The Cartoon Trend on Facebook

"Change your Facebook profile picture to a cartoon from your childhood and
invite your friends to do the same. Until Monday (Dec.6) there should
be no human faces on Facebook, but an invasion of memories. This is for
violence against children." This was the famous Facebook status last week. As a big fan of cartoons, I was so thrilled to change my profile pic to my favorite cartoon character after reading this Facebook status. I have so many favorite cartoon characters that I decided to use one or two per day, for the week. Here are the ones I used:

On Wednesday- Hiei of Yuyu Hakusho also known as Vincent of Ghost Fighter here in the Philippines. He’s my ultimate anime crush. I just love everything about him: his powers (Black Dragon Spirit is my favorite among his other powers.), his ninja-like speed, his being “emo” (he has the right to be one since life has been so cruel to him), his spiky black hair with white highlights and his cuteness. If you’re a fan of Yuyu Hakusho you know that this half-human half- demon is so much more popular than the protagonist – Yusuke/Eugene. Why? Because he’s amazing.



Thursday- Scorpion of Mortal Kombat. His costume reminds me of Philippine Islands Assassin’s on Showtime’s grand finals! You know how crazy I am about that dance group!



Friday- Tails of Sonic the Hedgehog. He's the cutest thing on that cartoon I want to bite him!



Saturday (4:15 am)- I.R. Baboon of I am Weasel. He’s my favorite character on that cartoon! He’s so funny!



5:01 pm- Karasu. He’s my favorite villain on Yuyu Hakusho. He’s so handsome! I love his long raven hair. Rawr.




Sunday (8:59 am)- 2 Stupid Dogs. They’re the funniest and cutest dogs I’ve ever seen!



8:18 pm- Sakyou/Mr. Valdez. Again, from Yuyu Hakusho. That anime has a lot of great and memorable characters, doesn't it? I like him because:
1.he saves Shizuru (the sister of Kazuma, Yusuke’s best friend) from the demons in the arena of the Dark Tournament (the first deadly tournament Yusuke and his friends joined in) even though he shouldn't because he's a villain and he should be bad all the time! Wahaha! When I was a kid I dreamt of him having a romantic relationship with Shizuru. Aww, ain’t that sweet?
2. he looks like Karasu.
3. he’s utterly underrated. Apparently, no one on Facebook used his picture.



Monday, finally - L of Deathnote. Obviously he’s not a cartoon character from my childhood since Deathnote was aired on TV in 2006. But I used his picture because he’s so irresistible! I love his physical appearance and mind. He’s definitely the cutest and most brilliant detective in anime world!



Well, that’s about it. I hope after this cartoon trend on Facebook there would no longer be any form of child abuse (physical abuse at home, child labor, child trafficking, etc.). It has been such a fun and meaningful trend. <3

My first Starbucks planner

Yay! Finally, after collecting 17 stickers I now have my first Starbucks planner! Woohoo! I'm so happy! :)

Tori Amos’ music on a wonderful day

Imagine reading a book while you’re sitting in a coffee shop and suddenly - you hear an amazingly beautiful song. If a simply beautiful thing like this happens to you, you’re having one of the wonderful days of your life. Now imagine that the book you’re reading is your favorite book, the coffee shop is Starbucks and the song is Tori Amos’ rendition of Star of Wonder. You’ll feel that you’re in heaven for a moment. This scene actually happened to me on a Sunday afternoon and I really felt that I was in heaven at that moment. Tori Amos' angelic voice makes me feel that way when I hear it. I was actually reading a horror book (Stephen King's Nightmares & Dreamscapes) on that Sunday afternoon and it frightened me a little. But her voice soothed me and took away my fright when I heard the said song. Her voice soothed me like a mother would soothe her child who got scared by a bad dream. That's how powerful her voice is. It is the kind of voice that brings heavenly comfort.

Here’s Tori Amos’ mesmerizing rendition of the famous Christmas song.



Lovely, isn’t it? It makes you feel that Christmas is already in the air. :)

This song has such beautiful, beautiful lyrics!

We three kings are coming again
Bearing gifts from the East
From the East

Some say a star will rise again
In the hearts of humankind
Some say we have been in exile
What we need is solar fire

Star of wonder, star of night
Star of royal beauty
Westward leading, still proceeding
A star
A star of wonder

We bring gold and myrrh for him
From the East, frankincense
From the East

Some say a star will rise again
In the hearts of humankind
Some say we have been in exile
What we need is solar fire

Star of wonder, star of night
Star of royal beauty
Westward leading, still proceeding
A star

Star of wonder, star of night
Star of royal beauty
Westward leading, still proceeding
A star
A star of wonder
Of wonder

The cute song!

“Why do you have to be so cute? It’s impossible to ignore you.”
Would you dare to say this line to your crush? Of course not! Unless you want look stupid and desperate to him. But Imogen Heap has the courage to say it to her crush, without looking stupid and desperate, through her song “Goodnight and Go.”

Here are the full lyrics of the song. Enjoy 'em and the pictures! :)



It may sound like a stalker type of love song but it makes me kilig everytime I sing its lyrics. It reminds me of my crush! Secret na lang kung sino yun! Haha! :)

The cuuuuuuuuuuuutest music video I’ve ever seen so far!



Thanks to a cousin of mine who posted some of the words of this song on her Facebook status. I wouldn’t know about this song if not for her.

My song for the day. :)

My last day in Speech Power

Yesterday was a very special day for me. It was my last day in Speech Power and I was glad that I finally finished my English Conversation Fluency course. So what did I do on the last day of class? Well, I just hosted a “talk show” with Sha (one of my classmates) where we talked about trendy fashion, music and movies with the rest of the class. It was a talk show full of funny moments! Sha's funny antics + my "suplada effect" in the mini-fashion show + everyone's jokes and funny expressions =EPIC LAUGHTTRIP!

Here I am with the people who have become a part of my life. Oh, I’m so cheesy!




Kuya Jun, Sha, Me, Ms. Cora, Justin (the cameraman), Kristine and Wendy (from left to right)



Me & the girls.



Wacky!




Lunch after class with Wendy and Kristine @ KFC.

I’m so thankful that I enrolled in SP. I learned a lot of good things in this communication training center aside from conversing fluently in English. I learned to build my confidence, deal with other people and gain friends. I love SP. <3<3 <3

My top 7 songs of the week

It has been an extremely boring week for me so I decided to do something a little bit interesting. I decided to write a blog entry about songs that have been stuck in my mind this week. If you’re tired of Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber or K-Pop you might want to include these songs on your playlist.

1.

I dig this song because of its beautifully unique melody and sound. It’s one of Imogen Heap’s finest songs. A little info: Jason Derulo’s Whatcha Say samples this song.

2.

If you’re into metal rock you’ll headbang to this song. This is just so epic!

3.

Mottaka talks about the ecstasy one feels when smoking ganja. I’m not into ganja or any drugs but I love listening to this song. This just makes me high.

4.

Parusa is about anti-Catholicism. If you’re an overly religious person don’t listen to this song. But if you just love to listen to a good metal rock song, just play the video above.

5.

When I heard that Gary Valenciano’s son Paolo Valenciano has a rock band I thought it’s another pogi-rock band (ala Sponge Cola or Calla Lily) so I didn't try to listen to any of its songs before. But when I tried to listen to this song I realized I was wrong! Paolo is a good singer and screamer. Salamin has a good sound.

6.

This is my favorite Saydie song. I love the way Kath (the vox) sings like a 5 year old girl and screams like umm… Lacey of Flyleaf?

7.

This is a real ear candy. The vox has a Bjork-like voice and the band has a fairly good sound. Company of Thieves is a promising band.

XB Gensan won in Showtime's grand finals!

XB Gensan won in the grand finals of the top-rating variety show, Showtime.
For those who missed their performance, here it is.



Here are the rankings of the finalists.



(Photo courtesy of Showtime's Facebook page.)


My personal thoughts about the contest:
Philippine Islands Assassin should have won. Their performance was better than XB Gensan’s . Their stunts are friggin’ awesome and their props and costume are so cool.

This is what you call the performance of a lifetime.

11 groups will compete in Showtime’s grand finals!

What the audience will see in the grand finals of Showtime will be a fierce competition among eleven groups namely: Kasibulan, Perlas ng Silangan, Mortal Combat and the Showgays, Beat Guys, Sensei, Savannah Kids Ballroom Dancers, Philippine Islands Assasin, Enlighten Black Theatre Group, E-Crew, Boys Unlimited Dancers and XB Gensan. Who will be the first grand champion? Watch the show tomorrow at 10:15 am so you’ll know.
Showtime Grand Finals will be held at Ynares Center- Antipolo City.

Ten reasons why I’m obsessed with Jhong Hilario

(This piece was written out of pure love and undying support for the hottest celebrity alive!)

1. He is a great actor. He has portrayed a lot of believable characters in his shows and movies.





2. He is a GREAT dancer. Need I say more?



3. A lot of people don’t know it but he sounds pretty good when he sings.



4. He is not the guy you will call handsome or cute but he is oozing with sex appeal!



5. He is insanely sexy with or without a T-shirt on!





6. He is one of the best judges in Showtime. He has the eye for real talent.

7. He never fails to entertain the “Madlang Pipol (Showtime audience)” with his energetic “samples(dance moves/singing /acting).” He’s a superhuman!



8. It’s weird to say this but he turns me on with his "Bakla-baklahan" with Vice Ganda.




9. He doesn’t act like a celebrity at all. He acts just like an ordinary person.

10. He is Jhong Hilario! I love him for who he is! :)



*I got most of the photos from Jhong Hilario <3 KO, Jhong Hilario's fan page on Facebook. *

A Time To Kill (book review)

I’ve become a fan of John Grisham since I read Pelican Brief. He has a way of entertaining book lovers like me that made us want to collect his novels in our book shelves. If you're a fan of legal thrillers, you would love to read this book.

The story is set in Clanton Mississippi. Two white men Billy Ray Cobb and Pete Willard brutally rape a 10 year old black girl named Tonya Hailey. Carl Lee Hailey, the father of the black girl – kills them with an M-16. Because of his action and race (he is also black just like his daughter), he faces the murder trial that could send him to the gas chamber. Young and ambitious lawyer Jake Brigance handles his case. The case gets national attention, angers both whites and blacks and incites violence and brutal killings particularly since the Ku Klux Klan gets involved...
Does the black man get off the case? You can only find the answer to that question if you read this novel.

This novel assails the reader questions that are more challenging than that. Which is right: to let the vigilante walk a free man or fry him in the gas chamber? Does Carl Lee have the right to kill the men responsible for damaging his daughter’s life? As a black man does he deserve to get off the case? Does death penalty have to exist? The answers are usually up to the reader. But then this novel can change the way you think. If you were a racist it can convert you to a non-racist. If you think that Carl Lee shouldn’t have killed the rapists, you will realize that if you were in his place you will feel the urge to do the same. If you think death penalty should not exist, you will realize that people like Billy Ray and Pete deserve it.

A legal thriller supposed to have a realistic crime story, legal terms and from time to time - informal language so it wouldn’t be a bore. A Time to Kill has all these characteristics. It’s more than a good read. It’s a forceful, deeply emotional and well-crafted novel.

Sensational rock group Stone Temple Pilots has a new single!

You heard it right. The rock legends are back!
After six years of waiting, fans of alternative rock band Stone Temple Pilots (STP) are now excited to know that they will be entertained by them once more. STP recently released their new music video Between the Lines on YouTube. It is their first single from their new album that is set to release on May 25th.

So what do we expect from the band that has come back after six years? Do we expect the old sound that we loved? Or a new sound that fits this pop-rock age? Whatever it is, we are sure that this band will not disappoint us. Their music will be a lot more powerful and their lyrics more genuine and emotional. They will rock the house!

For those who haven't seen the music video of Between the Lines, here it is.

Dolores Claiborne (book review)

Dolores Claiborne is the second Stephen King novel I’ve read and enjoyed so much. (The first was Gerald’s Game which is connected to it.) It tells a story about a woman who conquered unimaginable struggles for her loved ones.
For thirty years, people from Little Tall Island could only think that it was Dolores Claiborne who killed her husband Joe St. George, on the day of the total eclipse. She indeed killed him to save her children from their abusive father but got away from the murder charge. Now she is facing the interrogation of the police for it is believed that she killed her wealthy ill employer, Vera Donovan. During her interrogation – she tells about her experiences as Vera’s housekeeper, miserable family life and deep hatred for her husband, confessions about how Joe and Vera died and the nightmares which haunted her. She told the police everything they got to know hoping that she will be freed from the murder charge...
This novel is horrific and poignant. You will never forget Dolores’ struggles.

First-time voter

I’m proud to say that it's my first time to vote for the national elections. Like everyone else, I waited for a while in the line just to cast my vote. When I entered my ballot in the PCOS machine, I was relieved that the machine read it. I just hope that my preferred candidates will win the elections. If not, the ones elected should do their job well.

Good day for those who voted wisely. :)

Jovit and Ruther -PGT's first batch of grand finalists

Last night Jovit Baldivino and Ruther Urquia made it to the next level. They were the ones chosen to be in the grand finals of Pilipinas Got Talent because they received the biggest votes from the audience and judges.

For those who missed their performances, here are their video clips.

Jovit Baldivino is sure to be grand winner of PGT

Talent shows on TV are the things I keep on looking forward to these past few months. The Pilipinas Got Talent is one of which has conquered the country because it has entertained Filipino homes for two months now. Last Saturday they held their semifinalists’ performance night at AFP Theater. Their performances in the theater were different from the audition as expected.
Snap Boiz amazed the crowd with their intense break-dance number. Rolando P. belted a classic ballad, Kahit Isang Saglit. The Baguio siblings showed their grace and flexibility in their sports dance number. Ruther Urquia entertained the young at heart as he played with his puppets. Everyone was fairly pleased with their performances until the last semi-finalist entered the stage. Jovit Baldivino emerged like a rockstar as he kept the crowd screaming loudly. He made them wilder with his powerful rendition of Carrie. At this point in time, I wouldn’t be surprised if Jovit will be the first grand winner of PGT because he has captured the audience with his magnificent performance. The standing ovation he got from the audience and judges proved that he is everyone’s favorite among the semi-finalists.

Tips on how to finish Plants vs zombies

Plants Vs. Zombies is one of the best PC games I’ve finished recently. It’s so easy to play once you know its objective that is: to prevent a troop of zombies from entering your house and eating your brain, by planting zombie-killing plants. That’s just it. Playing PVZ is just a piece of cake. However, most people think this game is difficult to play and that thinking just spoils the fun. Here are just a few tips I can share that can help you with this game.

1. Always remember to plant sunflowers on the first two lines of your yard. Sunflowers give you lots of sunlight which help you plant more plants or stronger plants.
2. Always plant repeaters before your favorite plants. Repeaters are the plants which shoot two peas at a time. They kill the weakest type of zombies (normal zombies) fast.
3. Plant wall-nuts and/or tall-nuts on the last line of your yard. They protect your other plants from the zombies.
4. Plant explosive plants like cherry bombs and Jalapenos in case a bunch of zombies are starting to invade your yard!
5. Plant your squashes. They smash one, two or three zombies that come near them. They're very effective against the zombies especially pole vaulting ones.
6. Don’t forget to plant your puff-shrooms in the night stage. You will need them because the slow coming of sunlight in this stage ( Yes, there's sunlight in this stage!)is a slight problem and your other plants require sunlight. Puff-shrooms don’t require sunlight so you can plant as many of them as you like. Don’t depend on them though because they only attack zombies at a short distance and they can be consumed by the zombies in an instant. You still have to plant stronger plants so you can make it through the stage.
7. When you reach the fog stage, always remember that it’s just as easy as the night stage. You just have to follow what I taught you in number six. You don’t have to plant planterns to see the progress of the zombies from the fog-engulfed area of your yard towards your house because they'll be eaten by the zombies anyway. You won’t have extra time to replant them. Just focus on your zombie-killing plants and wall-nuts and tall-nuts – everything will be A-OK!
8. Don’t forget to plant your water plants in the pool stage.
9. Don't forget to plant these plants in the roof stage : cabbage-pults, melon-pults and kernel-pults. They attack zombies at a long distance. In this stage you need plants that would attack the zombies at a long distance.
10. Play mini-games. Mini-games grant you money to buy stuffs that would help you with this game. You can buy these stuffs from Crazy Dave’s shop.


After you finish PVZ you will see this very cute music video.



The fun doesn’t stop there because there’ll be new mini-games, puzzle and survival mode games when you win against the zombies. Good luck and have a nice day.

My new celeb crush

He is not what you might consider the handsome type of celebrity but he is the very likable type. He is a very talented TV personality. He is currently a hurado on Showtime and the actor who plays a villainous character known as Jason on Kung Tayo’y Magkakalayo. He is no other than Jhong Hilario.
Jhong has been rocking each day of my life because of his kickass dance moves on Showtime. Who wouldn’t go crazy over his superb dance and tumbling moves? I have to admit that waking up at 10:30 am (that’s earlier than the usual time I wake up) just to watch him on that show has become my habit. I’ve become a fan of this guy.
His amazing talent in dancing is not the only thing about him that I like. I like the way he acts in TV shows and movies. His facial expressions, body movements and voice in every scene where he appears can be described in one word: perfect. These are the reasons why Jhong is a new celeb crush and a sinfully good addiction of mine.

Here are some of the amazing video clips of Jhong.





Jhong has appeared in MMK, Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay, Caregiver, Sukob, Kinatay and a lot of TV shows and movies.

a DVD review I wrote a year ago

Road To Revolution DVD

I’ve been supporting Linkin Park for 8 years now since their first record Hybrid Theory was released. When I was in 6th grade I bought Hybrid Theory, in 1st year High School Reanimation, 2nd year Meteora, 3rd year Collision Course feat. Jay-Z and 1st year college Minutes To Midnight. I downloaded pictures of the band, articles about them, their music videos and unreleased/rare songs on my PC. They’ve
been rocking and selling millions and millions of record copies worldwide for 8 years now! I would say that they wouldn’t have gained millions and millions of fans if they sucked.

The great things you are about to see and hear in their new Projekt Revolution DVD – Road To Revolution are: The splendidly rocking singing and screaming of Chester Bennington (the main vox), his total rock icon performance movements and the amazing interaction of Mike Shinoda (the emcee) with the crowd.

This DVD is highly recommended not only for Linkin Park fans but also alternative rock, rap rock and nu-metal aficionados and those who want to have an immense head banging-singing-screaming-dancing time. Watching Road To Revolution DVD
would make you feel that you are watching it live and make you clamor for more!

I know you

I know you
By: Mary Grace Sulla

I know your face
It has allured my mind
I know your name
It's engraved in my recollection
For a long time now

I know your voice
You sang our love's lullaby
I know the scent of your skin
You've drenched your fragrance with me

I know your lips
They've intoxicated me like wine
I know your eyes
They told me of your undying devotion

I know you
The one I loved so much
The one who loved me back with all his heart
The angel who can't wrap his arms
Around me and fly me with his wings

To eternal romance...

Neverwhere (book review)

Richard Mayhew lives a perfectly ordinary life in London working as a businessman and being the fiancé of a stunningly beautiful Jessica. His life starts to change on the night he rescues a young woman bleeding on a sidewalk. He finds himself in a dark magical world that he never thought existed – London Below. There he encounters a one of a kind adventure that is dangerous, eerily fun (for us readers) and full of surprises.

Neverwhere is a perfect book to read this summer whether you’re bored and have nowhere to go to and have nothing to do or you’re just looking for something that’s thrilling. If you read this book, Neil Gaiman will lead you to an adventure that is beyond your imagination and leave you breathless with awe.
Neverwhere is the kind of book you will read over and over again.