Introverts

'Nuff said.

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Vacation Ramblings

As I write this, I'm sipping a glass of ice cold pink lemonade while lying stretched out on one of the beach chairs, basking in this glorious hot sun and enjoying the beginnings of summer.

Not.

I'm the kind of girl who would drink ice cold pink lemonade in an air-conditioned room. Or in the snow (I'm just guessing since I don't really know, having never experienced snow yet). It's our one week vacation and it's been pretty much fruitful in terms of relaxing. I love my job, but there are days when I just want to sit back and catch up on all the extracurricular activities I sort of tend to lose track of on regular days.

I've been catching up on reading (yay!). I have Schindler's List and Lovestruck on my currently reading list. But yesterday, I decided that I just had to re-read Jean Webster's Daddy Long Legs (for reasons you will read below). So I did. Then I remembered that I have two books I need to review for my job: Crispin by Avi and Dragon's Blood by Joan Yolen. (Yes, I love that my job lets me read and recommend fiction.) I started Dragon's Blood some time already, but then had to start from the beginning yesterday when I picked it up again. It's not that the story does not capture my attention. I think it's just that I'm not used to reading to review it. I usually read and then sometimes write a review after. I don't read, with the review in mind. That was my mistake when I first started Dragon's Blood. It makes reading tedious and boring when you read it thinking that you'll eventually have to review it. It takes away the joy and excitement of learning about new worlds. So I've decided to tackle it anew and not think about how I'm going to write that review for work.

I've been watching some stuff, too. Aside from keeping up with the latest from The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, which is every Monday and Thursday (and will end this Thursday, I think—so if you haven't caught up yet, now is the time to do it!) and that Pinoy teleserye that has charmed almost every household, Be Careful with My Heart (yes, people-who-know-me. I watch that. Now faint in shock.), I've been watching Judie, which is the Japanese anime version of Daddy Long Legs (and the reason why I just had to read the book again). I think they televised it here in the Philippines when I was in my first couple years of high school. It's been so many years now, and watching it just brings back so much memories. I find that I understand a lot more about the anime series now. I'm glad that it followed the book as faithfully as it could, although Judy is a lot younger in the anime series, and she goes to high school instead of college. Other details that are in the book, however, are present in the anime, and it brings out a lot of bittersweet feelings. I was talking with my siblings the other day and we were saying that these first few episodes of Judie tend to be funny-sad. Funny because she has so much mishaps and adventures. Sad because you see her struggling with insecurity, loneliness, and you see that no one—not even the kind, sweet Sally McBride—can really understand Judy Abbott. But then there's Daddy Long Legs, and he always makes her world brighter.

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Josh Groban's "February Song"

Sometimes, there are just songs that seem to describe everything you're currently going through...


Where has that old friend gone
Lost in a February song
Tell him it won't be long
'Til he opens his eyes
Opens his eyes
Where is that simple day
Before colors broke into shades
And how did I ever fade
Into this life
Into this life

And I never want to let you down
Forgive me if I slip away
And all that I've known is lost and found
I promise you I
I'll come back to you one day

Morning is waking up
Sometimes it's more than just enough
And all that you need to love
Is in front of your eyes
It's in front of your eyes

And I never want to let you down
Forgive me if I slip away
Sometimes it's hard to find my ground
'Cause I keep on falling as I try to get away
From this crazy world

And I never want to let you down
Forgive me if I slip away
And all I've known is lost and found
I promise you I
I'll come back to you one day

Where has that old friend gone
Lost in a February song
Tell him it won't be long
'Til he opens his eyes
Opens his eyes

What I've Been Watching Lately

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries - http://www.lizziebennet.com
It's a modern re-telling of the classic, all-time favourite, Pride and Prejudice. This time, it's in the style of video-blogging, with Lizzie Bennet as the main vlogger, though she has guest stars in between (like her sisters and best friend and the guys involved). And since it's a re-telling, some things are changed to make the story fit more in the modern-day (such as George Wickham being the swim coach instead of a soldier). It's not terribly jarring, though, and fits the flow of the story well.
One thing I liked most about TLBD is how real the characters are. You can't help but fall in love with Bing Lee (Mr. Bingley) and Jane. Darcy is annoying—wow, I'd never dreamed I'd say that. I guess that's because I watched Pride and Prejudice (both the 1995 and 2005 versions) liking Mr. Darcy already, but in this one, I see things more the way Lizzie sees them, disliking Darcy at first and then growing to respect and even admire him. George Wickham is incredibly likable at first (with good shoulders too!), but as the story progresses, I started feeling an immense dislike of him. Collins is fine—the cutest of all the Collinses so far (but I still think he's the last man on earth who could ever make me happy). Lydia is perhaps the biggest surprise. I've never liked her in all the Pride and Prejudice adaptations that I've seen, but in this one, she is funny, entertaining, and there's a certain side to her that brings draws your heart to her and makes you understand all the decisions she makes and why she acts the way she does.
The series is still ongoing, though, and a video is posted every Monday and Thursday.
I would offer a word of caution, though, especially to young audiences. As this is very modern, there are some obscenities, bad words, and a few kissing scenes.

The Sing-Off - http://www.nbc.com/sing-off/
Think American Idol, choir style. And when you've got the Sing-Off fever, there's no recovering or going back to American Idol. For me and a bunch of other choir enthusiasts, that is. I just discovered this reality TV competition last week, although, according to my sister, it's been up and about some years ago already, and research has revealed that they canceled the show (it only reached up to Season 3), though they're website says "returning soon," whenever "soon" is. Perhaps it's just as they're saying, that everyone is into bands and not much are into choirs. For now.
Anyway, in the Sing-Off, I've got a bunch of favorite choirs. Namely Committed, BYU Vocal Point, YellowJackets, and Pentatonix. Wow, these guys can sing and have fun while they're singing!
What I like most about it are the judges' comments. They give thought-provoking, intelligent comments. They really know what they're talking about in terms of singing and music, and high and low registers and the blending of a final chord. As a choir member, I find it incredibly helpful because I get to learn a lot from it. And they're not being overly sarcastic for the sake of being sarcastic. In fact, I don't think there is sarcasm coming from the judges in the show. When they hear or see something they don't like, they admonish the contestants and suggest things that they think would be helpful. They never put down the people for their song choice or their style of singing or their voice, but make helpful comments and always end with an encouraging note.

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BBC's "The Big Read"

BBC released a list of UK's best-loved novels. Here are the top 100. (Those in bold are those I've read.)

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

I'd put the top 200, but upon reading the list, I realize I've only read around 3 books. Ah, well! Time to hit the bookstores again!

How many have you read?

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A Lot of Randomness Today

{writing}

Random scenes from random stories whose plots I don't know, whose stories I don't know, whose characters haven't come to existence yet. I do that a lot, I realize. I see the wind moving through the trees, and all of a sudden, a scene forms itself in my brain. I don't know where it comes from, I don't know if I will ever get to use it, but still I write it out.

{reading}

Christopher Paolini's Inheritance. I'm finding that I don't quite like his writing style so much. Yeah, I wasn't that aware when I read Eragon and Eldest, but Brisingr and now Inheritance...there's just something I can't put a finger on. Just don't get me started about Murtagh though. He's the only reason why I keep reading.

Heather Arnel Paulsen's Emotional Purity. A lot of great thoughts, gentle rebukes, and helpful reminders. Something I needed to read.

{listening}

The sweet voice of one of the kids here. Sounds of other people in chatting in the distance. Doors slamming shut. Footsteps on the stairs. People walking to and fro.

To the original soundtrack of Finding Neverland. It's sweet. And sad. But it's beautiful.

{watching}

People work. Some are busy in front of their screens. Others walk to and fro, rushing from one desk to another. Others are busy carrying books, cutting cards, fixing things. Kids poring over their school work. My messy table. Yep, it's a normal day at work.

{looking}

At the brown floor beneath my feet...but not really seeing it (yes, I am deep in thought).

{feeling}

Tired. I should really stop letting books keep me up at night. I can't help it though!

{anticipating}

Learning The King's Singers version of I'll Follow the Sun. Finishing the books I'm reading and starting new ones. A few chats here and there. Recording a song with our choir, mayhap, for a marketing venture?

{wishing/praying}

Just a few, simple things, really. Like an accessible post office. A purple or blue-jeans laptop bag so that Armitage won't get any more damaged than he already is. An exciting adventure, such as a mission trip.

{loving}

Benjamin Zander from TED Talks. I just love how he blends classical music with wonderful insights about leadership and touching people's lives.

Watch:

My Reading List for 2013

Well, it's time to get things a wee bit organized. As much as possible, that is. I've been a member of Goodreads for a couple of years now, but I've never joined their yearly reading challenge. This year, I won't doing that again (maybe, unless I change my mind later), but I'll be doing something quite interesting and more fun, the Outread Aubrey! Challenge. Truth be told, I don't get to read much these days (sigh), so I'm not exactly sure I'll be able to outread Aubrey, but this will be fun anyway.

So voilà—here it is! My reading list for 2013. It will be updated in the future as I add more books or take some out and cross-out the ones I've already read.

Fiction
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Inheritance by Christopher Paolini
Peter's Angel by Aubrey Hansen
Red Rain by Aubrey Hansen
Nicholas Nickelby by Charles Dickens
Safely Home by Randy Alcorn
Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally


Re-reads
Freckles by Gene Stratton Porter
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee


Non-Fiction
Emotional Purity by Heather Arnel Paulsen
Inside the Revolution by Joel Rosenberg
The Pleasures of God by John Piper
Spectacular Sins by John Piper
What's the Difference? by John Piper


Random Books Along the Way
River Way Home by Jason Wellnitz
Talk of the Town (Daily Texas, #1) by Lisa Wingate
How Sweet It Is by Bonnie Blythe


Image from here.