Writing is one of my biggest weaknesses along with adding and subtracting fractions. Nevertheless, I really want to excel on it so throughout these years I practiced. But after n years, I’m still not the next J.K. Rowling like what I aspire to be. An author who can touch millions of lives through her stories.
Back in college, I was surrounded by friends that write essays and papers like it was a piece of cake. As for me, writing is a week-long event. Sometimes even longer than that. I have to research first then read the material. After that I have to make an outline. Then this is the time that I can be ready to write. Slowly. Like a tortoise crawling through the sandy beach to get to the sea. And still not getting there.
It’s even worse when I have to write essays during exams. I know what to write but I don’t know how to write it. This is a huge problem because my course was heavy on theories and usually, you have to write essays in order to explain them. The most hurtful comment I got from one of my favorite professors was “What is this?!”. Yes, complete with the red ink and the question mark combined with the exclamation point.
Obviously, this took a toll on my grades. Believe it or not, I’m fine with it. The thing is, I don’t want to write papers that explains how St Augustine’s City of God applies to our country’s current social construct. I don’t want to sound stiff and scholarly and boring. I want to be a writer that moves people. When people read my work, I want them to laugh, cry or even get mad. I want them to be inspired. I want to write beautiful words that create beautiful stories that can transcend through time.
I’m still not able to reach this dream because first, I think that the way I was expected to write was to sound smart, stiff and scholarly. So I got stuck inside that box. Second, I’m ashamed of my work. I always say that I embrace criticism like it’s a gift. But on my writing, it’s a different discussion. I don’t remember a time that I willingly handed my paper to a friend so that she or he can proof read it.
In order for me to progress, I have to start somewhere. Right? What I did was I started a blog. I figured that if I write an entry a week, I’m bound to improve my writing skills. Plus, I joined a writing workshop! This is a big step for me because I’m weird with people especially to those I meet for the first time. But still I toughened myself up and went through with it.
One of the things that I learned at the workshop was that writing is a platform of ideas. This thought reinforced the desire with in me to be the best writer I can be. To be able to share my ideas and learn ideas from others is a dream come true. I have always wanted to be somewhere knowledge and information grows like a seed that matures into a majestic tree. And writing gives me this place, this corner in my life where I can just say what I want and be able to share it with people.
True, I’m still not the best author in town. I haven’t as much wrote a single story ever. But every person needs to take the first step in order to reach their goals. And this is me taking that first step. This is me sharing myself to you. Writing is opening yourself to the world and believing that you are worthy for it.
So stop procrastinating. Stop staring at that blank page. Stop waiting for an inspiration. Let the inspiration be you.
Punta Tayo Sa Laguna: Carayan Resort and Liliw, Laguna
Check out the first part of my Laguna Adventure!
We were really tired because of the 5 hour drive to Taytay Falls and the swimming at the falls itself. It's a good thing that I have booked a cottage for us in Carayan Resort located in Majayjay, Laguna before hand.
It was a short 45 mins to 1 hour drive from Taytay Falls to Carayan Resort. Before going there I was with constant communication with Ms. Geraldine who is a really accomodating and an approachable staff. We learned that the place was fully booked for the night so we were really thankful that the staff waited for us until we got there.
I booked the Vincent cottage for us. According on the website, this cottage has 6 beds with no AC. It costed 1.2k which I think is really cheap for a 6 bed cottage with no minimum or maximum number of occupants. And it is worth more than we paid for. The pictures on the website did not do justice on how the cottage really looks like. It was really huge and contained 2 twin beds, 1 double deck and 1 queen sized bed on a separate room. It is safe to say that we were really happy and satisfied with the room.
Since we arrived at Carayan Resort late at night, we decided that we should just cook our dinner (the bbq from the suki market and Ate Pat's adobo and inihaw na tilapia), eat then turn in for a good night's sleep.
In the morning, we enjoyed the the pool and the river beside the resort. The pool was okay. There was one at the lower level near our cottage and another one near the parking lot. The river was a struggle. In order to get to the river, you to go down rickety stairs then pass through rocks. The river itself is very rocky. The water is clear and cool although you can see different kinds of garbage.
Before lunch, we left Carayan Resort and headed out to our Laguna adventure! We first dropped by at Liwliw, Laguna - the home of all things shoes. I swear! Everyturn of the head all you can see are shoes, shoes and shoes! Some bags then more shoes! So what would a sensible girl like I am would do? Of course, I bought a pair of shoes only for 350 pesos. Also, we were lucky enough to see a display of umbrellas on the street. It was so amazing.
Then we went inside St. John the Baptist Parish Church. I am not a religious person but I know how to appreciate a good architecture and design. The outside of the structure was in bricks while the floors were tiled with an awesome pattern. Here are some pictures of the church.
After Liliw, we went to the Japanes Garden near the Caliraya Lake. The park was really refreshing because of the trees. But since we went there around three in tne afternoon, it was really hot. Then we have to climb up the to the peak in order to see the mountain view of Laguna.
After this, we decided to eat lunch at a Chinese Restaurant then head home to Manila.
Even though this trip was originally plannea to be a barkada trip, I'm still glad that it pushed through. I was able to meet new people (Hi Ate Mich and Ate Pats!) and take advantage of the luxury of their care haha. Plus, I was able to explore the rest of Laguna.
'Til next time!
Punta Tayo Sa Laguna: Taytay Falls, Majayjay, Laguna
One thing about me is that I like planning. So this summer season, I organized a summer getaway for me and my friends. The destination is Taytay Falls, Majayjay, Laguna. Our pack started at nine then ended up at three. Most of my friends canceled. This left me feeling really sad because in the first place I don't really like going to adventure type vacations. I'm more of a lay back beach person. And I really wanted to go Puerto Galera. We just settled with Taytay Falls because the friends have financial restrictions. And this article boasted of low cost itinerary for Taytay Falls.
To cut the story short, us three and two of my friend's Ates went anyway. Actually, it was a blessing in disguise because we had the luxury of a priavate car and Ates’ love and care. Haha.
First, we went to Suki Market in Mayon St., QC to buy food. I have to say this market is slamming. We bought 20 sticks of BBQ for only 200 pesos. Plus, the selection in the market is really good.
Then we made our way to Majayjay, Laguna. It was a five hour drive. It's like going to Baguio, only hotter. I think if one chooses to commute to Taytay Falls from Manila, it would be really hard. You have to transfer from a bus to a jeep to Liliw then another jeep to Tatay according to one of the vendors at the parking area.
When we got there, we payed 20 pesos for the entrance fee. Before getting to the actual falls, you have to walk a short distance. It was a really nice experience because you will feel like walking through a forest without actually doing the strenuous trek.
And at last, Taytay Falls! The five hour drive was really worth it. The water was really really cold and really refreshing.
Just beware because there are really many tourists this time of the year. The area around the falls looked like a tent city. Most of the tourists opt to bring their own tents so they can spend the night in the falls. You can also rent one at the site. If you are not a fan of roughing it out, worry not because there are some lodging available in Taytay Falls.
Also, there are food stalls at the parking area. There are also souvenir shops around so you can buy your own memorabilia of your experience. I bought this cute little tsinelas for my ref magnet collection.
We only stayed approximately two hours in the falls because we got there late at the afternoon. I reserved a room at Carayan Resort where we can rest for the evening. But since this post is really long. I'll just write a separate post for the rest of my Laguna Adventure. I’ll just leave you a picture of my Taytay Falls travel buddies. Stay tuned!
Summer is finally here! Our country receives so much of UV since we are13 degrees north of the equator where the Earth receives most of the sunlight. Plus with all of the climate change stuff (it is definitely true, don't ever deny), we experience too much heat throughout the day.
So we better equip ourselves with essential skincare products that will protect our skin from the sun. And my go to product for this battle is Snoe's Here Comes The Sun Block.
I have been using this product for more than a year now. I started using Snoe's Here Comes The Sun Block not because it was summer but because I had acne problems. It prides itself of moisturizing and whitening the skin. And the thing that really caught my eyes is that it claims to prevent and reduce acne scars. For as long as I've been using this product, I can confidently say that it actually does.
My acne has considerably lightened and I don't experience breakouts anymore except when that time of the month comes. My skin is really oily specially in the nose area and Snoe's Here Comes The Sun Block may have taken a part in keeping the oil at bay. However, since we have different skin types and health situations results may vary for you if you use this product. Plus, I am also using other products that contributed in solving my problem. Despite saying this, I still highly recommend you to buy this product because it's a life saver. You will only cough up Php 245 and your pimple acne problems might end.
For Php 245, Snoe's Here Comes The SunBlock does not only stay true in its acne treating claims but it also do loads of other stuff. It can serve as a base for your make-up because it really does instantly whitens your face. This the reason why you should be careful when you use it. Make sure that you don't use a lot of it on your face because you might look like a ghost.
When I don't really have to put full make-up on or if I'm feeling lazy, I just put Snoe's Here Comes The Sun Block and some blush on my face then I'm ready to go. Also, it's SPF 45. It protects your skin from the sun and moisturizes it at the same time. And since I only use this in my face, one bottle can last a whole year.
Furthermore, it's proudly Philippine made, paraben-free and organic! You get to help fellow country men while your skin remains healthy. So when your current bottle of sun block runs out, make sure to go to nearest Snoe stall (mostly they are located in Ayala Malls) to get Here Comes The Sun Block!
I don't usually watch movies in cinemas because I don't really want to spend 200 php or more for a two-hour show that might be a disappointment and end up as a complete waste of money. I even only watched one 3D film (it costs 300 php at that time) because it was Harry Potter's last film installment. So I catch movies in cable channels such as HBO and Star Movies a year after the movies come out of the big screen. Just recently, I watched Divergent Shailene Woodley as Beatrice Prior and Theo James as Four or Tobias Easton.
And I actually liked it. I don't normally have a liking to books turned into films especially those which belong to a series. This is because I am very loyal to Harry Potter. To me, Harry Potter is the best out there and nothing can compare to its brilliance.
But since the Divergent movie intrigued me, I decided to read all of the three books in the series: Divergent, Insurgent and Allegiant. And I am going to make a review of all of them in this entry.
Synopsis: Beatrice Prior only knows one way of life - the way of Abnegation. However, when she is given the chance to change her life like any other sixteen year old in her city, will she choose to stay with her family and remain in Abnegation or follow her heart to Dauntless?
At first, I liked the story because of its similarity with a concept of Plato in which each person is born into a certain element: bronze, silver and gold. But, of course, the plot of the Divergent trilogy expanded outside the Plato way of thinking. And I kinda got bored after that.
A common theme in all of the three books is that the protagonists, Tris and Four, wants to escape the lie of a society that they are in. In Divergent, they want to make right the wrongs inside the Dauntless faction as it teams up with Erudite. In Insurgent, they want to get out of their city as it hosts the fight between the factionless and those who wants to stay in their factions. And in Allegiant, they want to escape the Bureau and its ideals. As you can observe, the perspective only became general and it is quite repetitive and tiring.
What I like in the Divergent trilogy is how real the relationship of Tris and Four feels. Even though they are train to be ruthless killers and can kick anyone's ass eyes closed, they are still vulnerable to normal human feelings like hurt, betrayal and adoration. It made the story grounded. It made the story closer to reality.
My favorite book out of the trilogy is Insurgent becuase it centered in finding the truth. Although the truth was revealed to be a total lie in Allegiant, the journey in obtaining it is worth the read. Also, in this book we can know more about how people in other factions are like.
I rate this book 3.5 stars. It has great action and can push you to think on the possibilities of the future. On how far can the human race go in order to perfect our society and how far can the people in it blows it all up again.
This show started back when I was a senior in high school. It excited me becaus I was - is really into music. I liked theater music especially because it combined singing, dancing and acting. The triple threat. All of which you can find in this show. Sadly, just last March 21, Glee has officially aired its last and final episode.
I didn't really had the time or the resources to watch American shows but Glee was an exception. I usually stick with shows that airs on cable TV but Glee made me get up at around midnight when our internet connection was in its fastest to download an episode so I can watch it over and over again. My cellphone and palmtop was dominated by songs covered in Glee. My favorites were Faithfully (which I think is the ultimate duet of Finchel) and Fat Bottomed Girls (one word: Puck). The show introduced me to songs that I wouldn't normally listen to while keeping me up to date with the most popular songs of my time.
But what I like most about Glee is that it taught me to be inspired. I was never an underdog like most of the main characters are but I led an uninspired life. I just do what people usually do. Don't get me wrong. I did not become what I really wanted to be or do what I really wanna do. I am still young and have plenty of time to reach my goals. What I am saying is that Glee reminds me to hold on to my dreams and with hard work I can and I will be living the life I want to have.
I did not watch Glee regiously because let's face it, the show had its own share of crappy moments. But whenever I watch it, I can still feel how genuine the actors are. I saw how Glee has really became a part of their lives and shaped them into the person they are today. And as a Gleek, I was a part of it all. I felt disgusted when Quinn made Finn believe that Beth was his baby. I didn't know what to feel that time when Mercedes had a crush on Kurt. My heart skipped when Finn first said I love you to Rachel. My heart melted when Puck sang Beth to Quinn. I felt rejected when Blaine said that he didn't like Kurt back. I actually like Mr. Schue's attempt on rapping. I hate Brody. I was pumping my fist when Finn gave his we are endgame speech to Rachel. And I was utterly in denial when I first heard that Cory passed away.
On Glee's last episode, I was really pleased that Rachel ended up with Jesse. I think that he was the best bet to fill up the Finn sized hole in Rachel's heart. It was a really great ending to a really great show. It was nothing like How I Met Your Mother's very disappointing series finale. It felt like when FRIENDS ended. Everybody was happy in their places but it still felt realistic. It still felt true and satisfying.
I did not write this entry to make a review about Glee's performance. I am writing this to say that Glee is not perfect and so are we. It embodied how life is amidst all the extraordinary talent and over the top performances. Life sucks but we always try to make it wonderful. Glee has been and forever will be a reminder for us to don't stop believing.
Sometimes when I go home I pass by the mall because it's more convenient even though it costs me 10 pesos more on transportation. One day, while I was walking in the people packed isles of SM Fairview, I happen to pass by a bookstore waiting for its opening day. The store's construction was not finished. It does not even have the glass walls yet. But still I went to poke around. And guess what? It was National Bookstore! And what's even better than that? Books are on sale! Like 50 - 70% off! Eragon paperbacks are only 150 Php each!
So what did I do? With sparkle in my eyes, I looked at every book and picked what I would buy. After an hour, I have four books wrapped with brown paper clutched by my hands.
And one of them books is the Bewitching by Alex Flinn which is what I'm going to review for today.
Synopsis: Kendra is not your typical kind of witch although she sure looks like one. All through her life, she made sure to extend the strength of her magical powers in doing good. But not all good things goes unpunished. Now that she's attending high school, Emma, a fellow highschooler, with an evil step sister has caught her attention. Will she meddle in Emma's problems or will she choose to stay back and watch Emma suffer?
Alex Flinn is known for her retold stories of classic fairytales such as Rapunzel. I have already read Beastly, an adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. And even watched the film adaptation which I think is not that good.
In Bewitching, Flinn gave us the background story of Kendra _ who is also the witch in Beastly. I like that Flinn decided to write a whole novel about Kendra because she really is quite the character. A seemingly evil person with a golden heart and sass of the sassiest person in Earth.
If you like history, I bet that you will like this book. Kendra's life was told side by side with historical events such as the sinking of the Titanic. In these events, Kendra did a great deal in helping the main characters to find happines but sadly, all of them failed. This is why Kendra is unsure in helping Emma.
Emma's life was normal until the day her step father announced that her step sister, Lily, is going to move at their house. At first, she was wary of Lily but learned to like and even adore her. However, Lily turned out to be an evil step sister. When she achieved popularity, she ditched Emma and even stole Emma's boyfriend.
What's good in this novel is that you read two stories in one book. You get to know Kendra even deeper while you wonder what's gonna happen in Emma's life. Even though Emma's part of the story is the typical - I'm ugly, she's pretty, my life sucks but oh someone liked me still plot, Kendra's point of view makes the novel enjoyable.
I give this book 4 stars. Alex Flinn is a genius in writing wonderful retold classic fairytales. I like the story and especially Kendra's character. The novel was very well written and has clear voice of each of the characters.
It has been so long since I've written in this blog. Blame it on my outrageously slow internet connection which I ended up cutting or my laziness or my very poor writing skills.
Since my last post, there has been much that happened in my life. First, I graduated college. It was both a victorious and a sad moment. Victorious because at last after 18 years of studying I am free of homeworks and essays and recitations and exams. Sad because I didn't know what to do with my life anymore. Plus, I really liked studying and the knowledge I get from it.
Then, I got a job! I work as a climate change lecturer for a company. It's a nice job. Not good, not bad just nice. I teach kids how to save the environment and I get to travel all around the Philippines. A perfect job as I transition out of sheltered college life into the very real world. While I figure out what to do next - get a Master's degree or a second degree or look for a job that I really want.
So now that I have kinda settled in on my job, I decided to revive my blog once again. My office got a steady internet coonection. I get to use abuse it, right? And I go to all these places, its a shame if I don't share it. Plus, I got all these face stuff that I really really wanna rave about so you can use 'em as well.
I hope I can maintain a continuous stream of blog posts from now on. Wish me luck!
I always say that I love my friends more than I love my sour gummy worms. And believe me, I love 'em to death. Re-collecting my experiences from my friendships, I present to you 20 Ways You Can Be The Best Friend Ever!
We can never know when our friend needs us, so let us always make sure to call them and check up on them regularly. And with Globe, we can access our friends and loved ones easier! With GoUnli20, it’s now easy to call without a need for a prefix and it’s just P20 for unli calls, 15mb of mobile surfing, and 20 texts to all networks! Kaya if you need a friend, don’t call me, I’ll call you!
So what are you waiting for? Pick up your phone and call your friends now!
For more details: http://www.globe.com.ph/prepaid/gounli20
Sup guise! Sorry I was MIA for so long. Graduation events have just ended and I am now unemployed. Thus, I'm busy looking for a job.
In other news, I went to Dipolog to visit family for a few days last April. It was a wonderful experience since it was my first time to fly plus I got to meet family. I have to note that my first flying experience was a breeze thanks to PAL. You guys do a good job in your business. Here's a view from my seat in the airplane :)
I traveled for 3 hours from Dipolog City to Barangay Bobongan in Labason, Zamboanga del Norte to get to my family's residence. The beach is just located behind my family's house. It was so beautiful plus there's no people swimming around. You can really get privacy and quiet time.
Meet my skinny brother chillin' with the waves.
Watch out for the rest of my ZaNorte adventures! Have a happy summer!
Summer has officially arrived! To welcome the heat me and my friends decided to cool off by eating everyone's favorite dessert: ice cream. As we look around Robinsons Place Manila, we stumbled upon Ice Master - a small store which sells mostly ice cream varieties and some savory food like pizzas.
Since we were hungry we first ordered pizza. Ice Master offers a collection of different flavors but we decided to buy Creamy Cheese and Chicken Barbeque (pictured below). Beware that the Creamy Cheese flavor was not creamy because of the cheese. Condensed milk was incorporated in the pizza sauce so it tasted sweet. Chicken Barbeque was kinda scary to look at the first time. However, it turned out tasting really good. I have to say that I liked it better than Creamy Cheese.
And now for the main event - the ice cream! We tried out most of the flavors of the their Snow Ice Temptations. And it was good.
Snow Ice with Fresh Strawberry and Sorbet (210 Php)
Choco Snow Ice with Waffer and Choco Ice Cream (180 Php)
Snow Ice with Fresh Kiwi, Mango, Strawberry and Sorbet (225 Php)
Peanut Snow Ice with Fresh Banana, Oreo, Choco Syrup and Choco Ice Cream (195 Php)
I liked the Peanut and the Kiwi (not pictured) flavors the best. The Peanut snow ice tasted like Choc Nut. The bananas is also a great addition to the mix. But my top pick is Snow Ice with Fresh Kiwi and Sorbet. After eating at Ice Master, I felt so refreshed and energized. Although eating fresh fruits and ice cream is a good way to beat the summer heat, it is still encouraged to drink lots of water.
If you want to visit Ice Master, here is the rest of the flavors in their Snow Ice Temptations snow ice collection.
Hello you guise! I'm back… for now. I know I promised to share to you my Binondo adventure with my friend, KG, but I am not done with thesis stuff. So I decided to postpone that blog entry and write about my Wicked experience instead!
I have mentioned in my previous post that my Tito in Canada has so generously bought me a ticket for Wicked. I was so happy and nearly cried. When I learned that Wicked was coming to the Philippines, I planned to watch the musical but when the prices came out my heart sunk because I can’t afford it. So when my Tito said that he is gonna pay for my ticket I was really ecstatic.
I watched Wicked: The Untold Stories of the Witches of Oz in CCP Main Theater on March 6 at its Gala performance. It was performed by an Australian theatre company headlined by Jemma Rix as Elphaba and Suzie Mathers as Galinda (GA-linda) later renamed as Glinda.
I went to the theater quite early at about 6 in the evening so I can take pictures of other Wicked attractions inside CCP.
You can buy assorted Wicked souvenirs at the Oz Dust Boutique. There are shirts (500 - 1000 Php), mugs (600 Php), cap (600 Php), playbill (500 Php), keychains (300 Php) and the musical's poster (100 Php). I bought a purple Wicked shirt and a poster that I am planning to frame. And I have to say, the attendants were so friendly and accommodating. They made my buying experience a breeze. The musical's soundtrack and playbill were also sold right inside the main theater.
There was also an exhibit at the second floor where you can read facts about Wicked. There is a map of Oz and pictures of some of the performances. At the same floor, there is a mini Oz Dust Boutique where you can buy your Wicked needs.
Here is the ever famous Wicked Wall wherein viewers may sign their eternal amazement and love for Wicked.
For the Gala performance, the shows starts at 7:30 pm and the doors open at 7pm. So when 7pm was nearing I went up stairs (my ticket was in Balcony II). I was so excited that I was the first in my line. Haha. When I stepped in the Main Theatre, I was so enthralled. The set was superb and the atmosphere was breathtaking. It was so magical.
Here is a view from my seat in Balcony II. The eyes of the big dragon at the top of the set flashes red whenever there is something bad happens. If you can see the faint green light at the center of the Oz map, that signifies the location of Emerald City. My seatmates were 311 and 312 who were a tandem of a posh lolo and his posh apo(?) and 309 and 310 who were a couple.
Now on the performance. While others deemed "Defying Gravity" their favorite part of the performance (even 309 can't help humming the tune during the interval),I would like to go a little astray from the flock. My favorite part was "No Good Deed". This song is performed when Elphaba was, at last, fed up of doing good deeds. It starts with a magical incantation sang by Elphaba to save Fiyero from death. It signifies Elphaba's decision to become the Wicked Witch of the West. The production that goes with this number was so wicked. There were smoke machines and the part that I like the best was the purple smoke. It was magically wicked.
To cap off my Wickedly Wicked Experience, I will share to you my top 5 parts to look out for during the performance incase you catch the musical in the future or in other countries.
Thanks so much Wicked for coming to the Philippines! I hope to watch the musical again soon!
Say hi to my thesis battle squad! Sorry guise, I have been out for a couple of weeks now. I'm in my senior year of college and this week is my thesis hell week. So I'm very busy. But expect a couple of posts in the next week!
I have been out trying a couple of milk tea shops and my friend and I went to China Town for a food trip. I will be blogging about these adventures as soon as I finish my writing my research report :)
And I have an exciting news for you! My Tito was generous enough to give me tickets for Wicked: The Musical. I am so excited to see Elphaba and Glinda sing it off on CCP :) I will surely share this experience with you so stay tuned!
Until then,
Book Bump: The Tea House on Mulberry Street by Sharon Owens
I only buy my books from Book Sale because I like great finds for cheap prices. Except that one time when I got cash for Christmas exchange gift and decided to spend it on a single book. I remember now that I was sad that day and bought the 300 peso book to cheer me up.
The book that I am going to review today is entitled "The Tea House on Mulberry Street" by Sharon Owens which I only got for a whooping 10 pesos. Sharon Owens is based in Ireland and lives with her husband and their daughter in Belfast. This book was published in 2003.
SYNOPSIS Daniel and Penny Stanley owns Muldoon's Tea Rooms located on Mulberry Street, a cozy tea shop where the locals come and go for a sweet splurge or to just find a quiet place.
The story begins when Penny starts to complain about the work overload and lack of change she is experiencing while managing the shop with her husband. As the tension in the Stanley's marriage heightens, stories of love and loss unfold not only thru the couple but also from the different customers of Muldoon's Tea Rooms.
The story runs like the movies "Love Actually" and "Valentine's Day" where there are various stories in the plot then intertwines in small ways at the end. The book exhibits short chapters which I kind-of like. It is quite a new experience for me because I am used to long chapters such as in books like Harry Potter. Short chapters are enjoyable to read because it is short (haha) but I have to say that I like longer chapters more because I think that it gives a more comprehensive quality to the foundation of a story.
I rate this book 2.5 out of 5 stars. The story is a nice read however I did not like how some chapters are rather irrelevant. I have this habit of skipping passages of a book if I find the story boring. I sure skipped passages especially on the Crawley Sisters chapters. The story is also predictable (all the characters got their happy endings) expect a sudden turn on the storyline of Brenda Brown. On the other hand, the story has an enlightening and a cheery quality to it (especially towards the end). So if you want an easy read about day-to-day life and short chapters, this is the book for you.
On the opening session of the 16th Congress, I accompanied my friends to observe how the legislators on the lower house do their jobs.
We got inside the session hall at about 4:30 pm (sessions usually start at 4 pm) expecting that the proceedings will be at full swing. However, as much as I want to give you good news, the hall was at a stand still because there were not enough congressmen to start the session.
As we were waiting for the session to start Hon. Lito Atienza, former Mayor of the City of Manila now a member of HOR from Buhay Partylist, approached us and explained that he moved to slightly postpone the proceedings so that we can wait for more legislators to attend the opening session. Then he posed and took pictures with us. After that, we had a chance to chat with Hon. Lino Cayetano of Taguig City. He talked about the outstanding education scholarship in Taguig which was proven by one of friends, Lyod. Then he posed and took pictures with us.
The session finally started when Hon. Agapito H. Gunlao of Butil Partylist had given his privilege speech regarding rice smuggling.
It was boring.
I am not saying that rice smuggling is irrelevant, it is alarming actually. It is just how our congressmen present their cases. If a tricycle driver decided to visit HOR and observe, he or she will not understand a single thing. This kind of issues should be for the masses and it is only logical that they should know and understand what the hell our legislators are talking about.
We got out of the session hall at about 5:45 pm.
All in all, my second HOR visit (my first was in my second year of college, I think) was quite uneventful. If you want a good snooze, you should visit the session hall.
