ALL I NEED IN THIS LIFE OF SIN IS ME & (ez)TV

So now I have time to watch all the TV series I want. Don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, actually. You see, I kinda like having my hands full with orders because it means I am not sitting on fat lard ass and I am productive and productivity translates to moolah, but rest is also good.

Anyway, I don't think I can catch up with Hart of Dixie episode (non)reviews anymore. The good news is I haven't gotten to watching the remaining Gossip Girl episodes just yet so that means I can still do my (non)reviews on them. But the sad part is I already know who Gossip Girl is even though I haven't seen the final episodes yet. No thanks to my cousin who accidentally spilled the beans. Boo!

I don't usually post about my 20-minute series but this week's Suburgatory episode is just too funny. Tessa's supposed to have all her four wisdom teeth taken out, to which heavily anesthetized Tessa refers to as the Wisdom Teeth Conspiracy Thing. Ha Ha.

What is the one thing that we have that they don't? Teeth. Have you ever seen an alien with teeth?
- Well, the alien in the movie Alien had huge teeth.
I'm talking about real aliens, not Hollywood aliens. They're here for our teeth.

What's this?!? You've captured their souls?!

Seriously, the actress who plays Tessa's good. And oh, this scene-

is a reference to Claire Danes's breakdown in Homeland. Funneh.

Ryan is super sablay but he's really sweet and he likes Tessa for real.

Ryan: I'm super attracted to you right now... and your face is puffy and your gums are bloody
and your lips are dry and lusterless. That must mean something, right?
Tessa: Don't make me smile, it hurts.
Ryan: See, I make you smile even if it really hurts to smile. Maybe that means something, too.

I guess Tessa also likes Ryan but she thinks he's a little too dumb & dumber for her. She tries to explain to explain to Ryan that they're opposites, to which Ryan replied, "That's good, because opposites don't push each other apart, they do the other thing." But he's really sweet... and he has abs, too ;)

And Sheila Shay is scary. Really scary.

Anyway, I also started watching this new series- Bunheads. I love it. Maybe it is the frustrated ballerina in me. Ha.

She throws funny comments but I still think she's a little annoying. That smile is annoying. Or creepy. I haven't decided yet.

It's interesting and fun to watch.

I really love these girls. I like Boo the most :)

2013 BOOK CHALLENGE 4/35: THIRTEEN REASONS WHY

Thirteen Reasons Why
by Jay Asher

After reading a no-brainer, teenybopper book that is French Kiss, I thought I should read something serious, something that deals with real problems (which, of course, is still in the YA category). So how do I feel after finishing the book? ANG BIGAT.

Everything affects everything. 

We may think that calling someone names may be harmless but then there's also this snowball effect when one thing leads to another and before we know it, it has become too big to stop. This was what happened in Hannah Baker's case.

When Hannah Baker committed suicide, she recorded tapes for 13 people people to hear, 13 people who were instrumental to why she took her own life. When Clay Jensen received the box of tapes, he was baffled as to why. But before he gets to his part, he needs to listen first to the others, the role the others played which led to someone's suicide.

So technically Clay wasn't one of the reasons why Hannah killed herself. Hannah actually liked Clay, and incidentally he also liked her back. He just thinks he's out of her league and because she kind of has a "reputation." So when Clay found out that Hannah likes him back, he still feels that he is somewhat to blame for not seeing the signs, for not being able to stop it.

Which I think is unfair on Clay's part. I mean, sure he likes this girl and I agree that he could have helped her out of her misery but when Hannah made him hear all of these horror stories, it was as if she has dumped all her problems on him. I don't care about the other bastards and bitches who were actually instrumental to Hannah's suicide but Clay wasn't and again, it was unfair to let him on in this. For sure this event will affect him forever.

But then again I think you can't help people who don't want to be helped. Sabi nga ni Gojocco- that according to Sartre, 'we always have a choice,' and this is the choice that Hannah made. She just lost faith in humanity and with the kind of people there are in this world in this time and age, that is not hard to do. Sometimes I, myself, doubt that humans are innately good.

Anyway, speaking of faith, I noticed that never did Hannah mention religion. Not even once. I am not referring to any religion in particular, but I believe that believing in a Higher Being helps us get through life IMHO. And I guess not taking life too seriously helps, too.

So what did I learn from this? To be careful of our words and actions. Sometimes we think we're just commenting or making harmless jokes, but to someone it may be aggravating something. I know this is fictional but this happens in real life. Bullying is not a big problem locally (at least it wasn't back in my time) but in the States it is and it is sad that there are still girls and boys who do mean and cruel things to others. Sometimes when these people on TV feel bad about a teen suicide because of bullying, I think of them as hypocrites. The teachers, the authorities know this is happening so why don't they do something about it.

{source}
apparently, not.

So I feel for you Clay Jensen. I feel for you that Hannah's suicide will burden you until your dying day. Omigaaahd, I need to read a happy, feel-good book after this. Someone recommended I read The Kite Runner, but I guess not anytime soon. **happy thoughts happy thoughts**

2013 BOOK CHALLENGE 3/35: FRENCH KISS (DIARY OF A CRUSH #1)

French Kiss ( Diary of a Crush #1)
by Sarra Manning

Oh nothing like young love infatuation to make a thirtysomething old hag like me to feel even more bah humbug about love. Ha Ha. Kidding aside, I enjoyed reading this book so much- makes one reminisce about the joys and pains of unrequited love. But it didn't remain unrequited in Edie's case so yeah, whatever.

Edie was new to the school. She didn't know anybody that well and her first attempt to make friends actually backfired. So here she is pining for this beautiful boy, Dylan, (who has a reputation, if you know what I mean ;)) who everyone likes (or loves). Again, here is our pretty protagonist dissing herself and thinking she's not good enough for this beautiful boy so she admires him from afar.

Edie signs up for Photography class and guess who else is taking up the same exact course- Dylan. And by the looks of it (or should I say, by the way Dylan looks at her) beautiful boy is also interested. But because Dylan has this reputation she tries to avoid him but to no avail. Which leads to their first kiss. Which I think must be so electrifying that it's all that the both of them can think about. So yea, the book's title isn't French Kiss for nothing. I swear the word "kiss" makes up, like, 20% of this novel.

When it comes to fictional boy characters, Marcus Flutie is still my all-time crush. Dylan sort of reminds me of him maybe because of the brooding nature, although I bet Dylan's not as lovable as my Marcus. Hmm.. let's see- I need to get my hands on the other books in this series. But if I were to judge Dylan based on French Kiss alone, I'd say not bad.

Okay, it is an easy (and a very shallow) read but hey, whatever floats your boat, right?

I WAAAANT!

Oh yes, the fangirl in me is already giddy with anticipation over the new John Lloyd-Sarah romcom movie. I have a feeling they're releasing this in time for Valentine. I can wait. Delayed gratification is my forte ;) nuninuninu...

But it's also the return of the comeback of the infamous Star Cinema wigs. But WHY???!? Seriously, it looks like a dead animal on Sarah's head :/

2013 BOOK CHALLENGE 2/35: ROCK CHICK RESCUE

Rock Chick Rescue (aka Please! Don't! Stop! Please... Don't... Stop. Please Don't Stop!)
by Kristen Ashley

I'm already done with my second book for the year and it's only the first week of 2013- hooray for me! Finishing Rock Chick in a span of three days is actually easy peasy. It is an easy read with lots of parts you can skip, but I didn't really skip any part even if it got a little bit redundant (like with the first Rock Chick book).

So Jet doesn't think highly of herself and thinks she's plain and boring  but people around her think she's pretty and hot. I don't get this. How else could she think of working at a strip club if she doesn't think she's pretty or hot enough? Fishing lang siya, eh.

So Eddie, this muy caliente Mexican cop dude, falls in love with her and keeps dropping hints (actually more than dropping hints) that he is interested. But Jet keeps avoiding Eddie- how could someone as handsome and hot like Eddie like plain and boring Jet? So she keeps pushing him away.

Come the perfect setting for Eddie to be Jet's knight in shining armor.

When Jet's dad has tangled himself with the wrong kind (aka the Denver mafia), she has become the dark forces' favorite bait. She has been held at knifepoint several times, had a bullet graze her temple and was threatened rape. And would Eddie allow that? Uh-unh. [Ha!] So Eddie's been slacking cos all of those happened during his watch (or not). Anyway, all of these hullabaloo was Eddie's perfect excuse to hold Jet his prisoner and personal sex slave. Seriously, if a girl says 'no' and he forces himself on her, it is considered rape, right? IMHO, Eddie is scary. You can't reason with him. You can't say no to him. You can't assert yourself and take charge with him. I guess Jet's instinct is right on this one- she should disappear to Mexico and never show herself to Eddie again.

Diba I mentioned in my Rock Chick post before that these Rock Chick characters remind me of Dog the Bounty Hunter? So kahit anong pagka hot ang description nila sa characters, Dog kinda ruined it for me. So anyway, let me catch another episode of Dog on Bio Channel and lemme look for a hot Mexican dude to be Eddie's peg. Haha.

2013 BOOK CHALLENGE 1/35: THE FAULT IN OUR STARS

Technically, this book was read in the cusp of the old and new year, but I'm still going to put this under 2013 as majority of it I read today (hooray for self-declared rest days!) Although not the most cheery book to start my 2013 Book Challenge, it is, albeit, a very good one. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is a book about two teenagers who fall in love amid their sickness. 

Hazel Grace hates going to Support Group meetings but one fateful day, it is where she meets Augustus Waters. It may seems as if Augustus was smitten with her at her first sight (you'll find out the real reason why he was ogling her if you read the book) but eventually, he does fall in love with her. 

Hazel tries to avoid the feeling, to not herself fall for him at first as she thinks she is a grenade ready to blow up any time soon, leaving those around her a casualty. The lesser casualties, the better. She likes him but she doesn't want to hurt him when she dies. But the star-crossed lovers' fate was doomed from the start. 

"I'm sorry," I said again.
"Me, too," he said.
"I don't ever want to do that to you," I told him.
"Oh, I wouldn't mind, Hazel Grace. It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by you."

I knew this would have a sad, if not tragic, ending. What I didn't expect was that little twist in the middle, but when I got nearer and nearer to the revelation, I sort of had an inkling. It was a sad story of two people who loved each other but regardless the futility of it all, still loved anyway.

My favorite character is Augustus because he is everything a girl could ask for in a boyfriend- intelligent, nice and good-looking (okay, 'hot' in Hazel's term) and also charismatic. I bet the readers fell in love with Gus at the same time Hazel did.

"'Mother's glass eye turned inward,'" Augustus began. As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.

Their love is really a real case of time is of the essence.

I wasn't hoping for miracles such as they'd both get better. I am actually a sucker for sad, beautiful endings such as this one.

2012: A YEAR IN REVIEW

2012 has got to be one of the best years in recent history. It was green and go in all aspects of my life (except for that 'one' which I don't really care about at this point in my life) and compared to the past years since I assumed role of an adult, the pieces are falling into place and I'm beginning to see the fruits of my labor.

2012 in snippets

Why 2012 Kicked Ass

photo courtesy of Juno

♥ Going on a travel abroad with my friends (without family!) This is a big deal for me for two reasons: 1) my family is my comfort zone and going on a trip without them is all kinds of scary for me, and 2) financially, it was all me. It is a big achievement for me, I reckon. I'm so proud of myself. I know at my age some have already bought houses or cars, but I refuse to compare my achievements with other people's. And on another note, going on a trip with my friends was helluva FUN. Hope we could do this again soon.

♥ Finally hitting my 24 books in a year challenge At last, I reached my goal. Long have I been trying to keep these brain cells alive and kickin' but I always, always fail to do so. But this year, I did hit my target and actually went one book over my goal. I read most books using my android phone's Adobe Reader so it was a little bit visually challenging but hey, I still got to finish 25. And now with my AB's gift, the newest love of my life- my Kindle. Let us devour one book at a time together, love ;) And oh, I actually upped the stakes and am challenging myself to finish 35 books in 2013. #lezzdodizz

♥ Watching 54 movies last year Yes, I am 46 movies short this year but not bad for a pretty tight and hectic year. And this means I have more to watch this year.

1. Colombiana 2. Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove 3. Killer Elite 4. The Cinderella Pact 5. Ramona and Beezus 6. Romantic Island 7. Chalet Girl 8. Rise of the Planet of the Apes 9. Blue Valentine 10. Unofficially Yours 11. Jane Eyre 12. Won't Last A Day Without You 13. Footloose (2011) 14. Namets 15. The Lorax 16. The Hunger Games 17. My Little Bride 18. Mirror Mirror 19. Art of Getting By 20. Spring Breakdown 21. Who's That Girl 22. Young Adult 23. One for the Money 24. Jeux d'enfants 25. Keeping the Faith 26. The Vow 27. LOL 28. Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen 29. The Avengers 30. Kimmy Dora: Temple of Kiyeme 31. The Amazing Spiderman 32. New Year's Eve 33. Magic Mike 34. Ice Age 4: Continental Drift 35. The Healing 36. You Are the Apple of My Eye 37. Pride & Prejudice 38. Like Crazy 39. Becoming Jane 40. Jane Austen Book Club 41. The Five-Year Engagement 42. Hello, Schoolgirl 43. Introduction to Architecture 44. Bourne Identity 45. Bourne Supremacy 46. This Means War 47. Of All The Things 48. Back to the Future 49. Mannequin 50. My Best Friend's Wedding  51. Serendipity 52. Ghost 53. Una Kang Naging Akin 54. My Sassy Girl 

Most of the movies that I saw in the cinemas were for free because I have either a free pass (c/o Smart Rewards, having a friend who has MTRCB pass or AD's monthly allocation). If I watched ten movies at the cinema, I must have paid only for three, so not bad, eh?

♥ Both businesses did well last year Very, very fulfilling, I tell you. I love being busy so I hope there will be more orders and more clients in store for me this 2013. Maybe I can't watch as much movies or TV series or read as much books as I want to, but I'd take orders over recreational therapies any frickin' time. I have my family and friends (and friends of family) for this feat, but most of all, I have God to thank :) Thank You!

♥ I have another nephew! Pahabol sa mga blessings this year. AD gave birth to Goding last December 15. He has the same birthday as J1. I now have three nephews ☺ I love love love J & J to bits and I know that I'll feel the same with Goding. With J&J, they were my pick-me-upper all the time. Just wanna share- just this New Year's Eve, while we were watching fireworks going off in the night sky, I heard J2 say, "Oh my god!" Nagulat ako. Promise. J2's only 2 years old. Natawa talaga ako. 

♥ I have a Kindle! A gift from AB. Now I can read anywhere, anytime. Haha parang commercial lang ng mobile banking. You know what's more addicting than reading? Looking for reading materials :P 

2012 Could Have Been So Much Better If...

☺ I lost the extra 30 lbs. Gaaahd, this has been in my resolution ever since I gained the extra 40 lbs. I'm only asking for shedding off the 30. Ititira na nga yung 10, ayaw pa din? I actually went down to 120 around September but after the SG trip, back to barracks ang mga fats ko. This is so frustrating.

i guess i'd have to say goodbye to love :(

☺ Chuck had a 6th season Chuck will always be one of my favorite TV series. It's mixed emotions, actually, that it ended. I'm sad because my world would be less one thing to look forward to and I really really love Chuck + Sarah; but, also glad that it ended while it still made sense.

☺ We could be one, happy family located in one geographical setting that is Manila We haven't seem AB for almost three years now. During the first year, the fact that we won't be celebrating Christmas as a whole was sad, but I guess one gets used to it. But still, I miss celebrating it with my mommy, daddy and five sisters- the whole bunch. I really hope we could visit her this year but still nothing beats having her back here with everyone.

This 2013, I Wish I Could...

♥ Finally go to New York (City, USA. Just to be clear so dear ol' Universe doesn't get confused) I really want to go because 1) so we could finally see AB after three long years, and 2) to finally go on that Gossip Girl tour somebody promised me (FYI: GG has already ended so I guess time is of the essence in this case).

♥ Really, really, really (x infinity) lose 30 lbs. I need to gather all self-discipline and willpower to finally hit the gym, exercise and not to gorge myself in food, food and more food.

♥ Learn to drive I really really hope I could do this year. It's been getting more and more difficult and tiring to shuttle myself from one supplier to the next. Plus, umiitim pa ako ng bongga. The light rail transit is still my transportation of choice since it is fast and cheap, but I can't use it every time. I would have to wait for the driver to be available to drive me around and that is if he's not whining of being tired or having personal errands to do. And AD who used to drive me sometimes may not be as willing now since she has a kid to take care of. I guess I have to do this AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

♥ Refurbish the NS She'll be 7 years old this July and she is in dire need of revamping. Siguro small tweaks lang because we can't afford yet to get her a full-blown makeover. Seriously, it is not earning that much that we can have it repainted almost every year (which what we seem to be doing because of Ondoy, etc). There are leaks from above and from below and I reckon there's not much we can do about it given the resources. In the meantime, I need to get new and more comfortable chairs and new towels and replace the flooring in the mezzanine. Hope this year will be Ondoy/Habagat-less. And of course, better business! :D

♥ Have more orders Last year's big order was a surprise and I do hope that this 2013 (and the following years to come), there will be more of that. I promise to give back in my own little way. That, and of course I also wish for more small orders like wedding and birthday party favors. Aside from the income, I really enjoy making my products and I love seeing the finished fruits of my labor. Very fulfilling ☺

In a nutshell, I just wish and hope for 2013 to be as good, if not better, as 2012. My horoscope says this year's going to be so good for me. So even if I stopped checking my horoscope long time ago ( I just did again because of my friend, Maf) I'm going to claim it already.

Both phases of the year will work in tandem to assure that your dreams become a powerful reality. Get ready to live the life of the super mogul, darling.

O ha! I love it ♥ So with that thinking and the law of attraction, I know 2013 is going to be a GREAT year. I think therefore I am, diba? If you think it, you will achieve it. Naks, I believe I can fly lang peg. It doesn't hurt to try ;)

¡FELIZ AÑO NUEVO A TODOS!