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And the most creative blog post title ever goes to… !
Lauren Oliver, best selling author of Before I Fall, Liesl & Po, Delirium, and Pandemonium, had a book signing at Powerbooks, Greenbelt 4 today! It was, honestly, one of the best things ever.
I got to the event at around 2PM and so I was the 105th registered person. The event started around an hour later and there was a bit of an interview. Honestly? The woman interviewing Lauren was just… I mean, most of the questions she asked Lauren could be found at the back of the bloody book or on Wikipedia! My journalist senses were going through the roof! We could have gotten some pretty awesome possum dirt but no. We just got the typical stuff we can find in typical FAQs. Jonnah was disappoint. But since it’s Lauren freakin’ Oliver, we got some awesome responses anyway!
Interviewer: So what can we expect from Requiem?
Lauren: You can expect me not to say anything about Requiem!
Audience: [laughs]
Lauren: But it will be told in two points of views…
Audience: [Random “OHMYGOD”s and various responses of shock]
Lauren: It’s not Alex!
My theory? It’s either Annabel, Hana, or Raven (most probably Annabel, I’ve got a stronger gut feeling with her). Anyway!
When asked about people she would like to have cast in Delirium.
Lauren: I’ll go with anyone except Justin Bieber. Justin, if you’re watching this, I’m sorry!
Some people asked questions and Lauren was just incredibly charming and friendly and all-around perfect in every single way. She talked so animatedly that the audience was just taken with her! She went shopping before the event started, she just writes at every opportunity she gets, and she refuses to eat balut. (Which is lame because balut is awesome!) The signing went on and I had to wait for quite a while, which was okay. I met a lovely girl from CSB named Anne and we talked about random stuff for almost two hours while waiting our turn. When our batch was called, we hastily made our way to the front lines and eagerly waited for our turn. I was near tears when there were only about three people away from her. I was so awestruck because 1.) she’s Lauren Oliver 2.) she’s Lauren Oliver. I was near tears already and I just wanted to break down and cry at her feet or something.
So yes, the first thing I did when I actually met her was say “Oh my God, I think I’m going to cry!” and she just smiled and reached out to touch my arm (!!!!) and told me not to cry. She took one of my books to sign and I just asked her “So why do you hate me?” and she just gave me a look and said “No! Why would I hate you?” to which I said “Because you don’t just do that to Alex and Lena without hating me!” Lauren smirked and laughed a bit and said “Ohhhhh! Well it could have been worse! I mean [whispers] he could have been dead!”
After that I just started going on about how I couldn’t contain any of my feels after finishing the books and she was just so amused but I couldn’t stop telling her how perfect and amazing she is. And when she was signing my copy of Before I Fall, she said “Well like my therapist says, you’re just going to have to sit with your feelings!” She was so warm and friendly and so very lovely! I just wanted to cry! I hugged her and got a photo taken with her and then I left, trying not to sob and explode because I had just met Lauren Oliver.
(I’m blurry because the dude handling my camera didn’t know how to operate a Sony with a prime lens. Dammit, I should have just given him my phone or something. BUT SEE LOOK! I MET LAUREN! <333)
It took me a while to check my books again and she wrote little notes on the books and it was just amazing. I love this woman so much and I am such a huge, huge fan of her books. (Imagine with Jo Rowling or Suzanne Collins or Libba Bray or John Green or Cassandra Clare or Rick Riordan went here - I would probably have to be scraped off of the floor or something!) I forgot to ask her about Hana and Grace but, like she said, she wasn’t going to say anything about Requiem.
Can I just meet more authors now or-
Honestly, I get more excited meeting authors than I do when meeting musicians, journalists, actors, et cetera. I have sorted out my priorities. <3
031412
Last Wednesday was Real and Not Real: The Hunger Games University Tour. It’s a THG symposium that I organized alongside my other officers. On top of being the organizer of the thing, I was also one of the speakers. And as an added bonus - due to technical difficulties, I hosted the thing as well! It was exhausting, honestly. The turn out of people was somewhat disheartening but understandable because apparently, the event clashed with some political debates or philosophical talk or something. I’m not sure. Oh well, papel.
Photos!
Carlos Flickerman and the spirit of Rue as your hosts for the day, folks! He dyed his hair black because black is the new blue. Also, the ties on his elbows are apparently the latest in Capitol fashion. Oh, Carlos. You so funny.
Ms. Biana on her Postfeminist Critique of The Hunger Games, saying that Suzanne Collins is her second Philip K. Dick.
Katniss getting “reaped” for the third time! The reapings were pretty cool. We gave away some pretty neat-o stuff, courtesy of our sponsors (Scholastic, National Bookstore, Pioneer Films, and MCA Universal [once again this event was brought to you by DLSU Writers’ Guild: Redefine Writing])! I should totally make a living as a voice talent now. (Not.)
Marien Jose as Katniss Everdeen during the event. It was awesomepossum because she even called me out for acting more like a Capitol citizen than Rue. I blame the Effie Trinket-approved shoes!
People lining up for Mellark’s Muffins! (Well… they were made by Bea.) The secret ingredient is Nightlock, we’re all going to die! Yay! (We kid. They’re blueberries.)
Professor Sangil’s talk! Eeee! I would have loved to have been her student. Sadly, the odds were not in my favor. :(
There was a record of around 80 people in attendance. It’s saddening that the other schools had at least 250. :( That just made the odds of our attendance a little more favourable, no? ;) We even had a Quarter Quell!
Ms. Angel of Hunger Games Philippines winning a Mockingjay Pin! Even if she already had one! (I wanted to steal it but then I remembered stealing is punishable by death).
Me giving my talk with only notes from my trusty iPhone, Fondue! I wasn’t able to prepare a presentation because I was pressed for time. I managed somewhat, though. So yay! :)
Some of our fabulous prizes! Five copies of the Limited Edition version of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and a stamped copy of Mockingjay! Other prizes were movie posters, pass for two to watch The Hunger Games at any cinema during the regular release date, leather bookmarks, CD samplers, and Mockingjay pins!
This lucky girl won the ever-so-coveted copy of Mockingjay! T’was a surprise that she had only read the first book! Gasp! There were so many spoilers during the talk! (Oh God. Thighs, Jonnah. For such a thin girl, all the meat went to your legs. ;_____;)
Ahhh! I got a freebies bag from Scholastic and a certificate of appreciation for being a speaker! Eeeee! And I swear, in that moment, we were legit.
Once again, I was the spirit of Rue! And yes, my bright red pumps got a lot of compliments. And they’re so comfortable for a pair of four (maybe five) inch heels! I’m not even kidding. I run for miles in these babies. “Maybe I would have won if I had sponsors.” Oh, Jonnah nah.
Well that’s all we have for you today, citizens of Panem! Thank you, good night, and may the odds be ever in your favor!
xx
Jonnah
Book Review: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Plot (from Goodreads):
R is a young man with an existential crisis—he is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he has dreams. His ability to connect with the outside world is limited to a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing.After experiencing a teenage boy’s memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and stragely sweet relationship with the victim’s human girlfriend. Julie is a blast of color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that surrounds R. His choice to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.
Scary, funny, and surprisingly poignant, Warm Bodies explores what happens when the cold heart of a zombie is tempted by the warmth of human love.
A zombie/human romance. … Let’s not start with that. Let’s start with the things I actually liked.
This book is actually very well written. It’s insightful and intelligently written, containing themes of existentialism, death, and varying adolescent emotions. It’s an interesting spin on death and a zombie-fied society. I really liked Marion’s writing style. It’s careful and sincere with elements of modern pop culture and has the steady voice of young adults today. It has the feel of a personal conversation with a friend.
The plotline was moderately good at best. A little anti-climactic and incredibly short paced for a worldwide zombie apocalypse. It centered on a single city-stadium-airport when hello, there’s an entire world out there and it concentrates on a single zombie/human tandem. I mean, okay. I get the whole centering on the love story but that’s just bordering on way too cheesy (which is saying something, considering my high tolerance for cheese). The characters were really well written. I really liked R but I’m not a big fan of Julie or Nora. Nora is probably the most one dimensional character in the entire book but at least she’s a minor character. Julie displays a lot of angst but there are borderline Mary Sue tendencies in her description. Angst-ridden beautiful blond girl who gets the unconventional, sweet guy (who happens to be undead)? Yeah. I like cliches but it’s not the best way to portray a cliche. I found M to be really interesting and I wish more information about him was on it. The Boneys weren’t written out as elaborately as they should have been in order to get a more solid grasp on the zombie society. Were they the elders? The origin of the plague? The dictators? Something? It left a lot of unanswered questions and it felt like a moderate scale of zombie plague instead of a worldwide pandemonium.
Now for the parts I didn’t like.
There’s only one part I really didn’t like though - the misinterpretation of zombie science. I like to think that I have been studying zombies well enough to know a thing or two in theoretical research and I have this to say - zombies were people too. Zombies are simply dead people, dead human beings. Their teeth do not have the capability to penetrate through human skulls and eat brains. Their brains are perpetually dead, they are animated corpses with only one goal in life (or lack, thereof) - eat live flesh. They are not capable of emotions, of memories, or of any kind of coherent human thought. They cannot run because locomotor skills are controlled by the brain and since theirs are, in most theories, virtually dead, they cannot run or rip someone’s skull open or have blood running through their veins. As Matt Mogk said in his book, ‘Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Zombies”, “The modern vombie is a relentlessly aggressive, reanimated human corpse driven by a biological infection.”
Things Warm Bodies!zombies are: reanimated human corpses driven by a biological infection. Point taken that some of the zombies are, in fact, relentlessly aggressive towards their prey but the main zombie, R, isn’t. A zombie brain is perpetually dead, meaning its ability for higher cognitive functions has been radically depleted. They are not capable of coherent, logical thought. They are not swayed by cries for mercy. They do not feel. They are dead, reanimated corpses. The dead cannot be brought back to life (unless you’re the Almighty God who can do anything, which you aren’t). Their blood cannot flow back into a zombie’s veins just because some hot blond girl kisses him.
Other than that, Warm Bodies was actually a delightful read. I really did like it, if it wasn’t for the flawed application of theoretical zombie research and science. Still, the story’s nice and I can’t say it’s worth reading but I don’t regret reading it, if that means anything. I look forward to Marion’s future novels. The man’s got a voice and a great way of translating it to words. Good job for a debut novel.
Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Plot (from Goodreads):
Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs… for now.
Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.
Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.
I NEED A NEW UNIVERSE TO FLOOD WITH MY TEARS.
This book is a classic John Green. It’s absolutely perfect. What’s amazing about John Green’s style of writing is that he’s amazingly cliche. If you really think about it, his stories relate to typical teenage problems and whatnot. It just shows you how brilliant this man is because he manages to make the typical cliches into works of sheer genius. The Fault in Our Stars is probably the most perfect example for that.
Here you have these two cancer kids - Hazel and Augustus. Lots of kids have cancer and yes, of course, our sympathies go to them, but every story is more or less the same. The great beauty of every single one of those stories is the fresh personality behind the person with the side effect of dying. Come to think about it, we all have a certain kind of cancer. Some people have a cancerous wallet, hardly ever finding something to fill their bellies with at night. Some people have a cancerous heart - and not in a physical way - by means of them always needing someone to hold them at night. Personally, I have the cancer of depression. The same aching feeling of not wanting to be alive but not wanting to die at the same time. The same dark hole over and over again that no matter how much I don’t want to go back there, I go back. The Fault in Our Stars realizes that it’s not just about un-kill-able cells in your body that eat you from the inside the out. It’s the cancer we call life and how we’re going to deal with it. It’s what we do with our lives that make it count, not the seconds it withholds from us.
I am absolutely in love with Augustus Waters. He is an absolutely, flawlessly, imperfectly, perfectly beautiful character. He’s this sweet, amazing guy with the heart and soul of a poet and he doesn’t even realize it. He’s romantic and sympathetic but he’s not a prince charming. He’s just a boy and that goes to show at just how amazing some boys can be. He’s loyal and a wonderful friend. What he did for Isaac after Isaac’s surgery? Oh, my heart. Everything this boy says is perfectly crafted. It’s cheesy and cliche and you love it because none of it is overly done and everything is sincere. You know you fell in love with him the same way Hazel Grace fell in love with him - the way you fall asleep; slowly then all at once. Honestly, if you don’t weep for this boy when it happens, we are not friends. It’s inevitable, what happens, and foreshadowed to a tee but even if you were expecting it, it still breaks your heart because it just isn’t fair. He’s this wonderful guy and that happens and you just shrivel up inside because it’s not fair. He’s created his own infinity within your system - he’s a persona that is almost impossible to forget.
Hazel is quirky and quiet and selflessly selfish. She isn’t the kind of sick person who wants to wallow in self pity but hates to be pitied herself. She doesn’t like what happened to her but she’s still kicking, without realizing just how strong she is. It’s not like she forgets that she has cancer but she doesn’t let her cancer control her. I love Hazel because of how much she reminds me of me. That may sound narcissistic and it probably is but this girl just has so much of what is what I believe to be most of my personality and outlook on life. I love how she wants to tread as lightly as she possibly can on the world in order to create less damage (which is totally unlike me). I adored the line where it says that a person can just do little change in the world either good or bad, so it’s better to do almost nothing to touch it at all. It’s something to ponder on.
Green’s characters are perfectly characterized. He’s this brilliant, beautiful man with the heart, mind, and soul of every artist that has ever been. He has a brilliant way with words and such a talent in convicting and retelling human emotions almost perfectly, as if his words are the definition of that emotion. He said once that his book, ideally, was to make you feel ALL THE FEELS. Mission accomplished, John. Mission accomplished.
I loved this book. It’s absolutely magnificent and brilliant in all the ways only John Green can be magnificent and brilliant. You need to read this at least once in your life before you have your Last Good Day.
Book Review: Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Plot (from Goodreads):
“War,” says the Mayor. “At last.” Three armies march on New Prentisstown, each one intent on destroying the others. Todd and Viola are caught in the middle, with no chance of escape. As the battles commence, how can they hope to stop the fighting? How can there ever be peace when they’re so hopelessly outnumbered? And if war makes monsters of men, what terrible choices await? But then a third voice breaks into the battle, one bent on revenge - the electrifying finale to the award-winning “Chaos Walking” trilogy, Monsters of Men is a heart-stopping novel about power, survival, and the devastating realities of war.
I need to gather all of my emotions for a minute. This series is absolutely beautiful. It’s raw and powerful and tragic and so very real. The last novel is basically just a long telling of a huge war which seems like the end of the world when really, it’s just a war between a town, a rebellion, and a few (thousand) native species. They’re this clustered little nation in this vast New World and they think they rule everything else in it. It’s so beautifully metaphorical for the current situation with … a certain dominating first world country. War isn’t pretty, that goes without saying, but the book is still beautiful. Let’s talk about the characters first. My favourite will always be Todd Hewitt. I adore how he’s grown up from being this little boy from Prentisstown to becoming this man of the New World. He cares, he feels and in return, he makes you care and feel for him. He’s a man who has had a lot of sacrifices and decisions to make. They’re at war - rationality isn’t exactly at the highest priority when you’re desperate trying to stay alive to keep the one thing you love in the world alive. I love that about him. He’s so selfless despite having every reason to be selfish. He would give his life, thousands of lives, the entire bloody damn world if it meant keeping her safe. Let’s admit it - wouldn’t we all? He’s human - he makes mistakes, he makes hard decisions; but does he let that hinder him from fighting? When his Viola is at stake? No. He doesn’t stop and he keeps fighting. That is extremely admirable. Viola Eade is such a lovely little thing. She’s fierce and she’s a strong willed fighter. She isn’t a damsel in distress but she’s aware that she has to be saved and can only be saved by Todd. Despite everything that she has been through, all the growing up that she had to do before it was her time, the level of maturity this one girl had is completely stupendous. Mayor Prentiss? I feel for him, I really do. That’s honestly why I think no man will truly ever know everything - it’s because we wouldn’t be able to handle it. I hated how I knew what was going to happen to him because I was so pleasantly surprised by every sharp twist and turn in this series. But oh well. I understand why Mistress Coyle did what she did. She was losing her power, the only thing that she had left in the world and when she felt it slipping away, marking her immortality in the minds of every person there was her only shot of never having to lose that power. Ben is such a lovely character. Wilf is just so brilliantly characterized. My heart goes out to Lee who is just such a sweet boy. I love the underlying tone of unrequited but pure and honest love there. In the end, not all the good guys get the girl. I think that he really does love Viola because if he didn’t, he would have done something to make her his. Instead, he saw how Todd loved her and how she loved him and that anyone who stood in the way of that was messing with the very course of nature itself. The concept of the Spackle and their way of communication is amazing and so very interesting. I’ve never dreamt of anything like it. The concept of the Land, the Sky, the Return, the Source, the Knife, the whole “one in particular” (which I’m totally going to steal for conversational purposes) thing is just really interesting. I love how they’re one people, really one people, and still have their own individual thoughts and feelings and dreams but still know that they are just the one people. One Spackle is the other and the other and there’s something intensely beautiful about that. Can I just say that the element of ambiguity in this series is absolutely brilliant? We know Todd, we know Viola, we know Mayor Prentiss, et cetera but they all look so different in our heads? In my opinion, I think Todd has brown hair but others say blond. Some people say Viola has red hair, I still say brown or maybe a blonde. We never know how they truly look in Ness’s point of view and that’s remarkable. It says a lot about Todd and Viola and how they see people. They prove their innocence from society by marking out the only difference between them is that they’re men and women. That’s an amazing feat. Todd and Viola’s relationship is just perfect. It’s a perfect example of a show not tell relationship. I adored how they didn’t have to tell each other how they felt because they knew. Noise or no noise, they knew what they meant to each other. It never had to be said because it’s just there. It’s in the way Viola would start a never ending war just to save Todd once. It’s in the way all Todd has to think about is Viola and he would be okay, he would have a reason to fight back. It’s just such a lovely and amazing relationship. It’s a friendship and it’s an intimate, romantic relationship that you just know is forever. Any one person doesn’t fall in love like that twice. We saw how they fell in love with each other. We saw what they would do for each other not just because of romantic feelings - but because they’re each other’s lives. Todd is Viola’s and Viola is Todd’s. It’s as simple as that. She is his strength and he is her hope. It’s just so beautiful. I love the underlying themes of a caste system and feminism. I adore the raw gore and blood because it’s just so real. Everything about the war is real - the lives lost, the leaders putting lives in front “for the greater good”, how some people think that some lives are worth more than others, et cetera. The plot is amazing and schematic and all around brilliant. The writing is original and quirky and it really grows on you. The characters are perfectly made and they fit together so well. I love this series. My heart hurts a little that I won’t have any more Todd/Viola (except maybe in fanfiction) but I love this series. I really do and I recommend it to anyone who will listen to me.
January 2012 articles for The LaSallian are now up!
- Rant and Rave: The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler.
From the authors of the bestselling novels: Thirteen Reasons Why and The Earth, My Butt, and Other Round Things; many readers highly anticipated the release of The Future of Us. The Future of Us, by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler, tells the story of two teenagers: Emma and Josh, whom both suddenly discover their own Facebook profiles – 15 years into the future. The book is set in 1996 and not many people had computers back then, much less the Internet. - Rant and Rave: Harry Potter Page to Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey by Bob McCabe.
Harry Potter fans have more to look forward to in the near future, but in the meantime, this text is well worth the price, weight, and time.
Book Review: The Ask and The Answer by Patrick Ness
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Plot (from Goodreads):
We were in the square, in the square where I’d run, holding her, carrying her, telling her to stay alive, stay alive till we got safe, till we got to Haven so I could save her - But there weren’t no safety, no safety at all, there was just him and his men…
Fleeing before a relentless army, Todd has carried a desperately wounded Viola right into the hands of their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss. Immediately separated from Viola and imprisoned, Todd is forced to learn the ways of the Mayor’s new order. But what secrets are hiding just outside of town? And where is Viola? Is she even still alive? And who are the mysterious Answer? And then, one day, the bombs begin to explode…
“The Ask and the Answer” is a tense, shocking and deeply moving novel of resistance under the most extreme pressure. This is the second title in the “Chaos Walking” trilogy.
The beautiful thing about this review having a higher rating than its predecessor because it’s “better”. The Knife of Never Letting Go is still just as beautiful in its own right but this book just blew me away (forgive the pun).
The continuity from the first book is just so effortlessly flawless and real. We start seeing Todd and Viola become more than just the victims of the war but as the two people who are on neither sides but their own. These are just two kids trying to stay alive and stay together. It says a lot about their co-dependence on each other and that is just really, truly beautiful. There’s an essence of romance there WITHOUT having to put in the elements of gushy, teeny bopper, Hallmark card signs (inasmuch as I do love those signs and lines) but this is a prime example of a show not tell romance/friendship. You see their dedication and unswerving loyalty to each other. No matter what the other does, the other will always be there. They can’t lose each other and that right there is their drive. The word love is mentioned only once but the readers know what’s going on.
Todd as a character is so very beautiful. He has become this tortured man who feels and doesn’t let those feelings get the better of him. He uses his emotions as his drive; not power or hope, but love. Love for his ma and pa, love for Ben and Cillian, and his love for Viola. The boy never thinks of himself (this is evident in the first chapter alone) and Viola does the same for him. He never thinks of his own soul but he is constantly aware of the things he does to other people. He is alert of his actions and feels remorse for them, which is such a lovely thing to have in a boy who is trapped in such a desolate war. He’s growing and so is my attachment to him. He has a way of getting to you, of making you care for him in a way that only Todd Hewitt can do. If he can do that do Davy Prentiss Jr. well then… he can bring anyone to that.
Viola is an amazing character as well. She is kind of like the female version of Todd for she matches his loyalty and his fierce protectiveness over the other. She’s intelligent and adaptive. She isn’t reckless like most admirable heroines are - she’s collected and she thinks first, which makes her infinitely more dangerous.
I wept for Davy Prentiss. I love him, I really really do. He’s just this boy who was raised the wrong way by a power hungry father who believed himself to be a maker of peace. The Prentisses have that effect. You cannot hate them despite really wanting to hate them. Mayor Prentiss honestly believes himself to be the good guy because honestly, no one is the villain in their own story. Davy is just this young lad who has been taught all the wrong things and is so desperate to know what’s right. Todd’s his only friend and he has this tremendous guilt of morality over blood going on and- Hold on, I need a moment. (If you’ve read The Mortal Instruments - their relationship is reminiscent of the Sebastian-Jonathan/Valentine Morgenstern ordeal pre-City of Fallen Angels. Yes, I also have a lot of feelings for Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern and his lovely, misunderstood, somewhat demonic self).
The plot is wonderfully driven and written. It’s consistent and utterly and beautifully real and raw. Much likes its predecessor, it takes readers in to an account of a fictional war in such a way that the war feels very personal and real. Why? Because for a moment, you really get attached to Todd and Viola and how they are lost without the other. You feel like the caretakes of these two little pups and you need to have them be together. They’re beautiful (and if I don’t get a Todd/Viola kiss by the end of book three, I am going to flip a table) and I’m truly excited to reading the next installment.
I’m quite proud of myself for not researching on what happens after this book. I now appreciate the no spoilers law and I will try and continue that when I read new books that have been released for a certain amount of time.
Book Review: The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Plot (from Goodreads):
Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him — something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn’t she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd’s gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.
It’s actually a very charming read.
I admit, I was distraught by all the grammar-os but it grew on me. All the ‘ah’m’s and the interpretayshuns and whatnot. Todd really grew on me and that’s one of the reasons why I really liked this book. See here’s this twelve (technically fifteen) year old boy who was just shoved into this bloody effing mess. He’s completely innocent but never plays the victim. He keeps on truckin’. It really quite admirable and I feel this intense protectiveness over him. Maybe it’s the fact that he’s an illiterate little boy who never knew his ma or that he’s just this kid who didn’t know anything about the big bad world and all of a sudden, he has to save it. There’s this charm to Todd - something very human and lovely about him. His thoughts are so raw and fresh and true. The fact that he repeats most of his thoughts are actually very human. It’s not a conventional read but it’s a damn good one.
I could not put this book down. I had to know what happened next, I had to know where he was headed, I had to know. I was obsessed! I’d love to hear a little more about Viola, though. What her life in the ship was like and I love her quirkiness. I adore how she’s this sweet young thing who you just want to hug or something and then suddenly, she becomes this badass girl who… does stuff that involves a knife. She’s quaint and brave and quite odd. She’s not your typical heroine who needs to be the badass every single time. She’s a badass in her own terms - sometimes, she’s still just a little girl who needs saving and I love that. These two little ones just strewn together by people from before their time and they have to make due with it. I liked how they could adapt as only kids could adapt.
The New World and all its glory with the two moons and the settlements is really interesting. I have a very specific setting in my head and it’s very raw and powerful. That’s a really good way to describe this book - raw. The Spackle, the ships, the settlement, the men of Prentisstown, everything. It was just randomly interlaced together, albeit with bits and pieces of foreshadowing here and there, but it worked. It worked without all the build up claptrap that is usually needed for YA reads. It works and that’s a rare piece of work right there. The plotline is beautifully written because of the fact that it’s so real. I’m not saying that there’s a Prentisstown somewhere in real life but the turn of events in real life? We never know that’s going to happen but it does. We see all these little factors coming together to make it so but we never anticipate what’s going to happen. That’s the basic plot structure of this book and it WORKS. Do y’all have any idea how difficult a feat that is to achieve in writer-verse? Very, very difficult.
It’s not the greatest YA piece I’ve ever read but I really, really like it. YA, dystopia, science fiction. There’s even the littlest hint of teen romance in there, which I think kind of sells, but I love how they’re friends. They’re best friends first and… there’s a hopeless romantic in me that simply has to ship Todd/Viola. (Also, Ben/Cillan but… you know. Cillian. D: )
Last Wednesday (16 November 2011), I was called to cover SPOTLIGHT 2 which is my org’s Songwriting Competition. In addition to directing the publicity material, I had to do this as well. I love both my org and my job so I was more than happy to do it! I quite enjoy events photography but I do need my fair share of practice before I’m decent. It was a great event with lots of talented acts and a lot more people from last time!
Check out DLSU Writers’ Guild for more photos of the full event!
A spoiler-free review of Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
I once read a book entitled The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers and it was a brilliant book, one of my absolute favourites. In it, he had a character named Dancelot Wordwright. Dancelot was a gifted author and one day, he came across a piece of literature that was so perfect and beautiful that it affected and changed him forever. It made him laugh, it made him cry, it made him feel things he never imagined before - feelings that were simply indescribable. Each punctuation felt like either a blow to the heart or a well needed comforting hug to him. He thought the words were so beautifully, strategically, and artfully interlaced together it was as if it was written by the angels of Heaven who knew the greatest, eternal Beauty of all. That piece of literature contained so much beauty for him that it made him quit writing forever because that much perfection made everything else that he wrote appear mediocre, a petty excuse for a short story. That, dear readers, is what reading Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare felt like.
I went to Jzone ELEVATE today and it was very entertaining. There were so many people and I was socially awkward (as usual) so I ended up with my Dgroupmate, Stacy (who is thirteen huhu I felt old). We were later joined by Yani and it was her first time at Jzone. I remember my first time there sometime last year. I was awkward. Nothing has changed~ I kid, but seriously - still a socially awkward penguin. The dance ministry (was it even the dance ministry? I don’t even know okay) was great. The lights were amazing. The Praise and Worship team were amazing. Oooh, people got free stuff! I was silently praying that I wouldn’t get called because I am that socially awkward. There were so many videos~ Awww Kuya Dan. When I think of Kuya Dan, I think of energetic puppies. I don’t really know why. He had a stuffed pig for his message. Let me feed you~ After the message, Yani and I ran out as soon as possible. She ran because her dad was there, I ran because of personal reasons. Praise God for a truly amazing Youth service!
After waiting for six years, I finally got to see them live! Their show was epic beyond all epic proportions. <3
And this has been another adventure brought to you by Red Hat Girl. Stay tuned for more! :)
That amazing moment when my partner in crime, Betina Libre, and I went across the big four universities in a little more than five hours! Grab the latest copy of The LaSallian (TLS) and read all about it! For non-Lasallians, I’ll probably scan it! Mostly because I’m so gosh darn proud of this article! <3
The main building at UST. It’s very aesthetically beautiful and I swear, everybody looked so darn chill. They were just you know - leisurely walking around and stuff. You don’t see that in La Salle. It’s usually so fast paced and stuff. Very different atmosphere.
Sweet girls who told us to play CoD.
Krista Ferrero and Celina Lakay. Two Thomasians who gave us all the information we needed. Thanks, girls!
I just really like this shot.
Totally lucky snapshot of a couple down at UST’s Lovers’ Lane. Cutie pies! They didn’t even want to make me hurl or whatever.
Y’all have no idea how giddy I got when we got to this sign.
Adventure buddy is such a cutie pie. <3
Ate Vicky’s special siomai! It was so good! I actually really want to go to UP just for this siomai, okay.
Photo of Betina with the Oblation statue. Apparently if you take a photo with it, you’ll get delayed.
Best. Watermelon. Shake. I’ve. Ever. Had. Ever. And it was only PHP35. Lutong Bahay at UP Diliman! I love how the UP tasks we had to do were related to food.
Laurice Pauline Sta. Maria. Thanks for doing this interview! Love you forever. <333
Ate Deb Victa. Awkward phone call was awkward. I was still at UP and I got this phone call from this unknown number and all I kept hearing was “Hi Jonnah! This is Gab.” All I could hear was “Gab” whenever I’d ask who it was and I’d be like “Gab? Who’s Gab? This is a girl’s voice. Who is Gab?” but then I heard her say “… This is Jared’s sister” and I wanted to slap myself right then and there. Talk about awkward. Anyway, Ate Deb was super nice and cooperative during the interview (unlike her brother who never answers anything point blank and always, and I do mean always, has to be cryptic) and I was shaky and awkward and nervous. She was so nice and friendly and helpful. Thanks, Ate Deb! :)
So technically this was my first field report as a journalist. Oh yeah.
SEC walk at Ateneo. Gosh this hallway felt like home to me. I have an affinity for brick walls, okay.
The “catwalk”. I am loving how the green turned out for this photo.
Christopher John B. Legaspi from Ateneo. He’s a CommTech Major and he helped out with the article too. Thanks, Chris! Don’t worry, I’m awkward too!
Our Ateneo task was to meet Ate Alma who is reportedly “the best and sweetest xerox lady ever”. And I live to tell the tale. She is so nice and sweet and lovely and radiating of sunshine and rainbows and motherly affection. <3
Betina’s first ever LRT ride! Cutie pie adventure buddyyyy. <3
Read all about this exciting adventure in the copy of The LaSallian! Released on Wednesday! Grab a copy at any of the newsbins located inside campus (SJ Walk, Miguel Hall, South Gate, et cetera.) Yaaaaay! Hope you all will enjoy reading about our mission!
Peace and love,
Agent Jonnah D.
xx
Note: This is a ten page paper I had to write for class. It could get lengthy.
CAN YOU HEAR ME YET?
Everything had been unfamiliar during the day when I was supposedly meeting up with a certain young woman. Not just any young woman, but someone who has done something with her life at such a young age. At the age of sixteen, she had already been in two Cinemalaya films and had been featured in some international film festivals. Not a lot of people at that ripe young age have the benefit of saying that. Usually, at sixteen, the most people could do was the usual graduate high school or not fail anything for a semester. It is unusual to have accomplished so much in so little time but for Zoe Katerina Genato Sandejas, star of Dinig Sana Kita (2009), she’s been there and she has done that.
As a seventeen year old girl from Las Piñas City who has only ever been allowed up in Manila for a year, I’m not entirely familiar with the landscape of the Metro. Imagine my relief when I then found out that my interviewee was going to Taft for the interview, saving both my time and sanity. However, we can’t really have it all as at the last minute, we had to relocate at Trinoma. I’ve only ever been to Trinoma twice in my life and only once by myself. Luckily, I was with my friend who was there to document the interview and I set off. Two very long train rides later, I was there. I had to admit to myself that the moment I stepped in that mall, my heart was racing. I had never really interviewed anyone formally before and I was chanting to myself to remain poised and professional. We found a small spot in Seattle’s Best Coffee on the second flood of Trinoma and began setting up for the interview. There was a program a floor down and it was, lacking a better term, loud. I was beginning to doubt if we could hear each other, what with all the distractions, but I maintained the old chant of hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. The lighting was set, the camera was at the ready and with my trusty notebook and list of questions, all we needed was our interviewee. And then we waited.
We waited for what seemed like ages. It wasn’t even that long but it felt like hours to me. Maybe because I was excited, maybe because I was a nervous wreck and it was probably because I was both. We waited and my fingers were already itching, it was then that she walked into the quaint little coffee shop. Miss Zoe walked in looking comfortably casual and I felt immediately overdressed, what with my long sleeves and pencil skirt. She was all smiles and her bubbly energy was radiating off of her that it was almost tangible. She was all smiles when she reached us and my fears of her being the “stereotypical film actress” of being snotty melted away. Three Brownie Frappuchinos later, the three of us got to know each other just a little bit more. Zoe aired a friendly atmosphere that made talking with her easy and not at all awkward as I had been expecting. In fact, the only awkward person in the situation was me. She even thought that I was a student of her father, Mike Sandejas, who teaches film at De La Salle College of Saint Benilde. After a little while, the interview presumed.
A film review of “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank” [The Woman in the Septic Tank] (2011) written by Jonnah D.
In the present days of the commercialized Filipino film industry, I find myself finding solace in the realm of indie films much more compelling. I found myself excited for Cinemalaya 2011 due to the promising films that they were showing and I was intrigued by the title and concept of Ang Babae sa Septic Tank. The title in itself is raw, powerful and controversial - so unlike any of the other Filipino films I’ve seen. I looked forward to and patiently waited in line for hours for a ticket to this film. It was well worth the wait, and that’s putting it lightly.
Ang Babae sa Septic Tank (2011) was directed by Marlon Rivera and produced by Chris Martinez. The story revolved on the pre-production of a film called ‘Walang-wala’ that was to be directed by direk Rainier (Kean Cipriano), producer Bingbong (JM de Guzman) and production assistant Jocelyn (Cai Corpuz). The film progresses as Rainier and Bingbong continuously deliberate on sequences 36 to 40 while the audience is given the visual through the imagination of Jocelyn. The hardships of making an independent film such as the feel that they wish for the film to have, to the target audience by which they need to entertain and the standards they need their film to achieve and sustain. The audience is entreated to the original opening of the film, which is in itself touching, controversial and striking. The points of views gradually differ as Rainier and Bingbong change small details from making it into a musical, a docudrama and a varying of lead actresses. Their standards for their film is to achieve a larger grandeur that their rival movie maker has achieved. The filmmakers wish to cast Mila (Eugene Domingo who also plays herself) for their film and so set up an appointment with her. Eugene readily accepts with a few conditions, such as her own commercialized viewpoint for the film. The filmmakers agree to her terms and then set out for the location of their film, which they deem perfect, until tragedy strikes when huddles of men form around Bingbong’s car and robs them of their equipment. The film ends with the makers downtrodden from their day’s anticlimax. The credits roll and there’s a little extra scene that will make the film truly memorable amongst all things and make the title of the film what it is.
The cinematography, the script and the cast for the film were perfect and phenomenal. Albeit Cipriano and de Guzman had certain commercial traits to their acting, they managed to pull off a believable performance of actual indie directors. Corpuz, on the other hand, is commendable for her work. Her character was next to mute in the film and usually she wouldn’t have made much of an impact, but she did. Her presence was well known and it was without the use of words. That is not an easy feat. Domingo’s performance was the best of all. She exudes excellence in her portrayal of the various archetypes that she needed to relay to the audience - all in the same character. Her gall, her talent and her comedic skills were believable and highly entertaining. If anyone deserves the Best Actress in the Cinemalaya film festival, Domingo deserves it hands down. If her three kinds of acting didn’t win you over, the last mid-credits extra scene will.
The script and editing were flawless and beautifully relayed through the cinematography. The ending was heartbreaking, unexpected and brilliant. The scene wherein Rainier and Bingbong were deliberating on casting Eugene Domingo, Cherry Pie Picache and Mercedes Cabral for their film was amazing. The editing, the acting, the satirical truth to it all was absolutely brilliant and all kinds of perfect in so many ways. Ang Babae sa Septic Tank was one of the most outstanding, brilliant and beautiful Filipino films I have ever seen in my life. It was independent in a sense but it presented a certain commercialism to it that didn’t make it campy. The entirety of the film was well done, well thought of and just overall beautifully conceptualized. It’s the kind of film the Filipino film industry should be basing their standards on.
Ang Babae sa Septic Tank will be released in theaters nationwide starting August 3, 2011!
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