Book Review - The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld

Rating: 9/10

To the ordinary human being, midnight occurs only for a moment. To a special group of people, though, midnight lasts for an hour. Only at this time can they truly be free, enjoying their powers to the fullest. The darklings, creatures that roam only in the midnight hour, let them be, afraid to come near the humans. However, when a new girl comes to the town of Bixby in Oklahoma, the midnight hour turns dangerous. Meet Jessica Day, a normal girl with a normal family. The darklings, though, see a power in her that could destroy their precious midnight hour, and they must stop her, at all costs.

The Secret Hour is the first book in the Midnighters trilogy.

This is my second Scott Westerfeld book, and all I have is praise. He is a master of his art - able to use literary techniques to their full potential. The Secret Hour is a well-written dark, adventure novel, with just a hint of romance here and there. It's a good read for teens.

Book Review - The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Rating: 9/10

Professor Robert Langdon is summoned to Washington, DC late at night to deliver a lecture. When he gets there, the lecture is mysteriously cancelled, and the only thing that remains is a severed hand belonging to his friend, Peter Solomon, which represents the Hand of Mysteries, an invitation to a challenge. With his life's friend on the line and a killer on the loose, Langdon unravels a series of events that leads him to the secrets of Freemasonry and the search for 'the Lost Word.'

With amazing writing techniques and numerous surprising secrets, Dan Brown created a book where the reader can't help but go on and on reading without stopping. Interesting and filled with lessons about history and religion, The Lost Symbol is a thrilling page-turner.

Book Review - The Society of S by Susan Hubbard

Rating: 10/10

Ariella Montero is a young girl living in Saratoga Springs, New York. She has almost everything: a nice house, education, a caring (and handsome) father. But Ari does not have a mother. One day, amidst the questions plaguing her life, she sets off to look for the mysterious mother she never met.

To those who have been disappointed after reading Stephenie Meyer's Twilight and who have given up reading YA novels about vampires, this book is for you. Beautiful and sensitive in its writing, The Society of S keeps one reading forever, if that is even possible. I like the way Susan Hubbard wrote: dark, haunting, and often infused with humor. Her techniques will leave you begging for me (which is precisely the reason why I shall now be looking for a copy of The Year of Disappearances).

Even humans can enjoy this book.

If you think this is an Independence Day post, then you're wrong...

At eighteen and a half years old, I'm still like a kid rummaging through her mother's bureau - I don't know the first thing about make-up! Sure, I know about eyeliner, eyeshadow, lipstick, mascara, blush-on and all that stuff, but actually applying it is tricky. Yeah, I have watched and read about how to apply but it's hard when you're painting your own face. I have had make-up applied on me by other people, but I can't seem to do it to others or to myself. It's really frustrating, haha!

In the picture on the right, I tried applying pink eyeshadow and black eyeliner to match my clothes. The problem is, they disappear quickly because I have oily skin and the weather is freakin' hot. My mom says I should get waterproof make-up, but I bet that costs a ton. Also, the only make-up I could get along with are eyeliner, face powder, lipstick, and lip gloss. Even eyeshadow is a chore because I don't know which should come first: darker hues or lighter hues?

I'm getting the idea that the weather in the Philippines isn't suited for eyeliner. Once, I wore some and it was really hot. In the middle of the day, I looked like a bad version of an Addams Family member.

But, I am trying to learn, because I know I'll need it someday. :D

I love Bruno Mars and Ryota Miyagi, yo! But... *chuckle chuckle*

It's my sister's idea, really. And I want to thank you, yo! :D

Random stuffies~

Hi! This is the last Friday of vacation. Next Monday, we'll have to go to U.P. Diliman and dive into another year of academic work, yo!

*sigh*

*groan*

Ugh.

Summer is almost over and I think I haven't done anything absolutely productive - anime-books-fanfiction-games-and-drama things-wise.  Well, I did finish watching Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge live-action drama, post two stories (1 oneshot and 1 on-going), kept ourselves updated on BLEACH (manga and anime - strictly canon... sort of), re-watched and relived Slam Dunk, watched Season 2 of K-On!,  managed to read several books, downloaded a ton of DS games, almost done with Bleach: The 3rd Phantom, but it just is not enough, yo! For one, I wasn't able to get to the beach this summer. That is so dream material, yo!

*sigh*

Anyway, I'm happy with how things turned out. We manage to go on everyday. *grin grin grin*

This is one random post.

Oh yeah! My bebz and I (count 4 in that "bebz" word) went out this summer! We also had an overnight! Yay! All of us are in college now, except Reg-kun who graduated last April. Yay! It's awesome, really.

Also, this summer was full of firsts. I attended my first cosplay convention - Ozine Fest 2011, yo! I participated in a cosplay event as Sunako Nakahara from Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge in Hobby Fest 2011 (and got a lot of recognitions, yo!). Maybe it wasn't such a bad summer, after all.

*shrug*

Nyahaha. That is probably my favorite online laugh right now. So addicting... Nyahaha.

Muh. I still haven't posted any reviews which is so... Um... Lazy of me. Also, I haven't updated Broken, which sucks because I don't have anymore ideas (on how to make my OC non-hateable, ahem)! Plot bunnies, come on!

And, so, this totally random post stops here.

Writing/Reading updates

Hi! Tonight, I published another story on FF.net with the [rather cheesy] title "Old wounds never heal". It's InoShika once again (after one year) and is set ten years after the current manga events. I have added the URL on the list on the right. Feel free to click it, but for easier access here it is: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7034292/1/Old_wounds_never_heal.

Chapter 2 of "Broken" has been up since last week. Here's the URL: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6981993/2/Broken

Book reviews will be posted sometime this week. I have to write for 'The Mephisto Club' by Tess Gerritsen, 'Plot it Yourself' by Rex Stout, and a collection of Edgar Allan Poe stories. I still have not read my "new" books. :P

That is all for now. Feel free to read anything and criticize. Muh.

New fanfic!

Hi! It's been almost a year (actually, it's only a few days away...) since I last published a fanfic chapter. So, I decided to write a new story entitled "Broken". What a story title but I can't think of anything nice/poetic/flowery/inspiring tonight. Good news, though. Title is subject to change, although I probably wouldn't bother. Hehe.

Here's the URL: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6981993/1/Broken

This one is under the anime BLEACH starring my dear Shuuhei Hisagi and an original character. Yay for OCs!

Book Review - Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Rating: 10/10

The rebellion has begun, and Katniss Everdeen must play the Mockingjay - the symbol of the revolution.

Different from the first two books, Mockingjay is more political and bloody than its predecessors. It explores themes such as pain, indecision, madness, etc. Some parts of it are fast-paced. The ending, though, sticks to the reader's mind indefinitely. It's a fun read. :)

Book Review - Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Rating: 10/10


Katniss Everdeen's last action in the arena did not go unnoticed, and now President Snow wants her to assuage the spark she started in the Victory Tour. But fire is catching, and pretty soon, even she can't control it. What is more, the Quarter Quell brings another surprise: she, along with Peeta Mellark, must go back to the arena.