Looking Through Candy Eyes: Little Women

There are many versions of Little Women but what I like most focuses on the the story of Jo. Jo is the most unladylike of all, she is some sort of a tomboy. Most think that Jo will never marry, that no man can tolerate her rowdy behavior, and that she will grow old alone. Jo doesn't like what normal ladies usually like. Instead of knitting, playing the piano, and other stuff for ladies, Jo likes to play sports, she likes studying, and dreams of becoming a teacher. She did not let other people hinder her from doing what she wants. She went on with her dreams and was determined to reach her goals. Jo's bestfriend fell in love with her but she only sees him as a friend. Jo was too busy investing on herself, studying, and just exploring everything. Jo's sister, Beth, likes Jo's bestfriend and so she did not even consider her bestfriend because she did not want any guy to get in their way. When Jo's other sister became sick, she's the one who attended to her and her needs. Jo takes care of her and gives her everything that she needs. She dedicated her life to her sick sister until the sister dies. When Jo became a little older, she went abroad to stuudy and to fulfill her dream. There she met an older guy who is full of wisdom and knowledge. Jo then knew that this professor is the one that she wants to marry. The book ended with her and the professor getting married and later oln building a school exclusive for boys.

This is a very popular children's book. It teaches the readers to reach for their dreams and to never let other people say that they can not do anything. Jo did not allow herself to be put in a box and be stereotyped. She showed that women can do so many things and that women should not be restricted to homes. This book encourages women's power and shows that women can do so much and are equal to men.

Looking Through Candy Eyes: Little Prince

The Little Prince is about a pilot who gave his career as an artist when people could not understand his drawing of a boa constrictor that ate an elephant when he six years old. The adults could not understand the drawing and told him that it looks like a hat. Then adults told him that he should set aside his passion for drawing and concentrate on matters of consequence. It was the beginning of the narrator’s comprehension that adults weren’t really all that smart.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince is a story of a man’s journey of life, from birth until death. Even with the perfection of his planet where he was his own man, a master of none, he was not satisfied for there was a lack of experience, of wisdom. He wanted to experience life, he wanted to understand. He knows that life has so much to offer and he wants to get the most out of it. He wanted to know more than what his little planet offered him. And so began his journey. All the characters represent something--the good, the bad, the best and the mediocre in human character.

The Little Prince is story of values and kind-heartedness. Most adults are so preoccupied with wealth, power, and other material things while children are more in touch with the more important things in life. The child can see clearly the goodness and the beauty in everything. Children see things with unbiased eyes and clear heart.

Looking Through Candy Eyes: Hope For the Flowers

The only way is to go up.

Hope for the Flowers is a 1973 children's book written by Trina Paulus. It is about the story of a caterpillar named Stripe who has lived normally for his entire life. Everything he did is as expected from a caterpillar: eating and growing bigger. But then Stripe got tired of his routinary life and though that maybe there is more to life than eating. He took a leap of faith and left the tree he considerered as his home. Stripe wandered around trying to explore what was around him and trying to learn and absorb everything he could. He was amazed with the things he saw but he still feels like there is something more to explore, that life has something more to offer. Then he found a caterpillar pillar rising up the sky with the top impossible to see. He was so curious about it thgat he wanted to go up and see for himself the top of the pillar. That became his goal which turned into frustration. He met another caterpillar named Yellow in the pillar. Yellow wants to climb the pillar as well but she feels bad about stepping on the other caterpillars and huurting them. Stripe and Yellow was so frustrated that they could not reach the top. Then they saw a butterfly and they had an idea that maybe they were meant to fly. Yellow realized that they need to be a butterfly and fly to satisfy their curiosity and be able to live a full life. Yellow and Stripe got separated. Stripe was deeply saddened when they got separated. He longed for Yellow so much. On the other hand, Yellow built a cocoon and became a butterfly. Stripe then saw Yellow and built a cocoon so they can be together and fly together. The book ended up Stripe and Yellow flying together.

Stripe has a goal: to reach the top of the pillar, and that makes him similar to each one of us. We have a particular goal in life: to attain perfect happiness. Just like Stripe, who gets tired of his everyday routine, we also get tired of what we keep on doing and thinks that there must be something more to life out there. We wanted to go out and discover, to find out something interesting, to find the most perfect thing that would satisfy us. Well in this case, the most perfect material thing, because once we get that thing, we would still eventually be unsatisfied, just like Stripe when he found things that was fascinating, yet unsatisfying. The most perfect goal would be perfect happiness, and just like what stripe thought, we will find the perfect happiness on the top, up there where we came from, up there where we always wanted to be: beside God, in the arms that nurtured us from the very beginning. And also to be with the arms of the one we love.

Looking Through Candy Eyes: Loser

Loser by Jerry Spinelli

Loser by Jerry Spinelli is about the childhood of Donald Zinkoff and challenges he has to face as a child. The book centered on Donald's life from the first grade to sixth grade. Zinkoff is usually the last person picked for athletic teams, he raises his hand even if he does not know the answer, his flute consistently hits the wrong note during concerts, and he is always too eager at the wrong times.

First grade is when Zinkoff is introduced to school. He loves school but he sits at the back of the classroom because the class is arranged alphabetically. When his team does not want him to participate in that year's sport's day because of his poor performance during last year's sport's day. This saddened Zinkoff so much. Sixth grade is Zinkoff's first year of Middle School, where he reunites with his former neighbor from second grade, Andrew. Andrew has changed his name to fit his new lifestyle and because it sounds "cooler". Andrew has become Drew, a sixth grader who has confidence in the crowded halls and a cell phone in his book bag. This gave Donald an idea and made him realize how much of a difference there is between him and his peers. Even though his peers call him loser, he's not. Donald is a very loving boy and has heart of gold. He does not judge and is very appreciative. This is shown through his interactions with his parents and the lonely, elderly lady in his neighborhood, and when spends hours looking for a little girl from his neighborhood who becomes lost in a snowstorm.

I like this book because I know that somehow there is a Donald in us. I realized how simple a kid's life is but has its own set of problems as well. Being a child is uncomplicated. Children like Donald take pleasure in the simplest of activities, from spending the day with his dad pretending to deliver mail, to biking all over his neighborhood and checking on the waiting man. The book teaches its readers (not only kids!) that we should stay optimistic and maintain a positive self-image. Although Donald is constantly rejected by his peers, he never fails to try to become accepted and be part of the crowd. While this does not happen, the book ends on an optimistic note, which seems fitting for Zinkoff's positive philosophy on life. Although Donald remained a Loser, he never loses a hold of who he is and he continuously believes in what he can do. For me that is more important, that you know who you are and you do not let society and what they say get into you.

Looking Through Candy Eyes: Love, Stargirl

"Our hearts yearn backward. We long to be found, hoping our searchers have not given

up and gone home. But I no longer want to be found, Leo. Do not follow me!

Let's just be fabulously where we are and who we are.

You'll be you and I'll be me, today and today and today, and let's trust the future to tomorrow.

Let the stars keep track of us. Let's ride our own orbits and trust that they will meet.

May our reunion be not a finding but a sweet collision of destinies!!

Love and Love and Love Again,

Stargirl

Love, Stargirl is the sequel to Jerry Spinelli's bestselling book, Stargirl. For the first time, we finally get a view of Stargirl's mind as this book is written in her perspective. The book is known as the "world's longest letter" written in diary form. The book started on New Year's Day when Stargirl started writing to Leo through her diary. There she wrote everything that happens to her, her experiences in her new town, her longing for the lost love, and her suffering as she goes through her first heartbreak when Leo abandoned her.

The book is basically about Stargirl's encounters with new people in her life and how she deals with her everyday problems and blues. Stargirl is still Stargirl. Eccentric but sweet in her own way. In this book, Stargirl shows how humane she can be, how she exchanges lives with other people, and what she did to find herself and help others find themselves as well. Stargirl becomes friends with a 5-year old girl named Dootsie who thinks she can be invusible when she shuts her eyes. Dootsie shows how much a child can offer. She shows Stargirl the world how a 5-year old sees it. Through Dootsie's character, Stargirl realizes how selfish adults can be and how willing children are. Dootsie befriends everyone, talks to everyone, and appreciates almost everything. Dootsie and Stargirl continues to share experiences together and share the world with anyone as the story progresses. Next, Stragirl befriends with a tomboyish girl named Alvina who she helped with her preteenage issues. Stargirl made her realize that way pass her awkward stage, she is still beautiful and that she needs to come out of her shell so she can get the most out of life. Stargirl becomes fond of a boy named Perry. Perry acts like he own the world, steals, and has disgusting habits. People didn't like him but Stargirl didn't judge him. She later on finds out that Perry is not that bad after all, She learns that Perry's mom has a new child so he steals so he won't burden her mother. Later on, Perry and Stargirl becomes close and Perry steals a part of Stargirl's heart. The most moving character in the book is an agoraphobic named Betty Lou. She never goes out of her house because of her phobia. Since she is confined inside her house, Stargirl and Dootsie visits her once in a while and brings her doughnuts. Betty Lou liked gardening and has a certain love for this flower. It is sad that Betty Lou appreciates the flower from her house window. Stargirl then invites her to her Solstice celebration wherein people would gather to witness the winter solstice which signifies a new beginning for everyone including Stargirl. She told about her experiences to Leo through her letter. The novel ends with Stargirl still struggling over the uncertainty of her past and future relationship with Leo. Archie, however, has brought Stargirl a letter from Leo, that simply states "YES," effectively answering Stargirl's question of "Will we ever meet again?", what she has been wondering since their separation. Thus, a year and a day after she began the letter, Stargirl concludes with happiness that she will live in the moment until Leo comes back into her life, and decides that she will send this letter on to Leo so that he can know her feelings.

I love this book because I always wondered about what's going on in Stargirl's head. This book showed that Stargirl is human like all of us. She gets hurt, she longs for someone, she falls in love again, and hopes for her true love. Love, Stargirl contains all of Stargirl's feelings towards Leo that is yet to be discovered. Love, Stargirl shows that things can get better and that there is always a new day for everyone. This book tells the reader that there is always hope, that it is never too late to start anew, give thanks, and appreciate the world around you. Appreciation played a key role in this book. The writer himself paid the much appreciation to the people who made the book possible. In the beginning it says, "Much thanks to Alveena for lending me her name and my wife for lending me her life." Love, Stargirl is a great book to follow Stargirl.

Looking Through Candy Eyes: Stargirl

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Stargirl is about a boy named Leo Borlock who went to Mica Area High School in Mica, Arizona. Leo was your typical junior. He ate what everyone was eating, he did what everyone was doing, and was just trying to blend in and be normal like what entire school did. For a long time, Leo has been facinated by porcupine neckties. He got his very first pocupine necktie as a going away present given to him by his uncle when he was 12. Ever since he's been collecting, only his collection never grew. Leo has been breathing air in and out for most of his life, nothing really special has ever happened to him. Not until Stargirl entered the picture. For Leo Stargirl is part fantasy, part reality, part dream come true.

Stargirl wore kimonos, floor-sweeping dresses, and brought ukelele everyday to school. She would decorate her desk with flowers and would sing happy birthday to strangers. She was a breath of fresh air. She named herself Pocket Mouse before she named herself Stargirl. At first, people were curious about her. They wanted to befriend her, watch her, talk to her, and talk about her. They did everything they could to get a better hold of Stargirl, to pin him down in a corkboard, and to have a better idea of her. Some time in the story, Leo and Stargirl fell in love. They would walk around and observe people, go to the dessert and meditate, play with Stargirl's pet rat, and just enjoy each other's company. Just when things were about to change from good to better, the entire school saw Stargirl as a threat to their lifestyle. They could not understand her behavior and started to get tired of her antics. They thought of her as a joke, anything but real. Some had theories that she's planted by the school, that she's an alien, that her parent's were travellers, they just had the need to put her down and label her. From being the most popular girl in school, Stargirl was sudddenly ignored. The sad thing about the story is that Leo was not mature enough and was not able to handle things well. He could not take the pressure and broke things off with Stargirl. He loved Stargirl but was scared to go out of the way and be ostracized by the school. At the high school dance, the most popular girl in school approached Stargirl and slapped her, telling her that she ruined eveything. Stargril returns Hillari's anger filled action with, yet another, act of kindness - a kiss. The story ended when Stargirl disappeared morning after the high school dance.

I love this book because it is life changing. It has changed my view on things and my perspective on friendship, love, and life. It has taught me the importance of non conformity. Sometimes we really have to go out of the way, to be different, and be out of the ordinary to be able to appreciate things more. Stargirl encourages readers to celebrate individuality, that each of us are different in many beautiful ways. I just have so much love and sentiment for this children's book. It has taught to be happy even things do not go your way, when everyone has turned against you, and when you're in the middle of nowhere scratching and searching for who you are.

Looking Through Candy Eyes

Many wonderful stories were told to us when we were just kids. Our bed time stories consisted of damsels in distress waiting for their prince charming come slay the dragon, a princess who almost slept for forever, or something of that sort. These books were written purposefully for children; to help them imagine, explore, or to even help them go to sleep. When we become older, we leave our children's books behind thinking that we have outgrown the magic and left fantasy land. What most of us do not know and realize is that children's books have a deeper message that not only caters to children but to people of all ages.

The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland may seem like a cutesy and colorful story to read but when read by an adult, the darker themes of the story may surface. I always wonder about the versatility of children's books. How it can suite and cater to people of all ages and provide ideals from one spectrum to another. But I can't help but think, is the book versatile or are we versatile and ever-changing? It is amazing how our perspective on things and life change as we mature, how we become different from our original beings--the one that doesn't judge, the that is unfabricated by society, and the one that goes beyond the complications. As children, we were all so carefree. We never had a problem too big to handle. I like reading children's books as an adult because it is nice to see things differently. It is nice to see things in an unadulterated eyes and just read and experience the world as it is, without the complications. Children's books are more than just bed stories but they are a work of art that reflects culture, values, history, and life. The children are just very lucky because they get to absorb everything and read everything without being biased, judgmental, and without an adult's eyes. In the words of Orson Scott Card, "one can make a good case for the idea that children are often the guardians of the truly great literature of the world, for in their love of story and unconcern for stylistic fads and literary tricks, children unerringly gravitate toward truth and power."

The Midterms Rush: Study, Study, Study

STUDY, STUDY, STUDY!!!

Duh. Isn't this the most obvious? I can't stress it enough...Study! Study! Study! This is the most useful rule but the most taken for granted, LOL.

Let me tell you why studying helps, why it is the best tool out there, and why even if you fail, this is still the most important thing (and that's not only in the confines of your academic life, but in your real life as well). To begin with, studying makes you prepared. It will arm you with all the things you need in answering your exams or responding to what your panel might throw at you. Aside from that, studying will duh, of course, increase your knowledge. By reading or by researching you will learn of things you do not understand or you do not know to being with. Now I know that this may come off as a cliche but isn't the feeling of actually knowing something really really good? It's like you become smarter by an inch than the rest of those who do not care about their studies. Another benefit of studying is the passing factor. If you pass then you know it is because you prepared for it, you studied for your lesson. It means that you did not choose to go the evil route and copy from someone else or bring cheat sheets with you. It actually makes you a good person, a better one actually. Being honest and hardworking has its results I tell you. You may not get the perfect score but you know you did things with your integrity intact. In relation to this, one of the things I like most about studying is the reassurance it gives you when you pass or when you fail. Because when you fail, you can still proudly say that you've given your 100% because you prepared for it. Saying that you failed because you did not study just spells out L-O-S-E-R! Most students would say that if you passed because you study you become a loser. But really, isn't it the other way around? It makes you a winner, it makes them the loser. Take that!

More than anything, you must realize that studying is always a win-win situation. If you pass then you pass! Hooray! If you fail, you still win. Why? Because you know you've spent a considerable amount of time in making things work, you just fell short in reaching it. And even if you failed, the knowledge you have instilled in your mind is already there. It can't be taken away now, you can use it the next time you take an exam or even outside the halls of your classroom. Lessons are there for a reason, they're not just there to be taken in like a medicine. They serve a purpose greater than your academic goals.

Wasn't that just too geeky? I know. I don't care. I'd rather be one than a dumbass.

The Midterms Rush: Smoke Bloke

SMOKE BEFORE A REPORTING OR EXAM.

This rule kind of applies only to those who smoke. But maybe the non-smokers can try this also. Hahaha what a bad influence!

Smoke before a reporting or exam. Smoke while listening to a song you find most comforting. Smoke by yourself! Do not let others talk to you. They'll just distract you. You need all the focus you can get and all the stress relieving powers that a cigarette can offer you. So put your iPod in the loudest volume and choose not to listen to the horns of the vehicles passing by, choose not to listen to gossip (even for just awhile). Read your notes or make funny sounds or make your fingers pop. Just remember, inhale and puff. Inhale and puff.

Actually even if there's no exam or reporting, it has been a habit for me to have a cigarette once I arrive in school. I know it's a bad habit and I wish to stop it soon but I simply can't help the feeling it gives me when i puff out that nicotine. LOL. For some reason it really takes the stress away. Moreso when there is an exam or a presentation. Usually I do not go to the spot where all people smoke because it becomes very distracting to me so instead I hide somewhere and try to be as calm and collected before judgment time. There have been times when people saw me and wondered what I was doing in that place by myself, I just tell them I'm waiting for someone. Hahaha!

Puff! Puff!

The Midterms Rush: Handy-pals

TALK TO YOUR SUPPORT SYSTEM, THEY'RE THERE FOR A REASON.

In times of stress such as the upcoming midterms, it is still important to talk to your friends and not just bury yourself in your books or your projects. Let them know what's been happening to you. If you want to cry the stress out, go do it. If you need help in accomplishing some tasks (or yeah, homeworks), that's okay. Ask nicely though! If you just need someone to talk to, I'll be there. Ahaha kidding. No seriously, if you need someone to talk to, I'm pretty sure that they'll be there. It is important to seek comfort with your support system because these are the people who will remind you that you are still a human. You are not a machine.

If you feel the need to drink with your pals, by all means do it. Okay I know that that is not the best idea but the thing is, you have to look for someting that will help you. You have to know what will make you recognize your strengths or will let you shrug off your weaknesses. There have been a lot of times already when I looked for a friend in school and ask them to have a drink with me even if I still have a lot of school work to finish for the next day. Ahahaha! You don't need to get drunk! I just figured, it helps me. It feels good to have someone who will be willing to listen to your rants about your professors or subjects. It takes off the pressure even for a bit.

Thank you guys!

The Midterms Rush: Chocolate Mate

CHOCOLATES ARE NOT JUST FOR THE BROKEN-HEARTED, THEY'RE ALSO FOR THE STRESSED.

You know when they say that chocolates help people who have hust had their hearts broken? Well, I do. Haha! And yeah I agree it does. I remember knowing that when I was watching a Cameron Diaz film, The Sweetest Thing, then she opened a pint of ice cream and began eating it while crying. Okay so that's an ice cream but that also equates to chocolates. So if you do not have chocolates, you can also substitute it with ice cream. Then there's also Clueless and Desperate Housewives when the broken-hearted characters ate chips and chocolates while being consoled by their friend. They actually work. Chocolates are happy food. And I love it!

But as I said, chocolates are not just for the dumb people who cry their hearts out over a boy, they are also for us students. Students who are stressed, sometimes depressed, or sometimes victorious. Chocolates apply to all emotions. How great is that!

When I started college I told myself, every time I would feel pressured or stressed and every time I would feel that I have done something worth being rewarded, then I will go to the nearest store in our school and get myself a chocolate bar. At first I bought weekly because I felt stressed weekly. Hahaha! But then at some point I found myself buying Snickers and Twix everyday, all depending on my mood. Sometimes I even bought two for a day. It feels good to reward yourself when you have accomplished something but it also feels good to have something comforting in times of madness such as the midterms. I suggest you guys try it, it really really helps. Do not think about getting fat or the chocolates being expensive, think of yourself. Think of its yummyness! Think of the comfort and smile it would give you! It's magic! :)

The Midterms Rush: Sleep Creep

IF YOU FEEL LIKE SLEEPING, GO AHEAD!

Do not deprive yourself of sleep! You need this!

I know how hard it is to not feel sleepy especially when you have not had enough sleep for the previous days. You fight to stay awake. That's how we usually roll right. I usually have that feeling whenever I am at home studying especially when I am reading some really heavy stuff...I get sleepy! I remember one time I was lying on my bed reading this handout just after I took a bath, that was around 11 PM but I do not know what happened, the next thing I knew I woke up the next morning already with my notes crumpled. Some of it was on the floor, some torn. I was not able to manage being awake and finish what I should have reviewed. (Again, if I had read earlier, I would not have crammed, I would not have read some boring lesson in the middle of the night) I fell asleep probably because I have not slept properly for the previous nights or maybe I was just too tired to do academic stuff. Don't professors realize that we are humans also? Being a student is really tiring.

So anyway, since then, whenever I felt sleepy or whenever I felt that I need sleep, I do not deprive myself of it even if I have so much to do for the next day or even if I have something to submit. We need sleep for our resistance! Otherwise we might find ourselves fainting because of the lack of it. There are such things as powernaps, you can also have that. If naps are short, powernaps are shorter. You can have them for 20, 15, or even just 5 minutes. Get all the sleep that you can get as much as possible. If it's really crunch time then you can resort to these power naps. Even if you think it will just let you long for more sleep or that it is not helpful, it actually is. At least for a short period of time your eyes will be rested and your mind will be undisturbed. It will make you feel a bit better. Not the best, but at least, better. So the next time you feel sleepy, just go ahead. You need it and that's what you fight for.

Do not fight to stay awake!

The Midterms Rush: Cram Jam

AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, DO NOT CRAM!

Yes. This is the Number One Rule. You can actually forget all rules, just do not forget this one.

I have been a breaker of this rule for quite sometime already. There have been a lot of times already when I told myself that I will come to school prepared or be prepared earlier for an exam or a lecture but I always fail to do so because laziness strikes in. I remember very well this term when we were required to finish a book in my Rowling class, we were given a week to finish it so I told myself I will start early so that I also end early and so that I will have a lot of time to finish all my other homeworks. But then I thought, I have no other homework for my other subjects so maybe I can delay my reading of the book. I ended up cramming for it because a project in one of my subjects suddenly popped out. I hated the feeling of reading the book for 2 days which gave me barely enough hours to sleep.

As much as possible, do not cram. If you cram, your mind will not function properly. Believe me (but yeah of course I'm sure you've experienced this as well). You will write a lot of grammatical errors in your reports, you will forget all the formulas you've memorized, you will lose concentration, you will be pressured. That feeling sucks you know. So if you want to avoid that, do not cram. If you can accomplish things earlier and at once, then do it right away. You don't want things to be stacking up. If you have free time, then do what you have to do. Do not be lazy! Of course I am not saying that you sacrifice your night out with your friends or your TV weekends but make sure you also allot time for your school work.

Time management is the key!

The Midterms Rush

In a few weeks' time, people in school will once again feel the madness of the dreaded midterms week. Why are there so much things going on in July? What's actually weird is that the midterms week is not the most stressful week there is, it's the weeks leading up to it because all professors will try to squeeze in their requirements. It's as if they're the only subjects you're taking. I just hate it! In a few weeks' time people will once again have sleepless nights (but really, it's everyday of the year that we college people have sleepless nights, it's a been a part of system), the biggest zits in the world (is it because of the stress? or the sleepless nights?), no-party weekends (but life is a party? why do we have to suffer?), and of course...people will have tons of homework and exams once more. Come to think of it, what's it all for right? Should our knowledge really be "tested" based on tests?

For whatever reason these schools and these professors have, we should not take it for granted. We should be prepared for it. We do not want our money to just flying off to nothingness right? We also need a testament that we are learning and that we are paying for what's worth our money. The Midterms Rush will be as crazy as ever most especially now that we're nearing the finish line of this college life. And you know what I think...I think that even for once in our college days we can act like the students that we should be. I will be posting some anti-stress tips in the following posts. Some tips that even I break but what the heck...Maybe if I write it down I can finally do it and overcome the bad habits I have when it comes to studying. Hopefully it changes yours also!

Upcoming Movies - Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

I obviously saved the best for last. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince!!! I bet everyone's as excited as I am. I don't know if it's just my subject on Harry Potter that made me a Pothead or I'm really a die hard fan just waiting to explode. People have waited long enough for this sixth installment and finally it's here. In a few days, cinemas will be filled again. Memorabilia will sell like crazy. Then eventually people will crave for so much more.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts. The battle is coming to an end, or is it just beginning? Once again our hero awaits new adventures. To begin with, a new professor will take the place as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Then there is this mysterious Potions book belonging to a Half Blood Prince that would help Harry pass his most hated teacher's subject. Above from all of these is Dumbledore's preparation for Harry to face the Dark Lord. There's also something weird about Draco Malfoy's behavior which leads Harry to see what he's been up to. Also, life in Hogwarts will be seen again as new relationships (romantic perhaps?) emerge, new lessons, and new dangers loom.

There have been stills and teaser trailers coming out already and from the looks of it, this movie will be so much darker. It's also about raging hormones of teenagers! Hello Ron and Hermione? Harry and? This is just.too.exciting! Although I am so ready for this film to be shown, I am not ready yet to see one scene. Just one scene. I wouldn't know how to react. I might cry! For those who have read this I'm sure you know what I'm talking about! Nevertheless it's about time that we have our dose of Potter!!!

Who knows when we'll have Deathly Hallows?

Upcoming Movies - The Time Traveler's Wife

This is for all the romantics. The Time Traveler's Wife is based on Audrey Niffenegger's novel. I have not read the book but my friends, especially the girls, told me that this is the s**t! They said it's so much better than all the love stories you've ever heard. Better than The Notebook and all those Nicholas Sparks crap, better than Twilight. Ahahaha! I became really curious with this novel that's why I decided to borrow it from my friend yet up to now I haven't read it because I haven't got the time.

Lo and behold there's actually going to be a movie adaptation! I can only hope it's at par with the canon because my friends told me that the author was really good in bringing out the emotions of the characters and telling their story, even the most intimate details. I really really hope it translates in the film. I am really expecting this to be a good one because it's got Rachel McAdams, star of Mean Girls (Regina George! LOL.) and The Notebook. She has proved herself in the diversity of the films she played on and because of that, I became a fan already. She acts really well! I heard a lot of rants about Eric Bana playing the role of the time traveler, people say he's too old for the role. But I don't know, I have yet to watch and to read the book.

The Time Traveler's Wife is the love story of Henry DeTamble and Claire Abshire. Henry is an adventurous librarian who can travel though time involuntarily, perhaps even against his will. He meets Claire who lives a natural life and tells her that he will be the man he is going to love. True enough their intense love for each other happens but they must face the challenges that come along with their situation. How will they be able to keep this if Henry will be gone in an instant and be back again? Their love story will show how two people can stand the test of "time", death, patience, and love.

You have got to see the trailer! I cannot wait! Their is no other perfect song choice for this movie but the one they used. Lifehouse's Broken (read the lyrics!) is simply the perfect match for a love story that's as complicated but as strong as this!

"I'm holding on...I'm holding on...I'm barely holding on to you..."

Upcoming Movies - Bruno

Borat was so 2006. He is back! Hahaha! This is just so exciting! I have no idea what this movie will be about but I'm sure this is going to be as hilarious as Borat. Just by looking at the promotional images of Sacha Baron Cohen for this film, I'm pretty sure you'll already feel as excited and amazed as I am. What a transformation for Cohen's part! I haven't seen the film Borat but I heard it was good and that it was very funny. What more for this film right? When from the looks of it, he will just be just like me, a diva!

Bruno is another socio-political satire story of an Austrian gay fashionista that sets out into the fashion industry and observes its absurdities through the people he meets in this world: fashion icons, designers, haute couture hangers-on and what have you. Aside from that, Bruno's takeover of America involves having an affair with a presidentiable, adopting an African baby, and provoking a boxing match.

I am simply in awe of Scaha Baron Cohen's abilities to execute this film. I'm pretty sure no one else can pull of something like this except for him. With this film, he will yet again cause controversy and enrage some people perhaps even homosexuals but hello, people should just enjoy this just as the actor did :)

Oh and can I just say, I find Bruno very sexy. In a crush sort of way.

Upcoming Movies - Julie & Julia

What more can you ask for in this movie? I have no idea how this will turn out but hello, it's Meryl Streep! No Meryl Streep movie is a flop. I am so excited for this because Meryl is one of my most favorite actresses of all time while Amy Adams, star of Enchanted and Night At The Musem 2 is also one good actress of this generation. Prowesses combined, again, what more can we ask for?

I'm gonna have to quote Columbia Pictures for their movie description because I got kind of confused after reading it, according to the movie company...Julia Child (Meryl Streep) and Julie Powell (Amy Adams) are featured in writer-director Nora Ephron's adaptation of two bestselling memoirs: Powell's Julie & Julia and My Life in France, by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme. Based on two true stories, Julie & Julia intertwines the lives of two women who, though separated by time and space, are both at loose ends...until they discover that with the right combination of passion, fearlessness and butter, anything is possible.

First of all it's based on a true story. Second, both Julia and Julie are separated by time and space. Does that mean that they also come from different time periods? Or did they simply had different ages? Passion, fearlessness, and butter imply cooking. Well, duh, from the looks of the poster that's already a give away. People who love to cook must watch this then! Hahaha! "Anything is possible." That just took me away, for sure this is going to be an inspiring one, and I just have a knack for these kinds of films.

Feel good films...are just...heaven!

Upcoming Movies - Up

I don't know if you've been one of those people who has seen a cute little, chubby kid knocking on some old man's house to sell cookies. That movie is Pixar's latest addition to its well crafted animated movies, it's Up! In the short yet juicy trailer, the old man is seen to have lifted his house using a hundred balloons to escape the town. He thought he's already by himself but is shocked when the kid he turned was still on his porch. With no choice, he lets in the kid.

Up is the story of 78-year old Carl Fredricksen who ties his house with a thousand balloons to fulfill his dreams of travelling the South American wilds. Upon take off he realizes that he is joined by another person, an 8-year old boy named Russell. Together they take the adventure of a lifetime facing different but interesting creatures.

I'm not so much of a big fan of these kinds of films but when I saw its trailer I instanly fell in love with it! Russel is so cute! Actually even the old man is. I'm sure that there is more to this than what meets the eye. Knowing Pixar, its expertise in films like these will once again be showcased and more than anything, life lessons will once again be reinforced to us.

I already have a date for this movie. Hahaha!

Upcoming Movies - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Things have to start with a bang and what better way to start the list of Summer 09 movies with this, the latest installment of the Transformers saga. Transformers: The Revenge of the Fallen! It is...finally here.

I was not able to watch the first one actually but I am very much aware that that became a very huge hit. Probably the reason why it will be having a sequel? Or perhaps even a third installment? I don't know. I don't know that Transformers story! Hahaha! But this is what I gathered...

So their's the tagline "We are Here. We are Waiting." Then there is also "Revenge is Coming." Well that's because The Fallen is about to rise once again to redeem what he has lost, what he wants to gain, the universe! Megatron will seek the revenge he needs as Skorpinox revives him. But more than the revenge is the takeover. Autobots and ultimately Optimus Prime will again be faced with the dangers for not only their lives but humanity as well.

This film is sure to be packed with action. This time I promised myself I'll watch it so I won't miss out on what people have been talking about since its first installment. Aside from the film I'm also anticipating another soundtrack that would be a hit for itself as well. I remember not seeing the first one but listening to its songs, hello Goo Goo Dolls! Will there be more Goo? I don't know. But I've heard rumors of some Green Day and Linkin Park. Yeah! Take that!

Upcoming Movies

It's that time of the year again when really good movies come out. Well some of them are not really good but then these are the movies who have created a big hype over the previous months or years. This season is the summer season the United States. It's that time when they release movies that are sure to be big hits. Remember Charlie's Angels? XMen? Spiderman? The list can go on and on. There will always be that Summer Movie of the Year during this time of the year.

It's exciting! For the next posts that I will have I will be presenting films that people have been waiting for for quite sometime already. The variety of these movies is huge. There's some fantasy, some sci-fi action, some drama, some children's, some gay, there's a lot! Hopefully I will be able to name the future blockbusters. But I don't know, I suck at predictions. Hopefully the people in my country get to watch these the same time the others will! Hahaha! How come we're always late? It's just unfair. I don't get it.

Thinking About Inking: Fast Car

This is the tat I would really have to get.

This is the one that would mean a lot to me.

Ladies and gentlemen I present to you, the Honda Civic Steering Wheel!

That is the car where the steeing wheel belongs.

The steering wheel of this car brings back a lot of memories to me. To begin with it is the first car I drove. Just how I learned to drive, that is the question. I was taught how to drive by someone special in my life. He is by far the most ruthless but the fastest person who's ever driven a car. He can have the racecar drivers a run for their money because of his years of experience in the road. The man who taught me is very strict but he also has the most generous and kind heart you can ever imagine. On the road, he is just strict. It's very stressing actually. I learned to drive because of him but never became a confident driver after that. My nerves would usually take over me whenever he taught me because most of the time he shouts at me. In turn, I forget the correct way of turning on a signal light or stepping on the right pedal. It was crazy I tell you. Driving lessons brought me tears. I thought driving was fun, but it was stressful. I can say that I am the only one who says that. Most people who learned how to drive enjoyed the experience, but I didn't. Would I say it's because of my instructor? I don't know. Maybe.

But no matter how the outcome turned out (me being a loser driving boy), I can say that that experience really taught me a lot. It taught me discipline. Anticipation. Sensitivity. Responsibility. Awareness. It taught me the most basic tools I needed in life. Having driving lessons was probably one of the turning points in my life. It created such a huge mark on me that I would never ever forget it and most especially the person who taught me how to do it. While he was being strict about it, I felt that that was also the time when we got together the most, when he showed me what his part in my life is.

I want and I need this tat of the exact steering wheel that I drove. That Honda. I want my driving lessons to be a memory that's forever etched on my skin. I want it on my nape, I think it's the perfect place to put this tat on. The neck is what we use to steer into the direction we're going. Just right, right?

Just when i would have these tattoos I have no idea. But I'm sure to have them. One day.

Thinking About Inking: Faith

I consider my faith a very important part of my being and becoming. I take it very seriously. Though I wouldn't call myself a spiritual person, I am on the other hand a very faithful one. There have been times that my faith has faltered but then I realized later on how less of a person I am without it. And when my faith came back, it grew much stronger. Strong enough that I really do not care what people think of my devotion because after all this is me and the philosophy which I stand for. I proudly say that I am a believer. Without Him I know I would not be where I am today. Without Him I would not have been saved from all my sins. His power and His love have guided me and helped me become a better person despite people who think otherwise. Hahaha!


I've brought the idea of having a cross tattoo with some of my friends and majority of them told me that this was not a good idea. Aside from being "common" they said that one day I might regret it because my faith might change or I might have other beliefs. That made sense to me. It is a valid argument. It made me hesitant. But then I thought, even if my faith changes, I know and I can say for a fact that at one (actaully more than one) point in my life, He made such a great impace on me. Something that I cannot recognize and something I can ever repay for. So an expression of my faith is okay. Tattoos are meant to serve as memories or as reminders and I know He is a reminder of what and how my life has been. (And I don't think my faith would change, haha!) I do not want a big cross because I think that it becomes too indulgent or such a novelty, I only want a small one. Probably I'd have it placed on my chest, or I don't know...as long as it's in an appropriate place.

He is not controversial, okay.

Thinking About Inking: Coldplay

I cannot stress enough how much I love Coldplay. Actually as I am writing this entry, I'm listening to one of their songs...and perhaps will be followed by still, more of their songs. Haha! No matter how weird people think of me because of the addiction I have for this band, I will always consider Coldplay as the most normal and real group I have come across with. Sure there's U2, The Beatles, and Radiohead which I also love love love, still I feel that Coldplay is the one group that has really defined what "music" is. Their songs have helped me a lot when I have problems and up to this day, I never get tired of listening to them. And it's not just in sad days that I get by with this British rock group, I also listen to them during happy moments. If I can just tell and persuade everyone to listen to them, I'd be the happiest person. It is such an honor for me to have lived in this time when they made music and brought joy to the world because their songs are really really good. I tell you! It's fantastic, crazy, but really really good. (Ugh I suck at talking like a fan) I can peacefully and proudly say that Coldplay is a part and will forever be a part of me. I know that that is a bold statement but I think that's how much of an addict I've been? Ahaha! That's also the reason why I want to have a tattoo of their lyrics...


That's not the lyrics but that's pretty much the idea. I want a line of one of their songs on my skin but I'm not really sure if I want it on the wrist. But that's the font I want, the one in the photos. Instead of the wrist I am kind of thinking of have it on my lower back or maybe under my belly button. I don't know yet! I feel that this is such a huge thing that everything should be really really perfect! In fact I haven't decided yet on what the exact line of a Coldplay song I want. I'm thinking of the one closest to me, my ultimate favorite, Fix You. The line:

"Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you"

But I don't know. I'm not sure! I have a lot of other quotes in mind like:

"Viva La Vida"

"Look at the stars,
look how they shine for you"

"For you I bleed myself dry"

"And in the end,
We lie awake,
and we dream of making our escape"

"Gravity release me
And don't ever hold me down
Now my feet won't touch the ground"

"Question of science,
Science and progress,
that not speak as loud as my heart"

Oh gosh the list can just go on and on because their lyrics are really quotable and noteworthy. I am so confused now.

Thinking About Inking: Gayness

I think it is also but right to pay homage to my womanity by having a tattoo that's got something to do with it. For years I have struggled with my identity. I have experienced the insult of people regarding my sexuality which I have no idea why they have to do. They simply cannot mind their own business. This hate that these people have led me to finally reveal the woman in me because I know that it is something I can ever deny. It is what I am and I know I should be proud of it. After all, I have done things and accomplished them that a man with balls have not. Being gay is also something that one homosexual person should take pride in because after all we are people that's no lesser than anyone. We are just equals with everybody despite the discrimination that they put into it.

The tattoo that i am thinking of which relates to gay pride is similar to the first photo in this post. I want streaks of the gay pride colors, the rainbow. Red. Orange. Yellow. Green. Blue. Violet. These are the colors that represent the LGBT because it shows the diversity and the uniqueness that the LGBT community has. I want to have the design above but of course without the "gay pride" statement because that;s too much of a statement, my family might disown me. LOL. Or, if not the streaks of rainbow, I'm leaning towards the second photo which is also the gay colors. How ever I don't want the black triangle on my skin, just the rainbow flag. Similar to the Time tattoo, I want this to be placed above my ankle or on my wrist. Kind of like an identification thing, like the famous bar code. If not near my ankles or my wrist, I think this tattoo is also good behind the ear or the nape.

What do you think?

Thinking About Inking: Time

A few days ago we were talking about the concept of time in one of my subjects. It's actually the one of my weirder subjects, Rowling. You know Rowling? The author of the famous magical book. Well according to her (my prof), or I don't know, maybe from someone else...Time has two concepts. It may be viewed in two different ways. There is the tensed view and the tenseless view. The tensed view of time may be represented by a string. It has a beginning (past), the present, and the future. What characterizes it is progression so that means that when you're in the present, you can no longer go back and you just go forward. On the other hand, the tenseless view may be represented by pebbles in a box. In this perspective, time has no past, present, or future. Everything is happening and everything is set. Say for example right at this very moment, our future is also happening while when we were in the so-called "past", the present was also occurring. Did that even make any sense to you?

Anyway, that got me thinking of how important time is. I think that it is such a nice gift given to us that we must take good care of it and maximize it while we have it. Because if we no longer we have time, then that would also mean that we can no longer do things for ourselves and reach for our dreams. In short, it's life's end. I sometimes feel that I have taken time for granted because in just a short number of days I'll be turning 21 but I feel like I still haven't done a lot of things, not even things that a teen should have done.

What better way to remind me of time than have it inked right? Among the many ideas I have, I'm also thinking of having a tattoo of a clock.

Well that's not really the design I want to get but the idea is there. I'm thinking more of a modern lookin clock, then the time would be 7:02 which represents my beginning, the beginning of my time, since that is my birthday. I know that as much as possible in tatoos, you should not have round shapes or very straight lines so I'm thinking if I won't get a real clock, I would rather have an hourglass. I want this tattoo placed above my ankle. Not too big but not too small either, just the right size. I'm afraid though of having that in that area because according to my previous research, tattoos near bones hurt.

No pain, no gain!

Thinking About Inking: Bloom

One of the many tattoo ideas I have is something that would symbolize the friendship I have with the girls. The girls are my second family. I joined them in high school when I finally acknowledged to myself that I'm indeed a diva waiting to come out of the disco ball. I was actually surprised that the girls welcomed me right away with open arms. I thought there would be like a test wherein I have to name all Ms. Universe winners in 10 minutes or something. But actually, the group was not really formed until high school so maybe I can consider myself one of the pioneers. Back in grade school, the girls did not really reveal their true identities although at the back of everyone's minds, they are the indeed the next Dreamgirls. Being with them in the four years of high school was crazy! We did everything together and we knew each other's crushes and secrets. We memorized lines from Sex and the City, Mean Girls, all the chick flicks you can think of. Oh how I miss the girls!

So anyway, I want something that would make me remember them. Something permanent, a tat! What I really want is to have as much as I can and have something really big like on my back or something but of course I'm not yet ready for that and that would be too expensive. I'll start with something small. Perhaps, something girly like the girls. I don't know. I am leaning towards having a ring tattoo...

That's a ring tattoo. But I wouldn't have that design on that picture, that's a purity ring tattoo! Purity ring, you know? Jonas Brothers? Jordin Sparks? It's something to express your love for virginity and you know as a diva, I ain't one! I like to have me some fun. Hihi! Just kidding. Anyway, why a ring tattoo right? To begin with I don't like wearing jewelry no matter how good it looks on me. I hate the idea of wearing one at day then removing it by night. So why not something permanent? Another reason why I'm thinking of having one on the finger because as ring which is circular represents continuity. In fact, even infinity. There is no end. I know the friendship I have with the girls will not end, they are family already and I love them to pieces. A ring tat would symbolize my commitment to something better than love -- friendship! So...If I'll have a ring tattoo, what design...

I am thinking of flowers. Why flowers and what flower? Well, kind of like the picture above. Star-shaped flowers which I don't know the name. I am thinking of having that flower design because as I mentioned in of my previous posts, our group is named after flowers so it would be nice if I literally have one as the design. I was searching the other day for flowers that symbolized friendship and most of what came up are yellow roses which uh, I don't like. I find them too common. I kind of like the one in the picture though, add to that the fact that the illustration has 12 flowers...What a coincidence because we are twelve in the group! I also like the color that this drawing used, reddish purple or purplish red I don't know. I just find it beautiful and divine just like the girls. What do you guys think? Or would you happen to know of a better one? I'm searching for alternatives and I found this one...

Okay so that's not really a flower but it is an Adinkra design called "ese ne tekrema", or "the teeth and the tongue". It symbolizes a strong bond and interdependence. What the hell is an Adinkra I have yet to know because I don't want to get me a tat that I wouldn't pour my heart into. Now I don't really see how this can become a ring tattoo but I'm sure the artists would know what to do.

Would it suit me?

Thinking About Inking

There's still a week left before my birthday and I haven't really decided yet what to get for myself. I don't know if you ever give yourselves gifts when it's your birthday or when it's Christmas or when you did something good for yourself that you actually feel like rewarding yourself but I do. I give myself a gift every year when it's my birthday, also when it's Christmas (because of course that's the time of the year that you have a lot of money...Thank you uncles and aunts!). I also buy myself gifts whenever I feel like I deserve one (like every after the term when I feel that I have endured so much) or whenever if I have a problem and I feel that the only solution is to shop. How rich eh? NOT. Hahaha! But it just makes me feel like better. It's like you're acknowledging things that only you would really know.

So anyway, this year, I'm thinking of getting my self some stuff. I was thinking of shoes but then I remembered I had bought myself shoes before classes started, before 3rd term started, and last Christmas. I love shoes so much but I feel like getting myself something else this year or at least buying shoes during a different time, not on my birthday. Another gift I have in mind is enrolling myself in the gym but then I have to pay for that monthly so it really doesn't come off as a gift right? I'm not really a fan of gadgets so that is crossed out already. Some things I can think of are just boring and could be bought at a different time, not really special, not birthday-material.

Getting myself inked, or having a tattoo is one of the other options I have. I have wanted a tattoo back when I had my first piercing. I had myself pierced when I was in high school. If I remember correctly, that was after first or second year high? That piercing did not really have any meaning compared to my second one which happened after senior year. I had another piercing then because I felt extremely sad about something. I wanted to feel pain (emo right? Hahaha!). There was a story behind it. It's true what people say that after you had yourself a piercing or a tat, you'd come back for more. That was just what I felt. You can say I'm rebellious for thinking that because I never looked like the type who'd get myself things like that. Inside me though, I feel that my pierced self was the other side of me waiting to come out aside from the diva unleashed already.

After my helix pierce, I wanted another one. Maybe the tongue, or the brow, I don't know. Tattoos then, although I want it, I was afraid of it. I was afraid of something that will be marked forever on my skin. I always asked what ifs...What if I don't like it? What if it goes wrong? What if I like it now but when I become old I no longer like it? It's a different story now though. I've put a lot of thinking about it for the last three years, hahaha! (And I think it really takes a lot of thinking to finally decide to get one and I think that thinking about it should be done in a calm and collected manner) So, I think, I'm probably ready to get one. I really don't know where to place it but I have thought of some designs. Let me show you in my next posts... :)

Ciao!

The Menu: The Booze

What's a party without booze? This is like the highlight of every party. Some would even go to a party just for this (and from the looks of it I think that majority of my guests are like this...whatever happened to our generation right?) Alcohol has been an answer to majority of our problems. It is everyone's friend in times of stress, sadness, and most especially, happiness!

When there is a break up...we drink!
When there is a make up (or make out)...we drink!
When there is a loss...we drink!
When there is a win...we drink!
When there is love...we drink!
When there is hate...we drink!
When there is a departure...we drink!
When there is an arrival...we drink!
When there is a problem...we drink!
When there is a solution...we drink!
When there is even nothing...we still drink!

Isn't it the best thing ever invented?

I learned to drink alcohol through father because he loves it very much. He told me that the first time he taught me how to drink beer was when I was three years old, something which I no longer remember. He told me that he taught my sisters when they were three also. So three's kind of like the rite of passage eh? No wonder he never got mad whenever I asked permission to go out with friends and drink. He was the beginning! LOL. High school was the time I started drinking as a hobby, every end of the week, after class, me and the girls would go to the nearby mall and see all of our schoolmates at the same bar. It was like a pub. Haha! Everyone was there, smoking and drinking, even if we weren't really allowed because we were minors. Those were the days when we really had no reason to drink, we just wanted it because everyone was into it. College came and alcohol brought in a new different perspective. It was like we had a deeper connection with it. Just like high school, college alcohol chugging happened every end of the week in the nearest place possible where all the schoolmates are. Then at weekends, I'd meet with the girls to drink again. Drinking happens on a daily basis. And, it's good!

My birthday party is definitely not an exception. I want everyone drinking and getting drunk to the point they barf at the guest with the ugliest dress. I want everyone wasted. Bras unhooked, make-up smudged, hungry boys, drunk dancing, laughter with no reason, drama (there's always someone who'll cry when drinking), suck & blow intentionally dropping off the card, and a whole lotta loving. I want everyone to forget their names but I want you all to get home safely. You're not my responsibility because I'll be wasted myself. Hahaha!

Let's party!

The Menu: Sweet Tooth

Meals that end without dessert are just tragic. There’s nothing to unwind you, nothing to make you giggle about while scooping something with a tablespoon, nothing sweet that just makes you want to stop because you’ve had too much already to begin with. Dessert is love! It’s the cherry on top of every hearty meal. It makes you smile and die a little bit more :)


I am a big fan of desserts as well (Obviously I love to eat despite my anorexic-big-boob look). Now that I’m thinking about them, I wondered what if I have a dessert party instead? That would be crazy but fun! Everyone would have diabetes and blame me for shortening their lives more because aside from their smoke-filled lungs, they’d also be overweight and have an illness. Still, fun! This is a party! If I have a dessert party, everything will be there…Fruits (boring) from Washington apples to Brazilian jackfruit (is there such thing?) to strawberry swings (hihi)! Salads! Buchi (those Chinese balls)! Candies (I’ll have Candy Corners in literally every corner of the venue)! Fondue (milk and white Cadburry chocolate fountains)! Halo-halo…and all those local desserts! Biscuits and cookies! Ice cream! Chocolates (whered do you even begin with chocolates? We're all chocoholics!)! Cakes (Red Ribbon's Smores Cake, Conti's cakes down to Becky's Kitchen's Chococolate Swiss Cake)! The list just goes on and on...

Since I can only choose one, I'd choose the most mouth-watering, indulgent, what-more-can-you-ask-for dessert. That has got to be...

Jack's Loft's "I Declare!"

(Check out dessert at left)

Sorry for that tiny picture, it really doesn't capture that Wow! thought but let me tell you about Jack's Loft's I Declare dessert. It looks like a mini-rectangular house. The walls of that house are made of biscuits (not biscuits like Fita, and the biscuits I'm talking about are not hard and crunchy). These biscuits or perhaps you can call it 'the cake inside' is like the one you eat in fried ice creams. It's hot. Inside the house are vanilla ice creams. So it's kind of like one big fried ice cream...BUT it is also covered with whipped cream and on top of it is chocolate and caramel syrup plus nuts. Oh I can't even explain it well!!! It's something that is really to be experienced! I had my first I Declare back when I was in high school. I stayed in school after class because we still had an org thing. After that we decided to go to Jack's Loft, my friend Erica ordered this dessert and everyone was shocked because it was so big! It was worth a hundred bucks back then (I think). Everyone asked Erica "You're going to eat all that by yourself?" and she just said "Yes, but if you want some you can always get from me" And so we tasted...It was, aaahhh!!! Heaven! It tasted so good that it will make you declare anything good about it (that's why I think it's called I Declare, but maybe I'm wrong. Hahaha!) Everytime I come back to Jack's Loft, I'm no longer surprised to see myself finishing that whole thing by myself, haha!

I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I do too :)

The Menu: Crispy Pata

This goes out to all the health conscious. See, I’m pretty sure that when you go to my party, you’re all gonna look Gaga, all fab, all sazzy and definitely sexy. And that’s okay…Emphasis on mountains, pillows on bottoms, man-breasts, what have yor, right? Raging hormones. I really wouldn’t want to be that way though because this is not gonna be some hook-up party, it’s gonna be a celebration! With tummy-filling food! Now I know I said this will be for the health conscious because one of the next dishes that I would like my guests to have is some…

Crispy Pata!

When asked before what my favorite food of all time is, I’d say Nilagang Baka. But then that changed, it became Sinigang na Baboy. Due to my semi-glutton cravings, I had to change again because I became addicted to Paksiw na Lechon. Lo and behold those were just one of the “Ah! Favorite!” favorites, what really qualifies now as my most favorite food is Crispy Pata. Crispy Thigh. Never knew thighs could be so sumptuous! My first Pata experience happened during…Okay, I can’t remember but I remember the time that this dish gave me that “Damn that was good!” moment. That happened back when I was a Freshman college student and I went to Cebu with mother and sister. It was one of those free trips where I should not really be there because I have school but since it’s free, you’ll just go for it. We stayed in Shangri-La Mactan and had lunch at one of the restaurants there, they ordered Crispy Pata. I knew what was it then but I had never tasted one that was so good until the Cebu trip. I almost finished everything! Shame on my diva image. Since then, whenever we ate at a native restaurant, I always looked for Crispy Pata (like what I do with Onion Rings whenever in American restaurants) and made it sure we ordered it even if it was too expensive. LOL. Basically, Crispy Pata is just pig’s thigh deep-fried to perfection until every bit part crisps. It is dipped in fishsauce to make that perfect combination! The best one I’ve tasted is in Sentro, Greenbelt. (Just how is it that Greenbelt has lots of amazing food?) It’s very oily. It has a lot of cholesterol. It can kill you.

But all things that can kill you are actually good right? Haha! Go on eat your pig’s heart out!