Last night was Narnia night with some Street Team friends, and all afternoon I've been declaring to my teammates and Twitter and Plurk that I'd be off to Narnia in the afternoon. Excited much? Definitely.

Now, unlike everyone I know, I haven't read any of The Chronicles of Narnia books yet. *insert incredulous gasp here* I know, even I am amazed that I haven't. I've heard of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe way before because of all of its stageplays that I missed to watch, but I didn't really know the story until I heard that it's going to be made into a movie. Then I downloaded an audiobook, so I finally got to know the story and I have been wishing for a boxed set of the books since then (which I think I'll end up buying for myself eventually, but let's not get to that :D).

Anyway, so Prince Caspian. I watched the movie with little knowledge of the story, thanks to Wikipedia, but I have no idea how it goes, as opposed to my friends who were watching with me. Because I haven't read the book, I had zero expectations in the movie, except maybe see how much William Moseley has grown up (yes, I crushed on Peter Pevensie in the first movie, heehee!).

So onto the formal review. Prince Caspian is an okay movie. By okay, I mean, I didn't really get bored, but I didn't get too excited about anything else too. I like the entire thing, although to be honest, it feels like such a long movie. The effects were great, as usual, and the battle scenes are okay, except there seems to be a lot of hesitation on both sides. Or maybe it's just me. However, every battle scene in movies like these remind me so much of Lord of the Rings, it's ridiculous. :|

Some notes on the movie:

• The Pevensie kids all look so grown up already, especially Edmund and Lucy. Edmund had grown into such a good looking boy and Lucy looks more pretty instead of cute. :) The two older ones look...well, a bit more mature and probably more fit and less awkward than the last movie, which is good since it looked better for them during the battle scenes.


• It feels pretty weird that Narnia is so dark after everything is so white in the first movie. I miss the old characters too, like the Beavers and Mr. Tumnus. Although everything is darker, I like how everyone has sort of joined forces. Oh and the kid centaur = hilarious. :)


• Trufflehunter, the Badger. I love him! He's so...cute. :P He reminds me of Mr. Beaver in the first movie. At first I thought he was a skunk, after him saying, "Or do I have to sit on your head again?" but then the markings were wrong. Too bad he only had little airtime in the movie.


• Reepicheep, the Mouse. This character, too, is very endearing. :) He kind of reminds me of Puss in Boots, probably because of his very gallant and knightly posture.


• There were a lot of amazing and witty exchange of lines in all of the movie, especially Trumpkin's. For example:
  

  Peter Pevensie: [looking down a cliff over the water] Is there a way down?
  Trumpkin: Yes. Falling.

  
  Winner!


• The clash of Caspian's and Peter's egos were believable, and I wanted to bonk Peter on the head for being so hardheaded. Susan's line during one of the battle was definitely something that should be asked to everyone: "Who exactly are you doing this for, Peter?"


• As for Susan and Caspian's attraction...I kind of saw it coming, but I didn't know it wasn't in the book, so I couldn't comment. Heh. It has to be placed there I guess; this is Hollywood after all.

I think I'd probably need to watch it again to fully appreciate it. I don't know if I was a bit too distracted while watching the movie, or because I haven't read the book yet which made me not really take in all the details.

Oh and before I forget, my most favorite part of the film is when Aslan finally showed up. My friends could all be enamored with Pevensie kids or Caspian, but the bright spot of the film for me would always be whenever Aslan appears. :) I don't know if it's because he's the representation of God in the movie and books or because of the fact that he's portrayed by a big cat or because his voice (Liam Neeson), but he is my favorite part of both movies. :D When the Narnians stopped yelling "For Narnia" and started yelling "For Aslan", it felt like they were finally right on track. :)

Now I'm off to read the books (finally)!

It's no secret: I am a Christian, and I am a boyband fan. I am a self-confessed Backstreet Boys fan (sorry Julie, N Sync is just second on my list ^^), and I have spent some years of my life collecting stuff about them, playing their albums nonstop, crushing on Nick Carter, and even writing stories about them. I used to watch MTV all day just to catch their videos, even if I've watched that a million times before. I've moved on from that, but every now and then I still love singing boyband songs because they're such great stress relievers.

So the moment I heard about Altar Boyz, a musical about a Christian boyband from Julie, I knew I just had to watch it. I am all for Christian rock/alternative (hello Switchfoot!), but I still have my boyband roots, and combining the two would just be fun.

And it was AWESOME.



Altar Boyz is about an openly Christian (Catholic, specifically) boyband with the same name, composed of Matthew (PJ Valerio) the leader, Mark (Red Concepcion) the sensitive one, Luke (Reuben Uy) the bad boy, Juan (Reb Atadero) the Spanish lover boy and finally, Abraham (Chevy Mercado) the Jewish guy, who all met in church and was given a "divine calling" (by Jet Pangan, who plays the voice of God) to share the Gospel through pop music.

The play was set in the last leg of the band's Raise the Praise tour, meaning it was in concert format. Lots of singing and dancing (boyband dancing wohoo!) and even a "pick someone from the audience and sing to her" part, which is pretty much what you'd expect in a boyband concert. Of course, being Christian, the guys songs are all about God, they pray and there was even a "confession session". And of course, the unique part of their concert was the Soul Sensor DX-12, which counts the number of burdened souls in the room. The guys' goal is to get that number to zero at the end of the night with their songs and prayers.

Although the play is in concert style, each of the character's stories unfold as the concert goes on. We learn about Juan's family, Mark's past, a bit of Luke's bad boy tendencies, Abe's feelings of being the only Jewish guy in the group and Matthew's ambition. I was literally laughing the entire time with all the lines and songs, and being in a "concert", it's fun to scream and clap and shout when the boys are making you to (it's just too bad the other people in the theater weren't so keen on doing so). The story unfolded flawlessly, and I kind of wish it was longer because it was so much fun being in the audience!

Message wise, although it pokes fun with the concept of boybands and Christian music, I don't find it offending at all. The play touched on a lot of things -- faith, family, ambition, chastity, vices, and fitting in. The boys each represented a struggle that everyone goes through. Matthew with his goodness and being the leader led him to value his ambitions more than his friends. Although Mark never admitted that he was gay, it was clear during the play that he was struggling with it with the way he looked at Matthew. I don't know about others, but I didn't see this as him hiding himself because he is ashamed (because if you ask me, it was really obvious), but because he's struggling for purity. I'm not sure if I got Luke's right, but all his talk about "exhaustion" got me thinking that he's a struggling with a vice, suggesting that he might have come from alcohol rehab. Juan's moment with the news about his parents is the funniest and at the same time saddest moment of the show. Abraham's Jewish background made him different from the rest, which made him wonder if he really was accepted by the group. These things makes the cast feel more human, even if they pose as boyband stars and have the calling to spread God's word. Goes to show that even if you have a divine calling, you are still bound to fail and make mistakes...but that doesn't mean you shouldn't keep on trying. :)

Now let me take this time (I know this review is insanely long already, but bear with me :D) to sing praises for the cast: YOU GUYS WERE AMAZING. I actually felt like I was in a boyband concert (sans the noisy screaming people of course T_T). I still can't decide who's my favorite among them, so for now let me just say I love them all: from PJ/Matthew's truly boyband looks (really, really loved that Something About You serenade -- I still wish it was me onstage, ha!), to Red/Mark's gay sensitive moments, Ryu/Luke's outbursts and funny lines (WHAAAAT!? and I drive the van!), Reb/Juan's Spanish accent and cute loverboy looks and that hilarious La Vida Eternal number and Chevy/Abraham's dance moves and serious moments that gave the show the "ooomph" factor. :) And I would never forget the voice of God - Mr. Jet Pangan, even if I didn't see you, you were an awesome voice of God. :P And hats off to everyone who worked behind the scenes of this play -- you made it all kinds of awesome. :D

So will I recommend other people to watch Altar Boyz? Of course! Make time for it! WATCH IT! It's definitely worth your cash and afternoon. My schedule is crazy this next weekends, but I AM going to watch it once again -- come join me!

Altar Boyz Manila Details
Playdates: 04-27 April 2008

Venue: OnStage Greenbelt Makati

Time:
8pm on Friday and Saturday
3.30pm on Saturday and Sunday

Ticket Prices:
Gold (reserved seating) Php 550
Silver (free seating) Php 350
Balcony (free seating) Php 250

Repertory Philippines Contact Details For further inquiries, please call Repertory Philippines at 887.0710 or visit their website

Lex Sakai's family is big, nosy and marriage-minded. When her cousin Mariko gets married, Lex will become the oldest single female cousin in the clan.

Lex has used her Bible study class on Ephesians to compile a list of traits for the perfect man. but the one man she keeps running into doesn't seem to have a single quality on her list. It's only when the always-in-control Lex starts to let God take over that all the pieces of this hilarious romance finally fall into place.

After being a visitor and reader of Camy's blog since last year, I finally got a copy of her first book. I stumbled into Camy's blog while searching for books to buy from Amazon from my dad, and I've been following her blog ever since. I waited for her book to come out here but it seems like it hasn't yet (so sad), but I'm glad I finally got a copy of this now. :D

I read in one of the reviews from Amazon that the blurb at the back of the book (written above) does not do the book justice...and she's right: it totally did not. There was so much happening in the story that I felt like I was watching a TV series. I couldn't let the book go because of all the enjoyable characters and scenes -- Lex's very annoying grandmother, her silly brother who keeps on setting her up with every guy he meets, Aiden, the silent observer and her physical therapist, Mimi, the flirtier cousin and her three closest cousins and friends, Trish, Venus and Jenn. Even if there was a lot happening, everything went well together and was somehow significant as the story goes on.



Lex reminded me of myself, and consequently, my other character in my 2006 NaNoWriMo novel, Rain. She was such a control freak, and I knew that if I was thrown into her position (thank God for not having a grandmother like hers!), I would probably be doing the same thing. I felt sorry for her when she lost everything, and sympathized even more when the people she trusted to be there left her alone. As the praise on the back of the book said, I definitely started rooting for Lex until the very end, which was indeed very satisfying.

The faith issue in the novel is melded quite well. I loved the scene where Lex finally surrendered -- it gave me tears when I re-read the part and realized what was really happening. And I'm definitely curious about how the Christ painting looked like. I bet I'd be crying like a baby once I saw it.

The ending left me a bit rushed because of how everything seemed to happen one after the other, but it was a nice ending. I especially liked these lines:

No joyous peace, no incredible assurance that all would be well. Just calm hope, and a little numbness. Maybe it would work out okay, maybe it wouldn't. She'd wait and see.

That is so much closer to what really happens in real life, don't you think?

This is such a fun book! Camy really did a great job in her first novel, and it certainly inspired me to continue writing my own Filipino Christian chicklit! :) And I would definitely ask my dad to order the next books in the Sushi series (Only Uni and Single Sashimi) once it comes out...that is unless, I win her contest ((She's giving away TONS OF BOOKS! If you do decide to join, kindly put writer_dawn in your referral after you join her yahoogroup :D )). ;)

This book is certainly one of my favorites, and if you have the chance, get a copy! You won't regret it. :D

What if God has more planned for your life than you do?

Jackie Harrison is a civilian who loves her job in the U.S. Air Force Academy. That is, until she is forced to divide her office into cubicles and share with a new history instructor, Lt. Col. Joseph Gallagher. A charmer in a flight suit, Joe wants to explore both Colorado and a growing relationship with his new cubicle mate. The office was bad enough, but Jackie's beside herself when Joe shows up in her home and church, even turning her grandmother's weekly bridge game into poker night!

Jackie goes online to vent, but she eventually finds herself admitting her conflicted feelings about this office neighbor who drives her crazy and makes her heart flutter. But when her blog -- The Cubicle Next Door -- is featured on TV, everyone begins to read it, including Joe. Will he figure out the anonymous confessions and frustrations are written about him? And how will Jackie ever express her heart offline? - book blurb

Ah, my kind of book! Christian chick lit with a geek blogging protagonist -- who thought this could be possible? Apparently, Siri L. Mitchell thought it is, and came out with this book. I salute you! Fall Like Rain has hope!

I have to admit that the first time I started reading this book, I read it a bit too fast, which made me not pick up everything immediately. I decided I wanted to really make sense of this book, so I started again, and slowed down to really get to know Jackie and Joe.

The blurb basically covers the entire story, so I'll skip the summarizing and dive right into the review.

First off: I love Jackie. I love her as a chick lit protagonist, since she's not like the other chick lit protagonists I've read. She's a geek through and through -- loves computers, the environment, and could not care less about what she wears (she loves Chucks! Wohoo!). She talks about blogs and Internet and message boards and programming instead of clothes or movies or make up! Although I loved Ashley Stockingdale (What a Girl Wants, She's Out of Control and With this Ring, I'm Confused) and Phoebe Grant (Dreaming in Black and White, Dreaming in Technicolor) and Savannah Philips (Savannah from Savannah), Jackie Harrison is the only character where I can see myself literally (except maybe for the environment thing, and the family situation she has). I can relate to her need to be in control, how she'd rather be on the safe side than to do things she "normally doesn't do." I can understand her resistance to major changes, like her grandmother's re-marrying or her falling in love. She writes cryptic blog entries (woot!) and feels something safe about it. I think Ms. Mitchell did a very good job with creating Jackie, to reach out to chick lit loving female geeks, deviating from the fluffy chick lit characters.

I'm not much for Joe, except that I'm curious how his dimples look like since they kept on popping up in the novel. I like how he seems to be Jackie's complete opposite but it kind of feels like he's had the perfect life, save for his first marriage. But, as a male protagonist, he's not that sickeningly perfect which makes him believable (and makes me wonder if guys like him exist, ha!).

I love how the story just went through how Jackie and Joe got to know each other. There weren't many major subplots going on. It was just about Jackie and Joe getting to know each other, Jackie blogging, Jackie realizing how she's falling for Joe. It wasn't one bit boring, and their conversations were not dragging. I love the blog entries and comments in between each chapter; it makes you really see how Jackie's blog played a role in the story. It wasn't used to create Internet romance, but it did play a big role, especially after it was featured on TV. :D The novel in itself is composed of little stories that filled the entire thing and everything fit perfectly, unlike with the other books I read where I could remove some parts and still get the same thing. In fairness to their romance, it did not feel rushed, thus making it sound better.

Lesson wise, it's basically about getting out of the comfort zone you created for yourself. Jackie's created a safe zone for her that she was perfectly content staying in and had no intention of moving out...but most of the time, God doesn't want us to stay there. There is life beyond the cubicle walls, you just have to be willing to experience it. :)

This will definitely go into my favorites list. Which means I have to get my own copy of this book. :D Other noteworthy parts (and quotes) for me under the cut. :)

• When Jackie and Joe were church hopping, they ended up in a Catholic church and liked it. It was never stated if they converted, but it was nice to see that in a novel, since most Christian chicklits had characters in other Christian denominations. Not that it's bad, but it's just rare to see Catholics in these kinds of books. Catholics were mentioned in some chick lit books I read though (Reconstructing Natalie by Laura Jensen Walker), but it was just in passing. Plus points for this, and a quote I really liked:
  

  A statue of Mary, sheltered inside, implied infinite peace. A listening ear. A willingness to give you the benefit of the doubt. God knew what he was doing when he gave Jesus a mother. (p. 147)

  
  


• For a "Christian" novel, this hardly talks about God. Yes, there's the church-hopping, Jackie's praying, and the discussion about Christmas and all, but it's not too evident. Although the novel's point is how God wants more for us than to what we want for ourselves, the faith aspect falls perfectly into place, like it's just part of their character. There wasn't even the "conversion" thing -- Jackie believed in God because she wanted to do everything in the opposite of what her mother did. It's not ideal, I know, but everyone starts somewhere, right? Jackie's thought on Christmas is inspiring, though:
  

  He loved the world. Not just the people in it, but the entire thing. The ground, the trees, the animals, the air...he created all of it. With the same care he created us. We're so egotistical that we put ourselves and our own conveniences first, ahead of all the other thousands of things God made. And the ironic thing is that he put us in charge of all this. We were supposed to protect it. And keep it. And all we've done is ruin it...God with us. Emmanuel. Jesus left the place where he was loved and everything he had and chose to spend the day with us in his perfect world that we had messed up. He saw beauty in things that were broken and people who were discarded. He redeemed us. And then he taught us how to reduce ourselves for others. Reuse the mess we had created to redeem each other. Recycle his words and share them with everybody. (p. 210)

  
  


• I also love this other character, Oliver, who is her grandmother's suitor. There was this part during Thanksgiving where he kept on standing up whenever there was a lady standing up, and when Jackie asked him to sit down, he answered this:
  

  If I sit down, then you will deprive me of the pleasure of standing to acknowledge your singular beauty. (p. 168)

  
  Win! :D

There are other quotable quotes in the novel about love, which I will post in my other blog instead, since this post is already long enough. :P Which makes me think...will my story turn out like Jackie's? =)) Let's see what God plans are. ;)

Dear Leo,
I love beginnings. What better way to elaborate than to begin writing a letter to my once (and future?) boyfriend.

Stargirl has moved and left everything behind: Arizona, Mica High, enchanted desert places - and Leo.

He’s all she can think abbout, and her life begins to feel like a parade of unhappy anniversaries. Then Stargirl meets her wonderfully bizarre new neighbors: Dootsie, the curly-headed five-year-old “human bean”; Betty Lou, who hasn’t stepped outside her house for nine years; Charlie, who sits among the tombsones; hot-tempered Alvina with that one glittery nail; and Perry Dellophane, the blue-eyed thief who soon lays his own claim to Stargirl’s heart.

In letters to Leo in a course of a year, Stargirl comes to find hope in new places: mockingbirds, donut angels, moon flowers and the Winter Solstice — that turning-point day when dark tips to light. But what’s life without Leo? Will he — can he — answer that one crucial question she asks every morning to the rising sun? - Book blurb

It was around three years ago when I first bought Stargirl. I’ve been curious about the book ever since I saw it but I only got to buy it after a bad day at the photo lab at school. I loved the book — it was magical and bittersweet and reading it always left me a sad feeling over my heart, wondering if Leo and Stargirl will every meet again.

In this sequel, Mr. Spinelli brings us into Stargirl’s world, making us see through her eyes, and making us realize that amidst all the “magic” she held in the previous book, she is still a human being, and more importantly, a girl who fell in love, was “dumped” and is trying to move on with her life without her love.

This book kind of reminds me of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, written in the same way, only in a girl’s point of view and with less “serious” topics. Stargirl was introduced as a very unique individual in the first book, and Mr. Spinelli wrote it in a way that we can never know what makes her tick. We just know that she does what she does, and that’s it, like if she was explained, all magic would be lost. I admit that as I read the book, I also looked at Stargirl in wonder, also wondering how she could act that way in an environment that calls for conformity. The ending of the prequel left me wanting answers to who she really is.

Love, Stargirl doesn’t really answer this question, but it takes you into an adventure into Stargirl’s world without Leo. It’s interesting to see that even if she seemed “magical” at first, she is just very ordinary…just brought up very differently. It was interesting to read about her trying her best not to fall for Perry, or for launching into her different adventures with Dootsie or being a sister to Alvina…it’s amazing to see that even if she seemed so sure of herself in the prequel, she’s can be as awkward and unsure as the next person. She reminds me of Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables, only a bit less “head in the clouds”. :)

Stargirl is to someone to be loved. She’s a sweet person who “sheds light when she cries”. :) She’s one of the characters that will stay with you for a long time after reading the book.

I definitely recommend that one must read the prequel first before reading this one, just so you really get to feel and know Stargirl. :)

For anyone wondering if the Christian faith is still relevant in a post-modern culture,

For anyone thirsting for a genuine encounter with a God who is real,

For anyone yearning for a renewed sense of passion in life...

Blue Like Jazz is a fresh and original perspective on life, love and redemption.

"I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve. But sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself...I used to not like God because God didn't resolve. But that was before any of this happened.

I've heard of Blue Like Jazz ever since Happy borrowed this book from her friend. I read some excerpts of it, but then what I really wanted was Searching for God Knows What by the same author because another friend recommended me that. I got that book, liked it, and planned to get this one as soon as I can...or ask for it as a birthday gift or something. But no one ever gave it to me, so I got it last Book Fair.

One of the things I really love about Donald Miller is how his books doesn't feel like books; it feels like you're listening to a story of a friend. Blue Like Jazz contains different stories on Miller's life, about how his dad left them and how he sees God the Father, how he first sinned, his friends Penny and Laura and their conversions, studying in an "atheist" university in the US, being a recluse, church, tithing, love and of course, Jesus. How he tells it is very casual, never preachy. He makes things sound so simple, like when he says that what God really wants us to do is to love people, and let Him do the rest.

The book obviously makes one think, but not in a guilty way but in a way that he makes you realize that the things we think are so difficult to understand are actually quite easy. Did I make sense there? Ultimately, the book also made me feel like Jesus not only loved me, but He genuinely liked me too. :)

It's a good book. It's not too heavy, but not too light and fluffy to be dismissed. :) If you're not much into church or Christianity but want to discover a bit more, then I'd recommend this book for you. :)

Some of my favorite lines in the book:

If you don't love somebody, it gets annoying when they tell you what to do or what to feel. When you love them you get pleasure from their pleasure, and it makes it easy to serve. (p. 14)

There are plenty of things that are true that don't make any sense. I think one of the problems Laura was having was that she wanted God to make sense. he doesn't. He will make no more sense to me than I will make sense to an ant. (p. 54)

I think the things that we want most in life, the things we think will set us free, are not the things we need. (p. 63)

...I will love God because he first loved me. I will obey God because I love God. But if I cannot accept God's love, I cannot love Him in return, and I cannot obey Him. Self discipline will never make us feel righteous or clean; accepting God's love will. The ability to accept God's unconditional grace and ferocious love is all the fuel we need to obey Him in return...by accepting God's love for us, we fall in love with him, and only then do we have the fuel we need to obey. (p. 86)

...God has never been nor ever will be invented. He is not a product of any sort of imagination. He does not obey trends...He was answering your prayers because He is a God of compassion. He could have left you to Satan. Don't complain the way God answers your prayers. You are still living on an earth that is run by the devil. God has promised us a new land, and we will get there. your problem is not that God is not fulfilling, your problem is that you are spoiled. (p. 92)

There is something beautiful about a billion stars held steady by a God who knows what He is doing...I imagined Him looking down on this earth, half angry because His beloved mankind has cheated on Him, had committed adultery, and yet hopelessly in love with her, drunk with love for her. (p. 100)

...when a relationship is right, it is no more possible to wake up and want out of the marriage than it is to wake up and stop believing in God. What is, is what is...I realized that believing in God is as much like falling in love as it is like making a decision. Love is both something that happens to you and something you decide upon. (p. 104)

...dying for something is easy because it is associated with glory. Living for something...is the hard thing. Living for something extends beyond fashion, glory or recognition. We live for what we believe. (p. 111)

I like the idea of loving people just to love them, not to get them to come to church. (p. 135)

...to be in a relationship with God is t be loved purely and furiously. And a person who thinks himself unlovable cannot be in a relationship with God because he can't accept who God is; a Being that is love. We learn that we are lovable or unlovable from other people...that is why God tells us so many times to love each other. (p. 146-147)

There is no addiction so powerful as self-addiction. (p. 182)

If we are not willing to wake up in the morning and die to ourselves, perhaps we should ask ourselves whether we are really following Jesus. (p. 185)

When we do what God wants us to do, we are blessed, we are spiritually healthy. God wants us to give a portion of our money to His work on earth. By setting aside money from every check, you are trusting God to provide. He wants you to get over that fear -- that fear of trusting Him. It is a scary place, but that is where you have to go as a follower of Christ. (p. 197)

...wonder is that feeling we get when we let go of our silly answers, our mapped out rules that we want God to follow. I don't think there is any better worship than wonder. (p. 206)

...it wasn't my responsibility to change somebody, [that] it was God's that my part was just to communicate love and approval. (p. 221)

I think the most important thing that happens within Christian spirituality is when a person falls in love with Jesus. (p. 237)

Last week, I stocked groceries in Freedom, Alabama. This week, I live in Nashville, Tennessee, about to take the stage at the famous Bluebird Cafe.

Sounds fantastic, doesn't it? Only one problem, I 've got stage fright.

But after years of being ruled by fear and hiding from my dream, I confronted my limited reality and left home. Forget the hometown hunk who wants to make me queen of his doublewide. Forget Momma's doubt-inspiring tirade. I can make it in Music City...can't I?

So I took a leap of faith, gathered my old guitar, my notebook full of songs, and packed up my '69 Chevy pickup. Look out NashVegas!

With the help of some new friends, especially handsome Lee Rivers, my dream is about to find the light of day. But as I face my first night at the Bluebird Cafe, I realize...I might just do what comes naturally. Look for the nearest exit, and run!

Robin McAfee is an singer and songwriter...when she's alone or when she's in her Granddaddy's porch. But bring her in front of a crowd, she has this really huge urge to run away like a mouse who is caught in the bright light, or a cat who's afraid of humans.

But after some thinking and some realizations while in her hometown, she decides to make a Robin McAfee decision: try it out in Nashville as a new songwriter amidst all the songwriters around and see if she can make it.

But what if she doesn't?

I've been wanting to have a copy of this book ever since I got to read an excerpt in the West Bow Press website. Looks cool, sounds cool and I like the premise. So now I finally have a copy I read it hungrily (because I've been wanting some quality chicklit now but I haven't had any since June. :p). Storywise, I like it for being unique. I like how it showed the Nashville music industry, since I'm pretty much into Nashville because of all the artists that live there (wohoo!). Although this one is more on the country music side, it's interesting to read that even in that area, it's still somewhat a dog-eat-dog world. In this novel, Robin has to work cleaning toilets for a living while in Nashville, criticized during her demos, ran away from a performance and even got a song stolen from her. She also "really" fell in love and helped someone get over her pills for her stage fright.

However, there's something about how the entire story goes that doesn't really gel on me. Like for example, Robin's relationship with "handsome" Lee Rivers seem too rushed, even if the novel basically goes through almost a year of Robin's stay in Nashville. There's too little we know on Lee besides him being "handsome" and his chemistry with Robin for us to know if he is a real good guy. Also, it seemed as if things fell a little too neatly for Robin. Sure, she had some struggles, but I think it didn't really show as the story goes on. The mother conflict is too weak in my opinion -- too little tension for it to be really annoying or infuriating, unlike Phoebe Grant's (Dreaming in Black and White) conflicts with her mom. There's also this nonfriend fan of Robin, Mallory, who seemed more of an extra by her being there at the beginning, somewhere in the middle and at the end of the novel. It would've been more interesting for me if Mallory turned out to be Lee's ex, but maybe that's only me. ^^;

But this book is actually quite close to my heart because of the entire theme it tackles: going after your dream and remembering that God has you no matter what. And the feeling of God's pleasure washing down on you when you're doing something that you really, really love. :D

In a way, this book reminds me a bit of Laura Jensen Walker's Reconstructing Natalie (which I haven't reviewed yet) based on how the story is spread thin over Robin's Nashville adventures and the Savannah series on how there are little bits and pieces of the story fed in different parts (only in the Savannah series, it's more of little side stories that really don't need to be put in the entire story, as with this one, everything connected in the end). It's not really my "oh my gosh I love this book it's now one of my favorites!" book, but I like it. :) It's fresh, and it makes me want to learn a little guitar myself. ;)

AWESOME. MOVIE. I want to watch this again!

Proper review to follow in a few. But if you haven't watched it, YOU SHOULD. Go, watch it now!

Lewis is a brilliant 12-year-old orphan who has failed a lot of adoption interviews because of his creativity. On his last failed interview, he decides to create an invention that would let him search deep in his memory so he could see his mother when she left her at the orphanage. He brings this invention to the science fair and meets Wilbur, who warns him of a Bowler Hat Guy. Lewis’ invention screws up much thanks to the said person, and he loses belief in himself. Wilbur tries to convince him to go back to the Science Fair but Lewis doesn’t want to and he doesn’t believe that the former is from the future, so Wilbur brings him to 2037, his current time. Unfortunately, the two of them got into an accident, which makes Lewis stay, making him meet Wilbur’s wacky family as well while the Bowler Hat Guy works on destroying the time and space continuum.

Now this is a good movie. :) I am a fan of cartoons, so this interested me, but the story just pulled me in. Its main storyline played on time travel, and unlike other time traveling movies, this one doesn’t make you confused with the continuity. The characters were wacky, especially the Bowler Hat Guy! The revelations were quite surprising, and the ending was nicely done. The movie stresses the importance of family, and of always moving forward despite all failures. :)

This movie is definitely a keeper, something I’d like to watch over and over again. :) Another notable character there is Goob. Who is he? Watch the movie, you’ll know. :D

A student journalist, for a college paper, visiting friends in contemporary London happens upon the scoop of a lifetime. Along the investigative trail, she finds magic, murder, mystery - and perhaps love, with a British aristocrat.

Now I only watched this movie all because of the hunkiness that is Hugh Jackman. ♥ I also think Scarlett Johansson is a good actress, so this should be interesting. The movie starts with Joe Stromble’s funeral, which later moves to his soul together with the other dead ones on a boat with the Grim Reaper. He talks to one, who apparently is the old secretary of Peter Lyman (Jackman) and she has reason to believe that he is the Tarot Card Killer, who kills brown haired prostitutes with a tarot card sign after. Scarlett plays Sondra Prensky, a journalism student who is in London for some project. She attends one of Sid’s (Woody Allen) show as Splendini the magician and volunteers for the vanishing act. Inside the box, she meets the ghost of Joe Stromble who gives her a tip on Peter Lyman. So off she goes to investigate, dragging Sid with her. She meets Peter with her fake drowning, and they use this closeness to investigate on him. Sondra falls in love with him, while Sid realizes that maybe Peter really is a fake.

Now the movie is nice, if only because of Hugh Jackman’s presence. But somehow I feel like the movie’s lacking something. I feel like Hugh and Scarlett didn’t have much chemistry together, even if I think they played their roles perfectly. Did that make sense? Maybe it just turned me off that from the first moment that Peter and Sondra met, they both want to get into one another’s pants. That particular part did not feel realistic enough; half the time they were kissing and making goo-goo eyes to each other. I also feel that the investigation/mystery part of the movie wasn’t given that much focus. It dragged on the first part and then quickly wrapped up at the last. Woody Allen was stellar, though, and if it weren’t for him (and yes, the hunkiness of Hugh Jackman), the movie would lose all its charms.

Just three stars, and one is for Hugh Jackman. Sorry, maybe on your next movie, I’ll give you more. But you’re still hot. :P

Everyone's favorite film geek Phoebe Grant heads off to Merrie Old England-and changes her cinematic dreams from black and white to living color.

Phoebe's family has money troubles. Her spiritual life is dragging. She misses her long-distance best friend, Lindsey, terribly. But all that's bearable because of Alex, the gorgeous man who shares her love of movies and actually likes women with a little meat on their bones. At last-someone to kiss on New Year's Eve!

But by New Year's Eve, Alex is in London, called home by a family emergency. Newly engaged Lindsey has turned into a long-distance Bridezilla, and the snooze button still sabotages Phoebe's morning quiet times. She needs a break, which is why she jumps at the cheap off-season fare to England.

She's not chasing Alex. Really. She just wants to broaden her horizons. But what awaits Phoebe in the land of Mrs. Miniver and Notting Hill is nothing short of disaster . . . and nothing less than a miracle.

In this sequel to Dreaming in Black and White Phoebe wonders when will she ever get her kiss from Alex Spencer, the man who seemed to be destined for her. With her best friend almost engaged (and then engaged at the middle of the novel), she feels like she should hurry up and get her lips locked with Mr. Movie-buff Alex.

But things didn't turn out the way she wants them, when Alex had to go back to England to care for his father. Phoebe is resolved to just wait, until a certain loss prods her to go to England with her Barley best friend Mary Jo. Why? Not to chase Alex, of course, but because she's always wanted to go to Europe.

Oh, and she had to do a favor for a friend too.

And maybe see Alex in passing.

The author paints England in a way that you feel like you're also with Phoebe and Mary Jo (or MJ, as Phoebe calls her in England) in their trip. You'd laugh at Phoebe's mental notes and trips to dreamland, but then feel bad for her when she ends up being disappointed.

Phoebe feels like someone you'd want to have for a friend: always game, always making sure things are okay for you and sometimes even forgetting herself in the process. She can get into her dreamland quite often, until the end of the novel, that is.

I read this book after I read With This Ring I'm Confused by Kristin Billerbeck that's why I had strong points of comparison. Ashley Stockingdale may seem normal but Phoebe is a different kind of character. The novel encourages the readers to be content with the gift of singlehood, as well as taking the leap when God gives you the chance to. :) It's quite empowering for singles and sad to say, it doesn't really have the same happily-ever-after ending like the Stockingdale series has. It's still a happy ending, but not quite what the readers would expect. :)

Great book. :) I wish there'd be another one...but then what would the title be? Dreaming in 3D? I don't think Phoebe's up to that yet. ;)

"Confusion is part of God moving you out of a comfort zone. A comfort zone that should cease to exist. God's way is never the easy path, but it's by far the most exciting."
- Ashley Stockingdale

She's got the rock, so when does happily ever after kick in?

At long last, Ashley Stockingdale--patent attorney, fasionista, and homeowner--can finally add "fiancee" to her spirited resume. That means the next four months will be a dizzying and decadent waltz through aisles of Vera Wang, Kenneth Cole, Sheridan sheets, Kate Spade place settings, and Oneida flatware. Well...maybe not.

For starters, the HR department has hired Ashley's ex-boyfriend (yep, the one who ran off to India with that other woman) as the new director of software. And now her fiance is starting to sound crazy--something about moving across country, to Philadelphia of all places. Worst of all, right before her eyes, Scarlett-I-need-some-Prozac O'Hara is hijacking her wedding plans!

Life for our heroine is spinning from out of control to downright confusing. But whether she makes it to the end of the aisle or not, she'll never be at a loss for drama!

This is the third and last installment of the Ashley Stockingdale series, and the book (obviously) focuses on Ashley's wedding preparations. In this novel, it occured to me that Ashley is pretty normal for a protagonist -- albeit a bit neurotic sometimes -- but she does attract chaos quite often.

Ashley faces a lot of challenges in preparation for her wedding, mostly concentrating on her in-laws who seem to be driven to make Ashley's most dreamt-of day to be a disaster. Her future sister-in-law (Emily) is determined to make Ashley a laughingstock in her own wedding by following a "theme" while her future mother-in-law (Elaine) is set to make her look unworthy of her son. Add her commitment-phobe ex Seth's comeback into her life, her fiance Kevin is always out and he has plans of moving to Philadelphia, and the fact that she is broke, how will she plan the day she has been waiting for all her life?!

The characters of the past two novels make a comeback in this last installment, giving a particular familiarity with the wacky Silicon Valley bunch. Although Ashley's struggles seem too far-fetched at times, it could happen to anyone still.

The Christian point of view of the novel is a bit hard to grasp at first, but then the author shows it all in the end: marriage requires a lot of hard work, and it doesn't end at the wedding; in fact, it only starts there.

With This Ring, I'm Confused ends with a happily-ever-after-like ending, which is a great feel-good novel to read on a lazy afternoon. :)

Ever been on the verge of buying your own engagement ring?

Ashley Stockingdale, the charming, but always-in-over-her-head patent attorney from What A Girl Wants, has finally found the man she wants to marry. But after nine months of dating, it seems her commitment-phobe boyfriend will never use the "M" word. And just when she thinks she's got it all together, Ashley is having trouble knowing where to put it.

A massive remodeling project, a hyperactive puppy and an ex-boyfriend who wants to be part of her lie again all keep Ashley's world spinning. As the mayhem escalates, Ashley's life quickly goes from What A Girl Wants to out of control.

Reading the second book in the Ashley Stockingdale series makes me wonder if the author has read the Shopaholic series and got an idea there or vice versa. I really think Ashley Stockingdale is Becky Bloomwood on the Bible, although she [Ashley] seems to be a lot smarter and deeper than her secular
counterpart.

This novel is even a more fun read than the first one: you wonder if there would be any redemption for Seth and Ashley's relationship which seemed to be going downhill. But then another guy gets in (the same guy from the first novel) and you find yourself rooting for that guy for Ashley and totally disliking Seth for the way he's acting.

And if there's such a thing as the most romantic fictional male character in chicklits, Dr. Kevin Novak should win the prize!

The story focused more on how much Ashley liked controlling her life but then God sends a lot of things her way to make her stop wanting control and just leave it all up to Him (hmm, now that's something I could use). The novel would make you laugh, feel bad for Ashley, want revenge on the other guy and the annoying girl and love Kevin's ways at the same time wish for someone like him too.

Such a fun fun read, and the ending is just worth everything Ashley went through for the first two novels. Read, read, read! :)

Ever felt like the last item left on the clearance rack?

As a successful patent attorney, Ashley Stockingdale has all the makings of a perfect catch -- the looks, the brains, even a convertible. ut at 31, she's beginning to wonder if she's been passed over for good.

Deciding to adopt a new attitude, Ashley suddenly becomes the romantic interest of three men within a matter of days. While her heart enjoys turning the tables on the dating game, the rest of her previously predictable world is being turned upside down. Is it more than Ashley can handle? Or is it exactly what she wants?"

Ever since I read Dreaming in Black and White, I've always wanted to read more Christian chicklit. I've heard a lot of good reviews for this book, and so when Marvs headed over to the US, I jumped on the chance to get this book from him. :D

What's fun about this novel is the main character, Ashley. Ashely is a devout Christian, and I know that whenever anyone hears that, they already expect her to be holier-than-thou, one who doesn't care about the world or dressing right or whatnot. But Ashley is none like that -- in fact, she may be not how you expect a Christian to be. I don't mean that in a bad way, of course. Ashley is just as prayerful and just as nice as what you would expect of her, but she can also be quite vain, quite fashion conscious and can still have enough bitterness and envy going on with her -- which just makes her more human, more easy to relate to.

Storywise, the novel is a fun read. It can seem a bit exaggerated at how things turned out the way it was for Ashley, and you'd find yourself siding with her at how unfair life became for her. As with her dating life, one of the guys who dates her seem to be the perfect one, with all his manners and good looks, although at the end, she chooses someone she had been noticing before. It felt a bit anticlimatic for me since I like the other guy already. But then, that's why there's a sequel. ;)

Anyway, the novel is fun: a lot like Shopaholic, but a bit less shallow. :D And because it talks about singlehood and finding the perfect guy, it becomes an even more appropriate read for singletons like me. ;)

Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow.

Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, fifteen-year-old Christopher is autistic and everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning for him. He lives on patterns, rules and a diagram kept in his pocket. Then one day, a neighbor's dog, Wellington, is killed and his carefully constructed universe is threatened. Christopher sets out to solve the murder in the style of his favorite (logical) detective, Sherlock Holmes. What follows makes for a novel that is deeply funny, poignant and fascinating in its portrayal of a person whose curse and blessing are a mind that perceives the world entirely literally.

Now this has got to be one of the most unique, if not the most unique I've ever read. I don't really know what to say about this book except that it gave me an idea of how autistic people see the world. I know that not all autistics act this way, but it's interesting to have an idea about it, nonetheless.

I can't exactly give comments on how the story was, except maybe it kind of bored me a bit especially when the protagonist was explaining things in patterns and whatnot, and the ending kind of left me hanging, but it did make me smile. The blurb written at the back of the book wasn't enough to describe the entire story; a lot more happened than the dead dog. :D

It's not exactly the best book ever, but it's different enough to stand up on its own. :)

Lizzie Ford is an urban sexpert, and her hip London magazine column and radio show are bombarded with romantic casualties on a daily basis. What a relief that, after years in the dating jungle, Lizzie herself has finally landed in the arms of Matt Baker -- an advertising genius with enough charm to win over even Lizzie's man-cynical best friend.

Little does Lizzie know there's more to Matt Baker than witty one-liners and bedroom eyes. Or that htis innocent, seemingly anonymous note from a reader is about to catapult her into a scorching scandal, forcing Lizzie to confront some compelling home truths about life, love -- and loyalty...

I bought this book in hopes of exposing myself to more chicklit before National Novel Writing Month started, so I can at least have more resources for my upcoming novel. I thought this was interesting so I bought it from Booksale.

So, Lizzie Ford is a popular (and obviously pretty) woman in her thirty's, living with her best friend Clare and is not really fond of office parties. She meets Matt, who rescues her from one of the annoying DJs, and then they hit off. They became close, and Matt asks her out, resulting into...well, what else, given this is a secular novel? Anyway, thing is, what she didn't know is that Matt is married.

Matt is an advertising guru who is not satisfied with his marriage. He feels like he's living not with his wife, but someone who he doesn't know at all. Because of this lack of affection, he becomes cold to her and stumbles to Lizzie, who was also looking for someone to love.

Then there's Rachel, another woman. She's very successful, and she gets what she wants...except for the affection of her husband. Because she's having love problems, she decided to lower her pride and write to an agony aunt (Brit term for advice columnist) hiding her name and asking for advice. She got the advice, and sent an email to the agony aunt, and they become good friends over email.

Where does Rachel come in? Rachel's name is Rachel Baker. In other words, she's Matt's wife, and the agony aunt she wrote to is no other than Lizzie Ford, his husband's mistress.

Now it's a pretty interesting premise, I have to admit. The story is actually worthy of a soap-opera/teleserye thing. I was curious on how the story would turn out...but unfortunately I was disappointed.

First thing that got me was that the characters are too flat. Since the story was in favor of Lizzie, she was portrayed as the losing party; Matt was the perfect guy even if he cheated on his wife; Clare, Lizzie's best friend is the total guy cynic who can't seem to sympathize with her best friend after learning that Lizzie is a mistress; and Rachel who is portrayed as the ultimate queen b*tch that no one would absolutely like. It's okay for characters to have extreme characters, but this is just too...boring. Flat.

Storywise, it was thrown in too early. Things happened in the story too fast: Lizzie and Matt's relationship, Rachel making friends with Lizzie and Lizzie finding out that Matt is married...everything was just too fast that by the middle of the book, you wonder what else is there to happen? The latter part was filled with fillers about Lizzie finding her life again without Matt, and those that could be removed, and would still make sense. Somewhere in the middle, you'd get tired of reading it.

And the ending was just too...hanging. I don't know, maybe it's my morals talking since this story is about a man having a mistress...the novel makes it sound like Matt and Rachel's marriage was a big joke, a spur of the moment thing. There wasn't any big time resolution in the end, and I can't even see where loyalty was discussed here.

I was disappointed. The basic idea of the story seemed good, only the author took the easy road and didn't make use of all other ideas that could have made this novel more interesting.

Good thing I bought this in Booksale. Hmmm.

The World Saw Evil That Day. Two Men Saw Something Else.

Directed By: Oliver Stone
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Michael Peña, Maria Bello, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Runtime: 129 minutes

September 11, 2001, around 9:00pm Philippine time. I remember I was at home, on the Internet, minding my own business when my dad switched to CNN and saw a pillar of smoke coming from one of the Twin Towers. He told me about it, and all I did was glance at the TV, thinking it was just some kind of special movie effect, forgetting that it's on CNN. The next day, I woke up to the news video of the two towers collapsing and going up in smoke. That afternoon, I went online and saw most of my online friends in one message board I post in all sharing sorrow over the tragedy.

It's been five years since that happened, and since I wasn't affected directly being on the other side of the world, the tragedy didn't really have that much bearing on me. It saddened me mostly because of all the deaths, but I didn't share the same sadness Americans felt for having to witness and experience such a big blow like that.

Last night, I was given a chance to watch World Trade Center, the true story of two Port Authority Police members John McLoughlin (Nicolas Cage) and Will Jimeno's (Michael Peña) attempt to evacuate people, in turn getting trapped under the collapsed buildings and their rescue. It also shows how their families went through the entire ordeal, and how people, not only Americans, can find goodness amidst all the tragedy and evil in the world.

"It's like God made a curtain of smoke, shielding us from what we're not ready to see."
- Staff Sgt. Karnes, before going to Ground Zero to help in the rescue mission.

The movie is quite long, and since it's based on a true story, don't expect anything other than a display of the buildings, some flashbacks, their families and their conversation as they wait for rescue underground. The movie was panic-inducing because of the idea that the rubble around them could collapse any time if there were more sudden movement. I was half-covering my eyes and fighting back the tears as I felt myself empathizing with the Americans, especially the families of John and Will. Although I don't really know the two officers that the two actors portrayed, I think Cage and Peña were perfect for the roles.

My favorite part would be when Jimeno saw Jesus giving him a bottle of water when he closed his eyes. I think that is the best thing they included in the movie. :)

After watching it, I immediately read all the information I can on McLoughlin, Jimeno, the movie, the other casualties and the survivors. The movie sure opened my eyes and became more aware of the tragedy that happened five years ago, but it also made me see that people are born with good hearts. :)

And after watching the movie, do say a little prayer for all the people who lost their lives in this tragedy.

Jay Jarvis just moved East.
His dating life's gone south.
What else is a guy to do but go fishing?

Flabbergasted is a story of a twenty-something year old stockbroker who just moved to Greenville, South Carolina. Jay is not a serious Christian; in fact, he calls his religion "workaholic", and it wasn't until his real estate agent told him that in Greenville, the in thing are churches, not bars. So Jay drives to the North Hills Presbyterian Church, fully intending to meet females but he didn't expect Ecuador missionary Allie Kyle to catch his eye. In order to get to know Allie, he volunteers to help out in their singles beach trip. There he meets his new best friend Steve, righteous-man-with-big-words Stanley, married surfer dude Ransom, The Numericals, Allie's lime-green loving best friend Darcy (and her lime green Sherbet) and of course, Allie. Jay's landing into the church feels so casual, and yet, "God had him at the collar" and was leading him into places he never would have imagined he would be.

Flabbergasted is a lad lit, a sub-genre of chick lit for men, where a twenty-something semi-successful man is the narrator. Reviews of this book are mixed; some of them really like this while some don't. I fall in the former.

The novel, true to its nature, is very light and funny. The dialogues kept me laughing and giggling to myself while reading it and the characters are indeed so wacky but at the same time so real. The story is real enough in the sense that some people join religious groups to scope out some chicks or some boys, and while it's not right, the novel shows that even with these kinds of intentions, God makes use of them to get us closer to Him.

Writing wise, some parts of the story are kind of hard to connect with each other, especially when the story suddenly turns into another part of Jay's life. Some chapters are kind of skippable too, but they make up the story quite nicely. I think we will all see ourselves in Jay Jarvis as he eventually sees himself and what God wants for him. The ending is a bit obvious, but Jay's realizations wraps it up really good. (See Flabbergasted blog post :D)

It's a good book, perfect for some light afternoon reading. :D I'd love to see a lime green Sherbet. This book is part of a trilogy, and if I can only get the next two books...

Meet Thursday Next, literary detective without equal, fear or boyfriend.

There is another 1985, where London's criminal gangs have moved into the lucrative literary market, and Thursday Next is on the trail of the new crime wave's Mr. Big.

Acheron Hades has been kidnapping characters from works of fiction and holding them to ransom. Jane Eyre is gone. Missing.

Thursday sets out to find a way into the book to repair the damage. But solving crimes against literature isn't easy when you also have to find time to halt the Crimean War, persuade the man you love to marry you, and figure out who really wrote Shakespeare's plays.

Perhaps today just isn't going to be Thursday's day...

I can't believe I haven't wrote a review for this yet. :-o

The Eyre Affair is the first book in the Thursday Next series. The novel starts with Thursday meeting with her dad, who is an eradicated and rogue ChronoGuard trying to stop the French revisionists from changing the past and future and also telling Thursday about when the world might end (but that doesn't really start until the next books). Thursday is a Crimean War veteran, lost her brother and probably the love of her life when she left the war. She works in London's Special Operatives (SpecOps) as part of the LiteraTecs (SO-27), who polices various literary fraud in London. Thursday gets recruited to SO-5 (the Search and Containment unit of SpecOps) to help capture Acheron Hades, being a former student of his. Unfortunately, things took a bad term as her workmates get killed in an ambush attack with Acheron Hades. Thursday wakes up in a hospital with bare recollection of what happened to her, and then finds herself being told by her future self in a colorful sports car that Hades is alive and that she should take the LiteraTec job at Swindon, her hometown. And that's when her world becomes even crazier.

This is the second Thursday Next novel I read (the first one I read is Something Rotten, the last novel in the TN series), so it is here where I got a lot of background information that was kind of mentioned in TN-4. The book moves smoothly from each chapter to the next, as it introduces you to Thursday's crazy alternate world. This book also made a lot of references to other novels which would make you want to read them as well. Okay, maybe not for you, but it certainly urged me to do that too. :P

The only thing I kind of didn't like in the book is that it took a long time before they got to Jane Eyre. Although Jane Eyre was mentioned earlier in the chapters, the main action with her out in the real world happened in the latter chapters. It did wrap up nicely, but I think there's too much suspense with Martin Chuzzlewit which had no relation with Jane Eyre except that it was tampered too.

Nevertheless, this book is great. :) It would open a big door in your imagination as you take a walk around Thursday's world. :)