And We Can't Stop

I never meant to go on another decor haul. But last Sunday afternoon I was home alone, bored out of my mind, and I just found myself surfing home decor sites. After asking my dad for permission, I tapped the checkout button. Taste Central, one of the sites I bought from, delivered in less than 24 hours, which only amped up my excitement.

Cute figurine by day...

Reading lamp at night!

I just can't get enough of throw pillows. These ones have different designs on either side, so if I get bored of one design, all I have to do is flip it over.

 

Then I got these adorable trays for Seek the Unique. I've been visiting stores all over Manila searching for the perfect tray for my glass and pitcher at night, because the one I've got now is a dull, black one that was probably made in the 90's. 

When my eyes fell on this, I knew that my search was over. I mean, look at it. Could a tray get any cuter?

 I got this one mostly because of the whole stag-doe-Harry Potter theme, but I DO need a trinkets tray, to dump my everyday accessories, keys, coins on.

I want to say this'll be my last decor haul ever, but I also say that I keep myself from buying any more new books, and we all know that's not true. Clearly, when it comes to shopping, I cannot be trusted with keeping my word.

I'm Just A Little Too Not Over You: A Romanov Family Book Review

If I had to pick a favorite historic royal family, I would definitely pick Nicholas II and his family. This was a nuclear family, with no extramarital affairs or scandalous children. They were together until the very end.

No matter how many times I read different biographies or historical fiction books about the last Romanovs,  there is a part of me that always, always, always hopes that they would survive. Like any 90's kid, I watched the animated film Anastasia, which, even before I knew it was (very loosely) based on real historical events, intrigued me. My return to the Anastasia Romanova's tale was in 7th grade, when I started reading The Royal Diaries series (a historical fiction series from the first-person view of famous royal women as children). I quickly gobbled up everything I could find concerning the Romanovs. Coincidentally, around this time, DNA tests had confirmed that all Romanov children were accounted for, so from the start of my fascination with them, I always knew that Anastasia had died with the rest of her family.

Some of the books I read were Anastasia's Secret (complete fluff where Anastasia falls in love with a soldier while in captivity), The Diamond Secret (a retelling of the Anastasia myth), The Secret Daughter of the Tsar (complete fictional fluff, but still entertaining)From Splendor to Revolution, Born to Rule, and Doomed Queens. I bought The Lost Crown ages ago, but I never got around to reading it until now.

What I loved about this novel was that, instead of focusing on Anastasia (as so many books do), but split its point-of-view between all four Romanov sisters: Olga, Tatiana, Marie, and Anastasia. The author, Sarah Miller, did an excellent job portraying each sister's personality. What she did best, however, was her vivid description of the Romanov family's time in captivity. It's such a clichè thing to say, but I felt like I was really there. Not even the nonfiction biographies I've read gave me such a clear insight on what it was like during their final days in Tobolsk and Ekaterinburg. I was in the car on the way home when I got to the last few pages. Not to sound like a drama queen, but when I reached the last page, which describes the last few minutes before they were executed, I felt like retching. It was especially tragic reading it from Tatiana's PoV, because, she, like her siblings, were innocents. They had no political motives or roles. All they were guilty of was being the children of the tsar (as a side note, I also never believed the tsar to be guilty of much, either. He was incompetent, but who wouldn't be? He was only a few years older than me when he became ruler of 1/4 of the world). I'll stop here, because any more writing about this topic will probably send me into a fit of sobbing. But I'll leave with this passage from the novel, which hints at the legacy their gruesome murders left behind.

The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway

The only thing that truly bugs me about Philippine weather is that we're so limited in terms of outfit choices, at least compared to other countries. There's never a season to wear boots, or to layer up, or wear scarves and beanies. So, in honor of articlust, here's a few photos of coats stare at longingly, as well as a flashback of the last times I bundled up.

For the Presidential Inaugural Conference 2013

At Barack Obama's Inauguration 2013

Venice 2013

49-Day Book Challenge: Day 18, Favorite Biography

After quite a long hiatus, I've decided to return to my 49-Day Book Challenge. I started this blog as a book blog, and I think it's high time to go back to its roots. Here we go!

This was the first biography I actually read, and it led to my fascination with the era. I loved the 1890s-early 1900s because it seemed like it teetered between the past and the present. Royals travelled via trains and automobiles, but most of the time preferred the old-fashioned horse and carriage. I've always thought that if I had to live in another time, I would live then: there was already such a thing as indoor plumbing and electricity, but it was still well into the past that I could dance the night away in a big poufy ballgown and tiara.

This biography looks into the lives of five granddaughters of Queen Victoria who ended being queen consorts of Europe: Queen Maud of Norway, Queen Ena of Spain, Queen Marie of Romania, Queen Sophie of Greece, and Tsarina Alexandra of Russia. The best part of this bio is that it highlights the fact that these five women, far apart as they were geographically and politically, they were still family. I also found a new favorite royal in Marie of Romania. What I loved about her is that she was brave in little ways: she never commanded an army like Boudicca or Elizabeth I, but she fought for her children, and her countrymen. Like most royal women of the time, she served as a nurse during the first World War. I've been looking for a proper biography devoted to just her, but alas, there is yet to be one published.

What are some of your favorite biographies? Leave a comment below! Happy Tuesday, all!

Moving In: Decor Haul

Last December, my family moved houses, and I left the home I'd lived in for the past 19 years. Our new house is a mere five minutes away, so from time to time, I visit the old house to pick up a few things. It's kind of depressing though: as soon as I enter, it already feels like an abandoned house. Within the few short months we've left it, it's already gained that dusty, unkempt scent. The wardrobes are empty and the walls are bare. That being said, I do love being in our new home. I've got a lot more room, for one thing. And we finally have what my brother and I have been dreaming of since our previous neighbor had one installed: our very own pool! A lot of things are still being fixed or are still missing--my bathtub does not have any taps as of yet, and I still don't have a desk or a dresser. But most of the things have already been delivered, and so, this past week, I decided to go on a decor haul for my new room.

Most of these things I found at Regalong Pambahay, which is an amazing local store that sells Pinterest-worthy things at super cheap prices. The rest I got while shopping at the ever-reliable SM.

I got one of those scone trays (and assembled it myself, I might add!) and used it for my ever-growing accessory collection. I discovered that hanging a lot of necklaces from the usual necklace hooks only leaves you with a lot of necklaces in tangles, so I'm hoping this way will be better.

My new clock that matches my wallpaper.

I have to talk about this blue mug, because it costs 100 pesos. You could buy a whole lot of them for a cute little tea party! In fact, Regalong Pambahay has a whole section dedicated to tea things. If you're planning a girls' day in, or a children's party, I highly recommend visiting them (they've got a store in the new Shang wing, as well as an outlet store along Pioneer).

Because who doesn't need a funky goblet? Even though I mainly use it for water, it's fun pretending you're drinking some magical potion (Tea parties? Magical potions? Clearly, my mental age has not progressed past kindergarten).

A frame set for my travels.

I also got a couple of photo frames, because I decided that this whole cyber-photo sharing, while convenient, isn't as good as having real paper photographs.

As an impulse buy, I got myself some potpourri oils and a burner.

Last, but definitely not the least, were the mound of cushions I got. I decided that I wanted to have a lot of stripes in my room, thus these blue-and-brown ones.

Throw pillows for the bed.

A little Latin for the library.

I also got a couple of floor cushions for my tower. There isn't a lot of things up there yet, but I want to decorate it with a lot of whimsical, fun things. These brilliant mural painters we hired painted the walls to resemble Rapunzel's tower from Tangled, and I'm looking for lanterns to hang there too, for I See The Light feels.

So that's about it for the decor haul. I hope to update this post once I get all the things for the tower. Have a blessed Sunday, everyone!

Love At First Sight Does Not Exist...At Least In The Case Of Fangirling.

I was planning to spend the four day weekend catching up on reading, i.e, tackling all the heavy hardbound tomes on my reading list that would be a pain to lug around on regular school days.

Of course, I ended up marathoning TV shows/Tumblr-ing instead.

Anyway, as I was scrolling through the Benedict Cumberbatch tag on Tumblr (I'm not even sorry), I realized that the fandoms I've come to love the most are the fandoms I decided I wouldn't touch with a ten-foot long stick.

It was my sixth birthday, I believe (way back in 2000), when my godmother gave me Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Even at that age, I was already a Don't Tell Me What To Read reader. So I thanked her, put the book on a shelf, and promptly forgot about it. A few months later, my eldest cousin, who was in college at the time, asked me if I had the first Harry Potter book because she was dying to read it. Then a little later on, a family friend who was in high school borrowed it as well. All I remember thinking was, "What are these older kids doing borrowing a book from a preschooler?" I guess you could say I was also a bit of a book hipster then too, because after they borrowed it and raved about it, I dismissed it as being overrated and mainstream (although I probably used more pre-K words). I mean, it couldn't be that good, could it? But one day, I was bored out of my mind had nothing to read. So I retrieved the book from the very back of my bookshelf, flipped to page 1, and the rest, as they say, is history.

The next two fandoms I came to love and cherish, I used to hate for one reason: I was too much of a Potterhead purist. I remember loathing the first Chronicles of Narnia film and all the hype it stirred up, because my 11-year-old self felt like it was taking attention away from the Potter fandom. I voiced my opinion so much in school, that, one day, as a prank, some girls took an Aslan toy from one of those McDo meals, and stuffed it into my cubby. But then somewhere along the way, the hate turned into love, and by the time the second film came out, I was screaming "For Narnia!" in the theater along with the best of them.

Then when I was 13 and dealing with post-Potter depression (the final book had just been released), I noticed one of my classmates completely wrapped up in a Tamora Pierce novel. I asked her about it, and she said it was a fantasy series. Drama queen that I was, I proclaimed, "Oh. I could never read another fantasy series. Harry Potter will be the only one of its kind that will be in my heart." My friend told me something along the lines of, "That's not what J.K. Rowling would want." So, grudgingly, I bought the first book of the Tortall series, and fell in love with them. Side note: Tamora Pierce also gave me my first OTP ever--Daine and Numair.

Through the years, mostly in the area of films, the same thing happened. "That Prince of Persia trailer annoys me." I ended up watching the film 3 times while it was still in theaters. "Oh, great, another Marvel superhero film. This Iron Man'll probably bore me like all the rest." I now have an entire drawer stuffed with Marvel t-shirts.

And now Sherlock. I bought the first season on DVD back when I was in the States. Honestly, when you've got therapy for two hours a day everyday and the rest of the time doing nothing, you watch A LOT of TV (and eat. But that's really a whole other story). I couldn't even drive down to Disneyland, because I had everyday appointments. There was also a Barnes & Noble right across the street from my therapist's office, so at the end of my stay, I probably bought twice my weight in DVDs. I bought the Sherlock DVD because, "I heard it was nice." I ended up, of course, never watching it, until a month ago.

Now, a short month later, I'm spending my vacation on Tumblr and Youtube, looking at Benedict Cumberbatch's mug for hours on end. No regrets.

Hope you guys are having a nice (hopefully fandom-filled) weekend as well!

I Don't Know About You, But I'm Feelin' The Christmas Spirit

Probably because for the first time, I'm truly celebrating Christmas. Last year I had just gotten back from treatment, was still a bit anxious, and was still adjusting to life in Manila again. The year before that, my family and I took a cruise where I had to be rushed home because of an attack. This year, I'm completely happy. I'm back in straight, everyday school for the first time in two years, making new friends there as well as keeping my old friendships strong, part of a happy family, and, thanks to God, have not had an attack in quite some time. 2013 was a blessed year for me indeed.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Priorities

This photo was taken a while back, but I recently came across it while sifting through my laptop library. Upon arriving at the St. Tropez village of Balesin Island, an employee took us on a tour of the rooms. Instead of jumping on the bed or looking out the windows to the beachfront view, I knelt down in front of this trunk and oohed and aahed while the guide told me it was a replica of a trunk they found in France. My best friend Nicole snapped a picture of me worshipping the glorious trunk. :)

Russian Royalty

I stumbled upon this photoshoot on Tumblr called Russian Royalty, and it is just stunning.

                                                   

Check out more of her photos! http://www.doedeereblogazine.com/

One Year.

What better way to celebrate one year of being home and healthy than stumbling upon this little gem?

God and His Neon Signs

"There may never be a sign, no flashing neon light, telling you to make your move, or when the time is right."--Hilary Duff, "Why Not"

Sorry Hil, but this time I'm very happy to prove you wrong.

First, I want to share this picture:

It was one of many Tumblr pictures I had saved to my phone about three years ago. I had dozens of other sightseeing pics saved to inspire me to travel the world someday, but this had stuck out as my favorite. It reminded me of the tree gateway Aslan created at the end of the Prince Caspian film, and that scene is still one of the few film clips that can make me cry. Every. Darn. Time. Anyway, I loved the idea of this gate opening up to the ocean and the mountains beyond. To me, it was completely otherworldly and fantastic. The sad thing is, when I found it on Tumblr, it was never captioned, so I had no idea where it was. I actually thought it didn't even exist, that it was from a movie set, or Photoshopped.

Second, I want to share my current situation:

About a month ago, my friend Pilar told me about this liberal arts college in Europe that she was applying to. I looked it up, found out they had a history major, and fell in love with the idea of applying there next year. I was feeling really certain of my decision, until sem break ended and I found myself back in Ateneo. I started feeling like I didn't want to give up my Ateneo experience just yet. But I also knew that I've dreamt of studying abroad ever since I was a wee 10-year-old devouring the S.A.S.S. novel series (Students Across the Seven Seas). So I felt myself pulled in two completely opposite directions.

Then yesterday, I decided it was time for a change in my desktop wallpaper. I decided to look up Lugano, the town in Switzerland the college was located. This photo popped up.

Needless to say, my jaw dropped. This is the sign I've been waiting for to go full speed ahead and not look back. Thank you, God.

A Sign From The Heavens

I found this on my Tumblr dashboard:

"Okay but seriously if you are attending college while experiencing any sort of mental illness then you are an impressive human being. Even if you don’t always make it to classes. Even if you don’t always do your homework or pass all your tests. You are doing something that is incredibly difficult when so many of the odds are against you, and regardless of what you are studying you deserve a Ph.D. in being a total and complete badass."

Where Is The Love?

"Children hurtin', hear them crying 
Can you practice what you preach 
Or would you turn the other cheek 
Father father father father help us 
Send some guidance from above 
'Cause people got me, got me questioning 
Where is the love?"

It just saddens me that a photo from my recent trip to Italy can get over 50 likes overnight, yet a whole album dedicated to my trip to devastated Ormoc catches the eye of two people. I've been promoting Bangon Pinoy: A Fundraising Concert For Victims of Yolanda for the past couple of weeks, and it seems like next to no one cares. I've had people in school give me a straight-up "nope" when asked if they wanted to buy tickets to raise funds. Yet the same people share links on the supposed corruption and inefficiency of our government. If you're gonna talk the talk, please naman, walk the walk. I'm not writing about this to hate on people, or judge them. It's a realization that I came to, and am deeply troubled by. What is happening to our humanity?

Allegiant-Spoilers Up Ahead

I just finished Allegiant, the final book in the Divergent trilogy. The Divergent series is also one of the last 2010 Dystopian trilogies to wrap up (I'll be writing about all of them in another post).

I'm in shock.

On the one hand I want to commend Veronica Roth for doing something I've yet to see a YA author (even JK Rowling) do: kill off her protagonist. For good. I've read some reactions online about how the fans were angry because she didn't think of them, but of the plot, and that is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Of course an author would put the plot first. It's her story to tell. And I understood her motives behind it: the whole series revolve around what sacrifice really means, and to have Tris, the protagonist, fully and truly understand that made a good ending. Still, understanding why Tris had to die didn't stop me from bawling my eyes out (and I never cry).

In Allegiant, the PoVs switched between Tris and Tobias, with a header in each chapter stating their name. The thing that cemented her death for me (it is YA, and authors are never above killing someone then bringing them back. I'm looking at you JKR and Melissa de la Cruz) was when the final chapters simply had the chapter numbers printed, with no note on whether it was a Tris or Tobias chapter. It meant that Tobias was the only one left to tell the story.

Tobias was the cause for my tears, in fact. Not that I wouldn't miss Tris, I would. But that moment when Tobias was contemplating taking the memory serum broke my heart. I can't imagine having to make the decision between grieving your whole life but having the memory of your love, or forgetting and living in peace. He eventually chooses not to, as he realizes it's not what Tris would want him to do. A few pages later, the epilogue shows Tobias' life two years later: He's got a job and his own apartment. All the while I was thinking, that should be their apartment. They should be rebuilding their life together.

In the end, though, it was a series that taught the lesson it was meant to. It didn't stray from its true purpose. It was about being free: not just having the freedom to take risks and do what you want, but also having the freedom to make the choice of sacrificing yourself for the good of others.


“There are so many ways to be brave in this world. Sometimes bravery involves laying down your life for something bigger than yourself, or for someone else. Sometimes it involves giving up everything you have ever known, or everyone you have ever loved, for the sake of something greater.

But sometimes it doesn't.
Sometimes it is nothing more than gritting your teeth through pain, and the work of every day, the slow walk toward a better life. 
That is the sort of bravery I must have now.” -Allegiant

My Superstar Soul Sister

"I’ve been asking myself about that an awful lot and I think when I was younger I felt really bad about it and felt I was doing something wrong in doing so many period films. And then, all of a sudden, I went, ‘OK, this is obviously what I’m drawn to’. I love history, reading historical novels and watching period pieces as well as performing in them. I think it’s something to do with fantasy, which is what I love." 

                                                                                                                     --Keira Knightley

October Book Haul: Fantasy, Horror, and a Hogwarts Snow Globe

As well as putting myself on a food diet the past few weeks, I also went on a book diet. The main reason was to grit my teeth and start lessening the mountain that has become Salve's Unread Books in my room.

It may not look like it, but I've been able to remove quite a healthy chunk of it by sticking to books that I already had, and not going out to Fully Booked every other day and coming home with a new stack.

But today was a special day. I decided to treat myself to a book haul because sem break has finally arrived. I was also craving some high-fantasy novels, between reading Ellen Oh's Prophecy, catching The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe on Star Movies, and finishing Season 1 of Avatar: The Last Airbender. So without further ado, my October Book Haul:

Pretenders by Lisi Harrison
Not exactly high fantasy, I know, but a Lisi Harrison YA novel that FINALLY targets people older than junior high kids was miraculous. I was the biggest fan of Lisi Harrison's Clique series back in seventh grade. I even asked for a mannequin to put my clothes on in my room for one Christmas, because that's just how Massie Block does it. Eventually, I grew out of it, and just crossed my fingers that Harrison would write for older audiences soon enough. It took a good five years, but she finally has. The book's premise is pretty standard fare: five high-school overachievers are hiding dark secrets and someone is threatening to uncover them though. What would make this novel unique though, is Lisi Harrison's entertaining narrative and pop culture references. Actual quote from the first page: "Students at Nobel High School were expected to make like a Microsoft and Excel."

Atlantis Rising

In my opinion, there aren't enough Atlantis-based YA novels out there. An ancient civilization that disappeared beneath the waves? That's a book prompt if I ever saw one. The author of this particular Atlantean novel, T.A. Barron is also widely acclaimed for his Merlin series, which I have yet to read, but the critics seem to love it. It was also one of those books that stood tucked away in the corner of the shelf, all by its lonesome, so I figured "Better grab it before I lose track of it."

The City of A Thousand Dolls
I was never a fan of high fantasy set in a quasi-Asian world, mostly because I couldn't get my imagination to dream it all up. Alright, your kingdom is called Hansong, but your characters wear hanboks and are named things like Lord Shin Bo Hyun. It's glaringly obvious that you just made up an alternate universe Korea. I have nothing against that, but I just feel like the authors aren't given as much room for their own creations than if, say, they had a completely made-up world. That opinion changed though when I got hooked on The Last Airbender. I was able to see, visually, how much world-building can still go on even in a universe that was deeply rooted in real cultures. I got this novel in the hopes of expanding my horizon into Asian-based high fantasy, and whet my fangirl appetite while I furiously track down a copy of Season 2 of The Last Airbender.

Fairy Bible
Because every fairytale dreamer needs a glossary of all the kinds of fantastical creatures out there.


and of course, because it's October...

My Book Drought Is Over

You know that feeling you get when you have a ton of books to read, but none catches your attention? That's been me the past week. Until today's trip to Fully Booked (by the way, I've limited my Fully Booked trips to the weekend, because if I don't put a limit, at the rate I'm going, I'll have more books unread than read at home.)! After looking around and finding nothing, I was on my way down when I decided to take one last glance. Then my eyes fell upon this. I've been waiting for the third book of the Katerina trilogy for ages, ever since I gobbled up the first two books sometime last year. So now, with threat of finals looming over me, I'll have turn-of-the-19th century Russia to distract me.

First Book Haul As A College Freshman

After the book hangover I had earlier today (thanks to the Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan), I decided to go to Fully Booked for a new book (even though I have like a hundred waiting back home). Sometimes I visit a bookstore and it's completely dry. No books catch my eye. Today however, it was as if they were almost flying out of their shelves to be nestled in my arms.

Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown
The first Jennifer Brown novel I read was Perfect Escape, which told the story of a teenage boy with OCD from his sister's point-of-view. I absolutely loved it. Jennifer Brown usually takes topics that resonate with today's youth; Thousand Words is about the viral spread of one girl's nude photo originally meant to be seen by just her boyfriend, and the fallout that follows. It'd definitely be interesting reading it from the girl's POV, since we usually immediately label them as sluts or whores (another case of ignorance, I suppose). It's the first book from my haul that I'm tackling, and I can't wait to read about her side of the story.

Strands of Bronze and Gold: The Bluebeard Fairytale Retold by Jane Nickerson
Strands is one of those books I've forever seen floating around on Amazon, Goodreads, or book blogs, but have yet to see in person. Suffice to say, I snapped it right up upon seeing it (last copy too!)

Starstruck by Rachel Shubert

I've probably mentioned this before, but there has been an Anna Godbersen-shaped hole in my heart ever since her Luxe series (about the Age of Innocence) and her Bright Young Things series (about the Jazz Age) ended. I've tried filling it with series like The Flappers by Jillian Larkin, which was good, but not the same. Anna Godbersen herself blurbed Starstruck, which is about 1930s Hollywood, so it's good enough for her, it's good enough for me!

Rush by Eve Silver

Its summary makes this book seem like the next Hunger Games, but only time will tell. There've been way too many dystopian books out there gunning for the top spot, but few are ever really worthy.

The Rose Throne by Mette Ivie Harrison

I'll be honest and say I was not a fan of  M. I. Harrison's The Princess and the Hound, but oh, the summary for The Rose Throne. It had me at its cover, then at its summary: There are princesses and kingdoms involved. That's all it took for me to snatch it up.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

My rekindled love of high fantasy stemmed from my reading of Falling Kingdoms, which was brilliant. Since then, I've been scouring Goodreads for a worthy heir. This book seemed like one, and I was lucky enough to have found FullyBookedFort's sole remaining copy.

Avatar: An Activist Survival Guide by JAMES CAMERON

The piece de resistance! I didn't even know this had already been released, yet there it was, tucked away on a shelf on the fourth floor. I could not contain my smile after finding it. Avatar is one of my favorite films ever; I'm obsessed with it. It's also one of the main reasons I decided to pursue a filmmaking career: I remember James Cameron accepting his Golden Globe for Avatar, and he said, "Everyone in this room has the best job in the world." And I said to myself, "I want to be a part of that. To create stories and tell them like they do."