Favorite Books of 2009

I haven't read as many books as I wanted this year. I only managed to read 16 books, half of which I completed while killing time at work. Here then are my favorite reads of 2009.


1. In Cold Blood. Hands-down the best book I’ve read this year. Truman Capote’s non-fiction novel tells the 1959 murders of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas and the ensuing investigation. Capote’s wonderful writing reminds me of other great reads I had – Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things and Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections.




2. A Thousand Splendid Suns. This epic novel from Khaleid Hosseini released in 2007 spans 5 decades, telling the harrowing story of two women whose lives meet in war-torn Afghanistan. Hosseini depicts a thriving country of Afghanistan in the 1960s and the ensuing wars that destroyed it.






3. The Hunger Games. Cited as one of the best books of 2008 by no less than The New York Times, this young-adult novel by Suzanne Collins is a tamed-down version of the ultra-violent Japanese film Battle Royale. This is one of my surprise reads this year that I liked.






4. The Time Traveler's Wife. Audrey Niffeneger’s 2003 novel is an unconventional love story between Henry and Clare. Unconventional in the sense that Henry has a genetic disorder that allows him to travel in time - they first meet when Clare was 6 and the man in his 20s (or 30s?).







5. The Company You Keep. Neil Gordon’s novel is a neclectic mix of politics, love story, and catch-me-if-you-can thriller. It tells the story of Jim Grant, a lawyer and raising his daughter as a single dad, but when his militant past catches up to him, he abandons his daughter, and goes on the run. A surprisingly terrific read.






6. Catching Fire. Cited among the 10 best books of 2009, this second book in The Hunger Games trilogy brings us back to the fictional country of Panem, to District 12, and to Katniss Everdreen. The sequel follows the life of Katniss and her partner Peeta Mellark after controversially winning the games in the previous novel.





7. The Sweet Hereafter. A school buses loaded with children one winter morning falls into an icy lake, killing all of its passengers except for two – 15-year-old Nicole who is now stuck in a wheelchair and the driver. The aftermath of this accident is the focus of Russel Banks sad 1991 novel which was adapted to the screen by Atom Egoyan in 1997.






8. The Feast of Love. This is the fourth novel from Charles Baxter. According to readinggroupguides, it is a sumptuous work of fiction about the thing that most distracts and delights us. In a re-imagined Midsummer Night's Dream, men and women speak of and desire their ideal mates; parents seek out their lost children; adult children try to come to terms with their own parents and, in some cases, find new ones.

The Hunger Games

Battle Royale, the ultra-violent 2000 Japanese film, is about a busload of high school students who are brought to a deserted island where they must kill each other until one remains standing.

Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games, released in 2008, borrows heavily upon this premise. A post-apocalyptic country, divided into 12 districts, holds a televised annual game where the last person standing is declared the victor.

Twenty-four representatives or 'tributes' play the game. Two are chosen from each district, one for each sex. As soon as the candidates are selected, they are whisked off to the city capital called The Capitol, where they are groomed, trained in survival skills, and presented to the live audience and the entire nation.

The whole spectacle reminds me a bit of the Olympics where athletes representing each country parade during the lavish opening ceremonies. Unlike the Olympics, the games played by these 24 chosen ones are literally deadlY.

Once they are brought to the arena, A The-Truman-Show-like dome comes to mind where the organizers can manipulate the weather and the environment, all hell breaks loose. The 24 fight to the death to survive.

The novel, the first in a trilogy, focuses on District 12 who has not won the games for over 30 years. It is narrated in the first person by 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who is the exact opposite of that girl Isabella created by Stephenie Meyer who writes like a high school student. While Collins' Katniss is all spunky and fiery with a touch of vulnerability (Julia Stiles comes to mind), Meyer's Bella is just plain pathetic, clumsy, and faint-hearted.

The book is a great read, having been designated Editor's Choice by The New York Times and The New York Times Notable Book which is a sure sign that the book is worth spending a few hundred pesos on. There is calculated manipulation, a little bit of romance and heartbreak and angst, and a lot of heart-stopping action.

I'm pretty sure this won't get to be as popular as the Twilight series since it does not have a male protagonist who sparkle like diamonds. But I tell you, this book is miles better and more wonderfully written with a kick-ass ending.

The Way Books Were

A couple of weeks back I was contemplating shelling out P700++ for a hardbound copy of Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol at a local bookstore when a shelf filled with familiar blue-colored books caught my eye. Hardy Boys. I grinned. It has been years since The Hardy Boys crossed my mind.

I strode to the shelf, grabbed a copy, and checked the back cover to see how much these books cost these days. These books, which cost around P50-P80 in the late 80s and early 90s, now cost P185 each.

I guess I was lucky books were not as expensive back when I was about 9 or 10 when I first discovered The Hard Boys, Nancy Drew, The Bobbsey Twins, Choose Your Own Adventure, and Christopher Pike novels.

Our school library encouraged reading and one of the ways they devised was to post on the bulletin board at the end of each month a list of students who had borrowed the most. I remember borrowing as many books as our librarian would permit to get my name on that much-coveted list. In retrospect, those years spent chasing the Bookworm of the Month title was my informal training on speed reading.

Those years were also the the advent of my fixation on books. I would save part of my daily allowance to raise the funds to buy myself the latest Hardy Boys paperback edition. Hardbound editions were not a priority since a couple of classmates, who owned pretty much every title in the series, lent me their collection.

I think I amassed a few dozens of these books up until the age of 13 when I outgrew them. I remember many years ago removing all my Hardy Boys collection from my bookshelf, replacing them with books from Grisham, Rice, Crichton, King, Irving, Rowling, Updike, Chabon and more recently from McEwan and Murakami.

I stacked my Hardy Boys in a cardboard box and kept locked inside my cabinet with no plans of selling them at a bargain. Who knows maybe my future kids would also want to go on numerous adventures with Frank and Joe the way their dad did.

Scud's Random Thoughts: Part VIII

I miss doing my random thoughts and since I have things in mind that I want to blog but too tired to do separate posts I might as well revisit this for the nth time. Here it goes...

*****

They were twins, born a week apart. One was extremely intelligent, the other a semi-retard. One was mean, the other lovable. One speaks with the head straight, the other angled to the side. They are Kimmy and Dora, played superbly by Eugene Domingo with the same title sans the and.

The film is a riot. I haven't laughed out loud over a non-festival Filipino film since Ang Tanging Ina many years ago. The Aiza Seguerra song at the end was pretty good too. And Miriam Quiambao is hot.

Watch this!

*****

Three years after the extremely gross and funny Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen is at it again with Bruno. This time he is a gay Austrian desperate to make himself famous or rather infamous based from what he was doing the entire 83-minute running time.

This film is a disappointment. The filmmakers were trying too hard to top Borat. Scenes that were actually funny - the Paula Abdul interview, the Jerry Springer-type show, the wrestling match turned into a gay makeout scene - were few and far between.

Don't pay your hard-earned P140 pesos for this. Eight minutes were cut from the original version. If you really do want to give it a try, buy the dvd. It costs a 100 bucks less.

*****

The US Open, the last tennis major for the calendar year, is underway. As I write this Roger Federer is down a set against Lleyton Hewitt. That is good news since I don't like the 15-time Grand Slam Champion. Bad news is that Novak Djokovic, the only person capable beating Federer before the Finals, is down a set against an American and crowd-favorite Widden. Dammit!

Here's hoping my bets on the men's and women's singles - Murray, Nadal, Djokovic, Sharapova, Clijsters - win the tournament. Magpapa-cheeseburger ako pag nagkataon!

*****

Speaking of tennis, the pact that I and three of my friends made last year to begin playing the sport finally pushed through. It was only this month that all four of us were free from work obligations.

We learned the basic strokes - forehand and backhand - and I tell you it ain't a walk in the park. My forehand sucks but my backhand, which a friend of mine envied, was pretty good. I did hit a lot of moon balls though. The trainer said I was using too much power and was flicking my wrist like I was playing badminton. Arrrggghhhh!

I need practice. More practice. Maybe I should give labs a ring and ask for some tips. Perfect timing too since she's turning 29 within the month.

*****

I don't like my new job. There. I said it. Finally. It sucks. Big time. The tasks are few. I don't get any development work. Documentation of resolutions to application issues are non-existent. My manager don't act like he is one. My lead is an ass. My teammates are a bore. Some of them anyway.

I'm not quitting though. The pay is good. And my finally needs me. This is not the time to be selfish.

*****

I arrived at the office on Friday and found a stress ball on my desk. Nobody knew who left it when I asked around. Someone must have sensed I was stressed for the past few days investigating a production issue and thought the ball would be of help. It didn't.

I only squeezed it once then immediately tucked it on the same place where I first found it. I was not, even remotely, interested in doing a little bit of sleuthing on who gave the ball. Maybe after that damned production issue is resolved.

*****

I was trying out a shirt at the Megamall when I heard a couple talking from separate dressing rooms. I heard a rustling of clothes. Then I heard the woman say out loud "I can smell myself in here".

My mind started working on overdrive. I wondered "What must she be smelling?".

Bitten

With not much tasks since I switched jobs (I only spend at most an hour per day on work-related to-dos) and with very limited Internet access I devised a way to keep my sanity at the office. I was getting tired of lurking in forums, reading the news, and getting pissed when sites are blocked.

I thought why not read eBooks? I have a few of them stored in my phone. I decided on Ian McEwan's 1998 Booker-Prize winning morality tale Amsterdam. It was a quick read. I was done before my 8-hour workday was up.

To make my new task inconspicuous (reading via phone is a dead giveaway that I was bumming around) I sent some of my eBooks in my collection to my office mail. Khalil Gibran's The Prophet. Haruki Murakami's After Dark. Christopher Paolini's Brisingr. Stephenie Meyer's Twilight.

I started with Meyer. I finished the book in two days. It was not as bad as I thought it would be. The plot was good. The writing so-so. Meyer is definitely no Anne Rice or K.J. Rowling. She writes scenes and Swan's thoughts that are too melodramatic with a klutz and brooding vampire as protagonists . Meyer does not do justice to the word 'brood' as Rice did with her vampires.

Since I enjoyed the book, although I wished Bella had more toughness in her and there was less saccharine dialogue and more vampire action, I moved on to New Moon. It was more of the same. I had to skip paragraphs of Bella's senseless thoughts that were immaterial to the plot.

I laughed at pathetic corny lines. I mean who wouldn't with lines like "It was heaven-right smack in the middle of hell." and "My heart inflated like it was going to crack right through my ribs." and "I’ll be back so soon you won’t have time to miss me. Look after my heart I've left it with you."?

The Time Traveler's Wife

Audrey Niffenegger's innovative debut, The Time Traveler's Wife, is the story, of Clare, a beautiful art student, and Henry, an adventuresome librarian, who have known each other since Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six, and were married when Clare was twenty-three and Henry thirty-one. Impossible but true, because Henry is one of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder: periodically his genetic clock resets and he finds himself misplaced in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity from his life, past and future. His disappearances are spontaneous, his experiences unpredictable, alternately harrowing and amusing.

The Time Traveler's Wife depicts the effects of time travel on Henry and Clare's marriage and their passionate love for each other, as the story unfolds from both points of view. Clare and Henry attempt to live normal lives, pursuing familiar goals– steady jobs, good friends, children of their own. All of this is threatened by something they can neither prevent nor control, making their story intensely moving and entirely unforgettable.


I have the ebook with me since last year. I have it saved on my phone.

Bored at the office last week, I opened the ebook and started reading. And I couldn't stop.

I was hooked on the weird, complicated, giddy, and sad love story of Henry and Clare.

I finished reading it a few minutes ago and I couldn't stop thinking about their story.

That love can transcend time and age.

And this quote lifted from the novel.

"Is it better to be extremely happy for a short while. even if you lose it, than to be ok your whole life?"

Hiatus

I am no wuss. I confront problems and conflicts head on. I am not the type of guy who downs bottles of beer to escape from personal issues. I don't go partying or sleep around.

I am strong. Or so I thought. Until my recent heartbreak. I did what a wuss would do. I escaped.

To set the record straight, I didn't sleep around. Nor went partying. I did drink bottles of beers. Smoked a few cigarettes. I drew the line there. I didn't wail. I didn't smash things. I was cool on the outside but was actually a wreck.

What I did was I stopped blogging. Some of you may have noticed. I did not approve any of your comments. I didn't comment on my blogroll's recent posts. I distanced myself from the internet. I went on a self-imposed hiatus. And I didn't announce it.

It's been almost 2 weeks since. I didn't want to post more about what I'm going through. I didn't want my blog to be a diary of my current state of mind (emotions?) - mad, sad, disappointed, angry, melancholic.

But I'm back now. I will still write about my loss but not as often as to make you cringe and click that x button faster than one could say SCUD.

*****

Allow me to make updates. Be warned though. This is going to be a long post. My longest, I think.

To start with, I finally bid farewell to my company over a week ago. My last day was not as smooth-sailing and enjoyable as I would have wanted to. I almost butted heads with upper management. Not a great way to end my 2.5-year stay. The day ended in a great way though. I had dinner and a few drinks with a couple of my best buds from the office.

A day after I went to watch the Archuleta/Cook concert at the MOA Concert Grounds. Archuleta was good but Cook was freaking fantastic. He sang 'Always Be My Baby' and 'Come Back To Me' which made me a little bit wistful. Tagos hanggang buto ang lyrics. It was the best way to spend my last night in Manila.

A few hours later (and 3 hours of sleep later) I was at the airport ticket, backpack, and duffel bag in hand. I was, as I mentioned earlier, escaping.

I needed to get out of the city. I needed to recharge. I needed to be with people who would help me forget, even for a bit, her.

So I flew to DC. I spent a week there.

I hugged my 93-year-old lola who, as expected, was ecstatic to see me then immediately asked me for money. Haha. Si lola talaga.

I played with my niece.

I went to the beach.

I bonded with my bro, sister-in-law, cousins, aunts, uncles.

I went to visit my aunt's final resting place. Next week is her first death anniversary.

I sang my heart out during a night of karaoke and over 6 Red Horse Grandes. That was the first time I sang and got drunk with my folks.

I slept too. I slept for like 10 hours a day which is more or less the same amount of sleep spent for 3 days in Manila.

I completed reading Russell Banks' The Sweet Hereafter about a sleepy town in New York coming to terms from a terrible bus accident that claimed the lives of their children. A wonderfully written book. A must read. You guys should also watch the movie adaptation starring Sarah Polley and directed by Atom Egoyan. That is if you want to get depressed.

I watched Sex Drive. It was hilarious. The plot has been done countless times before. Lanky teen desperate to lose his virginity meets a hot chick on the internet, fakes his identity, steals his brother's hot car, and goes on a road trip with friends for an eyeball.

I finished my Season 2 marathon of The West Wing. I have seen all episodes of The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, The X Files, Lost, Friends and none of these can topple Aaron Sorkin's creation of a fictional Democrat president's stint in the White House on the top of my all-time favorite TV shows. It's extremely intelligent, funny, superbly acted and shot, and full of heart. The rapid-fire dialogue is nifty and reminds me of Mike de Leon's oeuvre. Never mind that there are times I don't get what Leo, CJ, Sam, Josh blabber on, the show still rocks.

I was also able to watch the final performance night and finale of American Idol. I haven't blogged about this show this season but I have made comments on other blogs. That I liked Gokey in the semis but shifted allegiance in the finals when I noticed his song choices was too blah. That I am not a fan of Lambert's screeching although his Mad World and The Tracks of My Tears are two of my personal favorite performances this season. That I was rooting for Kris Allen because he has amazing song choices (Kanye West's Heartless, Falling Slowly from the Once soundtrack to name a couple), cool arrangement, and nice jackets.

I thought the finale was great. From the top of my mind the most memorable were Allen and Keith Urban's duet, Gokey's Hello, Black Eyed Peas, bikini girl and Kara, Allison Iraheta and Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time, and Michael Sarver and that tattooed chick performing with Steve Martin.

Before I forget, Kris Allen won! I'm pretty good on choosing my bets - Underwood and Bice on S4, McPhee and Yamin on S5, Lewis on S6, David Cook on S7.

And yeah. While I was in DC she was on my thoughts . Every day. Morning. Noon. Night. In my dreams. In the middle of watching a movie.

I miss her terribly. And still mad. And saddened by the thought that we can never be together again.

*****

I'm now back in Manila. Plane landed a few hours ago. I'm blogging again. I approved comments. I backread posts from my blogroll. I made comments on their posts. I blog-hopped.

I'm catching up with my reading. Movies to watch. TV show marathons to complete. Hobbies that I put on hold when I met ex.

Now that she's gone. I'm back. With a vengeance.

Books! Books! Books!

After hitting the gym today I passed by National Bookstore. My intention was to use the store as a shortcut to where I was going to get my lunch. Then I saw salesladies picking hardbound books out of boxes and placing it in shelves tagged as "SALE".

I made my way to where the shelves were. A guy, who came in before me, was carrying a basket filled with Ludlum books. I saw a book, which just a year ago cost P700 on sale, that now costs P90. It was real bargain. I immediately picked it up. Then another. And another. After minutes of browsing each shelf I bought these books, each for P99.

Synopsis/Reviews

Synopsis/Reviews

Synopsis/Reviews

Synopsis/Reviews

Synopsis/Reviews

Books that I wanted to buy but willed myself not to were Google's history and The Long Night of Winchell Dear. I even saw copies of Death in Belmont (bought mine at Booksale for P10), Atonement, Thirteen Moons.

My problem now is how to finish all my unread books, currently counting to around 20 excluding ebooks, before I go for another book binge.

100

9 months, 4 days, 100 posts. That's a personal milestone, averaging 11 posts a month. Not bad for someone who used to maintain two other blogs and only managed 4-5 posts for each

This blog is stating put (for good) and since the last quarter of last year I started planning my 100th post. I thought of listing 100 things to do in my lifetime, same as raft3r's, but discarded the idea when I could not stretch the list to a hundred. I then contemplated blogging about:

a. my 100 favorite movies. I have more than 100 but could not make up my
mind which movie to scrap from the list. I ditched the idea.
b. 100 best blog posts of others. I have a few favorite posts but it was
too daunting a task rereading every post each blogger from my blog roll
had posted. Maybe next time.
c. my 10 best blog posts. I didn't even come close to making the list. I'm
not a big fan of my writing.

Discarding all three and leaving me with no choice, I reverted to my plagiarized idea. I classified the items into different categories to make it easier to reach 100. And by the way, some of these are fillers.

ADVENTURE
1. skinny dip
2. sky dive
3. go whitewater rafting
4. bungee jump
5. get involved in a bloody fist fight
6. backpack around the philippines
7. attend boot camp

ANIMALS
8. own a dog

BOOKS
9. read nick hornby's books
10. read haruki murakami's books
11. read khalil gibran's the prophet
12. read james ellroy's la confidential
13. own hardbound copies of all Harry Potter books (i have softbound copies of books 1, 2, and 4).
14. read stephen hawking's brief history of time
15. read ian mcewan's books
16. read kazuo ishiguro's books
17. finish reading my backlog of books (a total of 16 and counting)

CAREER
18. be a top-notch business analyst
19. be successful in my career and smugly turn down my former bosses who want to pirate me

CHARITY
20. help build a "Habitat for Humanity" shelter

EDUCATION
21. get a master's degree
22. get a mensa membership

FAMILY
23. pay off all of my parents' debts
24. watch a sharon cuneta concert with mama
25. watch an nba game with papa
26. watch the world cup match with my bro
27. have my own family

GADGETS TO OWN
28. nikon d90
29. macbook pro
30. nintendo wii
31. nokia e71

HEALTH
32. gain 10 more pounds
33. achieve 6-pack abs
34. run the treadmill at >= 9kh for at least 30 minutes without resting
35. wear contacts
36. discover a cure for cancer and diabetes
37. get a monthly massage

MONEY MATTERS
38. save a million pesos
39. set-up my own business

MOVIES
40. watch the decalogue
41. watch the best of youth
42. watch lav diaz's films
43 watch kung mangarap ka't magising
44. watch it happened one night
45. watch akira kurosawa's films
46. watch gerardo de leon's films

PLACES TO VISIT
47. new york city
48. paris
49. mt. pinatubo
50. mayon volcano
51. batanes
52. antulang
53. palawan
54. bantayan island
55. caramoan
56. grand canyon
57. phuket
58. camiguin
59. pagudpud
60. banaue rice terraces/sagada
61. great barrier reef

PEOPLE TO MEET
62. martina hingis
63. marat safin
64. arundhati roy
65. conrado de quiros
66. my great love

REAL ESTATE
67. own a beachfront property
68. own a resthouse in tagaytay
69. build a house with my own library and entertainment room with kickass sound system

SEX/DATING
70. watch a live show
71. interview a sex addict
72. get on the mile high club
73. go on a blind date
74. speed date

SKILLS
75. learn a foreign language
76. learn chess
77. learn tennis
78. learn to cook
79. learn to drive a car
80. learn to play the guitar
81. learn to swim
82. personally design my blog template

SPORTS
83. win a badminton tournament
84. win a bowling tournament
85. score a perfect 300 in bowling
86. attend a tennis grand slam tournament

STATE OF MIND
87. be fearless
88. be friendly
89. be cool

TV
90. join Survivor
91. join The Amazing Race
92. watch all seasons of The West Wing
93. watch all seasons of The X-Files
94. watch all seasons of The Wire
95. watch all seasons of OZ
96. watch all seasons of Battlestar Galactica

WRITING
97. write a book
98. write a screenplay
99. get published in PDI's Youngblood
100. win a Palanca

The Best of 2008

To end the first week of 2009 I am posting the best movies and books I watched and read in 2008. I didn't include music since it's too much work narrowing the list.

Best Movies of 2007/2008 (English):
1. Across the Universe

2. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
3. Bolt
4. Cloverfield
5. Control
6. Wall.E
7. The Dark Knight
8. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
9. Love of Siam, The
10. Michael Clayton
11. No Country For Old Men
12. Once
13. The Orphanage
14. There Will Be Blood
15. We Own The Night

Best Movies of 2007/2008 (Filipino):
1. 100
2. Boses
3. Confessional
4. Endo
5. Jay
6. Melancholia
7. A Very Special Love

Best Movies of Pre-2007/2008:
1. The 400 Blows
2. After the Wedding
3. Bloody Sunday
4. Boogie Nights
5. Breathless
6. The Crying Game
7. Children of Heaven
8. Grave of the Fireflies
9. It's A Wonderful Life
10. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf

Best Books:
1. Atonement by Ian McEwan
2. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
3. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
4. Saturday by Ian McEwan
5. Ordinary Heroes by Scott Turow
6. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
7. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
8. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

Have a great weekend!

Scud's Random Thoughts: Part V

I saw Twilight back home and it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be. It didn't make me want to grab a copy either. The story was bland and so was Pattinson. I enjoyed Hitman and The Land Before Time. The latter movie was a hit with my niece. She demanded to watch the "dinosaur" movie every day.

*****

In addition to Norwegian Wood, I also finished John Knowles' A Separate Peace and Michael Ondaatje's Divisadero during my 17-day vacation. I liked Divisadero more than A Separate Peace. Maybe because I was expecting to be blown away by Knowles' book, which was highly recommended by someone, but I wasn't. Of the three, I would still recommend Norwegian Wood.

*****

2009 is the final season of competitive tennis for one of my favorite tennis players ever, Marat Safin. Hingis is gone and now him. Haay. Thank goodness there's Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, and Jankovic to cheer on.

*****

Today is my second day at work of the year. Petiks mode. No tasks. Idle. Blog hopping na naman. Wohooo!

*****

After ignoring my Facebook account for months I finally was able to update my profile, upload photos, and add friends. Facebook is way cooler than Friendster. I'm hooked.

*****

I received this ym message from a friend:

"kailangan ni son gokou ng tulong para matalo c majin boo
send this to ur friends pra matulungan c gokou
wag kang tumawa!!
para ito sa kaligtasan ng planet earth!!!
Itaas nyo mga kamay nyo para mkabuo ng spirit ball
please.. wag kang tumawa!
para to sa kaligtasan ng planet earth!"

Have a great week, everyone!

Scud's Random Thoughts: Part IV

Five days. That's the number of days I've been home. And each of those days I've seen my four-year-old niece dance to the tune of Bratney Spears' manizer (her term not mine). She's a riot. I even took a video of her gyrating in my bed and in our porch using my lola's walker as props. Kids.

*****

I went to my high school friend's wedding - the main reason why I took an early Christmas break. I haven't seen her more beautiful or happier than she was that day. She was beaming. I brought my camera with me and took lots of pictures. I was surprised that some of the pics turned out well. My friends were impressed. I'm actually getting better with this. Hehe.

*****

At the reception, I was surprised to see my yaya from my grade school and high school days. She didn't change a bit. We talked for awhile, asked how each other was doing, and parted ways. What a small world.

*****

I finally finished Haruki Murikami's Norwegian Wood. The book is written in the first person and it is a great read. There's some heavy stuff, lots of (casual) sex, and humor. Read this.

Into The Wild

In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Four months later, his decomposed body was found by a moose hunter...

I first read that summary many years back after reading Jon Krakauer’s The Perfect Storm. It was a great read and in the last few pages were advertisements of Krakauer's other books. Into the Wild caught my eye. It had me hooked and intrigued. For years I looked for a copy but could not find one. I even contemplated buying one in Amazon but I deemed it too expensive. So I waited.

Then I heard that the book was being adapted into a movie by Sean Penn. I was ecstatic. I knew it won't be shown in local theatres. So I did what majority of Filipinos do. Buy a pirated copy. I wasn't disappointed by the movie. It was long and featured great performances especially from Emile Hirsch and that girl Bella from Twilight. The soundtrack, featuring all songs written and sung by Eddie Vedder, is also a great buy.

I finally got myself a copy, for $20, when an officemate vacationed in the US. Expensive for a 207-page softbound book. But it was worth every cent. The book is (again) one of the best I've read. The book does not only feature Chris' sojourn but also a glimpse of his character through his family, sibling, people he met on the streets, and Krakauer himself. We learn that Chris is an exemplary student and athlete, who loved his sister to bits, a shrewd businessman, an artist, plays the piano, and sings well.

I've always been drawn to characters who don't give a fuck about what society dictate, do what they damn please, and eventually die in the process. Alexander Supertramp, a name Chris used when he embarked in his travels across North America, is one of them. He was courage (or to some a form of youthful naïveté) personified. I don't think I see myself in him but I admired and longed to have his braveness - to fully live the life he wanted to live.

So go get yourself a copy of the book. If you're not into that, watch the 3-hour-long film. And buy the soundtrack!

Scud's Random Thoughts: Part III

Prince of Persia, the video game that to this day I still have to figure out how to play in my psp, is now being shot as a live action movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Wohoo! I hope the movie is as bloody as the video game. Hehe...

*****

I watched the last few games of the 2nd and 3rd set of the federer-murray round robin match at the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai which the latter won in 3 tight sets 4-6, 7-6, 7-5. It was a fascinating match. Excellent shotmaking. Drop shots, slices, net play, laserlike groundstrokes, unbelievable gets. It was not your typical slam bang tennis.

Two memorable games stood out that Federer won. These were the 36-shot rally late in the 2nd set and the 20-minute 10-deuce 10th game of the 3rd set. I tell you, if they only played those two games in the match I would still have gotten my money's worth. The match reminded me a bit of the classic Wimbledon final played this year.

Here's hoping Nole and Andy win their respective semifinal matches today.

*****

Survivor Update! Charisse won immunity and Vern got the boot. Nagsimula na ang pagtatanggal sa mga Jarakays. Cha's head is in the chopping block next week courtesy of the black pearl but I'm guessing the Naaks will boot out Marlon next. Too bad since Marlon is a pretty good strategic player. Maangas nga lang.

*****

I was scourging for books at Booksale last Sunday and found a copy of Bernhard Schlink's The Reader for 40 pesos. Wohooo! A few weeks back I also found copies of Tom Perotta's Little Children, John Grogan's Marley & Me, and James Frey's A Million Little Pieces. I actually have the last two books but they were too cheap to pass up and in mint condition to boot. Parang binili ko sa Powerbooks.

*****

I finally found a copy of Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood at Bestseller's. It was a little bit expensive than the usual paperback books but what the heck. Nag-iisang copy na lang yun. People who have read the book say that it is similar, and in some way, better than J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. I hope I won't be disappointed.

*****

One time my manager (female) wanted to charge her laptop but since there was no free power outlet on her cube she asked my team lead (male) if she could use my tl's power outlet. My TL agreed. This was their conversation a few hours later:

Manager : TL, pakihugot na nga nyan. Kanina pa yan nakasaksak eh. Nag-iinit na dito (referring to her laptop).
Team Le : (Laughing) Ano'ng ihuhugot ko? Wala naman ah. At ba't ka naman nag-iinit.
Manager : (Laughing) Baliw!

*****

An officemate, who I shall be calling Ms Melamine, started a conversation with me regarding musical plays. We talked about West Side Story which we both watched separately. She babbled on about the other plays she had attended. I feigned interest and played with my pc's mouse instead. After a few minutes, she mentioned that a Hollywood musical starring John Travolta was being locally staged and was grasping for the title. She asked me what the title was. I feigned ignorance.

Allow me to digress a bit. I have to write about this. Hehe. I'm pretty good at remembering movie titles. I remember a few month's back our 16-member team held charades. Local movie titles daw. Each person must write on paper a movie titles that they want the other team to guess. I wrote "Ang Sawa sa Lumang Simboryo". When entry was picked it was a riot. They couldn't figure out what simboryo was. Yza, who unfortunately picked my title, complained incessantly and tried to draw a snake on the white board. Her teammates shouted "Ano yan? Bulate?". More laughter.

Now back to Ms Melamine. I thought for a bit and told her I didn't know what the title was. Then she smiled. Parang alam na daw niya ang title. Sounds like "Paintbrush" daw. I burst out laughing. In between gasps for breath I told her I knew what the title was. "Hairspray". I laughed some more while she pouted and beat my arm with her stuffed toy. Sweet!

Scud's Random Thoughts: Part II

A survey came out friday that the leading presidential candidate for the 2010 elections is Noli de Castro. Wtf! Di na talaga natuto tayong mga Pinoy. Are we seriously going to vote someone who made a career out of reading the news and hosting a magazine talk show? Are we going to vote someone who has not said nary a word regarding the corruption and lies that hound the administration he is serving? Lord help us if he wins.

*****

Venus Williams beat Vera Zvonareva 6-7, 6-0, 6-2 in the finals of the WTA Championships in Doha. She won an incredible $1.34M for winning all five matches in the 8-woman field tournament. Wow! The commentator mentioned that Martina Hingis and Venus turned professional one week from each other. And that Hingis won her 5 majors even before Venus won her first at Wimbledon in 2000. This year, Hingis has retired and Venus is still in the tour winning her 7th Slam and 5th Wimbledon title. I told a friend a few weeks back that I don't have the same passion for the WTA after Hingis retirement. Bummer.

*****

The ATP Championships (Shanghai Masters) is currently being held in Shanghai. Novak Djokovic has guaranteed himself a spot in the semifinals after winning his first two matches against del Potro and Davydenko. Wohoo! I'm hoping Nole meets Murray in the finals.

*****

On our weekly Manila team meeting last Friday our manager informed us that we can individually talk to the higher management regarding our salary increases. For what? Para lalong mainis? Ma-bad trip? Hindi na. Maghahanap na lang ako ng malilipatan. I actually won't know my increase until mid-December when I turn 2 years but based on ALL who have received theirs, my prospect of getting a decent increase won't happen. Bummer.

*****

Blogging. Ito ang kinahihiligan ko lately. An online journal. Pansin niyo naman halos araw-araw ako nagpopost. Araw-araw din ako nag-tsetsek ng blogs ng iba. Ayos magbasa ng blogs lalo ung mga "personal" bloggers. Sila yung mga nagsusulat about their personal experiences, thoughts, dreams, and aspirations. These bloggers pour their hearts out in their writings, giving me a glimpse of the lives they live. These bloggers inspire and make me forget the sometimes rotten life that I live. Atticus, Duke, Ely, Jayclops, Zherwin - saludo ako sa inyo. Pinapangarap ko that I could write as well as you all do. Props also goes to Raft3r, whose blog I accidentally stumbled on yesterday, who write short but interesting entries.

*****

I chanced upon the TV show A Moment of Truth on Saturday while waiting for the rain to stop. The premise of the show is a contestant is placed on the hot seat and asked very personal and damning questions. After a certain number of questions is answered correctly, the contestant wins $25000 and can go up to $500000. It' showcases man's greed and how man is willing to sacrifice treasured relationships. The guy on the hot seat on Saturday's show confessed tht he maintains a spreadsheet of all the girls he has slept with, that he has had over 100 sexual relations with women, that he got paid for sex in college while his parents, sister, girlfriend,and friend looked on. Then he stopped when he won $100000. I'm not sure if this show is bogus or not but it sure caught my attention. And I have to admit, I was entertained. Aabangan ko yun sa Sabado. Haha...

*****

I finished reading Sebastian Junger's non-fiction book A Death in Belmont about a serial killer, aptly named Boston Strangler, who strangled and raped women in the 60s in Boston. It is a nice book to read but not one that I would recommend.

*****

Watching A Very Special Love, starring John Lloyd Cruz and Sarah Geronimo, was a welcome respite from the dreary movies I've watched for the past few weeks. The film is not an entirely a love story but also about acceptance. It was sweet, funny, and utterly forgettable.

*****

Survivor Philippines is getting better and better everyday. Kiko's ouster changed the dynamics of the game and made it more interesting. I still hate Marlon even though he's a hoot. Tarantadong gago. He should get the boot but based on what I saw on last night's episode where Nay Zita was interviewed looking fresh and well-rested wearing a yellow-orange blouse (which I think she has not worn in previous episodes) is a telling sign that she gets the boot Friday. Dammit!

Scud's Random Thoughts: Part I

America voted its first black president, Barrack Obama, in yesterday's elections. I have been enthralled by this year's presidential campaign starting from the Obama-Clinton race for the Democratic nomination. That was historical - a woman and a black man battling it out. Then Obama won. I wasn't completely sold on him (although he is much, much better than the other alternative) until I saw his speech on CNN a day (or hours?) after her grandmother died. It was an emotional and terrific speech. I hope he delivers what he promised in his campaign - CHANGE.
Every morning when I tune it to CNN while eating breakfast, I often wonder why we don't do campaign/elections that they do. The focus is always on the issues and not so much in personality. Dito sa Pinas we focus too much on personality and charisma and not so much on issues.
Will I get to see that happen in this country in my lifetime? I doubt it.

*************

The Philippine Daily Inquirer Opinion section talked about Obama's win here, here, and here.

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Michael Crichton lost his battle with cancer and died on November 4. He was 66. I have read and own most of his books including Timeline, Disclosure, State of Fear, and Prey. In my opinion, Jurassic Park and Lost World are one of the best science-fiction thrillers out there. Crichton was also the creator of the long-running hospital drama ER which is currently airing its last season in the US. RIP!

*************

I watched the Quantum of Solace last night at G4. Although not as great as Casino Royale, this latest Bond movie is far better than Pierce Brosnan's Bond movies. What I like about Craig's Bond is that it doesn't rely too much on high-tech gadgets to impress viewers. Guns and hand-to-hand combat is fine with me. And his Bond movies are gritty too. Too bad the themesong sung by Alicia Keys is forgettable. Watch out for the fight scene reminiscent of the famous bathroom scene in The Bourne Ultimatum.

*************

I finally finished reading Joe Hill's Heart-Shaped Box about an aging rockstar who buys a suit haunted by its owner online. It is a good read and Hill injects suspense, horror, and surprising tenderness in his debut novel.
I am now currently reading Sebastian Junger's A Death in Belmont which I bought at Booksale for 30 bucks.

Never Let Me Go

I recently finished reading Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go and it is an amazing read. I’m lucky that the past 4 books I’ve read were pretty good. These were Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, Scott Turow’s Ordinary Heroes, Ian McEwan’s Saturday, and Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. One bad book would be a complete waste of time since juggling that hobby with my work, watching movies and TV shows on DVD, tennis, and going to the gym allow me to finish a novel within 2-3 months.

Never Let Me Go is narrated by Kathy who at the start of the novel introduces herself as a carer. She tells her story and that of her two closest friends, Ruth and Tommy, as they grew up together at Hailsham, an exclusive boarding school secluded in the English countryside. She narrates their life when they leave Hailsham, what drove the three of them apart, and how by fate they each reenter each other’s lives.

This is a great novel by Ishiguro, one of the best I’ve read thus far. He uses the meaning of “carer”, “donor”, and “completed” in a completely different level. While I was reading the book, I was constantly guessing what these characters were and as I read along my guesses were correct, but not quite. Ishiguro exposes part of the plot or truths, whatever you may call it, in installments throughout the book until the last chapter. Entertainment Weekly was spot on when they described the book as “superbly unsettling, impeccably controlled… The book’s irresistible power comes from Ishiguro’s matchless ability to expose its dark heart in careful increments”.

Here’s hoping the next book I’m going to read will be as good as Never Let Me Go. I’m still deciding whether to go horror and read Joe Hill’s Heart-Shaped Box or go dark again and select Ian McEwan’s Atonement.