"We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us."
-Unknown

Wednesday, 29 August 2012

Giveaway Alert: KatenKaboodle's Nook Color Giveaway

Here is one savvy reason why book lovers should rejoice today! KatenKaboodle.com is giving away a Nook Color to highlight the back-to-school season! This is the chance for students and book lovers alike to participate and grab a Nook Color.

Thanks to KatenKaboodle's generosity, there won't be a need to carry a lot of heavy books anymore. Catch up on reading important text, required reading and more. The Nook Color is being sold at Barnes and Noble for a regular price of $149. But a lucky winner can take it home, and it is absolutely free! For added bonus, a $25 gift card is also up for raffle.


Nook Color Features
  • NEW! Movies & TV Shows from Netflix
  • NEW! NOOK Comics™ including the largest collection of Marvel graphic novels
  • World's most advanced VividView™ 7" touchscreen
  • Over 2.5 million books, magazines, interactive kids' books
  • Must-have apps like Angry Birds, top music services, & more
  • Tablet essentials–email & Web w/video
  • Expandable memory- add up to 32 GB w/ microSD™ card
  • Always free NOOK support in-store
Tempted yet? Join the giveaway now! Good luck!




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, 16 August 2012

Rants and Raves August 2012


Dear friends,

I have to admit that I’ve been online the past weeks and haven’t really been blogging. I was busy doing other tasks on the net that I just have enough time to check Facebook, Twitter, comment on a few blogs and log out. I also can’t believe I missed my supplier’s announcement about new book arrivals. Then again, I can’t believe I also wasn’t around when the only game I patronized in Facebook shut down. Where was I when RC bid goodbye to the rest of its players? Making my way from Cebu to Ormoc, Leyte-that’s where.

But I guess the purpose of this post is to assure that I’m still alive, albeit still doing something else while I have one hand on the keyboard, the other still writing notes, and my brain still wandering about what’s left to do, I think there’s enough to pacify me that I may or may not have what it takes to keep this corner going.

I think it’s also another affirmation that this is still my corner where I get to express what I’m feeling and what my plans, thoughts and ideas are. No matter what, that name and address still has my mark. This corner is not just merely about going with the flow of what other bloggers do, but it’s also an extension of my identity and I will keep doing what I came here for to do: letting out my rants and raves. It’s really not about striving to be what I’m not, but what I am.

Blogging today is so far away from what blogging was back then in 2005 when Friendster and Multiply had meaning among friends in college. I think some of my friends got scared that one way of revealing their emotions were to sneak up on their respective Friendster and Multiply accounts and the next day our personal comments would be different when we see each other in campus compared to what we have previously commented on each other’s blogs.

Back then, a blog was an electronic diary; the documenting outlet of life’s experiences- where J went for her vacation with the younger siblings, what K was drinking last night and how he was wooing the moon after a heartbreak, what A did to cram for her finals in a major subject. Darn, I miss reading those. Only one blog name still stays in my memory but I am afraid to enter it into the search engine and finding out if it were already deleted, no longer updated, or simply just at a standstill. He called me crazy in that blog of his and I never quite forgave him there, but who could deny that teensy-weensy fact that I am?

What happened to all the other blogs? To all the other online diaries my friends maintained? We were the first users of Friendster and Multiply-communicating and uploading crazy memories in albums back when the biggest flash drive was only 2gb and blogs were an intimate network of sorts. Today, it’s far removed from that.

Thus, I might flood this corner again with so many other book reviews- of books which many people might not have read or won’t have the intention of actually reading. But here I am still writing down my thoughts.

What else?

Beauty buys? Maybe. To satisfy kikay me.

Clothing? Maybe. To satisfy meticulous me.

Rants and raves? Yes. To pacify stubborn me.

I guess I should excuse myself already. Pardon me for destroying your eyes, if any of you found yourselves at this point already, thank you for listening.

Events in my life have a tendency of unfolding and presenting circumstances with two sides to every story.

P.S. I can’t promise this to be the last post about pointless thoughts, but then again, that’s what this blog is here for after all. 

So sorry for the heavy text post. 

Sunday, 5 August 2012

Book Review: Pleng's Song by Patrick Maher


Patrick Maher shows how life is for a girl who attends a private school and well-sheltered life, everything is provided. If her laptop chord is burned, she calls her father and asks for a replacement. She does her writing homework and goes about her life as expected of a school girl.

But there is more to what meets the eye. Pleng’s thoughts reveal that she yearns for attention from her parents: her father is always out on business and her mother is alive at night and asleep by day. She has issues with authority in school, and has shameless tendencies when it comes to her approach towards her teachers. Her character description must sound like that of an insecure, troubled child, but she is unaware of her gifts and talents.

Maher is an incredible writer and this shows in Pleng’s voice and written works.

Characterization


Patrick Maher takes the perspective very well, and this is reflected in Pleng’s characterization.
Pleng takes everything personally. Based on her observations, her writing teacher’s statements, Mr. James is always against her. It feels like her mother’s drinking problems is caused by her. Her actions then are a result of a girl with attitude problems. For a smart girl, she believes in horoscopes and treats money so lightly because it is not what she worked hard for to earn.

There are two sides to Pleng, the scared child, who tries to be a grownup and the spoiled brat who causes trouble just to seek attention. Her thoughts and words are excellently translated and described in the book.
 But the monotony of her life is about to change when she identifies the real problems in her life, runs away from home, and figures out how to survive them all.

It is said that water cleanses and purifies, but does flood water work the same way?

Highlights of the book


Her thoughts and feelings are revealed in her outputs most of the time and her imagination is given more depth in the way she wishes her life were like. Some underlying themes in the book touch on family relationships, school environment and the way we treat people around us, as well as envy.

There are events that have a supernatural treatment. The chronology and facts are well-supported, as the events unfold one by one. This is a modern folklore.

Pleng’s song is a book fit for people of all ages. It teaches that determination and common sense can help survive life’s challenges, and that repentance does come at the end. 

Recommended to read? 

Yes



Thursday, 19 July 2012

Packages- Raisie Is More Excited To Receive Books in the Mail

Having a good Friday? 

I was rushing to get in to work this morning and did already half of what I'm supposed to do when I saw the packages which were sitting on my chair (I didn't even get to sit in front of my computer because I went straight to the bank downstairs first for a couple of transactions) when I saw that my books and the phone I won from Boy Kuripot's blog arrived. You can read the announcement here


The phone was sent to me straight from DTC inside a durable plastic container. 


Tadah! And that's the basic bar type phone which comes with a music player, camera, and video player. Not bad. I was thinking of giving it to my dad for a replacement phone but he said the font size was too small for him. I might keep it for a while until I figure out what to do with it. Upcoming review maybe? 

Another good news, my books from Book Depository arrived. Here they are:


To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Upon checkout Book Depository gave me a fair warning that arrival will take 7-10 days to the Philippines, but it was just me being impatient. Fair enough, these arrived on July 12 in the Phil according to the stamp by the Post Office. 

I've been waiting for these books like I was obsessed. In fact, I was even more excited to receive them compared to anything else that's addressed to me. Sigh. Symptoms of crazy book collector? 



Classic books for my library. 

This is just an update, I'm supposed to do a review on authentic Japanese skin care products from Wawaza today and a surprise for you all but I realized that the links are in my other drive. (Hay I'm so bright... Grrr...)

I have my books for this weekend and will be cooking for my brother. We decided to have a delayed birthday get together because he was busy with classes on weekdays. And Papa had to leave for an emergency meeting out of town but will be back on Sunday yet. 

What will you be doing this weekend? Share your plans! =D 


Tuesday, 17 July 2012

Kindle or Nook?

Haha.

I can't even believe I'm thinking about this now. I need. An E-book Reader. Not Want. Need.

It's because I'm doing some major book reviews and the best way to get books is by reading the e-books. The paperbacks can wait for the personal collection.

I know I will also enjoy an e-book reader. I've been thinking. Which one?

Amazon's Kindle?


(Photo taken from Amazon.com)
Or Barnes and Noble's Nook?


I have no problems whether or not it's colored. I just need to read.

Let's do a tabular comparison, shall we?

                                                             Kindle Touch                             Nook Simple Touch

Price                                                           $ 99                                                  $99
Color                                                          No                                                    No
Display                                                        6 inches                                             6 inches
Battery Life                                                  2 months                                           2 months
Wi-Fi                                                           Yes                                                   Yes
No Glare                                                      Yes                                                   Yes
Memory                                                     4 gb on device (30,000 books)         2 gb (1,000 books)
Dictionary                                                     Yes                                                   -----
Supported File Types                                   -----                                                   ePub, PDF
Free Books                                                (Through Special Offer)               (Through Nook Gift Cards)

This is just an overview comparison, I'm still thinking. You will find out though which one I will be asking for when one of my aunts arrive. Close competition right? 

Reminder: Features are taken from these sites- Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I am not being paid to compare the two e-book readers. Though I won't mind if someone would want to donate either one to a poor bookworm like me. Yikes!