Facts ‘Bout Me

Posted on April 13, 2008 at 12:01 pm | 16 Comments
Filed under Random Realities

I decided to rewrite my “About Me” page. I started from scratch again and I come up with an seven-paragraph introduction to myself. I decided to post it here so that it’ll get the attention that it will need. The front page is always the best part where you can put stories that you want your audience to notice.

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During the year I started blogging, my answer to the question “What’s your ASL?” was 14/M/Pampanga. Now that almost four years have passed since I first encountered that question, my answer is still the same, except for the age part which you have to add to four (that’s equal to 18). But of course, giving you a two-digit number, a letter that stands for “male”, and the name of a province here in the Philippines is not enough for you to know me. So the purpose of rewriting my short description of myself is for you to visualize me better on your head. Feel free to make your own image of myself. I’ve also provided links to my previous posts, that you can freely read (minus those password protected entries) which can help you know more about myself.

I was born three days after Christmas in the year of 1989. December 28, 1989 was the start of my journey here on earth. Eighteen years later, I’m already 18 years old, obviously. Kidding aside, I think, I’ve achieved a lot of things but there are still many things to conquer. Currently, I’m a college student but I still have to learn how to love my course and I still think that college is synonymous to hell.

Reading books has been my main source of entertainment since sixth grade when I first read JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Since then, I have read more than 50 books which include the whole Harry Potter series, two of Dan Brown’s controversial books, reads by Mitch Albom which are all talking about death, and even books that are more disturbing like Ian McEwan’s Atonement and Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner which is my most favorite book, by the way.

Other forms of entertainment that I enjoy include watching American TV shows especially Grey’s Anatomy, Heroes and The Amazing Race, ridiculing incompetent teachers, sleeping, surfing the Internet, and most recently, listening to indie music by Feist, Death Cab for Cutie, Snow Patrol, The Postal Service, Hellogoodbye, Jack Johnson, and many more. As a matter of fact, because of my obsession to indie music, I named my iPod touch as Gibbard, in honor of Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service’s singer: Ben Gibbard. Just visit my Last.fm account to know my listening patterns.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I also love writing. I was actually the news editor of our official student publication for two consecutive years back in high school. But until now, I still don’t know how I was able to get that position because of my faulty grammar. I know, my grammar sucks. And if it were not because of Firefox’s spell checker feature, I would have committed lots of misspelled words. I need an editor, really. Haha. But despite all of those reasons I’ve mentioned, I’m really thankful for my adviser who trusted me. Writing news never gave me pleasure. You have to be specific with the facts and you can’t give your own points and using adjectives is a big no-no.

Now, I want to tell you what I’m not: I’m neither a singer nor a dancer (I suck at both). I’m not also a cellphone and SMS addict, I can leave even without a phone. I hate PE classes (I’m just glad that I will not wear my PE uniform ever). And oh as some of you might already know, I don’t have the ideal body weight (take a guess if I’m overweight or underweight) and I don’t look like an 18 year old student (I look younger… lol).

I’ve got more things to tell you but I guess, I’m already boring you. Just watch out for the next version of this introduction to myself to know more about me. But if you need something or you just want to leave your two cents, feel free to contact me.

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DanHellbound and Dre tagged me to post facts about myself. BTW, Mr. DanHellbound tagged me way back in December of last year. Dan says I should post seven facts, and Dre says that I should post eight. But obviously, I broke the rules. Lol. And oh, I didn’t make this post because of these memes. It’s just coincidental. Of course, everyone is invited to post random facts. Yeah, I’m tagging you everyone!

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Ten Books

Posted on February 23, 2008 at 9:35 pm | 21 Comments
Filed under Bulky Books

A Heap of Books Because I cannot think of an experience I had for the past few days that is worth sharing to everyone who visits my blog, I decided to write another blog post about books. This time, I’ll write ten short reviews (and in some cases, with an accompanying synopsis) for ten books.

The Weirdest Book

For me, the weirdest book I had read is “The Dogs of Babel” by Carolyn Parkhurst. It’s the weirdest because in the story, the main character tries to teach his dog how to speak like a human being. Yes, you read that right. Paul Iverson, a linguist, decided to teach his dog how to speak because he wanted to know the real reason why his wife died. At first, I didn’t like it much, but on second thought, I realized that it’s really a good book. The ending of the book was nicely written. Actually, it was one of the New York Times Notable Fiction & Poetry books of 2003. You can read my full review of the book here.

The Most Intriguing Book

Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code” will surely stir your faith especially if your faith’s foundation is very weak. The story revolves around the secrets of the Holy Grail. Robert Langdon, the protagonist in the book, with Sophie Neveu tries to decipher the chain of clues while they try to get away from the cops. The author is good in intertwining facts and fiction. The reader should be careful in separating the facts from the creations of the author’s imagination. In my case, even though I enjoyed reading the book, it still remains as a fiction. Period.

The Funniest Book

I guess, everyone who had read Bob Ong’s “ABNKKBSNPLAko?!” will agree with me that it’s the best book out in the market if you’re looking for a way to relieve your stress. Since I’ve read this way back during my sophomore year in high school and my copy is missing I had already forgot most of the details of the book. What I can only remember is that it is a story of the misadventures of a pupil who goes to a public school. Though the book is really filled with humor — actually, I cannot remember not laughing every after reading a few paragraphs — the reader can still learn something from the book.

The Saddest Book

Chinese Cinderella is the autobiography of Adeline Yen Mah, an unwanted daughter. Practically, the story revolves around Ms. Mah who was always maltreated by her step-mother, father, and even her siblings. And wouldn’t it hurt you if your own father forgot your name? That’s how unimportant Adeline was to his parents. But no matter how many hurdles in life Adeline had encountered, she was able to prove to herself that she can do something. As a matter of fact, she is currently a doctor. A full review written by me is available in Choice.

The Much Awaited Book

Among the books that I had read, it’s “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” by JK Rowling that I really waited for. I read the first installment of Harry Potter way back in 2001 and it was only six years later later that the final book in the series was published. I was lucky enough to get the book on the day it was released. In the last installment, Harry, Ron and Hermione try to find a way how to vanquish You-Know-Who. Rowling ended her famous tale impressively. The only bad thing is that there were only few pages left after the climax. But of course, I won’t tell you who died and survived.

The Most Entertaining Book

“Youngblood3” edited by Jorge V. Artura and Ruel S. de Vera is an anthology of articles that were published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer under the column Youngblood. The essays were written by twenty-something and below that’s why I was able to relate with their stories. The book was entertaining because the essays didn’t just focus on one topic. There was an essay about solitude, a student who fell in love with her teacher, a battered wife, and many more that really glued my eyes on the book.

The Most Disappointing Book

Christopher Priest’s “The Prestige” really disappointed me. It was adapted into a movie back in 2006 and I had seen the trailer of it (just the trailer, not the movie) and I was impressed with it. So the first time I saw a copy of it in a local bookstore, I didn’t hesitate to buy it. But after reading it, I find the book neither good nor interesting. Actually, the ending gave me the creeps. Okay, I need to shut up, I hate talking about this book.

The Most Interesting Book whose Theme is Death

I had read a number of books that has something to do with death. Three of them are by Mitch Albom, and I can say that his “The Five People you Meet iin Heaven” is the most interesting book that I had read whose theme is death. In the story, Eddie dies because of an accident in Ruby Pier, the amusement park where he works. In heaven, and as what the title suggests, he meets five people who has in one way or another had a connection with his life. My full review.

The Book that Left me Devastated for Days

Nicholas Sparks’ “A Walk to Remember” left me out of my mind for days because of the very tragic ending of the love story of Landon Carter and Jamie Sullivan. Actually, because this book left me devastated, I even posted an entry entitled “A Walk to Forget“But of course, I’m pleased that I read such good novel. Indeed, it’s a very tragic story. For those who want to read a tragic tale, you should read this, I’m sure you’ll be thinking of ending your life after reading it because the resolution of the book was really depressing. Okay, I’m exaggerating.

The Best Book

Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner” is the best book I had read so far. It’s about two Afghan boys — Hassan and Amir — as close as brothers whose friendship was destroyed because of a very tragic event that happened during their teenage years. Years later, it’s in Amir’s hands if he want to be good again. This book really captivated me. I learned that friends are really precious things here on earth and we had to take care of them. If you are looking for something to read, this is the book that you should try! I have no regrets on asking my Uncle to buy this book for me.

Oh, yes, those books on the photo (you can click on it to see a larger version, Lightbox supported) are all mine. XD As much as possible I don’t call them as my collection because I buy books not to collect and put them on display but to read them, leisure myself, and learn something from them. Reading has been my hobby for years and I guess, it would be very hard for me to remove it from my system. Though others say that reading is boring especially if the book is only pure text (no illustrations), I find it fun and enjoyable… as long as the text is interesting enough.

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2007 in 7 Lists of 7

Posted on December 30, 2007 at 9:16 pm | 10 Comments
Filed under Boggling Blogs • Bulky Books • Daily Dose • Internet Insanity • News Central • Random Realities • Site Stuff

It’s been my tradition here in my blog to post a yearend entry (2005, 2006). I usually post the most memorable things that happened to me from the very first day of January until December in my year ender specials, and in 2006, I’ve also included a list of my favorite entries for the whole year. But this year, I decided to make seven lists of seven. The lists talk about the best of 2007 except for the news category. I’ve also added notes here and there, and some are potential spoilers so be warned!

Most of the things that I have listed below are in either chronological or alphabetical order.

Books

This year, I was able to read 15 books, almost twice than last year. I really had fun reading this year.

  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — JK Rowling: The ending of Harry Potter’s epic tale was really fantastic. JK ended it with a fitting finale. How I wish there is a sequel to this book, but then, the time has come to end this very fascinating story.
  • The Kite Runner — Khaled Hosseini: I like this book very much. Furthermore, this is the best book I have read in my entire life. Unlike other fiction reads, this book is realistic. I recommend this to all, but most especially to those people who are not hooked into books and to Afghan refugees.
  • A Thousand Splendid Suns — Khaled Hosseini
  • The Chinese Cinderella — Adeline Yen Mah: [My Review]
  • Youngblood3 edited by Artura, et al: If you’re into Filipino literature, this is the book that you should buy. Very entertaining. And this is not fiction, by the way. [My Review]
  • The Dogs of Babel — Carolyn Parkhurst: The weirdest book I have ever read. It’s about Paul, a linguist, who tries to teach his dog how to speak. No, not because he’s out of his mind but because he wanted to know the real cause of his wife’s death. The words Parkhurst used in the ending of the story were really strong. [My Review]
  • For One More Day — Mitch Albom: Another tale about death. Yes, it’s a good book, but how I wish Albom would explore other topics. [My Review]

If you have read these books, you would notice that most of them are sad stories, but yeah, the characters lived happily ever after.

Songs

Entries

  • Faulty Schedule: My craziest misadventure this year. In this entry, I wrote how I spent almost 12 hours… in the mall.
  • The Perfect Duo: Chemistry and Zoology: You would fail these two subject if you don’t know how to memorize. And would you believe me that I enjoyed them? Haha.
  • The Divine Subjects: A review of my subjects back in first year, second semester. I used Dante’s concept in his Divine Comedy to give the final verdict for each of my subjects.
  • Stinks and Sells: I particularly enjoyed writing this. It’s my own version of what’s in and what’s out.
  • Big Surprises: The story how I acquired my notebook.
  • Let’s Talk About Grades (Part 2): What I realized in these posts was that grades aren’t everything.
  • Signs and Symptoms of Stress: The title says it all. I had a good time writing this and rereading it makes me laugh. XD

I know that the title of this entry says that for every list, there are seven items. But I have to break that because I reckon I have more interesting entries this year. And so we continue…

Web Apps

  • Last.fm: A cool way to discover music.
  • Google Reader: This one is a bit old, it’s been out since like two years ago. But it deserves a spot here.
  • Twitter: Who doesn’t love Twittering, eh? It’s enjoyable even though there is a maximum of 140 characters per tweet.
  • Sxipper: This one is actually a Firefox plugin. It can automatically input your information in every single form. It can also remember and generate passwords for you. A similar service is Clipperz.com.
  • del.icio.us
  • Flickr
  • Google Apps: Sign up and get your @yourdomain.com mail. All of the essential features of GMail are included. There are also other available applications that you can use.

News

Unlike the other categories, this one does not talk about the bests of 2007. These are the breaking news here in the Philippines. Majority of these are bad news.

  • Bus Hostage
  • The Glorietta 2 Blast: What’s the latest developement? Have they solved this?
  • Mariannete Ampere’s Suicide: A very very sad story
  • Erap’s Pardon: No way!
  • House of Representatives Bombing
  • The Peninsula Hotel Siege: Trillanes, please spare the hotels. Lol.
  • Peso’s Increasing Value: How come we cannot feel it?

Bloggers

I had fun reading your blogs! Keep on writing interesting blog entries!

WordPress Plugins

Yes, I know, most of things/persons that I have listed above (Especially in books, songs, web apps, and bloggers) were not published/released or didn’t start blogging this year. But then, this is my blog. Haha.

Well, I suppose, this is my last entry for this year. May everyone have a prosperous 2008! Rock on!

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Book Galore

Posted on July 18, 2007 at 9:13 pm | 9 Comments
Filed under Bulky Books

Last Saturday, instead of watching the latest Harry Potter movie which truly sucks (you can find my review here, please be noted that it’s full of spoilers) I decided to finish Mitch Albom’s latest book, For One More Day, which I have started to read last year. It took me months to finish reading it because the first part was really boring to me.

If I just didn’t miss reading so badly and school was not hell to me, I wouldn’t be able to finish it until now. The book was great (except for the first part). I liked it, it’s one of my favorites. For One More Day is about Chick Benetto’s experience. In the book, he tried to commit suicide, but instead, to his astonishment, he saw his mother… her mother’s ghost. (Yes, Mitch’s latest book has a touch of death again) According to the author, this story of Chick is true. I don’t know if I would believe it, what I know was that I was touched with Chick’s story. The last part was really saddening. Okay, no more spoilers.

Yesterday, when I got back home from a tiring day at school, my father asked me if I wanted to go to the mall. Though my prelim exams started today, I decided to go with them without thinking twice. As usual, I went to the local bookstore. The first book that I have seen was “Chinese Cinderella” by Adeline Yen Mah. I’ve seen it years ago but I wasn’t really interested with it because the book looked so plain. Months ago, I’ve read, if I’m not mistaken, in Kathrin’s blog that it was a good book. Since then, I’ve been wanting to get a copy of my own, but it was only yesterday that I have seen a copy of it again, and so, I bought it.

And now, despite that I sat my very hard 30-item PolSci prelim exam this morning, and I will take my English and CF exams tomorrow afternoon, I have already finished reading the 200 plus paged book. I can’t believe it, I’ve already finished reading it in only a day (I might as well go to the store where I bought it and demand to replace it with another book. Lol). I suppose I just really missed reading, that I can’t stop reading.

Chinese Cinderella is the story of the author herself, an unwanted daughter who struggled throughout the years while she was under the guidance of her stepmother and father who even forgot her name and the date of her birth. She was a very studious girl, desperate to be noticed and loved by her father. And in the end, she proved not only to her self, but to her father, stepmother, and siblings as well that she can reach her dream even though there are so many hurdles in her life. Now, she is a writer and physician.

Her story was really captivating, it would have surpassed the standards of Maalala mo Kaya1 and Magpakaylanman2in choosing the stories of people that they want to dramatize and be broad casted nationwide. It’s really a good read. [EDIT] You can read a full review of this book in It’s my Choice. [/EDIT]

Ah, three more days and I can have the last Harry Potter book in my hands. I can hardly wait! My father told me that we’ll go to Manila on Saturday, and I guess I’ll get my copy there. Unfortunately for me, there had been some changes in the schedule of our prelims, we’ll sit our exams in our major subjects next week, but that does not mean that I will not read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on Saturday and Sunday. I may not be able to finish it this weekend, but I’ll make sure that I will be able to read at least half of it before Monday.

And before I’ll look for something else to do (I still haven’t reviewed yet for my exams tomorrow, I guess I’ll go early to school tomorrow and stay all morning in the comforts of the library) I want to say that I really hate the only decent local bookstore in our place. As what I have written in an entry here in my blog, it’s not really a bookstore because it also sells other things like school supplies, toys, and during the Christmas Season, Christmas Trees. And now, they’ve put signs that says “No Private Reading.” No wonder why almost all of the fiction books that they sell are covered with plastic. That’s totally insane! How am I and even the other customers would know if we like the author’s style of writing and the story is good (even just the first part of the book, the synopsis usually found at the back of the book is not enough and sometimes, quite misleading)? That’s why I don’t want to buy Mark Haddon’s latest book, “A Spot of Bother,” though it’s in their bestseller list and I know the author. I want to read its first two or three pages first. Luckily, we will go to Manila this weekend. There, I can find a real bookstore that only sells nothing but books and does not prohibiting “private reading.” I might as well add “A Spot of Bother” on my book list.

Any other books that you can recommend to me? Btw, I’ve provided a list of the books that I’ve already read.

PS: I want to share to you this photo that I took during our excursion last Sunday with my family to the place where a piece of land that turned into a fish pond owned by my grandmother.

Boat Alone

That was the boat that we used to get to that place.

  1. A program here in the Philippines that features anthology of stories of various people. [↩]
  2. Same as Maalala mo Kaya. [↩]

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2005: Summarized

Posted on December 31, 2005 at 3:40 pm | 14 Comments
Filed under Bulky Books • Daily Dose • Site Stuff • Venomous Vernacular

2005 is having its last hours here on earth. Parang mamamatay na… hehe Welcome 2006! This year, there are so many new things that happend to me. They are listed below.

  • It’s my first time to buy a domain. I applied for this site last February 2 but it was only paid and activated by February 3. Now, I don’t know when I’ll celebrate Asteeg.Net’s first year anniversary. Lol. Btw, I already renewed my site, my host had already confirmed it.
  • It’s my first time to attend a JS Prom. Of course, in our school. Lol. At first, almost everyone in our batch does not want to have a JS Prom. And in the end we enjoyed it. Though I did not danc and the food is not delicious. Tama bang pakainin kami ng Bread Sticks for appetizer?
  • It’s my first time to witness a conclave (on CNN).
  • It’s my first time to run for the SC. And I ran for the position of president. Lol. And I was the one who covered the SC Elections for the our school’s official student publication. I wrote there my failure. Lol
  • It’s my first time to be the top 03. I did not expect it. And now, I’m being pressured.
  • It’s when I read many books. That will include Dan Brown’s DVC and A&D. I read DVC first befor A&D… lol. And will somebody explain to me why A&D’s title is A&D? I also read Mitch Albom’s The Five People you Meet in Heaven and JK Rowling’s HP HBP. Btw, I’m still reading Tw7sted by Jessica Zafra and I’m going to give back my classmate’s copy of Memoirs of a Geisha… I don’t like Golden’s style of writing (and even Pauolo Coehlo’s).

The list can go on but I’ve got to stop. And now, presenting my resolutions.

  • I have to stop eating junk foods and cup noodles. They’re bad for my health. And that’s why I’m still skinny until now. I’ve got to eat a lot of vegtables (I’m learning to love them), fruits and fish! Yeah, fish! Haha! Stop eating prok!
  • Post more sensible thoughts here.
  • Try to love my stupid classmates. Actually, we will be having our retreat on the 4th day of 2006.
  • Time management is what I really need.

Happy 2006 to all!

Read the rest of this entry »

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