy 2. Strangers on a Train. xXx. Rise of the Guardians. Asiong Salonga. Confessions (Japanese film). Jason and the Argonauts. Spiderman 3. The Three Musketeers. Midnight in Paris. Something Borrowed. 21 Jump Street. The Dictator. 50 First Dates. The Lady Vanishes.

2013 goal - 60 movies (again). Will try finish them this time. :))

BOOKS

9 of 3 - WIN, with surplus. LOL. Thanks to my sister's Nook.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Books 1-5 (R. Riordan). Neverwhere (N. Gaiman). World War Z (M. Brooks). Strangers on a Train (P. Highsmith). Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal (C. Moore). 

Now reading: A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1, G.R.R. Martin)

2013 goal - 5 books.

Here's to an awesome year! HAPPY 2013!! :)