j a n s e n. i. s. m.

I am usually anti-Valentine’s day but this year I opted to hangout with a set of single friends who are not exactly looking for someone forever but looking for something for the meantime… FUN. My gregarious friend Rodel invited me to go out on Valentine’s night along with his close friends and usual ‘gimik’ buddies Mimi and Cheche and a surprise addition high school friend/classmate Jhoana. We had dinner in Spicy Fingers in Greenbelt 2, my second time in that laid back resto/bar where we feasted on chicken and pork satays, chicken fingers, calamari and deep fried prawns and zucchinis.

I thought we would have some cocktails in Spicy Fingers but Rodel didn’t feel like it and instead had a better suggestion—go to Gilligan’s Island located near Glorietta where his band friends are waiting for us. Apparently, this included Amer, another classmate from high school as well. His band just finished a night’s gig in another venue and was just hanging out in Gilligan’s when we came. Nonetheless, we were able to witness his undeniably great talent in singing when he jammed with the in-house band. I’ve heard him sing before in highschool and also in a gig they had in Enchanted Kingdom last year, but this was the first I was convinced that he was born to do this. He sang a number of songs with the band: “Knocks Me Off My Feet” (knock us out in a good way), “Always” (duet with the unimpressive female vocalist of the in-house band who keep calling him Amber instead of Amer) , “So Sick” (so damn good actually)and “Bring Me to Life” (where he did the rap part). I am now a fan.

As if the night has just began, we left Gilligan’s and said goodbyes to Amer and his band and welcome ourselves in Malate. The district is just crowded, it felt like Christmas day on February or is it the fact that I haven’t gone to this place in such long time that this is the scenario I am missing almost every weekend.

We weren’t lucky to find a bar that still has dance floor space left for another clubber or a spare table for a new set of patrons so instead we just hang out in a coffee shop—Starbucks in Adriatico where it offers tasteful and expensive coffees, cozy seats for good conversations and even promo coupons.

We left Malate around 3:30 am, earlier than I expected but thankfully the commute going back home was rather easy. Valentine’s day may be over but I vow to spend more fun times like this.

Every now and then, I get an invitation from my college organization (FORCES and/or CGATES) to come to an event they sponsor. I have already turned down a few invitations they had in the past so when I got another text invite a few days ago from the current CGATES president Rren, I knew my attendance was already half-assured. I just had to ask Rodel (a former FORCES president himself) if he’ coming so that I have company going there and positively, the deal was sealed.

The event by the way, is called “Kamustahan Party”, there wasn’t much information on what the event really is going to be but invited alumni can pretty much know what to expect based on title itself or so I thought. We arrived at Villa Teresa Resort late at past 4pm, although there was no official arrival time required. Dressed in a crisp white rolled up sleeve polo over gray pants and sneakers, I knew the moment I stepped in the resort that I was overdressed for the occasion for it was a literal pool side party with a little fiesta feel to it. Inside Rodel, Mimi and I were greeted by Irah, Rodel’s cousin and current FORCES officer, then we surprisingly saw our former classmate Reynalin Cuevas sitting in one corner. Apparently she was there because her beau since our college days, Anson was there performing for the eager crowd. Soon, we were getting attention from the student attendees, some familiar, most are not. Then there’s the dean, finally welcoming us with her usual enthusiastic glow. She was happy that we came and instantly she mentioned about a meeting she’s planning next week asking Engineering alumni to help the would-be graduates in finding a job.

Next we saw was the cheerful Mam Agnes, our former Chemistry teacher who’s now spearheading the FORCES organization as its adviser. She was thoughtful to offer us to eat and even gave us a little souvenir for the event. Looking so summer-y and blooming is Mam Jen, our CGATES adviser during our time, one of the closest professors I had in college who welcomed us with warm hug. Other faculty members present were Mam Teogangco, Sir Doza and Mam Sheilly. Alumni also present were Heidi Lunggcay and her ECE/CE batchmates, Robby and Leslie who were the CoE graduates after us also previous FORCES presidents. The occasion was supposed to bridge some gaps but it was a little disappointing that there was more picture-taking involved than actual human-talking. After eating, I almost had the feeling that we were there to merely observe as visitors.

I knew I would have greater fun there if the people I really missed in college were present in this event like my college friends, CoE classmates and yes, my crush. We left the party early, just almost 6pm with me thinking that those who failed to come and didn’t get the invite didn’t really miss that much and knowing that the actual homecoming I envisioned is yet to come.

We never had a Christmas tree at home and I never really wished anything to Santa because I knew that his alter-ego is working in the Middle East and is not coming home on Christmas Eve. These and quite a few other reasons make me least excited as Christmas day approached. I guess I like the Christmas season more than the Christmas day itself. I like the chill in the air, the gift buying, the festive decorations in the streets (not in our house), the merry greetings but I hate the Christmas rush, the overrated traffic and the expenses that just keep getting beyond what you budgeted for. Then there’s the fact that with each passing year, I realize more that Christmas is just for children and for couples and when you’re 24 and single, you can’t help but be bittersweet about this occasion. Or maybe, I am just bitter because of the below:

Gifts I Wish I Had Received Last Christmas but Never Did

• A wireless router
• A Calvin Klein Jeans bag
• Another Tom Perrota/Augusten Burroughs book
• A Pajama set
• A thoughtful Christmas card

On the other hand, I found several reasons to cheer up this New Year. There’s a bunch of things I am very thankful for the year that has been. In retrospect of 2008, I’ve met some really interesting individuals “along the way” and learned from them, I got a promotion and felt that I have matured in many ways in my career in a short span of time, I made my first travel abroad last October and survived, I was able to buy things I wanted or at least thought I want them, and I continued to keep in touch with friends and made reconciliations with some people from the past (not enemies though).

So in the spirit of New Year I am sharing my 2009 Resolution List:

• Manage money better to save more
• Be less boring and more interesting
• Spend less time at home and see places
• Be more mature in dealing with disappointments
• Eat healthier food and try to gain weight
• Be more patient with dealing with people
• Be more active and learn a sport

Cheers to 2009! – Jansen

The annual Christmas party with my college friends was celebrated at Rodel’s place again last Sunday night. Having learned from last year’s party, Rodel and I had this agreement for this year: (1)the early hours will be exclusive dinner with friends, (2)we will have a voice chat with Sheena straight from Dubai after, (3) then he can invite anyone else to the party later in the night.

I was quite satisfied that the night went on as planned even if more friends have absent marks in the attendance sheet this year: Jhing wasn’t feeling well, Anne has some familial issues, Jhoy is back from her vacation in Pangasinan but has to look after their bar business in GST, Jess is from an out of town and  is perhaps too tired to get his ass to the party, while the rest are miles away abroad.

(L-R) Jayson, Ryan(Glads

We didn’t do home cook meals this year and instead ordered sumptuous take out food from Red Ribbon for a simple potluck dinner. As a tradition now, we brought Christmas gifts for everyone, I got a book from Rodel, mug from Jane, hanky from Anne, book again from Judie, mug again from Glads, and the most surprising gift I received that evening– a corn yellow-colored teddy bear from Jayson (even if I told him two weeks ago that I’d be happy with just socks). The last gift seems to be the most thoughtful but I realize only Gladys and orphaned kids would really appreciate this kind.

Around 9pm, we started a video/voice chat with our most-missed friend Sheena. We never had this multimedia chat with her before and some of my friends have not heard her voice in a long time so it was such a thrilling experience. It was also a chance for Sheen to introduce Mark, (who’s celebrating his birthday then) to the rest of our friends. Later on, Jhing (who’s resting at their house) joined us in the chat.

Glads, his younger brother Ryan, Jayson, and Mrs. Montreal (Jane) had to leave the party early then after ending the chat with Sheena, Marky and Jhing, Rodel’s friends were almost in full attendance. This was composed of his usual drinking buddies (Mimi, Ever, Che-che), his close friend Mike who’s here on vacation from the US, Rodel’s returning “just friend” Dan and then some familiar friends from college namely, Jener, Rondee Mark, Mark Jeff and his wife Anna.

(L-R) Rodel (the party host), Mike, Rondee, Mark Jeff and partner Anna, me

After several beer gulps, a shot of vodka, Mudslide, Bailey’s cream and even a couple of Fundador, surprisingly I didn’t go home drunk nor did I suffer diarrhea. Yay! I came home with a bunch of Christmas presents from my dearest life friends with memoirs of a fun night including the misbehavior of many who called themselves “too drunk” and the overwhelming manners of one who can be called “too diva”.

12.13.08.

Married. Earlier this week, my college friend Mary Jane announced that she is getting married this Saturday. The short notice automatically raised both eyebrows and the question of “are you pregnant?” and she quickly confirmed… that she is NOT. It’s quite disappointing to realize that in our society now, when someone young announces that she’s getting married, the first thing that comes to our mind is unexpected pregnancy rather than one’s mature decision to spend the rest of their lives with someone. Jane is the most reserved and conservative friend I’ve known in college and I have nothing but admiration for her, for having decided with Albert to get married at this point of their lives.

Interestingly, the first time I met Albert, he was just Jane’s new boyfriend and the next time, he’s her husband already. But the again, I guess I am luckier than some of my friends who are meeting him for the first time.

Reunited. Rodel, Judie and I skipped the Montreal-Porcioncula civil wedding rites and instead just went to the reception at the bride’s new family residence in Gen. Trias (our first time in the place). Concurrently, we reunited with Jhing who is on a month-long vacation from her work in Dubai. We have not seen her for about a year I think but chatting and laughing with her seems like no days, weeks or months have passed in between.

We left the place around 3:30pm, and decided to take a long walk going to the exit gate of the huge and serene subdivision. I wish to live in a subdivision soon but living in a suburbia lifestyle will definitely take some getting used to. Along the way, we took turns in picture-taking and poked fun of each other. The photos look quite serious but what happened in between the shots was a laughing trip.

Watched. Afterwards, Judie came with me to the mall to watch “Twilight”, finally after three weeks of procrastinating and wishful thinking. The movie did not exactly disappoint me and did not wow me either. I enjoyed that what I have read in the book finally got a visual representation but there were just some awkward scenes in the movie like: (a) flashback on how Carlisle bit Edward to make him a vampire; (b) Bella on Edward’s back climbing the trees a la Spiderman (which he did not do with Mary Jane); (c) the baseball game in the forest which somehow reminded me of Harry’s Quidditch match.

Chatted. I came home past 9pm, quickly went online after dinner to chat with my cousin/superfriend Sheena all the way in Dubai. I felt closer with her even if she is miles away and I am confident that she is one person that I can talk to about everything and always the good listener. Then later in the night, I surprisingly found myself chatting with an old ‘friend’ also now based abroad. I stayed up late and went to bed almost 1am, a smile glowing within the darkness of my room with rediscovered lessons from my long lost friend.

I have not blogged in a while for two reasons: (1) my desktop computer at home has been acting up (blame it on age), the most recent drama is a hardware issue with the monitor (2) I was preoccupied the past weeks with stressful work, some “friendly” issues and emotions (I wish I could put better in words and share to public but I can’t), and then there’s the sheer form of procrastination.

The good news is that I am formally introducing my new BFF here– Compaq CQ40-180TU. I got a laptop to replace my old and stinky PC at home. It has been part of my past two Christmas wish lists already and I am glad to finally get my own wish granted this year (in advance).

Also, I was swamped at work but found some time to unwind, and here I am ready to share to the curious people of the world what I have been up to lately.

Festive Fridays

I went to dinner at Max’s Restaurant in Pioneer to celebrate the __th birthday of our lead, Weng last November 7. It was a surprise dinner sort of. We gave her a weeklong birthday surprise at the office. That is, everyday, she received a gift anonymously from us (I was delegated to give mine Wednesday – my idea was to give her fave Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups which I replaced the name with “Ruena’s” — her first name) and the final surprise revelation was on this dinner. We knew she was too smart for this and our plan has definitely its loopholes, so she wasn’t really surprised. Nonetheless, we succeeded in making it a good , if not the best office birthday celebration. I dunno if it’s in the food we ate or it’s just me trying to distress myself but I was laughing a lot and cracking jokes that night. The most hilarious and comfortable I’ve been with the people I worked with in the office.

The next Friday, November 14, I had dinner at Bubba Gump in Greenbelt 3 with Rox and JohnF after two months of not seeing each other. The plan almost got rescheduled because of me but thankfully, I was able to find a way to be available. Over a filling dinner, we shared stories about our recent trips– Rox’s recent family trip to Bora, JohnF’s solo sojourn to Baguio and my Hong Kong expedition. I can’t help but wish my Friday night’s would always be like this. I’ve been working in the metro for 2 1/2 years now but it seemed like this was my first Friday night out that I organized myself.

Weekend House Arrest and Weekday Office Blues

Our project team is now rendering 24×7 support, that means yes, including weekends. Unluckily, I was the first person to experience how is it to be on house-arrest on weekend. I hated the idea of my freedom on how to spend my weekend being taken away and the possibility that when you are on-call, you can receive an urgent call in the middle of your sleep or bath and suddenly covert yourself from a normal human to a working machine.

Lately, I have been experiencing “office blues”. I found myself struggling with tasks and somehow I felt like I am not as motivated as I used to be. I am working on something relatively new and I can’t seem to find the focus and sense of direction to finish it on time… and maybe I am just a little distracted…

Meet Bob

“Who is Bob Ong?”– somebody posted this question as a status message in my YM contact list and that’s how I re-appreciated this witty author. I know you’ve probably read his practical wisdom forwarded through text message or chain email and got curious as well. So I picked up a copy of ABNKKBSNPLAKO (Aba Nakakabasa Na Pala Ako), a book I first encountered in college but enjoyed reading better this time now that I’m done with school. Then after finishing, I finally had the chance to share it to the one who posted that question in YM. About a week later, I stopped by at a bookstore and got two other titles of Bob Ong books.

I’ve never felt more worried and harassed going on night shift work than the past two weeks. I guess the reluctance I have returning to my 11pm-8am schedule was an indirect premonition that not-so-good things are about to happen.  It was as if there’s a part of me already gone going to work and wishing that the 80 hours of work ahead can be done overnight.

On Wednesday afternoon, October 15, just barely two hours after I went to bed, Kuya Russel came home feeling unwell. He was complaining about feeling weak and short of breath. Mom took him to the hospital and few hours later, she came home sobbing, almost breaking down after finding out what caused the medical emergency.

My brother spent overnight at the hospital and my family was put to the test. Chatting with my cousin Sheena online that night, she was the second friend I confided everything that happened, I felt a lot better realizing the good in the awful thing that happened.

After knowing that kuya is out of danger, I managed to have a good time on Friday, Saturday and Sunday last week despite the sleep disadvantage of working night shift.

On Friday night, October 17, I went to an eat-all-you-can dinner buffet treat with officemates and XTL (ex-teamlead), Tyrone. I came in late with little sleep made during the day, so by the time I arrived I already lost half of my appetite and they were almost done with desserts. We went for a bowling game afterward in which I did just ok (no strike) wondering if bowling is a sport that requires skills or a game of chance that requires sheer luck. Both I don’t have.

On Saturday night, October 18, Rodel invited me to his exclusive pre-birthday celebration– an overnight swimming at Postema Resort. I didn’t go swimming and actually did intend to leave before midnight. The problem was, everyone’s staying and the night went on with high expectations and before I knew it… I was being assisted to be loaded in Rodel’s car on way to his house. I got too drunk and swore once more that I’ll never drink again.

Hours later, Sunday afternoon, October 19, I promised another college friend Anne that I will come to her post beirthday celebration, and so I did.  In their house in Tanza, present to celebrate were long-time-no-see classsmates from college–Analinda, Annalyn, Nelly, Ryan and Jener. It was a chance to meet Anne’s current boyfriend as well –Jopher, and to bond more with friends Judie and Jayson.

I had my own life-threatening situation last Friday, October 24. Just past midnight, about an hour after my night shift started, the floor security guard came and announced in his calmest voice that everyone in the building needed to evacuate. There was no formal statement released that night if  it was due to a bomb threat… but what else could it be if the the fire alarms are in tact? I highly doubt if the company is not paying the monthly office rent that’s why we are being force evicted, I thought. Soon, we found ourselves wandering outside, calling people to ask if we should stay or go home. Then after four grueling hours, the security people of the building (as well as the trusty bomb-sniffing dogs) declared that the building was clear and we were back to work, happy to be alive and convincing ourselves that we are “bomb threat survivors”.

10.01.08-10.06.08

It’s Time I Fly

I have this recurring dream when I was younger of floating on air like Peter Pan.

In reality, I’m slightly acrophobic.

My father is an OFW and has more experience than any relative I know on flying.

He rides the plane about 4 times a year. We always make it a point to meet him in the arrival area of NAIA for his annual vacation in his home country. How ironic.

This was my first time in the airport on a departure area.

In fact, this was my first time to ride a plane on my first out the country trip. The first time I will be away from home in 5 days.

Breathe in. Breathe out. HONGKONG here I come.

10×12/6

The worries faded and the excitement heightened the moment the Cebu Pacific plane had landed in the Hong Kong International Airport. Minutes later, we found the bus station and hopped in to a double decker bus on our way to Johnston Road, Wan Chai– our adopted address for the next 5days. My eyes lit up with the initial view of what HK has to offer–skyscrapers here and there, well-lit highways, clean and organized transportation system. Soon, we reached the bus stop and met Ate Remy– Sarita’s contact person and  our fairy godmother  here in HK. She owns the apartment we will be staying in . Our room, a humble 10×12 feet space in my approximation (with two double deck beds, an air-condition unit, a stool, sets of drawers) was simple and inexpensive at only $HK50 per night per person. We were 6 on this trip (supposedly 7 but Jerwin– Sarita’s beau had a soon-to-expire passport that’s why he wasn’t able to join us). This left me in the company of 5 women: There’s Sarits (the one who invited me to join them in this trip and the most experienced overseas traveler among us), her amiable and thoughtful sister Bing, Sarita’s two friends since high school, Melanie and Louie Anne (who brought with them some serious cameras for this trip) and lastly, Mitch (Melanie’s sister who was my schoolmate in college but I’ve only talked to here).

HKG Travelmates

Spending my first night in Hong Kong, I realized how lucky I was to join this trip. I consider myself as the extra, but my travelmates never really made me feel like one (esp Sarits and Bing). I was unsure of what time I fell asleep, but all I knew is that I was excited of the morning and of what’s coming ahead.

Mickey, Minnie & Me (Minus 20 Years)

When I was four, I probably didn’t have any idea who Mickey and Minnie Mouse are. Then if I grew up to be an idiot, I probably did think before that Disneyland was a member of the United Nations. Twenty years delayed, I found myself standing on the grounds of a Disneyland and finally meeting the world’s most famous mice. Sandwiched between them for a photo op, I felt like i was back being four years old. Any kid will find them really nice and adorable but as an adult, I couldn’t help but wonder that the people inside these mascots are just doing their job.

Ticket to Disneyland

Mickey, Minnie & Me

Fireworks Display Above the Disney Castle

Dimsum (The Food Trips) 

• If you’re lucky, the Chinese restaurant you will have lunch at will have English subtitles on their menu. Otherwise, you would have to depend on pictures, body language and broken English because the waitress could already be suffering a mild stroke before she understands that what you just want is a Coke in can.

• We only had breakfast once in the five days we were in HKG and as a preventive measure we didn’t drink any milk. Most of the time, we had brunch and dinner only. Our bill seemed cheap until we start to multiply it by 6. We enjoyed the steamed barbecued pork bun in Wei Wah which ridiculously is better than any local ’siopao’ we have here. In another restaurant, we asked the waitress if they have any ‘dimsum’ on their menu (which by the way was in pure Chinese characters and had limited pictures in it). She was having a hard time figuring out what we were trying to order until she made us realize that we are pronouncing ‘dimsum’ differently. She corrected “dim-some” and she politely “acted” that they don’t serve them.

The must-try steamed barbecued pork bun

• The most expensive meal we had was dinner in Tien Yi, one of the restaurants  located atop the Victoria Peak. The place has a zen zest feel to it. The waiters are dapper, look more expensive and seem like they can speak better English than us. The assigned server to our table put the napkins on our laps and willingly accepted the chore of taking our pictures. The food we shared was good, nothing fancy though but as aforementioned, was expensive that we had to charge it to Melanie’s credit card and pay at a later time.

The dinner at Tien Yi (The Peak)

Photo Ops in HK

It would a huge mistake to travel without a camera and a charger because with the number of interesting and breathtaking sights in Hong Kong ,you’ll be thankful that digital photography was invented because rolls of camera could be very expensive.

Behind the Big Buddha

The Big Buddha

The Wisdom Path

At Ocean Park HK

Ready for the cable car ride

Dolphin exhibition at Sea Dreams

Upclose and personal with a fake panda

The real panda encounter

The Peak Tram

The view from The Peak (>1000 feet above ground)

Macau-Cooked

From Hong Kong, you can simply take a 1-hour ferry boat ride and with no need for a visa, your passport will be stamped with proof that you’ve also been to Macau. There’s also so much to see there, but we only spent a day there so we had to make the most of our time.

Turbojet, one of the ferry boats from HKG to Macau (vice-versa)

Viva Macau at Senado Square

• Macau used to be a colony of Portugal, that’s why most subtitles (example building and street names) are not in English but rather in Portuguese. Noticeable as well is the widespread Catholic-influence in Macau. We almost got lost finding the Ruins of St. Paul and had to pass a crowded street to reach the site.

Behind the Ruins of St. Paul

• You can use Hong Kong dollars (1 HK$ = 1 MOP) to pay in Macau. However they don’t accept Macanese Pataca back in Hong Kong.

• Take advantage of the complimentary rides of the hotels and casinos from the port. We took the free ride of Sands Hotel to reach the Fisherman’s Wharf, which offers various restaurants, shops and a chance to bump into OFWs working there. We also went to The Venetian Macao, which as wikipedia describes “a Renaissance Venice-themed luxury hotel and casino resort … and is the largest single structure hotel building in Asia and the third-largest building in the world”. We wish we had a lot of money to spend overnight in The Venetian but we could only afford dinner at The Venetian Food Court which interestingly has a man-made sky painted on its ceiling.

This is not in Venice. Just inside The Venetian with the sky ceiling

What’s Hong Kong w/o Shopping

• Hong Kong without shopping is like Philippines without corruption.  We made it a point to check the souvenir shops at all places we visited. The initial shopping happened in Citygate outlet on our way to Tian Tan Buddha. The next happened on our last night in Hong Kong. We went to the night market in Mong Kok, it was raining heavily and I was wearing sneakers. This could be in the list of my worst shopping ever, but in utter desperation to buy some inexpensive and local stuffs, we braved the storms and left Kowloon/Mong Kok with some items bought like t-shirts that say “I Love HK” and “I Got Lost In Hong Kong”

• On the next and last morning, we were desperate to find an H&M retail store. It’s a Swedish brand of stylish clothes for men and women more like Marks&Spencer and Zara but the prices are more reasonable. After asking a few ‘kababayans’ around, we were able to locate the store along Queen’s road, Central. I was able to shop a few clothes for myself, items for mom, dad and EJ as well as for a couple officemates who approved my VL.

• Sarita, Bing and I did our last minute shopping at the airport (or were we at a mall?) and spent the last few HK dollars left on food/pasalubongs from Aji-Ichiban.

It’s Time I Go Home

Part of me misses home and worries work waiting on the next day.

My feet are damn tired and my wallet is thinner.

But my experience is richer.

I made it happen and I survived.

Welcome me back. Welcome home.

Books are good companion, they are quite dependable on days when I feel like I have no one to talk to and nothing to do. When I was around 5 or 6 years old, my Ate Irma (my older cousin who raised me most of my childhood) took me to a bookstore and that was the oldest memory I could recall being surrounded with lots of books. I didn’t grew up in a well-off family, we didn’t have a library section at home or own an encyclopedia volume.  The only books I see in the house growing up are my textbooks and those of my older brother, Russel.

The first book given to me as a gift was in high school. Miraquel gave it to me, we were such Charmed TV series fans then along with Romeo. Prue (Mira’s adopted name to us) gave me a copy of the very first Charmed pocketbook and even included a warm dedication at the back page. I have collected about a dozen Charmed pocketbooks since then and I still have them now.

Sarita, my good and generous friend since college has given me several books already. She’s probably my only friend who generously supports my reading hobby. She even gave me a bookmark string that has a “J” initial in it, that came along with a language reference book called “Literally The Best Language Book Ever” which I requested her to bring me as pasalubong all the way from B&N in US.

In the recent months, here are the favorite books I have read with a short personal review, my favorite lines and a brief background on how i met the book.

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Twilight Stephenie Meyer

“When life offers you a dream so far beyond any of your expectations, it’s not reasonable to grieve when it comes to a end.”

At 24, I am probably not too young anymore to read a book about an ordinary high school student human that has a vampire lover and a werewolf best friend. But on second thought, reading this book is better than reading Harry Potter. I am fascinated with vampire stories in general and Interview with the Vampire is one of my favorite movies. So since Twilight is set in modern day with young characters in it and the element of romance and conflict, I just have to get this book.

This is an easy read considering the effective writing style of Stephenie Meyer. It is written in Bella Swan’s (lead character) point of view, which will make you feel as if it’s you experiencing what she’s going through.

I have finished reading the first two books already (Twilight and New Moon) and I have yet to pick up a paperback version of the third installment, Eclipse which is currently out of stock in bookstores locally since the recent release of the final book, Breaking Dawn. There’s a Twilight movie adaptation soon to hit theaters in November and I will definitely one of those in line to watch it.

Running with Scissors Augusten Burroughs

“Leaving the most awful and curious itch that I couldn’t scratch” (Augusten when his lover Bookman left)

I found a pirated DVD lying around the house one late morning in the Canaria residence. Popped it on the player and selected Running With Scissors from the compilation. I knew Patrick Wilson and Gwyneth Paltrow play minor roles in this film, these are the only two reasons I got to watch this I thought. Soon, I discovered a deeper reason to be touched by this movie. It’s the very reason I had to search bookstores and lay hands on the book because oftentimes, the movie adaptation of a book just leaves you with questions.

In a nutshell,  it’s a real story of the author as a young “man” who was given up by her psychotic mother for adoption to her own psychiatrist. How Augusten is able to struggle with familial issue both of his own family and then the adopted family which was just as complicated as the previous. Reading this made me laugh, sad, and more curious. In the end, I realize that this memoir reminded me that no matter how difficult the situation can be, somehow one can make it, achieve his dream after all. Burroughs just earned a spot on my favorite author list and I can’t wait to read the rest of the books which unfortunately not all are not available locally.

Three Weeks with My Brother Nicholas and Micah Sparks

“What you want and what you get are usually two entirely different things.” (Jill Sparks, authors’s mother)

Nicholas Sparks has been known to be an excellent romance/tearjerker novel writer. I have read some of his books, Message in a Bottle, True Believer and enjoyed the movie adaptation of his works– A Walk to Remember and The Notebook. This book though (which I picked up in National bookstore just last week at 40% discount)so I”m not yet done reading) is a departure from his usual masterpieces. It’s a memoir on his three week sojourn around the world and he co-wrote this with his older brother Micah. What’s nice about this book is (1) it’s a memoir, a look at the life of Nicholas himself and not just a portion of him he shares in the fictional characters of his novels (2) it’s a sorta travel journal which documents his close relationship with Micah as they explore different cultures around the world.

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So what was the last book you have read? Feel free to share your comments.

I’ve been planning to replace my old, dirty and broken eyeglasses this month. Somehow, like most of my shopping attempts, I’ve been having difficulty finding and choosing the frame that would  fit me best, while trying to be extra careful to avoid the buyer’s remorse which happens most of the time.

Not all know this, but I wear eyeglasses at home. Everywhere else, I would prefer the discreetness and light feeling, clear contact lenses provide. I remember my first eyeglasses, this was way back in junior year high school. I used it specifically for Mrs. Realica’s Chemistry class, in which we had a different seating arrangement. I was seated on the second to the last seat in the first row and from such distance, it was extremely difficult to see the chemical formulas Mrs. Realica was trying to equate on the board.  As soon as I had complained this to my mom, she took me to an optometrist in Cavite City, had my first Snellen Chart test then a week later I was wearing eyeglasses. I just couldn’t stand the eyeglasses for more than 30 minutes and somehow I knew in myself that I wasn’t destined to be remembered as one of the nerds in school so I decided not to keep it for long.

Come college, I would wear eyeglasses only during exams and lectures. As a workaround, I would sit closest to the blackboard in order to cope with my poor eyesight. It wasn’t until third year college that I found a more convenient solution for my dilemma, I tried contact lenses. My mother disapproved this the way strict parents would not let their daughters have BFs before 18. But I purchased this from my own allowance, already had them on when I broke down the news to her, and  now have been a contact lens wearer for more than 4 years.

Fast forward to present, this afternoon, I went to three optical stores at the local mall in search for that perfect eyeglasses replacement. My medical reimbursement allowance from work has been recently replenished and I thought I’d splurge this time on eyeglasses, as an investment as well. After not finding anything interesting in the first two shops, the last hope I had was finding it in Optical Works. I asked the saleslady to get the two frames I had a crush on from the locked display cabinet — a fully rimmed black steel frame, the other: a half-rimmed, plastic frame also in black. I was torn between the two. The people in this shop are nice and not really intimidating. While I was deciding between the two choices, two salesmen approached me, offered other frames to try on and gave their own sales opinion. The other salesman turned out to be an optometrist. I knew this the moment he wore that white jacket usually associated with doctors and led me to the examination room. He is Dr. Mark, he has no hair for it is shaved, a big guy but not obese. He’s the most friendly doctor I’ve had consultation with and the most sales-talkative as well but in a nice way. After the test, it was confirmed that my eyesight has gone poorer from -1.75 and -1.50 to -3.00 and -2.25.

About an hour later, my new eyeglasses are ready. I really wanted that Calvin Klein but I knew it was just way too pricey for me and unless I am moving on to eyeglasses full time, it wouldn’t be too practical to purchase that. So I settled with the second choice and I have the new eyeglasses on now for about 4 hours. So far no buyer’s remorse but definitely this time, I can see things more clearly.