The Only Thing Between Us

The last romantic novel I read was the True Believer by Nicholas Sparks and that was last Q3 2005. I didn't even think it was almost a year ago until my seatmate Eileen sent me this PDF file.

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The Only Thing Between Us

Some major items are as follows.
(1)They are childhood friends. In high school, they didnt know how valuable one is to the other until Guy chooses to have a partner. Girl finds tricks to make Guy jealous. Still, they end up with each other.
(2)Relationship blossoms up to their college days. They have not faced a greater problem until Girl's parents sent her to another country to continue her studies. Girl took it negatively, eventually ignoring her studies and focussing more on their relationship. Guy took it positively, eventually continuing his activities and then looking forward to their daily communication via net and phone.

(3)Guy decides that breaking up with her will straighten up Girl's attitude. He tells her it's because of another girl. It is hard for both but they continued on with their good lives even after graduation. Guy sends letters but Girl doesn't read nor answer. Guy decides to pay her a visit, first time since they have separated. Guy catches another man in Girl's apartment and assumes something else.

(4)This novel is 5 chapters SHORT. Sigh.

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Although you can say that this is your typical love story, it's the author's writing skills that will move you, pierce your heart and remind you of your first love. There are parts that make you think otherwise. I actually fell on them. Those were nice twists indeed. The drama content may not be as heavy as Nicholas Sparks' but they are enough to really squish your heart. I have not read the entire part but I will immediately once it is released commercially. I'll give this novel three stars out of five. For more details and for the actual copy, please see the author's website. http://www.geocities.com/pamelasantos_online/

X-Men 3 Times 2

I haven't seen the second installment but I have watched the first several times. The latter was through a VCD I own. Haha, I bought it back when VCDs were P250 per title. Then came May 24, it was time for X-Men 3, The Last Stand. I was hesistant to watch it. I might not be able to understand the story due to continuity problems. But my officemates convinced me otherwise.

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The movie was great. The seats we took were at the center. The Holy Kettle Korn was the right balance of sugar and salt. During the gap, just when we planned to see the first part (since we were about 20 minutes late), one officemate has brought out her digicam and aimed at the rest of us who were already in a pose. Timing was indeed perfect! The lady guard caught us and immediately asked if we were to watch the movie again (if so, then she has to get the camera for the meantime). Our officemate didn't want to so she quickly blurted out that we leave. Sigh. Some of us, who eagerly wanted to see the first part, were disappointed. Anyway, we learned our lessons. One, do not invite someone who has a camera. Two, if you can't then make sure that person won't show the camera inside the moviehouse. Three, if you still can't then make sure that that person will leave the moviehouse alone so that you can watch the movie again. Four, if you still can't then just go to an eat-all-you-can dinner. Peace Karen!

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One more reason why I was hesitant to come with my officemates is that I already promised my bestfriend that I would watch it with her. Eventually, I gave in to the double damage. It was double the fun anyway. :)

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My bestfriend and I were supposed to meet in Megamall. Plans were changed and we met in Gateway. It was almost 8 pm, the lines were not tolerable and all the seats were almost taken. So we decided to watch it in Megamall. Walking from Gateway to the MRT Cubao Station, we saw how it was raining very hard. When we got off the Ortigas Station, we knew it would be a challenge to walk towards the Powerbooks Entrance. And I say, it was TRULY a challenge. Even when armed with an umbrella, our socks, lower part of pants, and the back parts of our shirts were soaking wet. We headed straight to the moviehouse. We were early and so there was still time to freshen up. Without any hanky or extra shirt, I was freezing. Good thing I remembered my childhood days when newspapers were used beneath the shirts to absorb the sweat. I placed my documents beneath my shirt. What a relief! As for my feet, I removed my socks and watched the entire movie (including the trailers before it) barefoot.

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Indeed, after two screenings, my whole X-Men 3 experience was double the fun!!!

The Old Man, The Sea, The Shuttle and The Trains

Waiting for the fx shuttle going to makati takes 30 minutes, 1 minute tops. Waiting for the mrt going to cubao takes 10 minutes, 2 minutes tops. Waiting for the lrt going to santolan takes 9 minutes, 1 minute tops. Last year, all these valuable minutes were wasted by shifting my weight from left to right foot. Then I thought of bringing my old archie comics. Finally, that idle time has become idle time no more.

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After the comics, I brought The Old Man And The Sea. We already read this in high school but since I didnt remember the end part plus I just borrowed the copy, I bought my own. Although this is a short story, I have folded several pages. It has been my habit to fold the upper corner of the paper when I come across a quoteable phrase or sentence. Here are some of those.

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Every day is a new day. It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready. (32)
...because he knew that if you said a good thing it might not happen. (43)
No one should be alone in their old age, he thought. But it is unavoidable. (48)
There is no sense in being anything but practical... (59)
Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is. (110)
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Ernest Hemingway was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for this short story. Why? I'm not quite sure. Perhaps, it's because of the way he described the littlest detail of the weather, every sea creature that came near the Old Man's boat, and the relationship between the Old Man Santiago and the young boy Manolin. Moreover, it could also be the way he narrated every step of the "battle" between the Marlin and the Old Man. Haha, I thought it would never end. Talk about waiting 84 days to catch a fish and then waiting another 4 days (I cant remember. I just know it's more than 2 days but less than a week.) to finally kill the huge (2 feet longer than the boad) marlin that already got the bait.

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Weeks of May has The Old Man and The Sea. For June, it is The Secret Garden. :)

Hugely Unpopular But Right

Back in highschool, we discussed a short story whose moral I never forget. Doing what is called an Honorable Dishonor. I still rememeber when young Doogie Howser said the wrong answer in a quiz show so that the older smart contestant will win. In the movie Scent of a Woman, when in a school trial, Charlie (Chris O'Donnell) refused to name his classmates who he knew poured paint on the head master's jaguar, an act of vandalism. Moreover, he stood by his decision even when told he's not worthy to be part of the institution and that his future will be jeopardized.

So much for the examples. Anyway, I truly believe in this. You don't need to do something just to be recognized or have that sense of belongingness. You don't need people to recognize every nice thing you do. You simply do what you think is right. No reward or bribe should motivate you more than the mere thought of the fulfillment and satisfaction you get when you do it. Not only your mind but also your heart agrees on this. It makes you happy and you get that Natural High.

Our boss had this talk last Friday. The title I used for this post is the catch phrase. Our boss said, "Have you ever done something hugely unpopular but you feel is right?" So, have you?

I'm one of them.

I used to admire those people who pour their thoughts online. Thanks to my dear friend Rachelle, now, I'm one of them. Visit her blog as well. http://www.hikain.blogspot.com/

Why funny freckles? It's from my friendster profile. These are the two words, taken separately, I used to describe myself. Actually, it's funny and freckleD. More details in the next posts. ;)