Elated (or not): Blackout messed me up BIG time!

So, I’m really behind with my NetGalley reading. I started Tempest by Julie Cross last month but I’m not getting it so I put it on hold. Today, I picked it up again. There’s a scene where Jackson picked a song from Holly’s iPod to prove to her he can waltz. You Don’t Know Me by Jann Arden. Well, that ringed a bell.

You give your hand to me and then you say hello
And I can hardly speak my heart is beating so
And anyone can tell you think you know me well
But you don’t know me

I scanned my pile of CDs. Ah, there it is. Track 3 from My Best Friend’s Wedding Original Soundtrack. Yes. I remembered I like this song. Melancholy. Wistful. I played the track over and over. Poor me, for I only realized that this song is about unrequited love. Yeah, join the club! Well, I did. Once or twice, maybe? Hmmm.

No you don’t know the one, who dreams of you at night
And longs to kiss your lips, longs to hold you tight
Oh, I am just a friend, that’s all I’ve ever been
‘Cause you don’t know me

I remembered Becks from the Newsflesh trilogy by Mira Grant. sigh. There’s this blog entry there by Becks where she’s sarcastically saying, “OMG, I wonder if he’ll ever get over his stupid dead sister and love me”. Ha! My sentiments exactly. But… it is never easy, right? One-sided love?

I never knew the art of making love
No my heart aches with love for you
Afraid and shy I let my chance go by
The chance that you might love me too

I also remembered I didn’t like the ending of My Best Friend’s Wedding. Well, it’s my first time to watch Julia Roberts not getting the guy. Sue me. True Love, you suck!

You give your hand to me and then you say goodbye
I watch you walk away beside the lucky guy
Oh, you will never know, the one who loves you so
Well you don’t know me

Man, I still could not get over Blackout. I am not in a state of writing a proper review, so yeah, I’m trying to say “I’m bummed with what happened in the end” through this song.

*exits before you see me crying over some zombie book (again)*

ArmchairBEA: Interview with Tina of One More Page

Networking, Armchair BEA style!

After thinking a lot if i want to join this discussion, I finally found the courage to ask fellow Filipino book blogger for an interview. Shy that I am (i know, that’s hard to believe), i just posed five questions for her to answer.

See Tina‘s responses below:

 

 

 

 

1. if are not book blogging, what do you do?

My day job consists of updating websites for a certain multinational company. It sounds boring, but I’ve been playing with websites since high school, so it’s almost like breathing already. Wait, that kind of sounds boring. LOL. Anyway, I have a very good day job, so that pretty much pays for my book hoarding. Other than that, I go and update my personal blog every now and then (www.tinamats.com), and also write fiction when I can. When I’m not in front of a computer or a book, I like going out with my friends, running and dancing (even if I am very doubtful if dancing likes me back ).

2. if there’s an author you love, which book of his/hers would you have love to have written yourself?
Oh hm. I would love to claim onwership to Frank E. Peretti’s THIS PRESENT DARKNESS. It’s one of my favorite books and I love how vivid it was in portraying angels and devils and prayers and such. Another one I’d love to claim is JELLICOE ROAD by Melina Marchetta. Such an amazing book that I can’t help but bow down to her writing powers.

3. define a perfect moment for reading.
Me, a good book, a cold drink, sunshine and the beach. Or, I wouldn’t mind curling up on my bed with light rain in the background and a cup of coffee.

4. what is the most romantic book you have ever read (it doesn’t have to a romance novel)?
Because I recently reread it, THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER by Sarah Dessen. I loved how the author built the romance there — the conversations, the relationships, the tension, and it all led to a very satisfying ending. That, and Wes Baker is my favorite Dessen boy.

5. what book represents your life right now?
Hmm, this is hard. But I think I’ll go for HAVAH: THE STORY OF EVE by Tosca Lee. This is a retelling of Eve’s story based on the book of Genesis and other accounts. It’s not an easy book to read, but it’s one book I read this year that really spoke to my heart and I was able to identify a lot with the author’s reflection of Eve in the book.

Want to learn more about Tina? Then, read on!

Tina is 25, and she’s been reading ever since she borrowed her first Sweet Valley Kids book. She’s a geek, a striving writer, a programmer/debugger who likes to dance and run and eat. She squees over nice pens, notebooks, stars, (giant) sunflowers, cats, dogs and sunny days. Tina loves reading all kinds of books, but she is partial to contemporary YA, chick lit and fantasy. She owns a personal blog at tinamats.com, and a book blog (because she talks about books a bit too much) at One More Page (onemorepage.tinamats.com).

I admit this is fun! Thank you Tina, for this brief but revealing (if not for you, then for me!) interview. Here’s to Filipino book bloggers… cheers!

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.: maria :.

“giving up is the ultimate tragedy.”

ArmchairBEA: My Best 2011 Reads so far

Genre: YA, Steampunk

Girl in the Steel Corset, The – Kady Cross

Genre: YA, Dystopia

Divergent – Veronica Roth

Genre: YA, Mythology

Goddess Test, The – Aimee Carter

Genre: YA, Dystopia

Delirium – Lauren Oliver

Genre: YA, Paranormal, Faeries

Iron Queen, The – Julie Kagawa

Genre: YA, Supernatural, Angels

Unearthly – Cynthia Hand

ArmchairBEA: I’m Maria and I’m an addict

I know this Armchair BEA introduction is too late, but i want to do it anyway.

I started reading books during my sophomore year in high school. I frequently visits the library for studying but one day i glimpsed a shelf of Nancy Drew Hardcover series. i borrowed one overnight. that’t where my addiciton began. i borrowed all those books and finished it one night at a time.

my first favorite genre: Mystery & Suspense (in Nancy’s case, Espionage)

I moved on to reading Sweet Valley books (from middle grade, high school and college settings), Love Stories series and started my book collection.

I barely had time (and money) during college to read. that is when i promised myself: when i begin to work and earn some cash, i will buy a book every payday.

and i did. pure bliss. until my room was cramped with books. on the floor. on the closet. on the shelf. they are everywhere. and for a country that is prone to typhoons and floods, i need to stack them up high or sell those that are not worth collecting.

books are my sleeping pills. most of the time my parents found me sleeping with a book in my hand. or in my face, covering it.

my reading habit is this: i can read anywhere. anyhow. anytime.

waiting for the bus to leave. waiting for the elevator to open. if i’m early for work. lunch time. while riding the MRT train. waiting for the van to fill up with passengers. while the van is moving on the highway. and yes, while i’m in the john, i read. so what? i simply don’t want to waste my time just by being idle.

reading The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa while lounging at Shangri-la Mactan

my affair with my Kindle is no secret. it is my most beloved gadget of all time. i ignored my digicam. i gave away my ipod. Kindle is that one thing i never left home without.

bits and pieces:

> i’m into YA Fiction, particularly dystopian genre.

> with Kindle, i now read ebooks more than prints. but i still buy hardcover and paperback books that are worth collecting.

> i’m a completist. no matter how terrible a book series turned out to be, i still read it. that is the OC in me.

> my favorite authors are Lloyd Alexander, Lisa Gardner, Suzanne Collins, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Rick Riordan and Jude Deveraux, to name a few.

so, do i love books?

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.: maria :.

“giving up is the ultimate tragedy.”