So I just finished reading Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos, her follow up novel from Love Walked In. I loved Love Walked In, for all its seemingly old-fashioned scenes and the lovely characters. I especially loved the fact that Teo Sandoval was half-Filipino, somehow making it feel closer to my heart.

Belong to Me is a different story from its prequel. More characters, more conflict, more stories. I saw a couple of reviews that it wasn’t as good as the prequel, but because I can’t stand not reading all books in a series and because I was curious to what happened to Cornelia and Teo and Clare, I got the book.

In Cornelia’s words: I was slammed. Hard. Belong to Me is probably one of the best books I’ve read this year. It’s a different tone from the first book, but it was simply (and very) charming. The chapters were long, the stories were complicated but never did I feel bored with the entire story. I devoured every page, with all its lyrical prose and smart characters. My heart burst in sadness at the particular part of the story where all things came undone, and I celebrated victory with them when I got to the end.

I think it’s a given for any reader to love Cornelia, but what I really loved about the book was (and still), Teo. I could easily imagine how Cornelia could call him her sun and moon and stars. I tried hard to find a flaw in him, and I know there was something but it’s became a part of his character as a whole that you’d end up forgiving it because you know it won’t be the same without it.

And maybe the reason why I love Teo so much because I want someone like him. Not exactly a half Filipino hunk of a man with golden brown skin and bottle green eyes type (but hey, that sounds really handsome, haha), but someone who treats me the way Teo treats Cornelia. Like how he had an almost secret and sacred nickname for Cornelia that meant “heart” in Latin (Cor), or how his face changes whenever he talks about his wife (as observed by Piper). I want someone like that, someone who I’d think of as my sun and moon and stars but would also think of me the same way too. Someone whose heart could expand with love for all the people that matter to me, and teach me to make my heart be like that too, for people he cares for and people I have a hard time liking or loving. Someone like Teo, who stuck with Cornelia for fifty-six hours to try to fix the mess that exploded in their faces and not lose patience but remind her that love is not “I” or “you” but “we”.

*sigh* It’s got me smitten, really, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget about this book too easily. I love every single bit of it, and I kind of feel sad that it’s the last book on them. I really feel like I’m saying goodbye to good friends, people who have kept me company over the weekend. But it’s comforting to know that I could always visit them, and draw strength from them, and maybe, someday, talk about them to someone who will be my own Teo someday.

Oookay, and that last line is really cheesy, so it’s time for me to go to bed. :P

But let’s start. From last weekend. :P

So last weekend, I met up with my high school friends for our “fitness” day — something we came up with after meeting again three weeks ago. Toni has become a gym guy ever since he signed up for Fitness First, and I’ve been meaning to sign up for the gym for a while now, but of course, I’m making use of Toni’s membership and his ability to bring me in as a guest in different branches. That Saturday was a relatively physically painless day, but it was kind of painful on the pockets. Why? Because I finally gave in and signed up for Fitness First. Haha, congratulate me, yay? Now if the gym fee that will appear on my monthly bill is not enough to motivate me, I don’t know what to do anymore. :P

Because of that newly spent cash that new commitment, I dropped by the gym on Monday and Tuesday. Nothing heavy yet, because I was really too tired from work and all. Wednesday, I had to pass because my legs ache and there was the storm. Sort of. Thursday had me up and not feeling well, which made me go to Medical City’s ER by Thursday night because I was burning with fever.

Okay, not burning. I just had a fever, period. Because of all the A(H1N1) news and paranoia (seriously, I think it’s kind of over-sensationalized already, come on), my mom and brother and I went to Medical City to have me admitted…but of course I have to be checked up yet.

My 2-hour wait at Medical City’s triage area commenced as soon as we got to the ER. Yes, two hours. There were so many people there, it was almost like Black Friday. Okay, I may be exaggerating, but I swear, the waiting area was full with people waiting to be checked and almost all were wearing masks. I don’t want to discount what other people felt there, really, but I have a feeling some of them were just like us: paranoid. Haha.

I ended up going home around 1am as advised by the doctor because my fever is still new and there’s really nothing to see yet. I don’t think the doctor will use a testing kit on me since other people need it more, and I’m not an urgent case. Which I really did not mind because really, all I want then was to go home and sleep. It’s kind of good to know that I’m not really a critical case. :P

So the weekend was spent at home, recuperating. Friday woke me up with Michael Jackson’s death (Rest in Peace, MJ), and then the rest of the day was spent sleeping, reading and trying to get my fever to go down. I was starting to panic with my fever — and not to mention that it was really hot that day, so it was even more uncomfortable. Good thing by Saturday I was feeling better, but I still stayed home and spent most of the day reading and playing Sims 3. Boring in a way, but it was nice to stay home. I remember how much of a homebody I am.

Oh, and there was this overwhelming craving to eat Twister Fries over the weekend. If any of you had read my tweets or my Facebook status, you’ve probably seen me wailing for some Twister Fries from McDonald’s. I finally got my dose thanks to my brother. ♥ I’d like to thank other people who offered to bring me some too — haha you made me feel better, really. ♥

And finally, Sunday, I was all better, but I was a bit grumpy (again ugh), and still coughing. When I got home from Megamall, I had this weird thought of upgrading my MacBook Aslan from Tiger to Leopard. I know, I’m late, and I’ll spare you all the other background stories. So anyway, I backed up, upgraded and now I feel like I have a brand new computer — it’s so pretty. Shiny pretty brand-new pretty, if not for the fingerprints on the keyboard and the computer, I’d think it really was brand new. Haha. I can’t wait to play with it again.

Now that I’ve blabbed for how many paragraphs…I’ve updated. There’s more that I need to discuss in depth and all, like what’s really up and all the other thoughts that I should be writing down. Am I making sense yet? I’m running into a lot of blogging blocks and it’s not really fun. Why do you think I have a lot of book reviews now instead of actual posts?

Oh and speaking of books, Belong to Me by Marisa delos Santos is absolutely enchanting. ♥

So today everyone I know that resides in the Southern part of Luzon are getting ready for the storm FERIA, who was said to hit us by afternoon of this day. When I went to work there were some slight rains and I thought that was it, but it stopped and it hardly rained all day. The sky looked scary though, and it looked like we were in the eye of the storm.

But alas, no rain.

Rain where are you?

Not that I’m complaining. Seriously, as much as I like the rain, it can be so depressing. Plus it makes my commute so hard and inconvenient that I can’t help but wish that I have a car (and I drive). Hay. Plus its traffic everywhere when it rains here, and it makes people sick…with all talks of AH1N1 now, who wants to be sick?

Hay. I miss the sun.

I have a feeling it will rain later, so I’m praying that electricity won’t go out. There’s nothing more I hate than being in the middle of a brownout - there’s nothing to do and I don’t want to use any of my gadgets because I feel like they’d run out of batteries. And there’s no Internet.

Well would you look at that. This is kind of a long entry…right? Anyway I better quit this and get back to reading “The Shack”. I’m almost halfway done! That’s book # 44!  6 more to go!

Good night everyone, stay safe. :)

THERE IS SOMETHING STRANGE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

Naunahan na naman ang mga pulis sa pagtugis sa mga holdaper ng isang jewelry shop. Bago noon, may iba na ring nakahuli sa isang carnaper; sumaklolo sa mga taong nasa itaas ng nasusunog na building; nagligtas sa sanggol na hinostage ng ama; tumulong para makatawid sa kalsada ang isnag matanda; tumiklo sa mga miyembro ng Akyat Bahay; sumagip sa mga mag-anak na tinagay ng tubig-baha; nag-landing ng maayos sa isang Boeing 747 na nasiraan ng engine; at nagpasabog s aisang iganteng robot. Pero sino ang taong ‘yon? Maliligtas nya ba sila Aling Baby? At ano nga ba talaga ang sabon ng mga artista?

Bob Ong is known for his funny yet thought provoking books about the life of a Filipino. I’m sure you’ve heard of him at one point, or have received a forwarded email regarding his little thoughts on life and love (ex. “Kung maghihintay ka nang lalandi sayo, walang mangyayari sa buhay mo. Dapat lumandi ka din.” Don’t wait for someone to flirt with you. Learn to flirt as well.) and I know that most people have certainly agreed with a lot of what he has written.

Kapitan Sino is Ong’s 7th book, and it takes us in an adventure in the town of Pelaez. There we find Rogelio, an ordinary man who makes a living by fixing different appliances in their shop named “Hasmin’s Sari-Sari Store” that they’ve planned to change but never got around to. He lives his life one day at at time, enjoying his little jokes with the kids who insist on buying candies at their sari-sari store turned electronic repair shop, listening to his neighbors Aling Precious and Aling Baby best each other and sing to the different songs he hears on the radio. All this changes one day when his friend Bok-Bok visits his place and they both find out Rogelio has super powers.

Kapitan Sino was born, and from there, Rogelio started saving other people’s lives, disguised in a silver costume and helmet that his blind friend and childhood love Tessa made. Pretty soon, Kapitan Sino was everywhere — on the children that play along the streets pretending to be the hero and the villains, on snacks, gums, newspaper, radio, TV. Everyone was thankful for Kapitan Sino’s heroism, and Rogelio was just happy that he was able to help. This was up until his encounter with the town’s monster, which he defeats but then fails to save someone that mattered to him.

Kapitan Sino is a lot like his previous book MacArthur, but a bit more fun. The thing I did not like about MacArthur was how depressing it was, and I didn’t want to read it afterwards. Kapitan Sino is funny in the sense that it brings in a lot of late 80’s to 90’s Filipino culture, such as snacks like Rinbee, Bazooka Bubble Gum and TV shows like Pinoy Thriller or  Batibot — things that Generation X and Y will surely understand and remember. However, Kapitan Sino is kind of sad too, because it shows us just how our nation is, reflected in the small town of Pelaez: from the corrupt government officials to the people who spend time trying to best each other with their riches, spending more time gossiping than doing something productive and even blaming other people for things that are not their fault. It’s a startlingly accurate picture, and it’s kind of sad to realize the reality of what Bob Ong has written.

But do we really need superheroes to be able to fix our situation? Do we have to have super powers to be heroes? Or can we be heroes on our own?

I’ll leave that up to you to answer.

Emmy James is not the kind of girl who attracts angels. In fact, after she sent her life into a nosedive six years ago, she’s tried to attract as little as possible -attention, people, or responsibility. She skips from town to town in an Airstream trailer, working odd jobs and keeping to herself until a sudden whim lets her know it’s time to move again.

And this works just fine, until the day two unexpected visitors show up at the New Jersey trailer park she calls home. One is a childhood friend with news: her mother and his father are getting married, and they want EJ to be there. The other is a sweet but odd woman named Jess, who says she’s an angel specializing in cosmic relationship mending…and blueberry pancakes. Jess doesn’t think it’s any coincidence that this is all happening at once, but EJ would rather run herself over with her own Airstream before reconnecting with her neglectful, self-absorbed mother. When she wakes up to find her trailer cruising down the highway with a determined angel at the wheel, however, EJ realizes that sometimes what you want and what the Universe intends for you can be two very different things…

I am really starting to love Lani Diane Rich’s works. There’s something about what she writes and the people she writes about that really piques my interests, and this one is no different. (Plus, don’t you just love that cover? :P)

EJ is a girl who’s been around for the past six years, going from one place to another, taking jobs as a cashier, using a receipt printer and just living on her own. What people don’t know about her is that she’s the daughter of Lilly Lorraine, a famous actress, and it’s something she doesn’t really want people to know. Frankly, she’d rather bury her past and just live the way she lives now — it’s less painful that way.

But one day brings her two unexpected surprises: one is a visit from an old friend telling her that her mother is getting married yet again to his father and probably the closest and most real parent he’d ever had. And she gets a visit from an angel — or someone who thinks she is. Jess, the angel, is convinced that the Universe wants her to help EJ, and would stop at nothing in doing so — even going as far as “kidnapping” EJ.

After much reluctance, EJ finally decides to go home just for the wedding, but what she saw when she got back was something she never expected. Oh, and her old friend and ex-fiancee was there too — with a lot of old hurts that she never thought she’d have to deal with all over again.

A Little Ray of Sunshine is exactly what the title says — it’s a little ray of sunshine in a book. It’s a really entertaining story, with a wacky cast of characters. EJ, with all her rudeness to her mother and the people around her and her need to go to be alone, is still very endearing. Jess is such a darling, and I almost thought she was a real angel until her own secrets were revealed. Lilly was annoying and lovable at the same time. The tension between the characters was the kind of thing that you’d see in real life, and the resolution was realistic enough that you know it’s just the right way for the story to go to.

It’s a really good book, and I’m sure I’d want to read more of Lani Diane Rich’s work. :)

One of my favorite sci-fi authors (Sharon Lee) has declared June 23rd Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers Day.

As she puts it:

So! In my Official Capacity as a writer of science fiction and fantasy, I hereby proclaim June 23 Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Day! A day of celebration and wonder! A day for all of us readers of science fiction and fantasy to reach out and say thank you to our favorite writers. A day, perhaps, to blog about our favorite sf/f writers. A day to reflect upon how written science fiction and fantasy has changed your life.

So … what might you do on the 23rd to celebrate? Do you even read fantasy/sci-fi? Why? Why not?

Honestly…I think the 23rd will just be a normal day for me. I never got into the fantasy/sci fi genre, even as I was growing up. Sure, I liked fairy tales just as much as the next person, but as I was growing up, I was more inclined to read Sweet Valley or anything that does not involve magic. Or long names. Or maps and different worlds. I’d really rather read a fluffy book than read about a Plano Dentist with magic powers or travels to outer space or something like that. No offense to those who like them, of course…

Animorphs # 2: The Visitor - my first Animorph book

…oh, but wait. One of the book series I really loved during late elementary school and high school: Animorphs. It was introduced to me by my best friend (Hi Toni!). At first I thought it was a fluffy kind of book where the kids involved were a part of some kind of fantasy power type of thing, but lo and behold, it was about aliens! And war! And surprisingly, I was hooked on this sci-fi series. I waited for this book series month after month and collected up to…about Book # 36, and then stopped and now I’m trying to complete my collection. I have about 10 books left or something. Hm, maybe I should write a completely separate post on that. :P

But after that, I stopped and went to pick up books about real life (or at least, as close as it can to real life). I hardly wander through the fantasy section of the bookstore and the sci-fi covers make me feel dizzy because they’re all so busy. I haven’t even read any of the LOTR books, and once I dreamt of reading Eragon but I never got around to it. The Chronicles of Narnia is still waiting to be read on my shelf (for a year now). I have no aversion to the movies, but when it comes to books, I’m really just more of the realistic type of fiction — YA, Chick lit, women’s fiction, general fiction…although I kind of draw the line on historical fiction. I think the only fantasy novels I’ve managed to finish are the Mortal Instruments series (which I totally loved :p) and Harry Potter, of course. Oh, and Neil Gaiman’s Stardust. And my brain stops counting there. :P

I’m still looking to work on this genre just like how I’m working on my classics reading. Hm, so maybe I do have something to do on the 23rd now. Any Fantasy/sci-fi books you can suggest? :D

Wait, what was I saying?

So it’s another rainy day here in Manila (and I thought that good weather last weekend would stay), but now as I look out the window here the office, everything is gray. Gray, gray, gray.

And you know what’s one thing most people would like to do on days like these? (Except for sleep, or curl up under the covers with a good book)

BE EMO.

Not the emo-dress up type, but you know, look out a window and think deep thoughts — life, love, work (uh), and everything else that counts as deep (and I think it doesn’t include thinking about best diet pills). That kind of emo.

Or wait, is that even emo?

Haha anyway, I may just be hungry/work-ridden/bored, even that’s why I’m posting something as random as this.

But wait — here’s something I find interesting: i can read. Interesting, interesting stuff! It’s kind of like Postsecret, but they’re images with lines that…well, are striking. These things remind me of Riz’s Project 365 (which I love, btw). There’s so many “awww”-inspiring images there that it makes this rainy day feel even more sentimental. Haha. Here’s some of my favorites:

Oh, so painful. Ahaha.

Possibly the cutest one I’ve seen:

Have a happy rainy Tuesday everyone! Be safe. :)

People often ask me why I would rather stay here in the Philippines when there are opportunities all over the world for someone in my job/industry. My answer? I like it here. As weird as it may sound, I really do. It’s not that I don’t see the opportunities and career growth out there, it’s just that I still see the same opportunities and career growth here for me. I know and respect other people’s decisions to go and work outside of the country, but for me? I’d really rather stay here (but doing travel for work is of course, welcome).

Every time I go out of the country to travel, I often find myself comparing where I am visiting to the Philippines. As much as I loved Singapore, and as much as I enjoyed HK, I always find myself  excited to go home. I can’t imagine living anywhere else but here.

It may not show in my posts, and sometimes I admit to be slightly apathetic over a lot of things in the country (this is for another post again), but I truly love being a Filipino. Despite all the surplus of troubles, the jokes, scandals and inefficiencies, I love this country and all it’s 7,107 islands and quirks. I am proud to be a Filipino.

Maligayang araw ng kasarinlan, Pilipinas!¹

P.S. Oh, and don’t you just love Google.com.ph’s logo today? :D

1. Happy Independence Day, Philippines

So me, a leader. I’ve been a leader in a lot of ways before. I’d like to use the term “leader” by definition at this part of the blog. Based on my dictionary on Aslan, a leader is the person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country. I was almost always nominated as a leader of groups or voted as class officer when I was in elementary and high school. Not to brag, but I was one of the top students back then, and in a way, people then automatically equate that once you’re in the class’ top 10, you’re also a good leader.

In a way, I reveled in that power. I liked being the leader because it gives me a certain authority over some people. I liked it that people trusted me enough to, well, lead them to the desired outcome. I liked being a part of planning committees and student councils because it helps me not just be one of the people but someone who matters. And — I didn’t really know this back then — I liked being a leader because it gives me control over whatever situation I was in. I may not be able to control the people, but at least I have a bigger hold in the situation, and that’s always good, right?

When I became a YFC leader, things changed. Not immediately, of course, but more during college. I suddenly felt the pressure of having to be a role model for the people I am with, especially my household. In a way, the younger members looked up to me not only as the VP for Documentations bu also as a household head and someone they can turn to if they need a prayer, so I had to be extra strong in a lot of ways. Case in point: there was a time when I was so tempted to cut one of my classes just because I didn’t feel like going and I just wanted to hang out at the tambayan. I was agonizing over it, and was weighing the pros and cons of cutting the said class, and then I saw one of the younger members looking at me as if waiting for my decision and he was actually considering cutting his class too. Talk about a slap of reality and accountability.

In YFC, I was taught that to be a leader, I had to know how to follow. I had to know how to be a servant, because in being a servant, I lead. Weird, I know, but it makes sense (and that’s another post for me to explain that). I was taught to take care of the hearts of the people I was entrusted with, to be one of their lines of defenses from life. I was taught that I was a front liner in this battle that we, as Christians, are all in. We are the ones the world sees first, and the ones who carry the name of Christ higher than the rest just because we are leaders. I felt and lived those teachings, and when you do that often enough, it sort of becomes easy. When your heart gets a beating for another person, you’d think you can do anything really. ;)

When I started working, it’s very, very different. I admit to being a very relational person, and I liked having people to not only work with but be friends with too. I thought I had the edge of being a people manager better because of my YFC leader training, that handling people at work would just be like how I handle my household…but of course it’s not.

I’ve been a back up team lead for the past five months and there were a lot of moments that I wished I wasn’t. That I could be just another employee who’s satisfied with her position, not aspiring to step up and enlarge my territory. It’s like when a cashier who’s held a barcode scanners all her life and then offered a position to own the store instead of being one of the worker ants. Okay, it’s not exactly that way here, but you get my drift — it’s really a new territory. I’ve seen how much my team lead works, and how many issues he has to deal with, how many people he has to deal with on a daily basis…and seeing me in his position makes me wonder how will I do the same things he does (and still have time for myself)? It’s hard to have to always think on your feet and to deal with the mountains of emails he gets while I’m just a back up…what more if/when I become a team lead too? Can I do it? Can I be as strong as he is, not cracking under pressure? What’s more, my three-day training showed me the reality of how much employees expect things from their bosses, and it’s really crazy to think of having to fulfill all those. It’s almost downright scary. It makes me wonder why in the world I ever wanted to be in that position?

The comforting thing about this is…one, my company is there to support me all the way once I get into that position and two, well, people believe in me. I know all that sounds all too warm and fuzzy…but the three day training has inspired me to be a better leader. To be a leader in the truest sense of the word. And the training has made me believe that somehow, I can be the leader that they expect me to be, and I only need to find the strength within me.

Ah, this post feels so…idealistic and trying-to-be inspiring, I’m not used to it anymore. ^^; But I’m glad for the training because I really did realize a lot of things about me and the people around me. And by God’s grace, I pray that I may be the best leader He wants me to be, be it with the team I work with now or a new team or even wherever else He wants to bring me. :)

Recently divorced and mired in a meaningless existence, Clay drifts from his drab apartment to his equally lusterless job as an editor for a small Boston press — until the night Lucian finds him and everything changes with the simple words, “I’m going to tell you my story, and you’re going to write it down and publish it.”

What begins as a mystery soon spirals into chaotic obsession as Clay struggles to piece together Lucian’s dark tale of love, ambition and grace — only to discover that the demon’s story has become his own.

And then only one thing matters: learning how the story ends.

What a haunting book. I heard about Tosca Lee from Camy, and after reading about the book on the official website (especially after reading this page) I knew I had to get this book.

Demon: A Memoir gives us a view of the whole Salvation history from another point of view: a demon. It’s kind of creepy at first when you think of it, but like Clay, I got curious. What could a demon know about salvation? What could he possibly tell Clay, and what could Clay possibly gain from all this?

The novel had no frills about it. Clay wasn’t a righteous guy, he wasn’t even religious at all. He’s drifting in his life, finding no meaning until his encounter with Lucian. Tosca draws a very different picture of a demon — not one with an image we know, with horns and bat-like wings, but drawing from the story of the first fall: Lucifer. There were no bargains for the soul for Clay, although it seemed like he almost sold his soul to the devil as he became obsessed with the story.

Lucian was a very interesting character too, taking on a lot of forms of humans because he liked to “test” them out. He started out as a Mediterranean-looking man and then later met Clay as a woman and then a geeky teen — it seemed like he could not get enough of the “clay” people, regardless of age and use of best wrinkle cream. He was also fascinated with humans eating, and made sure Clay was eating almost every time they met. His hurried manner at some parts of the story makes you wonder who exactly is out to get the demon — Lucifer? Another hoard of demons? But why? And why is he talking to Clay in the first place?

Like I said, it’s a way to view the story of our salvation from another side. It almost comes to a point that I felt some sympathy for Lucian and I wished there was something better for him…and in the same way, it made me realize how lucky I was to be created in God’s image and likeness. How infinite my chances are, how much patience God has for me. How forgiving God is for someone like me who commits the same mistake over and over again. It’s…amazing. And humbling.

The ending of the novel is satisfying in a way that it’s not wrapped in neat bows nor it is terribly disturbing. The book reminds us of a choice that everyone has to make in this life. What will you choose?