Oh it's Christmas!

It's less than 2 weeks before Christmas and I think it's appropriate to post my wishlist now. Anyone, good friends who want to give me something this Christmas, you should know that only two things would make me happy, well, aside from iPod 5th Gen., you could either give me cash so I can buy more books or you can give me the actual books instead. HA! :p

So here is the list of books:

(1) The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare. (2) The Infernal Devices books 1 and 2. (3) Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. (4) Fat Kids Rule the World by KL Going. (5) One Day by David Nicholls. (6) Starter for Ten by David Nicholls. (7) The Maze Runner Series by James Dashner. (8) The Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa. (9) Every Day by David Levithan. (10) Mara Dyer Series by Michelle Hodkin.

Forgive my audacity in assuming that someone would even give me a present this Christmas, let alone this specific. LOL! Sometimes, you really need to be shameless in order to get what you want. Eh? :D

BOOK REVIEW: Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

HUSH, HUSH: A SACRED OATH A FALLEN ANGEL A FORBIDDEN LOVE Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment. But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel. For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.

THE STORY: The story was told by the main character's perspective, Nora Grey.

THE CHARACTERS: I definitely enjoyed all the characters here, including Nora, yes! Haha. She is a typical over-achieving highschool girl. I think she was really brave. Her bestfriend, Vee is so cool, she is obsessed with a lot of stuff, shopping, boys and drama. As for Patch? He'll definitely be added to my list of favorite fictional characters. He was very H-O-T!!!

MY THOUGHTS: I heard a lot about this book, and I know about book called Crescendo but I didn't know that Crescendo was actually Hush Hush's sequel, until I read this.

You know what I like about this book? Nora's paranoia. Those paranoias were the reason why I couldn't put this down. Indepth, well-explained and enthralling.

I give 4/5 stars. I love the story, yes, definitely but I was looking for something I couldn't explain up to now, probably because the book doesn't have the originality at some point.

For Becca Fitzpatrick, you rock girl! You're a wonderful writer!

BOOK REVIEW: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

The Lucky One

Country's leading bookstore, National Bookstore is currently having a 'Weekly Signed Treat' for us booklovers! Every week, there is a particular book to be given away to one lucky winner! Previously, they gave one signed copy of Pittacus Lore's, The Power of Six, also Hilary Duff's, Devoted. Fated by Alyson Nöel, Chris Colfer's The Land of Stories and a lot more. This week's prize is a signed Copy of Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball by Rafe Bartholomew.

Yes! It's easy and free to join. You just need to like National Bookstore's Facebook fan page, follow @nbsalert on Twitter or click here to know more: http://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Book-Store/72546266913?sk=app_228910107186452

It starts every Friday and ends every Thursday. Winner will be announced soon after.

So you're asking why I am saying this? Well, I am blogging this because actually I already won, not once, not twice but four times! Lol! And believe me guys, the prizes are real, I mean I got the books already and they were all signed. HAHAHA! Sooo cooool! :)))

Here are some of the pictures:

FATED (Soul Seeker series)

Signed, Alyson Nöel.

Happy Accidents by Jane Lynch. The Glee star herself and an award winning comedienne!

Signed, Jane Lynch.

I love reading books. Especially when you get the book for free. All those books are hardbounds, so maybe their prices ranges from 600 to 1000 plus bucks or even more, plus they were all signed by some of my favorite authors. Cool, eh? ;)

Missing the Dogs

My sweet, dear dog died recently. *sobs* Maden for us, Bubbles for Ayie. We couldn't decide what to name her, anyway, yes she died last Friday. What made me really cry was, we didn't know the cause of her death. And it makes me more sad because I was not able to keep a single picture of her.

She was not much of a watch dog. Although she acted herself to be like one. She protected our house just by barking, to warn us if there is someone around. I am not sure what she thought the threat from them was but that was her one focus, to protect us from. And she did it well! No one ever attacked our house.

I know Maden was not the world's brightest dog, not like Four's Bernie Kosar, not like Lassie or Rin Tin Tin but she could be like Hachi, the way she loved me, the way she loved us.

I believe in these:

"All dogs go to heaven,because, unlike people, dogs are naturally good, loyal and kind." ― Annabelle, All Dogs Go To Heaven (1989)

"The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man's." ― Mark Twain

So imagine, all those dogs or pets you have ever had and loved waiting for you in heaven. Gods! that is already heaven!

So to all our dogs in heaven, you guys will forever live on in my heart and memory.

Usher the Golden Retriever

Sylver the Great Dane

Rottie the Rotweiler

Rikka the Dalmatian

I miss you guys! I know we'll see each other again someday. And that makes me smile. :)

I think I am a sci-fi fan, when did that happen?

Last night, I told myself today would be productive. Guess what I did? Hahaha I just read my copy of 'The Rise of Nine' a week before it's official release. Well, I kinda feel genius about that. Anyway. :)))

To be honest, I didn't get much sleep, though that's normal for me. Aside from Jason's new work schedule, I was too engrossed in reading. I also didn't get to do anything else done (I was supposed to do the laundry) because I spent half the day all curled up in bed reading a small screen, not even caring when my eyes got too strained.

Yes. I am completely utterly inlove with the Lorien Stories.

I've been waiting for The Rise of Nine (Lorien Legacies #3) for about six months now since I finished reading the second book (The Power of Six). That book just made me linger for the third book, yet more!

In the latest book, we see all the Garde coming together but one. Though the title is, The Rise of Nine, by the end of the book, there were only eight of them together.

In the second book, John and Six parted ways. Six went on her way to Spain, to look for another Garde while Four went with Sam to a Mog cave where they found Nine. Unfortunately, Sam was left behind. Though harmed, Four and Nine got out of the cave. In the meantime, Six finally met Seven and together they discovered that Ten really does exist, along with her Cépan, Crayton. The Rise of Nine, converses the journey of all the living Garde except Five, although they were divided into two groups. Four, Six and Marina are the narrators of the third installment.

Four and Nine were still in Chicago. Four wanted to go back in the cave to save his bestfriend, Sam. However, Nine is insisting that they go meet up with Six and the other members of the Garde as was planned. But they keep getting an attack from the government soldiers, carrying Mogs' weapons. All over the story, Nine and Four discover that the US Government has made an agreement with the Mogadorians.

Meanwhile, Six, Seven, Ten and Crayton go to India where they believe another Garde is hiding. When they were together, Eight reveals numerous excellent powers. Unluckily, Crayton died from an attack of the Mogs on their way to meet Four and Nine. Six, Seven, Eight and Ten attempt to teleport in America, but Six got separated from them. She was captured by Mogs and US soldiers, eventually.

I was indeed looking forward to this book because I thought The Power of Six was great and it was such a cliffy. And I really thought this was going to be the last book, but I suppose there's more to the story. To be honest, the book was good but I just finished it because I was hoping that it's going to be the end.

In this book, new character was introduced -- Eight. He lives in India, many people there thought and believed he is the reincarnation of Vishnu. At first, I was intrigued by his character, because he posseses numerous powers but eventually I was more intrigued by Nine's character. Despite being annoying and somewhat of a stupid, I find myself liking him more and more.

As of the three girls, Six is my favorite because she is just really an awesome-kickass-chick. She is so capable of leading others and fighting on her own. I must admit I am a fan of strong women who take no crap. ;)

Sadly, Sam makes no appearance in this book since the Mogadorians have him. Guess who's back, anyway. Yeah, Sarah Hart is back towards the end.

I enjoyed it as much as I thought I would, though it has the same elements as the previous books -- action, suspense, a heartwarming friendship, romance. This series just keeps getting better and better. The Rise of Nine exceeded my anticipation and now I am impatiently waiting for the next book. And that's a year from now, dammit! :p

Confessions Of A Not So Wide Reader

When I was in highschool, reading was not really my thing. It makes me sleepy and it takes so much time. I would rather go outside to meet my friends or watch my favorite TV shows rather than to sit for hours to finish a text book or something. Whenever we had an assignment, I would always rely on my classmates' works and whatever my teacher is explaining. I would jot down notes, those keywords I think might appear on our exams but no one have seen me reading. Ever. And that attitude I thought would be applicable for college. Boy I was wrong, especially if you were taking up BSN.

I remember when I was in 4th year, all my classmates were really serious with their studies. Everyday their faces are buried under our textbooks. And they are all busy taking down notes. You know what really forced me to read? My classmates! Because they won't give the right answer during exams and they would hide their assignments so you could not copy. I thought they are selfish. LOL! So there, I HAD TO READ!!!

The first novel that I read was Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom. It was not a thick book for me, like a hundred plus pages, not sure. I also have to practice pronouncing words right, so I thought it would be the best book to start with. At that time I was having issues finishing it but when I got the core of it, I got hooked. Since then I never saw myself not reading especially these past year when I had the luxury to purchase books, it truly converted me.

Lately, buying second hand books is one of my favorite things to do. Sure thing, new books are okay, I guess -- but I love second hand books (and third, who knows? Lol.) I don't mean first editions in mint condition here, just used books. Do I need to say why I love buying used books? Well because it's waaaay cheaper. ;)

Ninety percent of my books I get second hand. I even have a book where the pages are already falling apart, but I am still okay with it because I can still read the text. And I think that's the most important. One of my friends, says that those preloved slash used slash secondhand books have this certain charm -- the well loved pages caressed by repeated reading of the first owner of the book. I love buying second hand books, you know why? Because they have stories other than what is written on them.

I'm happy that I bought the Life of Pi at Booksale for only 145 pesos.

Something that I have come to appreciate with previously owned books. The inscriptions inside.



My first ever Drug Handbook. Bought this when I was in college. For only 95 pesos!



Bought some more books last week in an online shop. Yay!

BIG FAT LIAR! :P

As I am writing this, I am still not sure if I am going to post it or not, because all these years I am not really vocal when it comes to my 'relationship status' and stuff. Hey you, I know this might sound a bit cheesy, but hear me out. I am here to write how thankful I am for having Jason in my life. We have been together for 2 years now, 25th month on the 13th. Everyday I thank God for giving me such a wonderful guy like him. All these years, he has continued to be my cushion against everything, my human diary, my best sounding board. I am not blowing things out of proportion here, but unlike others, he has never disappointed me, he has never left me, he has never let me down. Cheesy, eh? I am indeed thankful for all the things he has done for me. I will try not to talk about him here more often because it's cheesy, and I want our relationship be private. But let me, just this once, to express how grateful I am. Sorry for being overly sentimental, I just find it hard to doodle my ideas when it comes to him. He is no out of the ordinary, but I don't know, there are a lot things about him that I find it hard to narrate.

If someone would ask me who I want to be with? I would simply say, someone who can understand that I am not perfect. Yes. I have committed a lot of mistakes, several times. Something that should not be done in our relationship. Not the cheating thingy, you should clearly understand what I mean. I lied to him. Now, I just have the audicity to blog here that I lied to Jason. From his simple words like, "Kumain ka na?" I would always say, "oo tapos na", even if I am not. To, "uminom ka na ng gamot?", I would say, "yes!" even if I am not yet. After all the lies I did, I realize that, Jason, does not deserve anything like this. In the end, I told him everything. I knew he will get mad at me. I knew I should accept what the effects may be. What I only kept in my mind that time was, he does not deserve a single lie, he needs to know everything.

Once again, I am so lucky to have him, he just told me not to ever do that again. He set aside his anger. His love for me never fails. Something I should really be proud of. I never wanted to be unfair to him, so I faced the consequences. After all I have done, he is still there, protecting and fighting for me and loving me, ofcourse. I would never let go of this guy. When pig's fly! He is a lot to lose.

Hey boy! I love you, quite a clichè but true. Truth is, I am the luckiest girl in the world to have you. :)

Out of Boredom

I thought I would make a list of some of my favorite books. Some of my favorites are really quite random. This is not in particular order. So here it goes:

BOB ONG BOOKS. From ABNKKBSNPLAko?, Bakit Baliktad Magbasa ng Libro ang mga Pilipino, Ang Paboritong Libro ni Hudas, Alamat ng Gubat, Stainless Longganisa, Macarthur, Kapitan Sino, Ang mga Kaibigan ni Mama Susan to Lumayo Ka Nga sa Akin, I have been a greedy reader of Bob Ong's classic stories.

Bob Ong is a great artist, good communicator who can influence you through his words about life, love, politics, education, religion, drugs etc etc.

DIVERGENT TRILOGY. (Divergent. Insurgent. Convergent, 2013) Veronica Roth has created an epic world stuffed with action, adventure and major suspense. Divergent is one of the novels that had me jumping out of my seat.

Insurgent. The second book is SICK!!!! I utterly, unquestionably love that Veronica Roth picks up Insurgent right where Divergent left off. The book ends with a major cliffhanger that's going to kill me. DAMN IT!!! :P

DELIRIUM TRILOGY. (Delirium. Pandemonium. Requiem, Spring of 2013) This is a dystopian novel set in Portland where LOVE is a disease. Amor Deliria Nervosa. Can you imagine that? LOVE. AS. A. DISEASE???

The books are so terrific I want to cry a million buckets of tears. To those who loves YA/Dystopian novels, if you really want to be smashed in the chest by all that and a bag of chips, you need to read this series.

THE SHOPAHOLIC SERIES. The first ever series I have read. ^__^ I am obsessed with Sophie Kinsella novels. I actually read ALL. OF. HER. BOOKS!!!! :P

Sophie Kinsella is indeed an awesome author. I'm soooo looking forward to another chicklit of hers, and yell to the world that I read it because they are freaking coooool!!!!

I'VE GOT YOUR NUMBER. I told you, I love Sophie Kinsella. I've Got Your Number is her latest stand alone book.

When I downloaded a copy of this, I practically spent the whole day reading the novel. Sam and Poppy! YAAAY!!!! K. Whatever! :P It's a chick-lit, hell yes, what else would you expect from Sophie?

A fun. Light read. It's necessary to say that there was never an irksome moment reading it. And it's one of those novels that makes me really laugh. I was actually, laughing out loud the whole time I was reading this. HAHAHAHA nevermind! :P

THE DEVIL AND MISS PRYM. The only Coelho book I have read so far. I am not a big fan of him. Sorry! :P But I just love this book so much!

A simple yet arousing story of good and bad. Good vs. evil. It is a book about about temptation and about the ongoing struggle for manhood and for our eternal souls.

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER. This is a story of a kid named Charlie, who is starting in his first year in highschool. A story on how he thinks and interacts with his family and friends.

The story really helped me remember the joy back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days, when I was still a teenager, those times when we were still exploring unfamiliar stuffs. Growing up, eh? This one is definitely a goodread for those, like me, who have ever felt like they aren't being noticed.

THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN. A deeply moving literary wonder. A masterpiece. Another must-read from Mitch Albom.

I have cried not only once but countless. This book gave me lessons in LIFE. :) It's an inspiring read. No doubt, with all the hindrance and inability to understand why there had to be all these stupid bumps along the way, throughout the journey. I wouldn't mind if this happens in heaven.

FOR ONE MORE DAY. Since I have this special love and admiration towards mothers, I decided to put this book at number two spot. I find it very touching and I can really feel the author's sincerity. And hey! I'm a Mitch Albom fan! ;)

A story of how a mother loves her child deeply, even in a way that they are often misunderstood.

TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE. This book shares a lot of good perceptions about life and how to live well. It is like a piece of an outward sign how marvelous and great Morrie Schwartz had been so this book is truly a must-read! Trust me! It also helped me shape my perspective of what dying should mean. The author, Mitch Albom, captured my heart with this one. Surely, will capture yours as well.

I would imagine this list will be longer in no time. I am not a wide reader but certainly I LOVE to read. If you have made it to the end of this list, BIG THANKS for taking the time.

A blast from the past!

I am a college graduate. A Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduate. Let me share you my story. No one has ever told me to take up this course. When I was in highschool, 4th year to be precise, I was not yet sure what to take up, but as we all know, Nursing has been a monumental what-friggin'-ever-you-call-it in year 2000 and something. So I was like, okay I will take that, I will be just fine with that. Actually, in my younger years, probably in gradeschool, I wanted to become a doctor, a lawyer or even a CEO of a successful company. I also wanted to take Psychology, because I want to learn more about human behavior and to know what other people are thinking and why they choose to do certain things. I even took my entrance examination in UST, BS Psychology as my first choice, but my mom backed out, well that's another story.

As soon as I graduated from highschool, I already knew what I am going to take in College, BSN. Yes, BSN! I enrolled in Manila Central University, but eventually transferred to Our Lady of Fatima University, because of some matters. To put it briefly, in stages I appreciate every bit of this course that I chose. Little by little, I have come to realize that I can never imagine myself not being a full-grown nurse in the coming years. I learned to love Nursing with all my heart, do I have a choice? :p Nursing is not just nursing, it is an art. LOL! Seriously, it made me realize how to value the life that capital H-I-M above has given us.

After almost six years in college, 16 loooooong years of studying. I finally got my diploma. But I knew, that was definitely not the end of all. I needed to get my lazy ass and enroll in a review center, take and pass the boards ofcourse. Thank God I was fortunate enough to enroll in one of the best review centers in town, not to mention their top caliber reviewers. After 4 months of non-stop review, 10 hours a day, Mondays to Sundays, phew!!! The long wait is over. The night before the boards I went to sleep at around 9-10 pm, woke up at 4 am and went to church, to ask for His guidance, one last time before taking the PNLE. After 2 days of exam, finally, those 16 years spent in school, those hardships, those sufferings, it was all over! I know it will eventually compensate. I will just let God do the rest for me.

LORD, THANK YOU!!! FINALLY, I MADE IT!!!

No words can express how exactly I felt last August 20, Saturday night. I knew the moment I checked my Twitter and Facebook that, that was the time the result will be released, with all the status updates and tweets my former professors and lecturers posted. I was really anxious and pressured. Yikes! And then boom! The results were released, I saw my name. Yes! I. SAW. MY. FUCKING. NAME!!! HAHAHAHA! I immedietly texted my mom to tell her the goodnews. I felt like crying the moment I saw my name. You can't blame me, after six years in College, I finally got what I wanted in life.

Well ofcourse, I wouldn't learn to love this course without the people who shared with me the knowledge about Nursing. My Clinical Instructors, my Professors, the Lecturers, hospital personnels, MY SHIELD FAMILY (Monumento Branch), Karen and Cez and ofcourse, Jason, the one who believed in me when no one else did. And to all, whom I share every bit of struggle and joy of pursuing my chosen path. I had, like all of us, my ups and downs while pursuing BSN.

The main reason why I am writing this is that I want to thank my parents for their endless support, unfailing and unconditional love that they keep on giving me. I wouldn't be to where I am right now without my parents, they have been extremely supportive to me. And I was delighted I was able to give my parents my diploma and my license. They truly deserve everything.

Before all else, I can no longer thank God for making all these things possible. I have been through a lot, during lectures, out of town duties, 16-hour duties, reviews and stuff. Or whenever I can no longer tell anybody or whatever I was going through, God has invariably comforted me. No one knows precisely about the pains and the struggles that I really had in college. I am blessed with everything that I have learned. All the memories I had in college and even in my gradeschool and highschool days will forever be cherished.

Passing the Philippine Nursing Licensure Examination was something that I really worked hard and prayed for. Something that could really make me the most happy girl in the world. The best gift ever! I guess when you really pray for something so hard and you really work hard to get it, God will give it to you. I can't really recall the time when I started praying for my license, from then on, I never stopped from praying and believing for it. And the long wait is over, I am really glad, I made it! :)

Just to brag a little, for all those who didn't believe in me, this one's for you guys! HA! ^____^

I AM TRULY GRATEFUL! I DID MY BEST AND GOD DEFINITELY JUST DID THE REST!

Love, Aprilyn Joy M. Gutierrez RN

Would you erase me?

I finally watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I heard about this movie a really long time ago, downloaded a copy, but couldn't find time to watch it. With all the school stuff and everything. Until awhile ago, out of boredom. I was decluttering stuff on my phone when I found the file.

The movie is based in a world where technology exists to erase a particular parts of your memory. It revolves around a couple, Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) and Clementine Kruczynski, (Kate Winslet) though much of the film takes place in Joel's mind, who choose to undergo the process after a sloppy breakup and in taking over both painful and the beautiful parts of their relationship. There are a lot of things this movie does right. With a star-studded casts, the acting is fantastic! What else would you expect from Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, eh? The image of memories is so charming as well and absolutely, utterly smashes on the world of wistfulness.

Confused with the title, i googled it and it says that, it was taken from the poem, ELOISA TO ABELARD by ALEXANDER POPE, the story of tragic love affair where forgetfulness became the heroine's only comfort:

"How happy is the blameless vestal's lot! The world forgetting, by the world forgot, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd"

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is such a fucked up depressing movie, yet, still I love it despite the fact. Probably this will be added to my favorites. I love the meaning behind it.

Pandemonium, a sequel to Delirium

Description:

I'm pushing aside memory of my nightmare, pushing aside thoughts of Alex. Pushing thoughts of Hana, and my old school, push, push, push, push like Raven thought me to do. The old life is dead. But the old Lena is dead too. I buried her. I left her beyond fence, behind a wall of smoke and flame. Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution to ignite.

Pandemonium, the most awaited sequel to Delirium has been receiving a bunch of good and bad reviews. Some of the readers loved it, others appeared to have been sourly disappointed and the conclusion alone has undoubtedly aggravated a strong response one way or the other from most readers.

The story followed a format that jumped between past and present, between "NOW" and "THEN". At first I was confused but gradually learned to understand it. I found this very interesting. The Then chapters pick up instantly after what happened to Delirium. After Lena's escape from Portland. She is now alone in the woods. The Now chapters are several months in the future. Lena has been with the Invalids ( the term they use for those uncured individuals.) and now living in one of the cities, (New York) feigning she was cured, but really working for the resistance.

As for the characters, Lena, the protagonist is much more engaging character in Pandemonium. Her development is entertaining and acceptable in the circumstances showed. I could really see her character unravelling. Though I miss the up beat, oblivious girl who grew to appreciate the meaning of love for the first time. There were fairly a few characters presented, Raven, Julian and Tack to name a few. Raven is one of those characters for certain you don't want to screw up with. Julian, at first I find him a bit dull. I thought his character was only fated to have a minor part in this novel. I was certainly proven wrong. ;-)

Lauren Oliver never fails to amaze me with her style of writing. So expressive, picturesque and emotional. Full of imagery and lyrical verses. Her writing is indeed beatiful. It helped me feel every emotion of her characters, especially, Lena. She's a genius writer, with the concept and all. I don't think anyone would dispute that.

I gave this book an amazing 4 stars. The twists and the turns of the story kept me in suspense. Hell yes, another cliffhanger at the end, but it was so worth the read. I am surely be thrilled to bits to see how Oliver will end the trilogy. Requiem, fall of 2013.

Here are some of the quotes from the book:

"That's a flip side of freedom: when you are completely free, you are also completely on your own."

"If you are smart, you care. And if you care, you love."

"That's the thing, we didn't really care. A world without love is also a world without stakes."

"Waste today, want tomorrow."

"The tunnels may be long, and twisted and dark; but you are supposed to go through them."

"You can build a future out of anything. A scrap, a flicker. The desire to go forward, slowly, one foot at a time."

WHAT IF LOVE IS ILLEGAL?

I am not a bookwhore or a nerd or something. I am not a wide reader as well. I only read what my friends recommend. I usually go for the tried and tested stuff. So if this post sounds like I know everything, then you're thinking it wrong. This is just my opinion. :)

Description:

Before scientists found the cure, people thought that love was a good thing. They didn't understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning 18. Lena Haloway has always looked forward to the day when she will be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable and happy. But with 95 days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: she falls inlove.

Intrigued by the preface of this novel. A world where love, a.k.a AMOR DELIRIA NERVOSA is coursed as a disease. Before turning 18, every citizen must undergo an operation, to 'CURE' them. I found the concept both unique and captivating.

We meet the protagonist, Lena, a seventeen year old girl that follows all the rules of the dystopian society but bit by bit, all over the book her friend, Hana, starts questioning her future. In this book, Lena becomes a stronger, independent and more self-loving person than we seen in the beginning. To me, it sounds like the fundamental context is that love makes you stronger.

Romance. Romance is one of the main themes of this novel. Lena and Alex couldn't have been more perfect together. The characters are great and well-crafted. Though the book started to be a bit slow, it has kept me in my seat and read non-stop. And I can't wait to see what the author has for them in the next installment.

This book is imaginative and it exhibits quick-wittedness. The writing is lovely and descriptive throughout the novel. The author has a way with words. (I love the passages at the beginning of every chapter.) Delirium left me teary-eyed and emotional. I give 5 amazing stars to Lauren Oliver for her amazing writing. I highly recommend this one.

LET'S GO CELTICS!!!

CAN YOU FUCKING TELL ME, WHEN DID YOU BECOME A FAN OF MIAMI HEAT? LIKE YESTERDAY? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! WHATEVER!!! :P

Hell, I'm not really disturbed or mad or whatever. It's just I am a bit annoyed with people like that. FAKE ASS, BANDWAGON!!! :P Maybe a little bothered not because the C's didn't win yesterday but because they didn't put up a good fight. It's okay if they didn't win but if they just atleast gave the fans, a great game then I am satisfied. Losing is part of the game, that's a common knowledge. But Lebron did a good job for Miami Heat. It was like Celtics vs. Lebron, eh?

After game 6, series was tied at 3-3, and the greens are heading back to South Beach.

We are down. NOT OUT.

If you think this is over, you are a piece of ass! Not yet baby! Given, that last game was our fault. C's did what they always does. Hello, nobody thought we would stand a chance against the Heat before the series. I had a lot of friends who told me that they thought it could be a clean sweep, then, hey! we won game 5, you know?

The fans chanted "LET'S GO CELTICS" up to the last three minutes of the game. That's what you called a TRUE FAN! HA! :P

Factly speaking, win or lose I'm satisfied this season. We already proved ourselves! We just proved we can win at home and on the road. We proved we aren't the underdogs. WE PROVED AGE IS ONLY A NUMBER!

and still...

I BELIEVE THE C'S WILL WIN GAME 7 AND GO TO THE FINALS!!! BECAUSE I AM A CELTIC!!!

LATERS, BABY! :P

I just finished reading Fifty Shades Freed.

What follows cannot exactly be rated PG.

If you haven't read it yet, or you have no idea what it is about, well yeah, it's got a lot of sexual content. I started reading Fifty Shades of Grey (Book 1 of the series) not realizing how bright-hued this ish is. Now that I am done reading the series, let me share with you how I feel about it.

Yes, I'm one those reader who couldn't put it down. I think Ms. E.L James did a wonderful job with the story line. Yay to her! But the writing? Quite frankly, for me it started to get a bit drudging. I don't wanna say drudging because deep in my heart was pounding for most of it. Probably the writing itself wasn't creative enough? I mean how many fucking times can a guy, "press his lips into a hard line" and how many times can he, "raise his eyebrows, surprised" and how many times can she say, "Oh my". All those effing lines were in the book atleast a couple of times each. And the one that really annoyed me was how quickly the author ran out of ways to describe orgasm.

As we all know it was originally a Twilight fanfic, like why the fuck? Fucking Twilight you guys! :P Obviously, I'm not fond of Twilight in general anymore, I gave this series a chance coz  had been hearing good stuffs about it. Yet after awhile, I realized, the more I searched for this tag, the more I started to notice that there were few posts saying good stuffs about the book. Then I realized something, when people say bad experience, they tend to dwell on it and let everyone know how horrible it is and to stay away from it. But when something is good, they don't really say anything. Based on that, I'm gonna say that this series was actually pretty good. There, yes, I said it. When reading it and you are fully aware that it was originally a fanfic, I was able to behold the similarities between the main characters in this series with those in Twilight.

Anastacia Steele = Bella Swan

Christian Grey = Edward Cullen

Kate Kavanaugh = Alice Cullen

Mia Grey = Rosalie Cullen

Elliot Grey = Emmett Cullen

Ethan Kavanaugh = Jasper Cullen

Dr. Grace Trevelyen = Esmee Cullen

Carrick Grey = Carlisle Cullen

I know that the whole concept of the story was BDSM/erotica, but was it really necessary for them to be at it constantly? I mean, one thing that was pretty annoying side was the fact that literally, every pages, Ana and Christian would be going crazy exploring each other's anatomy. LOL. The author could have toned that down a bit but now the more I think about it, the more I like it. HA! Is that bad? :P

I started reading the series first week of May and had been reading non-stop whenever I got a chance. (though I stopped reading after the second book to give way to Roth's Insurgent) I fell inlove with Christian Grey because of how fragile he was and how confused he was. I must admit I was in tears by the end of the last book. Christian Grey, Ana's Fifty Shades, was finally a whole person. He was no longer the Christian Grey who was shattered into thousands of pieces, the one who needed to be rescued. No matter how much he denied it, he was compassionate, love and child-like optimism at times. I was happy to find out that he had finally accepted that he was worthy of love.

I don't know, but it's probably just me, but the entire time I was reading this series, from the very first book, I picture Christian Grey as Ian Somerhalder. <3

That's how it ended? Are you kidding me?

Okay. Wow. So.  First, I felt like Insurgent was a series of events that were supposed to be super dangerous and stressful, but they weren't. Maybe if some were cut out.  And if they had been drawn out more it would have been better. THAT  BEING SAID. I love Four/Tobias so much more in this book (and Tris too, although that isn't saying  much since I hated her in Divergent.) And I love the sexy scenes. ;)

So  I'm done with this one. Days ago I tweeted about it's how adrenaline-inducing this book. Now I'm going to comment on how it ends. Veronica Roth and Lauren Oliver, I hate you both for giving  us a very  at-the-edge-of-our-seat-ending. Ugh! What now? I'm going to wait for another year? I can't contain my  frustration for this book right now. I don  't know if I will be able to read book in the next few weeks.

PS. Hey Ms. Roth!  I'm not done yet! Why did you kill Fernando? :(

Goodmorning Monday!!!!! :)

Goodmorning Monday!!!

I hope you had a fabulous weekend, whether it was getting those errands done, relaxing after a hard week, going on an adventure, trying something new, or just spending time with those great people in your lives.

I went on a 4-hour travel adventure to Limay, Bataan. That 4 hours were spent in a bus, but that was actually rather nice. I had some good sleep! The place where we stayed was actually my cousin's house. She's living now with her hubby, who's based there.

On our second day, we went swimming with sissy and the cousins. It was fine, we just stayed there 2 hours though. We swim and swim and swim, ate and enjoyed! :P

Before heading back to Manila, we watched the game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and L.A Lakers! And I was so so so glad, OKC won! Yes! HA!

We arrived back yesterday at 5pm. And I did think I would just have a chilled day in bed, however, I now can't sit and enjoy a day in bed. Have to get out and do something. But I ended up doing the laundry. Hahahaha!

Monday means a new week, new adventures and memories to create, new lessons to learn, and new things coming all our way! So truly embrace your week. ^____^

SPELL ME! :D

This was originally posted in my Facebook note. I just decided to also post it here.

The title says it all. Last year, this was a trending topic on Twitter for almost a week. It was fun. You just need to post random facts about yourself. 100 random FACTS! ^___^

#1 A huge fan of Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. Beantown baby! :P

#2 My name was initially going to be Joshua. But it was changed to Aprille.

#3 Green, red and purple are my favorite colors.

#4 a proud Shieldster! :)

#5 I rant a lot.

#6 Favorite movie of all time? Life is Beautiful! (La Vita è Bella)

#7 I love Johnny Depp. Don't ask why, it's pretty obvious. <3 <3 <3

#8 I'm awkward, irritating and a mess. People usually dislike me, and i'm okay with that.

#9 Used to have dogs, a Golden Retriever, Dalmatian, Rottweiler and Great Dane. Guess I am an animal lover, eh?

#10 I can be so mean when people ruined my mood.

#11 I am a 24-year old Licensed Nurse. HA!

#12 I wasn't able to attend my college graduation! Don't ask why!

#13 One of the boys.

#14 I am currently in a 2-year open relationship.

#15 My birthday is on the 27th of April.

#16 Veronica Roth, Sophie Kinsella and Lauren Oliver are my favorite authors.

#17 I have read all of Mitch Albom's books except 'Have a Little Faith'.

#18 Laziness is my middle name.

#19 I can stay up all night.

#20 The Hunger Games, Shopaholic Series, Fifty Shades Trilogy are some of the series that I already read.

#21 Political Science is my favorite subject.

#22 A frustrated Thomasian.

#23 I collect DVDs and Tumblers.

#24 I drink a ridiculous amount of coffee.

#25 I'm FAT. SO WHAT?? :P

#26 I am currently waiting for the third and final installment of Veronica Roth's 'Insurgent' and Lauren Oliver's 'Delirium' (Requiem)

#27 I hate the way my mom's all 'disappointed' in me.

#28 I am hungry at the moment.

#29 I hate peanut butter.

#30 People don't talk to me much.

#31 I used to collect comic books such as KZone and Witch.

#32 I laugh way too much and smile quite a bit.

#33 I joined Twitter almost 2 years ago, but I deleted my 1st and 2nd account :P

#34 I hate my bad mood lately.

#35 I hate not being able to remember my dreams.

#36 Snitch chocolate bar, the yellow one is my latest addiction.

#37 I like simply living. I just go with the flow.

#38 I've run out of things to say!

#39 My thoughts are uninterpretable and my dreams are incomprehensible.

#40 I miss people I shouldn't.

#41 I'm good at starting things and I'm horrible finishing it.

#42 I don't believe in being grateful once a year, in Nov., and then not again the other 364 days of the year.

#43 I used to smoke. Hush. :P

#44 Never done something perfect.

#45 I don't drink.

#46 One of my biggest fears is leaving this Earth w/o someone knowing how much I've appreciated their impact in my life.

#47 Painfully insecure. Don't know how to fix it.

#48 I don't wear make-up, but I understand why so many people do.

#49 A proud 'Estudyante ni Hudas' (St. Jude Academy), 'Centralian' (MCU) and 'Fatimanian' (OLFU)

#50 My middle finger is kinda broken.

#51 I don't watch popular TV shows like Glee. Heroes and Prisonbreak pwede pa!

#52 I've seen Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 13 times and counting. I will never get tired watching JD. <3

#53 I have a horrible grammar, i write how i speak and never pay attention to specific grammar structure.

#54 I'm a huge fan of Pop Princess Sarah Geronimo. Yes i saw her latest movie! :P

#55 I really don't know how to talk to people which leads to a lot of awkward silences.

#56 Nutella is my favorite spread.

#57 I nod along when people are talking when I have no idea what they're talking about.

#58 I usually don't answer phone calls who's number is unknown. Yeah! So you better text me first. :P

#59 I sing 'Angels Cry' and 'Vanilla Twilight' at random times and i don't know why.

#60 Death terrifies me.

#61 I consider myself the luckiest girl in the world ♥

#62 My mom's an OFW!

#63 I've never had an operation.

#64 I cannot whistle.

#65 I tend to pick up other people's language habits.

#66 I hate when people spit.

#67 I miss too many things. Mostly things i'll never do/have.

#68 When I was like, 5years old, a dog bit me above my thigh.

#69 The first CD i ever purchased was Usher's Confession.

#70 I would like to write a book someday.

#71 Perfume? L'eau Par Kenzo Perfume and Elizabeth Arden's Red Door and Green Tea.

#72 My views will not change until i have seen what lies on the other side of 2012.

#73 I was an outstanding student for 3 consecutive years!

#74 I came from a catholic school. HA! Now you know! :p

#75 Strong in the outside but a bag of highly sensitive and tender gloop inside.

#76 When I was a kid, I collect NBA Cards! UpperDeck, remember? Haha! #missed

#78 I talk to myself :p

#79 My lolo's bunso!

#80 My first camera phone was a Nokia 6600, a  present given by mom when I graduated in HS.

#81 I WANT TO LEARN THE NORWEGIAN LANGUAGE!

#82 My dad is from Manila and Mom's from La Union.

#83 My mom went abroad when I was 9, sissy was 3.

#85 I got 3 laptops. Lahat sira!

#86 My dad used to be a tricycle driver! :)

#87 I'm a bit of a tomboy.

#88 My first ever mobile phone was a Nokia 3210, when I graduated in grade school!

#89 I stand 5'2 and sissy's 5'7! poor me! :(

#90 I'm Usher's ultimate fan! Eversince! Too bad i wasn't able to see his performance here! I was damn busy!

#91 I learned to ride a bike when I was 7 years old!

#92 Never been out of the country. but, SOOOOON! HA! hey mom!

#93 I eat way too much junk food.

#94 I have fear of heights.

#95 I've never been to a concert.

96# Dream ride? a Hummer or a Minicooper will do, as long as it's

color GREEN! ;)

97# From 'ABNKKBSNPLA ko?!' to 'LUMAYO KA NGA SA AKIN' meron ako nyan!

A proud bobong pinoy!

98# I struggle to remember my own cellphone number.

99# Glad to serve a perfect God who loves me, regardless of all the

times I mess up.

#100 I'M BEAUTIFUL IN MY WAY, COZ GOD MAKES NO MISTAKES, I'M ON THE

RIGHT TRACK I WAS BORN THIS WAY!

It took me 3 days to finish these facts about me. Sorry for my horrible grammar. :)