The Fault In Our Stars Experience

Last year one of my friends told me she read "The Fault In Our Stars" and was crying the whole time (she even got the colds after that), she then told me the rough synopsis of the novel. Which didn't encourage me even more to read it, Seriously? Who would read a book about cancer, which reminds you of unwanted feelings and memories that cancer has inflicted on your personal life (Not me, not going back.) Which made me decide to ditch the idea of reading the book.

Earlier this year, I was much too early for school, so as usual, I went to the library and checked out some books. I spotted all the John Green collection that our library has and checked out "Papertowns", I was hooked immediately and finished it after a couple of days. A couple of weeks after that I was again too early for school, again the same thing happened. But I was left to get "The Fault In Our Stars"since all of the others book were checked out. Then some of my friends saw me with the book, and immediately warned me that I was going to cry my eyes out. While I was reading it, I DID NOT CRY, I felt sad, but I did not cry. (I know I'm a cold hearted bitch, I'm well aware of that).

Today I watched the movie, and again I DID NOT CRY.

Why? Because. It was one of the most beautiful pieces of literature I have ever read. It was one of the most beautiful stories I've ever seen. Every John Green book is so quotable, every chapter there's a quote that makes you want to tweet it. He doesn't fail in this one.

In a book which was about, dying, grieving, and pure sadness. I felt the miracle and the possibilities of love. The love Hazel had for An Imperial Affliction, the love that Hazel and her family has, and the love that Hazel and Augustus shared. That in 313 pages of negativity, I felt positivity, I felt hope.

This piece of fiction, gave average people a way to see the truth behind cancer, the truth behind tragedy, this piece of fiction showed reality, it showed the truth.
 The characters, the metaphors, the idea, everything was so beautifully constructed.

I saw one post from Buzzfeed about John Green, and how after seeing the move there were certain number of ways that would make you hate him. Well for me, John Green shouldn't be hated, but he should be thanked, because he shared to us a piece of infinity.

And most of all he didn't break the author and reader contract, he finished the story in the most perfect way one could ever imagine.

Okay?

Victoria's Secret Angels

Every year, every man gets hyped and every woman gets down/ motivated (or finds a new thin-spiration) to watch the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, for the past 13 years. We have seen models strut down the glittery runway and prove what's so SUPER about them. Victoria's Secret has become a world stage for models to put their careers to the next level.

These Victoria's Secret Angels are cast based on their personality and physique. Just for fun me and my good friend rallied up and evaluated all the Victoria Secret models from 2000 to 2013, and ranked the angels we feel have the perfect proportions from head to toe (how effective they can sell underwear), so this is a perspective of a guy and girl. We definitely had clashing opinions, so we ended up grading them based on their assets and how they walked down the runway, we scrutinized all of them from every angle of each year (It took us a whole day). And here are the average scores/ equivalent in rating.

10.) BEHATI PRINSLOO
2007 - 2013 present
We have seen Soon - to - be Mrs. Adam Levine evolved from her fun days as a PINK gal to now one of the official headliners of the VS Fashion show.

 

9.) TIE with ISABELI FONTANA & IZABEL GOULART
Both of these Brazilian bombshells and high end fashion models have been pioneer Angels since the early 2000s, and they are also  they could totally be sisters...
but Izabel is more playful and confident with her walk.

While Isabeli is more serene and sultry, but she definitely gets you with her eyes

8.) JOAN SMALLS
this Puerto Rican beauty was the first Latina face of Estee Lauder, this supermodel maintains the elegance when she walk down the runway and makes the garments speak for themselves.(Besides appearing in numerous high end campaigns, she's also part of Beyonce's Yonce Music Video!)

7.) CARA DELEVINGNE
This rising Brit Supermodel, labeled by British Vogue as the model who was liked to superstardom, has been part of numerous campaigns by the past year. Her fun and fierce (the eyebrows!) personality add up to her model-esque gift. In the 2013 VS Fashion she was featured due to her fearless-ness and honesty when it comes to social media, which she really is! Check out her Instagram page! Its like shes one big ball of fun to be around with!

 One of the few models in the world who can pull of commercial and high fashion modeling!

6.) ROSIE HUNTINGTON - WHITELEY
If Cara has the eyebrows then Rosie has the lips! The other angels did say she is the "naughtiest" one.

 

She made the Transforms a bit more exciting didn't she?

5.) GISELE BUNDCHEN

She's the queen of the modeling industry! She can make anything look expensive. 

 The 2005 VS Fashion Show where she opened the show with the Million Dollar Br, it was like she owned the runway and everyone else who followed her was nobody! 

4.) ALESSANDRA AMBROSIO

Another pioneer angel! In my opinion she's the type of model who gets more beautiful when she gets older! She's just so angelically beautiful, every single year she walks out the runway she brings out that fun energy.

3.) ADRIANA LIMA

Like seriously? Do I need to say more. Her name says it all.

 

BAM!

 BAM!

 Her opening the 2010 shows was to die for! Her walk was screaming like "I'm back bitches" (And I just had a daughter by the way)

 SUPER KA- BAM!

 2.) CANDICE SWANEPOEL

She has one of the most perfectly proportioned bodies in the planet! Put her in anything/ nothing she can look good with it! Her angelic yet seductive face can work magic. Here are my favorite Candice looks throughout the years!

 1.) MIRANDA KERR

She a freaking perfect 10! The eyes! The dimples! The face! the Hot Bod! She has mastered commercial and high fashion modeling. Her look is so soft and warm, she is an ANGEL!

And that ends the list! That's our ANGELS. How about yours?

*All photos are from VSHolic.com*

Crazy Rich Asians

Okay, I know I'm a tad bit late (6 months to be precise) to write a book review of this book. But let me just share to you the "experience"  I had while reading CRAZY RICH ASIANS

I saw the book on stands months ago, but I just thought that it was about Crazy Rich Entrepreneur Asians and their success stories, it pretty much attracted me because of the cool cover as well, but never thought of buying it because I had no time to read it, since school was about to start. The next time I saw it was when I was seated next to my professor on a plane heading to Japan, which made me think that it was must be for "serious adults". Putting off the idea once again. But as the Christmas break started, I ought to find a good read that I can possibly enjoy, and voila! My friend encouraged me to go read it because its some how like Gossip Girl, which pushed me to buy it since I missed the series, I needed a touch of scandal in my fictional life.

And after 7 hours of immersing myself in to the lives of the Youngs, The Shangs and the T'siens, especially Nick Young and Rachel Chu's cutest world-wind REAL-ationship, I felt like I was in a roller coaster ride, where every chapter something just makes you scream out of annoyance, or squeal out of romance. It was the perfect balance of family, love, and culture (Singaporean Food to be precise). Damn! and I thought that the island of the Upper East Side kids was swanky, here comes the Asians kids who can jet off to Macau for a weekend, who's fathers can buy a historic hotel with a phone call just because the Europeans had the audacity to disrespect them. 403 page- book introduced me to a whole knew world, I world I didn't even know existed.

It showed much of the life of the traditional Chinese families who has the world at their feet, and how the Western ways have changed and shaped their future, where East meets West. As an Asian myself, who has experienced both worlds, everything written down by Kevin Kwan was all true, where as filial duty would come first before anything else, where politeness should be minded than curiosity, that what society says about you should be minded. It exemplified the clashing of Traditional beliefs and Liberal principles.

The book also immortalized and confirmed to me a thing or two about Chinese people, "Nowhere in the world are there to be found people richer than the Chinese" - Ibn Batuta. That because of the economic downfall of America, Asia is indeed the future, and the Chinese clearly sent out the message during the opening of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

And Kevin Kwan just created a new man, that will haunt my fictional dreams in the form of Nicholas Young, smart, rich but incredibly modest and down to earth, the perfect Asian gentleman, the blue jay who would never give up trying, He would take an impossible situation and make everything possible. (He even brought China to her)

*The Family tree at the front page may confuse you, but it actually helps you understand the dynamic even more!

Nick and Rachel aren't the only interesting story lines will hook you, Astrid's perfect life will also drive you nuts, the ever so jolly Gohs, and the rest of the clan! It definitely is a must read, hilarious, romantic and entirely too much scheming (these old Chinese ladies, just beat Blair Waldorf) down right comical!

Now that I'm done writing this review, I shall go back to page one and read it all over again (That's how much I liked it)

-WS

Planning for 2014

Its that time of the year again! Finding the perfect planner for the year ahead!

For a person like me in college and suffering from OCD, having a planner is an essential thing to get you through the year, will all the deadlines and events you have to remember, picking a planner is very crucial. 

For 2014, I decided to branch out from getting a Starbucks Planner. No hate on Starbucks! I really like the  planners they release every year, the perfect symmetry and measurements of the daily spaces and the monthly view, (see I told you I'm OC!) And the coffee journey of collecting stickers are fun, fattening and pricey. And after 3 years of using and availing the SB planners, I decided to change the pace for 2014.

In my opinion the best place to look for user- friendly at the same time cool, fun and unique planners in Manila is at Fully Booked They provide a wide array of planners that you could choose from. I know a lot of people nowadays are into the Planner Apps from Smart Phones, but I'm still into the old school kind of planning, where you write and jot down daily the things you need to do, and you get to use fun and colorful pens, and sometimes planners end up being Diaries/ Journals.

These are the qualities I look for in a planner:
1.) Cover - ITS VERY IMPORTANT! It needs to be equally delightful for the eyes to see and it needs to be durable!
2.) Monthly View - This allows you to see an overview of your schedule for the whole month, so the planner I prefer needs to have this.
3.) Daily Space - A good planner must have the exact space for daily notes, not too big and not too small.
4.) Size - A planner should always be handy, again not too big and not too small, it needs to fits your everyday bag. And most importantly, for the size of your hand, if you have a big hand, then a small planner will not do, it also affects the penmanship and notes you make, so find the right size for you.
5.) Art/ Design - Believe it or not this is also a factor you need to consider when purchasing a planner, if you're a minimalist than go with simple and clean designs, if you're artsy go with the bold colors and illustrations filled planners. Designs can actually make you more enticed to work on your planners and really use them the whole year long.
6.) Paper Quality - Make sure to find a planner with a good paper quality, one that's not too thick to write on and not one which can easily be torn.
7.) Activities & other Add Ons -  The additional quirks and added bonuses of the planner should also be considered! Free Coupons? A monthly horoscope/ advice etc.

After a month of evaluating and hunting for good planners, I now have tallied eligible planners
that are good contenders for 2014
*Grading them using 3/3 star- system

1.) SLATE 2014 
Cover - 3 stars
Monthly View - 1 star
Daily Space - 3 stars
Size - 3 stars
Art/ Design - 2 stars (More on the minimalistic side)
Paper Quality -  3 stars
Acts & Add Ons - 2 stars
Price: Reasonable for Php 599.00
Total - 17/21
More info Go to Slate 2014

 

2.)  This Journal will actually change someone's life

Comes in black and blue

Cover - 3 stars
Monthly View - 3 stars
Daily Space - 2 stars (No lines)
Size - 2 stars (A little bit small)
Art/ Design - 2 stars (Its quite fun, but the brown tones are kinda bit off)
Paper Quality -  2 1/2 stars
Acts & Add Ons - 2 stars
Price: Php 750 (others stores may vary)
Total - 16 and a half/21
More info Go to Free Speech

3.) te Neues 

comes in a variety of designs, from renowned photographers and designer (more on the art appreciating peeps)

Cover - 3 stars
Monthly View - 0 stars
Daily Space - 2 stars (2 pages for a week's view)
Size - 3 stars (just right, spiral or bound)
Art/ Design - 3 stars (Art on every page)
Paper Quality -  2 1/2 stars
Acts & Add Ons - 1 star
Price: Php 698 (others stores may vary)
Total - 14 and a half/21 
For more info go to  Fully Booked

  

 4.) Navi

Cover - 1 stars
Monthly View - 3 stars
Daily Space - 2 stars
Size - 1 star (a bit too small)
Art/ Design - 2 stars (simple)
Paper Quality -  2 1/2 stars
Acts & Add Ons - 1 star
Price: Available in all bookstores
Total - 12 and a half/21

To see more options for planners go to Fully booked and other Book stores, these are just my picks which is based on my categories, Starbucks' planner is also good, but I'm just tired of drinking coffee and 2,100+ of  spending drinks is not my thing, I also liked the Coffee Bean planner, but again collecting stickers for the past years is just tiring and way too small. Moleskine is also a good way to go, but I don't have the budget to splurge, even if I wanted to do, so much things to buy for Christmas!

Remember the Olsen twins' movie "New York Minute", what things they went through just to get that planner back? (Secret to Jane's success.. Planner!)

The most important thing is finding the perfect planner for YOU, if you're in school or working, its always a good thing to have a planner, its a very good habit! Keeps you productive and organize for all your daily activities! :)

-WS

the LORDE is here

PURE HEROIN.

Oh that’s not just the feeling you get when you listen to all her tracks, but that’s the name of Lorde’s new album. Move over Lana, the Lorde is here. Billboard just named this 16 year old, New Zealand singer songwriter as the Queen of Alternative. 

                Her track “Royals”, just hit number 1 on the top 100 charts over Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball and Katy Perry’s Roar, for the past three weeks. If she can do this at the age of 16, imagine what she can do for the years to come? 

Her songs are truly one of a kind, it gives you the full musical experience, from the beat and the tune, to the catchy lyrics and how her unique voice tops it all of. Every song gives off a different vibe of her style, from the fun "Million Dollar Bills", to the captivating "Tennis Court". Her songs have the power to bring you to another dimension you didn't even know existed, like you're wandering off to a place where you're the only existing, she lets you live THAT fantasy. 

So if you don't know her... Then you better start NOW.

My personal faves:

- Bravado 

- Royals

- Tennis Court

- Million Dollar Bills

- The Love Club

- Team

- WS

Through Steve Jobs’ Spectacles

Last weekend I got to watch the 2013 bio drama film, Jobs. Which is based on Apple Inc.’s former CEO Steve Jobs, the movie starts with his iconic speech at the Apple Town Hall, 2001, where he first introduces the iPod, then flashes back from his college wandering years in Reed College to the moment he finally founded Apple Computers to the establishment of Apple Inc, as a worldwide leader for revolutionizing modern technology into every man’s home. 

                The film shows how Steve Jobs started his billion dollar company from his parent’s garage with only 5 employees, into a corporate Amazon. It shows how different relationships in his life affected how he continued to innovate and push the company into oblivion. It also shows the numerous fall outs in his relationships with his friends and colleagues were affected due to his perfection in creating the world a more better place, how he sacrificed so many hours into creating something that would make the 21^st century what it is today.

Amongst all the movies and TV series I’ve seen Ashton Kutcher, this is by far the best for me, I got to see his versatility as an actor and the amount of work and effort into learning to be Steve Jobs, and he actually brought him back to life in this movie from the way he walked and the way he talked.  

                It shows small but significant events in his personal life, and a lot of his struggle to rise and take over the company that he built from the ashes; his roller coaster trials in succeeding and finishing coveted projects of the Apple, his attention to detail and quality were also shown in his keenness of achieving perfection. I never have seen a man so passionate to continually innovate and create machines that would make people more connected with the future of technology, to make everything for the average man. I’m just happy to know that my favorite thing in the world (my iPod/iPhone) is made by a genius’ mind and great passion from the heart. To the man who had the brains, the heart, the gut and the conviction who changed our world forever.

I leave you with a quote that was said at the very end of the movie… 

“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

― Apple Inc.

- WS