We have finally received the Stormfire - which is the chosen book for the JMF book tour and discussion (once everyone who participated have read the book).

It was decided that it should tour the world since it's one of the hard-to-find books these days and it triggered a lot of controversies in the JM board way back then.

Gloria has posted the detailed summary of the book in JMF and it perked the curiosity and interest of most of us - especially mine. Since I never judge a book by its summary LOL... and readers' reaction, I decided to join the book tour.

I was bracing myself for disliking it and giving it up.

The first few pages was a little boring for me coz in the middle of my reading, other thoughts keep on popping into my head, unabling me to concentrate. However, a hundred page after, my interest was captured and I am liking it!

Yeah, it was unbelievable since I assumed this was a dark book based on the summary.

Right now, I am still on Chapter 8 and so far so good. I was not able to read it a lot coz we had to cook for our friend/flatmate's birthday celebration last Thursday.

Labels: Books, Christine Monson, Stormfire

I am thankful for the discovery of internet because my reading horizon was not constricted only to books and magazines near me. Internet brings me the largest collection of reading materials from all over the world.

As I was skimming my usual internet pages and found some informative articles to read, I was struck anew about the nastiness and rudeness of some people.

One of the article I've read was about someone who died recently. I didn't know that person until that article and I felt a little sad and somber because the death of a person was never good news.

However I was so shocked when I read the comments under the article. Some people posted bad and inappropriate things about that person. The person died for Pete's sake, the least he could get is respect - even if he's the most notorious people in the world.

I was also reminded me of some magazines I've read before where people send comments and reaction about someone - and some people would malign and defame those people they don't like.

It bothered me before and now it is bothering me again. Why waste time, space and effort thinking, saying and writing those unkind, negative and malicious words towards someone?

Why not put those time, space and effort to good use by commenting about the good things someone did or praising somebody admirable?

If I dislike a person, I think of them as unworthy recipient of my effort. Typing a comment or sending a mail reaction to magazine takes a lot of effort and time so I don't waste them on the peole I dislike or to just malign someone. I would instead spend those time gushing over my favorite persons or praise someone for their good deeds or send mails to friends instead.

I am also capable of disagreeing with someone or something but there is a way to phrase your disagreement without insulting anyone. Do it POLITELY.

Labels: negativity, personal, rudeness, social

I have closed my old one because I felt that last year, all I posted were trash.

So here's a new one for a new me. LOL!

If you notice, I have four categories for this Blog:

1) My Blog - which contains all my thoughts, reflections, musings, opinions about anything and everything under the sun.

2) Creative Writings - contains all the poems, essays, short stories, fan fictions and other prose types I've written.

3) Dear Diary - my initial plan for this category was to chronicle what's happening to me day by day. But then that would get personal and i don't want that so I'll just want you to see what I write here and from who/which/what perspective.

4) Ilonggo Blog - would help me practice expressing myself in my dialect. Mostly, this would contain my opinions and thoughts on what's happening locally.

5) Profile - contains info about me as well as getting to know posts.

I hope you'll come visit me often.

Labels: blog, introduction

Orig. Written: July 18, 2007

I was still in college when Harry Potter became famous worldwide. I was already a bookworm and have read every book that came my way. However, when I learned that Harry Potter was a book for children I said to myself that I have already graduated past the "children books" stage and was not reading even Sweet Valley University anymore.

Year 2001, the life of Harry Potter became more popular with the movie, but still I did not pick any Harry Potter books nor found out what the furor was about him. And thinking about it, it seems surprising that I did not try to really know about the books, when normally, I always try to get a general idea of what's the world's talking about.

Instead, Sharie and I settled in watching the movie to get a general idea of the Harry Potter world. And we were entertained by the movie - but not enough to really read the books.

Then the Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban movies came out and we watched them and we enjoyed them. But still I didn't read the book.

When the Half-Blood Prince came out in 2005, Sharie borrowed the book (and yes, I haven't read the Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix yet, and have only watched the first three movies) from her colleague sometime in December 2005 coz that time, we didn't have any new books to read.

I think it was Sharie who read the book first and all throughout her reading, she was asking me questions about the characters and about what happened and she is so clueless of what's happening in book 6.

So I searched and found ebooks of the first five books in the web just to appease my curiosity and interest and I was glad when i was able to find five of them. Fantastic! So I spent nights and days in front of my laptop, ignoring JMF and my friends coz I spent most of my time getting to know Harry Potter and his friends and enemies. I think I finished them all in a week or two.

When I was reading the fifth book, I felt my heart swelling with happiness when Dudley made friends with Harry; when it was Harry and Hermione who ended up being together; I was surprised when Malfoy turned to the good side and ended up with Ginny; then I almost sobbed when Dudley died and Harry's Aunt Petunia and his Uncle Vernon did not blame him for Dudley's death. And I said, wow, that was fantastic. OOP is my most favorite HP book.

And so I eagerly opened the Half Blood Prince ---- and how my jaw dropped and my eyes bugged out, when I read the Dudley is so very much alive and has gotten more bad, how Petunia and Vernon are still treating Harry like dirt!

OMGoodness!!! I was so confused then. It turned out that the OOP I have downloaded was not a real book but a fan fiction. Served me right, right? LOOL!

So I searched for the ebook again and found the real OOP and so by the time I read HBP, I already know who are the characters there.

Early this year, we transferred to a new flat and have acquired a new flatmate/friend who's also crazy about Harry Potter. We talked about it and it fueled my interest again so I searched for those ebooks I downloaded but I couldn't find it in any of the CDs. It must have been deleted when I reformatted my laptop to its original configuration.

So I searched for the ebooks again but the ones I found, I felt that some parts are missing. What we did next was find Harry Potter books in the bookstores and supermarket. I was glad I was able to find 5 books in three different stores (still haven't got the first book yet).

And thus, my Harry Potter obsession begins. I just finished rereading them a few weeks ago and I searched the internet for some of the questions I have. I have found mugglenet.com which has a great source of HP information (and I think they're the most user-friendly among all HP sites). Just starting February alone, we have lost count of the times we watched our HP DVD's.

It was overwhelming to read everything because I have been so late. I was impressed with all the theories that abound. I don't think I would be able to catch up with everything that's in mugglenet.

In a few days, all the answers would be questioned and I can hardly wait. Today is the start of the showing of HPOOTP movie here in Kuwait and we are going to watch it with Eloi on Thursday. This is the first time we're going to watch a movie in Kuwait cinemas.

Then on Saturday ---- we're going to buy HP books. Hooray!

Labels: Books, harry potter, jk rowling

Orig. written: July 3, 2007

Are there any jokes referring to blond men?

I have in my Google homepage "Joke for the Day" subscription and there are a lot of blond jokes and all of them refer to women. I have yet to read a joke about blond men!

I sincerely hope there's even just one out there.

Labels: blond jokes, thoughts

Orig written: Monday, July 02, 2007

I have finally finished the book for our discussion this month in JMF which is Envy by Sandra Brown. But silly me, I've just said in my post the other day that I'd stay away from my online life and concentrate on my RL first and most especially my writing. So what should I do, stay away or join the discussion

Anyway, speaking of writing, there were several lines in the book that inspired me. You see, the book dwells a lot on writing, editing and publishing. I've learned about how an editor thinks, how a writer thinks and how a publisher conducts business and gets profit. It was a very informative book for would-be writers like me.

It started out ok but dragging for me but the last chapters had been so engrossing that I ended up sleeping at 10 minutes past 3 AM again.

Well, one of the most important thing I've learned about writing is that it is a God-given gift. No matter how you follow and master all the technical aspects of writing, you would wind up with a mediocre book only if you got no writing talent whatsoever.

Now this got me thinking: do I really have the talent? Or did I only learn the technicalities of English grammar and writing?

Labels: Books, envy, sandra brown, writing

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

My twin and I have been very vocal in our nonpreference of action movies because they bore us. LOOL! So strange isn't it? Can an action movie bore a person?

Honestly, we only watched a handful of action movies and no one has stood out to become my most favorite or unforgettable action movie so far. Yes, there were those that captured my attention but most of them didn't manage to hold my interest in the first ten minutes or so. LOL! I think I have an attention span of a toddler when it comes to TV and movies so it would take a lot for a TV show or movie to make it on my favorite spot.

However, I am pleased to report now that 24 has managed to rank high on my list of favorite TV show. In the past, I have watced a few episodes and I was hooked. It's only now that I have watched it from the beginning and I had lost a lot of sleep over it, in my (our) haste to know what happens next.

A few nights ago, our friend Eloisa and flatmate too asked me and my twin why we like 24 when we said that we don't like action shows. Good question Eloi!

Well, I answered something like 24 is unlike other action shows I've seen. And it's true.

The show was beautifully written, and full of suspense and thriller. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Other times, I had to stand up and go away for a while to lessen the tension I felt. LOL! And other times, i had to read from a book beside me when the scenes were too suspenseful for me. LOL! Heck, some of the scenes beat watching horror movies. LOL!

The characters are all great, the bad guys are bad, the good guys are good and the stupid guys are stupid. LOL! It has a great cast too - each one is so good and so right for their character. The characters are dimensional and principled - they stick to their principles like Jack Bauer, David Palmer, Chloe O'Brian, Tony Almeida, Michelle Dessler, Bill Buchanan, Audrey Raines, Karen Hayes etc. (We are just still on season 5). You can't help but admire them for what they do. They reminded me that there are times you have to disobey to stand up for what you believe. LOL!

24 is just gripping, action-packed without resorting to corniness like most action movies do. Besides, it's interspersed with romance all throughout the seasons that leave me wanting for more. I think the best romantic angle they ever presented was that of Tony Almeida and Michelle Dessler. I don't know but the first time Michelle entered the show on Season 2 and she and Tony were talking about work and looking at each other's eyes, their eyes spoke of a different, more interesting things. The screen sizzles and sparks fly each time they look at each other's eyes. SIGH. I still want to cry each time I remember that they killed off Tony and Michelle. They should have let them leave the US for protection when they don't know how to move their characters anymore - not kill them! I hope they'll bring them back in the movie.

Anyway, I think the main reason why it manage to grip me all this time is that it's a very stimulating show. It will make the viewer think too. It's challenging watching the show. LOL!

We're up to the last 4 hours of season 5 and these past two weeks, we've watched nothing on satellite at all. Instead, the moment we all arrive from work, one would cook dinner while the other three would do their necessary chores and the moment we set down for dinner, we watch 24 so as not to waste more time.

Labels: 24, action movies, jack bauer, michelle dessler, tony almeida, tv show

Orig. written: June 24, 2007

OMG! OMG!!! I can feel my heart wrenching with what I have watched last night.

Last Thursday we spent the whole night watching 24 and one of our friends who came to our house had to sleep over because she got hooked too - and we're in season 4 then, where Tony was back in action - thanks to Jack - and he and Michelle got some sparks flying again and it got high with Bill around. LOL!

However, I was not able to sleep a wink the whole Thursday night because I waited for Rheliza to finish with her laundry and I did ours then. I was finished at around 5:30 am but when I was about to sleep, Tanya came online so i chatted with her decided not to sleep at all. At around 7 am, Sharie woke up and found me still awake so she asked me if I want to go to the supermarket and buy fresh fish and I agreed.

After we had lunch, we continued watching 24 and we're already in season 5 that time. But by the time 7 PM Friday came I can barely keep my eyes open, despite my desire to really watch 24 with them. So i had to sleep while they went on watching 24.

Last night, the moment i arrived at the house from work, I immediately watch it and they had to endure a re-watch because of me and OH My Goodness again!!!!!

***SPOILERS AHEAD for Season 5***

On one of the first scenes, Michelle was blown up as she inserted her key in the car and Tony rushed to her only to have the car behind him explode again. Michelle was dead on the spot but Tony was still alive and was brought to CTU to be stabilized and protected at the same time.

When Tony woke up from his unconsciousness, the first thing he asked about was Michelle. The doctor didn't want Tony to be stressed up again so he informed everyone not to tell Tony that Michelle was dead. But Tony was perceptive and he thought Bill and the doctor was not telling him the truth about Michelle. So he ripped the bandage off his face and the IVs from his hand and limped towards a computer and entered Michelle's name on it. Then he whimpered as he sank to his knees when the blinking "Deceased" came up on the screen and Bill and the doctor had to drag him away. OMG! My heart was being squeezed so tight!!!!

I have seen it before but I didn't know the hurdles they had faced in their relationship then so I just felt the impact and why he sobbed so hard in that scene.

Then he recovered and up to his feet again afterwards, though he still has burn marks on his face. He asked Bill for information and reasons why Michelle was killed. That sad part about it all is that they (Michelle and Tony were both the targets in fact) were just used as a diversion to a bigger plot - the assassination of David Palmer, and the culprits has set up to make it look like Jack was responsible for their deaths.

Having been convinced by Tony himself that being a former agent and director deserves at least to know the reason why Michelle was killed, Bill told Tony that the latest info they got was that one of their former boss, Christopher Henderson who was involved in all the killings so far.

Then Jack managed to catch Henderson and brought him to CTU for questioning, but he was brought in the clinic beside Tony when there was danger in CTU. And Tony decided to bring justice to Michelle's death and he was in the process of killing Henderson with something in the big syringe he was holding when suddenly, Henderson opened his eyes, grabbed Tony's hands and aimed the needle towards Tony's heart. And Tony, who's still weak from the recent mishap was no match for Henderson, who's only pretending to be unconscious.

Henderson managed to escape and Jack arrived in time to see Tony still gasping with breath and Jack told him to hang on. But Tony's response was only "She's gone Jack." And then he stopped breathing.

OMGGGOOODDNNESSSSS!!! I just had to stop my tears from falling. That means Tony cannot live without her and he saw no reason anymore to live since Michelle is dead. Oh my goodness, it's so tragic yet so romantic. But why did they have to kill Them!!! WHYYYY????

I am no fan of tragic endings ever, I want HEA in the movies I watch and in the books I read (that's why I hate Up, Close and Personal and some of Danielle Steele's novels because of their tragic endings). However, this tragedy of Tony and Michelle's love story is the first one that I have come to accept and despite what happened, they're going to remain in my list of unforgettable TV characters. I guess it must be because of the nature of their work that I have set my heart and mind that anytime, they could be killed especially since they both had run CTU in the past.

But oh my goodness!!!! They have the best romance in 24 ever.

oh and btw, i didn't understand then about Chase and Kim, it only sank in last night that Chase has left Kim after they all thought Jack has died (except Cloe, Tony, Michelle and David of course). But I think there is still hope for Chase and Kim? I felt so bad when I learned they're not together anymore. I'm sure Angela has grown closer to Kim already when they separated.

Anyway, that's all of my ramblings about 24.

Labels: 24, chase edmunds, jack bauer, michelle dessler, tony almeida, tv show

Friday, June 22, 2007

I have watched a handful episodes of 24 way back when we were in our old apartment where we had Showtime Channel and I was already hooked then. I haven't watched a full season then for reasons i couldn't remember now.

A few weeks ago, Sharie was able to borrow the complete season 1-5 so we were able to really follow the whole story and my goodness, it was so good.

The show has great characters and it was well written with non-stop suspense and thriller that had made me get up and walk away to lessen the tension I felt. One of the unforgettable character for me was Chase Edmunds. Aside from the fact that he's hot, he's the epitome of all the heroes i love and adore in the fiction books i read - an alpha male. :D

However, my most favorite characters in the show are Tony Almeida and Michelle Dessler. (We just finished the fourth season and i know something happened to them in season 5 but give me a break, ok? I wanted to gush over them! ) Sparks are flying each time they are together and the romantic in me feels giddy with excitment each time they gaze at each others eyes - eyes that speak a different language to each other altogether. SIGH.

I am aware of what's in store for them in season five and now i dread watching it. How i wished I have really followed this season way back then and maybe I have helped (or started, if no one has done so) a protest and have them reverse what happened to them in season 5 and their characters had the same luck? as Kim and Chase.

On the other hand, I was thinking that maybe they removed Tony and Michelle so that the romance part of the series would settle on Jack himself. But they could have more romantic pairings without doing what they did to Tony and Michelle!

Labels: 24, jack bauer, michelle dessler, tony almeida, tv show

Orig. written: Wednesday, August 29, 2007

When I was uhm a child, :D I was so into everything - physical games, dancing, biking and basketball even though I terribly suck at it. And I don't say no to challenges and lately just assessed that I might be a little competitive then (and even now). LOL!

However, when I reached high school, and when consciousness about myself and other people started, I have retreated into a shell and became a homebuddy and that's when I started being a voracious reader. I seldom participate in games anymore and have opted to be a spectator than a participant.

On our first year in college, we had our class Christmas party in a beach resort. The organizers had started some games and there is this one particular game where the "it" had to chase the participants around and shower them with flour. So they asked everyone who would like to join and I declined of course and I said I'd just watch.

And so the game begins. Those handful of us watching were laughing so hard because the "it" was running and running for several minutes already but cannot reach any one. And what she did next surprised everyone. She ran to me and throw the whole plastic of flour at me. I looked like a white lady coz it's all in my hear, my face and all over my clothes. And I got angry and told her "I told you that I don't want to join!" And I stomped angrily into the cottage we rented.

It was a good thing I brought clothes with me because we intended to swim at first since it was a resort but I changed my mind while I was there. The one who did it to me is my friend and she apologized to me and she told me she thought I would not get angry after all, we're all just having fun.

She just indirectly told me I was a killjoy and aftewards, when I have thought about it much, I felt so ashamed of myself. Indeed, it was just for fun and I was such a spoilsport.

And from then on, I have avoided being a spoilsport in everything and have learned to enjoy and make fun of myself sometimes too. :D

It was one very unforgettable lesson for me.

Labels: life lessons, spoilsport

Orig. written: Friday, July 20, 2007

Yesterday (July 19) was the start of the showing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix here in Kuwait. Since Sharie and Eloi has work till 5 PM, we thought we'd watch the 7 PM showing.

So the moment they arrived at 5:45, we hastily ate dinner and then went towards the cinema. (Rheliza, our other flatmate didn't go with us coz she's not really into HP, unlike the three of us). We arrived there at around 6:30 I think, to meet other friends, Anna and her boyfriend Warren, who's going to watch with us too.

However, we got despaired when we were informed that the HP room is full and nothing left for us. We were told though that the next showing would be at 10 PM. My goodness, it was so late, but since we cannot wait any more we agreed to sit on the Bachelors section, and maybe sit beside boys. Boys!

In case you are wondering what is wrong with sitting beside boys, the cinemas here in Kuwait are divided into two sections, the Bachelors (where boys and teenage boys sit) and the Family section (where the families sit of course, and also where girls are placed regardless they're with family or not). So with little fear (because of the many stories we heard how rude these teenage boys are) we bravely agreed to sit on the Bachelors and prayed all the while that we would sit beside a good boy.

We arrived before Anna and Warren and we called them to inform that the cinema is already full for the 7 PM showing and the vacancies were only for the 10 PM. Anna, who we know sleep early at night, refused to watch anymore coz it's too late for her, so it's just the three of us left.

So there we were, at 7 PM, roaming the 24-hour supermarket in front of the mall where the cinema is, to kill the time until 8 PM. At 8 PM, we went to the small foodcourt beside the supermarket and bought ice cream and softdrinks to while away more time, and spent most of it talking about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, as well as what to expect with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix movie. At around 9 PM, we went to the mall where the cinema is, and already used the toilet so that we would not be interrupted in the middle of the movie.

At 9:15, we went to the cinema and asked if we could sit on the chairs by the refreshment booths inside, and since we had tickets we were permitted to sit. And we patiently waited till the 7 PM viewers went out of the cinema, and waited some more while they clean the cinema I think. We went to the bathroom again before going inside at around 9:45 PM.

The showing of the trailers of the upcoming movie started at 10 PM, while the movie started at 10:15. At first, we were glad we're seated on the first three seats beside the aisle. Sharie was on the third, Eloi between us, and I was seated on the aisle seat. LOL! Beside Sharie is a boy maybe 8-10 years old so we were relieved because he seemed to be alone because next to him were the three Indian teenagers (two boys and one girl) who were in front us on the line.

I was a little disappointed because a lot of details were cut from the book but if I just have to shift my thinking and detach the movie from the book, the movie was fantastic.

I agree with some that it was the best HP movie yet, because there was a detailed emphasis on the effects, and they're closer to what i had in mind when reading the book.

The head on the fire for instance, is how I envision it reading the book and i was disappointed in the POA and GOF's interpretation.

Their patronuses are also how i invision it on my mind, which is very bright and formed animal shapes. I really, really love how they did it.

The scenes at the Ministry was also superb though we wished they gave a detailed scenes of the fight between the DE and DA. LOL!

The dragon fireworks are great too! Everything is great actually if you will not be anal about following the book in details.

I love the former headmasters portrait going out of the frames when asked by Dumbledore to do something.

And also, I noticed that there were more students in Hogwarts in the this movie than in the last four. And they are more animated while they're in the great hall eating, just like how I imagine it should be, unlike the first four movies.

Now, we are looking forward to the DVD so that there would be five HP movies to watch over and over again. The fight scenes at the ministry was so fast, we barely had time to register what's happening when another scene would scare us again. LOL!

Labels: harry potter and the order of the phoenix, Movies

Orig. written: Wednesday, July 18, 2007

I was perusing Mugglenet last week and came across a contest in their site. They have some questions where the contestant will have to give their predictions.

Here are my answers:

1. What are the Deathly Hallows?
I think they're the horcruxes as well as those treasures in Hogwarts (in the trophy room and Room of Requirement when Harry asked for a room to hide the book) left behind by dead people.

2. What are the remaining horcruxes? Is Harry or his scar a horcrux?

Dumbledore was sure that the locket and the cup and Nagini are horcruxes. Only one horcrux is not known by Dumbledore and Harry. I think one of the remaining horcrux belong to Rowena Ravenclaw – it must be the tiara in the room of requirement coz she might be a princess or belongs to the royal family. :D

No Harrry nor his scar is not a horcrux.

3. Will Harry die?

NO, he will not die.

4. Without considering Harry, who else will die?

I think Snape will be one of the major characters who will die as an ultimate proof that he's on the good side all along. The other one major character who will die is Voldemort – in the hands of Harry. Wormtail (Peter Pettigrew too) and one or two members of the Order and maybe Percy

5. Who will redeem himself?

Draco Malfoy will somehow redeem himself. He'd feel guilty about what he did.

6. Who will be the new leader of the Order?

Uhm…my instincts telling me it's going to be Harry because he's a powerful wizard even for his age, and knows more about Voldemort than any of the member of the Orders.

7. Is there another spy in the Death Eaters?

Only Snape is the spy among the Death Eaters.

8. Who is R.A.B.?

It's Regulus Black.

9. Will Hogwarts reopen?

Yes, it will reopen.

10. Will Harry return to Hogwarts? As a student?

Yes, because Voldemort would come to Hogwarts now that Dumbledore is dead (He was persistent to return to Hogwarts in the past but Dumbledore prevented him) so Harry would need to return to Hogwarts.

11. Will the Ministry interfere more with Hogwarts (if it reopens) now that Dumbledore is gone?

No they won't. They will provide the necessary additional security if required but they have a lot to deal with regarding the protection of Wizarding world. In short, The Ministry would leave Hogwarts alone.

12. Will there be a battle at Hogwarts?

Yes there will be because Voldemort would return to Hogwarts for he might have left one of his horcruxes there.

13. JKR says Dumbledore is properly dead, but will we see him again? How?

Yes, we will see Dumbledore again through his portrait in the headmaster/headmistress office of course. But he could only give reactions like what the previous headmasters and headmistresses do or could occasionally be asked to do send messages or something.


14. Did Dumbledore beg for his life or plead with Snape to kill him?

I am now convinced he was pleading with Snape to kill him. That has been his plan since Snape told him his Unbreakable Vow with Narcissa (and Snape knew, through Legilemency, what task Voldemort has assigned Draco) and that's why Dumbledore told Harry, after he fetched him from the Dursleys, to bring his Invisibility cloak at all times. He knew that Snape would have to kill him when Draco would fail to do so.

15. Why did Dumbledore trust Snape?

Dumbledore trusted Snape because Snape showed true remorse at Lily's death. I think Snape was in-love with Lily (maybe secretly) the whole time. When Snape heard the prophecy and informed Voldemort about it, he didn't know that Voldemort would come after the Potters. Only when he learned that Lily had died, did he regret what he did and so he went to Dumbledore, confessed everything he's done and agreed wholeheartedly to be a spy for Dumbledore. LOVE would only be the factor that would thoroughly convince Dumbledore.

16. Whose side is Snape really on? (V's, Order's, his own)?

He's on Dumbledore's side.

17. Where did Snape take Draco at the end of HBP? Where is Snape hiding now?

Hhmm..too tough. I think Dumbledore and Snape had already planned where Snape would go after he kills Dumbledore. Maybe Snape is hiding with Voldemort and the Death Eaters.


18. Will Harry visit the house where he was attacked in Godric's Hollow? What will he find there?

Yes, he will. He will find more information about his parents and Snape.

19. Aside from James, Lily, Voldemort and Harry, who else was at the house in Godric's Hollow on the night of the attack?

There was no one else besides them. Voldemort went alone.

20. Will Percy remain estranged from his family, or will he make amends?

He will make amends after he would swallow his pride.

21. Did Percy act as a spy for Dumbledore with his connections in the Ministry?

No, he didn't. (This question would not be answered in Book 7, I think!)

22. Will Wormtail repay his life-debt to Harry?

Yes, he will.He would be the one who could prevent Harry's death because of his debt to Harry.

23. How will Harry say goodbye to the Dursleys?

The usual way he says goodbye to the Dursleys each time he left for Hogwarts - A simple "bye" and couldn't care less if they replied to him or not.

24. What role will Aberforth play?

He'd come out from where he is at the moment – full of information that will be useful to the Order.

25. What was Aberforth really doing with those goats?

Uhhmm…trying to get bezoar out of them? LOL!

26. Will Voldemort die? How? (Veil, AK, Giant Squid...)

Yes, Voldemort will die, after all the horcruxes will be destroyed and either Harry or Snape would kill him.(Harry to avenge his parents and Snape to avenge Lily).

27. Why did Voldemort offer Lily a chance to live?

Because maybe Voldermort knew that Snape loves Lily and since Snape was the one who told him the prophecy, he's trying to spare Lily as a reward for Snape (LOL! This might be very far-fetched)

28. What was Dumbledore's "gleam of triumph"?

I think Harry's blood has made Voldemort less invincible and became a human being so when the time comes for them to face each other, Harry would have a bigger chance of defeating Voldemort

29. What is the power of love?

The power of love is a song sang by Celine Dion. Just KIDDING! LOL! Seriously, the power of love would destroy Voldemort. Harry and Snape would be successful in killing him because they are doing it in revenge for the loved ones they lost.

30. Will Lucius escape or be released from Azkaban?

I don't think so. Maybe we'll not see Lucius again.

31. Is Trevor more than a toad?

No, he isn't. He's just necessary to portray Neville's character.

32. Will there be an attack at Fleur & Bill's wedding?

No, there won't be an attack. The wedding would be sort of a reprieve, a chance for them to relax and enjoy and be happy before they all would plunge into fighting evil and suffer the consequences the war would bring to all.

33. Will Ginny join the trio in Harry's quest?

She won't join in looking for the horcruxes (since Dumbledore told Harry to inform only Hermione and Ron) but she will be fighting with them during the final battle.

34. Will we see Fawkes again? Will he choose Harry as his new owner?

No, Fawkes was gone for good when Dumbledore died.

35. Will someone kill Fenrir Greyback? Who?

Yes, someone will kill Fenrir Greyback and it's going to be Lupin and/or Bill Weasley.

36. What is the purpose of the veil?

It might be a passage for the dead, or maybe some sort of a limbo for dead witches and wizards.

37. Will we see Sirius again? How?

Yes, we will see Sirius again. In the Pensieve or in the two-way mirror or maybe through the veil where he fell down.

38. Who is the dragon on the special edition US cover art?

It might be Norbert.

39. What was Dumbledore's letter ("Remember my last") to Petunia referring to?

I think it was referring to Dumbledore's last request to the Dursley's – to take Harry into their homes until he comes of age.

40. What other magical creatures will play a larger role in DH? (Goblins, Centaurs, Giant Squid, etc.) Will they be on the good side or the bad side?

The house-elves esp. Dobby and Kreacher, Grawp, Buckbeak,


41. Anything else you want to add?

- Harry would become an internationally famous Quidditch player

- Neville would become a Herbology teacher in Hogwarts

Labels: Books, harry potter, predictions

Orig. written: Sunday, November 12, 2006

I took the liberty of putting versions of this type of topic because, knowing myself, I'm sure this is not going to be the last "smart-ass thinking" I'd have. LOL!

Ok, today's topic is Talking about the dead!

I don't know if you're also like this but some people, each time they say the name of their deceased family/relative and loved ones, they would always add "may he/she rest in peace" after each mention.

For example, like our friend/flatmate who recently lost her mother, each time we talk and she would mention her mother, her line is always like this:

"When I was small my mother -may she rest in peace- would not let me play coz I was accident-prone when I was small."

"When I went home last July, my mother - may she rest in peace - asked me to buy shrimps and crabs."

I think you know what I mean now. Each time she mentions her deceased relatives - the line "may he rest in peace" was not forgotten.

While I was reading a Stephanie Plum book by Janet Evanovich a while back, they talked about the dead and they also did it - along with the sign of the cross (they're Italians so they're Catholics).

Anyway, this made me think: shouldn't they also do that when they mention those famous history figures who're also long dead now? Like also Einstein and other great scientist? Like the saints?

Just imagine this in Science class: Einstein - may he rest in peace - has discovered gravity. In history class - Princess Diana - may she rest in peace - was the mother of Prince William.

Get what I mean? LOOOL!

Uhm, was this a Catholic thing? Or was this a universal belief that we do not give the dead rest if we continue to talk about them?

Labels: dead talk, smart ass, thoughts

A few months back, Science world has surprised us with the news that Pluto is not considered a planet anymore because it does not orbit around the sun anymore, among other reasons that evades me at the moment. LOL!

The thought of how it will affect Astrology didn't enter my mind until a few weeks ago, when I read my horoscope (which changes daily in my Google Home Page) that says something about my blah blah blah is influenced by planet Pluto. And the gears in my mind cranked then and I said to myself "Oh yeah, how can that be, Pluto is not a planet anymore!"

LOOOOL! Well, do you think the fates of mankind will change now because Pluto is not a planet anymore and in effect, has changed the stars and planets formation or whatever factors involving Astrology?

Labels: astrology, musings, pluto

The Plum attack!
I've been attacked by a Plum - Stephanie Plum that is. She has carried me away in her world and got me dodging bullets, hunting for psycho FTAs, teaming up with Lula and do B&E, being visited by strange and different people in the apartment, dealing with Grandma Mazur and the whole eccentric family, eating meals from mother's just to get a decent car and most of all get all flushed and tingly with Morelli. *Uhm, sorry but 'Babe' doesn't have any affect, appeal or reaction from me*

LOOL! I really had lots of belly-laughs reading these books. They're a riot.

Actually, the discussion in the other board got me all curious about the Ranger Hoopla since some of the ladies has become enamored by Ranger. But sorry for me, he still didn't get my fancy. :D

Corinne has warned me and hope I won't be swayed after I read book 8. But the ever-loyal me doubt I would be swayed. LOL In fact, I got so impatient I read the last page in Book 8 last night before starting it just to assure myself that Stephanie didn't ditch Morelli yet. Heck, the guy loves her and she loves him back. They just cannot settle their differences for now. LOL

I'll hold my judgment on the difference between Morelli and Ranger for now until I finish book 11.

I've just checked JE's website and book 12 entitled '12 Sharp' has been out too.
Posted by Sharon at 10/14/2006 12:45:00 PM 2 comments

Labels: Books, janet evanovich, joe morelli, ranger, stephanie plum

Orig. written: July 9, 2006

I have finished this book since two weeks ago i think and I haven't written my thoughts on this book, so here it is!

Well, it was a very good read. It's a Medieval romance and with little fantasy on it.

The heroine was named Margaret (Meg) and she's a Glendruid. The hero was named Dominic (not Sandini LOL) Le Sabre a Norman powerful stranger who agreed to marry Meg for the sake of peace.

The characters are consistent, the story is romantic and great, and it was gripping. :D I was never bored in the least, nor found something that irked me. So I recommened you also give this book a try, dear readers.

Of course, Elizabeth Lowell writes beautifully. She's good with descriptions, analogy and metaphors but sometimes, it gets too flowery. But beyond that, her books are great.
Posted by Sharon at 7/09/2006 04:15:00 PM 1 comments

Labels: Books

Saturday, July 08, 2006

Some people might think I don't practice what I preach about forgiveness. I have told a lot of people in the past that once they have asked forgiveness, they have already done their duty. They have acknowledged their mistakes and have humbled themselves, therefore they are cleared in a way from the offense that they've done.

And I have said in the past that if the offended refused to accept the offender's apology and forgive him, then it's the problem of the offended party. However, one thing I always forget to say is that, the one who was wronged might still not be ready to forgive, his heart might still be closed thus he still cannot find it hard to forgive. And in this case, he needs prayers, he needs to pray to have his heart opened up and cleansed for reconciliation so that all the aches and pains inside might be lifted up and erased, so that he can forgive and forget. And only then can he sincerely forgive, can wholeheartedly accept apology and interact with those who have offended him, and forget the whole incident and move on.

I was out praying to God to open my heart and make me forgive. I don't usually hold grudges and I don't know why this time it too me several days to get over my hurt. My heart still felt like it's being pinched. Must be because of all the accumulated disappointments and hurts I've got from the boards.

Labels: apology, forgiveness, life lessons

Orig. written: Tuesday, July 04, 2006

I have heard of Hannah Howell in one of the blogs I've been too. And in the said blog, the bloggers was praising Hannah Howell for her writing talent too especially when it comes to historical novels. She got a Highlander series that was popular, I assume but I thought I'd read her earlier works first, thus I picked (or rather, searched and downloaded an e-book of) Taste of Fire since this book was her first published novel under a different pseudonym.

Well, it was an okay read for me. It was a Western romance love story of Antonie (the heroine) and Royal (the hero). **What cheesy names for a hero and heroine! *grin***

At first, there were some tiny details that somehow made me doubtful about the story of the book but the story itself redeemed those tiny, disturbing (for me) details.

The prologue itself has already made me frown. Coz Antonie was just nine years old and she heard gunshots while she was picking up flowers in the fields. When she ran towards her home, she saw her parents sprawled on the ground and dead, courtesy of the bandidos way back then. I was expecting her to get hysterical but no, she didn't. She just went inside to get a shovel and when asked by some of the people what she'll do, she replied she'll dig a grave for her parents. I mean, come on! Can a nine-year-old girl do that in reality?

Then Antonie was raised by a bandido (to know the why, go read the book) and she met Royal when she was only 13 years old. At that age, she was the one who asked Royal to kiss her. ANDDDDD her foster father has even encouraged Royal to do it!

Ok, ok she was trying to paint Antonie as unconventional - not like any ladies, but don't you think that's too much?

Hhhhmmmm....so far those are the only tiny-details-that-seemed-impossible for me.

It was a good read. I recommend you give Hannah Howell a try. It was her only western novel I think and the rest are mostly historicals set in the Highlands. :D
Posted by Sharon at 7/04/2006 05:36:00 PM 4 comments

Labels: Books, hannah howell, taste f fire

Orig. written: Saturday, July 01, 2006

Last Thursday night, we attended a friend's birthday party which was supposedly a swimming party. But when we arrived, there was karaoke going on and the birthday girl, Judith was belting to a song wholeheartedly.

They have been trying to foist the mike off to me(and Sharie too) but I have never accepted it. Call me KJ if you want but i know my limitations.

I love music but I have known since I was nine years old that music doesn't even like me. When we were in grade school, we have literary musical contest every year and it's a chance to get high points for extra-curricular activities. In third grade, aside from joining the Modern Dance of our class, our teacher picked me to be our class contestant to be the representative in the Vocal Solo contest.

So I went home and told our mother about it and I remembered practicing over the weekend. Then our mother accompanied us to school on Monday the following week and talked to our teacher. Because she said she'll tell our teacher that I have a cold and cough thus I can't sing well so bye-bye Vocal Solo contest.

I was there when she was talking to our teacher and she was trying to whisper the reason why I can't be our class contestant and I heard her say NOT of me having a cold but of me being NOT able to carry a tune. LOOOL!! She was trying hard to make her voice low but I still heard her clearly.

Now, did I think my mother was responsible for my lack of self-confidence when it comes to singing? No, I didn't. In fact, I should be thankful to her for drawing the line for me and for making me aware NOT to disgrace myself ever. That is why, the reason I would NOT ever sing in a karaoke bar is fear of disgracing myself, not shyness, not killjoy-ness (if ever there is such a word), etc.

Oh, I love to sing alright, but it's only for myself and for my family's ears. And I like to think that I sing better without a microphone coz when I sing with a mic, my voice is so high-pitched, so squeaky and so out of tune. LOOL!

Ask me to dance, I'll try to do it. But don't ever ask me to sing on a mic coz you won't ever sway me. I may negotiate with NOT using a mic though. LOOOOL!!!







PS: KJ is Killjoy for those who do not know.
Posted by Sharon at 7/01/2006 04:51:00 PM 9 comments

Labels: karaoke, music, singing, videoke

Orig. written: June 24, 2006


When I woke up at around 12 noon last Friday, I felt so tired and still sleepy coz I had a restless sleep. I kept waking up because of my continuous dream.

I dreamt that we were back home in the Philippines and it was a Sunday. So we went to mass and when we arrived at the church, Tita Nik, the secretary in our parish asked me to read the first reading and so I agreed. But then, when the time for the readings drew near, my cold attacked and can't speak clearly so i asked my aunt, Tita Belh to do the reading in behalf of me. She agreed.

I don't know what happened next but the one who ended up reading the First Reading was our other cousin Michelle. But she has a very soft and small voice that the priest cannot hear her. He asked her to repeat reading again and again but still he cannot hear her voice so I had no choice but to go to the front and do the reading myself.

Tita Nik pointed to me the page I should read and then I waited for the priest to finish speaking to the congregation. (He took the opportunity to said some things). Then he told me to start. But when I looked at the Lectionary, the page was not where Tita Nik has pointed to me earlier. So I scrambled again, looking for the right page but I cannot find it.

So Tita Nik came to me again to get the find the correct page while the priest took that opportunity to give some more of his rules and expectations. As I waited for him to finish speaking I read the heading of the first reading and it says "First Reading: A reading from Matthew chapter 4" (yeah, it was strange indeed since Matthew is a Gospel book and will never be a part of First Reading which should only be from the Old Testament books). I looked at the priest while he continued to talk and when he bid me to start reading, I looked at the Lectionary in front of me - but the page has changed again.

The next time I lost the page, Jigi, our second cousin came to me and gave me the missalette (the paper distributed to the people before mass where the day's readings and scripture were printed) to read. But when I read them, the letters didn't make sense coz they formed like this: Alx mmxe tne bryx - which was totally gibberish at all.

Each time I cannot find the correct page, I wake up but when I close my eyes my dream continued where it left off. So in the end, I woke up without reading the First Reading at all in my dream.

When I remembered about this dream some time later, I looked for our Bible in the room. We have two Bibles in our room, one is the New Testament only and the other one is the complete one both with Old and New Testament. The new testament is always there in our altar on top of our TV and the complete set is on the table beside me since I try to read a few lines before I sleep at night. But you know what? I cannot find and did not find even just one of the Bible yesterday when I looked for it to check what was in Matthew chapter 4.

Today, I remembered my dream again and looked up what was in Matthew chapter 4 in the internet. Well I found out it was about the temptation of Jesus.

So I was thinking what the message of my dream. I think if I will take it literally, I think I was also tempted by the devil to discontinue reading the scriptures and the Bible. Thus, the reason why I cannot always find the right page and the gibberish letters on the missalette. And maybe that also explains why I cannot find both Bibles in our room.

Or, I was reminded to resume my Bible readings at night. I have been neglecting it for several weeks now.

OW: Tuesday, June 20, 2006

The first time I have read this book a few years ago, I was so thrilled with the story and all. It seemed so romantic and gripping and great and thrilling and touching etc.

I have been hunting for this book for years then to add to my keeper books but unfortunately I cannot find it anywhere. So I was so overjoyed when I was able to download it a while ago. Since I have been in a historical mood lately, I decided to read it again.

And my eyes were opened so wide with this reread. The story is still great but I felt some of the dialogues were too cheesy. I felt goosebumps while reading some of those lines.

Some time ago, i have read an article somewhere in the web and the writer of the article (she might be an editor or a writer too, I forgot now) commented on how some author's work were poorly researched. She mentioned about laughing out loud when she read in the work of a famous author, that there were women at White's, when it was an exclusive gentlemen's club. I was then dying to know who that particular author she was referring too.

And now I know who that is! Yup, it's Connie Mason indeed. I was so shocked when Jack (the hero) came to White's Club (acck! so awkward and cheesy, right?) after getting the dukedom and he was greeted by Lord and Lady Somebody. At first, I really did not mind it a bit. Then Jack was finding the White's Club (again) boring so he decided to leave and that was when he met his lover. ..Lady Victoria, and yes, he's still at White's. LOOL! OMGoodness, this is the author that that lady in an article I read was talking about. LOOL!

Before that episode at White's Club (LOL! sorry can't resist), Moira (the heroine) was introduced to the visiting Prince of Russia in the story and how did she address the prince? She called her 'Prince'. I kid you not! Her line was something like 'You flatter me Prince!" And I did a double take with that line. That was the first error I saw and I just disregard it as typo error. LOOL!

At the first part of the book, Jack was merely an earl or a baron, can't remember now but later on in the story he inherited the dukedom by accident. After he was informed that he's the new duke, his butler addressed him as 'milord' and I was like ""hhhmmmmm".

And then towards the end of the story, they visited the powerful Earl of Pembroke and do you know how Moira addressed him? She called him 'your grace'! Goodness Gracious!!!! Jack the Duke was merely addressed as 'milord' but Pembroke the earl was elevated to dukedom by Moira. LOOOOL!!!

Sigh. I still can't believe it until now. I wasn't able to recognize them the first time i read this book. But it was because I did not fully understand the complexities of the royalties. I've only understood it fully when I read some books with actual lesson on how to address the nobility from the knight to the king. (Once & Always by Judith McNaught is one of those informative books ;D )

However, dear readers, don't give up on Connie Mason. She has great books and they're great stories but most of her books are Western and she got some hot heroes too. I am thinking she's just not into historical and she hasn't researched this book well. Or she hasn't read that much historicals, coz if she did, she doesn't even need to research about the forms of address. Or if she did researhed and read some books, then her sources were also erroneous.
Posted by Sharon at 6/20/2006 10:21:00 AM 3 comments

Labels: Books, connie mason, pure temptation

OW: June 20, 2006

I have finished these three books at last sometime last week. What can i say?

The books are good in their own right. The stories are okay but I don't think they would ever be included in my list of favorite books.

The first book, Out of the Mist, was the story of the youngest sister Lily who met her husband, Ian because of a brooch that is being stolen back and forth between the Stewart family and the MacDougall's(her husband's family).

The second book is Out of the Blue, the story of Lark the middle sister. She was a famous singer and she reunited with her childhood sweetheart again (who's in the FBI) because of her stalker.

The last book is Out of the Storm and this is the story of the eldest sister Laurel, who's an investigative reporter and found her hero( in a cliched romantic suspence hero in my opinion) - the cop.

Some of the reasons why this series would not make it to my Fave List are:

1) There are so many subplots and characters that just come out of the blue. I felt I haven't learned about all these characters much.

2) They were supposed to be a family but they were never there for each other. I guess the fault is on my part because I've been expecting it's similar to Nora Roberts' family series where each sister or brother is actively involved in each other's stories. I just didn't feel the strong bond with this sisters.

However, one good thing about these books is that there were a lot of random info that I have learned and re-learned. Like the doubt that maybe NASA just fabricated the image of the landing in the moon; i've also learned about how singers and song writers get their royalties; i've learned that investigative journalists should have at least three sources of their stories before they can publish it and much more.

It was a good read, not really annoying at all. The books are definitely a keeper for me but I don't think they'd merit a reread from me. I recommend you give it a try too!

Labels: Books, joann ross, stewart sisters trilogy

OW: Wednesday, May 31, 2006

The following lines are commonly used and had always been a source of amusement to me when I heard people say it or read it in messages of one friend to another or one sibling to another (refering to the first line only). Though they are true and are considered compliments, still they tickle my funny bone. Onlywhen I learned the word 'oxymoron' and its meaning did I fully realize the poetic attributes of these lines. :D

"We are close because we are open to each other." - Openess leads to closeness, isn't that awesome! :D LOL!

"He/She's cool coz he/she's so hot!" - a person can be cool and hot at the same time, can you imagine!

"They are a beautiful couple but their child is pretty ugly." Hhhmmm... I heard this phrase a lot but i have never encountered "She's pretty beautiful". :D

"The silence is defeaning!" Hah! I just used this line recently in JMF. LOL! Silence can be so loud.

So you see, being contradictory sometimes isn't really bad at all. :D

Labels: oxymoronic, reflections

OW: Tuesday, May 30, 2006

I have some pet peeves when it comes to reading. Inconsistency of the sentence structure; Improper dialogue like the setting is in 1800s but the characters are using the English slang that came about only in the 19th century - just to name a few.

While I was reading LOS, I came up with another reading woes: Dialogue in another language but with no English translation. It really, really irritates me when it happened because the author is inconsiderate of those who do not know that particular language. Does she just expects all her readers to know that language? That is plain irresponsible and inconsiderate on the author's part, in my opinion. I've also come across this when I was reading Roberta Gillis Masques of Gold and I haven't finished it in my irritation. There was also some Italian lines, words and dialogues in Lord of Scoundrels that were not translated into English and it made me frown so.

Another woe is vague opening scene/chapter. You know, the kind where, in the first chapter where the characters were talking about something or somebody that was not introduced to the reader yet. Sometimes, this can get on my nerves too coz it feels like listening to people talk about someone or something I do not know personally.

That's enough woes for now. :D

Labels: inconsistent dialogue, issues, reading

OW: Sunday, May 28, 2006

"Don't say 'I don't know. Instead say "I don't have any idea."

This is one of the most unforgettable line in one of my English class in high school. I can still clearly remember the instance our teacher said it.

It was in our senior year, in our World Literature class and Ms. Bandoquillo, our English teacher then, called on Joan to answer her question. Joan stood up, looked at the ceiling and everywhere for several seconds then replied "Sorry Miss but I don't know."

Then Miss Band (as we call her, LOL) said the line above. She explained further to us that saying "I don't know" or "We don't know" means that we do not know anything at all. Rather, if you do not have any opinion, or do not know the answer to a question, reply with "I don't have any idea" for it means you just didn't have any idea about a particular subject but you still know some things.

She really has a good point there and so, from then on, I try to reply with "I don't have any idea" when I come across questions that I really have no idea how to answer. :D

Labels: knowledge, life lessons

Orig. written: Saturday, May 27, 2006

I have finally finished this book yesterday. However, I was so disappointed with this book. I had high expectations of this novel because I have read in the All About Romance site that this was the number one readers choice in the year 2004.

For one, I think Kimmie wouldn't like this. *g* The hero was not handsome. He had a big nose! Ugh! He was called a lot of things Belzeebub is one of them. He was as swift as Clayton when it comes to jumping to conclusions but he was more irritating than Clayton since he was so very insecure. Yeah, he was a tortured hero too but I don't find him that "great". One thing to commend Clayton WEstmoreland was his confidence but this man was not.

The story was just ordinary. It's not as gripping as I had expected it to be. The proof is that it took me more than one week to finish it. In fact, all of JM books are still way above this book. Ok, I may be biased when it comes to JM so disregard that last sentence. A lot of Lisa Kleypas's books are more gripping and exciting and romantic than this one. Prince Charming by Gaelen Foley, which I just read recently was more interesting and thrilling.

Besides, her sentence structure sometimes has made me read the sentence several times first before i could truly grasp what she means. Didn't I say before that I dislike Old English format? But it's not consisitent Old English format, only a few sentences were rearranged. So it's even inconsistent - one of my pet peeves when it comes to reading. Or maybe, I am just slow in grasping the meaning of Old English format, so you can also blame me for being stupid. :D

The heroine was too uhmm...perfect to the point of irritation. Yeah, she's too perfect alright - she accepts the eccentricity, for lack of better or maybe correct term, of her grandmother and gave her a very uhm, unlady-like gift. Her brother is dim-witted and she's his defender. She knows how to deal with servants, with the 'tarts', with everything. Heck, she shot the hero pointblack and intentionally and her next actions following that incident made her seem like a foolish woman. She's Superwoman in short and I don't think it's realistic anymore.

I do not and will not ever encourage you NOT to read a book I don't like. In fact, I would like it if you will read the book and see if you also have the same reaction as me. :D

It was an OK read, due to some good outcome in the story but hero, heroine and plot-wise, it was not unique or engaging or gripping or exciting or interesting as the previous books I have read that never made it into the top 100 reads.

Labels: Books, lord of scoundrels, loretta chase

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

The title may sound complicated but I assure you, this topic is not.*grin*

Do you believe in signs? Or more importantly, do you ask for them? Because I do, especially when things didn't turn out the way I expect them to. Or when I feel so confused and don't know what to do. Or when I feel like my life is stagnant with no direction.

When I received the news that we were going to Kuwait soon after college graduation way back in 2000, I was so excited and very eager to experience the real world. However, it took months before I was hired for a job here and in those times of being in 'limbo', the boredom of life here in Kuwait had already taken it's toll on me. I used to wonder if I did the right thing, or maybe it would be better if I did not come here at all. But then the next day, my question was answered. I got an email (chain e-mail though it was) but in there, one line has struck me most and it says that "you are where God wants you to be". It has relieved me so much that I stopped questioning my decision and just lived on my life since, after all, I was meant to be here.

Three weeks or so ago, I felt so burnt out from life here in Kuwait. I felt that my life is really going nowhere, I don't like my job and the thought of continuing this for several more years was so frightening. But then I again found the answer to my worries - in one of the websites I've been to. Basically, it tells me to do the thing i have been wanting to do and find some purpose for the free time I have. And that's when i realize that indeed, I got lots of free time. The weekends, the time after I got off from work and before bedtime are free time that I can put to good use. And the thing I have been wanting to do is writing. So lately, I have devoted some of my night time to writing and I can say I had some progress. :D

My friend before also used signs to make decisions, like she's deciding whether to go to their class outing or not. Then she said if she will see someone wearing a World Youth Day t-shirt the next day, she will go. Well, the next day, one of her classmates was indeed wearing a WYD t-shirt so a decision was made for her. :D

Signs are good, in my opinion. It helps lessen some of my confusion, answers some of the questions I have been asking, and in fact, can also help with decision-making sometimes. If you don't believe or you haven't tried it, I encourage you to give it a try sometime. :D
Posted by Sharon at 5/24/2006 04:43:00 PM 8 comments

Labels: answers, life lessons, questions, quotes

Originally written: Sunday, May 21, 2006

I have read this article from the The Philippine Star website, one of the leading newspapers in the Philippines:

MANILA (AFP) - Roman Catholic leaders in the Philippines were split on Tuesday in their reaction to the movie version of "The Da Vinci Code," with one archbishop of the country's dominant religion calling for a film ban.

The movie, starring Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks, is set to be screened on May 18 in the Philippines, a bastion of Catholicism in Asia, amid a global controversy over its story line.

It is adapted from Dan Brown's best-selling book that says Jesus Christ married the biblical character Mary Magdalene and started a sacred blood line that still exists in secret.

The book has triggered intense debate among religious scholars and has been branded a blasphemy by some Catholics around the world.

In the Philippines one archbishop, Ramon Arguelles, said he would lead a crusade to ban the film because it is "sacrilegious against God."

Brown's book, released here last year, did not elicit similar controversy.

"In a predominantly Christian country like the Philippines, making publicly available such film is sinfully condoning blasphemy and undermining the very limits of the people's values and religious foundation," Arguelles said in a letter to Manila's movie and television screening body.

But Monsignor Pedro Quitorio, spokesman for the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, said banning the movie would likely only stir more interest.

"We neither oppose or endorse its showing. We don't want to ride to the commercialization and marketing hype because we know that this is all marketing strategy and the bottom line here is money -- it's not religion," Quitorio said.

The Catholic flock should just treat the movie as "really entertainment, nothing more, nothing less," he said, adding that he had read the book and found it "entertaining."

In 1988 the Philippine government banned "The Last Temptation of Christ" but it has since found its way to Catholic homes through digital video discs.

I agree wholeheartedly with Bishop Quitorio. The Catholic Church is helping promote the said movie with the noise they are making about this movie. I think if they just kept quiet, this wouldnt be as sensational or controversial as it ought to be.
Posted by Sharon at 5/21/2006 10:46:00 AM 0 commen

Labels: catholic church, controversy, da vinci code, dan brown, philippine star

Orig. written: Thursday, May 18, 2006

Sometimes, being the imperfect person that I am, I get annoyed at people who have no initiative, especially at work and most especially when those people are getting three times my salary merely because they have more work experience than me, and are older than me (and of course they like to play the boss's pet.)


But I don't want to deal on that frustrating, annoying and depressing thought. I just remembered one particular school moment that somehow instilled an initiative in me. I am not perfect but because of this experience, I often try to do the things expected of me, without being told.

One of the greatest teaching routine in our elementary school, I realize just now, was that every week, we got to learn twenty new English words in our Spelling subject. The "Word List" was usually given every Friday, along with the assignment of looking for the meaning of that twenty words and then translate those words in our dialect and then use those words in a sentence (in English of course, not dialect. LOOL) .

So for us back then, it was so tedious coz we have to look up the words in the dictionary, ask our parents what it means in our dialect and then struggled to use it in a sentence.

Then one Friday in our sixth grade (we've been doing it since first grade), our homeroom adviser (who's usually our teacher for Spelling, Reading and Phonics) just gave us the Word List but forgot to give us the assignment of finding the meaning, translating in dialect and using in the sentence.

I remembered I rejoiced a lot then coz it was hours of more free time in the weekend for me. When Monday came and our teacher prepared to go over the usual routine of asking for the meaning, exlplain the word further to us and have us spell the word three times and write the words three times in our spelling drill notebook, the majority of us squealed and complained, saying that she did not give us the assignment.

And she chuckled at our reaction. However, Janice Marie (to differentiate her from the Janice only) said that she did it though.

And what did our teacher do? She praised Janice Marie for her initiative, wrote the word "initiative" in the blackboard and explained the meaning of the word - doing things expected of us without being told. And Janice Marie got extra points (much to the disappointment of some of us, especially those in the honor rolls for up to the last decimal point matters then. LOL)

That had been a very enligtening and a very learning experience for me. I can still remember that day so clear until now. So from then on, I often try to bring out my initiative. :D :D

Labels: initiative, life lessons

Tuesday, May 09, 2006
The Da Vinci Code Controversy
Are you tired of my too serious topics? Well, brace yourself then for this is still a serious topic. LOL! :D

These days all I read in the Internet is about The Da Vinci Code movie and how the Vatican is proposing to boycott this film. Of course, the fact that my Google homepage has feeds of Catholic and Christian topics didn't help at all and in fact, had pushed the button for me and made me realize I cannot stay silent anymore regarding this topic.

Now, before some of you would go to the Vatican and have me petitioned for excommunication, let me assure you that I am a Catholic through and through. And nobody could ever sway me away from my religion now or ever, even with this current uproar. I am a practicing one and I know that I am not perfect but I often try to be good to my neighbors, since that is God's ultimate commandment. And I still firmly believe in God, Jesus, The Blessed Virgin Mary, The Holy Trinity, angels and demons, saints and The Holy Bible and try to follow the Church's teachings.

Now, back to the main topic, I believe the reason The Da Vinci Code became so famous in the first place is because, from the time it was published, there was already talk about how the book should be banned, should be forbidden, etc. Now, isn't it that we, humans, when told that something is forbidden, got curious all the more about that forbidden thing, and wonder what is it in there that makes it so controversial and really try to get ahold of that thing? I think this is what happened in TDVC. I, myself, wouldn't have picked this book up if not for the protests it received particularly from the Vatican. I got curious too so I picked it up. I tend to stay away from heavy-thinking books like this and prefer to indulge in romance novels and escape from the harsh reality of life even for just a few hours. But I also want to know what's the furor about this book.

Now, since I have read the book, I think the main reason of all this controversy is because the books tells about how the Church has withhold some information from the people. For the sake of those who haven't read the book yet, I will not enumerate them, but they were indeed shocking things - like Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene.

Before I read the book, I have read the comments of some people about it and some said that their faith was shaken and they're doubtful now. Some even said that they will convert to other religion because of the revelations in the book.

But, isn't The Da Vinci Code just a work of fiction? Yes, Dan Brown has cited in the beginning of the book that The Priory of Scion, Opus Dei and all the artifacts, architectures, documents and secret rituals are accurate. BBUUUTTTT, it doesnt necessarily mean that all of those events that was said in the book are true. I think it's the reader's level of faith that makes this book either bad or entertaining for him. I think Jesus would only say to those who wavered "O you of little faith!"

Suppose it was indeed proven that all of those things Dan Brown has written in The Da Vinci Code is indeed true and has indeed happened. Does that mean then that you would stop believing in Jesus merely because he was married? OR you would stay away from the Catholic Church and Christianity because the leaders of the Church centuries ago has withheld or hidden some of these information? So how is your faith in God and Jesus then, if these little things could easily turn you away from him? I think those people responsible for keeping all of these things secret (if TDVC is proven to be true) before will be paying or are still paying or have already paid for what they did.

I admit I have some questions after I read TDVC. Every Holy Week, the Passion of Christ is remembered, and we all know that Mary Magdalene was there at the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ. I often wonder about her since she was only briefly mentioned as the woman who was possessed by a demon and Jesus cast that demon away from her. And also, the missing gospels might also be the reason why there are some unanswered or vague passages in the Bible.

If indeed it is true that Jesus had lived the normal life of a man here on earth, by marrying Mary Magdalene for example and had a family, then I think, instead of losing faith in him, we should try to emulate him all the more. We could follow him and do all the things we do for God's glory, follow His Father's teachings and show that even though we are just human, we are also capable of holiness too, just like what Jesus did on his time here on earth. If all those information in TDVC are true, then there is still a lesson to be learned. It's a lesson of Hope. Hope for all humans - that we may also live our life the way Jesus did, by having a family but at the same time fulfill God's wishes of us.

I also have something to say to those who have stayed away from Catholic Church because of the abuses and cruelty of the Church leaders, or even those people who serve in the Church. I think that they would never be a valid excuse to completely lose faith in God, or stay away from the Church. When judgment day comes, God will be dealing with them, for failing in their obligation as Church workers and as a Christian. And since, as a Catholic, I have an obligation to hear mass every Sunday, then I will go on hearing mass, even if I don't like anybody in my parish - all for God and nothing and no one else. It's my obligation and I should do it. I don't want to stutter and hang my head in shame on judgment day when God will ask me if I have been doing my Christian obligations. In fact, I think those difficult people in the parish and the "imperfect" priests are also instruments of God - to test the endurance of His people's faith in Him.

Back to TDVC, when I finished reading the book, I applauded and admired Dan Brown's creativity and his clever plots and twists. I was greatly entertained. But did it affect my faith a bit? No, it didn't. Because I don't think all of those things Dan Brown said in TDVC are true. I believe in the teachings of my Church and I won't ever believe heresies over those sacred teachings.

If the Catholic Church have done their responsibilities well, then they should never worry that these things could affect the faithfuls. They should stand firm and be confident and have nothing to fear if they have instilled deep faith to their flocks.

Now, I am more grateful than ever to the Salesian sisters in my school before for instilling deep faith in me thru their teachings.


Remember:
“Happy the man…who delights in the law of the Lord….
He is like a tree planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade” (Psalm 1, 1-3).

“Thus says the Lord:
Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings,
who seeks his strength in flesh,
whose heart turns away from the Lord.
He is like a barren bush in the desert
that enjoys no change of season,
But stands in a lava waste,
A salt and empty earth.
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose hope is in the Lord.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters
that stretched out its roots to the stream:
It fears not the heat when it comes,
its leaves stay green;
In the year of drought it shows no distress,
but still bears fruit” (Jeremiah 17:5-8).



So in the end, it's all because of our faith. I like to think that these controversies about Christianity happens for a reason - and the reason is to test how faithful we are to the Lord.

*SIGH* Are you still there? Hello? Did I bore you? Sorry, but I can be passionate and fierce when it comes to faith sometimes.

Did you all know I almost entered the convent ten years ago? :D :D
Posted by Sharon at 5/09/2006 10:27:00 AM 5 comments

Labels: Books, the da vinci code

Tuesday, May 09, 2006
The Da Vinci Code Controversy
Are you tired of my too serious topics? Well, brace yourself then for this is still a serious topic. LOL! :D

These days all I read in the Internet is about The Da Vinci Code movie and how the Vatican is proposing to boycott this film. Of course, the fact that my Google homepage has feeds of Catholic and Christian topics didn't help at all and in fact, had pushed the button for me and made me realize I cannot stay silent anymore regarding this topic.

Now, before some of you would go to the Vatican and have me petitioned for excommunication, let me assure you that I am a Catholic through and through. And nobody could ever sway me away from my religion now or ever, even with this current uproar. I am a practicing one and I know that I am not perfect but I often try to be good to my neighbors, since that is God's ultimate commandment. And I still firmly believe in God, Jesus, The Blessed Virgin Mary, The Holy Trinity, angels and demons, saints and The Holy Bible and try to follow the Church's teachings.

Now, back to the main topic, I believe the reason The Da Vinci Code became so famous in the first place is because, from the time it was published, there was already talk about how the book should be banned, should be forbidden, etc. Now, isn't it that we, humans, when told that something is forbidden, got curious all the more about that forbidden thing, and wonder what is it in there that makes it so controversial and really try to get ahold of that thing? I think this is what happened in TDVC. I, myself, wouldn't have picked this book up if not for the protests it received particularly from the Vatican. I got curious too so I picked it up. I tend to stay away from heavy-thinking books like this and prefer to indulge in romance novels and escape from the harsh reality of life even for just a few hours. But I also want to know what's the furor about this book.

Now, since I have read the book, I think the main reason of all this controversy is because the books tells about how the Church has withhold some information from the people. For the sake of those who haven't read the book yet, I will not enumerate them, but they were indeed shocking things - like Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene.

Before I read the book, I have read the comments of some people about it and some said that their faith was shaken and they're doubtful now. Some even said that they will convert to other religion because of the revelations in the book.

But, isn't The Da Vinci Code just a work of fiction? Yes, Dan Brown has cited in the beginning of the book that The Priory of Scion, Opus Dei and all the artifacts, architectures, documents and secret rituals are accurate. BBUUUTTTT, it doesnt necessarily mean that all of those events that was said in the book are true. I think it's the reader's level of faith that makes this book either bad or entertaining for him. I think Jesus would only say to those who wavered "O you of little faith!"

Suppose it was indeed proven that all of those things Dan Brown has written in The Da Vinci Code is indeed true and has indeed happened. Does that mean then that you would stop believing in Jesus merely because he was married? OR you would stay away from the Catholic Church and Christianity because the leaders of the Church centuries ago has withheld or hidden some of these information? So how is your faith in God and Jesus then, if these little things could easily turn you away from him? I think those people responsible for keeping all of these things secret (if TDVC is proven to be true) before will be paying or are still paying or have already paid for what they did.

I admit I have some questions after I read TDVC. Every Holy Week, the Passion of Christ is remembered, and we all know that Mary Magdalene was there at the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ. I often wonder about her since she was only briefly mentioned as the woman who was possessed by a demon and Jesus cast that demon away from her. And also, the missing gospels might also be the reason why there are some unanswered or vague passages in the Bible.

If indeed it is true that Jesus had lived the normal life of a man here on earth, by marrying Mary Magdalene for example and had a family, then I think, instead of losing faith in him, we should try to emulate him all the more. We could follow him and do all the things we do for God's glory, follow His Father's teachings and show that even though we are just human, we are also capable of holiness too, just like what Jesus did on his time here on earth. If all those information in TDVC are true, then there is still a lesson to be learned. It's a lesson of Hope. Hope for all humans - that we may also live our life the way Jesus did, by having a family but at the same time fulfill God's wishes of us.

I also have something to say to those who have stayed away from Catholic Church because of the abuses and cruelty of the Church leaders, or even those people who serve in the Church. I think that they would never be a valid excuse to completely lose faith in God, or stay away from the Church. When judgment day comes, God will be dealing with them, for failing in their obligation as Church workers and as a Christian. And since, as a Catholic, I have an obligation to hear mass every Sunday, then I will go on hearing mass, even if I don't like anybody in my parish - all for God and nothing and no one else. It's my obligation and I should do it. I don't want to stutter and hang my head in shame on judgment day when God will ask me if I have been doing my Christian obligations. In fact, I think those difficult people in the parish and the "imperfect" priests are also instruments of God - to test the endurance of His people's faith in Him.

Back to TDVC, when I finished reading the book, I applauded and admired Dan Brown's creativity and his clever plots and twists. I was greatly entertained. But did it affect my faith a bit? No, it didn't. Because I don't think all of those things Dan Brown said in TDVC are true. I believe in the teachings of my Church and I won't ever believe heresies over those sacred teachings.

If the Catholic Church have done their responsibilities well, then they should never worry that these things could affect the faithfuls. They should stand firm and be confident and have nothing to fear if they have instilled deep faith to their flocks.

Now, I am more grateful than ever to the Salesian sisters in my school before for instilling deep faith in me thru their teachings.


Remember:
“Happy the man…who delights in the law of the Lord….
He is like a tree planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade” (Psalm 1, 1-3).

“Thus says the Lord:
Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings,
who seeks his strength in flesh,
whose heart turns away from the Lord.
He is like a barren bush in the desert
that enjoys no change of season,
But stands in a lava waste,
A salt and empty earth.
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose hope is in the Lord.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters
that stretched out its roots to the stream:
It fears not the heat when it comes,
its leaves stay green;
In the year of drought it shows no distress,
but still bears fruit” (Jeremiah 17:5-8).



So in the end, it's all because of our faith. I like to think that these controversies about Christianity happens for a reason - and the reason is to test how faithful we are to the Lord.

*SIGH* Are you still there? Hello? Did I bore you? Sorry, but I can be passionate and fierce when it comes to faith sometimes.

Did you all know I almost entered the convent ten years ago? :D :D
Posted by Sharon at 5/09/2006 10:27:00 AM 5 comments

Labels: Books, the da vinci cod

Orig. written: Tuesday, May 02, 2006

I have finished this book a few days ago and it's only now that I will talk about it, so don't be surprised if I have only a little thing to say about this now. All those thoughts that I've been thinking about have already vanished from my mind.

Well, it was a good read. This is a vampire story but it's refreshing in a way because they are not the cliche vampires but rather, there are some twist in their lifestyle.

Uhm, there were a lot of hot, steamy, sex scenes that I skipped just to get on with the story. However, I won't think that they are my "dreamboat" material *giggle* because I am envisioning them as large, giant men with big muscles and unfortunately, I am not in the least fond of those big, muscular men.

One thing I don't like about this book though is how she refers to the antagonist as "Mr X". I mean, she should just have referred to him as "The sensei" or any other vague reference to the said men. It is kinda corny in my opinion, but then, who am I to really take exception to her decision of doing that. I have never been a published author for Gosh's sake (but I am just a very accomplished and sometimes discriminating reader hehe).

It was a very good read though, the characters are great, there are some touching scenes and I love stories about family.

Labels: black dagger brotherhood, Books, dark lover, jr ward

Orig. written: May 2, 2006

I was thinking that maybe my opinion of the books I read depend on the way I look at the characters. There are books that have annoying characters, while there are those with great characters.

When I read a book and just look at the characters from afar, I think that is when I can find a lot of fault with their dialogues, their actions and their circumstances. And that made me criticize everything thus made the book not good in my opinion.

On the other hand, when I put myself, for example in the heroine's shoes while reading the book, or pretend that I was her, then maybe that makes a book great in my opinion. Coz if it were me, I will think that i am incapable of saying or doing anything foolish.

However, would it be possible that these instances really depend on how the author writes? Like, her writing style make me look at her story from afar and critic it, or her talent and creativeness enables me to assume the characters personality in the book and experience her life in the book and will bring me to a thrilling adventure?

Hhhhmmm....or maybe one's current mood when reading the book affects the way of looking at these characters?

Labels: book characters, Books

Originally written: April 25, 2006

For those who have been keeping watch of my blog and noticed how it seemed I finished Gone With The Nerd that fast and was impressed, don't be. LOOL!

I have been reading this for the longest time - I started reading this before The Devil's Love and Wicked Angel. I set it aside coz I need to finish the two books for discussion. Then I set it aside when we bought Devil in Winter and had to read the Secrets of a Summer Night and It happened One Autumn first.

However, I was reading it in between some of these books - especially when I am reading an ebook and don't want to bring my laptop out. :D

It was an OK read for me - with lots of funny scenes, though there are some that are a little foolish in my estimation. I have not that many things to say since I have been distracted all throughout this book - no thanks to myself. LOL!

The heroine, Zoe Tarleton was a famous Hollywood star and the hero, Flynn Granger was her contract attorney, who was a nerd. (Aside, I swear I have read a lot of characters whose Family name was granger for this year alone. It started with Harry Potter, of course, in SEP's Match Me If You Can the heroine was Annabelle Granger, I think there was someone in Lisa Kleypas with this family name too and now this!).

Hhhmmm....some events are kinda corny for me but not as frustrating or irritating as "Her Master and Commander".

Labels: Books, gone with the nerd, vicki lewis thompson

Originally written: Tuesday, April 18, 2006

For those who do not know, I (and Sharie of course) love horror movies. It doesn't matter if I spent a lot of time covering my eyes (when it's gory) and my ears (when it has spooky sound effects).

I still am trying to think what influenced my love of this type of movie. It might be because, even though we seldom watched movies at home, the one time that we watch one, it's was a horror film.

I can remember being spooked by Exorcist, the Omen, Hellraiser. I can even remember watching a movie where the people were eating ice cream and then they turned into a monster afterwards. One child knew about it and his parents are urging him to eat (the people got addicted) but he swapped it with a shaving cream. I forgot the title now.

I can also remember watching a scene where three couples were trapped in an elevator. And they would be there for several hours so what did they to next? They started kissing and necking and the ladies removed their blouses. And then my aunt covered my eyes so I don't know what happened anymore! LOL!

I also remember one movie scene wherein, when a lady was about to enter the church, a piece of an angel's wing carved on top of the church fell down in front of her. But still, they went inside the church. Afterwards, there was an earthquake I think or maybe the church crumbled.

These are just scenes that I can remember but I cannot remember the movie title, or what happened or what's the story. :D

There are several types of horror movies. The gory/slasher movies like Scream, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween; the one about aliens, werewolves, experiments gone bad like Species and The Fly; the vampires; the ghosts and the supernaturals. Of all of these types, I like the one about vampires - like Bram Stoker's Dracula and those ghost stories like Exorcist, The Others, and other clean, spooky horror movies.

I like these old, scary, spooky novels because it gives the readers some lesson of hope and faith. These evil spirits were afraid of the crucifix, of the Bible, and your faith of course. It tells us that whenever we are afraid, we only have to say a prayer and that fear would disappear. It tells us that these creatures were just fallen angels and supernatural beings and have dark power but with the light of faith and with God's words all of them will be vanquished.

It's so sad that these elements were not presented in the horror movies of today. Today's horror flicks were gory and full of curses (the f and the s words) and that the vampires and whatever creature that haunts the people can only be killed by bullets and guns. Where are the movies that needs holy water and prayer and Scriptures and crucifix and faith to remove the evils spirits in this world? No wonder people resort to violence nowadays to resolve conflict or deal with their fear too - because that is what the media has been showing the people lately. Heck, in the movie "The Faculty" they even had to do "drugs" so as not to be attacked or taken over by the alien. I was so dismayed when I watched this movie. It was not a very good lesson to teach. Drugs, of all things!!!!!!

I guess if there is one great thing my love of horror movies brought me, it strengthened my faith in God, and that He will always prevail over all evil in this world.

Gosh, I had gotten so serious, though it was not my intention. I got carried away. Must be because of those horror movies I watched last week, and the spooky scenes in One Night of Scandal I've read last night and the Easter season has triggered all of these thoughts. :D
Posted by Sharon at 4/18/2006 12:01:00 PM 6 comments

Labels: faith, horror stories

A Kiss To Remember and One Night of Scandal by Teresa Medeiros
Well, I have been busy reading these past days, which I'm sure is nothing new. LOL! And the two books that occupied my time were Teresa Medeiros's A Kiss to Remember and One Night of Scandal.

Actually, I have started reading ONOS first, but when I came across the line that said Sterling was known as the Devil of Devonbrooke before, I thought he has his own story too - and I am right! :D So I temporarily stopped reading ONOS (I'm already in the third chapter I think) and started on AKTR.

A KISS TO REMEMBER
---------------------------

***POSSIBLE SPOILERS***

Since this book has gripped my attention since from the start, then it was a very good read. *g* The story was not dragging and the characters are okay I guess. There were some little things that I found myself scrunching my forehead.

One of that is, Sterling had a temporary amnesia, so when Laura found him, she made up stories about him and their courtship to save her and her siblings from being roofless. After their wedding, Sterling's memory returned. What I don't understand is why Diana and Thane (Sterling's sister and best friend respectively) got angry at Laura and even wanted her to be charged with kidnapping. Why didn't she defend herself, since she really doesnt know the man in the first place?

And another thing is Lottie's attempt to kill Sterling was somehow impossible but *shrug* these things didn't really affected me that much. I had finished these books in three days only and that speaks a lot. LOL!

ONE NIGHT OF SCANDAL *Possible Spoilers*
---------------------------------------------------------

This is the story of Lottie (Laura's youngest sibling). Between this two books, this is the one I like better. :D

It was funny, heartwrenching, touching, thrilling and......................spooky. Yep, it's indeed spooky, especially in two scenes.

I love how the pacing of the book. It is so realistic and the development of the story was great too. And since Lottie was married to Hayden St. Claire in Haste because of the scandal, their love at the end was thoroughly justified and very well-developed.

I love how TM, the author has characterized her hero and heroine in this book - how Lottie sometimes (or always?) tend to be melodramatic since she has a passion for Gothic novels, her "Dim" bestfriend Harriet, and the mysterious Hayden.

And since it's been a long time since I've read a spooky novel, I decided to read those vampires stories and I chose DARK LOVER by JR WARD.

Labels: a kiss to remember, Books, one night of scandal, teresa medeiros

Originally written: April 14, 2006

I have, finally, finished this book. If you might have noticed I have been struggling to finish it, thus it stayed several days as my "Currently Reading" feature.

It started out so very promising and funny but in the end, I succumb to skimming only to know what happened.

It bored me, it annoyed me, at times, it made me want to hurl it across the room. However, in fairmess, there are times that I laughed out loud with some of the funny lines in the book.

For one, these characters are so trusting, so out of character since the information they divulged where the infos that hurt them most. Based on my previous reading experience, these infos would have been the greatest cause of conflict. But not in this book! The brothers has confided too quickly to their father's butler when they've only seen him that first time. The heroine confided too quickly to the hero. It was just not normal I think, for these people to trust the others that fast since they barely know each other.

"Do your worst". Please refrain from saying or making me read that words at the moment. I had enough of that words in the book. The hero has uttered those words to the heroine for a gazillion of times. And the annoying part is, the heroine should be tutoring the man on how to polish his manners since he's inheriting an earldom, but all they did was talk.

Yes, it bored me because it was like watching a movie where the characters spent a lot of time only talking and chattering without too much actions on their part. The characters were inconsistent.

My advise is to read the book and see if we are having the same opinions. :D

Labels: Books, her master and commander, karen hawkins

Originally written: April 7, 2008

It Happened One Autumn and Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas
These two are the reasons why I havent updated my blog these past days, as well as my scare presence in JMF. Like I said countless of times already, I am a very voracious reader. I will choose it over any other activity anytime (except watching Grey's Anatomy :D).

So, this time you will be hearing or rather, you will be reading my thoughts on these books.

IT HAPPENED ONE AUTUMN
-----------------------------------

This is the story of Lillian Bowman and Marcus Marsden, Lord Westcliff. Lillian was an American heiress who came to London to find an impoverish nobleman to marry.

It was a hate at first sight for these two for they have been bickering from the start. But then, afterwards, I can say that this book is the comedy of the series.

I have lost count of the times that I have literally laughed out lout. Like in one of the dinner where one of the courses was the calf's head and Lillian almost vomitted; Westcliff's excuse of showing her the rare butterflies; St. Vincent's arrival and saying that he also wanted to see the butterflies, LOOL!! And of course, Lillian's meeting with Westcliff's mother - and they argued about the footman being a servant and being a human being. LOOL!! I also love how Simon Hunt has returned Westcliff's words back to him.

And the best, most funniest scene is in the library, where Lillian found a pear inside a brandy and drank the whole bottle. LOOL! And how she attempted to remove the pear and eat it.

I think Lillian and Westcliff are really suited to each other. I just love their story.

The Devil In Winter
------------------------

This is the story of the Evangeline Jenner, the shyiest and stammering wallflower and Sebastian St. Vincent, Westcliff's friend-turned-enemy in IHOA when he tried to abduct Lillian and bring her to Gretna Greene to marry her because of his desperation.

I love his charm and suavity in IHOA. However, I was surprised of his action in the latter part of IHOA, when he agreed to the countess'(Westcliff's mother) proposal. Ok, he was desperate but he should know how Westcliff felt about his mother, and he should have known that Westcliff was very serious about Lillian.

But anyway, I think that is what LK wanted to show - how St. Vincent greatly changed when he met or rather when Evie came to him to propose marriage.

Of all the Wallflowers stories so far, I think this one is the most dramatic one. (SOASN is the romantic suspense IMO :D) Not because of death (I'm not giving spoilers here hehe) but because of what both Evie and Sebastian has gone through while growing up.

They needed each other so much and only they can understand each other. I think so far, this is my most favorite of this series because of it's depth I think. Unlike SOASN, which, I think was everyone's story, TDIW was purely Evie's and Sebatian's alone. So I felt that I knew them well compared to the previous two couples.

And most of all, I love how these two people has greatly changed. Evie has become stronger and confident so her stammer disappeared. I love seeing the deeper, serious side of Sebastian, so very different from the carefree Sebastian in IHOA. He is also capable of big responsibility at all. And of course, how he changed because of Evie. He was not a rake and a 'skirt chaser' anymore but has only eyes and Love for Evie. SIGH.

And also, I love how he asked forgiveness (when he said he does not apologize to anyone) from Westcliff for what he has done. LOL! Hhhmmm... I think I really, really love this book. This is my most favorite now. :D

Lisa Kleypas has indeed climbed on my favorite author list. She has also created great and real characters, funny and witty and smart too. Though her characters are not the "greater-than-life" kind that I adore like that of JM, they are still unforgettable.
Posted by Sharon at 4/07/2006 06:52:00 PM 1 comments


It Happened One Autumn and Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas
These two are the reasons why I havent updated my blog these past days, as well as my scare presence in JMF. Like I said countless of times already, I am a very voracious reader. I will choose it over any other activity anytime (except watching Grey's Anatomy :D).

So, this time you will be hearing or rather, you will be reading my thoughts on these books.

IT HAPPENED ONE AUTUMN
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This is the story of Lillian Bowman and Marcus Marsden, Lord Westcliff. Lillian was an American heiress who came to London to find an impoverish nobleman to marry.

It was a hate at first sight for these two for they have been bickering from the start. But then, afterwards, I can say that this book is the comedy of the series.

I have lost count of the times that I have literally laughed out lout. Like in one of the dinner where one of the courses was the calf's head and Lillian almost vomitted; Westcliff's excuse of showing her the rare butterflies; St. Vincent's arrival and saying that he also wanted to see the butterflies, LOOL!! And of course, Lillian's meeting with Westcliff's mother - and they argued about the footman being a servant and being a human being. LOOL!! I also love how Simon Hunt has returned Westcliff's words back to him.

And the best, most funniest scene is in the library, where Lillian found a pear inside a brandy and drank the whole bottle. LOOL! And how she attempted to remove the pear and eat it.

I think Lillian and Westcliff are really suited to each other. I just love their story.

The Devil In Winter
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This is the story of the Evangeline Jenner, the shyiest and stammering wallflower and Sebastian St. Vincent, Westcliff's friend-turned-enemy in IHOA when he tried to abduct Lillian and bring her to Gretna Greene to marry her because of his desperation.

I love his charm and suavity in IHOA. However, I was surprised of his action in the latter part of IHOA, when he agreed to the countess'(Westcliff's mother) proposal. Ok, he was desperate but he should know how Westcliff felt about his mother, and he should have known that Westcliff was very serious about Lillian.

But anyway, I think that is what LK wanted to show - how St. Vincent greatly changed when he met or rather when Evie came to him to propose marriage.

Of all the Wallflowers stories so far, I think this one is the most dramatic one. (SOASN is the romantic suspense IMO :D) Not because of death (I'm not giving spoilers here hehe) but because of what both Evie and Sebastian has gone through while growing up.

They needed each other so much and only they can understand each other. I think so far, this is my most favorite of this series because of it's depth I think. Unlike SOASN, which, I think was everyone's story, TDIW was purely Evie's and Sebatian's alone. So I felt that I knew them well compared to the previous two couples.

And most of all, I love how these two people has greatly changed. Evie has become stronger and confident so her stammer disappeared. I love seeing the deeper, serious side of Sebastian, so very different from the carefree Sebastian in IHOA. He is also capable of big responsibility at all. And of course, how he changed because of Evie. He was not a rake and a 'skirt chaser' anymore but has only eyes and Love for Evie. SIGH.

And also, I love how he asked forgiveness (when he said he does not apologize to anyone) from Westcliff for what he has done. LOL! Hhhmmm... I think I really, really love this book. This is my most favorite now. :D

Lisa Kleypas has indeed climbed on my favorite author list. She has also created great and real characters, funny and witty and smart too. Though her characters are not the "greater-than-life" kind that I adore like that of JM, they are still unforgettable.

Labels: Books, devil in winter, it happened one autumn, lisa kleypas