8 Realizations While Spring Cleaning

I’m on my nth day of attempting to springclean and here are just some things I realized (and I know technically, we don’t have spring here, but what the heck do you call it then? Summer cleaning?)

1. I have too much stuff

I may have inherited my pack rat genes from my Mama (whose room is much worse than mine, believe me) and she probably inherited it from my late Lola (whose room we haven’t touched yet since she passed but I can’t wait to find what “treasures” we’ll find there). So I “acquired” the documentary The Story of Stuff in the hopes that I will be convinced to part with some of my stuff. Let’s see in a few weeks.

2. I have Internet ADD

I get easily distracted when a notification alert pings on my mac or phone. And so I end up chatting, tweeting and surfing 30% (okay, maybe 50%) of the time I’m supposed to be spring cleaning. What’s that? Maybe I should close my gadgets when I clean? That’s an idea…

3. I need to get started on that scrap book really soon

I have drawers and boxes of pictures, clippings and scrapbooking crap that I’ve accumulated the past 3-4 years when I decided to start that hobby. And so far, I’ve managed to complete around 20 pages in 3-4 years. So I guess you can’t really call it a hobby. So maybe I should start actually doing it. Otherwise those boxes and drawers are all for nothing.

One page of my scrapbook

4. Half of the magazines I own, I’d like to give away

Aside from the fact that they take up so much space in my little room, I realized that I don’t really need to buy every single football or entertainment magazine back issues I see in booksale shops. Especially since I have a digital subscription to most of these magazines. So yeah, anyone want to add some old magazines to your house?

This is not even 1/4 of the magazines I have

5. I don’t want to give up any of the books I have, but I probably need to

Just thinking about giving away even just one book is already causing me palpitations (or maybe that’s just the coffee I ingested). But I know I may have to one of these days, due to the space problem and our termite problem also. So I have to start marking those that I will NEVER give away and those that I can donate to my friends’ libraries.

#bookwormproblems

6. I have too many pens and sticky notes

I dunno why. I just like seeing them all colorful and pretty

You can never have enough pens

 

7. Doing a spring cleaning of my hard drive is always therapeutic

It wasn’t just physical cleaning that I am attempting to do. Even though I have around 300 gigs of free space on my mac and 500 gigs on my external hard drive, I still feel the urge to delete and rearrange files into neat little folders. Try it sometime, it can do wonders for your emotional well-being, if you’re anything like me.

8. I am mentally organized but physically messy

But there is order in my chaos. Believe me, there is

Photo from gluehere.com

 

My Pop Culture Recommendations Vol 1 2013

Because I don’t want to keep to myself all of the pop culture goodies I’ve been enjoying lately…*

 

The Following

If you’re a crime procedural junkie and literary geek like me, chances are you’d enjoy this new show. The basic premise is a college professor who teaches the works of Edgar Allan Poe (and kills women on the side in honor of the author) gets caught by the police. But then he starts using technology to create a whole social network of serial killers. Kevin Bacon plays the FBI agent who caught him and must now find all those other sickos. I’m not a fan of the Bacon, but two episodes in and I’m already hooked. Warning though, it’s fairly violent (there’s a scene with the woman in the police station that still makes me want to throw up) and deeply disturbing. Probably Fox Channel or Fox Crime will eventually show it locally, but if you have means of “acquiring” it weekly….

Robin Nievera’s Nightmare

No, I’m not talking about actual nightmares of course. But when my resident music compass Ailene started raving about his album earlier today, I immediately downloaded it (hey, it’s free and legal!) and of course, fell in love with it. If you’re a fan of the male-troubadour-with-the-acoustic-guitar genre, then you will love this too. Click here and spread the word too!

Streetfood Tycoon

If you’ve ever dreamed of owning your own foodcart business, then this will be good practice for you. This game, available in both iOs and Android is developed by Kuyi Mobile and proudly Pinoy! I might have spent 4 straight hours per day playing this game since I downloaded it last Thursday, so you might wanna hold off getting it if you dont have time to spare. But it will sure come in handy when you’re stuck in traffic or waiting in line somewhere. Oh and the sounds your customers make are weird and sometimes cute (I personally love the little girls saying hi and bye)

7th Spring Film Festival

I remember the times when I would devour these free film festivals like a chocolate bar. But since I got really busy, I’ve stopped going. Now that I’m going to have a bit of free time, this is one habit I intend to take up again. And what better way to start than with a Chinese film festival from February 1-10. I know next to nothing about the films that will be shown, but sometimes, that’s the best way to go about these free film festivals. Go in with no expectations at all and you’ll either be blown away or you’ll walk out of it halfway through. And since it’s free, then you just wasted a few minutes of your day at least. For more info, go to Click the City here

 

The Changing Face of Nerds and Autism in Pop Culture by Noel Murray

I’m always fascinated by any well-written book or article about geekdom and this one from the A.V Club is a brilliant doozy. The writer is both a father to an autistic boy and a self-confessed geek, and so he knows what he’s talking about. He has great insights into pop culture’s tendency to both embrace and mock the nerds and the geeks and how sometimes what they call nerds and geeks are actually more of people who have Aspergers or other autism spectrum disorders. It’s a bit of a long read, but worth it, if you’re into that kind of thing. Read it here

 

Stars Live in Manila on February 16

While I am also excited that Paramore is coming here on the 15th, I’m even more giddy that I’ll be able to see live one of my bucket list bands, Stars. A former officemate introduced me to their music a few years back and  since then, they’ve become my favorite Canadian import and indie pop/dream pop band. I told myself back when I was still entertaining thoughts of getting married someday, that my first dance would be My Favourite Book (especially since in my head, I would marry a fellow bookworm). That dream has since evaporated, but the dream of seeing them live is about to come true! I’ll write more about them in the next few weeks, but for more info about the concert, visit Philippine Concerts (and for other upcoming concerts as well)

In the meantime, I’ll leave you with my current favorite Stars song from their latest album, The North. This is called Backlines. I dare you not to bob your head while listening and watching

 

*Just to be clear, I’m not being paid by any of these people/companies I mentioned

 

Pop Culture Resolutions for 2013

A few weeks too late for the start of the year, but a few days early for when my actual New Year starts. No, I don’t mean the Chinese New Year, but…long story. Anyhooo…

• Read at least 50 books this year. And more than half of those should be from my current book collection. I will not buy any new books until I’ve finished at least two from my bookshelf. Maybe (and by the way, I’ve already finished two so yey!)
• Watch a movie in the theater at least once every two weeks. I realized I’m not a big fan of watching in the theater because basically I hate the noisy, stupid, cellphone reading people I always have the misfortune of sitting near to. But, I have to go out of my comfort zone every once in a while.
• Discover a new music genre. Last year’s “experiment” worked well. I now love country music, mostly because of Nashville (the TV series), and a lot of folk-country cross-over artists. This year, I’ll give hiphop another chance to worm its way into my eardrums.
• Get rid of the physical pop culture clutter in my room. What can be scanned, will be painfully scanned. What can be thrown in the trash, will be thrown. What can be given away, will be shared, if anyone cares to add them to their own clutter. List to come up soon
• Finally get to teach that Pop Culture subject I’ve been dreaming of. All this knowledge and insight I gain from consuming all this should be put to use. As early as now, I’m already begging our department head to give me that subject by June. Let’s see if I finally get it.
• Less TV series (gulp) and more reading. That will be one of the most difficult things I have to do. Or it may just become easier coz a lot of the series I follow are ending and being cancelled left and right. Gah.
• Try to consume a bit more Pinoy pop culture. This might be a bit difficult given that a lot of them are not to my taste, but hey, maybe I can discover more undiscovered good stuff out there and then I can tell more people about it.
• Top my “concert haul” from last year (which was 6) and hopefully, one of those concerts will be outside the country.
• Redesign the blog. Blog more. Blog more coherently. Blog deeply. So yes, this will be the year of the blog. Hopefully

What are your pop culture resolutions this year?

 

 

2013 Book #1: In The Woods by Tana French

6 days into the year and already i finished a book! Okay, technically, I just read it in one sitting, so this bodes well for me as I target to finish 50 books this year.

In the Woods by Tana French has been lying around digitally for the past two years, an impulse buy since I read good things about it. And of course, I’m a sucker for brainless murder mysteries wrapped in a cheesy love story. But upon skimming through the first few pages, I realized this is definitely not my usual James Patterson/Mary Higgins Clark fare. I figured it required a bit more seriousness and thinking, so I just set it aside. Two years later, it was gathering electronic dust in my Kindle.

But after finishing Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl (my 2nd best read of 2012) in one sitting too, I decided my mystery palate is ready for more “hi-brow” fare. And so I started reading on January 5, 10PM and finished four hours later. And then stared at the ceiling for an hour, just basking in the afterglow of the story. Then had disturbing dreams about its hero/anti-hero Rob Ryan. Then woke up feeling both elated and depressed when remembering how his story turned out.

 

My Music in 2012 Part 1 – The Concerts

Just like with the other aspects of my life, my “music life” in 2012 was very colorful. Eventful in a sense that I watched a lot of mind blowing concerts, I grew to love a couple of genres that I never thought I would love (no, still not into r&b and hiphop), I discovered a lot of new music (therefore needing more hard disk space once again) and admitting that I miss actually getting involved in music

CONCERTS GALORE AGAIN

Once again, I had the opportunity to see some of my favorite international acts in concert this year. In fact, I got to cross off four bands in my concert bucket list!

Death Cab For Cutie (March 5 at NBC Tent)

This was a groundbreaking concert for me – it was the first time I watched a concert alone! That’s how badly I wanted to see a post-Zooey Deschanel Ben Gibbard and his band. And yes, I did cry and lived to blog about it.

 

Lifehouse (May 26 at Smart Araneta)

We had nosebleed seats and you could barely see Jason Wade and his hotness, but you could definitely hear him croon into our ears and hearts (naks). A dream come true for John, Kaligay and me, but maybe next time better seats are needed

A rare picture of me at a concert (Yep, I hate taking pics of me watching a concert)

 

NKOTBSB (June 3 at MOA Arena)

While I will always be a rock/alternative/indie girl, there is still that high school girl part of me that squeals at the thought of Menudo, New Kids on the Block and a bit of the Backstreet Boys. So with fellow fan girl Mica, we screamed our hearts out as our teenage selves came out to party. An added bonus: Azkals players, and most especially Coach Hans Weiss, dancing and singing along to BSB songs

Couldn’t find the precious photos I took, so here’s Mica and me all smiles (and sweat) after the concert

 

Snow Patrol (August 9 at Smart Araneta)

I could say that this was probably the most memorable one, partly because this was held a few days after the monster monsoon that devastated Luzon, and because Gary Lightbody was oozing with charm and appeal and of course because Snow Patrol is my 4th favorite band. Most of the people were teary-eyed when he dedicated Lifening to the indomitable spirit of the Filipinos

My poor attempt at concert mobile photography

 

Keane (October 2 at MOA Arena)

I was slowly losing hope that I would be able to watch them, but at the last minute, two dear friends gave me and Angel tickets. Keane isn’t as bombastic or charismatic as the other artists I saw this year, but their music really speaks to me. And Tom Chaplin has this soaring, Bono-esque voice that tickles my heart

I wish I could adequately capture how pretty the lights were. This was Tom doing an acoustic version of Bedshaped

 

Saved Festival 2012 (October 26 at MOA Arena)

Appropriately enough, my last concert of the year was a worship concert. My friends at Becca Music once again did a great job in bringing together different artists to lead a jam-packed venue in worship. I brought with me a dear friend and it was her first time to attend a worship concert so it was such a joy to be with her there. I was only able to catch Abandon (my current favorite worship band) and The Katinas (not my cup of tea, but still great guys) though And yes, I did not have a single picture there.

 

My biggest concert regrets

Smashing Pumpkins (friends gave me a ticket at the last minute but I was stranded by the monster monsoon)

Wilson Philips (again, a friend gave me tickets, but then i got sick)

STING (How could I have missed this???? Oh yes, i was totally broke by then. Biggest regret of 2012 for sure)

 

To be continued tomorrow: My new love affair with a genre that i said i would never like (no, not that genre)

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Can Read Over and Over and Over

Since The Perks of Being A Wallflower’s  (one of those books that I’ve read more than 5 times) movie adaptation is coming to the theaters tomorrow, I thought of listing down the 10 books that I could read over and over again. Some books that I love, I can’t repeatedly read coz they’re either too heavy or too long, but these ones are those that I can randomly pick up and choose random pages to read and I can still immerse myself in their world. (Oh and I didn’t put the Bible in here because obviously it’s something I should be reading everyday)

1. The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Silmarillion by J.R.R Tolkien

Okay, I know it’s cheating because they’re four books already, but hey, they’re in the same universe right? All in all, I’ve read them more than twenty times and I can still vividly picture scenes in my head (even those not covered by the movies). And I name 3/4 of my stuff (gadgets, trinkets, stuffed creatures) after characters from that world so that goes to show how much I love Tolkien’s work.

2. A Song Of Ice and Fire by George R.R Martin

Truth be told, I haven’t finished A Dance with Dragons because the book after that hasn’t been published yet. And so I keep going back to certain parts of the other four books, especially whenever I watch the TV adaptations. Skip the gratuitous sex and the boring parts describing food and I’m all set. And the other 1/4 of my stuff get named after characters from here.

3. Mythology by Edith Hamilton

So technically, it’s not really a book per se, but all the stories of gods and goddesses and the puny humans and heroic demi gods have given birth to the archetypes we know now and so it’s nice to constantly go back to the original stories

4. The Story Of My Life by Helen Keller

Next to my mom and grandmother, she truly is the woman I admired the most since childhood. Since there was no internet yet when I was growing up, I grabbed everything I could find in the library about her. But reading her own actual words just gave her story more power and beauty for me. I still go back to her life whenever I feel like my life sucks

5. Coraline by Neil Gaiman

I could put in a couple of other Gaiman books here, but Coraline takes the cake. Even if it still scares me (for reasons other than the Other Mother) I still read it over and over because I can somehow relate to the titular character’s need to be in a different place but ultimately realizing that where I am right now is where I’m supposed to be. Kinda like The Wizard of Oz but scarier.

6. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

The subject of the book is sad and sobering, but it was written in a way that it can make you laugh and cry at the same time. Oskar might just be my favorite little boy character ever. But don’t get me started on the awful movie adaptation that made me cry, but for vastly different reasons (anger and frustration)

7. The Princess Bride by William Goldman

It’s not enough that the movie is one of my all-time favorites. I had to discover the book it was based on and found to my delight that it was every bit as funny and memorable as the movie. The book and movie will always be my favorite love story (so far)

8. The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The book that started this blog post is my favorite YA novel. No matter how old I get, I will always be able to relate to “Charlie” and how he just quietly (although of course I am rarely quiet) watches life pass him by and lives vicariously through his friends, until he starts feeling “infinite”. So many great quotable lines here too.

9. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

This book is devastating, and yet I cannot fully step away from the world of Kathy, Ruth and Tommy. And the big reveal still has the power to kick me in the gut and make me gasp, even though I obviously know about it by that time. The movie adaptation isn’t bad too.

10. What’s So Amazing About Grace by Philip Yancey

This is the book that brought me to a deeper understanding of the devastating beauty of God’s grace. And because I constantly lose sight of how undeserving I am of this grace, I have to go back to this and the Bible to remind myself that He is the only reason why I’m still breathing right now.

 

Runners-Up

Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Chronicle of A Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Mills and Boons books by Charlotte Lamb

Blue Like Jazz by Don Miller

Stuff Christians Like by Jon Acuff

 

So, what are your books?

 

Top 10 Tuesday: New Fall Shows I’m Excited About (Plus Premiere Dates of Returning Shows)

It’s that time of the year again when the US Fall TV Season offers up new reasons for me to not have a life/be an insomniac once again. And although I’ve always had the misfortune of falling in love with new tv shows only to have them cancelled after 10 episodes, I will still risk my heart for these shows

(All the dates here are adjusted to Philippine time already, for easier, uhm, acquisition)

666 Park Avenue (premieres October 1)

In a Nutshell: The residents of The Drake, an Upper East Side apartment building have all made a deal with the Devil to have their deepest desires fufilled. Supernatural hijinks ensue

Who’s In It: Locke and Wilhelmina! I mean Terry O Quinn and Vanessa Williams. Plus the dreamy Dave Annable

It’s Probably Like: The Shining meets American Horror Story

Arrow (premieres October 11)

In a nutshell: Origin story of Green Arrow (not to be confused with Green Lantern), millionaire playboy by day, vigilante crime fighter by night. Sounds familiar? But I’m still hopeful they’ll do a fresh take on this superhero trope

Who’s In It: Stephen Amell, voted most likely to be this season’s hearthrob

It’s Probably Like: Batman meets Smallville

Beauty and the Beast (premieres October 12)

In a Nutshell: Not the Disney animated version, but a remake of the 80s TV show (which I violated the “No TV on a school night” rule for). My only apprehension is that the Beast won’t be actually a beast, only a hot guy with a scar, which is kinda lame. But I will still watch

Who’s In It: Lana Lang! Kristin Kreuk makes her TV return, and I hope this time she won’t be just an accessory to the hero. And the Beast is played by newcomer Jay Ryan (may give Arrow a run for his money)

It’s Probably Like: The 80s TV show, but with gadgets and social networks

Elementary (premiers September 26)

In a Nutshell: Sherlock. And that should be reason enough right? I’m still confused if it’s an Americanized version of the hugely popular BBC drama or if it’s a totally different (but slightly similar) take on the original “mentalist” detective

Who’s In It: Jonny Lee Miller aka Angelina Jolie’s first (and second hottest) husband as the titular character and Lucy Liu as Watson. Yes, she’s a girl. Let’s hope there is no “will they or won’t they” storyline

It’s Probably Like: May or may not be like BBC’s Sherlock (we’ll see…we’ll see)

Last Resort (premieres September 28)

In A Nutshell: A submarine and its crew defies an order to fire nuclear weapons so they go on the run and…I’m not really sure where this is headed, but I’m willing to suspend my disbelief

Who’s In It: Scott Speedman!!!! I’ve missed you Ben. Andre Braugher as the leader of the crew and Robert Patrick will probably play some asshole-y guy (as always)

It’s Probably Like: Crimson Tide meets The Rock but on a smaller screen

The Mindy Project (premieres September 26)

In a Nutshell: An OB-GYN who is a shameless rom-com aficionado and her search for love. Sounds hinky, but I’m a huge fan of the show creator and lead star

Who’s In It: Mindy Kaling! I truly believe she’s one of the funniest and most brilliant comediennes of her generation. Her character in The Office is one of my favorites, even though she should be so annoying and detestable

It’s Probably Like: Bridget Jones’ Diary but funnier and more hip

Nashville (premiers October 11)

In a Nutshell: A fading country star has to compete with a teen sensation. Now, I’m not a fan of country music but I am a huge fan of dramas set in the South. Maybe it’s those accents…

Who’s In It: Connie Britton! I would watch anything this woman is in. Even if it means I have to endure Hayden Panettiere every week

It’s Probably Like: Dallas but with country music

The New Normal (premieres September 12)

In a Nutshell: A gay couple hires a single mom to be their surrogate. Oh, and it’s by Glee creator Ryan Murphy. It hasn’t premiered yet, but it’s already causing controversy and boycotts. Let’s see what the (obvious) fuss is about

Who’s In It: I actually don’t know any of the stars. Which can be a good thing too

It’s Probably Like: Modern Family, if Cam and Mitchell were the main characters. Hoping it will be just as funny too

Revolution (premieres September 18)

In a Nutshell: I’m a sucker for post-apocalyptic books/movies/TV shows and this one is created by JJ Abrams and Erik Kripke (Supernatural) so I’m so there. In their universe, electricity (and consequently technology) has disappeared. The horrors!!!

Who’s In It: Our beloved Juliet returns! Elizabeth Mitchell makes her TV comeback, and this time, hopefully it’s longer than V. There are a bunch of other lesser-known but familiar faces too

It’s Probably Like: I actually have no idea beyond the post-apocalyptic theme. But I’m very excited!

Vegas (premieres September 26)

In a Nutshell: A sheriff-rancher goes up against a powerful gangster. Oh, and it’s set in the 60s and based on a true story. Not to be confused with Las Vegas

Who’s In It: Dennis Quaid. Michael Chiklis. Jason O Mara (the king of cancelled tv shows). Carrie Ann Moss. Now that’s star power

It’s Probably Like: Justified, but set in the 60s

WHEN WILL OUR (MY) FAVORITE SHOWS RETURN?

30 Rock – Oct 5

Big Bang Theory – Sept 28

Blue Bloods – Sept 29

Bones – Sept 18

Castle – Sept 25

CSI – Sept 27

Fringe – Sept 29 (last season noooooooo)

The Good Wife – Oct 1

Happy Endings – Oct 24

Hawaii Five O – Sept 25

Homeland – Oct 1

How I Met Your Mother – Sept 25

Law and Order SVU – Sept 27

The Mentalist – Oct 1

New Girl – Sept 26

Nikita – Oct 20

Once Upon A Time – Oct 1

Parks and Rec – Sept 21

Person of Interest – Sept 28

Revenge – Oct 1

Scandal – Sept 28

Suburgatory – Oct 18

Supernatural – Oct 4

The Vampire Diaries – Oct 12

The Walking Dead – Oct 15