The girl on fire

First time I've heard of the "Hunger Games", I thought it was a real game or some kind of a reality show. Then after googling it, I realized it's a book. Make it a series. After reading the summary, I first find it a bit absurd. Getting teens from each district chosen randomly and placing them in a game where the goal is to try to "out skill" each other or maybe "kill" each other. Ending the game with the last man standing. ok? So what's the point? I thought it was a bit sadistic and so I didn't thought of reading it ever, its looks too violent. But then a lot of people is raving about it! Even Stephenie Meyer finds it close to perfect.

And so last thursday my friend bought the Hunger Games set (P995). After suggesting it to her again and again while we're in the bookstore so I can borrow it afterwards. haha! Curiosity kills, really. I don't want to buy the book because I'm still getting second thoughts about it. She finished it too fast that I get to borrow it on friday night. And just in time, saturday classes was suspended because of the quadri celebration. hooray! haha! This is a good break from my endless accounting books.

*So this is where a crappy book review starts*

First, the book cover got my interest. In the cover is a mockingbird or a "mockingjay" inside a ring (that's also a part of the story) printed. Reminds me of the famous book of Harper Lee. I also like the black theme of the book, gives it a "dark" feeling. lol. Anyway, the story generally revolves around Katniss, "the girl on fire". With the 74th Hunger Games, a fight to death live on tv, starting. One boy and one girl age 12-18, from each 12 districts, are chosen to be "tributes" for the game. During the reaping, 42 names are drawn from a big glass bowl. But then the odds just didn't get on Prim's side, Katniss' 12 yr. old sister. And so Katniss decided to volunteer herself in replacement to save her sister from the "death sentence". With Peeta Mellark as the boy tribute of their 12th district, together they have been marked as the star-crossed lovers of the game. And so the story goes on how Katniss, being a big contender that nobody have ever thought of, would try to save herself from death and survive among the other 24 tributes. Plus there's also a fair share of love story between Katniss and Peeta. But the problem is the game supposedly ends with only one victor. And so decisions are to be made.

What I like about the story was it never had a dull moment. It was a great adventure novel. I like how the game was presented. I thought it would be too brutal or full of blood shed killings. But I was wrong. While I was reading it, so many things had been crossing my mind. It made me think of the HP's Goblet of Fire book, the wolves and vampires in the Twilight series hunting each other, the Survivor reality game and even the Pinoy Big Brother show. haha! IMHO, the flow of the story was builded up in a way that the reader wouldn't stop reading. The chapters was also generally written in a way that in every end of the chapter you'd be hanging by the moment. nyaha! This sounds weird after thinking the story was not my type coz it looks too violent. haha! Anyway, I'm surely gonna buy the remaining two books. woop! But first I've got to have a free time for that. haha! wth. Accounting, please be continuously nice to me. =]

life of the fockers

We watched the "Little Fockers" a while ago and it was just weird that SM cinemas only opens 2 time slots for a whole day, well that's the case in MOA and Sm Southmall when I checked. Sm Bacoor doesn't even had it. Or maybe it was already on its 2nd week, idk, whatever. Honestly, I don't get the whole story in the beginning. But I think, it just generally revolves between Greg Focker and his father-in-law James Brynes just like how it was in "Meet the Fockers". There's the misunderstandings and the random jokes thrown as the kids being curious and all. Then there's also the addition of Pam's (Greg's wife) ex lover and Andi (a medicine sales rep?) that at least added some new flavor in the movie.

The movie was a bit too boring for me. I just don't see it as engaging as the previous ones. I even slept for about 5mins. or so in the middle of the movie, I don't know if I just missed the best part ...or not. Then there's also the "Early Human School" (where they want their kids to study) that got my attention. I just like what the head or rep of the school said, it was something like "no two child was born the same so they shouldn't be given the same way of education", got some sense right?

All in all, I'd give it a 5 or a 6... or maybe 5.5. I respect those writer/director/actors that made time to produce a "sequel", but unfortunately I just feel it was bland or lacking of something. This just comes only from a point of view of an average teenager who watches movie as a hobby. hehe. Or maybe I was just expecting something. But at least I didn't slept for half the movie unlike my mother, haha!

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2010 backtrack

Achievements and memorable evens in 2010

youtube madness! (2.6.10)
- 2010 was also the year I finally met my long time subscribed musician in youtube, none other than, AJ Rafael! woop! And also Randolph Permejo, who co-written the song "My Everything" w/Cathy Nguyen, was also with him during the meet and greet. Tasi Alabastro, part of Barkada Inc., who was super duper nice, was also present during that night. Their main purpose of coming in the country was for the mission trip in helping the Ondoy victims. All 3 of them was so nice and accommodating to all who had shown up, they were all game and ready to pose for picture and sign some stuffs. And they were so warm in talking with everyone, and I even got a hug from Aj after giving him my "simple gift" (I want it yo be personalized so I decided to make 2 sketches of him. XD). I'm just in awe while listening to them and seeing them live doing their stuffs. That's how small the world can be through technology! woop!

Eleksyon 2010 (5.10.10)
- this year, I'm an official voter na even though wala pa din akong voter's id. *hello comelec?* And this is also the first automation in the voting process. My first experience in national and local voting was too memorable after going in a sea of people in search for my designated precint/room. haha! as in close to stampede siya, and I was close to being claustrophobic and almost close to losing my breath because of the excessive heat and tulakan moments ng mga tao. brr. And "waiting in vain" moment in front of our car dahil nahiwalay ako AND wala akong load AND wala akong perang dala, even a peso. *lesson learned* Feel ko na ang "nawawalang bata" moment ko. And also the number system, as in bumalik na lan kami after 2-3 hrs. to have my turn. And that was it, it's fulfilling to have done something for your country even through this simple ways. But atleast I was one of those who didn't lose hope in getting my vote count. Even though my presidential bet (Gordon) didn't win, I'm still glad for having shown my support towards change.

Summer getaway at Volet's (5.26.10)
- this was my first time to go swimming without my family. I don't usually join class outings because I kind of find it boring and in the first place I don't know how to swim so I won't get to enjoy it that much and most of the time they drink till dawn and I don't drink so what am I gonna do there? Anyway, this thoughts didn't came in my mind kasi I'm sure this would just be pure craziness! =] We're 11 all in all. All my friends in our neighborhood. We stayed in the resort till around 3 or 4am. Good thin hindi kami sinisita or something kasi as in yung kubo na lang namin ang may ilaw. lol. Takutan/kwentuhan/picturan and anything under the sun/moon ginawa na namin to pass up the time of waiting for our sundo. This would really be one of the moments in my life that I wouldn't mind to repeat over and over again. =]

Accounting life
-2010 was also the year where I first got my 2.5 and 2.25 in my Management Acctg1 and Fin. Acc3 respectively, after 3yrs. of having various acctg. subjects (kundi 2.75, isang malaking tres!).Oha! I'm so proud of the result of my hardship/puyatan night/and night at the library. Well, seriously, nag-seryoso talaga ako that sem and I'm too much engaged in studying that time sana maipagpatuloy ko pa! =]

Fun? run (10.10.10)
- my first fun run I ever joined. The run for ilog Pasig which also aims for a record breaking # of participants for the Guinness. Tiring, .. hmm

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woop! 2011!

For 2010's new year's eve, we'll not gonna be complete when the clock strikes 12 because my father has work. srsly? tsktsk. Anyway, we went to hear the mass at 9pm and it ended at 10. After going home we started to arrange all the food in the table and it just became a tradition for us every year to fill the table with food to welcome the new year. Around 11.30, kuya started to light some fireworks while mama is busy facebooking with my tita and tito and while I'm busy covering my ears and nose from all the smoke outside. hoho! After the clock strike 12, and before the media noche, we first had a prayer for thanksgiving and continuous blessing and guidance, then EATING time! woohoo!

Around 1am, I went to Kathy's house for the yearly movie marathon! It's been 2 or 3 yrs already since we've been watching movie or playing karaoke during New Year's day. 1st movie was "Trapped Ashes" which is an anthology horror film or something like 4 shorts of gruesome flicks. It started from a group of people on a VIP Tour in the Ultra Studios and they requested their tour guide to tour them in a house where a horror movie was shot. They suddenly realized that they're already trapped as they try to find the exit door. The tour guide then suggested that one way to get them out is for each one of them to tell their own horror story that happened to them in real life just like how it's done in the movie shot there. And that part was just *huh?*, telling own horror stories for them to get out? I thought it would be like the saw series but then they 4 shorts was just injected in the film. The 1st one who started the story was the actress who got breast implants using body tissues from a cadaver which ended up to be a vampire kind of boobies that sucks blood, that reminded me the movie "Teeth". The 2nd was about a japanese monk? that I think is in love with the girl and so after he died he haunts the girl to get her to hell with him. And the other half of the movie was history. haha! I already fell asleep as well as others. Only 2 was able to finish the movie. haha! The 4th story according to them was something about a pregnant mother and tapeworms. Well, this film is not recommended for young people coz it's full of love-making scenes as what I've observed on the 1st two stories. I just don't get why they do have to put that up in the storyline, I think they're more other substantial scenes that should've been added rather than that. (5/7)

I was already fully awake when the 1st movie ended. It's already 4am so I decided not to sleep anymore and just watched another one because the others are still asleep. We 3 surviving people watched "Going the Distance". Basically it's a rom-com kind of movie where the 2 leading characters met in a "pub" one night while the girl was playing an arcade game where she got the top scores. And from that, they started to click together and the cue for endless kisses and love starts. The sitch is there's gonna be this "long-distance relationship" between them because the girl's originally from San Franciso and the other's on New York and so time difference exists. The movie is not too engaging and a bit too slow in the storyline. But that's just maybe because I still don't have enough sleep and my mind can't concentrate. haha! (7/10)

After the movie, they started to wake up and so it's time to go home. And just in time my father's already home and already sitting in front of the computer and hooked on facebook/poker as usual. haha! And because it's already 6am, not a time to sleep again, I just ate a slice of Sansrival from last night for breakfast kuno. hello diabetes? =] And then ate a pear to wash away all the sweets. hehe. And off to do other things.

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