30.11.09
the author's side of the story
28.11.09
frustrated
I AM SO FRUSTRATED with some almost-nonsensical stuff lately. Well, first: The teams I was rooting for to win the Shakey’s V-League didn’t make it to the finals. They gave their best shot but it’s still frustrating all the same. It sucks not to see Fille kick some ass even for just a little while. But I guess I’ll only have to endure a little longer until the UAAP starts.
Fille Saint Merced Cainglet, Ateneo Lady EaglesSecond: The inspiration to write comes like a thief in the night and it leaves the same way it enters—in stealth. The problem is I have no laptop to pour those unpredictable thoughts into and I am not comfortable writing them using pen and paper. And when I try to recall them when finally faced with a computer, my memory fails me. This is a silly ranting. I know there a lot of problems to worry about.
And third: My birthday is fast approaching. If I could only slow down time, I would. Time flies alarmingly fast now and I can’t keep up with it. Sometimes I feel like time is an enemy I should defeat. But we all know that the better way to cope with it, is to treat it like a friend.
Make a wish, Ron…
24.11.09
vampires, werewolves, and insecure boyfriends
HALES AND I WENT TO THE CINEMAS to watch New Moon. I had no great expectations about the movie because I found the book from which the movie was adapted shallow. I was just curious as to how it would turn out on the big screen; the same reason I watch all those movies based from the novels I’ve read. Plus, my birthday was fast approaching so I figured I’d give my bestfriend a treat.
As expected, the lines for the tickets were ridiculously long and on them were mostly kids, giggling girls, and couples taking advantage of the hype brought by the sensationalized movie phenomena. All girls were wide-eyed and pupils dilated in anticipation for the pale body of Edward Cullen (except Hales of course. She’s on Team Jacob. And I think she got the right team. I mean who would want to make out with a talking cadaver? :P)
1:45 PM—We haven’t had our lunch yet and the movie was about to start at 2:10 PM. After buying the tickets we ate lunch at Chowking. We we’re forced to just shove the food down our throats and swallow or else we would miss the beginning of the movie, given that it was not a free-seating show (Hales was still chewing when we started running towards the cinemas. I hate it when I don’t get to watch the trailers before the show or when I begin a movie at the middle. It destroys the over-allcinematic effect. :P
When we got inside the theater, there were no more decent seats left. The only ones available were on the first row—just a couple of steps from the screen. So we decided to just occupy the center aisle of the theater even though we looked totally stupid, sitting there alone. Well, a hurting back and ass were much better than a severe headache and a stiff neck.
And the film began to roll. As I’ve said, there’s nothing W-O-W about the movie (But the soundtrack's really good! I downloaded it before I went home). I think I enjoyed the people’s reactions more than what were happening infront of me. The highlight was probably this one lady gasping “Oh Shit!” whenever Jacob appeared shirtless on the screen. She sounded torn between whispering and shouting outlout. Hales and I had a great laugh out of it. And when Edward said the magic words “Will you marry me”, the venue suddenly erupted in a unified sighs, shrieks and gigles. Haley and I looked at each other and realized we were so out of place. Let’s get out of here.
Then, Haley’s phone rang. His boyfriend called, inviting her to watch New Moon with him. Then, there was a flash-backward. A faint trace of a love triangle appeared out of nowhere, which shouldn’t be there in the first place. And Haley was once again faced with an old ordeal—How to fake her expressions in watching a movie she’d already seen. I have a bad history with my bestfriend’s boyfriends. All of them seemed to be jealous of me. I can’t still figure out why they’re so insecure of me! Hahaha! I have yet to meet this new guy in her life and I deeply hope that he’s different from the rest. And because I don’t want to place Haley in an impossible position once again—that she needs to choose between a friend and a lover. But most of all, I don’t want to lose her ...again.
“He wants to watch New Moon with me.” she said, a faint trace of worry in her voice.
“Just say ‘Oh Shit!’" I adviced.
As expected, the lines for the tickets were ridiculously long and on them were mostly kids, giggling girls, and couples taking advantage of the hype brought by the sensationalized movie phenomena. All girls were wide-eyed and pupils dilated in anticipation for the pale body of Edward Cullen (except Hales of course. She’s on Team Jacob. And I think she got the right team. I mean who would want to make out with a talking cadaver? :P)
1:45 PM—We haven’t had our lunch yet and the movie was about to start at 2:10 PM. After buying the tickets we ate lunch at Chowking. We we’re forced to just shove the food down our throats and swallow or else we would miss the beginning of the movie, given that it was not a free-seating show (Hales was still chewing when we started running towards the cinemas. I hate it when I don’t get to watch the trailers before the show or when I begin a movie at the middle. It destroys the over-allcinematic effect. :P
When we got inside the theater, there were no more decent seats left. The only ones available were on the first row—just a couple of steps from the screen. So we decided to just occupy the center aisle of the theater even though we looked totally stupid, sitting there alone. Well, a hurting back and ass were much better than a severe headache and a stiff neck.
And the film began to roll. As I’ve said, there’s nothing W-O-W about the movie (But the soundtrack's really good! I downloaded it before I went home). I think I enjoyed the people’s reactions more than what were happening infront of me. The highlight was probably this one lady gasping “Oh Shit!” whenever Jacob appeared shirtless on the screen. She sounded torn between whispering and shouting outlout. Hales and I had a great laugh out of it. And when Edward said the magic words “Will you marry me”, the venue suddenly erupted in a unified sighs, shrieks and gigles. Haley and I looked at each other and realized we were so out of place. Let’s get out of here.
Then, Haley’s phone rang. His boyfriend called, inviting her to watch New Moon with him. Then, there was a flash-backward. A faint trace of a love triangle appeared out of nowhere, which shouldn’t be there in the first place. And Haley was once again faced with an old ordeal—How to fake her expressions in watching a movie she’d already seen. I have a bad history with my bestfriend’s boyfriends. All of them seemed to be jealous of me. I can’t still figure out why they’re so insecure of me! Hahaha! I have yet to meet this new guy in her life and I deeply hope that he’s different from the rest. And because I don’t want to place Haley in an impossible position once again—that she needs to choose between a friend and a lover. But most of all, I don’t want to lose her ...again.
“He wants to watch New Moon with me.” she said, a faint trace of worry in her voice.
“Just say ‘Oh Shit!’" I adviced.
19.11.09
the secret is how to die...
FACT:
In 1991, a document was locked in the safe of the director of the CIA. The document is still there today. Its cryptic text includes references to an ancient portal and an unknown location underground. The document also contains the phrase 'It's buried out there somewhere.'
The Lost Symbol would be a good read unsurprisingly, especially if you love novels impregnated with historical and scientific facts, and mysteries, impeccably intertwined with an excellent fictional story-telling. Dan Brown is very well-known for blurring the lines between fact and fiction—which had proven successful in raising certain peoples’ eyebrows. Well, for me I don’t give much thought anymore as to what’re considered facts or fiction in his works. As long as they could tease my curiosity and could make my mouth hang open, I’m totally cool with it. I applaud Brown for his skill in connecting parallels that he could use for his story and for setting the flow of the plot in a lightning-paced mode. These are the key factors that made his novels into gripping page-turners and fall into nothing short of interesting.
If you happen to like his other two novels that featured the Harvard symbologist, Robert Langdon, Angels and Demons and the controversial The Da Vinci Code, you’d probably enjoy The Lost Symbol. However, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities and the recurring themes, and approaches Dan Brown had used to tell his novels. Perhaps, I was just expecting too much from this book or that I hoped that Dan Brown could outwrite himself this time but I think The Lost Symbol is the weakest from him since the Deception Point. The characters were flat. I am not sure if this was because of the pace of the story. The twists and the revelations in the end weren’t strong enough. They fell short of the buildup, I think. It’s an easy book to read, the trivial arguments were effective, and the process of discovery was thrilling but Dan just didn’t have new and fresh ways to deliver it.
One thing in the book that tweaked my curiosity the most was the science known as Noetics. It basically aims to prove ancient mystical knowledge using modern technology and science, focusing primarily on the untapped yet powerful potential of the human mind and how intangible thoughts can affect physical entities. Telekinesis immediately popped in my head when I first encountered this. Just imagine if a thought has a certain mass. And as we all know everything that has mass has a certain gravitational force. It basically pulls anything that has mass towards it. But what if all people think of the same thought, hence the thought increases in accumulative mass, and therefore gain a gargantuan gravitational force and pulls entities in the physical realm. I can’t exactly picture how it works but it’s really mind boggling don’t you think? And what if I tell you that even a soul has mass? Very curious indeed.
I have a feeling the Christian community will have their brows raised once again because the Holy Bible was put in a pedestal in this novel. This novel is bombarded with a lot of Bible passages. Also it explains certain Biblical events differently as compared to what the Church had taught the masses. Some topics include the Apocalypse, The End of the World, miracles, and the Bible being the ultimate cipher book.
I highly recommend this book but if I were you, I’d wait for the paperback version due early next year.
In 1991, a document was locked in the safe of the director of the CIA. The document is still there today. Its cryptic text includes references to an ancient portal and an unknown location underground. The document also contains the phrase 'It's buried out there somewhere.'
All organizations in this novel exist, including the Freemasons, the Invisible College, the Office of Security, the SMSC, and the Institute of Noetic Sciences.
All rituals, science, artwork, and monuments in this novel are real.
--Fact Page from The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
I'M FINALLY DONE perusing the pages of The Lost Symbol—the latest installment of the world-renowned thriller writer, Dan Brown, and with no surprise my brain was once again stimulated by symbols, codes, and secrets. A lot of thanks to my Haley for lending me the book.
The Lost Symbol would be a good read unsurprisingly, especially if you love novels impregnated with historical and scientific facts, and mysteries, impeccably intertwined with an excellent fictional story-telling. Dan Brown is very well-known for blurring the lines between fact and fiction—which had proven successful in raising certain peoples’ eyebrows. Well, for me I don’t give much thought anymore as to what’re considered facts or fiction in his works. As long as they could tease my curiosity and could make my mouth hang open, I’m totally cool with it. I applaud Brown for his skill in connecting parallels that he could use for his story and for setting the flow of the plot in a lightning-paced mode. These are the key factors that made his novels into gripping page-turners and fall into nothing short of interesting.
If you happen to like his other two novels that featured the Harvard symbologist, Robert Langdon, Angels and Demons and the controversial The Da Vinci Code, you’d probably enjoy The Lost Symbol. However, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities and the recurring themes, and approaches Dan Brown had used to tell his novels. Perhaps, I was just expecting too much from this book or that I hoped that Dan Brown could outwrite himself this time but I think The Lost Symbol is the weakest from him since the Deception Point. The characters were flat. I am not sure if this was because of the pace of the story. The twists and the revelations in the end weren’t strong enough. They fell short of the buildup, I think. It’s an easy book to read, the trivial arguments were effective, and the process of discovery was thrilling but Dan just didn’t have new and fresh ways to deliver it.
One thing in the book that tweaked my curiosity the most was the science known as Noetics. It basically aims to prove ancient mystical knowledge using modern technology and science, focusing primarily on the untapped yet powerful potential of the human mind and how intangible thoughts can affect physical entities. Telekinesis immediately popped in my head when I first encountered this. Just imagine if a thought has a certain mass. And as we all know everything that has mass has a certain gravitational force. It basically pulls anything that has mass towards it. But what if all people think of the same thought, hence the thought increases in accumulative mass, and therefore gain a gargantuan gravitational force and pulls entities in the physical realm. I can’t exactly picture how it works but it’s really mind boggling don’t you think? And what if I tell you that even a soul has mass? Very curious indeed.
I have a feeling the Christian community will have their brows raised once again because the Holy Bible was put in a pedestal in this novel. This novel is bombarded with a lot of Bible passages. Also it explains certain Biblical events differently as compared to what the Church had taught the masses. Some topics include the Apocalypse, The End of the World, miracles, and the Bible being the ultimate cipher book.
I highly recommend this book but if I were you, I’d wait for the paperback version due early next year.
9.11.09
pre-halloween scare
Halloween was still Halloween. I mean it’s always fun to have a family gathering in a cemetery, meet up with friends, and scare people with hideous masks. But ‘fun’ was not the right word to describe what happened the day before Halloween. It was ‘terrifying’. My father was caught up in a bad car accident. He was traversing the length of SLEX, when one of his tires exploded and a bus crashed against his car straight into the driver side. I was at my grandmother’s house when my sister told me the terrible news and added that my father refuses to get medical help insisting just to stay at home. I was suddenly reminded of those exaggerated dramatic scenes in telenovelas where in a protagonist dies in someone’s arms, bleeding, saying his last words. In a flash, I filled a bag with medical supplies I could use and went home.
My mind was racing, moving on a flash-forward, with images so revolting that I felt nauseated. It was one of those moments when I could actually say that I am scared. I couldn’t deny it because I could see it on my own eyes when I looked at the rear view mirror. And once again questions attacked the last remaining part in my head that could make sense of what’s happening. I tried to block them away. I saw years of regret in front of me and billowing unspoken words that had made a gap between me and my father. That was when I said to my self—He can’t die.
I saw the wrecked car as we got near to our destination—severely damaged with an enormous dent that practically bent the car from the middle. A total wreck. No one could’ve survived this. The car finally stopped. Breathe Ron. Clear your head. Don’t panic. As a nurse, trying to save someone’s life is challenging but when someone personally significant to you is involved, it’s a whole different story. It’s very hard to compartmentalize the personal from the professional stuff. But as a medical practitioner, you’re not allowed to panic or make mistake because whoever needs your help, that person's life is at stake. No room for mistakes. And the more reason I got scared. I broke into a run, my heart hammering my throat, and my lungs mimicking a brown bag being used by someone suffering from acute hypercapnia. And then it hit me. How did he manage to go home. Refusing medical help?—that is so stupid?!!!
I arrived at the threshold frustration and fear churning in my gut.
“Ano, Conicks?” I heard my father say my weirdest nick name, with a crooked smile that practically said ‘Whew! That was close.’
Relief rushed over me like cold water in a very hot summer day.
“Akala ko mamatay ka na eh!” I exclaimed feigning the urge to bang my head on a wall. My father survived a car crash with just a few shallow scratches, cuts, and a sprained wrist. I insisted that he get himself checked by a physician. He still refuses till now.
Stupid. We both are.
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