I'm stupid when it comes to history. I don't even know how I managed to pass my World History course in high school since I'm a total dunce in the field. So yes, I had no idea that the book I picked up two days ago was Historical Fiction.

Thankfully, my unfamiliarity with the Tudors didn't mar my enjoyment of the book. In fact, now I want to read up on history, just so I could read more of this. Anyway, The Red Queen's Daughter. It's a re-imagining of Mary Seymour's life---assuming that she lived past two as some historian's claim. This re-telling places her in Elizabeth I's court, as an undercover white magician, pretending to be a Lady-in-Waiting. Due to her pitiful background, as well as her observations from early on, she believes that love is a bane to a woman. She swears never to fall into the trap that ruined her mother and foster mother's life, as well as a lot of women in the court.

Kinda extreme, but hey, still manageable I think. Of course, life never sails smoothly and for our heroine, trouble comes in the form of her cousin, a charming man who persists in courting her. Oh yeah, aside from her vow, there's a teeny tiny glitch. It's just possible that he's a black mage. Drama yes?

Such an enjoyable read. Poignant, yet restrained. The words flow and it's an easy read, despite the setting and subject matter. And while it ends beautifully already, I wouldn't mind reading a sequel. I hope it's in the works, from the author's blog, it sounds like it's a possibility. Here's to hoping there would be one. *crosses fingers*

Yep, doing it again this year, even if I majorly failed during the last two months of last year. While I wasn't able to list all the stuff I read / saw, I was doing mostly okay volume-wise. Still, I hope to up the quality as well this year, especially with books that's why I'm splitting my reading lists between actual books and graphic novels / comics and manga.

VIEWING LIST
Goal: 52 Movies / Videos / Series in a year
2008 - 43 Listed, November and December unmonitored
2007 - 55 Movies / TV Series

JANUARY
1. Let the Right One In (Film • Sweden)
2. Zack and Miri Make a Porno (Film • US)
3. Slumdog Millionaire (Film • UK)

FEBRUARY
4. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (Film • US)
5. The Heartbreak Kid (Film • US)
6. Shinobi (Film • Japan)
7. Galileo SP (Drama Special • Japan)
8. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Film • US)

MARCH
9. Full Metal Jacket (Film • US)

APRIL
10. Change (Drama • Japan • ep 10/10)
11. Maou (Drama • Japan • ep 11/11)
12. Earl and Fairy (Anime • Japan • ep 13/13)

MAY
13. Yôgisha X no Kenshin (Suspect X) (Movie • Japan)
14. Voice (Drama • Japan • 11/11)
15. Iron Man (Film • US)
16. Incredible Hulk (Film • US)
17. Hellboy (Film • US)
18. Terminator Salvation (Film • US)

JUNE
19. Top Chef 5 (TV Series • US • ep 15/15)
20. The 40-Year Old Virgin (Film • US)
21. Superstar (Film • US)
22. Tropic Thunder (Film • US)
23. Definitely, Maybe (Film • US)
24. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (Anime • Japan • 12/12)

JULY
25. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Film • US)

AUGUST
26. Just my Luck (Film • US)
27. The Proposal (Film • US)
28. Itazura na Kiss (Drama • Japan • 9/9)
29. Up (Animated Film • US)

SEPTEMBER
30. Top Chef Masters (TV Series • US)
31. Mr. Brain (Drama • Japan • 8/8)
32. Kitchen Confidential (TV Series • US • 13/13)

OCTOBER
33. Shining Inheritance (Drama • Korea • 28/28)
34. Yasuko to Kenji (Drama • Japan • 10/10)
35. Mei-chan no Shitsuji (Drama • Japan • 10/10)
36. Jennifer's Body (Film • US)

NOVEMBER
37. Top Chef Season 3 (TV Series • US)
38. Voices of a Distant Star (Anime OVA • Japan)

ongoing series
• Witch Yoo-hee (Drama • Korea • 4/16)
• Fated to Love You (Drama • Taiwan • 14/25)
• Full Metal Alchemist 2 (Anime • Japan • 23/xx)
• Rose of Versailles (Anime • Japan • 23/40)
• Mad Men (TV Series • US • 4/xx)
• Glee (TV Series • US • 8/xx)

---

READING LIST
Goal: 26 Books in a year
2008 - 127 Listed, November and December unmonitored
2007 - 97 Books / Graphic Novels

JANUARY
1. Ambergate by Patricia Elliot
2. Banana Heart Summer by Merlina Bobis
3. Austenland by Shannon Hale

MARCH
4. Hotel Pastis by Peter Mayle

APRIL
5. Man of by Dreams by Curtis Sittenfield
6. Nothing but the truth (and a few white lies) by Justina Chen Headley
7. The Opposite of Fate by Amy Tan

MAY
8. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
9. Ex and the single girl by Lani Diane Rich
10. A Girl's Best Friend by Elizabeth Young

JUNE
11. The Fairy's Return and Other Princess Tales by Gail Carson Levine
12. Hush by Donna Jo Napoli
13. My Imaginary Ex by Mina V. Esguerra

JULY
14. Airhead by Meg Cabot
15. Airhead: Being Nikki by Meg Cabot
16. Talisman of Valdegarde by Madeleine Simon

AUGUST
17. Criss-cross by Lynne Rae Perkins
18. The Red Queen's Daughter by Jacqueline Kolosov
19. Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
20. A Curse as Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce
21. Love Off-Limits by Whitney Lyles
22. Duchessina by Caroline Meyer

SEPTEMBER
23. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
24. Set in Stone by Linda Newbery
25. 1-800 Missing You by Meg Cabot

OCTOBER
26. Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman

NOVEMBER
27. <a href="http://e-lockhart.com/main/?page_id=7>The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks</a> by E. Lockhart

i. singapore. yay!
Will be taking a 4-day (well, 4 and a half) vacation to Singapore starting Friday. Well, more like Saturday really since the plane lands a little after midnight. It will be my first time traveling out of the country so I'm very excited. Travel never really figured highly in my list of priorities but the fares were cheap and Jamie & Gins offered us a place to stay so I decided to go.

Honestly though, it was the idea of shopping for toys that pushed me into booking tickets (Sophie!) but as the trip drew nearer, I'm actually more excited about seeing Singapore now. I've yet to write up our itinerary (I'm going there with my mom) but I know food will be important. I'm even planning to do a Singapore special for Kitchen Cow. And a yakult feature as well, as I heard that yakult actually comes in a myriad of flavors there! Yay, so can't wait!

ii. hongkong, double yay!
And hot on the heels of Singapore is yesterday's work announcement---We'll be going to HONGKONG DISNEYLAND IN DECEMBER! Our company is actually taking the whole office there for Christmas. Yay! Details are still being finalized but either way, yay! That beats last year's Shangri-La Makati Circles' Dinner for sure.

So I really have to limit myself to buying just one Pullip in Singapore so I still have room within my quota for another new doll in Hongkong. Maybe Charlotte for my first Dal? Sounds like a good plan to me!

iii. taeyang quarterly take 2
Some of may remember Seiji's foray into male modeling last year. I had fun going through that rough and tumble roller coaster ride that I signed up for another round of torture challenges, this time with Junpei.

We're up to the third challenge now. ( Here are our entries so far. )

iv. love, stargirl
Finally finished reading Jerry Spinelli's Love, Stargirl. Still as bittersweet as the first book Stargirl, this second books starts where the first one leaves off, but this time, in Stargirl's perspective. So, how do you cope with a broken heart? Stargirl does things the way she usually does---to the beat of her own drummer. But between counting pebbles in her happy wagon and planting spatulas on a hill, we realize that no matter how unusual she is, she still hurts the same way everyone else does.

And because she's now just like everyone else, when it dawns upon her that there's hope for her yet, we realize. There's hope for us too.

p.s. I didn't realize that there's a Stargirl movie in production. Makes me wonder.

Last year's goal was 52 books & graphic novels in a year. While I'm not quite happy with the result quality-wise (I ended up reading more manga than books), I have to admit, quantity-wise I hit the target.
So this year, I'm upping the ante and going for 100 Books and Graphic Novels. Fight! Fight!

2007: 97 Books & Graphic Novels

JANUARY
1. Old Boy v04 by Tsuchiya and Minegashi (manga)
2. Old Boy v05 by Tsuchiya and Minegashi (manga)
3. Old Boy v06 by Tsuchiya and Minegashi (manga)
4. Old Boy v07 by Tsuchiya and Minegashi (manga)
5. Beyond the Burning Time by Kathryn Lasky (historical fiction / YA)
6. KimiKiss Various Heroines v01 Mizusawa Mao by Shinonome Taro (manga)

FEBRUARY
7. Undead and Unappreciated by Mary Janice Davidson (fiction)
8. Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter (chick fic)

MARCH
9. Big Boned by Meg Cabot (chick fic)
10. The Morning Gift by Eva Ibbotson (chick fic)
11. Boku ni Natta Watashi v01 by Shimaki Ako (manga)
12. Boku ni Natta Watashi v02 by Shimaki Ako (manga)
13. Boku ni Natta Watashi v03 by Shimaki Ako (manga)
14. Tonari no Shugoshin v01 by Shimaki Ako (manga)
15. Chou Yo Hana Yo v01 by Yuki Yoshihara (manga)
16. Chou Yo Hana Yo v02 by Yuki Yoshihara (manga)
17. Spicy Pink v01 by Yoshizumi Wataru (manga)

APRIL
18. Princess Diaries 9: Princess Mia by Meg Cabot (young adult)
19. Uwasa no Midori-kun v1 by Ikeyamada Go (manga)
20. Uwasa no Midori-kun v2 by Ikeyamada Go (manga)
21. Uwasa no Midori-kun v3 by Ikeyamada Go (manga)
22. Beast Master v1 by Motomi Kyousuke (manga)
23. Gokusen v10 by Kozueko Morimoto (manga)

MAY
24. Skip Beat v05 by Nakamura Yoshiki (manga)
25. Skip Beat v06 by Nakamura Yoshiki (manga)
26. Skip Beat v07 by Nakamura Yoshiki (manga)
27. Skip Beat v08 by Nakamura Yoshiki (manga)
28. Skip Beat v09 by Nakamura Yoshiki (manga)
29. Skip Beat v10 by Nakamura Yoshiki (manga)
30. Skip Beat v11 by Nakamura Yoshiki (manga)
31. Skip Beat v12 by Nakamura Yoshiki (manga)
32. Skip Beat v13 by Nakamura Yoshiki (manga)
33. Skip Beat v14 by Nakamura Yoshiki (manga)
34. Skip Beat v15 by Nakamura Yoshiki (manga)
35. Skip Beat v16 by Nakamura Yoshiki (manga)
36. Skip Beat v17 by Nakamura Yoshiki (manga)
37. Skip Beat v18 by Nakamura Yoshiki (manga)
38. Skip Beat v19 by Nakamura Yoshiki (manga)
39. Ouran Host Club v11 by Bisco Hatori (manga)
40. Ouran Host Club v12 by Bisco Hatori (manga)
41. Yamato Nadesico Shichi Henge v15 by Hayakawa Tomoko (manga)
42. Yamato Nadesico Shichi Henge v16 by Hayakawa Tomoko (manga)
43. Yamato Nadesico Shichi Henge v17 by Hayakawa Tomoko (manga)
44. Yamato Nadesico Shichi Henge v18 by Hayakawa Tomoko (manga)
45. Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan (fiction)
46. Fairest by Gail Carson Levine (young adult)
47. Moe Kare v01 by Ikeyamada Go (manga)
48. Moe Kare v02 by Ikeyamada Go (manga)
48. Moe Kare v03 by Ikeyamada Go (manga)
49. Moe Kare v04 by Ikeyamada Go (manga)
50. Moe Kare v05 by Ikeyamada Go (manga)
51. Moe Kare v06 by Ikeyamada Go (manga)
52. Moe Kare v07 by Ikeyamada Go (manga)
53. Midnight Magic by Avi (young adult)

JUNE
54. My Heavenly Hockey Club v5 by Ai Morinaga (manga)
55. PxP by Yoshizumi Wataru (manga)
56. Chiyoukiyou ai Chiyoukiyou by Noriko Kanou (manga)
57. Natural Angel by Arai Kiyoko (manga)
58. Brilliant Magic v1 by Yukino Miyawaki (manga)
59. Brilliant Magic v2 by Yukino Miyawaki (manga)
60. Brilliant Magic v3 by Yukino Miyawaki (manga)
61. Orange Kiss by Usami Maki (manga)
62. Taranta Ranta v1 by Yoko Maki (manga)
63. Taranta Ranta v2 by Yoko Maki (manga)
64. The King's Pawnshop by Sakurakouji Kanoko (manga)
65. Shiranami no Illusion by Miho Obana (manga)
66. Tokage Ouji v1 by Izumi Asuka (manga)
67. Tokage Ouji v2 by Izumi Asuka (manga)
68. The Recipe for Gertrude v1 by Nari Kusakawa (manga)
69. Lovenista v1 by Kayono (manga)
70. Lovenista v2 by Kayono (manga)
71. Honey Hunt v1 by Miki Aihara (manga)
72. Honey Hunt v2 by Miki Aihara (manga)
73. Furachi na Otoko-tachi by Toda Megumi (manga)
74. Kaichou wa Maid-sama v01 by Fujiwara Hiro (manga)
75. Kaichou wa Maid-sama v02 by Fujiwara Hiro (manga)

JULY
76. Beast Master v02 by Kyousuke Motomi (manga)
77. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr (young adult)
78. Burned by Carol Higgins Clark (mystery)

AUGUST
79. The Girlfriend Curse by Valerie Frankel (chick lit)
80. Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld (fiction)
81. Heavenly Hockey Club v4 by Ai Morinaga (manga)
82. House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones (fantasy)

SEPTEMBER
83. Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (young adult)
84. Something Blue by Emma Giffin (chick lit)
85. Yours and My Secret v1 by Morinaga Ai (manga)
86. Yours and My Secret v2 by Morinaga Ai (manga)
87. Yours and My Secret v3 by Morinaga Ai (manga)
88. Yours and My Secret v4 by Morinaga Ai (manga)
89. One Piece v48 by Oda Eiichiro (manga)
90. One Piece v49 by Oda Eiichiro (manga)

OCTOBER
91. Oyayubihime Infinity v1 by Fujieda Toru (manga)
92. Oyayubihime Infinity v2 by Fujieda Toru (manga)
93. Oyayubihime Infinity v3 by Fujieda Toru (manga)
94. Oyayubihime Infinity v4 by Fujieda Toru (manga)
95. Oyayubihime Infinity v5 by Fujieda Toru (manga)
96. Oyayubihime Infinity v6 by Fujieda Toru (manga)
97. Love Allergy v1 by Fujieda Toru (manga)
98. Love Allergy v2 by Fujieda Toru (manga)
99. Love Allergy v3 by Fujieda Toru (manga)
100. Love Allergy v4 by Fujieda Toru (manga)
101. Kaze Hikaru v2 by Watanabe Taeko (manga)
101. Kaze Hikaru v3 by Watanabe Taeko (manga)
101. Kaze Hikaru v4 by Watanabe Taeko (manga)
101. Kaze Hikaru v5 by Watanabe Taeko (manga)
101. Kaze Hikaru v6 by Watanabe Taeko (manga)
102. Katekyo Hitman Reborn v1 by Amano Akira (manga)
103. Katekyo Hitman Reborn v2 by Amano Akira (manga)
104. Katekyo Hitman Reborn v3 by Amano Akira (manga)
105. Katekyo Hitman Reborn v4 by Amano Akira (manga)
106. Katekyo Hitman Reborn v5 by Amano Akira (manga)
107. Katekyo Hitman Reborn v6 by Amano Akira (manga)
108. Katekyo Hitman Reborn v7 by Amano Akira (manga)
109. Katekyo Hitman Reborn v8 by Amano Akira (manga)
110. Katekyo Hitman Reborn v9 by Amano Akira (manga)
111. Katekyo Hitman Reborn v10 by Amano Akira (manga)
112. Katekyo Hitman Reborn v11 by Amano Akira (manga)
113. Katekyo Hitman Reborn v12 by Amano Akira (manga)
114. Katekyo Hitman Reborn v13 by Amano Akira (manga)
115. Katekyo Hitman Reborn v14 by Amano Akira (manga)
116. Katekyo Hitman Reborn v15 by Amano Akira (manga)
117. Katekyo Hitman Reborn v16 by Amano Akira (manga)
118. Katekyo Hitman Reborn v17 by Amano Akira (manga)
119. Katekyo Hitman Reborn v18 by Amano Akira (manga)
120. Katekyo Hitman Reborn v19 by Amano Akira (manga)
121. Katekyo Hitman Reborn v20 by Amano Akira (manga)
122. Katekyo Hitman Reborn v21 by Amano Akira (manga)
123. One Piece v50 by Oda Eiichiro (manga)
124. One Piece v51 by Oda Eiichiro (manga)
125. Random Walk v3 by Yoshizumi Wataru (manga)
126. Benkyou Shinasai v1 by Nakahara Aya (manga)
127. Lovely Complex Special by Nakahara Aya (manga)

i. i are not cool, even among geeks
I are not cool. When I first signed up for shelfari months ago, nobody paid me attention, save less than a handful of LJ friends. It was fun at first but because I'm a bit obsessive about my books, I never got past including 50 books because I was particular about editions.

Now months later, just as I thought my shelfari account was dead and all, everyone---and I mean everyone, including people who I don't correspond with regularly anymore---started adding me to their accounts.

Lessons learned:
1. I wasn't born to start trends. When I do, no one follows. When someone else does, everyone invites me.
2. Stop being obsessive about editions and covers and just add books! Otherwise, nothing will happen.

ii. i are, however, a spoiled brat
I admit it, I can be a spoiled brat sometimes. I mean, I'm turning 28 in November and I still managed to pester my mom to not only get me an advanced birthday gift (months ahead!), but to get me a doll! Admittedly, it was a great plan---ask Cla to buy a nude doll at Singapore. Cheaper since it's nude (by $20) and because I don't have to pay shipping as she's nicely bringing it along for me. So honestly, it's coming out as more than 50% cheaper. Not a bad deal, and Aki finally gets someone to hang out with, even if it's her big brother. Of course she doesn't necessarily see it as good thing---and no, I'm not recapping her blog post here. I'm done with letting her hijack my blog.

i. it rained on my parade
Today I had one thing in mind. To go to the Post Office and get Aki's Obitsu. I planned to go before work—to get it out of the way immediately. Plus, that way, we could get to play with it to check its fit on Aki's clothes, even if it meant playing with a headless body.

But who knew the rains would pour, and badly at that? That totally nixed my plans, so I figured I'd go during lunch hour. With that decision made, I waited for my stop, hoping my umbrella would be enough to shield me from the torrential downpour and biting winds.

The shuttle service from my house dropped me off at Greenbelt 1. A few seconds after I stepped inside the mall, I heard strong claps of thunder and the intensifying of the downpour. One thought immediately sprang to mind: wet shoes. I figured whiling away the time, eating breakfast at Delifrance would be a good idea.



Unfortunately, by 930, the skies were still pouring. So, it ended up with me, braving the rain, getting to work late.

And you know what? WET. SHOES. T_T

ii. meg and vampires
I love Meg Cabot to bits. I have most of her books, a lot of which look quite shabby due to repeated reads. Despite the love, one of her recent blog posts caught my attention, and left an unsavory taste in my mouth.

I'm referring to her post:
Thank you, and I prefer Cream Puffs to Vampires

( Kaoko says her piece because it's bugging her horribly. )

Been reading straight since I woke up at 10, stopping only to lunch and nap. Finally done.

Thank you, J.K. Rowling, for taking me on a fantastic ride.

Parts of Book 7 made me gasp, go "eeeh?", "WTF?" seriously, fidget because the book was unravelling far too long, cry, ask "How the hell did that happen?" and ultimately, sigh with satisfaction.

To the characters I've loved these past seven years, Harry, Dumbledore, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Remus, Sirius, Gred & Feorge, Professor McGonnagal, Luna, and Neville, "Till we meet again."

I know it's all marketing and I don't really need it, but demn...

my preciousssss....

i. today's stoopid quote
Brought to you by me:

Kao: Cla, Cla. What does FTW mean?
Cla: For The Win.
Kao: Oh. I thought it was Fuck The What!

^_^;; Days like these I wonder where my brain cells have run off to. Kacy's theory about killing braincells when our heads suffer from sudden impacts sounds so true.

ii. where did my sweet dreams go?
Is it just me or are Teen Romance Pocketbooks not quite what they were years ago? When I was a teenager (ahem-ahem) I used to read Sweet Dreams. I recall reading a lot of engrossing, heart-rending, and ultimately, thrilling (I want to say kilig but it doesn't translate to english well) teen romances that I remember to this day. I remember stuff like The Night of the Prom, The Language of Love, and even Don't Forget Me. I feasted on stuff by Janet Quin-Harkin and Rosemary Veron as much as I did newer Sweet Dreams writers.

To this day, I still like reading teen romances. There's something uncomplicated and entertaining about a budding romance. Simple and easily resolved, things fall into place after the teary-eyed confession and the eventual prom night as the romantic music swells in the background.

That's why when I found a stash of 50 buck Simon Pulse Romantic Comedies, I grabbed all I haven't read yet, without bothering to read the back covers. Fortunately, they were all cheap. Unfortunately, a couple suck. Big time.

Maybe my standards have gone up. Maybe I'm more nitpicky now. Maybe I've just outgrown them. But then, if that's the case, how come my old Sweet Dreams still satisfy my teen romance cravings?

Anyway, a couple stand out as "Do-not-pay-300-bucks-for-these" titles. I honestly wonder how these titles got past their editors. Lacking plausibility, written sloppily and occasionally anachronistic, I find the following a waste of money. And sadly, I bought a few of them at full price. -_-;;

( And they were: )
Why can't these authors deliver the much needed kilig / zing factor? Honestly, with a few of these, it was only the need to finish reading to make my 52 book quota for the year which kept me going. Where's Meg Cabot and Sophie Kinsella when you need them?

iii. she's in europe actually
I've been thinking of the item #2 for the past day or two that's why Neil Gaiman's blog entry today tickled me pink.

At the fair I met the delightful Meg Cabot, which I was hoping I might do ever since I noticed from her blog that she and I were more or less doing the same European tour, although she actually was the one who came and found me because she'd noticed the same thing. When I mentioned that my daughter Maddy loves Meg's books with an intense passion, Meg handed me the book she'd been reading from and signed it for Maddy, thus making me a really cool dad.

Hehe, it felt so cool and surreal for me. I love a lot of authors. Those I really like, I make it a point to buy most if not all, of their books. These include Neil Gaiman, Amy Tan, Banana Yoshimoto, Beverly Cleary and my guilty pleasure, Meg Cabot.

While I adore both Neil and Meg, I never thought of them comparatively. Nor within the same thought, unless it was something which went along the lines of my favorite authors. Heck, they don't even occupy the same shelf on my bookshelf, Neil's being with Graphic Novels and Fantasy; Meg's being Chick Fic.

And here, Neil goes and with one paragraph, screws up my book-universe. Still I'm tickled pink. The same shade of pink as the cover of Princess Diaries vol 7.

i. who's afraid of the big bad wolf?
The whole of Fabletown it appears. And no wonder they are. One look at his scary countenance, with matching huffing and puffing (to be expected from the son of the North Wind) has all the other fables, Bluebeard included, shedding tears.

I'm referring to Bill Willingham's Eisner Award-winning series, Fables. Featuring a cast of both popular and obscure characters from various fairy tales and mythologies, Fables is a delicious romp through the stories we all loved as kids.

The story is set in the present times where the denizens of the storyworld, referred to as Fables, occupy part of New York City after being routed from their own world—the Homelands—by the Adversary. We're never told who, or what, the Adversary is, since the Fables themselves don't know.

What makes Fables an engrossing read is the way the Fables are characterized. Whereas other new takes on Fairy Tales, like James Finn Garner's Politically Correct Fairy Tales, modernizes the stories, Bill Willingham takes the characters a step further by fleshing them out into the most human non-human beings ever. They have hang-ups and problems. They face human issues. And they change. From insipid and flat fairy tale characters, they turn into uber-cool, super bad-assed people.

Take the Big Bad Wolf for instance. While the meanest, evilest bad-ass in the past (he did, after all, eat Riding Hood's grandma, among others), now, he's a reformed bad guy. The Sheriff of Fabletown actually, and quite an effective one at that, what with the great big teeth and all.

I like how Fables keeps you guessing too, challenging your fairy tale knowledge. Like how, for the longest time, I was trying to guess who Flycatcher was. I thought it was some foreign fairy tale I wasn't aware of. Only to realize later that it's the Frog Prince!

Fables is a jolly good, entertaining read, with characters you can get hooked on. Recommended read for anyone who adores funny, smartly written fiction.

(On an aside, one of my favorite characters is Blue, the boy from Little Boy Blue. I crash him <3 <3 <3, hahaha!)

ii. all your needs just five minutes away
Our new office location feels so surreal. We're tucked away in a Makati side street so it feels just a tad suburban. At the very least, there are no jeeps nor buses trundling down the road. Still, less than five minutes away is Greenbelt; the old one. Going to Greenbelt is akin to going to RCBC to grab a sandwich from Subway (or to go ogle my resto manager / owner crushie).

Instead of dropping by Booksale during lunch, I visit National Bookstore instead. When I need a few essentials, it's Rustan's Fresh instead of 7-11. Of course for immediate-immediate needs, the Mini-stop with a nice nice salesperson who's always smiling and very accommodating when I buy my morning 12buck coffee, is there.

It felt even more surreal this morning. I was walking from Mini-stop, carrying a cup of coffee and there were dead leaves from trees falling in front of my path. Practically pastoral, if there just weren't any tall buildings lining my path.

I'm really loving our new location. And our tiny little office is quite comfy too. Now, I positively envy Acid who lives in the condo tower across the street. It's truly a location that print advertising copy will gloriously brandish.

Work is fun-insane. Lots and lots of it. No time to browse LJ nor respond to posts (Thanks to everyone who said nice things about the previous post though. Promise, I wasn't fishing. At least not consciously :P)

Anyway, I ran across this line so I just had to post it:

In the kitchen on those mornings, Papa made the accordion live. I guess it makes sense, when you really think about it.
How do you tell if something's alive?
You check for breathing.

For some reason, that snippet from The Book Thief made me stop. I guess it struck a chord in me; what though, I'm not quite sure. All I know is, after reading it, I knew I had to share it with you guys.

Anyway, the weekend's coming up soon. Hope I have more time to read up on what's going on in everyone else's lives :D

ps.
Have I mentioned how I love Mini-Stop's Adobo Samurice? It's not fantastically good onigiri; I've made better, but getting decent onigiri from the store a few steps away (one I fondly call "the work pantry") tickles me pink.

i. blogging backlog
I am ebul. After a week with no work internet connection, it hits me. A lot of my blogging is done in between work projects. Heeheehee. Hence the lack of blog entries, despite having a backlog of lots of stuff to talk about. So this will be a long entry. I'll try to keep it short but my definition of short can be quite relative. :P

...I took a short break writing and watched TV. I felt a tad sleepy but just had to blog (probably meaning zombified kao at the location shoot tomorrow later but hey!). So, I dashed to the kitchen and grabbed some munchies.

As an effect, the rest of the entry is brought to you by our sponsor, Krispy Kremes.

Heehee. SUGAAAAAAAAAAAHR!

ii. i wanna be impulsive, reckless...
I ran into an interesting book last Friday night as I was waiting for John to meet me after his 2pm to 10 pm shift.

And because a large part of the mall was closed, off to Powerbooks I went. I decided to grab a book because it was closing time already, I still had more than half and hour to wait, and I actually did NOT have a book in my gigantor purse.

So, I leafed through the new arrivals stack and found this --- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak book.

The cover drew me so I checked out the teaser at the back, which in turn, charmed me. While I had no real spending money to speak of at the moment, I found myself, after dithering between "yes buy" and "no save", I found myself whipping out my credit card and buying it.

I tore the plastic wrap open over coffee at SBC and it looks promising. Still, I was worried since it was an expensive book and I had no idea whether it was any good. Thankfully, a check at Amazon showed good reviews. Now only if I can find time to actually read.

iii. 300
It was inevitable, I have to throw my two cents in.

I went off to see 300 with no expectations. I had no idea what it was about (something spartan war something something) and only went as a favor to John who really wanted to watch it. Besides, seeing a movie was a nice way to spend a Friday night, right?

After two well-spent hours wherein I gasped, grabbed John's arm, cried, and got blown away, I had one conclusion.

It's a tanginang epic. (Tangina is a contraction of son of a bitch, but honestly, saying it in Filipino has much much more ooomph.) Because every few seconds or so, I had to go, tangina!

The cinematography / art direction, treatment, pacing, acting, script, everything about the film blew me away. I wanted to go through each and every element I loved but hey, this is prolly the nth blog entry you've read on 300, so I'll skip it.

Suffice to say, as soon as I got home at 1am, I went online and read up on the movie, the graphic novel, and the Battle of Thermopylae. And I was even more astounded to find out that a lot of the elements, even the kewl lines ("Then, we'll fight in the shade!", "Spartan, come home with your shield or on it!") were from history! How cool was that?

Anyway, I promise not to ramble anymore about 300. Although there will be one more entry, an f-locked one, but I'm sure a couple of people from my f-list would enjoy it.

iv. something i bought



Totemo kawaii desu! Yuh? 88 pesos each, Daiso / Japan Home, I love you! And so do my Pinkies! These little things are miniatures that are meant for doll houses, similar to the re-ments I blogged about some time ago.

v. sugar crash commencing
Today was a super busy day, despite it being a Sunday. Usually, my Sundays are spent sleeping til the sun is midway across the sky and the noontime variety shows are halfway over.

Today saw me leaving the house before the sun was up. I actually got to watch the sun rise as my mom drove me to Alabang. The reason? Work!

7:15 am saw me somewhere in Mandaluyong, attending an occular inspection of some high-rise condo we're shooting in tomorrow. I mean later.

After which, I, Dior and Cla rushed off to Megamall to shop for props. It was a tiring experience I don't want to repeat anytime soon since my feet were crying out by the time we finished. Sure, I loved the company, these girls are loads of fun, but I hate Megamall, especially on a weekend. Ugh.

Cla: Dior, nagugutom na AD mo! (Dior, your Art Director's hungry!) She was referring to herself of course. A sure sign that hell will soon break loose. Or at least, said Art Director will be ready to eat a whole cow. *looks around nervously* Or more likely, a whole Account Manager *points to Dior*

Still, all's well ends well. We grabbed really nice yet cheap table settings (SM Saleslady: Ma'am, ang sosyal naman ng mga pinamili ninyo / Ma'am, the stuff you bought are really classy --- score success! We were aiming for a classy --- albeit on a budget.) and I got a dozen Krispy Kremes. A baker's dozen, if you count the complimentary doughnut they gave me.

That, pretty much, summed up the day.

i. bookhuggling




Yay! Books! *huggles huggles* Wait...*wonders why there are only 4 W Juliets in the pic instead of 5*

So, my aunt, uncle, and cousin arrived, carrying with them a couple of books I bought off Amazon. After all my anxiety about the books making it to them on time, I am rewarded with a lovely stash of manga. Now joining my bookshelf are:

• W Juliet 7
• W Juliet 8
• W Juliet 9
• W Juliet 13
• W Juliet 14
• Twilight
• New Moon

Heehee. Lovely books. *goes all huggly before updating her MS Excel book database*

ii. closure
The first things I grabbed off the bookpile was W Juliet 13 and 14. With the last book freshly released by Viz just early this year, I was ready to have some closure in the happy tale of Ito and Makoto.

W Juliet is a series I am very careful in describing because it has one central premise that's spoilery. Well, not totally, but when I first read it, I had no idea at all what it was about, except that it was a shoujo series about a drama club. With just that knowledge, it blew me away and I have been a fan ever since. A carefully written summary I wrote for Makoto's profile on Bishounen Project goes:

Acting. It's the passion that runs through the hearts of Sakurakeoka Drama Club members. The passion burns brightest in the hearts of two Drama Club members: Club president Miura Ito, and her best friend, Amano Makoto. Doburo Juliet (W-Juliet) revolves around the drama club, and the relationship of the two Juliets Ito and Mako as they strive to achieve their dreams of becoming actors, as well finding and staying by the side of the one they love.

When I first started it, it was a small side project of the scanlation group omanga. The second volume was just scanlated and I only had a few chapters to get hooked on. Several volumes later, it was licensed by Viz and while getting scanlations from underground groups was difficult, I managed. Much much later, as I finally owned my own credit card, the marvels of online shopping was opened to me and I realized that it was possible to own and complete W Juliet.

Now, after reading volumes 13 and 14, the fact that W Juliet is one of my favorite, if not THE favorite manga series has just been cemented. Admittedly, I was disappointed with a few of the later volumes since I felt like Emura-sensei was just dragging out the story, e.g. Nobuko kidnapping arc. But with 13 and 14, as the story draws to a close and secrets are revealed, Emura-sensei was back in her element. The magic I fell in love with in the first few volumes was back and I fell deeper in love with Makoto and Ito. She ties up loose threads neatly and sets up a good ending. She didn't end it at a high point and leave us pining for more, but instead, uses a couple of chapters to unravel the ending to assure us that yes. Our darling characters are happy and will be so for the rest of their "lives."

I have been fidgety the past few days because of some mix up down at amazon, the website, not the forest. Remember me being all jubilant a few days ago? About ordering Twilight and New Moon just in time for my Aunt's flight?

While I'm usually a cheapskate, opting to get Super Saver Shipping most of the time, I actually forked money over for normal shipping this time, just to make it faster. Unfortunately, for some reason unbeknownst to ordinary mortals such as I, my book order was delayed. Their new estimate? January 31 to February 5. My Aunt leaves February 1. Their previous estimate, the reason why I actually bothered ordering in the first place, was January 27 to January 30.

I fired off a complaint to their customer service. They were pretty apologetic about it (standard procedure, I bet) and even refunded my shipping. Honestly, I would've preferred being given the chance to cancel my order. Then, I could've reordered, this time choosing 1 or 2 day shipping. Unfortunately, by the time the notice was sent, the order was being processed and could not be cancelled.

Luckily, a benevolent god, probably the god of bookworms, smiled kindly on me. This morning, I woke up to an email from the United States Postal Service saying that my package was delivered. I have yet to talk to my aunt, but as I've had a package delivered there earlier his month, I trust them when they say it's been delivered.

YAY!

i.food food glorious food
Just got in today, after spending the day at my cousin's house. His parents flew in from SF, bringing shyteloads of goodies so I'm pretty happy. The only thing I asked them to bring me was Oberto Beef Jerky. I love it so, but it's either unavailable here or too expensive. Still, aside from that, they brought home loads of plain Hershey's, Andes Creme de Menthes, and various potato chips.

You can just imagine how much of a hurdle it will be to cut back on food. Especially since we will be spending lots of time together, and if there's one thing my Kapampangan family loves doing, it's eating. >_<

ii. pinky fun
I also spent a few hours this afternoon doing Pinky set-ups among the greenery at my cousin's. The theme was Samurai drama, so you can just imagine how fun it was. Will get the images from my camera after I update my LJ. Can't wait though.

iii. twilight
To the curious people on my flist (leki, lethologica, and alexis) I really recommend picking up Twilight. It's not literature, but it's not mere brainless fluff. And it rises head and shoulders over other Vampire fiction targeted at teens like stuff by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. I really enjoyed reading it, I mean, I had to order my own copy immediately. But please don't let my opinions color yours too much; the last thing I want to do is to turn the book into something overrated.

About buying a copy locally, that might pose a problem. It's currently not available at Powerbooks and it seems that Fully Booked is down to its last few copies. New Moon, the sequel is also out of stock now. I had to order my copies from Amazon, lest I change my mind about returning Chris' copy.

Don't let the fact that it's a series turn you off. You can read volume 1 as a standalone, as it's written with an okay ending, and you can leave it at that. Knowing Edward though, I find it hard that anyone can resist his charms. I know I wasn't, and fidgeted for days on end, trying to locate a copy of New Moon. I pestered Fully Booked's people just to find a copy, which unfortunately wasn't successful.

Good thing timing was on my side, another Aunt's coming home on Feb. 2 and Twilight and New Moon's on its way to her, along with my last 2 volumes of W-Juliet. Yes, I'll probably be hiding under a rock the weekend of Feb 3-4.

iv. back to work!
Back to work tomorrow. I honestly have no idea how I'll concentrate, knowing that Heroes 12 will be waiting for me. I'm downloading it now and crossing my fingers it'll be done when I wake up. So hard going back to work after a leisurely day. Really tempted to call in sick, but then, we all know how fake that would be, hahaha! Truthfully, if I'd only known that our planned location shoot wouldn't push through this week, I would've filed for a longer vacation. But as it is, I have stuff due tomorrow so might as well go back.

Durn. Must raid freezer for bento-possibilities. At least that will cheer me up tomorrow.

v. major milestone
And how could I forget! I drove solo for the first time today. From our house to my cousin's at Verdana. Early this morning. YAY! So proud of myself. I realize I'm a much more careful driver when I'm going solo. Even if I was swaying my head a bit to Justin Timberlake (blame the radio).

Can't wait for longer trips.

i. crying is the norm?
So it would seem. Just finished watching Hana Yori Dango 2, episode 2. And yes, I cried again. It seems that it would be so for every episode this season; the pain is just too much. Of course, I don't regret watching. It's just I'm getting so carried away. How can I live like this for the next 2 months or so?

I honestly don't know what will happen next. The timeline's all screwed up. I just hope for one thing. I hope that in the end, it'll all be worth it.

(May I just reiterate, Oguri Shun's looking hawter and hawter.)

ii. this is how vampire fluff's supposed to be written
Spent last night and early this morning reading Stephenie Meyer's Twilight. I actually managed to sleep a few hours in between chapters since my eyes really couldn't stay open anymore, but still, it's a fantastic book you can't put down. I like the way the book was written. Sure, at times, my eyes would just glaze over but I really think it was because I was very sleepy already.

The lead, Bella is a likeable character, but it's Edward Cullen who captures our hearts. A vampire torn between staying true to his sire's ideals, that is, abstain from human blood, the strong pull of Bella's scent, and lastly, his growing affection for the girl whose mere scent calls out to the monster in him.

Edward is written the way a leading man should be written. He belongs up there in my list of fictional crushies. I remember reading a few of Mary Davidson's Undead series even if I considered it crappy just because I thought Sinclaire, the leading man / vampire was hot. I don't think I can stomach reading it now after having met Edward. It's hard to describe, but he's the kind of character who sashays unapologetically into your heart, with his crooked half-smile and topaz eyes.

Recommended read everyone, whether you like vampire stuff or not. Because at its heart, it's just a love story.

On a sidenote, Chris, thank you for introducing me to Edward. Even if you know I'll go all fangirl on you.

BOOK • GRAPHIC NOVEL • MANGA LIST
GOAL: Read 52 books, graphic novels, and manga in 2007.

JANUARY
1. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (young adult fiction)
2. Ichigo Channel 5 by Tajima Mimi (manga)
3. Ichigo Channel 6 by Tajima Mimi (manga)
4. Ichigo Channel 7 by Tajima Mimi (manga)
5. Ang Kagila-gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Zsazsa Zaturnnah by Carlo Vergara (graphic novel)
6. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie (fiction)

FEBRUARY
7. W Juliet 13 by Emura (manga)
8. W Juliet 14 by Emura (manga)
9. Bookends by Jane Green (chick fiction)
10. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (young adult fiction)
11. Codename Cassandra by Meg Cabot (young adult fiction)
12. Safe House by Meg Cabot (young adult fiction)
13. Sanctuary by Meg Cabot (young adult fiction)

MARCH
14. Size 14 is not Fat Either by Meg Cabot (chick fiction)
15. 300 by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley (graphic novel)
16. Scary Beautiful by Niki Burnham (young adult fiction)
17. Fables 01: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham (graphic novel)
18. Fables 02: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham (graphic novel)
19. Fables 03: Storybook Love by Bill Willingham (graphic novel)
20. Dancing Queen by Erin Downing (young adult fiction)
21. Fables 04: March of the Wooden Soldiers (graphic novel)
22. Fables 05: Mean Seasons (graphic novel)
23. Major Crush by Jennifer Echols (young adult fiction)
24. Fables 06: Homelands (graphic novel)
25. How Not to Spend your Senior Year by Cameron Dokey (young adult fiction)
26. Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall (graphic novel)
27. Fables 07: Arabian Nights and Days (graphic novel)
28. Fables 08: Wolves (graphic novel)
29. 30 Guys in 30 Days by Micol Ostow (young adult fiction)
30. Y The Last Man 01: Unmanned (graphic novel)

APRIL
31. Y The Last Man 02: Cycles (graphic novel)
32. Y The Last Man 03: One Small Step (graphic novel)
33. Y The Last Man 04: Safe Word (graphic novel)
34. Y The Last Man 05: Ring of Truth (graphic novel)
35. Y The Last Man 06: Girl on Girl (graphic novel)
36. Y The Last Man 07: Paper Dolls (graphic novel)
37. Y The Last Man 08: Kimono Dragons (graphic novel)
38. Y The Last Man 09: Motherland (graphic novel)
39. Genshiken v8 by Kio Shimoku (manga)
40. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (fiction)
41. South Beach Sizzle
42. 32AA by Michelle Cunnah (chick fiction)

MAY
43. Princess Diaries: Princess in Love by Meg Cabot (young adult fiction)
44. Fairy Tale v1-3 (manga)
47. Princess Diaries: After Eight by Meg Cabot (young adult fiction)
48. Caramel Milk Tea by Maki Usami (manga)
49. Samurai Darling by Haruta Nana (manga)
50. You're my Girlfriend by Maki Minami (manga)
51. Sold Out by Sakura Kenjo (manga)
52. Pants on Fire by Meg Cabot (young adult)
53. The Kidnapping of Minja Jo's Boyfriend by Lee Sang-Eun (manhwa)
54. Tsuki wo Dashimeru by Shiori Furukawa (manga)
55. Pure Love Stories (manhwa)

JUNE
56. Shopaholic and Baby by Sophie Kinsella (chick fiction)
57. Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge by Hayakawa Tomoko v9 (manga)

JULY
58. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

AUGUST
59. Queen of Babble In the Big City by Meg Cabot (chick fiction)
60. Jinx by Meg Cabot (young adult)
61. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (young adult)

SEPTEMBER
62. Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty (chick fiction)
63. Murkmere by Patricia Elliot (young adult / gothic fantasy)
64. My Heavenly Hockey Club 1 by Morinaga Ai (manga)
65. My Heavenly Hockey Club 2 by Morinaga Ai (manga)
66. Unexpected Magics by Diana Wynne Jones (fantasy short story collection)
67. M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman (short story collection)

NOVEMBER
68. A Countess Below the Stairs by Eva Ibbotson (fiction)
69. Books of Faerie: Auberon's Tale (graphic novel)

DECEMBER
70. Genshiken 9 by Kio Shimoku(manga)
71. Fourth Comings by Megan McCafferty (chick fiction)
72. Prom Nights from Hell by various authors (young adult)
73. Azumanga Daioh v1 by Azuma Kiyohiko (manga)
74. Azumanga Daioh v2 by Azuma Kiyohiko (manga)
75. Azumanga Daioh v3 by Azuma Kiyohiko (manga)
76. My Heavenly Hockey Club v3 by Morinaga Ai (manga)
77. Azumanga Daioh v4 by Azuma Kiyohiko (manga)
78. The Pinhoe Egg by Diana Wynne Jones (fantasy)
79. The Names of Magic by Horrocks & Chase (graphic novel)
80. Playing Games by Eileen Hehl (YA romance)
81. The Real Thing by Elisabet McHugh (YA romance)
82. Crossroad v1 by Shioko Mizumi (manga)
83. Crossroad v2 by Shioko Mizumi (manga)
84. Crossroad v3 by Shioko Mizumi (manga)
85. Crossroad v4 by Shioko Mizumi (manga)
86. Crossroad v5 by Shioko Mizumi (manga)
87. Crossroad v6 by Shioko Mizumi (manga)
88. Crossroad v7 by Shioko Mizumi (manga)
89. Spin Control by Niki Burnham (YA romance)
90. Ouran Host Club v9 by Bisco Hatori (manga)
91. Ouran Host Club v10 by Bisco Hatori (manga)
92. Otomen v1 by Kanno Aya (manga)
93. One Piece v46 by Oda Eiichiro (manga)
94. One Piece v47 by Oda Eiichiro (manga)
95. Old Boy v01 by Tsuchiya and Minegashi (manga)
96. Old Boy v02 by Tsuchiya and Minegashi (manga)
97. Old Boy v03 by Tsuchiya and Minegashi (manga)

i. morning! oh morning!
It doesn’t take much to move me. Or in this case, make me happy. But what started out as a normal everyday morning is shaping up to be a fantastic day, simply with the addition of one thing I’ve been missing a lot.

A bento! Today, I got up early, cracked open my newest acquisition (a bento box shaped like Hello Kitty’s head) and cooked. There’s something nice about cooking during cold mornings. And having the luxury of sipping a cup of coffee while doing so. Not only do you feel accomplished after having packed a lovely lunch, you get the added benefit of sweating, so taking a cold bath feels so much better afterwards. Unlike when you rush to the bathroom right after you get up. I usually end up staring at the water before facing the music.

Ah, my darling bento. I miss you so. *huggles box* Thanks to Cla (24fps) for bringing her camera to work so I could photograph lunch. At least I’ll finally get to update my food blog (kitchencow).

ii. holiday wish list
*Clears throat* It's that time of year again, hope people who love me enough see this. :D

( Hear Snow White sing 'I'm wishing...' )


iii. fictional schmex meme
Schmex (to quote khursten (khursten) who I got the meme from.) meme!

List down 10 fictional characters that you'd fool around with.
( Do you really want to know how depraved I am? )


iv. soundtrack meme
From Joy (joybur).

IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?
So, here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc).
2. Put it on shuffle.
3. Press play.
4. For every question, type the song that's playing.
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button.
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool.

( Kao's baduy results )

Now that is one screwed up movie.


v. fangirls never make sense
Funny Tamaki Hiroshi convo over YM:

kaoko25: Hiro-chaaaaan. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
kaoko25: Sheht. It's so unfair.
kaoko25: How can one guy be so schmexy?
myrya_sterling: have no idea... but he must be the reason God made man.

i. thank goodness for fast dsl
Lately, I've been thinking of downgrading my DSL connection to a cheaper plan; one that's half the price. While fast internet is really nice, especially when it comes to downloads, sometimes I wonder whether it's really cost-efficient.

Today however, all I can say is, MY DSL R0xx0rS! The latest Nodame episode in 2 hours and a half? Bring it on! May not be a big deal for people elsewhere, but in the Philippines, upwards of 90kB/s is lurf. And to think I just finished watching Nodame 6 subbed too. Sigh. Sometimes life can be nice to me too.

ii. and more thanks for john's birthday gift
John got me a really really nice Japanese cookbook / encyclopedia of sorts for my birthday. He got me this book: Japanese food and cooking, something I really really wanted the first time I laid eyes on it.

I've been reading it the past few days, a chapter or two at a time. Today, I read up on noodles. And only now did I learn that I have to wash the starch off Zarusoba, if I intend to serve it cold. So I tried it this time and the results wowwed me. The simple act of washing the noodles made a really big difference. Looks like I'll start enjoying zarusoba more often now.

Now if only I can start bento-ing again.

iii. camera lust
Been staring at online pics of the Canon EOS 400D / Digital Rebel XTi and drooling. Yes, yes. There are better cameras, I'm sure. But right now, it feels attainable for me. Just a few months of hardcore saving, and I think I can buy a kit. Although that means I'll have to forego my planned DS Lite purchase but then, a new camera looks more practical.

Wish me luck!

iv. and because i'm a geek
I'm quoting Judy Sibayan, one of my Com-Arts professors from college on this. I'm a geek. And because I am, I signed up on Shelfari. It's an online bookshelf listing which in a few words is friendster for libraries. Well, that's what it appears to be for me, and while I haven't explored it much, I wouldn't be surprised if that summarizes the service. I created an account with the username kaoko, if you guys are interested in jumping in, or already have accounts, do invite me. :D

v. dollies
My mom encountered Pullips / Blythes for the first time. Remembering my Pinkies, she got some info and the URL from the doll seller she saw at a local fair, then led me to the site. She found the Pullips really cute, and was even suggesting getting me one for my birthday. Then I showed her what I really would like having. I took her to the Dream of Doll site, and she promptly fell in love.

Now we share the same dream. To win the lottery, so we'll have money to waste. Then buy DOD Shall. Hehehe. Like daughter, like mother, huh?

i. okay. i guess sometimes yaoi can be nice
Okay. I never thought I’d say this but Tama x Kyou? IS THE LURF!

Nyahahahahahahaha! Omg, I’m actually rooting for a non-canon yaoi pairing. What is wrong with this world? What is wrong with me? Nuuuuuu! Tama x Haru Tama x Kyou is lurf!

ii. more christopher chant love
I only found out about the latest Chrestomanci novel yesterday. Sure enough, I grabbed a copy as soon as I saw it in the bookstore. Conrad’s Fate follows the story of a 12-year old boy with bad, bad karma and how he tries to get rid of said bad karma. He’s advised to work in the Stallery mansion as part of his mission, and guess who just happens to also work there.

Yes! Christopher Chant, that vain, charismatic, lovable Chrestomanci is back, this time as a 15-year old who goes undercover for a secret mission, also in the same mansion.

Right now, I’m not even halfway through the book, but I’m definitely hooked, especially since Christopher showed up. Will resume date with Mr. Chant later, heehee.

iii. pinky customs
Do any of you guys (taking my chances here) know of any dental supplies shop down south of Manila? Like, Paranaque / Las Pinas / Cavite / Muntinlupa area? Or maybe somewhere in the Makati Business district?

I’m trying to look for silicone and polyurethane resin for casting molds of models and someone suggested checking out dental supply stores. I’ll be dropping by a hobby shop tomorrow to see what they have but just in case anyone has leads, lemme know :D