Pocket-sized Philosophy

to my four awesome readers: sorry i have not posted in sooooo long, haha. i've had acads and stuff,and like, life... :))  anyway...

i have been obsessed with Paulo Coelho books recently. i mean i know, i feel backwards because i just started reading his books, but hey, better late than never, so...

i started on The Fifth Mountain first (i got it on a sale, shh) and it was just so... captivating. there's no other word for it. it was dramatic, descriptive, a little melancholy, hopeful, just the perfect mix of everything. once you start, you can't turn away from the page. plus, it's something worth your time; you're not just reading for pleasure, but for spiritual growth. (yeah, i just said that)

it's basically like going through Philo 101 with Coelho, but in a fun way. or i guess, in a funner way. funner? more fun?

anyway, yeah... so my favorite is The Alchemist. isn't it everyone's? it's like EVERY SINGLE QUOTE is meant for you. like really, it's awesome. haha, i should be more descriptive, but there you go. it reminds me of my favorite book, The Little Prince. :)

if it's your first time reading Coelho (i doubt it, but just in case you're backwards like i am), i'd suggest The Alchemist. it's about your destiny, and pursuing it, and all the awesome stuff. i won't spoil it now. :D

so yeah, go on ahead and explore life with Paulo Coelho! you won't regret it. ;)

the entire collection. miiiiiine!!! :))

Happy Hunger Games! And May The Odds...

be EVER in your favor.

The three leads in the movie:  Liam Hemsworth, Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson

okay, so The Hunger Games. i first heard of this series last January (i know, i know, pitiful), when Ginny Goodwin (of Once Upon A Time, eeep!) mentioned it in an interview, alongside Harry Potter, as one of her favorite series. i thought i'd check it out, but since this is the Philippines, and i'm in Bicol, i couldn't really find the books anywhere (or anywhere in our ONE bookstore in Legaspi, anyway).

THEN i saw Taylor Swift's new song Safe and Sound in February and it was part of the OST of the movie adaptation of the series, and so my curiosity got rekindled, because this seemed to be a high-budget film. and they wouldn't spend money on a crappy story line, right? so i pleaded with all my might to my cousin to find it in Manila so she could send it to me before the showing (i like to read first before watching, if you know what i mean).

Taylor Swift in the Safe and Sound Music Video

So by March 9, i was reading The Hunger Games, and by March 10 i was finishing Mockingjay. and OHMYGODS they were addicting. not as addicting as Harry Potter or Percy Jackson, but the series really touched me, especially the way Katniss was narrating her story. it was the PERFECT mix of violence, drama and love, if i could say so myself, haha. xD not that i know much of violence... it was probably why teenagers appreciated the series so much. :))

The Hunger Games Trilogy

why do i love it? hmm.. well, i guess because if there is one thing i hate, it's the unfairness of this world. (is that a word, "unfairness"? guess so, my computer didn't check it...) and what could be more unfair than a dystopian future where everything went wrong? i just couldn't help shouting for change (you know, metaphorically) alongside Katniss, because i wanted so much to end the Hunger Games that caused so much hurt to the remaining humans. and of course, there's Peeta. enough said. :)

Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark

if i had to pick my favorite book among the series, i would have to pick The Hunger Games, because:

(spoiler alert)

1. Catching Fire was DEPRESSING.
2. Mockingjay was EVEN MORE DEPRESSING, and i can't handle that much depression in my life.

of course, Mockingjay made it up on the depressing part when Peeta and Katniss got married. it was like, the only happy ending there, besides Annie having a child and Haymitch living with Peeta and Katniss in District 12 (wait, is that really a happy ending?).

anyway, so after i read the series, i couldn't wait to watch the movie, but unfortunately i got sick, so i couldn't watch it until the 28th (sorry, telling my life story here). so yeah,  i have to applaud Gary Ross for directing a wonderful movie. it couldn't have been more faithful to the book. there were minor changes to the story line, but they don't really matter to me much (except perhaps Madge's absence), because the actors played their characters perfectly, especially the two leads, Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson. they were just awesome! :)

i am so excited for Catching Fire. i hope it (or Part 1) is as awesome as The Hunger Games.

the mockinjay pin

wow, this post is really long. :/ haha, hope you enjoyed reading. :)) oh, and:

LONG LIVE THE MOCKINGJAY! ;)

fixed the font... FINALLY.

so my font is not Comic Sans anymore... hooray for me, i guess. oh well, i just had to say that. :)

why is my font suddenly Comic Sans?

does this have anything to do with my Bob Ong obsession? i don't get it.. :/ it just changed automatically. weird...

Elementary! :)

well, i have been addicted to Sherlock Holmes for the past three years, but i have read a book called The Sherlockian by Graham Moore, and it rekindled my passion for the SH canon.

i have to say, Moore has a really believable Victorian era prose... the way he narrated the events in Arthur Conan Doyle's life was quite realistic... like Arthur was the one writing the words himself. i loved reading those parts...

but his modern prose was a bit weak, i think. it would never have kept me reading if the chapters were not alternating between the Victorian era and modern England. but the mystery was nice, even though it was a bit predictable.

however, like i said, it did bring back my love for the Sherlock Holmes series, and i started to read The Hound of the Baskervilles again. i strongly suggest it to mystery lovers, and even mystery haters, i guess... everyone loves The Hound of the Baskervilles. it's probably Conan Doyle's best work. ever.

my favorite detective. :D

Currently Addicted to Bob Ong's Books Right Now.

sorry for not blogging for the last... erm-i-didn't-really-keep-count weeks. i was busy, you know.. Christmas Vacation doesn't last forever.

anyway, Bob Ong...

if you're Filipino and you haven't heard of him, you must be living under a rock. i kinda did until about two years ago when my cousin introduced BO's (yes, that's his initials) seventh book, Kapitan Sino (roughly translated to English as "Captain Who").

I was 14 and i didn't really care about it at first because, well, (and i'm embarrassed to say  this) it's written in Filipino. But after about two months, i read his fifth book, Stainless Longganisa (a parody to skinless longganisa), and it was all about writing. and i have to say, it truly, truly inspired me. it actually got me started on writing. :)

after that, the rest was a blur. i read his first and second book, but... got sidetracked with Percy Jackson as you very well know.

then two years after, i saw his ninth book, "Lumayo Ka Nga Sa Akin" ("Get Away From Me") just this Christmas, and did i LAUGH at the cover. it looked like a pocketbook, for crying out loud! i was laughing my pants off for the rest of the day (don't worry, Bob, i actually bought the book).

it was sort of an insult... no, that's too strong a word... kind of like a parody of three kinds of Filipino movies: action, horror, and romance. it was hilarious, of course, but as usual, it was accompanied by this sort of sad wish for the readers to put a stop to the seemingly idiotic way Filipinos prefer to watch movies.

in three days i have finished 8 out of 9 of his books. i wish i can go and buy Ang Alamat ng Gubat now.. :( that's how addictive they are.

and you know what? my favorite, ironically, is the one i wasn't interested in to read at first: Kapitan Sino. it just shows Bob can be versatile, you know? ;) (to all BO readers, you know what i'm talking about.

They Walk Among Us... Do they, really? - "I Am Number Four"

Oh gosh. here i go. :)

so i got curious about this book since i never saw the movie (i know, i kind of live under a rock), so i bought it last week and i gotta say: i wasn't hooked eventually. i thought the narration of the death of Three was going to go on forever, and it just seemed so awfully grim.

but eventually, Four began to tell his story, and my face was like this close to the page all day until i finished it. i have to say, i have always been curious about aliens ever since i could remember... since i watched ROSWELL, i think.

anyway, so here's what i think: the story is so believable, i have a hard time believing it's fiction. i mean, it has this logic that is at par with the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series (which i'm going to write about one of these days because it's my ultimate favorite), and i really admire Pittacus Lore for doing that "leader of the Elders" thing. i wonder why he did that, though. why pretend to be an alien if you can get the credit for being the author of a great series? ah, well, only he knows that, i guess.

so yeah, it was definitely... hmm.. interesting. it kept me glued and everything for something that's not that humorous.

something that annoyed me a bit was the love story. i dunno, i guess there's just too much kissing, it's really gooey. haha, i'm babbling. it was nice the way Four found his first love in the human race, though. and Sarah was definitely deserving. :)

the message was clear enough, i guess: take care of Mother Earth, while there's still time. :) i definitely applaud Pittacus for that. who knows? maybe, in time, like Lorien, she'll give us superpowers in return. ;)