The Count Of Monte Cristo (2002)

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Okay. So far, I am so in love with this movie adaptation of the novel, The Count of Monte Cristo by French author Alexandre Dumas way back in the 1800's. This guy also wrote The Three Musketeers, so it's no wonder the story is really good. It's about revenge, getting back at the people who betrayed you and took your fiancé and basically everything from you (especially if the jerk is your supposed best friend-oops, I spoiled you). The movie really gave me a yearning for revenge on the part of the guy, Fernand Mondego. Though having read the book before seeing the movie might have let me understand the plot more, now I'm certain I wish to read the novel. And yes, I am recommending this movie.

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EXAMS UPDATE!!

So as you might have already read from my previous blog post that the DREADED exams are taking place. Well, they are. I just got home from taking the next three exams on my list yesterday, so we can cross them out now:

• Science
• Christian Living Education
• Trigonometry
• CAE (English Lit)
• Journalism
• Social Studies
• Math
• CAF (Filipino Lit)

That's such a relief. Anyway, tomorrow is Saturday, so the exams will take away half my morning. And the rest of morning swimming practice. I procrastinated (as expected), and I didn't even get to review that much, but the exams this day are actually my saving grace; they were a breeze. Especially when you read PJO and your topic in Social Studies just happens to pertain to the Greek civilizations.

Just remember for all you exam-takers out there, that you should always make sure to check your test papers to make sure you aren't somehow missing a page. Or you missed writing on one. I was halfway done with the comic strip I was doing for CAE when the proctor announced we only had twenty minutes left. Just when I finished, I realized I haven't answered the last essay question at the back of my paper. I was so preoccupied with the tiniest details of my comic that I failed to notice I still had ONE ESSAY QUESTION to answer. I panicked, because there were only five minutes left.

I basically wrote out the first thing that kept coming to  my mind and thankfully, it fitted into five sentences. My essay was literally 'everywhere', it was by far the worst I had to compose with such a limited time. How embarrassing. But with Journalism, it was a blast! I loved writing out my opinion on the phrase-or-quote, "the one who alleges, proves". I don't know who said that though, so I give credit to who coined it first! I'm an opinionated person and writing them [my opinions] down on paper or on the internet gives me a wonderful feeling in my tummy.

Well, that's kind of it for today. Nothing else left to do but prepare for Filipino Lit and Math tomorrow. Sigh.

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EXAMS TOMORROW!

nomoredirtylooks.com

You might be wondering why I suddenly decided to rush post seven posts on today? Me too. Maybe it's just that I'm totally stressed out with the fact that it's exams week. No, it's not even a week, for crying out loud. Three days. It's a three day exam timeline, and we're given eight subjects to take in three days in succession. Today, we've finished Day 1! Hurrah! That means we've got the progress down so far in this list:

• Science
• Christian Living Education
• Trigonometry
• CAE (English Lit)
• Journalism
• Social Studies
• Math
• CAF (Filipino Lit)

And, yes, it's stressful for the average ninth-grader to procrastinate for three subjects a day before. Believe me, I've tried studying a week in advance, but I guess I'm not the 'early bird' type of girl. I'm more of a procrastinator, studying two to three days prior, which isn't really bad once you think about it. It's all in how you handle your time. And squeezing in an hour or two of studying right after two grueling hours in the pool can tucker you out.

So I do what I can.

That's all, actually. I have a big day tomorrow, going to take the next three exams! Wish me luck! (because I'm going to need more than luck at this rate.)

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(Book Post) "Wonder" by R.J. Palacio

smithsonianapa.org

I picked up this little gem while I was wondering the not-so-full bookshelves of our local bookstore. At first, the cover and the title intrigued me. I figured it's a not so average book, because upon reading the description at the back*, I instantly fell in love with the plot. Okay, it may seem a bit biased, because one does not simply fall in love with a book until he has actually read the whole story, but...you know what I mean. It's about the quiet transformation of a (to be blunt) deformed boy. He's normal, he's not a kid with disabilities, he just has a different looking face. But he's normal, average, likes the same stuff boys do though he seems to take a liking to Star Wars most of all.

Reading the book, I felt his pain. Reading through what August Pullman thought, said, felt, and did, it was like I was in his place. Not only that, you don't seem to hate a particular character in the story because the beauty of it is that it's not just Auggie's point of view that is being written about. There's Via, his sister, Justin, Via's boyfriend, Jack Will and Summer, Auggie's friends, and someone else. The book reviews are right, this book has characters that you can't help but root for. 

(SPOILER AHEAD) 
I even shed tears when Daisy the dog* died. I could relate to Auggie's take on that, too. My dog is very near and dear to me, and if anything happens to her, I don't know what I'd do. I'd fall apart, and a very big piece of me will be buried along with her, if and when she departs. But I'm hoping that wouldn't be for a very, very long time.

So, do I recommend this book?

YES!!

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sidenotes:
*never judge a good book by its cover, because some of the best books make up for their covers with the story. I realize I sound like I'm judging the entire contents of the book by the summary at the back, but I'm not. The book reviews there also aided in my decision whether to purchase the book or not. And I'm glad I did.

**you might notice I refer to my dog as a 'she'. Well. If you didn't know (and I'm betting you don't), she's kind of my sister. Not biologically, of course, but she's a kindred spirit. She's the doggie form of my late baby sister (moment of silence, please...) who unfortunately, didn't make it into the world. Every day that passes is another day that I miss her, and what could have been our sisterly relationship. But never fear, Fudge the dog is here!!!

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Rise Of The Guardians (2013)

Everyone goes through the whole 'Santa Claus' phase when our parents unsuspectingly leave glorious presents at the foot of our bed (or Christmas trees) and tell us that a big guy in a red getup that never seems to go out of style did all this. And of course, we would believe them, jumping and squealing like little children. Not that there's anything wrong with fifteen year olds jumping around like that, no. 
Imagine, all those stories about the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, Sandman and Jack Frost (*swoons*) put into one major fantasy movie? Oh my gods. By far, Jack Frost is probably the most attractive myth there is, thanks to Dreamworks. (No seriously, thank you. So much.)

All the action, the plot itself is wonderful, encouraging children everywhere (and teens too, you know) to never stop believing in them like what they did to Pitch (that little-). Because we never do get too old for some childish beliefs. For as long as one child remains believing in them, the Guardians will be here to fight our fears. It's a really good film to watch, what with all the self-discovering and character development as the plot progresses. It's something I have found myself watching over and over and over again (and, no, it's not JUST about Jack Frost-though he's part of the reason why I'm so fond of the movie). It's inspirational, and makes me emotional at the end. 

And just a thought, guys, this movie turns a year old on November 21!!!

photo credits go to dailyinspiration.nl !!

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Hello, October! [Late Post]

Finally, we can wake up that guy from Greenday. September finally ended.
HELLO, OCTOBER!

It's a new month! The beginning of the tenth month of the year. Can you believe it? We're one step closer to the end of 2014! Which brings me to my point: What can we do now that it's October?

Some things to keep in mind for a happy 10/--/2014 (by me!)
1) Bury the hatchet.
Have someone you despise? You wish you could just drown in the nearest toilet or even just wipe out of existence? Me too. Before engaging things I always ask myself what I wish to get out of this experience. Relationship-wise? I'm too young! I don't want to be tied down with somebody just yet; I want to enjoy my freedom while it lasts. I don't want to risk my emotional stability for something that will inevitably break it sooner or later. So before making friends, we make them because we WANT to be friends with them, right? So before we start pointing fingers at whoever threw the first handful of cake (you get me?), ask yourself: maybe it was me? In other words, maybe I provoked that person into treating me that way? I don't know. People change, I know. The way they treat you is totally up to whether or not you're on good terms. It'd never do us any good to fight, or end up giving each other the cold shoulder. 

If that's the case, forgive each other. Ask for forgiveness. Or if not, well at least try?

2) Get out that bucket list.
Have something you've been dying to accomplish this month? This year? Have something you've been itching to cross off that bucket list for a long time? Whether it may be jumping off an airplane and plummeting to the ground at alarming speeds or taking the hardest test of your life that you're just dying to get it over with, face it head on! This may sound cheesy, but everyone should have at least one YOLO moment in their lives. Yeah. I said it. But we should have experienced being completely free at least once, even for just a split second. Don't be afraid to take risks; jump at the opportunity when it flashes by in a kaleidoscope of colors! Sure, ups and downs are to be expected, but without ups and downs, we'd be dead, more or less. 

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And don't forget to say what you feel, live in the moment, take it and make it yours. It's yours and yours alone to control and direct down any pathway you choose.

I may have not covered every topic under the sun with those two tips, but hey, at least I scratched the surface with them!

Make the most of it!! 

photo grabbed from fofoa.blogspot.com 's profile.

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Annabelle (2014)

Once I'm done with this blog post...I won't be able to sleep tonight. Which is NOT an option, considering I have really important exams tomorrow and I simply won't stay awake. Not for anything. Not even a creepy doll movie, which is a spin off from ANOTHER creepy doll movie, which happens to have happened in REAL LIFE. So odds are this movie may or may not have happened in real life too, but you'll never know.
If the trailer hasn't spooked me enough yet, the whole movie will. I'm sure of it. My friends will be watching it this weekend along with their class (which is just unfair) so they'll get to experience it firsthand. I wouldn't be able to handle it. I almost lost it when the lady's blood dripped into Annabelle's eye (I'm assuming Annabelle is the doll) because I thought the doll was going to jump at me or something. Anyway, I still lost it. Judging by the reviews, I'd say the movie would be a perfect kickstart to the Halloween season, don't you think?

Of course, it'd do us both some good if you close the windows and lock the doors before we both call it a night.

Photo grabbed (yet again) from Wikipedia. Thanks, guys.

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The Maze Runner (2014)

The photograph isn't exactly the MOVIE poster...it's the book cover.

The phenomenon that has HIT all my friends and pushed most of them into a WAVE OF HYSTERIA...The Maze Runner! 

Over the weekend me and the crew watched this thrilling and phenomenal movie (thanks for the treat, Janelle!) and of course, it blew my mind. I haven't read the series yet by the all-talented writer James Dashner, so I couldn't really say anything about the movie except that if you haven't read the book yet, it won't disappoint. Actually, from their point of views, this movie isn't too far from the book. I'm not pointing any fingers, but *looks pointedly at Sea Of Monsters* it's a good thing they had the author's input on the movie. It has action, a bit of mysterious air to the characters at W.C.K.D.

As I have mentioned before, I have not read the books yet, but now...I need to go to the book store!

Photo grabbed from wikipedia.org via Google

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Mermaids: The Body Found (Documentary)

This isn't a movie, if that's what you were thinking. This is one of my personal favorite Animal Planet documentaries to watch. Mythical-ness? Check. Mysteriousness? Check. Mermaids? OH MY GODS YES. Check. Have you ever wondered if mermaids ever DID exist? I know the government everywhere says otherwise, but in my opinion, they do. We still keep discovering new species of marine life every year. We have discovered and mapped out less than 6% (a rough estimate) of the Earth's waters. You can't tell me they don't exist yet. They have to. It's possible but also very unlikely, but then a lot of things are considered unlikely too. Have I piqued your interest? Do mermaids really DO exist? Go see for yourself!

Poster credits to tvshows.alphacoders.com !

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Speedo 5th G-League Leg 1 & 2 !!!

I've always wanted to post something about my swim team, aka the best of the best, Nautilus Swim Club!! Last September 13 and 14, we had a swimming competition (yes, obviously). I just thought it would be time to deliver on the "and occasionally, something more" part of my blog description. So here it is! You might not see me (if you don't know me), but if it helps, I'm one of the girls sitting on the barely visible truck (which had a flat tire because of all of us-oops!) up there. As you can see, these are the people I've had late night food-a-thons with, attended *fabulous* parties with, ate out with, went to malls with, and celebrated my birthdays with. These guys are my life-out-of-school friends, and pretty much make up my summer and weekends. When we're not swimming, we're hanging out together. 

So basically, if I weren't into any extracurricular activities, I would be an antisocial person who is fond of watching movies, reading books, and studying. I wouldn't know half the people I do now, and I wouldn't be in shape. So I owe a lot to swimming. Cheers!

Photo stolen from Geraldine Paloma's Facebook. Not literally, though.

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