Crossing Things OFF My Bucket List.

So I missed some reviews, and posts - BUT IT WAS WORTH IT.

This time - NO BOOKS, NO COMPUTERS, TV - just pure, unadulterated fun.

I'm the person who hated heights and is REALLY afraid of it, but this time, I had conquered my fear once again. For 3 days and 2 nights, I was with my sister and some of my closest friends at work, we went to Mindanao and traveled to some places I have never been to. 

CAGAYAN DE ORO, LANAO DEL NORTE, BUKIDNON, ILIGAN, MISAMIS ORIENTAL 

The southern part of the Philippines has a lot to offer -still unspoiled by modernization, we have enjoyed what nature and the locals has to offer. 

FIRST DAY

We arrived at Laguindingan Airport in Misamis Oriental. It was almost four in the afternoon, it was still hot, but I loved the view. For a moment there, I thought we were landing on water! 

After settling at our chosen inn near the market, we went to Centrio, an Ayala Mall in the heart of the downtown, then off to eat our hearts out and experience HEART ATTACK in Big Flat Bread. The food there was simply to die for, and cheap. I loved the pizza most especially The Godfather!

SECOND DAY

In the middle of two places. 

ONE HECK OF A DAY!

Now I felt how Mandy Moore did standing in between two places in the movie A WALK TO REMEMBER, but this time, we were not standing, we were rafting! 

Just before we went rafting!

We were divided into two groups :) 

It was an amazing experience, and next time, I will make sure to try the advance! 

Next stop is the Dahilayan Adventure Park. It was 2-3 hours away from Cagayan, we went through the Del Monte Plantation and I was awed by acres and acres of pineapples and corns! 

Dahilayan Adventure Park is a good place for adventure & adrenaline seekers. I would have loved to do the Zorbit if we had time, but unfortunately, it was 4pm when we arrived, and we just have 1 hour before they close up. It was a little bit cold, or was it me having cold feet? Wasn't quite sure by that time, but I WAS READY to conquer Asia's Longest Zipline and do the Drop zone! 

This is me, after experiencing Asia's Longest Zipline, I think I left my liver somewhere in between.

THIS IS MY FAVORITE, the DROP ZONE. We were raised up to 120 feet, then suddenly made a drop after the rope was pulled. OMG. It was like experiencing orgasm 100x. It was scary, exhilarating and breathtaking all at the same time. I was lucky to share it with a great friend! 

Here is us! 

THIRD DAY

SO FALLS!

We checked out at 3am - lack of sleep, but was excited to go to the Falls. TINAGO Falls, it was majestic.  Turquoise-colored water, 434 steps, mountain breeze. I was in heaven. Again, we were swimming in two places at once. We were in the middle of Iligan and Lanao Del Norte. Despite the aching, shaking knees, my near-asthma attack, and a pounding heart - ALL OF IT WAS WORTH IT. There was a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Maria Cristina Falls - nature wonder that provided electricity to the locals here. I used to see it in post cards, now I saw it with my own ice. Again, breathtaking!

I went home tired, but with a big smile on my face. Not because I crossed off several things on my bucket list, but because I shared these experiences with people close to me. 

Road Trip. Food Trip. Nature Trip.

One experience of a lifetime!

Going Gaga Over The Fault In Our Stars

Have you ever read a book and you can't seem to get over it?

♥.♥.♥

It's when someone ask you - what's your favorite book? 

and although you're a bookworm and have read thousands of nice books, 

tons of which you consider favorites - this book will always be the first one

that comes into your mind when the question is asked. 

My Shelf ♥

♥.♥.♥

Out of the blue, I'm feeling a little anxious - so what I did - I cleaned all my shelves and arranged them according to the color of their spine. I had a nice time, but my sister was speechless. According to her: How can she find a book if it wasn't arrange by author?

So Many Books, So Little Time

♥.♥.♥

Do you share the same sentiment?!

Thoughts of Moi

I found this quote via tumblr and fell in love with it immediately. It reminded me that there's a rainbow after the rain and no matter how life sucks - in every sense of the world, it is still beautiful.

Optimism is never a sin, it is a blessing. Opting to see the goodness in the world decreases worry and stress. Therefore lessening the chances of diseases - making you live your life longer.

This doesn't mean that you have to live a totally worry-free life (I think this is more unhealthy). Just learn to move on, let go and live life the way you wanted it. 

Printed Books VS EReaders

I love reading. It doesn’t matter if it’s printed books or e-books – as long as I get to read and the pages are complete, I really don’t care. The end point will still be reading. But some people could not get over this argument.

Well, after almost a month long of hiatus and occasional reading, I’m back writing again and the sound of tapping keyboard is music to my ears. I’ll start with this one first. I am a lover of books. My shelves are filled with it: from young adult novels to regency romance and some nonfiction. Then I discovered Kindle – an E-Book reader sold by Amazon. I was instantly hooked to it. But don’t get me wrong, I still adore printed books and did not clear out my shelf.

Now, here are the reasons why I love my Kindle and E-books:

•  I can have E-books almost immediately. I really don’t have to wait before our local book shop can have a copy as soon as the book is released. I can buy easily at Amazon on the same day that it came out of the market. No need to fall in line since purchases and download of a brand new book is done within minutes or seconds (all depending on the file size of the book)
• I can carry more than a hundred books with me all the time! Of course, I carry around my charger just in case my bat gets empty. E-readers like Kindle weigh less than one pound and no matter how many pages there is in one book – it doesn’t get heavy.
• I help saving trees! Paper books are made of trees. They are printed utilizing an assembly-line system that involves a lot of toxic chemicals. Not to mention, it needs to be delivered to a bookstore for customers to buy them.
• They’re user-friendly. Most ereaders has zoom built-in functions as well as letter resizing.
• Note-taking friendly. You can write notes but you can erase them as well.

But, let us not forget the disadvantages:

• Since I am reading on my Kindle, portable book light is needed when it becomes dark.
• For people who are using their computer to read ebooks – EYE STRAIN is your main problem. Good thing Kindle is similar to a paperback. Eye strain problem due to glare is minimized.
• Battery life – that is why I carry around my charger
• Software bugs/virus in ereaders can be a very big problem
• If you spill something on it, drop it – pray that it will still work. 

For the Printed Books

• I started reading my cousin’s paperback novels – because E-reader was not that popular eons ago and if ever it exists, I could not afford it. What I like about a printed book is that
•  I can find them at the bookstore
• They’re portable (compared to a laptop)
• No eyestrain 
• They’re cheaper – especially if you’re going to buy in secondhand book shops or over the internet.
• There is a distinct smell in paperbacks that makes me sigh in contentment.

 BUT….

• They’re heavy and bulky. I cannot and would not normally carry 2-3 books (unless on a shopping)
•  I need a light source to read them
• Note taking is a confusing task – would I or would I not write a note? Since inks are permanent and even in pencils, imprints are visible. For an obsessive-compulsive person, notes on my books are simply a no-no.

Me?

As I have said on my opening paragraph, as long as I can read the books that I want to read, it doesn’t really matter. 

good thing I'm careful with my Kindle

A peek inside a book maniac's brain: Hello 2012!

I couldn't say 2011 has been a great year for me and my family - but with things happening now, I am looking forward for a brighter and more prosperous 2012.

According to Goodreads, I have finished 179 books this year! Whew! What a year... now for 2012, I'm planning to finish 200 - ambitious!! But I'll try, who knows, I might pull it off. 

New Year's Resolution? I dunno, I haven't made one last year, and I don't think a resolution of mine became a reality. Got to give it another shot this year:

1. HEALTH - I need to watch what I eat, drink - and I need to sleep a lot. Sleeping less caused me my health problem. I hope I'll get well before the year ends, that means I need more rest, and follow my drug therapy meticulously. I'll try to exercise when my doctor gives me a thumbs up. 

2. MONEY - SAVE! Exactly what I need this year is to save for travels and books and future.

3. CAREER- Do well on an interview and finally land myself a NURSING-related job. After all, I am a nurse, although I do love writing, I'll find a way to insert my writing career while saving humanity

4. LOVE - steady, unhurried phase.  Que Sera Sera

5. FAMILY - Help my father to get well, have him memorized his drug therapy (because I have my own therapy to worry about), not to transmit any stupid microorganism to my sissy (who is in a panic mode), healthy bodies to mom and baby brother. 

What books am I dying to read early this year:

Not necessarily in this order - but I'd love to read them as soon as they are out.

I hope you will have the grandest year as well. Happy New Year Everyone!

ChuCha™

A peek inside a bookmaniac’s brain: Happy Holidays!

I got this pic from tumblr.

Who says Christmas is just for kids? Despite my current health conditions, I so love spending Christmas with family, eating sumptuous meal at midnight and then opening gifts.

I spent a lot of time reading, although I was a bit lazy to do a review. I decided to make use of my vacation to curl up on my bed and read stuffs that has been pending on my Kindle.

this is me with my siblings, noy2 and mary while waiting for someone to pick us up
we haven't eaten breakfast yet.

the gazebo at Pototan, Iloilo

toy soldiers surrounding the big christmas tree - these are really awesome!

my cousins: carlo, maynard, my brother noy, ting, my sister mary and me
posing in front of the big christmas tree

this is their Municipal Hall. 

my beautiful niece ali. 

On Christmas day, our family decided to go Capiz (father's side). We had our Christmas lunch with the family and then went back to Iloilo at 4pm, but first, we headed for Pototan. A town that celebrates Iwag (festival of lights of sorts), their plaza was filled with lights and it was a splendid view. There were so many street foods to choose from, of course there was a food fest at the gym, but since we were not that hungry, we settled for the pancakes, popcorn, and peanuts. I had a great time, I hope we'll do it again next year!

My New Header =)

I know! It's so cute, right? I always wanted a personalized header, but I don't have the talent. Good thing I have talented friends - thank you so much Papelove for making me a beautiful, personalized header.

A Little Humor

taken from: Tumblr

A peek inside a bookmaniac’s brain: Choleric Chucha

I have taken the personality test for a couple of times, and I still gain the same results: CHOLERIC.

Choleric is just one of the four temperaments, a theory of proto-psychology that came from the ancient medical concept of humorism and suggests that four bodily fluids affect human behaviors and personality traits. Other three are: Sanguine, Melancholic and Pragmatic.

I have researched what kind of person possesses a choleric personality and found the following information – some are true and fits me like skin, some will just remain theory. Basically, people with choleric temperaments are ambitious and leader-like. They have a lot of aggression, passion and energy and they try to inculcate it to other people. They can dominate people of other temperaments, especially the phlegmatic types. A lot charismatic military and political figures were choleric. They like to be in-charge of everything.

What is good about being choleric (plus my personal thoughts on the matter)

§      Born leader, dynamic and active and have a compulsive need for change – I have been a leader since I was in grade school. It was nice to have the last say every now and then. Yes, I want change, but I am not the type of person who will march on the streets to gain it. After all, small changes start within yourself – I prefer it that way.

§      Often feel that you must correct wrongs – I am not perfect. But I have the compulsion to point out things that I think is wrong, to the point of rudeness sometimes. I really couldn’t help it. I know people hates to know the truth because most of the time it really stings – especially when they’re wrong. I just couldn’t stand there and witness something that is not right.

§      Strong-willed, influential, independent and self sufficient – okay, I am not sure about the influential thing, but I know I am strong-willed and independent. I can decide on my own and when I want to do certain things – nothing in this world will stop me… ummmm… except family emergency.

§      Not easily discouraged and can be unemotional if needed – as I have said, nothing can stop me. I think if you want to do something, there are a million ways to do it, if you don’t – a million reasons are available as well. Hormones make me more emotional than necessary.   

§      Capable of running anything and exude confidence – THEORY! GEEEZZZZ, I do have a very uncomfortable stage fright. I hate standing in front of people that I do not know. I am okay inside the classroom, and comfortable speaking in front of my classmates – but the whole school?! Not my thing.

§      Expert in exerting sound leadership, establishing goals and able to motivate the family in to action – Is this like making my family do whatever I want? Sometimes, but my mom is more persuasive than I am.

§      Knows the right answer and organize the household – most of the time, I may know the right answer, especially when I have burnt the midnight oil.

§      Goal oriented, see the whole picture and organize well I have goals that other people do not understand, but I have plans. I do not need to elaborate it further to people who seem to doubt if it works. IT WILL WORK, I am so sure of it. (Confident much?) I am not comfortable with people (especially those who aren’t close to me) suggesting much about my future. This is my life, my future, whatever I want to do with it is my choice, right?

§      Delegate work but insist on productivity- I will delegate work if I cannot do it anymore. Not to mention, I will recheck the work over and over again, it will probably end up being redo by me.

Why people hate choleric?

©       Bossy and impatient

©       Quick tempered, can’t relax and can be too impetuous

©       Enjoy controversy and arguments and won’t give up when losing

©       Come on too strong, are inflexible and uncomplimentary – THEORY!!!

©       Dislike tears and emotions and are generally unsympathetic - THEORY!!!

©       Tend to over dominate, are too busy for your family and will often give answers too quickly - THEORY!!!

©       Impatient with poor performance and won’t let children relax if you have any. You are likely to send them in to depression - THEORY!!!

©       Little tolerance for mistakes, however, you don’t analyze details yourself, are bored by trivia and can often make rash decisions.

©       Rude and tactless and often manipulate people

©       Demanding of others and believe that the end justifies the means.

©       Work may become the driving force in your life and you demand loyalty in the ranks.

©       Tend to use people and dominate others THEORY!!!

©       Make decisions on other people’s behalf and you know everything.

©       Can do everything better, are too independent and are overly possessive of friends and mate – I don’t have a lot of friends, I can still enumerate them by names. But I know they’re real and they stick to me no matter what. I do not manipulate them – swear!

©       Can’t say you’re sorry and, although you may often be right, you can become unpopular

þ @ ChuCha

If I die tomorrow...

If God, for a second, forgot what I have become

And granted me a little bit more of life,

I would use it to the best of my ability

I wouldn’t possibly, say everything that is in my mind,

But I would be more thoughtful of all I say,

I would give merit to things not for what they are worth,

But for what they mean to express.

I would sleep little, I would dream more,

Because I know that for every minute that we close our eyes,

We waste 60 seconds of light

I would walk while others stop;

I would awake while others sleep.

If God would give me a little bit more of life,

I would dress in a simple manner

I would place myself in front of the sun,

Leaving not only my body, but my soul naked at its mercy

To all men, I would say how mistaken they are

When they think that they stop falling in love when they grow old,

Without knowing that they grow old when they stop falling in love

I would give wings to children, but I would leave it to them

To learn how to fly by themselves

To old people, I would say that death

Doesn’t arrive when they grow old, but with forgetfulness

I have learned so much with you all,

I have learned that everybody wants to live on top of the mountain,

Without knowing that true happiness is obtained in the journey taken

And the form used to reach the top of the hill

I have learned that when a newborn baby holds, with his little hand

His father’s finger, it has trapped him for the rest of his life.

I have learned that a man has the right

And obligation to look down at another man, only when that man needs help to get up from the ground

Say always what you feel, not what you think

If I knew today is the last time that I am going to see you asleep,

I would hug you with all my strength

And I would pray to the Lord to let me be the guardian angel of your soul

If I knew that these are the last moments to see you, I would say “I love you”

There is always tomorrow, and life gives us another opportunity to do things right

But in case I am wrong, and today is all that is left to me

I would love to tell you how much I love you and that I will never forget you

Tomorrow is never guaranteed to anyone, young or old

Today could be the last time to see your love ones

Which is why you mustn’t wait; do it today,

In case tomorrow never arrives

I am sure you will be sorry you wasted the opportunity today to give a smile,

A hug, a kiss, and that you were too busy to grant them their last wish.

Keep your loved ones near you; tell them in their ears and to their faces

How much you need them and love them

Love them and treat them well; take your time to tell them “I am sorry”, “Forgive me”

“Please”, “Thank you” and all those loving words you know

Nobody will know you for your secret thought

Ask the lord for wisdom and strength to express them

Show your friends and loved ones how important they are to you

Send this letter to those you love

If you don’t do it today… tomorrow will be like yesterday

And if you never do it, it doesn’t matter either

The moment to do it is now

For you with much love,

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

green thoughts

Found this pic while I was browsing my tumblr account. I find it cute, and yes, sexy. A little tickle in my boring thoughts. I love it! 

a peek inside a book maniac’s brain: series or stand-alone?

Every reader has his or her preference with what kind of books he or she reads as well as the author. One thing to choose from is whether or not you’d go for a series or stand-alone novel?

A little background first...

What is Stand Alone? Stand-Alone novels are stories/novels which is capable of operating independently. Basically, it starts and ends on one book.

What are Series? There are various types of series:

Serialized Series, the reader needs to read the books in order for them to understand the whole story. A perfect example for this is the HARRY POTTER.

Formula Series, presents a new story that follows a structure the readers grow to recognize and expects. It doesn’t matter if you don’t read it in order.

Linked Series are also my favorites because they are mostly stand-alone novels that have some sort of tenuous connection or link, more by design and format rather than content. Good examples of this are those from the Historical Romance genre.

It all comes down to my choice?

Admittedly, I am a series girl. I love to collect books, especially series.

What is to love about Series?

• Continuity
• Save you time to choose a new title to read (I still have a lot of books to chose from, I always end up with series first because I don’t have to think what book I’d read next)
• Comfortable familiarity with the characters and settings  
• I love the links!!! Yes, that is why I love to read the historical romance. I wanted to know more about the character the author mentioned, if he/she has his/her own happy ending.

What I hate about Series?

• Cliffhangers! (Especially when the next book is set to come out in a million years), I am not that patient. It’s a good thing that I have waited the whole Percy Jackson Series and Hunger Games to end before starting reading it.
• Second-Book Syndrome (Yes, the first book was a blast and the second one sucks)
• If I could not get a copy of the entire series, collecting is hard especially when everyone is dying to have them on their shelves as well.

BUT…

I also like stand alone after reading a series. Just to desensitize myself with the series characters, after, I’m ready to jump back into another series.