this is a dumb post about my dumb feelings about d

book ban, and other book-related things.

dear self,

you are not allowed to buy new books until you finish Anansi Boys.

=====

there was a cat running amok in my room this morning. you know you have too many books when you actually have a pile that aforementioned cat can knock over.

=====

in which k is an even bigger purist than i am lol

k: I don’t read ebooks.
me: You know how there are movies I could just watch from a downloaded copy but there are those that I definitely have to watch in the cinema? There are some books I could read on my phone, and then there are those that I need to have actual pages.
k: I know someone who reads only ebooks. I’m like, DO I EVEN KNOW YOU.

=====

20 days into 2012 and i have already finished FIVE books. :O

=====

my sister wants to drag me to d’s mall thing tomorrow. I WANT TO HIT THE KID (d, not my sister. although possibly my sister too) ON THE HEAD WITH HIS BOOK GRRR

50/50

Today, my officemate D (not to be confused with d the stupidface who is inexplicably here for three weeks ugh lol) linked me to the 50/50 challenge, where one must read 50 books and watch 50 movies in 2012. For the movie part, I was like, LOL 50. I WATCHED 100 LAST YEAR. MY GOAL THIS YEAR IS 120, EVEN! But 50 books? Need I remind you that I read a whopping THREE books in 2009? Last year was the most I read (19) since… I don’t know, maybe grade school. Or at most maybe when I was a freshman or sophomore in high school. I aimed a little higher this year and pushed it to 20, and then decided to make it 24 to make it 2 books a month. But 50? I don’t know if I can do it. D:

…But the again, I’ve finished four books already this year. Granted, two of them I started last year, but the challenge says they count, and I had quite a substantial bit left of them when the year started. And either way, I’m still on track. So I’ve decided, why not?

I was hesitant at first because you know how I am about not reaching goals, even when they’re just personal goals with no serious consequences like this. But my other officemate J (again, not to be confused with j who is NOT. HERE. grr.) said to me, “So what if you don’t finish? What’s going to happen to you? Nothing.” And you know what? He’s right. So what if I don’t finish. I certainly will try, but if I don’t, that’s ok. At least maybe if I aim high, I might still beat least year’s stats, eh?

And besides, Fatimang and I have been talking about living more — seeing things, going places, doing things, in our quest to… be more cultured lololol idk. To be less bored with our corporate lives. (this would be a post for another day) — and I think this counts. The challenge actually lies in balancing all this with actually getting out and doing the ~going places~ bit, but you know what? I’ll do it. I won’t be a hermit who watches tv and movies all day. Most of my reading I do on the daily commute anyway, because I hate the thought of three to four hours a day wasted on me looking out the window and asking “Are we there yet?” I also watch TV and movies through my phone on the way, when I don’t feel like reading, so finding time for this massive challenge won’t be a problem. And as seen from the last few months, I still go out, meet people and such. I can do this. I will live my life as much as possible this year, and that includes reading and watching ALL OF THE THINGS.

So YES, I am taking the 50/50 challenge, and then some.

• 50 books
• 120 movies
• 500 tv episodes (HOOOOOLY CRAP, GOOD LUCK TO ME. I have added a new page just to list all my tv eps.)

I do have one modification to the rules though: movies I’ve seen before count. Not the individual times I see a movie within the year (because we know there are some movies I see multiple times. i.e. Inception, Deathly Hallows, The Social Network); multiple watches still count for only one movie. But if I’ve seen a movie in previous years, it still counts. Because I can’t not include the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and we know it is something of a ritual for me to watch those movies at least once.

(Lalala yes I am bending the rules. I do what I want, etc etc. Whatever, I’m going to get to 50 never-before-watched movies even without that rule anyway.)

Look, I even made a graph. Because I am actually the biggest dork you know.

d is here. j isn’t. what is even the point anymore.

(that awkward moment when the only thing i was looking forward to in this whole d-does-a-show-(and an actual tv show, not show as in concert)-in-the-philippines business is to see j again. WHO CARES ABOUT THE KID LOLOL)

year-end concert meme

…these recaps just keep on coming, um. 2011 was a really fucking good year for concerts here, and three of the artists I went to see were some of my biggest concert dreams (D doesn’t count anymore, I’ve seen him thrice already rofl). God that was a good year. :’)

Top 5 shows of the year?
(lolol, I only went to six, and now I have to pick five?? And they were all epic, so I feel bad having to leave one out. SO LET’S JUST LIST THEM ALL! The Script is def. #1, but the rest shuffle a bit, depending on my mood.)
1. The Script
2. Westlife
3/4. Jason Mraz, David Archuleta
5/6. Sugarfree, Maroon 5

Total number of shows?
Six, which makes the first question so hard. D:

tv mid-season recap

As expected, I failed my weekly recap plan after only one week, so let’s have a mid-season recap (for most of my shows, at least. Dexter‘s is a season recap, and Merlin as well although that one will need its own post)

Supernatural
SIGH, THIS SHOW. WE COULD’VE HAD IT ALL, SHOW. I had high hopes for this season because damn, what a setup, Castiel’s plan to take all those souls in and become God to save the world backfired as he ingested Leviathans along with the souls, and I’d half-expected the real God to smite him for his audacity. BUT WHERE IS HE. We’re now back to hunting monsters while occasionally getting updates about the Leviathans on the side. And if there’s going to be a God in this show, please let it be Chuck. We’re only halfway through and there’s still plenty of eps remaining so maybe he’ll get there someday? Sigh. The only progress we’ve had is the brotherly emotional catharsis. Good on you, Sam and Dean. And the only thing that has made me feel actual feelings about this season is BOBBY DYING OH MY HEART. I actualfax cried. D: I didn’t think he actually was until the first episode of this year. SOBBING FOREVER. :(((((

Community
HOW IS THIS SHOW IN DANGER OF CANCELLATION, I MEAN REALLY. It’s still super ridiculous and awesome and fun fun fun. The most recent episode reminded me though that beneath all that this show still has heart, because I never realized how much I wish Jeff and Shirley would bond more until that foosball episode when they did, and the episode after that reminded me that though all of them have different dynamics and relationship with each other, they are all the best of friends. Except Pierce sometimes, I guess, idek what is going on with that anymore because Pierce annoys me a lot of the time, sigh. In conclusion: Troy and Abed are still my favorite, haha.

Modern Family
Hmm, nothing has really stood out much so far this season except noticing how the kids have all grown, but then again this show is not about flashy. It’s still the same heartwarming family, and I can still relate. Phil is still and will always be my FAVORITE. PLEASE ADOPT ME, PHIL DUNPHY.

How I Met Your Mother
OH MY GOODNESS, how dare this show hurt like this. ROBIN AND BARNEY UGH MY HEART. And Ted gets kind of more annoying but I still love him and that moment where he spent Christmas with Robin to cheer her up despite not knowing what was bothering her just redeemed him for me, because he is still the same Ted who I’d love to be friends with, aww. But where did Kal Penn go though, he kind of just… vanished?

Hawaii Five-O
It was the season’s most exciting premiere (er, at least until I got Merlin lolol). So much betrayal going on in this season omg. Glad Kono is back on Five-O though. And the Steve/Danno banter is still THE BEST, and I really wouldn’t love this show as much as I do without their dynamic. I kind of noticed that Steve (or Alex?) has picked up on some of Danno’s mannerisms, he did that hand thing Danno always does (the one with the thumb and forefinger forming a circle while the other fingers fingers are sticking out… lol this is so hard to explain, I guess you have to see it to know). And Danno is becoming more like Steve when  interrogating people lololol. And I like the new girl Lori, I hope she doesn’t turn out to be a baddie, although judging from this season so far I wouldn’t be too surprised if this is another betrayal. But please GOD NO. D: And WHAT IS SHELBORN omg the suspense. I don’t have theories or speculations on this one because I honestly have no idea. Well we know it’s a person, but who is it and why is he a big deal. I bet it’ll turn out to be Steve but idk the importance of that because the show hasn’t given us a lot of info about it except that Shelborn is ~important. I guess we’ll know eventually. I’m excited to find out. One thing I don’t get: how do they know that a case is Five-O concern and not simply HPD’s? Lol. And one gripe: THIS SEASON NEEDS MORE GRACIE THOUGH. MORE DADDY!DANNO.

Dexter
This one is  an overall-season recap. I enjoyed this season’s theme, and how we get to see a more human, and I guess more vulnerable Dexter. Faith is something foreign to him, he’s never had to put faith in anything except maybe his dad, and for him to explore these things is really interesting to see. Plus the season baddies made the best crime scenes, wow. But omg THAT TWIST, MAN. Well, it wasn’t much of a surprise because I read NYMag and they’ve been speculating about that since idk, ep5 or something? But they were right, wow. Also, for the first time, I actually really liked the guest star (not the baddies, k). I disliked Lumen and that Hispanic lawyer guy from previous seasons, but BROTHER SAM, MAN. I enjoyed him, and it saddens me to have to refer to him in the past tense because I’d really hoped he’d miraculously survive three gunshots to the chest (um, there can be miracles when you believe and all that?) and he and Dex will continue to be badass together. But he’s gone, and I think I’ve felt sadder over his death than that of Rita’s, lol.

Towards the end it got pretty exciting, and my heart hurt especially when they involved Harrison because I can take however much gore and blood, BUT NOT WHEN IT INVOLVES KIDS. :((

Oh, but the Deb/Dex thing made me so uncomfortable though omg. D:

Tree With Deep Roots
LOL GUISE. Remember how I end up watching stuff just because of a certain actor that I like? This is one of those times. But it has been so worth it. Song Joong Ki completely blew me away in the few episodes that he was in. I wish he’d stayed for longer, but oh well. The story was engaging enough for me to watch it even after his episodes, because I’m a history geek as we all know, and I’m secretly kind of a language geek as well, and this show taps into both of those sides of me. It’s not just a period drama, it’s a period drama about the creation of Hangul, the Korean alphabet. SO INTERESTING. And the story is so exciting and the suspense kills me every week. Also the acting and cinematography are superb. The older King Sejong (Joong Ki’s character) is pretty different from his younger counterpart but that’s to be expected, as the King grew up. But I love the quirks of his character, so amusing and amazing at the same time. Jang Hyuk is also fantastic which I guess the rest of the world knew already, but hey, I wasn’t really a Kdrama enthusiast before. The story got even more exciting every episode, and the wait for the subtitles on the weekends got so bad lolol SO ADDICTED.  And goodness, the last episode? AN OCEAN FOR MY TEARS, WAH. Favorite characters: Sejong (both young and old), and Mu Hyul. The dynamic between the two was also one of my favorite things. Mu Hyul was Sejong’s oldest friend and it showed. :’)

end of year survey meme thing for 2011

Where did you begin 2011?
At home. Two of my cousins were here. We lit sparklers out front.

What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
Drive through SCTEX? Get a full-time job. Earn as much as I did.  Graduate from college. Haha.

first of possibly several 2011 recap posts

this is mostly just a list. of stuff. and some rambling because that’s what i do best.

concert buddy: my sister (Whoa, she was actually at 5 of the concerts I went to, although we were only together for 4 of them. But wow, I can’t believe she beat Kim. I bet I was Kim’s concert buddy though, I think the only ones she went to were the three we went to together haha.)
favorite concert: THE SCRIPT (sry BB D)
favorite song: probably tie between Rapid Eye Movement (David Cook) and Little Lion Man (Mumford & Sons)
favorite album: possibly a tie between This Loud Morning (David Cook) and Sigh No More (Mumford & Sons) as those were the two albums I listened to on repeat for like days.
song that sums up the year: Good Life, OneRepublic. IDK 2011 year has just been full of blessings.
favorite musician: Mumford & Sons (sry Davids)
tv buddy: my sister
best (new) show:

• Tree With Deep Roots – Joong Ki was just PHENOMENAL on this show, I can’t even. And the entire show was just brilliant, and gorgeously shot too.
• RUNNING MAN – LOL it feels like I’ve been watching it since last year, but apparently not? It’s FUCKING HILARIOUS and the cast feels like the cutest family ever by now and I just love it/them SO MUCH. <3

worst (new) show: lol idk New Girl. I love Zooey but I found the show kind of annoying? My sister loves it though.
best (old) show: MERLIN OMG. This show. I have always loved it despite it’s many flaws, but it seriously improved this year and I am impressed.In fact I have so many feelings about it that I need an entire post. Soon.
worst (old) show: Glee? I quit it because the characterization and the themes and the plot just really angers me ugh. And SPN OH GOD CRYING :( I love this show and I will watch it to the end but TBH I’m just hanging on now solely because of my affection for it. It could’ve been great, what with Cas becoming God and stuff, but they never followed up on that and all we got was a bunch of monster-of-the-week episodes with some stuff about the leviathans thrown in. KRIPKE, PLS TELL ME THE SECOND HALF WILL BE BETTER. :(
movie buddy: kim (I didn’t count so my sister might have surpassed her in this too, but I remember going to see so many movies with her haha)
favorite movie: I think out of the 6 I listed in my scrapbook as my favorites, I’d say 3 Idiots because that’s one that’s really relevant to my life and affected me so much. Next would be Deathly Hallows (oh my goodness, the amount of tears I shed in this movie) and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (EVEN MORE TEARS). Also, LOTR. ALWAYS AND FOREVER.
favorite actor: colin morgan, song joong ki
favorite book:

favorite new person: L
drinking buddy: kim
favorite/best accomplishment:

• graduating on time/with honors
• getting kim into merlin HAHAHAHA

best purchase: MISHA, and my LOTR Special Extended Edition dvds (lol i like typing the entire thing)
favorite quote: This feels a little private because it’s from an email, but it’s just so beautiful I feel like sharing it. It’s not like this blog gets a million visitors a day anyway lol.

it’s all about feelings and how to find the things in life that give you the greatest amount of hope, happiness, and positive feelings about other people….  And they don’t require a lot of money or book knowledge to find, just simple things that are important like family, friends and faith that things will get better even though things are sometimes very difficult to understand.   First thing is just knowing who you are, that you are special and someone up there is totally able to help you with your life as you learn to listen to that small voice from within that tells you what you need to know and do.  It really is that simple, but learning to listen and follow the small voice is the hard part because everyday life is so LOUD and in your face so much of the time that sometimes you can’t hear the still small voice as easily, but that is what early mornings and late nights are for when you can get quiet with yourself and listen to the soft voice of the spirit to help you.

Today D turns 21. He’s a grown up now. :’)

Today is also his last birthday before he goes on mission for two years. Two years with no new music, no shows, none of his stupid adorable face. I kind of miss him already. But I think I’ve always known he was going to do it, and I’ve always wanted him to do it, and I’m happy he’s doing it. I think J already sort of prepared us for it by telling us about D and his faith. I don’t know if J did it on purpose, if D had even decided back then, but J took the time to make us understand where D is coming from. And knowing quite a few faithful myself, and having one friend in particular who is spending the year on… not quite a mission like D’s, but a volunteer program at some remote town hours from here, I get it. I understand having the kind of faith that will make you give up your current life, even just for a while, to serve. It’s something I sometimes wish I could’ve done, except I never really felt ready for it, but if the time comes that I am, then I will. He’s a lovely soul. I like him. :)

there is a bottle of perfume my mother wants to give me.

it smells like the edsa shang lobby. that’s not a bad thing; i’ve always thought that the edsa shang lobby smelled of perfume.

it also smells like memories– of too many nights with too little sleep, of too much coffee and energy drinks, of long talks, of friends, of… not-quite friends, of people who probably don’t remember us by now. most of all, of a man named jeffrey. they’re good memories, i think.