Expectation vs. Reality

The sad reality of life.

Hunger Games Movie

Around a couple of years back, I randomly came across this book called "Hunger Games" which (my favorite) bookstore, Fully Booked, recommended. At that time, there was no hype about it yet, but based on some online reviews, it seemed cool. So I reserved myself a copy and practically ran to the bookstore to get it.

From the moment I finished reading the first book, I kept telling everyone to read it. It's been the best young adult book I've sank my teeth into after Harry Potter. It was a refreshing read, especially after Twilight disappointed me so bad (I wanted to like it, I really did. So far, I've read the first book and half of New Moon. I'm not ashamed to admit that I like Edward's cheesy lines, but the storytelling was somewhat boring.)

When I moved jobs, I let my new office mates read the Hunger Games series, too. Ha ha. And I even blogged about the series here.

Imagine my excitement when they finally announced that a movie version was in the works. By that time, almost everyone knew about (or have read) the books.

A couple of weeks back the movie trailer FINALLY came out and so far, I haven't heard anything negative about it. It looks like it's going to be the next big movie franchise. Very promising. The great thing about it (I think) is that unlike Harry Potter and Twilight, you won't need to read the books in order to enjoy the movies. The story's not as complicated as Harry and it's fast paced and full of action, unlike Twilight. Please just don't give me a Mockingjay Part 1/Part 2, okay?

Sleepy Thoughts

It's past midnight, I'm lying in bed, listening to songs of my parents' and grandparents' generations (seriously good music), without any worries about tomorrow and fully content to be in the moment I'm in. Such a beautiful prelude to sleep. 

Why waste away our limited time on earth worrying about so many things that, when you think about it, don't really matter as much. Why go to bed with a heavy heart and a cluttered mind?

This is how I like to spend the last waking moments of the day -- with a clear mind (I will worry about tomorrow tomorrow. Nothing I can do now anyway) and a full and grateful heart. Hope I never forget this as I go along.

Thank you, God, for nights like these. :)

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Edward Cullen?:)

Will max out my Leonardo di Caprio quota with one more photo:

If the timing was right, he could have played Edward Cullen. ;)

Leonardo

Oh yes. He will definitely do justice to Jay Gatsby's character. He's not my favorite actor for nothing. 

"It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced - or seemed to face - the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just so far as you  wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would lie to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey." --The Great Gatsby

Disney Trailer Mash-ups

Perez Hilton just posted a Sin City-Disney trailer mash-up and I find it so cool how people reconstruct scenes so that can actually pass off as another movie.

So I went on a Youtube frenzy and found other random movies, Disney-style. Here are some of my favorites.

Disney and the Deathly Hallows: Ron is super buff here. hahaha

Toy Story Inception:

Titanic (Disney/Fox style): The characters change at some points, but the flow of the story stayed the same. This one's not a trailer, but a shortened version of Titanic.

But my all-time favorite is the Disney princesses as the Mean Girls. I've seen this before and I don't care how many times I watch it. It still makes me laugh.

Obviously, the superstars in the Disney world are  Ariel and Prince Eric.haha They keep playing different roles in all these movies. :) Best Actor and Best Actress.

                                        
 

Saturdays

I know it's still 8 in the morning. Who blogs at 8 in the morning on a weekend? Me, apparently.

I woke up before 6 a.m. today. No, I have nothing to do and yes, it's a Saturday. Funny how it's so much easier to wake up on weekends than on weekdays. It's probably the anticipation of not having to go to work (or school, when I was much younger) and wanting to make the most out of the free day. Also, there's that comforting feeling, knowing you can always go back to sleep anytime within the day.

So far, I've played Tetris Battle (used up all my energy and am STILL on the same rank), watched Charice's new music video (okay fine, I watched a lot of Charice videos, not just that one), replied to Twitter and Facebook messages, checked out a couple of blogs... Yes, the bumming basics.

I don't plan on doing much today, I have already decided to do everything tomorrow. Ah, procrastination. :) Today is reserved for watching Burlesque, Gilmore Girls (the best series ever), a bit of reading (planning to finish The Great Gatsby this weekend) and writing on my 5-year journal. Most likely (and most importantly), I will be taking multiple naps within the day.

Sigh. I love Saturdays. 

I Will Try Again

I don't know why I can never seem to blog  frequently.  I am in awe of people who have so much to say and actually have the guts to say it. More than the bloggers who talk about what they wore to the mall, or the ones who talk about where they ate and which events they attended (80% of the photos they post actually have their faces in them), I actually like reading blogs that are more personal, that deal with feelings, or with mundane things that happened in some guy/girl's life. I get excited by blocks and blocks of text. I like photos too, but I like them better when there are good stories behind them.

I don't know why I can't come up with anything to write. You see, all these random thoughts keep popping in and out of my mind throughout the day and I think, "Hey, I'll blog about that." But, either I forget about them or by the time I get home, I come to the realization that it's stupid, immature or shameful, or just too private to air out in public. (Public is probably not even the appropriate word to use here, given that this blog is some sort of a wallflower among the millions of blogs in the world wide web.)

Today, I went through my account and and found a dozen drafts. Entries I can't seem to finish. It's either I got bored with it or I by the time I got around to finish writing it, it just didn't feel right to post it anymore. Sometimes I realize that it's been so spur of the moment, a rush of emotion, something that's gone by and doesn't need rehashing.

But then I realize that if I keep up with this, I will never be able to write anything. True, I've got to keep the right things private. But there's a lot of things out there that I can still write about.

So here's the thing. I have decided, that from now on, this Blogger window will be my home page, a tab im gonna keep open. (I will still use Live Writer, but for the sake of an in-your-face reminder, I think keeping this as my home page is a better idea.) I will make sure that every time I open my laptop, I write something new. Not for the sake of random bored internet stalkers, but for my sake. I need to hold on to some memories. (My recent increase in forgetfulness is kind of alarming.) And while an actual journal might be helpful, I actually prefer to type because thoughts fly away too quickly for my slow penmanship.

So yeah. Here's to giving blogging a serious try. :)

The Bookworm Wakes Up From Hibernation

I never realized how much I'd enjoy reading on my 2 month old Kindle. It successfully took me away from my laptop for considerable periods of time. Good job! (Will post separately on my take regarding the 'war' between printed books and ebooks.) Just a quick list of the books I've read on my new baby so far:

Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery (I've read this book countless times already!haha Just wanted to see how it would feel to read it on the Kindle -- pretty much gave me the same warm fuzzy feeling, apparently)
The Book Thief - Markus Zusak (read the last few chapters in nonstop tears)
The Carrie Diaries - Candace Bushnell (who doesn't like Carrie Bradshaw? plus, this book ends with her meeting Samantha Jones)
Summer in the City -Candace Bushnell (where Miranda and Charlotte finally show up)
Divergent - Veronica Roth (they say it's comparable to The Hunger Games, I say it's not. but Four is definitely more attractive than either Peeta or Gale)
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning (Book 1) - Lemony Snicket (pretty good. will have to read the next few books soon)
The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon (now one of my favorites!)
The Giver - Lois Lowry (another reread, one of the best short novels for young adults)

Also currently reading Shit My Dad Says (Justin Halpern) and Bossypants (Tina Fey).

On the other side of the fence, pending on my 'real' books TBR(to be read) pile is:
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood (currently reading)
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - Stieg Larsson (I enjoyed the first 2 books, but somehow I have difficulty keeping up with the number of characters in this one)
The Memory Keepers Daugher - Kim Edwards
Almost Moon - Alice Sebold
The Elegance of the Hedgehog - Muriel Barberry (so excited about this one, which I got last weekend at Fully Booked's sale)

Yahoo, I'm back to my old self. haha :)
Feel free to recommend books to me. I love recommendations ;)

Harry Potter - last day of shooting

Nothing to say, really. *tears* 

Will absolutely make sure my kids read and watch Harry Potter. :)