CHRISTMAS WISHLIST! (aka Book List! :D)

Here's a glimpse of what I would want to receive for Christmas (I know, I know), aside for my one eternal wish to send all the school works to oblivion right now.

1. The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales (Been dying to have that specific book ed on my shelf huhu)

2. The Soul of Rumi by Coleman Barks

3. At Night We Walk In Circles by Daniel Alarcon (Although we don't have this yet in the country :'( )

4. Love & Misadventure by Lang Leav

5. The Lost Language of Cranes by David Leavitt

6. The Picture of Dorian Gray (This specific book ed and the rest of the classics with this kind of cover huhu fullybooked you're making me sad, moolah)

7. Clockwork Prince Graphic Novel

8. The new Scholastics book cover of the Harry Potter series

9. If There Be Thorns ans Seeds of Yesterday by V.C. Andrews

10. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

#HecticThursday

I promised myself never to post a Throwback Thursday just because I'm stubborn like that. :D So here's my #HecticThursday!

I was minutes from falling asleep but my twisted body clock just wouldn't let me sleep so I'll just record this exhausting yet wonderful day here instead! :)

First task - Go to National Book Store Warehouse Sale

My Thursday free day was such a blessing that Andy and I were able to go on the opening day unlike last year. I was pretty tight on budget right now (I blame you, photojourn) but was able to hoard some pretty awesome books nonetheless! Unlike last year's haul of almost 25 books (some I gave to my friends as a gift) I was only able to buy 5 books this year. 4 of which I have been absolutely dying for!  I was so ecstatic earlier I couldn't help but grin!

Here are my buys: Carlos Ruiz Zafon's Prisoner of Heaven (75), Jessica Hagedorn's Toxicology (150), Helen Ferris' Favorite Poems: Old and New (100), Graham Moore's The Sherlockian (75), and THE Junot Diaz's The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (75)

Second Task - Interview

I had to cut my book hoarding short because I have to go back to school for my interview for my first article for Tomasino Web. Needless to say, the thrill and enjoyment still lingers whenever I'm doing journalistic stuff and I'm going to hold on to that feeling as I strive to become a better writer (hurrah for the random thought).

Third Task - AIESEC Thursday

Honestly speaking, I wasn't planning to attend but the interview went well and ended early thus leaving me enough time before my dinner with my High School friends so I dropped by the fourth floor of Tan Yan Kee and updated myself with what needs to be updated (READ: Little work and lots of chit chats).

Grabbed from Bernadette Aquino's Facebook account

Fourth Task - Dinner date with my lovely High School friends!

I'm obviously broke and tired and I literally have a bunch of things with 'deadlines' attached to it one way or another but these damn lovely people just have to squeeze in my life somehow! :)

pardon our derp faces | (c) JP Policarpio

Fifth Task - Transcribing, homework, article, and org work

Which, obviously, I haven't even started yet. Thus I leave. Goodnight guys! <3

An In-depth City View: Manila After Dark -- Manila Noir Book Review

Manila Noir Cover by Anvil Publishing

I have been living in Manila for three years already now. In a modest two-floor bungalow house near the University of Santo Tomas with my parents and older brother with a monthly rent of fifteen thousand pesos. It was not entirely a new setting for me, spending time in Manila, I mean, during my High School days back in Bulacan, wherein transportation to Manila was so easy (much easier than here in the city itself, I must say) we used to lurk in the malls around Quezon City and as far as Pasay, Greenhills and Divisoria. But when we finally settled in the city for good, that was when I realized that there were so much more to the city than the posh malls, traffic, pollution, and the informal settlers we see.

With my course being Journalism, I easily got used to commute around Manila (something I was not used to) to cover events and meet people for interviews. Soon, the number of places I am familiar with expanded. Starting from the University parameter, to Recto, Quiapo, Cubao, Santa Cruz, Vito Cruz, Mandaluyong, Pasay, the Fort, Binondo, and take it as far as Pasig and Muntinlupa.

When I learned about the Manila Noir, I was so excited and curious about it. There was also this pride I felt having a Noir book dedicated to the city. As much as I would love to have my hands on that books first hand, school had been pretty bitchy for me and money was so hard to save given that there were just so many things to pay for and places to go to. It was only during my cover for this year's Manila International Book Fair in SMX that I was finally able to grab a copy of the book.

A new perception of the city whooshed into my system as I read the stories one after the other. The short stories in this book written by our very own authors (some I've long since admired and some I've recently just heard of) proved that we, Filipinos, can write in the same manner that other internationally famous authors can and that we can stand side by side these people and be proud of our country. Their Noir stories opened an entirely new image of Manila for me. The Manila after dark, Manila away from the Malls and Universities I was used to. Each stories revealed a part of the Manila as a place and the Manilenos and how they live their lives.

It was evident in the stories that the theme, romance, will never leave us, Filipinos, that even in mystery/ crime stories there will always be the thread of romance entangled in it. I personally like R. Zamora Linmark's Carino Brutal and Jessica Hagedorn's Old Money. They may not be the most 'romantic' in the collection of stories, but talking about love, they exposed a different kind of love (by that, I don't mean homosexual). It's the love that people usually forgot in times when they are in a relationship only to remember it again in that moment when they've lost everything and felt empty that they realized that above all; they always love their selves first.

The stories also gave us a larger picture of the social strata that we always heard of but never fully felt the situation ourselves. With Lysley Tenorio's Aviary where it was set in the vicinity of a posh mall in the city that forbids poor and suspicious people from entering said mall. It also revealed the Filipinos love for superstitions, revenge, and drugs.

Reading the book was such an experience for me that I know I will never be able to look at the city with my dreamy, empty eyes that wasn't really looking at the city properly. With every corner, streets, and avenues I will pass by, I know that there is a lurking story that is just waiting to be told.

Father's Day 2013

Whew, I didn't quite expect that this year's father's day would turn out nice and enjoyable. I was utterly prepared to laze at home just like how I usually do during normal Sundays of my life.

But lo and behold, the bipolar peeps of the house decided to have fun!

We went to Little Tokyo in Makati which is a rather wonderful place to eat out if you're one of the Japanese enthusiast people who is about to tear her hair out from frustration with all these not-so-good commercially famous and not to mention, expensive Japanese restaurants out there. Here's Little Tokyo along Pasong Tamo in Makati wherein you can eat deliciously cooked Japanese meals for affordable prices while enjoying a really good Japanese ambiance.

We had Takoyaki, Shoyu Ramen, Yakisoba and the lovely shaved ice! Aside from the meal, there were also Japanese grocery stores in the area wherein my mom let her feels all out from reminiscing her life in Japan before. She even showed me the products that she used to work on in the factory before. Ahh nostalgia, ma.

We walked around the whole area and hooray for the day! I got my favorite Kitkat green tea flavor and LOOOOTS of puddings and some candy drops and melon pan. And since the laziness runs in the blood (which irked mom a bit) I suggested that we went back home and jog in the University field. Which my dad agreed immediately and my bro dear because he still needed to finish his school work. 

After we jogged around the campus, we went back and fetch bro dear to dinner. We ate at a Chinese restaurant near the area again. Which is pretty fun because honestly, we haven't been able to eat together that much nowadays much less eat out.

Alas, I shall greet my dad here a Happy Father's Day even if I did not greet him personally ;) (There goes the Tsun tsun part of me XD) 

There goes our haggard faces after the jogging :)

Rant about anything: Malec,Malec,Malec

Summer Writing Challenge (Even if it's not summer anymore, just let me finish it)

4. Rant about anything

I just thought that after all the defending I've done for these guys to the people who kept on putting blame for their break up, it's much better to reminisce what lures us all to this lovely pairing in the first place. :)

Okay, there's always something that leaves me breathless whenever I read either Magnus or Alec's lines in the whole Shadowhunter series. Maybe I'm just biased or something but I can't help writing their lines in a piece of paper no matter how 'unquotable' the line may be, I even get the urge to cut their lines off the book sometimes!

I just love the pairing, really. I mean Magnus treats Alec like some sort of princess, prince on his case but it's the treatment we all girls would love to experience from someone we love. He's doing favors after favors for him. Doing every single thing to make Alec's life easier. It's the intensity of the love Magnus's possess that leaves me overwhelmed every single time.

But of course, Alec is not the type to just simply leech on Magnus.. he's capable in his own ways. He fought well, he's pretty realistic and broad minded. He's timid and contemplative despite all the flaws he's got plus he's manning up and does every responsibility bestowed on him. May it be his duty as a brother or as a Shadowhunter. And as we all know, he's the one who actually asked the High Warlock of Brooklyn out! He keeps to himself since he doesn't know how to express himself better in words and that makes him pleasantly unpredictable and ultimately lovable in Magnus's perspective :3 Not to mention that he really really loves Magnus with the entirety of his being that losing Magnus is out of the question for this man. It will kill him.

Good night!  

Book Review: Dynasty of Ghosts

Summer Writing Challenge

3. Review a movie/book/anything

Dynasty of Ghosts

First of all, this is a yaoi (m/m) novel so if you cannot take the prospect of ever reading something like that then hey, you have no business reading this review. But hey wait! It doesn't really kill to try something like this for the mere purpose of broadening your horizon just a tad bit, isn't it? But if you're okay with this thing then carry on and read my humble review of this wonderful book.

The summary of the book can be found in goodreads so I don't really need to repeat it here, I'm just itching to rant about this book. Here, check out the plot first: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7132358-dynasty-of-ghosts

Now, done reading? Okay here goes. I really love this book but it is a very long read. It has more than 270,000 words and that was like a quarter of the Harry Potter series which is fine with me being a heavy reader. Unfortunately I only read it in e-book format but just like most of what the reviewers stated, if you ever pay more than $7 for this book, you'd find it worth it in the end and even willing to spend more for it. It's just that awesome.

There are a lot of negative things in this book. I thought I would put it first for you so that we can eradicate negative thoughts about this book first and we shall relish all the goodness of it later on. There are lots, lots, LOTS of grammatical errors in it. I don't know what happened to its editor or if it was even edited, I doubt. You can see errors on simple subject-verb agreements, verb tenses, mistakes such as using "breath" for "breathe". Confusion on using -ing or -ed ending verbs and such. Misspelled words were everywhere, even the spacing err. Over all the mistakes were noticeable much to the point that if I would be given a chance to edit this book, I'd do it for free just to see some of the mistakes corrected (not that I'm perfect or anything, just reduce it a tad bit.) But if you're not a grammar nazi who'd kill for wrong grammar then, please, don't turn your back on this book. You'd regret it, like, yeah, for real.

Also, illya is a girl. No he's a guy, this being a yaoi but damn that beau acts like a girl most of the time. That painful  need of a guy is there, rarely, but there nonetheless which is good. He's not overly dramatic sopping  on the corners for such a tough love. (The main reason I don't like hetero romances that much.) No, hardly. he contemplates, yes. he's scared, he's reluctant and hesitant which is fine if you're a ranger and your lover is the prince heir, but he is overly attached to his religion condemning this and that is bad. He couldn't accept that this is love we have over here and you cannot do anything when it comes to that. Although I don't blame him for that I blame his family for that, poor Illya and his childhood. He's lonely and naive, pretty dense as well and he blush furiously most of the time! His reactions to sex were girly as well and if not for some statements regarding his thing between his legs I would think that Ashe is having sex with a girl! Well I think it's just the way it is. I doubt if the book would be as good as it is if Illya's different.

I also hate the fact that sometimes Nunn wrote like a seasonal writer meaning there's a part in the book wherein she continuously used 'one must..' 'one does not..' like a broken record and it's just disturbing and all.

On the good parts, I love the idea of the ghosts here in the story. It's not the usual pity or scary difference. It's much more than that. There's frustrations, so much more madness and viciousness  hatred, anger and pure evil. The plot twist  regarding the ghosts are realistic and appealing at best sometimes you'd even get goosebumps but not the usual ghost goosebumps we get from ordinary ghosts stories, it's the goosebumps you get from thrill and expectations and speculations presented in the story. Also, Ashe is lovely. At the first part of the book, you'd be fascinated with Illya and his gentle, lonely personality, his ability to see ghost, his beautiful long hair and such, and on the other hand you'd find Ashe as the arrogant  cunning, needy (yet very charming) handsome prince who forced himself on Illya. But as the story progresses, you'd come to a point where you would stop with a sudden realization that you already love Ashe. Ashe is as princely as any prince heir is expected to be. Handsome, strong and courageous but inside that, you'll see a man tired and bitter by his father's attitude to a second son who never really caught his affection. You'll see a man tired of the intrigues and poisonous mouths and eyes hovering him for the intention of getting attached to the second most powerful person in the kingdom with so much as a pretense of a good friend or a concerned and loyal lover. Ashe is lonely as much as Illya was for the loss of a mother and a brother whom he could consider as the few who really loved him. He's eaten by the guilt that he was not able to do anything to save the people he loved so much. He is a man deprived of true love..a child deprived of paternal love and a childhood that he very much deserved  Ashe is a gentle soul entrapped in a tough vessel tossed out in a deadly place. Ashe is a man afraid to love someone for the fear of losing them and him being left alone once again. Ashe longed for a father that could love him despite of all the circumstances. Ashe longs for love and he found a kindred soul in Illya in that direst situation of his life.

Nunn did great with the flow of the story. Despite it's length,you'd hardly find a boring spot in this book. The world of this book was wonderfully crafted without much trying too hard. Just like with Ashe, you'd find yourself in the world without even thinking about it. It was a flow like no other that at one point you're in your chair reading it, the next you're there overseeing Ashe and Illya's affairs with a vivid vision of everything not in the way that every single thing was being described to you with such lengthy words, but a brief and enchanting description that leaves a room for your imagination to expand it beautifully.

Most of the readers were disappointed in the ending of the book and long for a sequel, I do want a sequel too but I'm not disappointed in the ending as much as they do (quite grouchy with some loopholes, though) for I understood that the scene in the ending is the most beautiful way to end that mundane and painful situation they're in. Turn around forget everything and escape reality but know that you would have to go back to it sooner or later. That's why this love is so beautiful and painful. 

Hikanoo: Brighter than the sun

Summer Writing Challenge

HikaNoo: Brighter than the sun

Stop me on the corner
I swear you hit me like a vision
I, I, I wasn't expecting
But who am I to tell faith where it's supposed to go with it?


Passing by strangers, both young and old, some giving him peaceful and sweet smiles, some simply nodding at him, some ignoring him at all. Among those people Hikaru came across to, he loved those who are too busy, immersed in the presence of their loved ones to notice him at all. He would admit it, he quite like the attention on him his friends used to say came from his undeniably attention-grabbing aura and smile, but he loved seeing people in love more that he loved that attention. He saw a young couple pushing their young son in the swing as he turned around the corner that led to the park. He smiled as he passed by them and he saw the young child grin at him and gave him a peace sign. He laughed out loud. If people in this place are this friendly, he wouldn't mind making this his permanent jogging route, besides the Sakura trees that lined this particular path are really beautiful, with the sunlight passing through the thick leaves just in the right amount that you could enjoy basking in it. Unlike in the previous path wherein it's too hot and there are too many students glaring or flirting with each other for him to actually enjoy his morning jogs. Only, this path is farther from the University but he's jogging anyway so what's the difference a few blocks make? 

As Hikaru continued on his jog waving his hand to the child and smiling at the couple, he saw another man jogging a few meters in front of him. He wasn't so sure why but he got curious with the man even though it was just his back that he saw but he felt a different aura coming from the man that made him quite relax. The slender man in front of him with black curly hair that rest at the nape of his neck wore a black jogging pants quite similar to what Hikaru wore and a blue rubber shoes and gray shirt. Sweat are visible from his gray shirt, the man then pulled something from his pocket and tied his hair revealing his creamy white nape that made Hikaru blush by the thought of looking at a man and observing something so intimate without even knowing what the man looked like.

Don't you blink you might miss it
See we got a right to just love it or leave it
You find it and keep it
Cause it ain't every day you get the chance to say..


Hikaru decided to slow down his pace and match the man's pace to continue observing. He saw a girl wave and smile at the man and he saw the man waved back at her and continued on. Hikaru saw the girl blush and looked longingly at the man's back. Hikaru smiled at himself thinking that the man must be handsome indeed for a pretty girl to smile like that. When he looked back at the man he saw him standing at the side of the path talking to an elderly couple and saw the old lady give him an apple. Hikaru realized that he was at rest in the middle of the path gaping like a fish so he pretended to fix his shoe lace waiting for the man to continue on his path. For a while he got scared that the man would finally stop there without giving him the chance to actually talk to him. That thought struck Hikaru, 'When did I actually start planning to talk to him?' grimacing, he finally stood up just in time for the man to resume his previous pace. They were turning a corner when suddenly the man increased his pace into a full run that left Hikaru unconsciously running after him. When he turned the corner, he saw the man standing in the side of the path looking at the lake before him. He shook his sweaty hair and the hair band feel without him noticing and he continue to walk on the grass and sat by the lake. Hikaru pick up the band and tried to catch his breath and followed the man.


Oh this is how it starts, lightning strikes the heart
It goes off like a gun, brighter than the sun.
Oh, it could be the stars, falling from the sky
Shining how we want, brighter than the sun.

"I believe this is yours?" Hikaru said standing beside the man. The man looked up at him and suddenly grinned. The man was not handsome as Hikaru thought..he was beautiful. He has porcelain white skin and perfect nose and sensual thin lips, but what caught Hikaru's attention more was the brown eyes that seemed to be expecting his presence.

"Ahh, my stalker. Yes that's mine." The man said with an expecting smile and reached for the band.

"Eh?!" Hikaru asked bewildered, blushing by the thought of being caught.

"Are you not the one piercing his gaze at me since earlier? If I am a butter then I would be well melted now." The man grinned.

"Not that it's a bad thing though, is it?" He added patting the grass beside him motioning for Hikaru to sit down. Hikaru sat down with a blush still on his face while silently berating himself for staring too much at the same time admiring the beautiful face and front of him almost in disbelief that he got to talk to that mysterious person he was so interested since earlier.

"I'm sorry for staring..I'm Yaotome Hikaru." Hikaru introduced himself thinking that he could actually remove that "stalker" label on him if he properly introduced himself.

"Ahh that name sort of suit you don't you think? I'm Inoo Kei." Inoo smiled once again and finally lay down in the grass.

"Soo what have you found from your thorough observation of my back, Yaotome-san?" Hikaru managed to laugh with the sarcastic tone Inoo used.

"I'm sorry again for staring too much..well that you sort of have a very relaxing aura and that girl you waved at earlier is in love with you and that you looked pretty friendly..and that you have a pretty sensual nape..actually." Hikaru smiled as he lay down on the grass as well.

"Wow, you think so?" Inoo asked without removing his gaze at the clouds that were drifting by.

"Uh-huh." Hikaru answered. They settled into a comfortable silence with Inoo watching the clouds pass by and Hikaru thinking about the rather interesting guy beside him.


I never seen it, but I found this love I'm undefeated.
You better leave, I'm better than anything I've ever had
Cause you're so damn beautiful read it,
It's time and deliver it let's seal it.
Boy we go together like peanuts and paydays and molly and reggae. 


"So what does this beautiful person doing alone on such a fine day?" Hikaru asked leaning his elbow on the grass to get a better look at the man beside him.

"What? You mean me?" Inoo was pulled back from his reverie.

"I don't see anybody else who I would actually call beautiful, really." Hikaru answered urging him.

"Well..there's you." Inoo said with a smile.

"Me? Beautiful? I've never heard anyone use that word on me before." Hikaru laughed.

"Well there's me for a start." Inoo laughed as well.

"But to answer your question, I was alone because I just broke up with my boyfriend and best friend for years..well I'm pretty stupid really. I knew it, players will always be players in both aspect of the word."

"Well, what does he play?" Hikaru asked perked up by the term "boyfriend".

"Soccer." Inoo answered.

"Wait..is this Yabu-kun from the soccer club?" Hikaru asked assuming that Inoo is from the same university as well. Inoo gaped at him like a fish out of the water.

"H--how did you know?" Hikaru smiled and lay back once again.

"Well I assumed we're from the same university and the only one who looked like a 'player' in the soccer team was Yabu-kun. We were classmates in Humanities last semester.

"Wow, it's a pretty small world." Inoo sighed.

"Uh-huh." Hikaru answered.


Everything is like a way out, cause we shine down
Even when the light's out but I can see see you glow
Got my head up in the rafters, got me happy ever after
Never felt this way before, ain't this way before.


Hikaru was humming his new favorite song when they settled into another comfortable silence when suddenly the clouds were replaced by a wide eyed Inoo Kei.

"Was that Suit and Tie you were humming?!" He asked bewildered with a grin slowly settling on his face. Hikaru grinned back finding another similarity between them.

"You're a Justin Timberlake fan too?" Hikaru asked.

"I am! Phew! Finally someone who I could share this obsession with! Yabu used to say I'm too high maintenance that why can't I simply like other Japanese artist.." Inoo trailed off.

"Well one can't simply miss Justin's awesomeness. Especially his Grammys performance..." Hikaru said distracting Inoo from his thoughts about Yabu.

"Isn't it?!" Inoo shouted and the both of them laughed by how childish Inoo seemed. When the laughter died down, Inoo grabbed Hikaru's shoulder and looked at him.

"Ne, Hikaru..aren't you uncomfortable by the thought that I'm gay?" Inoo asked waiting for the worst.

"No, instead of uncomfortable..I would admit I felt relieved." Hikaru admitted looking at Inoo.

"Really? I mean I would be sad if you were uncomfortable..thanks, Hikaru." Inoo smiled..this time a smile that held so many promised opportunities for Hikaru.

"So that means we could hang out again next time?" Hikaru asked hopeful.

"I guess we could meet in the campus or maybe we could have coffee sometimes.." Inoo said.

"Or maybe I could just make this my permanent jogging path, don't you think?" Hikaru suggested.

"That would be the best idea." Inoo agreed.


In spite of being ultimately observant, this time Hikaru let the people pass by unnoticed. The both of them immersed in each other's presence like two people in love.