Ako si Joandrea sa Multiply

This book is not far from the usual style of Nicholas Sparks: very romantic and a tragedy at the same time. Also, similar to his former books, the way he writes is fit for wide screen consumption.

Anyway, the story is about finding that one true love and it lasting forever even if you don't end up together. I have to admit that I was almost at tears during the end. But then again it was more happy than sad, because it sent me a message that better love and fail than not love at all.

It was an okay story with three main characters: Dawson, Amanda and Tuck. And throughout the book there wasn't any significant change in the characters, which is I think the point of the novel anyway.

THE BEST LOVE STORY OF ALL TIMES.

I read this book many years before when I was younger, and I admit that I only understood half of it then, yet enough to fall in love with a Mr. Darcy.

As I read it now at 24, I have become wholly and entirely affected by it. It made my heart flutter as if it were real. I have fallen in love again with Mr. Darcy, but 10 times stronger. I was at my last four chapters when I felt very anxious about finishing the novel and it becoming over soon.

And this morning I was awakened very early with the thoughts of the last chapters swimming in my mind that I can no longer go to bed.

I think the very lack of these kinds of feeling being present in my current situation in life was shocked when it suddenly came pouring forth in this --- I am at lost for words because using "romantic" simply isn't enough. It is like the dream every woman would want to have, it is the best thing that could happen to anyone, REALLY.

Okay, that's enough of my part of being foolish. Anyone who is looking for romance should read it.

I'm not entirely sure if Sense and Sensibility should be viewed strictly as a romance because there wasn't a lot of nakaka-kilig moments throughout the book. As a matter of fact all the men in the book did not show acts that I would call romantic aside from Willoughby, who turns out to be a complete dud.

I think it's commonplace in classic literature to use so many words to convey a simple meaning or situation, not that it's over the top, but that that was the trend at that time makes it longer and more tedious to read in our own time. For me that time is 9 days reading a book in w/c length I can normally finish less than half of that.

In essence the story really isn't about love but rightly so in the tittle, about Sense and Sensibility. It talks about the lack and presence of emotional and behavioral response when faced with most pressing situations. It talks about the two polar states of being sensible and sensitive with the two sisters Elinor and Marianne being its best examples, respectively. I cannot help but feel that I've been a Marianne since I was younger and felt the rush of being in love and it's uncontrollable emotional outpouring but later on in life had sought to be more like Elinor who is sensible.

I guess the book is something one can learn from more than one can enjoy. I think if you want to read something more kilig it'll be much more present in Pride and Prejudice, which I will be reading next.

Also, I'm gonna download the 1995 Sense and Sensibility movie and see if they made it more romantic. :)

All in all, Sense and Sensibility is fair when it comes to romance factor but very informative when it comes to the description of the norms of the society in the time it was written.

I think it's better if I talk about The 39 Clues as one single book rather than a collection with 10 books because ultimate the collection is just one long story.

Anyway, the first part of the book was really me thinking I'm wasting my time with this children's story. It's the kind of story where the fantasies of children come true: you get to travel the world, you get to beat the bad guys, you go through a lot of challenges and you come out victorious. And this is true for the most part of the book--the heroes win without even getting a scratch.

But it was on the middle part that the book's heroesgotiteasy theme shifted, not drastically, but nonetheless with impact. On the second half, good people died, the protagonists got plenty of cuts, bumps in the head, concussion, etc. In other words it was a little harder--but never hopeless. Also, they talked about the history of the family fued and most of the things that led to the current generation to come together, which is the most fun for me.

It was in the latter end of book 9 that I was able to tell myself with confidence that reading the other 8 books and finishing to the last was worth it.

I think the book is fun and especially if I were younger and I could daydream that I myself is one of the clue hunters. :) But even at my age the book was able to penetrate my many dreams during those 15 nights of before-bed reading. And those were some of my most exciting dream-adventures since Harry Potter. :)

Book 1 - I'm not sure if I should still go on with this book...
Book 2 - I'm still feeling the same way.
Book 3 - the latter half was exciting! finally.
Book 4 - more stuff from Grace.

I've finished four books and I'm leaning to IDONTREALLYLIKETHESEBOOKS. Why?
1. The danger is so momentary, it's so fast, I can't feel it.
2. I don't feel anything: not scared, excited, angry.
3. The heroes escape everything with just a little scratch.
4. I don't know it's possible that the heroes' relatives are always on their track. It seems impossible to me that they are able to catch up without finding the actual clue.
5. I'm in book 4 and there have been just 1 clue per book. Are you meaning to tell me that this has to go with 39 books?
6. What the hell is the internet website for? I have to play the online clue hunt to finish the story? UGH!

This book is a Christmas present from my aunt. I started reading it January 1 and finished almost midnight yesterday. That said, the book is not long in pages but small in typography.

The book is about happiness and keeping resolutions. There were parts that I couldn't directly relate to such as having kids and being married but all the rest is really about interaction with other people and keeping a steady and easy disposition.

Despite that, there are so many things you can get from this book and it doesn't feel like a self-help variant at all.

Rules such as:
Be Joan.
Heavy is easy, light is hard.
Making people makes me happy, and being happy makes other people be happy.
You aren't happy unless you think you're happy.
The days are long but the years are short.

and other true phrases are helpful guides in fulfilling your resolutions.

SUUUPPPERRR FUNN! I played this game sometime November last year but I only got to finish the whole story mode Thursday of the first week of January (another late post).

This game is SO CUTE! It's about two princesses that got addicted to eating MAGIC DELICIOUS CAKE. And the two kingdoms, red and blue, fought wars just to solve the mystery and magic of it all.

Anyhoo, basically the game place is agawan flag or agawan ng fat princess or ground and pound! The challenge is that you only get to control one character and the rest of your team is AI who are not very smart. The enemy group is a tad bit smarter than your AI so they still have a good chance of winning. The game is frustrating sometimes but the kind of frustration that makes you laugh, because you know it's not hopeless, it's just that your AI can sometimes be stupider than usual.

But this game would have been sooo sooo much fun if you play it multiplayer. Too bad people in my age group don't play too much games anymore.

I should have made this post on January 1 when I've finished all the seven books of Narnia... (I started first week of Dec. and finished Jan 1)

ANYWAY.

As I posted in my FB status, everyone who's familiar with the Christian belief and has read The Chronicles of Narnia and who knows that C.S. Lewis is a Christian Apologist can certainly connect that dots that the whole Chronicles of Narnia is about the creation of earth, man and beasts; good and evil; Jesus Christ and the devil; and heaven and hell. There were many times in a number of the books when I cried because Aslan the Lion (Jesus Christ) had always shown good faith and love and justice to his people.

After reading this collection I am now very sure that my heart has an intimate relationship with Children's Literature. And I'm not ashamed of it. I know there're more out there and I'm sure to look for them.

I first heard of Water for Elephants in a trailer shown on TV. I didn't know it was based on a book, but when I found it on our dropbox ebooks list, I told myself I had to read it before I see the movie.

The book is about Jacob, both at a time when he was very young and very old. When in an accident Jacob's parents suddenly die, he leave's school, runs away and chances upon a train and finds himself joining a circus as a veterinarian for the menagerie. It is in the circus too that he falls in love, looses his virginity, and proves to be a very faithful friend.

The book is well written, it transports you to that time and place, to those people, and those sound and smells of the circus business of the 1930s.

Water for Elephants is not merely a love story but also a story of pain and the hardships and reality of life. And how even the old - though we think they are the end of their time their time - are still able to relive, and sometimes live the adventures of their youth.

It took me the longest of time to read Goblet of Fire, aside for the fact that I was busy playing with Syphon Filter, the first part of Goblet of Fire was REALLY BORING. I mean there was plenty of space taken up my Hermione's obsession with house elves and then there's Hargid's story about being a giant as if it's not already obvious.

The story started getting exciting in the next half where the third task was at hand, when all the history comes out and when Voldemort has a rebirth in a new body! It was so scary that I had nightmares because I happened to finish the chapter where Voldemort just risen before I went to bed.

There were several highlights in the book including: a little bit on Hagrid's background; how Barty Crouch escaped Azkaban; how I'm pretty sure the Severus Snape is a bad guy turned good; Voldemort also explained how (SPOILER ALERT) the curse he was supposed to give Harry had backfired because of Lily Potter's love which turned into a repelling charm; it's also amusing that Ron's jealous of Krum and Hermione.

All in all the last chapters of the book saved it from being a disaster.
My favorite character in this book is Barty Crouch as Mad Eye Moody. He was able to fool me until the end.

Also you get a feeling of a real frustration at the end when Cornelius Fudge doesn't believe a word that Dumbledore and Potter says. Crazy old fart!

Anyhoo.. what's next?

Syphon Filter for me is the best game I ever played--EVER. It came out in the first Play Station console during the late 90s and I was addicted to it. It was my favorite because of the story and the game play (stealth game, third-person shooter).

That was more than ten years ago, and then last Tuesday, my brother lent me his PSP. When I saw Logan's Shadow in the game list, I felt I needed to play it.

First off, the controls were terrible. You can't really expect great controls with the limited buttons on a portable. Doing the underwater missions were the hardest because everything is in slow motion and you get the feeling you're gonna die because the enemies are gonna catch you.

I played the Normal Mode so the difficulty was average. I usually go for headshots because the enemies tend to just stand/sit still or move in designated locations. There were however very difficult parts on the game, Episode 3 has a submarine attacking your partner, and it's such a hassle underwater. Also the ending was pretty hard, I had to try so many times just to finally finish it.

The story was PANGET and bitin. You find out the Lian Xing had a husband who was a scientist, and because she was in love with Logan, she could not tell him about it--I thought it was gonna be a great story. But in the end (SPOILER ALERT), what Logan and Lian were feeling for each other was never resolved and Lian's husband killed himself because people would be looking for him anyway and try to use him to do bad.

The story only had 6 episodes. Sobrang bitin! UGH. Oh well. Sana magkaroon din ng Siphon Filter din sa PS Vita!

THIS BOOK KEPT ME UP ALL NIGHT. I couldn't sleep the night (early morning) before because I was feeling jittery with Harry getting himself into trouble again, and I'm getting all nervous because Severus Snape might catch him. And the DEMENTORS ahh! Then the ending was so thrilling that I stayed up until 1:30 this morning to finish it! So exciting!

This book was definitely more hair-raising than the first two I've read, it reminds me of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman--scary. When I started reading Prisoner of Azkaban, I knew I sold my soul to J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter. I dreamed of it every time I read it before I go to bed. I love, love the plot and the lies and Hagrid's comedy. Also I LOVE REMUS LUPIN. And Sirius Black, poor guy. And the book explained everything: how Sirius was able to get out of Azkaban; the trick they played on Severus Snape and how James Potter saved his life; how Hermione travels back to time; the Dementor's kiss; how Scabbers is really Peter Pettigrew; the Marauder's Map and Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs; the Screaming Shack and Hogsmeade. And the Quidditch matches have leveled up significantly!

Prisoner of Azkaban is my current favorite, because it has so many mysteries and treachery. And because I really like LUPIN. >_

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a more exciting and captivating book than the first one.

I loved that the book is full of action and mysteries planted on the past and wrecking havoc in present time. There were so many things to look forward to while reading the book: the mystery of the attacks on four students in Hogwarts; a brief telling of history of the house of Hogwarts and Salazar's Slytherin's pure-blood obsession which made him leave the school and make the Chamber of Secrets, awaiting for the Slytherin Heir; Harry also got a look on how Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts through Tom Riddle's diary; the big reveal that the model student Tom Riddle is really Lord Voldermort; how Ginny Weasley have written in and was controlled by the diary; finding out the Professor Lockhart is a coward and a fake; Fawkes the phoenix; the Basilisk; the baby spiders and the papa spider, Aragog; the flying car and so much more---all of which were fantastic.

All in all, the second book was filled with new characters, a whole lot of action and a snapshot of history which I think is an important component on making a story epic! I enjoyed the second book very much and if it wasn't for the very boring part of the Quidditch match against the Slytherins, I would have given it 5 stars.

Next book, the Prisoner of Azkaban!

I had always wanted to read the whole Harry Potter series ever since they came out, I envied my classmates who knew all about it. However, aside from not having the funds to buy the books, I was also very intimidated by its thickness (How the f long are these damn books?).

When I got a break from work this October, and because I got free copies of all the books in my kindle, I decided that this is the perfect time to read Harry Potter. And so I did. To my surprise the book was not at all long and it was also not very hard to comprehend, in fact I think it was written with children in mind. I could have finished the whole book in a day or two if I wasn’t busy finishing Spirit Tracks in Nintendo DS.

The written story was a lot easier to imagine because I saw all the Harry Potter movies except for the last one. Not surprisingly the movie changed a lot (mostly downplaying Neville and Ron was supposed to be a tall boy and they never wore hats as the book described), but what I found disappointing is that the movie was a lot more exciting to watch than reading the book. This is true most especially in the part of the Quidditch matches, There was just not enough energy and excitement in the way it was written, but in the movie, it was exhilarating.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is a wonderful children’s book, but I still find Neil Gaiman’s stories superior because they are more captivating and hair-raising. However the appeal of Harry Potter is greater to most people because of its wonderful themes of love, courage and bravery.

Up next, The Chamber of Secrets. :)

I've been trying to finish this game since it came out 2009. I must have tried at least five times until I found the determination to actually finish it. I would stop when I realized that I wasn't able to do this and that and usually I stopped when I just got to the Ocean realm because I wasn't paying attention to what the game characters were saying so I always got stuck and wasn't able to move forward--well this time, I paid attention.

What you can expect from Zelda is always there: Great story, cute characters, and an interesting game play. The bosses are the best because you try to figure out how to kill them. Also there was a lot of humor in the game like Zelda getting into a phantom and still being scared of rats; there was also Lineback III who you can just feel is as self-centered as his grandfather.

I didn't get to unlock all there is to unlock. For one thing there were the rabbits which were such a pain to capture. Getting all of those enables you to do a kind of sword slash. But then again I found out in the end that the most important thing is the stamp collection that lets you do the SUPERDUPER spin attack which is essential in defeating the final boss Malladus.

Like in the past Zelda games I've played, the bosses aren't that hard to kill if you have enough hearts and potions. But the greatest challenge in Spirit Tracks was the damn Spirit Temple. Ugh, that was a pain, and honestly I had to consult a walkthrough to finish the last floors when getting the compass.

Finally I can move on.

I think anyone who laughs at Chelsea Handler's joke has a weird, dark kind of humor.

I thought I was reading a true story, it turns out when the title said "One Night Stands" it was not real sex, they were Chelsea's sex segment in her stand-ups (comedy).

Of course I was disappointed, should have known better. I was so excited about the title of the book that I didn't bother reading who the author was. I don't really dig Chelsea's comedy in the first place, it's like she bullies you to her sarcasm and if you don't get it you're stupid or you don't have a sense of humor. I'm not saying she's not funny, I just don't like her. Sorry guys good thing this was a short read.

The reason why I wanted to read the book was because I saw the HBO adaptation, Game of Thrones. In TV it was very vulgar and I wondered if it was truly written in that manner in the book, such as that scene when Lord Renly's squire was shaving his body and proceeded to give him a blow job afterwards.

I found out that was not the case.

Truth be told I had expected to be taken by the book like a drug--a hallucinogen. But to my disappointment, it was watching the TV show that helped finish the book. I doubt I would be able to finish it any quicker if I had read it before watching. I wanted to be c a p t i v a t e d, but it just didn't happen.

Anyway, who's my favorite character? Definitely Tyrion.He was cunning, sharp-tongued and umm...good in bed.

Anyway, I'm not really sure if I could further myself to read book two before HBO comes out with their season 2.

Freakonomics is the kind of book a freshmen taking up Econ should read. It will not only keep him in the course, it will also help him actually enjoy it and see economics in a different light.

Freakonomics discusses the basic theory of economics, that of human response to incentives, and applies it to our daily lives. Had this book been available when I was still studying, I would have had a totally different thesis, and would definitely embrace the field more than I did.

Here are some of the interesting topics in the book:
What Makes a Perfect Parent?
Why Vote? - There's no good economic rationale for going to the polls.
The Economy of Desire - Can fear of Aids change sexual preference?

Also it is written very entertainingly:
"Every parent thinks he has the most beautiful baby in the world. Evolution, it seems, has molded our brains so that if you stare at you own baby's face day after day after day, it starts to look beautiful. When other people's children have food clotted on their faces, it looks disgusting; with your own kid, it's somehow endearing."

But do not be mistaken, the contents may be reader-friendly, but it also requires a little bit of analysis to fully appreciate the book.

Ha, I've finally finished all the NINE books on Sherlock Holmes! I've read so much of his stories that I didn't think I would be surprised with what the last book contained. Contrary to this there were 1 or 2 stories that I really liked. Also there were two chapters where Sherlock Holmes was the one writing instead of Watson, But to tell you the truth, the sounded the same. LOL. Maybe because the author is the same.

Anyway, the ending was uneventful. It was just a mystery and nothing about Sherlock Holmes going away. :( So sad. HAY! My Adventures with the very brilliant detective is finally over.

Can't wait for the new movie to come!

I have never read a parody in the form of a novel before. I've seen parodies of House and Zelda on YouTube but that's a about as much as I know as far as parodies goes.

It was during the middle of the book that I realize what I was reading was a parody of the Twilight Saga, when a scene was alluded from one of it's movies. This goes to show that I'm not really a big fan of the Twilight thing.

Also I just found out that the name of the Twilight girl was Bella Swan and the name of the girl in this book was Belle Goose. LOL. Goes to show how much I am a fan of Twilight.

Book has always helped me discover the meaning of words. For this book you will fully appreciate the meaning of: ridiculous, sarcastic, chauvinistic and odd humor. If you think about it Belle is everything Bella is but just couldn't say it out loud--self centered, I-want-a-vampire-boyfriend-and-that's-all-that-matters type.

The novel may had been short, but it was enjoyable.