From the monthly archives: June 2006
I figure it’s time for some serious blogging, aside from reviews. I’ve been talking too much about the things I’ve watched and read lately that this is becoming a review blog.
I’m almost done with my self-imposed vacation, and I shall start my job hunting tomorrow. Well, I’ll start it on Monday, actually, since tomorrow isn’t a business day. But tomorrow, I shall fix my resume, beef up my portfolio a bit and then fix my JobStreet and JobsDB resumes as well. And then it’s work time…or at least, job hunt time.
I make it sound so easy, but you know what? I’m terrified. I still feel like a fish out of the water, a chicken running around with its head cut off. I still feel so inadequate and to think I graduated from one of the top universities in the country.
Rating: 
Kevin Parson is driving his car late one summer day, when, suddenly, his cellphone rings. A man who identifies himself as Slater speaks in a breathy voice: We’re gonna play a little game, Kevin. You have exactly three minutes to confess your sin to the world. Refuse, and the car you’re driving will blow sky high. End call.
Kevin panics. Who would make such a call? What sin? Kevin ditches the car. Precisely three minutes later, a massive explosion sets the world on a collision course with madness.
Let the games begin.
I saw Ted Dekker‘s books October last year during one of our school’s book fair, but I never picked up any of his books because I was (and still am) a solid Frank Peretti fan. I have to admit, I was looking for the standard Peretti formula in other Christian fiction, and as far as I was concerned, only Peretti was worthy of being labeled that.
I got motivated to read Ted Dekker because of, yes, Frank Peretti. My friend told me about Peretti’s collaboration with Dekker on House (to be reviewed next!), and since then, I was curious about his writing. But because he has written so many books already, I didn’t know where to start (plus his books are expensive :p). When I got to the OMF bookstore, I got Thr3e because it was the cheapest Dekker in the store. :P Continue reading »
Rating:
While on a New Year’s Eve vacation, high school hoops star Troy and brainy Gabriella — two teens who are worlds apart — meet. During a karaoke contest they discover their love for singing and interest in each other. After vacation, Troy finds out that Gabriella is the new girl at his school. Troy and Gabriella decide to audition for the upcoming high school musical. Troy’s best friend Chad and Gabriella’s new friend Taylor discourage them from moving forward with their plans. But it’s Ryan and his sister Sharpay — considered the school’s top theatrical talents — who really try to thwart their efforts. Find out how Troy and Gabriella’s decision to audition turns their world and their school upside down! - from Official Website
Aha! High School Musical! ♥ ♥ ♥ How I love thee! :P Okay, I actually got to watch this movie a few weeks earlier than its Asia premiere in Disney Channel. It has been plugged in the said channel almost every day since the start of May, I think, and because I spend most of my day at home as a bum watching Disney, seeing its trailers and previews everywhere got me curious. I got to read a few articles about the movie before watching it, which got me into the hype of really wanting to watch it, since almost all entries and reviews I’ve read more or less gushes about how good a movie it was. I started downloading the soundtrack to get to know the songs and to make me wait until the premiere date. But I felt like June 25 is too far away (especially for a bum like me), and when I heard that my friend Redg has a copy, I immediately asked for one. :P HSM, here we goooo. :)
- It just occured to me that I didn’t really check how this site would look in IE because I’ve always been so used to Firefox. It doesn’t look bad exactly, just a bit…spacey. I must fix that. And work on a new theme as well. But for now, use Firefox! :) I’ll get to IE soon enough.
- I convinced my mom to go to OMF Lit again earlier, so we oculd take advantage of their sale which would end tomorrow. In turn, I got four books! :) Yay!
- Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller – Mixz recommended this book in her blog waaaay back and since then I’ve been on the lookout for it. I’ve seen Blue Like Jazz and I’ve been meaning to get a copy, but I wanted to get this book first. I thought I’d have to ask my dad to buy it for me, but turns out they have it at OMF. Yay!
- Blink by Ted Dekker – I was planning to buy The Circle Trilogy, but I couldn’t find a paperback version of Black. I didn’t want to buy only one book from the trilogy because that would leave me hanging, so I decided to buy Blink instead. Looks good, and from my experience with reading Thr3e, I think I won’t be disappointed in this book.
- Savannah from Savannah by Denise Hildreth – I needed another dose of Christian chicklit, and I was debating between Sisterchicks Down Under and My Life As a Doormat, but nothing quite fit what I wanted. Then i saw this, I liked it. And got it. :) Haha.
- Savannah by the Sea by Denise Hildreth – I just realized that I got the wrong book. Darn, this is the third book in the Savannah series, not the second. Darn it. Oh well, I’m gonna have to find a way to get the second one. Haha. :P At least I have this now, but I’m thinking of not reading this until I get the second one. Hmmm.
- My dad’s going back to Saipan on Sunday. :( Is it just me or is there some kind of sad feeling here at home because of that?
- I applied for my first job today, much thanks to Ganns‘ referral. Now I should get back to working on my portfolio.
Reviews for High School Musical (♥ ♥ ♥ ) and Thr3e coming up this week. :)
Okay, no review for High School Musical (♥ ♥ ♥ ) yet. I’ll have it done later or tomorrow.
I realize how much things look different now that I’m out of school and am about to be employed. Though I still don’t have a definite employer (I’m praying for one though — care to pray with me?). :P Anyway, it’s just that now that school is indefinitely out of the way (who knows if I’ll study again?), I now get to look at other things, such as my family, their health and the future.
I’ve developed this philosophy in life while on my last term in college: I will not make any further plans in my life until I am finished with this part. “This part” is specifically pointed to my thesis. If you have been reading my blog before I erased the entries or if I know you personally, you know how much thesis occupied my time then. I wasn’t sure if I would be graduating on time so I refused to make any plans of what I will do after graduation (thank God I made it through :D I owe it all to Him, as always).
But now that it’s over, I sort of find myself at a bit of loss: what now? I sort of envy those other people who made plans and saw a definite path for their for their future. It’s not that I didn’t see anything for my future; it’s that I didn’t want to jinx anything. And yes, I know I shouldn’t believe in jinxes and all that. I’m three months smarter now, don’t worry. ;)
I was supposed to write a more detailed movie review of High School Musical (♥ ♥ ♥ ) but I’m a bit too tired to write one and I think it deserves a more in-depth and focused review from me. After all, it is my favorite movie. ;) So I’ll get to writing it tomorrow.
I just got home a couple of hours earlier from the Couples for Christ’s 25th Anniversary at Luneta. Because it was raining, we all ended up standing the entire, what, 5 hours since I got there? Not to mention all the walking we did. I acted as a tour guide to my parents and their friends as we rode the Megatren and the LRT to UN Avenue and then they were the ones who led me to Luneta. Then I looked for people I know and ended up staying with my newfound Singles for Christ (SFC) friends. Wait, correction, I decided to hang out with my new SFC friends.
Last night, I became an official SFC. Well, technically, I’ll be an official SFC member in two weeks, but last night was the SFC’s Commitment to Christ ceremony and pray over, which is almost the same as the YFC one. Of course, the big difference this time around was that I didn’t cry as much as I did before. In fact, the pray-over was pretty calm. It didn’t exactly move me to so many emotions; I was just happy to feel loved by the people that God sent to take care of me in SFC. :)
Rating:
Phoebe Grant is everyone’s favorite movie-geek — unbeatable at trivia, convinced that all the world’s a movie screen. She can organize a four-hankie chick-flickathon with a wave of her tall, nonfat, double-mocha. And she’s a shoo-in for the job of her dreams — movie reviewer for the newspaper where she works.
Enter Alex Spencer — not only gorgeous but also a film-buff, perfectly cast for a celluloid kiss and a fade to sunset. Unfortunately, Alex is the villain who sends Phoebe packing to the last place on earth she wants to be — back home to boring little Barley, California.
But wait. It couldn’t be. Dark, handsome and annoying Alex…in Barley?
Can Phoebe protect her hometown — and her heart — and prove It’s a Wonderful Life? Or is her promising future truly Gone With The Wind? – Blurb at the back of the book
The most of Christian fiction that I’ve been exposed to is mostly of Frank Peretti. I like the way he writes because he writes Christian novels in a way that they do not sound like it. He writes with such simplicity that it feels like his novels are true to life.
I never expected that there would be Christian novels that would fall in the chick lit genre. I’ve read a couple of chicklit books (specifically the Shopaholic series) but I don’t really buy them because (1) I don’t know what to buy because there’s so many books under that genre; and (2) most, if not all, are not 100% Pure. So I just resolved to borrowing them instead of buying them (and yes, they are quite expensive).
So I was really surprised to find a Christian chick lit last Friday. Biruin nyo yun. Surprised, curious and excited, if I may add. :) So now let’s go to the review. :P
Just recently, I was re-reading two of the Shopaholic books I own (Shopaholic Takes Manhattan and Shopaholic and Sister) as a result of my current unemployed status. I like reading those books, but to be totally honest, I really couldn’t sympathize as much to the protagonist of the story, Becky Bloomwood/Brandon. I mean, fine, she’s a typical girl who just loves shopping and designer clothes and all that…but I just couldn’t see why she gets soooo fascinated with it. Don’t get me wrong, I love the books; it’s just that I can’t sympathize with Becky.
And then I got to OMF Lit‘s booksale today…and then I saw the Becky in me.
The moment I stepped inside the bookstore, I knew for sure my eyes lit up. The first time that I’ve been surrounded by so many Christian books was when I was in the book fair last year at the World Trade Center. Tuesday, Bea, Engel and I probably spent an hour ogling at the books at the OMF Lit section. We were so noisy there that the OMF people got to know us (plus we were wearing nametags then :P). I heard about OMF Lit’s sale for this month and I was really planning to go to it before the sale ends. Then yesterday, I got an email from the Against the Flow groups and the special promo for this week is for Christian Fiction — 30% Off on ALL Christian Fiction. As in Ted Dekker. As in Tim LaHaye. As in Francine Rivers. And as in Frank Peretti, my favorite author of all time. When I heard that, I knew I had to go! And the sale was only until tomorrow! Waaaah!
Thank God for friends like Jomar, who also loves the kinds of books I read. After returning my toga this morning, I headed over to Boni Avenue to go to OMF…and like I said, the moment I entered the bookstore, I was immediately transported into book heaven. Haaaay, it was amazing! I mean, I love books, but being in a place where I could buy Christian books — moreover, Christian fiction! If I loved staying in Shepherd’s Staff for more than an hour, I’d love to spend the day in that bookstore! Haha. :P
Anyway, so I got there and immediately took This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness for Tuesday, and then browsed around. And here are the books I got for myself:
I’ve been a fan of Christian music* ever since I got exposed to Out of Eden and Jars of Clay. Ever since then, I’ve been expanding my library of music through CDs bought, mp3 downloads (looks around guiltily — yes, like the rest of the world, I do this as well) and shared mp3s from friends. Because of that, I hardly ever listen to the radio anymore, unless of course the station is playing the same music I listen to.
Anyway, I do Christian music reviews for FiSH magazine (a local Catholic teen magazine), and I figured I could do this here as well, since this is my blog. Plus it would also help spread the knowledge of these artists in the country, which I personally think this country needs. ;) Haha.
* I know there’s no such term as Christian music because anything that is sung for Him is considered Christian music. But I can’t think of a proper term for this. Any help? :)
Rating:
I first heard of Building 429 from Yahoo! Messenger’s LaunchCast, and that song was Glory Defined. Since I was (and still) on dial up, it was kind of hard to appreciate the song because the airplay was choppy — it would stop around every line and pick up again. I liked it though, and liked it even more when I got a copy of the song through my friend’s mp3 library. Eventually, I got to listen to all their songs and here comes band appreciation time.
Building 429 is composed of four male members, namely Jason Roy (vocals/guitar — amazing vocals, if I may add), Scotty Beshears (bass), Michael Anderson (drums) and Jesse Garcia (guitar/keyboards). The group got its name from Ephesians 4:29: “Do not let even one bad word come from your mouth, but only good words that will encourage when necessary and be helpful to those who hear.” They got the verse number, and added the word “Building” because as the verse says, we’re meant to build each other up, not tear one another down.
Their songs are full of mean guitar riffs, heavy vocals and somewhat simple and quite predictable lyrics. They’re heavy on the rock genre; in fact, even their ballads still sound quite rock. Their lyrics are quite simple (i.e. All I really want to do is to fall into the emptiness that is the space in between us, to break this division – Space In Between Us; Lift me up above it all, I’m feeling broken and alone, don’t let me turn to stone – Above it All; No one ever knew you the way I do, never saw the man you’d be when they laughed at the awkward kid - Rise) and sometimes predictable — by predictable, it means that the song lyrics presents its meaning to you immediately. No need for heavy thinking and line per line analysis (something that Jars of Clay is pretty good at, if I might add). Their songs are also quite anthemic (thank you, ChristianMusicToday.com), meaning their verses are a bit longer than songs by other artists. This particular characteristic made their albums get low reviews in the aforementioned website.
“I want you to live a life as free of complications as possible. When you’re unmarried, you’re free to concentrate on simply pleasing the Master..the time and energy that married people spend on caring and nurturing each other, the unmarried can spend in becoming whole and holy instruments of God. I’m trying to be helpful and make it as easy as possible for you, not make things harder. All I want is for you to be able to develop a way of life in which you can spend plenty of time with the Master without a lot of distractions.”
- St. Paul, 1 Corinthians 7:32, 34-35 (The Message)
A lot of people already know about this about me, but in case you don’t know, I’m part of the “highly prestigious” club of NBSB: No Boyfriend Since Birth. I’m also the founding member of MAMS: Mabuhay Ang Mga Single, which I started Valentine’s Day 2004. I’ve pretty much been a single all my life, and I’ve never had any guy I like pay attention to me that way or at least seem to reciprocate what I’m feeling. At least, I think so.
Loser, eh? I’ve more or less accepted that. I don’t know what’s in me that does not seem to be attractive enough to make the guys I like to like me back. Or have someone like me, period. Have you ever wondered about that? If you’re in the same situation as I am, I’m pretty sure you’ve thought about that. I remember asking a friend once, during one of my emotional periods: “You told me I chose the right man…but why doesn’t the right man choose me?”
