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."

Written In The Stars

Today was the first day of Ateneo's RecWeek, when you can sign up for orgs. Last year, before I took my LOA, I was involved with Tanghalang Ateneo, which I really loved. The people were so nice, and I had so much fun just being in the theatre environment. The only things I wasn't particularly interested in were the actual plays. I mean, I wasn't familiar with any of them, so I couldn't really muster any excitement for them. BlueRep, the other theater company of Ateneo, kickstarted its season with 13, a musical I had previously done during my Trumpets days, and had a special place in my heart for. It was a classic case of the grass being greener on the other side.

So this year, I was completely torn with which company to join. The familiarity of Tanghalang Ateneo? Or BlueRep, which put on shows I was actually familiar with and loved? My question was answered, forgive the pun (which you'll understand in a second), lightning fast. Upon reading the Org Guide, I found out about what shows TA was putting on this year: Greek plays.

GREEK PLAYS. 

I just want to add that the book I'm reading at the moment is The Mark of Athena (from the Percy Jackson saga). It was like kismet. That was it, bam, question answered, TA it is. I was even more convinced when I was filling out the application and read the bonus question: If you could be a Greek god, who would you be and why? Oh, the possibilities.

Now I'm all pepped up for this school year. This fresh start thing isn't so bad.