Short & Sweet: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

With a title like that, the book itself is actually quite short. The plot is simple: Two people meet, spend a flight together, are separated, then somehow find each other again.

The characters are likable, but nothing special. I guess what's great about this book is the emotion it brings to the table. It's so mundanely sweet.

51-Day Book Challenge: Day 8, Favorite Book You've Read This Year

Shades of Earth, definitely. I just love Beth Revis' Across the Universe trilogy. It's a sci-fi series about a girl who was supposed to by cryogenically frozen until the spaceship Godspeed landed, but was woken up before then. She then finds a society has formed on the ship. It's mystery after cliffhanger after what-the-heck-happened moment.

I also loved the second book of the Heroes of Olympus series, Son of Neptune. I used to just brush off the Rick Riordan books as too childish for me. Then I started reading them while I was in the States, and I have to say, they are possibly the most entertaining books I've ever read. Yes, it's childish in some ways, but that's what makes reading them so fun. You completely suspend your beliefs, and you believe that Hades rules the Underworld with an iPad, or that Amazon.com is actually run by Amazonian women. The 3rd book is out, but I don't want to read it just yet. First, I have to get through my reading list (which I keep adding to every day).

Speaking of books, I've spent the past two days looking for The Girl Who Fell From The Sky and Other Filipino Tales. Anybody have a copy I can borrow?

51-Day Book Challenge: Day 7, Least Favorite Book This Year

Tie between:

Fathomless by Jackson Pierce
It's one of those books where nothing happens. It's supposed to be a retelling of the Little Mermaid, but it's actually a Little Boring.

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
People were raving about this book, so I thought it would be a good read. It wasn't. I flipped through the last pages, because it bored me that much. One of the biggest expectation-disappointment in literature I've read lately.

51-Day Book Challenge: Day 6, Have Your Reading Habits Changed Since Starting A Blog?

Nope.

The Age of Innocence

Yesterday I went back to driving lessons. I finally went over 20 on the speedometer.

Then in the afternoon, I visited my favorite trio of kiddies: Lucas, Helena & Diego. Their grandmother is my mom's best friend and my godmother. I was the flower girl at their parents' wedding 7 years ago. 

These kids are probably the most gorgeous set of children I've ever laid eyes on.

I spent most of the day following baby Diego bike around the village. Diego's at that perfect age when they still look like babies but can actually talk to you. And he has the cutest baby voice ever. He literally squeaks when he talks. When the snack truck came by, he walked to the center of the road, held up his hand, and squeaked, "MANONG! STOP." And then he wanted to take ride around the village in our van. So he hopped in, and suddenly all the neighborhood kids wanted to join. In the van, you could hear shouts of, "STOP THE CAR! We need to let Pablo join!" Afterwards, when they went back to the group, there were a lot of little girls playing. So I asked Diego, "Hey. Do you like any of them? Which one?" He looked at me and said promptly, "The van." 

Then when we walked home, Helena the princess had already arrived. I drew Disney Princesses with her and taught her how to write a couple of words. She also spotted that the house next door was for rent, and asked me if I could buy it so I could visit everyday and she could too. My heart just about melted.

I would love to be a kindergarten teacher.

51-Day Book Challenge: Day 5, Do You Prefer To Read One Book At A Time, Or Several At Once?

Several. For sure. To be honest, sometimes I get tired of reading one book, so I need to shuffle it up.

Currently I'm juggling a Rick Riordan book (Son of Neptune), a dystopian sequel (Prodigy), and a biography on Russian royalty (Nicholas & Alexandra.

51-Day Book Challenge: Day 4, Do You Have an E-Reader?

Does my iPad count? I must say, though I am fully on the books on paper side of the argument, I love my iPad as an E-Reader. Only for classics, though. I've found that if I read classics via traditional books, I get too bored. I know, call me an uncultured cow. But when I read it on my iPad, it's just easier. Currently, I've downloaded Pride & Prejudice (thank you for the suggestion, Ms. Ng! <--best English teacher I've ever had).

51-Day Book Challenge: Day 3, Bad Book Habit

I buy way too many books, then leave them to rot and not go back and read them.

When I turn the page, I make the page--I don't know how to describe it-- make a crisp sound. So when I read in public, I literally read noisy.

BREAKING NEWS!

Well, no, not really. I might be a little slow on the uptake, but Emma Roberts is cast as Lena Haloway for the Delirium TV series!!! FINALLY A CASTING CHOICE I AGREE WHOLE-HEARTEDLY WITH (I'm looking right at you, Emily VanCamp for Captain America).

At first, I was so disappointed that we wouldn't get to see Delirium on the silver screen. And come on, TV shows can tank. Their pilots might not get picked up, there's the whole ratings shindig to worry about, they could get cancelled mid-season. But now that Emma Roberts is going to be in it... I mean, okay, she's no Jennifer Lawrence. She's not going to lead the show with Oscar-worthy acting chops, but she's decent. Certainly she's improved from her Unfabulous days. And I've just been looking for a chance to see Roberts back in the limelight, and this is it.

51-Day Book Challenge: Day 2, What Are You Reading Right Now?

See, this question would be answered in a flash if I knew how to install one of those Currently Reading widgets on my blog. Since I don't, get ready for another long-winded answer.

I'm a read-as-many-books-as-you-can-at-once kind of reader, especially now that I've compiled all the unread books I have.

Flirting in Italian by Lauren Henderson
Sometimes, I just need to read some light chic-lit fluff to get away from all the dystopian books I read. I especially love chic-lit books about traveling and studying abroad, like this one, which is why I was so depressed when they stopped publishing the S.A.S.S (Students Across the Seven Seas) series. Flirting in Italian's not as good as those, but it's a sufficient replacement. It's your typical girl-goes-abroad-and-falls-in-love-with-hot-native, but sometimes it's nice to just read predictable stuff, you know? Not to mention you get to learn about the host country. My Italian vernacular is now peppered with words like zitta (shut up), stronza (bitch), and maiali (pig). The Italian characters' use of the word allora also reminded me of the super sweet tour guide we had when we visited Italy 5 years ago, who said "Allora," possibly every 3 sentences. Anyway, I'm more than halfway done with the book (it's a pretty thin read), and I'm looking forward to checking at least one book of my reading list.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by Her Royal Majesty, Queen of all Literature J.K. Rowling.
No need for that much description on this one, natch. It's just one of those times during the year when I reread series. (On a side note, now is a particularly good time to read HP, as it is celebrating it's 15th anniversary. Yes, they are actually releasing new book covers for it! Woot wooh) Next up after rereading the Harry Potter, I've got Tamora Pierce's Immortals quartet lined up, and Meg Cabot's the Mediator series.

Prodigy by Marie Lu
I stopped by Barnes & Noble right before we left LA just to pick up this little darling. Unfortunately, my need-for-speed plan backfired, as I glanced at the summary and realized I'd forgotten all that went down in the first book. So I had to wait until I got home, reread the first book in the series, Legend, until I could finally delve into this. All the reviews call Legend "a worthy successor to the Hunger Games" and I totally agree. It's got action, romance, surprises galore. I loved it even more when I found out that it was supposed to be based on Les Miserables, with June Iparis as Javert and Day as Jean Valjean. I even noticed some quotes from the book parallel to the musical (More on that in the actual review). According to readers online, Prodigy will end in a what-just-happened-man-I'm-totes-so-lost cliffhanger, so I can't wait for that.

Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie
The Romanovs are bar none, my favorite royal family. Especially the last Tsar, his wife, and their 5 children. So even though I've read their stories multiply times, I still want to see it from every perspective I can. And since Massie is a Pulitzer winner, his perspective is definitely one I have to see. My former go-to author for historical biographies was Julia P. Gelardi, who was--reprezzzent- a Filipino, who wrote about European history. I've finished all three of her biographies, so I was looking for another author to fawn over when I luckily picked up Massie's Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman. Read it, loved it, now I'm reading another book of his. After this, I'll probably take a break from the Romanovs; I found a Joan of Arc biography that just looks delicious.

So there you have it. It's technically Day 3 of the Reading Challenge, but the Lord deigned to keep me out of cyberspace yesterday and cut off all of Wifi at my house. I literally just got back on, now. Here's hoping it won't happen again (C'mon God. I don't go to school, I have no social life, all I have is my precccioussssss Internet).

51-Day Book Challenge: Day 1, Favorite Childhood Book

You'd think I would answer Harry Potter, wouldn't you? But sad to say, that wasn't my go-to book growing up. I'd only started reading it when I was about 7; before then my childhood self had already pledged its heart to a few other series.

I know it says Favorite Childhood Book, but come on. I would never just have ONE answer when it comes to books.

I can remember the day my mom brought this book home, clear as day. I'd asked for a Disney Princess chapter book, but when my mom came home from National Bookstore, she said none were available, so she picked this little gem out. This started a love for Full House, and while I actually didn't watch the series till about 3 years ago, growing up, I loved reading about Stephanie & Michelle Tanner. Full House Sisters, Full House Michelle, Full House Stephanie, Club Stephanie, you name it, I had it.

My very first MK&A book. Again a singular gift from someone who did not expect it turning into a full-grown obsession.

Can you tell I loved Mary-Kate & Ashley growing up? May I just say, thank God for the Olsen twins. They provided me with a whole battalion of books about them: The New Adventures Mary-Kate and Ashley, Two of a Kind, Two of a Kind Diaries, So Little Time, My Sweet Sixteen, Mary-Kate and Ashley in Action, oh my. And you know what? To this day, I still reread them. They are so incredibly entertaining (Come on. They go to Hawaii for a field trip in one book, made their own top-secret ice cream flavor in another, and had a whole series devoted to them being secret agents).

You know what's strange about any of these series? I never chose the books out myself. They were all given to me, and I just so happened to love them. This particular series, The Baby-Sitters Club, was introduced to me by cousins Janelle & Jessica. In fact they'd given me the book as a hand-me-down (actually, a lot of my childhood books were hand-me-downs). And I'm sure glad they did. I LOVE Stoneybrooke, the place were this was series takes place. I love all the characters, especially Dawn, the Californian blonde (I so wanted to be her). 

But while those three series are close to my heart, there were two others that I still completely cherish to this day.

One of my godmothers, who lives in North America, loves to send me shipments of things. A good decade ago, she sent me a whole bunch of Nancy Drew novels, which I gobbled down quickly. I started my own collection, including the classics, to the new version, Girl Detective: Nancy Drew. And I had discovered a new side of Nancy Drew: PC games. They've got about 27 games out now, easily downloadable from the Internet, which are meant for adults, I think. They'll scare the beejesus out of any 11-year-old (they did for me, anyway). I loved the 2007 movie with Emma Roberts, but I just wish they didn't make her such a dweeb. 

And lastly, my favorite series of them all. No, still not Harry Potter. Harry Potter's not even a series to me anymore, you know? It's a facet of life. But anyway.

If you asked me which literary character I relate to the most, it's Ramona Quimby. She's the baby of her family, easily overshadowed by her perfect older sibling. She tries to be brave, but always ends up being scared. She loves to read, she's messy, she's grumpy, I AM RAMONA.One of my favorite Ramona Q moments was when she tried running away, and her mother packed a heavy bag so that she couldn't. I must say, I teared up at that one. "You're my Ramona. How could I get on with you?"

On a side-note, during therapy, I was able to channel Ramona and squeeze all the toothpaste out of its tube. 

Unlike the Nancy Drew film, I absolutamente loved Ramona & Beezus (2010). Joey King was a perfect, if too-pretty Ramona.They had all my favorite Ramona parts in it--Squeezing the Toothpaste, Jumping out of the Hole in the House, The Biggest Picture in the World, Rap the Hard-boiled Egg on Your Head, Running Away. 

I have to admit, without these series, I wouldn't be the reader I am today. Ahem ahem, <insert Oscar speech> I really do have to thank the countless titas and titos who gave me books, to my cousins and godsisters for being such cool little girls for giving me hand-me-down books (they're even cooler now that they're in their 20s, trust me).

My Childhood Today a.k.a Squatters in Places They Shouldn't Be Because My Room Has No More Room For Them.

My Babysitters Club books and MaryKate and Ashley books are hanging out  on the 2nd-floor landing.

Nancy Drew in the TV Room (Yes, that's Mrs Potts)

Happy Birthday Nanay!

Today was my nanay's 84th birthday. I just love her so much. She's so supportive, no matter what I do, and I just really really love her.

Today's outfit was based off of one of Blair Waldorf's outfits. I'd toyed with naming this post The Blair Waldorf Project, but I decided to go with a shoutout to one of my favorite family members.

Blair Waldorf is my soul sister. I can totally relate to her whole I'm-totes-going-to-marry-into-a-royal-family-someday, manners matter, gotta-keep-it-classy-but-sassy outlook on life. And her clothes just make me drool. There is nary a Blair Waldorf outfit that I don't love (that being said, her first wedding gown was a travesty. A princess at heart about to be a princess for real, and you put her in that nondescript white towel? In the words of Tumblrians, "You had ONE JOB.")

Ugly matrimonial wear aside, there is one Blair Waldorf ensemble I adore. It was shown in one of the earlier seasons, where she jets off to Paris.

Whenever I see a navy blue and cream combination at any given store, I make a mad dash for it, in the hopes of recreating Ms. Waldorf's dress. Luckily, a few months back, I stumbled upon a navy-and-white blouse and Forever 21 that seem Blair-esque and quickly looked around to find a match skirt. Here is the finished product:

Blouse and skirt from Forever 21, LV bag from my mom's wardrobe, shoes from Zara.

Whew. There goes my first outfit post. Special shoutout to Wicked Stunning (francescamikhaela.blogspot.com) for being my blog inspiration. I hope to have as many followers as you someday, babe. :)

Silver Lining.

It scared me how much I could relate to the opening scene of Silver Linings Playbook. Being woken up at the psychiatric hospital, lining up to take your meds through the glass window, sitting in a circle for group therapy. Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper trading medicine stories. "I used to be on Seroquel. Klonopin, have you tried that?" Yep.  Been there, done that. Even recognized the peach pill Seroquel as Bradley Cooper's character took it. It was an exact duplicate my yaya gave to me not 20 minutes ago. Not the easiest thing for me to talk about, but I decided, in the words of goddess Taylor Alison Swift, it's time to Speak Now.

Part of me still can't believe that I've only been home for two months. That the three months of cognitive behavioral therapy, two weeks of being an inpatient at the Las Encinas Mental Health Facility, which resulted in spending months away from Manila, are over. Sometimes I wish it never happened. I'd been living a perfectly good life when anxiety took over my life and I was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Sometimes I'm grateful for it. Other times I wanted to just cry my eyes out. Currently, I'm leaning towards the 3rd choice. 

When I first got back home, I got into a very public fight with my parents. While at a wedding reception, I found out that my dad had explained away my absence by saying I was university-hunting abroad. I got into a screaming match with my mom, yelling things like "You might be ashamed of me, but I'm proud. I'm proud of all the things I went through. I'm proud I got sick and recovered. I'd shout it to the world if I could. I don't care about the people who judge and whisper behind my back."

Of course, I later understood that they did that to protect me from those people out there who, unfortunately, are still very much close-minded and judge a book by its cover. You know, the type that when they find out you've got a mental disorder will scream bloody murder and point fingers while yelling "PSYCHO!"

But I don't take back what I said. I am proud of what I've been through. These past two years, I've experienced things I never thought I would. Before last year, I never, in my whole entire life, thought I'd be taking a razor to my wrist. I never thought I'd be in and out of Medical City for my senior year. I never thought I'd be one of those kids who had to suddenly jet off to the US for "personal reasons". For the record, no, I wasn't suddenly knocked up. It was a little thing called obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The one thing that irks me in this entire universe (aside from Twilight and the 50 Shades trilogy), is the fact that people seem to brush off OCD like it's a cute quirk. "Dude, I'm so OC because I have to keep my room neat." "Why are you so OC? We can drink from the same glass. Don't be laway-conscious." "I'm so OC, I swear!" No. No. And no. Having OCD doesn't necessarily mean you're a neatnik. Heck, my room is a certified pigsty. And it's not a cute quirk. It's a serious disorder that can leave you, in the words of my homeboy, Dr. Spencer Reid, "Afraid of your own mind." 

I don't know how to explain it, except, it's something that takes over you. These obsessions, compulsions, make you do things without you wanting to. And it doesn't leave you alone. You have to wash your hands, or else you've committed an unspeakable crime. You need to log out of your Facebook account, log back in, delete your latest post, then repost it again, because it wasn't right the first time; you sinned. The thoughts that keep you up at night are true, don't doubt it. You're attracted to your same-sex friend. No ifs or buts. You thought it, so it must be true.A really bad sin. It sounds illogical, but to the OCD-battered mind, it's correct. Even though we know it's not rational, we still feel we have to carry out whatever compulsions our mind thinks up. It's terrifying because when you're rock bottom, you don't know what's true or isn't anymore. "I HAVE TO WASH MY HANDS, DON'T YOU SEE? OR ELSE! JUST OR ELSE! WASHING WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE!" You don't know if this or that thought is the right one to follow. Saint or sinner? You want to try, just once, to not give in, but you're afraid of the consequences.

You're just so lost.

And it's not going to go away forever, I know that. There'll be times when it will come back, but right now I'm coping. And I'm strong. And I'm proud of myself for that. I beat it. I wanted my URL to encompass all the important things in my life: Dragons, for my love of Harry Potter, Disney, and all other fantastical things. Duchesses, for my love of royalty, new and old. And Disorders, for the battle that I won.

Finishing up with a quote from Silver Linings Playbook, and boy,  could I relate.

"There's always gonna be a part of me that's sloppy, and dirty, but I like that. With all the other parts of myself. Can you say the same for yourself, fucker? Can you forgive?"