sunday currently vol.43

Currently...

reading: nothing yet although i just finished reading neverwhere by neil gaiman this morning. a review from san diego union-tribune states how it's the stuff of dreams and nightmares. i totally agree on that. it's a very descriptive book that reminds me of my own dreams and how i narrate it to my brother, much to his consternation as he got older and eventually sick of listening to my tales of my vivid dreams ('how can you remember every single detail???' he often says in disbelief). i also like the cover from the 2016 edition, which is illustrated by robert mcginnis. it's what caught my eye in the bookstore many months ago. the copy i have on hand with that particular cover was graciously lent to me by an officemate who also shares my love for fiction.

writing: oh dear me. i've been stuck in the writing rut since forever.

listening: to stone cold by demi lovato. oh my heart, how i love this song. it's the first song of demi's that i really took notice of back in 2016 because of its melody. it is described in wikipedia as a soul sentimental ballad. much like my strange affinity for the melody on let's hang on's line 'got a lot o' love between us', i love how demi sang the line 'if happy is her, i'm happy for you'. the song is just fairly new that it doesn't have a lot of versions/covers like let's hang on or else i've had created a playlist dedicated to it. i do have a favourite live version of stone cold which is the one from billboard's women in music. there is so much emotion in how demi sings it, the listener would have to have a heart of stone not to feel all that pain in the song. and let me just say that this is one of the songs in this millennium that i don't need to check out the lyrics websites for, well, the lyrics. the song is just that good, and demi slays it every single time, may it be live or recorded.

thinking: of vacations in faraway places

smelling: nothing.

wishing: on nothing.

wearing: sleepwear. duh.

loving: the song stone cold. lol.

wanting: i don't know what i want at the moment. maybe just a restful sleep.

needing: stone cold has replayed ten times already but i really have no idea what i currently need.

feeling: cold. literally. nothing to do with my current ultimate lss, thank you very much.


oh. will i end this post without sharing the video of my latest (old) favourite song? of course not. hit play!

official video



billboard women in music

random rambles

finally, a quiet moment alone again with my thoughts which are definitely so NOT quiet. my mind is currently on the reading old emails streak and i can't believe i am reading emails from ELEVEN, NO, TWELVE YEARS AGO.

funny how something that is a serious matter to you becomes, well, funny several years hence. couldn't help but laugh out loud at the histrionics in my emails to my friends. now i think i'm sorry i've subjected them to such kaartehan. i think this is some kind of a problem/challenge for people who speak more in writing. i cannot filter anymore what i want to say there, it's like my fingers get a mind of their own and simply fly over the keyboard or possess my pen to create yet another novel-like email/letter. nevertheless, those ancient missives make up for more good writing material and a lot of laughs. lots and lots of laughs. i can't believe i was that stupid then. i'd like to think i've gotten mature over the years but then i'll never grow out of having those stupid moments sometimes.

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just finished red queen by victoria aveyard. i've read a lot of YA novels thanks to my cousin B. and because of that, i cannot help but think that there are a lot of similarities here in red queen with, say, the hunger games and divergent. while red queen is more of a fantastical story set in a dystopian society, i could easily see mare barrow alongside katniss everdeen and tris prior. mare may be poor, but she has a personality that could scathe anyone not strong enough to withstand such. and like katniss and tris, she also has to battle her way in a society that is composed of the bullies (the silverbloods) and the oppressed (the redbloods). a war is at hand and it shows no sign of ending. guess who gets the short end of the stick in this war? kilorn, mare's best friend who was supposed to be able to avoid conscription by having work but is left without one when his master dies. sound familiar? and oh, an underground revolution is brewing amongst the reds. now guess who inadvertently becomes the face of the revolution? should i start on the romantic interests of mare? uh, maybe not now.

but even if my mind screamed hunger games!!! and divergent!!! in almost every chapter of red queen, i would still say that it is a fun read. trust and betrayal are the underlying themes of this story and ms. aveyard was able to manipulate her characters beautifully especially with that of cal and maven. as i got to the final moments in the story the book became harder to put down. my mind moved from hunger games!!! and divergent!!! to kill them already!!! (of course, this is to cal and mare.) however, because it's again a series just like most YA books these days, i would have to wait until my cousin gets her hands on the other books.

i just have one question. do the characters really have to smirk so much? the word sneer comes in as a close second, but it's not as many as smirk. i actually thought of counting how many times it appears in each chapter (it appeared all throughout the book) and in what tense was it written but then again, never mind.

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fangirling over:
jess glynne! still listening and dancing to her songs but more so with hold my hand (which i have currently on "loop" in youtube).
supergirl! i can't believe the season ended before arrow did. i really hope there will be a season 2. while i haven't read anything official about a season 2 for the show, the guys at cbs did say "season finale" and not "series finale" which i think my world will crumble if the latter happened. and the season ending ended with a cliffhanger, so...
arrow! i would say that this fourth season was better than the third one, though not as exciting as the second season (i think this is the best so far). just so heartbroken over laurel... why, oh, why??? i wonder what her haters think of her death now, they were so rabid about getting her kicked out of the show in season 2. i hope the writers make her go into the lazarus pit too, and then she'll get that blood lust and kill damien darhk for oliver. hahaha. there are five more episodes to go and then season 4 ends. please, no more going on hiatus!!!

Sunday Currently vol. 6

Day-off on a Sunday. Finally!

 

CURRENTLY

READING: One Summer by David Baldacci, one of my most favourite writers. I am a big fan of David Baldacci ever since I got my hands on The Winner eons ago. And several more books after that, like The Simple Truth, Saving Faith, and the King and Maxwell series to name a few. Mr. Baldacci, if this bit ever reaches you, I just want to say how dare you make me all weepy with your non-mystery thriller One Summer??? I never, ever got teary-eyed at the saddest parts of some books I've read, but this! Wow! The waterworks just won't stop. I was in a public place (a salon where I was waiting for my mum to finish her herbal hair treatment) as well, so as much as possible I tried to keep it to a minimum. By then I believed the review on the book by RT Book Reviews which said, "Readers better have their hankies ready." I was not ready cos I don't pay much heed to reviews and so I finally had to ask my aunt for a tissue. Hahaha. At this point I am almost halfway through the book. And to think I just bought it this afternoon. That's how I am riveted by the story. You have proved yourself over and over as a prolific writer with your many thrillers, Mr. Baldacci, yet you have outdone yourself with One Summer. Not only do you make your readers sit at the edge of their seats, you touch a chord deep within their hearts as well. This fan included.

WRITING: this. Should be writing in my journal as well.

LISTENING: to Ikaw ang Aking Mahal by VST & Company.

THINKING: of what to do tomorrow since it's still my day off. So far only sleep is on the list.

SMELLING: nothing

WISHING: it's already the 26th. yippee!

WEARING: my usual tank top and shorts.

LOVING: still Aldub!!! I have to do a marathon on the episodes I missed. Cannot satisfy myself with just the spoilers this time!

WANTING: to eat potato chips or any gooey chocolate bar. Sleep tomorrow.

NEEDING: to exercise more! Am not able to do so for the past couple of days since my duties ended at past midnight. Too tired to even roll out my exercise mat in the morning.

FEELING: hungry but not quite hungry. Weirdo!




Link up with siddathornton to join in the Sunday Currently!

of sick days, kilig days, and so on

so. my body had finally succumbed to the persistent cough and colds i've had for over a week now. colds are the bane of every cabin crew's life because if left alone, it will wreak havoc on the eardrums when combined with the pressure during flying. more specifically, during the descent. i have felt it several times already and i thought my eardrums were going to burst. so the very next day i called in sick, the very first one since i started flying. i just have this thought of being superwoman that i really just had to wait until my joints have started aching and my sinuses have begun to throb so much that my face felt swollen. it looked very much like it, too. and i felt so miserable these past several days that i just wanted to curl up in bed and sleep the whole day. i wanted a back rub but nobody gave me one. i wished somebody would hold my hand before i went to sleep but yah there was no one. i have used several packs of kleenex already and it's like there is no end to my need of it. and i realised i was eating healthy food and pumping myself full of meds that i suddenly missed my lovely burgers, fries, and blueberry cheesecake. i don't like taking medicine! especially those huge tablets that always seem to get stuck in my esophagus. when i get better, i will head to my favourite resto and get all my comfort food to celebrate. but first, lemme take my meds. and apples and oranges. 

darn sickness makes me so dramatic i want to puke. so on to the lighter side of things...

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one thing that makes me go all kilig lately is the alden richards and yayadub loveteam, fondly called aldub by fans. they're just toooo cute! and yayadub is just too funny she makes me laugh. those facial expressions! it's cool how she has literally dubsmashed her way into fame. i foresee more awesome things coming for her. 

alden richards? get outta here! he looks like a really nice person in real life. and yeah, ok, he's cute. look at his dimple. ah, yeah! 

grabe bagay na bagay talaga sila ni yayadub. kaya hindi pwedeng matuloy ang kasal ni yayadub kay frankie! yakie talaga! no way jose! heheheh.

si lola nidora kasi! babala... asawa ni babalu! rogelio, rogelio, rogelio, rogelio! nakakaloka! buti na lang nakatakas si yayadub kanina bwahahaha! malalaman na ng fans kung magkakatuluyan si yayadub at alden. bukas na ang tamang panahon!!!

hindi naman halatang excited din ang lola mo sa mangyayari bukas, noh?!

pinapatawa talaga ako ng segment na ito ng eat bulaga. kapag wala akong pasok or ang pasok ko hapon pa ito ang lagi kong inaabangan. galing lang talaga nila sa concept at execution grabe! hard to believe na three weeks pa lang pala ito. maraming salamat sa lahat ng mga bumubuo ng eat bulaga sa araw-araw niyong pagbibigay-ligaya sa mga pilipino! mwah-mwah, tsup-tsup! 

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recent reads:

love & misadventure and lullabies by lang leav 

these are the second and third books of poetry that i've bought. i am not much into poetry but lang leav's writing style really resonated in me. the covers, too. ms. leav is not just a wizard of words but in illustrating as well. her books are not meant to be read in one sitting, as i found out after reading love & misadventure. i didn't get to savour each verse as much as i should have since i wanted to get to the end right away, much like when i read anything prose. wrong move. so when i got lullabies, i took my time to digest each fascinating and captivating line, putting the book down when needed and even when i did not want to. and so i enjoyed reading it. i guess poetry should be read this way so that you can really feel what the writer is conveying through his or her verses. looking forward to lang leav's next book.

the pajama girls of lambert square by rosina lippi

this book i haven't finished reading yet but i find it to be a nice, light romance set in a small town where everyone knew each others' business. it's a story about a woman with a past and a man who never set roots in one place. i have read books with these kinds of characters before but what i like about this is that the characters are full of wit, no-nonsense and unapologetic for who they are. no corny or maudlin speeches, that's for sure. will finish the book once i get my butt off this seat. 

thirteen reasons why by jay asher

i'll say it straight up: i could not put this book down ever. i threw a mental tantrum when i had to do it because i had to do normal, boring, everyday stuff. that's how riveting the story is. every turn of the page is a page nearer to the reason that made hannah decide to push through in taking her own life, and where clay played a part in her story. the book speaks on how people could affect other people with the way they act towards them, and the possible consequences that may bring. an oft-shared quote on the net comes to mind: "be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about."

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lss goodness:

shut up and dance by walk the moon

style by taylor swift

love is your colour by leona lewis and jennifer hudson

the days by avicii

four five seconds by rihanna, kanye west and paul mccartney

cheerleader (felix jaehn remix) by omi 

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i want my blueberry cheesecake!

super fun day of randomness

I turned a year older last week and I must say, it was somehow weird that I felt bored about the whole thing. I didn't know how I would celebrate it and whom I would celebrate it with, as proved by this conversation.

Ma: Gusto mo magdinner mamaya? (Do you want to go out for dinner tonight?)

Moi: Ehhh... bukas na lang, may gagawin kasi ako ngayon. (Ehh, let's just go out tomorrow, I'm doing something today.

Ma: O sige. Gusto mo tawagan ko sila Tita J? (Ok then. Do you want me to invite Tita J?)

Moi (in a bored whiny tone): Maaa.

Ma: Eh gusto mo tawagan ko friends mo? (How about I call your friends?)

Moi (more bored and whiny tone): Maaaaaaaa!

Ma: (leaves)

Yet in between those pockets of weirdness, boredom, and indecisiveness still lay a bit of excitement that it was my birthday. Yeah cos I'm strange like that. or maybe that's a sign of aging?! You tell me.

For all that was stuck in my head that day was that I had to work. It is not that bad however, because the person I was doing business with is a good friend of mine. The 100 million dollar question was what to do after that. I had no idea, and I didn't really care. I could have gone straight home if I wanted. But I didn't. A trip was in order since my friend F and I wrapped up by merienda time. How convenient is that, yeah? It was just the beginning of a simple yet fun celebration.

The trip we went on was so random, it became one of the highest-ranking random manila trippings F and I have ever done. First up, we went to a Taoist temple which I promptly forgot the name of. All I remember is that is it's located on Adriatico St. We were the only visitors in the temple at that time. F lit some incense while I looked around to admire the ornately decorated place. We took some photos afterwards and then left.

F and I continued walking along Adriatico until we reached Padre Faura. We then proceeded to Solidaridad bookshop, which is owned by premier Filipino writer F. Sionil Jose. An aria playing softly from the speakers and the cool, gentle blast from the airconditioner greeted us as we entered the bookshop. Oh, I was in heaven. Even if I didn't have any plans of buying a book, just the fact that I am surrounded by lots of books is enough for me. Browsing through shelves is just as enjoyable as purchasing a book that catches my fancy.

But of course, my reader's nose is just too keen that I found the book written by my beloved high school English teacher stacked in one of the displays in the bookshop. I immediately snapped one up without batting an eyelash, making it the first "expensive" book I've bought in years. (if it satisfies your curiosity, I love bargain bookstores. My cheapest find to date was sold for five pesos. ha!)

So. have I mentioned that it was merienda time? A trip, even a mini one at that, would not be complete without food. So we left the comforting coolness of the bookshop and tripped over to Hizon's in J. Bocobo St. for a late afternoon snack. An institution which was established in 1946, Hizon's boasts of its cakes and pastries. They also offer sumptuous selections for breakfast, lunch and dinner that it is no wonder that the great Philippine comedian Dolphy considered Hizon's his favourite place to eat.

Our merienda consisted of toasted special ensaymada with queso de bola, special halo-halo with a scoop of ube ice cream and a slice of chocolate cake. I know, it's sugar rush galore! I especially loved the grilled ensaymada. The bun has a light and flaky texture that gives it its melt-in-your-mouth character, and has just the right amount of sweetness that blended beautifully with the subtle saltiness of the grated cheese. Needless to say, F and I left Hizon's with satisfied tummies, and planning the next food trip at this place.

Some people celebrate their birthdays the whole month long. Some celebrate on their birth week. some just on the day itself, and some don't even celebrate at all. So far the only type I haven't tried doing yet is celebrating the whole month. Oh well. Just the thought of it makes me feel tired already. (uh-oh, another sign of aging, perhaps?) Well, all I want is a simple, fun, and random (if this is applicable) celebration with family and select friends in one of my happy places. It's my kind of recipe.

P.S. One funny thing that happened on that day was I actually asked F what the date was. Now if that's not a sign of aging, I don't know what is.

P.P.S. Top two photos taken in the Taoist temple; bottom left and center photos, Solidaridad bookshop; bottom right, gate at aurora plaza where Solidaridad is located. sorry, no photos of the scrumptious feast. Here's a  link to a photo of the toasted ensaymada tho. :)

Sunday Smiles

My email inbox automatically refreshed to reveal that another reader has favourited a fanfic of mine. Yippee! This old gal is giddygiddygiddy. 

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A Facebook chat with some college friends revealed another bookworm amongst us. One friend didn't strike me before as someone who liked books and it's just a really lovely surprise to learn that she does! How funny to learn that little factoid now several years after graduation. We just never got around to talking about books I guess. Hooray for bookworms!

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Parents got back safely from Roxas City. I can resume my remembrance tactics. Hohoho.

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Weekend consisted of cleaning the house, watching tv and reading. I'd say it was a weekend well-spent. The very nice weather is a great contributing factor to this as well. :)

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And oh, this video!

that's all, folks!