she's the protaganist in a series of books by my favorite young adult author of all time, megan mccafferty. i've read the first book, sloppy firsts back in 2004 (i checked my blog archive to be sure, because i had no doubt in my mind that i would've written about it...and so i did!) and i loved it then, and i love it now. i've also read the succeeding 2 books, second helpings and charmed thirds. needless to say, i adored each book equally, and have proclaimed that Jessica Darling was the Holden Caulfield of my generation (minus the hooker), the quintessential model of teenage angst and all other shit teenagers go through.. of course i was no longer a teenager when i've read Sloppy Firsts, but i was single and was susceptible to emotional outbursts, alienation, overthinking and just being one huuuge drama queen. it's written as a first-person narrative from Jessica's POV, she writes in her journals about her daily emo rantings about life in highschool, up until she graduates and enters college. What made this series claim the prize of Most Favorite (Young Adult) of All time in my looong list of favorite books is because Jessica (hence, Megan Mccafferty) is simply, my idol when it comes to writing. If i could just get an iota of her talent, i could probably have the courage to make a career out of writing or pen a worldwide bestselling novel (whichever makes me richer harhar).
ANYWAY, out of the blue, while downloading some ebooks at IRC (ei don't judge me.. its the recession okay?) i had the sudden yearning to reread it.. so after typing "@find megan mccafferty", i was dumbfounded to see "Perfect Fifths" in the search results.. was thinking, "WTH? i didn't even know there was a Fourth!" so i've googled, and there were definitely 2 more books in the series (YEYYYYY).. i've tried reading the 4th book, but the 5 years disparity has muddled my mind and have forgotten how the 3rd book exactly ended. I backtracked and read the 3rd book this time, only to question myself when Jessica said to Marcus Flutie(the love of her life *sighs*) "I slept with Len Levy" ..who the hell? (i blame the friggin epidural again!) so here i am, reading the first book again. its not my habit to reread books, i can count the books i've reread on just one hand (Harry potpot, not all.. i think just the first or when i want to 'review' for a movie.. Twilight, only because of Edward.. think that's it.) i find that rereading it, doesn't entertain me as much as the first time.. (i remember making an attempt to reread Sloppy Firsts but I only succeeded in reading a few chapters then i got bored) Now, i realize that the 5 years difference has enabled me to enjoy the books once again! I feel so sentimental, (i mean, as sentimental as i am about Napster and Vertical Horizon) I've reread my own past entries in my blog, (what? i'm my own biggest fan) and have vowed to write more inconsequential stuff here as i have recalled why i write a blog in the first place, simply for myself. i don't need a reason or a 'happening' to write on my own blog! plus i really enjoy reading my archive (lol).. it's like tapping into a time machine and seeing yourself from another perspective (you know, a more mature you vs. whatever you were back then)..
hay. so there. thanks for reading (and hello to myself from the future) and you know, be warned of more trivial, frivolous entries to come.
p.s.
speaking of trivial, yesterday, tsug and i saw this humongous rat in the playground (holy crap! its under the purple dino!). just thinking about it gives me the creeps.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
...batam trip
we stayed at harris resort in batam for 3 nights.. they had this 'all-inclusive' offer which we availed.. it included all meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, morning and afternoon snacks), drinks, an hour's indonesian massage each per day plus a lot of different sports (bowling, billiards, squash, table tennis)..bowling was the only feasible sport for us since we had tsug with us.. (could take turns looking after tsug) it was a pretty good deal since i didn't really want to worry about food.
ferry was at harbourfront terminal, which i found a bit more confusing than the one in tanah merah.. (i guess because its waaay bigger, and we had to do stuff in two floors) the ride itself was a no brainer, and i was ready this time because i took some bonamine singapore version (was feeling pretty high during the trip).. the ride had 2 stops..our stop was the 2nd one, waterfront city terminal.. on the first stop at sekupang terminal, there wasn't any annoucement whatsoever, so i guess some guests left the ferry too soon.. we knew because this japanese couple behind us (whom tsugtsug was playing with.. the jap girl even gave tsug her cellphone which freaked me out haha..) who alighted at sekupang,.. we saw them arriving in a taxi in harris resort! poor things.
anyway, it was a sunday so everyone was still checking out.. had to wait till about 1:30pm for us to get a room.. it was worth the wait though, as we were assigned to the newly opened wing.. it was a cool room! modern, minimalist.. and the toilet had a bathtub and a rainshower head hehe.. our room was on the ground floor, and had a door going straight to the wading pool, perfect for tsug. they also provided us a baby cot for free. tsug just used that for his afternoon naps and when we wanted to confine him in hehe.
for 3 nights our schedule was pretty much this.. we wait for tsug to wake up (haha as if we really wait) i mean, we get up once tsug wakes us up..avail the breakfast buffet.. (tsug has congee with egg, i usually eat pancakes, raymond eats the rice stuff) then go for a morning swim. tsug really loves to swim! he would even move his arms and kick his feet as if he's really swimming.. the water was pretty cold too, but tsug didn't seem to mind.
then it'll be time for lunch.. after lunch he'll have his afternoon nap.. and that's the time i go to the spa and have my massage. i am now, no longer a massage virgin harhar. i'm veeery ticklish, so i was a bit apprehensive.. but i loved it. maybe because it was very private, just one person in each hut, and my masseuse(?) was excellent.. her name was Dani (seee? you always remember your first. LOL) and she worked in a slow, fluid motion. (my 2nd was rushed and it hurt at times like hell)
once i get back to the room, it'll be raymond's turn to go. tsug would wake up around this time.. we'll just wait a bit for pangs then we'll go to the playroom. tsug loved it there.. and i loved it too because he could practice walking on the carpeted floor without us hovering above him (and consequently, the chronic back pain).
it'll then be afternoon snack time.. the pizza and burger alone, made our trip. thin crust pizza, beef was so flavorful.. definitely the best pizza i've ever had. the burger was huuuge and just as delicious. (tsug liked the pizza too!) first 2 days, we'll drink the guava juice.. then pangs grew tired of it and we just had cokes/sprites.
tsug enjoying his french fry
after that we'll have a game of bowling.. (in which we both sucked.. i guess Wii skills don't apply in real life? LOL) the highest score we got was 100 haha yeah i know, pathetic.
then before we know it, it's Dinner time. first night, it was a buffet which was just so-so.. mostly spicy and curry stuff.. i did like the grilled lamb.. however, on the 2nd and 3rd night because of the few guests in the hotel, (we were there on a weekday.. sunday-wednesday) we were able to choose from their menu.. a salad, soup, main course and dessert! woohooo! i had rib eye steak the first time, pistacio crusted salmon on the 2nd. tomato soup then broccoli blue cheese soup. tiramisu with ice cream, then snickers cheesecake. i forgot the salad i ordered. lol. oh, it was avocado something. also good! so yeah, you could guess what we basically just did on this trip.
the staff were wonderful..., friendly and helpful. they would always play with tsugtsug, to the enjoyment of my narcissistic son. (one even gave him a banana from the kitchen, hence the banana bow)
all in all it was truly a relaxing vacation.. a much needed change of scenery for us. i'd recommend it to families with young children, or couples for the spa. it was pretty much laidback so not really for those looking for the bar scene as that was non existent hehe.
that's it. till the next one!
i want a next tripppppp bwahahaha *evil laugh*
ferry was at harbourfront terminal, which i found a bit more confusing than the one in tanah merah.. (i guess because its waaay bigger, and we had to do stuff in two floors) the ride itself was a no brainer, and i was ready this time because i took some bonamine singapore version (was feeling pretty high during the trip).. the ride had 2 stops..our stop was the 2nd one, waterfront city terminal.. on the first stop at sekupang terminal, there wasn't any annoucement whatsoever, so i guess some guests left the ferry too soon.. we knew because this japanese couple behind us (whom tsugtsug was playing with.. the jap girl even gave tsug her cellphone which freaked me out haha..) who alighted at sekupang,.. we saw them arriving in a taxi in harris resort! poor things.
anyway, it was a sunday so everyone was still checking out.. had to wait till about 1:30pm for us to get a room.. it was worth the wait though, as we were assigned to the newly opened wing.. it was a cool room! modern, minimalist.. and the toilet had a bathtub and a rainshower head hehe.. our room was on the ground floor, and had a door going straight to the wading pool, perfect for tsug. they also provided us a baby cot for free. tsug just used that for his afternoon naps and when we wanted to confine him in hehe.
for 3 nights our schedule was pretty much this.. we wait for tsug to wake up (haha as if we really wait) i mean, we get up once tsug wakes us up..avail the breakfast buffet.. (tsug has congee with egg, i usually eat pancakes, raymond eats the rice stuff) then go for a morning swim. tsug really loves to swim! he would even move his arms and kick his feet as if he's really swimming.. the water was pretty cold too, but tsug didn't seem to mind.
then it'll be time for lunch.. after lunch he'll have his afternoon nap.. and that's the time i go to the spa and have my massage. i am now, no longer a massage virgin harhar. i'm veeery ticklish, so i was a bit apprehensive.. but i loved it. maybe because it was very private, just one person in each hut, and my masseuse(?) was excellent.. her name was Dani (seee? you always remember your first. LOL) and she worked in a slow, fluid motion. (my 2nd was rushed and it hurt at times like hell)
once i get back to the room, it'll be raymond's turn to go. tsug would wake up around this time.. we'll just wait a bit for pangs then we'll go to the playroom. tsug loved it there.. and i loved it too because he could practice walking on the carpeted floor without us hovering above him (and consequently, the chronic back pain).
it'll then be afternoon snack time.. the pizza and burger alone, made our trip. thin crust pizza, beef was so flavorful.. definitely the best pizza i've ever had. the burger was huuuge and just as delicious. (tsug liked the pizza too!) first 2 days, we'll drink the guava juice.. then pangs grew tired of it and we just had cokes/sprites.
tsug enjoying his french fry
after that we'll have a game of bowling.. (in which we both sucked.. i guess Wii skills don't apply in real life? LOL) the highest score we got was 100 haha yeah i know, pathetic.
then before we know it, it's Dinner time. first night, it was a buffet which was just so-so.. mostly spicy and curry stuff.. i did like the grilled lamb.. however, on the 2nd and 3rd night because of the few guests in the hotel, (we were there on a weekday.. sunday-wednesday) we were able to choose from their menu.. a salad, soup, main course and dessert! woohooo! i had rib eye steak the first time, pistacio crusted salmon on the 2nd. tomato soup then broccoli blue cheese soup. tiramisu with ice cream, then snickers cheesecake. i forgot the salad i ordered. lol. oh, it was avocado something. also good! so yeah, you could guess what we basically just did on this trip.
the staff were wonderful..., friendly and helpful. they would always play with tsugtsug, to the enjoyment of my narcissistic son. (one even gave him a banana from the kitchen, hence the banana bow)
all in all it was truly a relaxing vacation.. a much needed change of scenery for us. i'd recommend it to families with young children, or couples for the spa. it was pretty much laidback so not really for those looking for the bar scene as that was non existent hehe.
that's it. till the next one!
i want a next tripppppp bwahahaha *evil laugh*
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
...bye MJ
just watched Michael Jackson's memorial.. from the moment Mariah Carey sang I'll be there till they removed the casket to the tune of Man in the Mirror, I was bawling my eyes out.. *sighs*
its just so sad. so many people are dying in my lifetime.. when i first heard the news, of course i was shocked like the rest of the world but i guess it didn't really sink in until i watched the memorial.. omygawd MJ is dead. waaaah. why why whyyyy. he's supposed to have the greatest comeback and have a world tour named "This is it!" this month!
Everybody's performances and speeches in the memorial were so heartfelt, i'm still thinking (and writing!) about it hours later. Who didn't laugh at Magic Johnson's funny KFC anecdote? Whose heart didn't break when his daughter spoke? I even loved the unknown singers like the 12 year old-boy and the charismatic japanese-black girl who sang Heal the world..(i googled them, her name's Judith Hill, she was supposed to be one of the backup singers in MJ's tour..while the boy was a contestant at Britain's Got Talent who caught Mj's attention and was going to be part of the tour as well)
i guess MJ was introduced to me by my sister, Ate Chary. she is a huuuuge MJ fan.. i remember she even watched his concert, the Dangerous tour .. wish i went with her, but i guess i was too young then, maybe i was 11 or 12 years old. she has the double cassette (lol) of Dangerous and i remember opening the jacket sleeve, reading and singing the lyrics secretly because she'll have a fit if she sees me holding it, i have a habit of destroying her prized possessions you see (like most youngest siblings do). i love MJs songs, the fast ones because he's the only person on earth who can sing them (Bad, Don't Stop til you get enough, Thriller, Beat It).. the feel-good songs (the way you make me feel, rock with you) but I most especially love the slow ones.. (She's out of my Life, gone too soon, i just can't stop loving you) they're all so gut-wrenching, your heart feels like it's going to explode from the pain pain pain LOL. And just like what Pangs said as we watched the memorial, MJ is black, but his music isn't. it crosses all races. And everything about him is iconic. From his sequined glove, to his "Hee-Hee!". No one can pull that off without looking like a MJ second rate trying hard copycat (*tapon tubig*).. and now all i want to do is a Michael Jackson Karaoke night with my friends! (i make no promises that i won't cry when i sing Man in the Mirror though, lol) I will make it my mission for tsugtsug to know Michael Jackson's music. As a matter of fact, he just slept through 'Beat It', so its just a matter of time before i get him dancing to 'Black or White'.
*sighs again* i hope nobody dies again too soon. Michael Jordan's healthy right? lol. and *knock on wood* Tito, Vic and Joey! LOL. actually, tito can go but not Vic and Joey hahaha. just joking!
that's it.. and I hope Cory Aquino gets well soon. Here's one last 'Woooooooooo!' for Michael.
its just so sad. so many people are dying in my lifetime.. when i first heard the news, of course i was shocked like the rest of the world but i guess it didn't really sink in until i watched the memorial.. omygawd MJ is dead. waaaah. why why whyyyy. he's supposed to have the greatest comeback and have a world tour named "This is it!" this month!
Everybody's performances and speeches in the memorial were so heartfelt, i'm still thinking (and writing!) about it hours later. Who didn't laugh at Magic Johnson's funny KFC anecdote? Whose heart didn't break when his daughter spoke? I even loved the unknown singers like the 12 year old-boy and the charismatic japanese-black girl who sang Heal the world..(i googled them, her name's Judith Hill, she was supposed to be one of the backup singers in MJ's tour..while the boy was a contestant at Britain's Got Talent who caught Mj's attention and was going to be part of the tour as well)
i guess MJ was introduced to me by my sister, Ate Chary. she is a huuuuge MJ fan.. i remember she even watched his concert, the Dangerous tour .. wish i went with her, but i guess i was too young then, maybe i was 11 or 12 years old. she has the double cassette (lol) of Dangerous and i remember opening the jacket sleeve, reading and singing the lyrics secretly because she'll have a fit if she sees me holding it, i have a habit of destroying her prized possessions you see (like most youngest siblings do). i love MJs songs, the fast ones because he's the only person on earth who can sing them (Bad, Don't Stop til you get enough, Thriller, Beat It).. the feel-good songs (the way you make me feel, rock with you) but I most especially love the slow ones.. (She's out of my Life, gone too soon, i just can't stop loving you) they're all so gut-wrenching, your heart feels like it's going to explode from the pain pain pain LOL. And just like what Pangs said as we watched the memorial, MJ is black, but his music isn't. it crosses all races. And everything about him is iconic. From his sequined glove, to his "Hee-Hee!". No one can pull that off without looking like a MJ second rate trying hard copycat (*tapon tubig*).. and now all i want to do is a Michael Jackson Karaoke night with my friends! (i make no promises that i won't cry when i sing Man in the Mirror though, lol) I will make it my mission for tsugtsug to know Michael Jackson's music. As a matter of fact, he just slept through 'Beat It', so its just a matter of time before i get him dancing to 'Black or White'.
*sighs again* i hope nobody dies again too soon. Michael Jordan's healthy right? lol. and *knock on wood* Tito, Vic and Joey! LOL. actually, tito can go but not Vic and Joey hahaha. just joking!
that's it.. and I hope Cory Aquino gets well soon. Here's one last 'Woooooooooo!' for Michael.
