I've had a long-standing love affair with this famous coffee shop. From the very first cup of Cafe Latte (yes, I remember the first cup of coffee I ordered, since I was a noob, I played safe) to their latest blended drink--Salted Caramel Mocha--I've never wavered in my affection for this java megacorp.

Since 2006, I've been collecting their annual planner. Amassing sticker after sticker as soon as I can, so I can get hold of their beautiful planners in as little time as possible. Even if that means drinking a cup a day (drastically draining my weekly allowance, of course), or asking friends who weren't really interested in acquiring the planner to hand over their stickers to me instead.

It's that time of the year again, and I've had a slow start in collecting the stickers for the planner because usually I'm there on the very first day. But this year, I'm taking it in stride, since I still have the 2012 planner to fill out until the end of the year, anyway.

What got me excited was the new colors that the planners came in. Green is my favorite color and will definitely get that planner...soon. Only 16 more coffees to go!

I clearly remember the very first time I came across Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl. I was looking for alternatives after reading Harry Potter's 4th installment. I didn't want to be idle while waiting for book 5 to come out (which did take long, by the way), so I searched and searched for a good HP-like series and found Artemis Fowl.

Artemis Fowl the First Book

I was instantly hooked. It was like Harry Potter, but it really wasn't. Haha! First, Artemis wasn't a wizard with a magical wand or spell to zap away evil minions. No. All Artemis had was his remarkable brain (and his adorably gigantic but efficient bodyguard, Butler). He was a genius. And a criminal. A very rich, intelligent criminal. Who stumbled upon the world of the faeries, in particular, Holly Short.

I followed Artemis and his many adventures until the 7th book, Artemis Fowl The Atlantis Complex. Watched him grow into a teenage boy and change from a mastermind out to amass wealth and knowledge, to a savior of the world. I love the witty banter between the characters. I love the characters and the way they developed in each book. I even love Mulch Diggums, even though he seems like a stinky character, literally.

I love the series so much I even bought the 2 graphic novels of the first 2 books (wonder when the 3rd will come out)!

The First Book in Graphics

Now, the last book of the series has rolled off the press: Artemis Fowl The Last Guardian. And like the HP series, it's going to be hard to let go of  the characters you've come to love over the years. It's kind of sad. Like an ending of an era. Haha! Getting all sentimental, am I?

I have yet to buy the last book, as it's still in hardbound cover. But until then, I don't have to say goodbye to Artemis. No, not just yet.

Just watched a replay of the Top 13 results show of American Idol, and I'm glad that my faves in the boys got through, Philip Philips, Heejun Han, and Colton Dixon. Very happy that Jessica Sanchez made it. Yey! Another Filipino-American this season. I hope she makes it to the very end. I also like Erika Van Pelt for the girls.

However, I think one of the boys will win this season - AGAIN. C'mon girls! Represent!

Couldn't say much about the judges, since as of today, they'll have no say on who stays or goes. But they did great in bringing in an eclectic mix of super talented people to the show.

Yun lang. Bow.

I've always wanted a tree house. But here in the Philippines, it's not really a common thing to have, especially when you live in the city. The closest I've come to a tree house is in our province in Pangasinan. The old house of my uncle was a typical bahay kubo where the first floor was open space where you can keep your chickens and other stuff.

A typical Bahay Kubo in the Philippines

I loved that house. It was cool, airy, and it was shaded with trees. The floors were made of bamboo slats from which you can see the open first floor. I remember many days with my cousins when we used to scrounge for pukak (for the life of me, I don't know what this fruit seed really is called, I just know this is what we call it) seeds and my auntie would roast them while we wait on the dining table. Good times. Happy good times.

Anyway, going back to tree houses. This one I found on the Internet takes the cake. It's not just a tree house you play in with friends. It can totally be a real house - just up in the trees. It's really idyllic and I can see myself reading a gazillion books and writing novels and drinking coffee and doing crafts and baking...yeah, all those homey things I like to do but don't have the time for.

This makes me wish we had a big tree and space in our yard...

From Apartment Therapy

I was able to watch a movie again last Friday and was happy to have that mini-break I wanted. And I was glad to find out that both SM and Trinoma were still showing Underworld: Awakening, as that was really what I wanted to watch. I punched out of work as soon as I can so I can catch the 6:20 PM showing at SM. I thought I was going to miss the beginning, but luckily I got there just as the screen turned to the first shot. Whew, talk about cutting it close.

So, I sat there thinking of all the good stuff I've heard and read about the movie and at the back of my mind I was thinking that this couldn't be as good as the first one. Sequels most often pale in comparison to the original. But IMHO, the movie did remarkably well of continuing the story of Selene and put another spin on it. The action was great and didn't lack the usual gore and blood that all Underworld movies before it had. The fight scenes were well choreographed and Selene's walk-then-fly-off-walls maneuver was like an acrobatic ballet. I liked it. Selene kicked ass and she did it all while wearing her signature tight leather/ rubber outfit. I think even walking in it is a feat in itself.

Some of the things I didn't like about the movie though, were the fact that Michael was not played by Scott Speedman. Selene's make-up is ugh! Her lipstick was like a frosted pink color that none of the other vampires had. A simple nude or pale pink lipstick would've worked if the goal was to make her look pale. Also, I didn't like that Eve looked more like Sadako than a hybrid. It was weird. Whenever I see her I had to remind myself that I'm not watching a horror movie.

All in all, Underworld: Awakening was a very good movie and one that I will watch again and again on DVD. Good thing the ending hinted of a possible 5th installment of the Underworld series. And I will definitely not miss it. I just hope they get back Scott Speedman for that.

Well, I'm on a roll here. I finished another book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, last weekend. It was an audiobook actually. I find that it's really hard to read on a moving train and that it makes me sleepy. So, I opted for the audio version of the book, which is a good thing as I could never have pronounced the names of people and places in the story correctly.

Anyhoo, I think the book is good. It's just a bit long-winded for me. There were too many characters and background info about them. I was already halfway through the book before the 2 protagonists met. I guess the good thing about having so many back stories about the characters is that you get to know them more, and thus, might endear them to you. Or something like that.

I do admit that I did feel that I needed to finish the book as soon as I could, and couldn't wait to get back to the story wheneve I needed to stop. But that only happened when Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist met and were tackling the mysterious disappearance/ death of Harriet Vanger together. Before that, I felt like skipping some parts of the book.

Although I didn't dislike the The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I don't know if I want to read the rest of the Millenium Trilogy (as the 3 books in the series are called collectively). I guess, I'll just have to wait until the mood strikes me. For now, I think I'll watch the movie.

I accidentally came across the sister-duo Karmina when I watched a clip of Tony and Ziva on Youtube. The song used for the clip was Karmina's The Kiss, which I instantly loved. I, of course, searched for more of their songs and was very happy to discover their great music, which they're calling Sparkle Rock. I dunno what that is at the moment, but I like it.

They do remind me of Jennifer Paige (of the "Sober" and "Always You" fame), especially in the song Slow Down. Take a listen here.

But they also have great slow (and melancholy, IMHO) songs like Inside of You and Walk You Home.

Find out more about Karmina and their great music here:

I'm happy to say that I'm starting the year right by finishing another book from my list of To Read. Yesterday, I read the last pages of Heist Society by Ally Carter. It was light reading compared to the last 5 Matthew Reilly books I read the past month. And I think it was just the right genre (young adult) and right story (a little bit of suspense, funny, and romance) at the moment. For me, it was kind of like the teenage version of Sidney Sheldon's If Tomorrow Comes - without the prison story arc, of course. And I absolutely looooooooooove If Tomorrow Comes. It's one of my favorite books and my copy actually has brown pages already (sad).

I'm thinking if I'm going to read Uncommon Criminals, the sequel to Heist Society, or Brad Meltzer's Inner Circle next. Toss coin?

Last year, though I had less time to read books, I was able to peruse my way through at least 20. I used to read more than that, but then last year I traveled more and got busy being a mom and a career woman. This year, I'm planning to get back on track and finish at least 30 books. Well, if my list is anything to go by, it'll be a suspense-filled, action-packed year for me.

My Book List

1. Ice Station - Matthew Reilly - done
2. Area 7 - Matthew Reilly - done
3. Heist Society - Ally Carter - currently reading
4. Temple - Matthew Reilly
5. The Inner Circle - Brad Meltzer
6. Lost Temple - Tom Harper
7. The Lazarus Vault - Tom Harper
8. The Book of Secrets - Tom Harper
9. The Templar Legacy - Steve Berry (book 1 in the Cotton Malone series - planning to read all)
10. The Hunt for Atlantis - Andy McDermott (book 1 in the Nina Wilde series - again, planning to read all)
11. The Millionaires - Brad Meltzer
12. Artemis Fowl: The Atlantic Complex - Eoin Colfer
13. The Tapestry Series: The Fiend and the Forge - Henry H. Neff
14. Uncommon Criminals - Ally Carter
15. Witch and Wizard - James Patterson
16. With and Wizard: The Gift - James Patterson
17. Witch and Wizard: The Fire - James Patterson
18. City of Fallen Angels - Cassandra Clare
19. The Clockwork Prince - Cassandra Clare
20. The Confession - John Grisham
21. The Associate - John Grisham

Whew! That's a long list! But I have more than 11 months to go. This should be, uh, easy. =D

If you're planning an intimate party with a few friends, and you want to spice it up with a simple theme, then this blog from Martha's Craft Department just might give you the boost you need. It's simple and it's relatively cheap! I love it, since I'm a wishful traveler myself. Maybe, it can even spark a travel adventure for you and your buddies.

Party in Paris

La Tour Effiel *sigh*

Yeah, and the first month of the year is almost over (how time flies!). I've been on a blog slump last year and you can tell as my last entry is half-a-year old. I don't know how many times I've tried to restart my blogging pursuit, but here I am starting - AGAIN. Maybe, I'm just not a blogger kind of person. Or maybe I just want to do a lot of things that I can't really fit into my days no matter how hard I try (could be I wasn't trying hard enough, or I'm a hopeless case in time management).

Anyhoo, I'm planning to at least post 2-3 short blogs of anything and everything a week. I'm starting slow, really slow. I think it's more realistic.

With that, I'm ending my first short post for the year with a "Kung Hei Fat Choi!" or "Gong Xi Fa Cai!"

Happy Chinese New Year! May we all have good luck this year of the water dragon.