The Heads Set

It's really a surprise that we still got one. Well, maybe not because it's a bit pricey but come on, it's Eraserheads. But considering that this has been going on since September, I thought the stock would have ran out by now. We got ours at Greenwich SM City Marilao.

Me and my siblings are a huge fan and we already have many of their previous albums. That's why we didn't get one for a long while. It's one of the spur of the moment things when my sister got it when we had dinner last night. And being huge fans of the band, this is a really great Christmas present. Thanks Ate!

The box contains all nine Eraserheads albums, the tenth with songs not included on the previous nine albums (with some remixes from sticker happy), a Pop-U-Mentary DVD, a shirt, and a really great booklet with all the lyrics of all their songs.

I am Number Four

Lorien Legacies, first book.

I saw this one on a bookstore and I liked what I read on the back cover.

So i took a note and searched it online, and found out that there was a hype already. It's going to be a movie next year. The more I read about it, the more I want to read it. The synopsis sounds really good and it's the kind of stories that gets me hooked, but I was really worried that I might not enjoy it as many readers gave a negative review.

But I bought a copy anyway.

Synopsis:

There are nine of them. They came here to grow up, awaken their powers, train, meet back up, and return to rebuild their home planet. But they are hunted by the ones who doomed their planet. Their best protection is to remain separated, so that as long as the first in line was alive, the others will be safe. But number one was killed in Malaysia, number two was murdered in England, and number three was hunted down in Kenya. And as the book title says, he is number four. He's next.

But as long as they lay low, and stay hidden from their hunters, they can live among us. Only they must be prepared to leave their current lives and make new identities and keep one step ahead from their hunters. However, John Smith, Number Four's current identity, felt too at home with Paradise, Ohio. He made great friends and fell in love, although he knows it is best not to. His powers are awakening, and the hunters are closing in. And if he does not leave, he'll put everyone in mortal danger.

Review:

Since this is the first of a six-book series, there are a lot of introductions as they settled down in their new lives. As the story goes, John's history is slowly explained. We also see how he deals with the whole "alien" thing while trying to be normal. He goes to the local high school and deals with the stereotypical jock nemesis, nerdy best friend, and his cheerleader crush.

It feels like a long introduction, but then the action comes along. John has superpowers. And he uses it on the ones trying to kill him. But when the time came that he realizes that there's no other way to run or hide, only to fight, it goes all downhill from there. I felt no adrenaline at all. The way that the biggest fights were written felt like it was in slow motion, boring even. And I was actually yawning. But it looks good in the movie though:

Look! It's Alex Rider and Quinn Fabray!

I can understand how those negative reviews came out despite a rather promising story. It lacks the goosebumps moments and the sad ones are not heartbreaking enough, but overall, the book was still good. The series, despite the rather anticlimactically dull fight in this book, still looks promising. I still root for it to become a great series, because the idea is much too good for me, and I hope that the next installments would be much better than this one.

The Secrets of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel

The Alchemyst, The Magician, The Sorceress, The Necromancer

The series is all about Sophie and Josh Newman, fifteen year old twins, and how they got caught up in the secret magical world of ancient beings and immortal humans. Since I already blogged about the first book, this one will be about the next three.

Synopsis:

With the very high likelihood of being the twins in the prophecy, they continue their quest to awaken their powers and master the four elements. To do that, they seek Elders and immortal humans who mastered at least one element. The thing is, if the prophecy was to be fulfilled, the great new age of the Elders will be prevented, so naturally, the Elders will be out to stop the twins.

But Nicholas Flamel still has some allies: immortal humans that can help prevent the end of the human age. Across the first four books, both the twins would both be Awakened, Sophie would master three elements, and Josh, two. However, time is still running out for Nicholas and his wife, Perenelle, who has her own set of allies and enemies as she tries to escape Alcatraz. As long as they do not recover the Book of Abraham, their cling to immortality wavers.

Review:

One of the major point of the series is to introduce and mix mythological and historical figures and make them exist in our society today. The author has given these characters a fresh twist so they will actually be quite interesting to read. From Roman, Norse, Egyptian, Irish, and even Micronesian mythology; to Joan of Arc, William Shakespeare, and Billy the Kid; the author managed to mix them all up.

They travel a lot, considering that in the course of the series, they had been from the Golden Gate Bridge, to the Eiffel Tower, to Stonehenge, and back to California in just six days. They also battle a lot. The battles here are done with magic. The immortals use their auras to conjure, control, or blow stuff up; and the Elders, well, their actual power from their respective mythology.

So far, the series has been great. However, every time a book ends, there won't be much of a closure, and a lot of unanswered questions will still remain. Like I said, the series moves at around two days per book. So if you're interested on reading this, be prepared for a total six books, and a very long wait.

Pugad Baboy 22

May Pugad Baboy 22 na!

Lampas isang taon na rin nung nilabas yung 21. Ang theme naman ng cover ngayon e Costume Party. Mula comics hanggang movie characters kinosplay nila. Tignan nyo kung sino yung mga ginagaya nila:

Astig talaga ni PMJR.

Syempre walang pinagbago 'to sa mga naunang Pugad Baboy. Puno na naman ng mga antics ng mga residente ng pugad. Marami ring topics na nauso this past year na hinaluan ng humor gaya ni Manny Pacquiao, pati Road Rage, Swine Flu, hanggang kay Michael Jackson.

Syempre 22 lahat ng characters sa cover.

Yun nga lang, wala na namang story arc sa Pugad Baboy 22. Abangan na lang natin kung may Sunday Comics 3, baka meron. Sa mga magtatanong, P180 ang bili ko sa National Bookstore. Sa Trinoma ko pa lang sya nakita. Pero malamang meron na rin sa ibang bookstore.

P.S.

Bilin nyo naman yung mga comics, wag nyong buksan at sa bookstore na lang basahin. Malulugi sila nyan baka hindi na sila magbenta. Haha! XD

The Lost Hero

I can't even remember when or how I found out about this book. All I know is that I wanted to read it since I've found out about it. This is the first book of The Heroes of Olympus, the sequel series to the bestselling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, so yeah, the two are heavily connected.

Synopsis:

What better way to give the synopsis than having Riordan tell it himself.

Here's the sneak peek. So Jason wakes up in a bus on the way to a school field trip with Piper, claiming to be his girlfriend, and Leo, who was supposed to be his best friend. (I wonder if Riordan ever watched Charmed. It's Piper and Leo, come on!) Anyway, just like in the first series, an undercover satyr, Coach Hedge, was scouting for possible demigods, and he found these three. They had their first encounter with the Greek mythology world when they were attacked by a monster at the Grand Canyon Skywalk, and they eventually ended up in Camp Half Blood in New York.

As expected, the three were granted a quest. Along this quest, Jason gradually picks up pieces of his memory and his purpose; Piper deals inner conflicts brought about by her bad dreams; and Leo struggles with his past. And of course, they meet and beat up (most of the time) monsters, mortals, demigods, and gods from Greek (and Roman) mythology.

Official artwork and book cover for The Lost Hero

Review:

The Lost Hero is the longest of Riordan's books so far. It's twice as long as the Sea of Monsters, and they traveled to more places than The Battle of the Labyrinth. They rode that metal dragon above from Quebec, Canada, to closed down car shops in Detroit, to an underground department store in Chicago, even to a gold mansion in Omaha. They also went to Pikes Peak in Colorado, Mount Diablo in California, and Sonoma Valley.

The book is packed with action and adventure. Of course, the three heroes have special powers related to their Olympian parent. However, Piper and Leo each have a rare power that even their siblings don't have. Each of them have a special unique weapon, just like Percy's Riptide and Annabeth's cap. Jason has a coin that turns into a sword or a spear, Piper has a mirror-like dagger that shows more than the looker's reflection, and Leo has a tool belt that gives him anything he asks for.

Jason, Piper, and Leo with their weapons

Early on, we see that there are a lot of Roman mythology references, despite the Greek theme of the first series. This means that the Big Three: Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades were also referred as Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto. And it's obvious that this will be a major part of the series, along with the great prophecy given in The Last Olympian.

I really love how this book turned out. The writing, I think, is better than the first series, as it shifts between Jason, Piper, and Leo's points of view; and it's in third person so it won't be confusing. I think the writing style grows up with its readers, which also means that the hilariously named chapters are now gone. How sad. Hehe.

Just as any decent sequel, this one improves upon what Percy Jackson has started. Anyone who loved Percy will greatly enjoy this new series. I know I did.

Artemis Fowl Series

I was so hooked in this series that I read the first seven in just a month. I got curious enough when I read the synopsis at the back of the sixth book. The idea of a genius teenage criminal mastermind going back in time to face his ten year old self was just a great formula for a story. But to get there, I had to read the previous five. I’m glad I did. It was great.

Synopsis:

Artemis Fowl II is a twelve year old genius who inherited his criminal mastermind status when his father went missing, presumed dead, on a way to a business deal in Russia. His mother has refused to accept her husband’s death and has lost her sanity. Now, Artemis has taken over determined to keep his family business alive.

One of his biggest projects: Fairies. He was young enough to believe in them and has a brilliant mind and resources to do something about it. He ventured in this all new world when he abducts Captain Holly Short, a Lower Elements Police officer for several tons of fairy gold. And the story begins.

Along the next books of the series, Artemis’s and Holly’s paths cross and joins together, most of the time trying to prevent an incident that would lead to the exposure of the fairy world to the human one. From a goblin rebellion, to arctic expeditions, to a stolen gadget that can expose fairy magic, to surviving an elaborate revenge plot, to saving an entire society, and even time travelling; Artemis’s genius and Holly’s magic had faced them all.

The series actually has a music video. How cool is that?

Review:

Artemis starts out as an anti-hero. He’s the bad guy. But he’s not evil. He’s just a genius teenage criminal mastermind. Of course, we all know that he’ll turn out to be a good guy, but just when it seems that he’ll be going straight, something happens that makes him do bad things again.

The fairy thing might be a turn off for some, but the fairies in this series are very different from the ones you're thinking about. No, the fairies here are bad-ass. Underground cities, with different species like dwarves, goblins, elves, sprites, and even demons. Their technologies are centuries more advanced than humans, and their magic (even with limits) are a big help too.

Artemis and Holly in The Time Paradox

The action scenes in this series are battled with advanced fairy weapons, from laser guns, to invisibility cloaks, to anti-gravity belts. Of course, the mind games, elaborate plans, quick thinking, and outsmarting the enemies are Artemis’s forte; and he even has Butler, virtually the best bodyguard in the world.

The great thing about the series is that each book has its own main story. No cliffhangers. There are no prophecies and destinies to be fulfilled, which is typically how a series ends. Every time you finish a book, you won’t wonder what would happen next, as if the series could just end then and there. My favorite so far is The Lost Colony, as it has events and twists unfolding one after the other and the heavy personal consequences for Artemis up to the bittersweet ending.

One of my favorite book series. A must read indeed.

Maximum Ride: The Fugitives

The Angel Experiment, School’s Out - Forever, Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports

A quiet fourteen year old boy, a blind one, an eleven year old motor mouth girl, an eight year old fart kid, his six year old angelic sister, and a fourteen year old girl leading them. Sounds like a great story? Not so much right? Oh, I forgot, they have wings and they can fly.

Synopsis:

So it’s about the group of genetically modified human avian hybrid kids, mostly from the point of view of Max, their leader. They escaped from their laboratory with the help of their father figure, Jeb, who disappeared two years ago, leaving the flock on their own.

The story begins when the Erasers, human and wolf hybrids, kidnaps Angel, the youngest of the flock. They know that she would be taken back to the “School,” the laboratory in California where inhumane experiments were done to them. So the rescue began. Along the way, they split up, got bloody encounters with the Erasers, got back together and got caught, before they could rescue Angel and escape as a whole. And this is just the beginning.

As the flock discovers some of their hidden mutant powers, Max begins hearing a voice in her head, telling her that she is to save the world. This “Voice” acts more like an annoyance than a guide, but the flock ends up following its advice and directions since it actually act as an ally. All along, Erasers, including Jeb’s son, Ari, keep popping up here and there to make things complicated, each time as a new and improved version.

Max has troubles of her own; as a number of people, clues, and secrets pointed out that she is supposed to save the world. The thing is, she doesn’t have a clue how, why, and from what.

The Flock as illustrated by Nara Lee in the graphic novels

Review:

The thing is that they are kids who can fly. They are free to do what they want, but they must also survive on their own. The whole experience of reading their story through their point of view is fun and exhilarating. Of course, flying kids travel a lot. In these three books, they watched a concert in New York, rode the Disney World’s Splash Mountain in Florida, and even spend some time in the restaurants of Paris, France.

This trilogy is very fast paced. One moment everything was nice, then the next they’re fighting for their lives. I think the title fits the story. You really feel that they were fugitives. They were always on the move, always alert, as if in any moment the Erasers could attack. And they did.

The books are divided into small chapters. It’s a smart way of writing I think. The story was just too riveting that it makes its readers want to read more but the small chapters somehow manages to slow the pace down just a bit by giving the readers some breathing room.

All in all, the trilogy is really great. However, the story doesn’t really have an ending until the third book. The first two doesn’t really provide some closure of any sort. After this trilogy, three more books were already published, and the seventh and series ender book will be out on February next year.

The Hunger Games Trilogy

The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay

Catching Fire Synopsis:

Katniss survived the 74^th Hunger Games, after that special twist at the end of the games. Now Katniss must go and visit all the districts, which were forced to celebrate her win, as the Capitol rubs the deaths of their contenders in their faces. The president of the Capitol was into Katniss, as he was majorly pissed off from what she did at the last Hunger Games, considering that it have sparked a rebellion among the districts.

Long after the celebrations, it was time again for another Game. Katniss is already involved as she was to train District 11’s new players. It turns out that the 75^th Hunger Games marks the third Quarter Quell. On the 25^th Games, the districts were forced to vote for the kid to play in the Games; on the 50^th, twice as many players were sent to the arena; now it’s the 75^th and the Games is spiced up once again. Which means Katniss will be involved much more than she had imagined: a clear and direct punishment from the president himself. All the while, the spark of rebellion that Katniss created was slowly turning into a wildfire.

Mockingjay Synopsis:

The whole Panem was in a state of war. There are rebellion forces in every district which the peacekeepers try to subdue. With a lot of casualties, the rebellion needs a spark of hope and determination. They need Katniss, their Mockingjay.

But Katniss has been underground, in what was the secret community of District 13. With Peeta at the hands of the Capitol and with the death and destruction in her home district, she struggles hard not to break down. District 13 is leading the rebellion and has the technology, weapons, manpower to overthrow the Capitol. But they also need the all the other districts' help, so they also needed Katniss.

Seeing an opportunity to save Peeta from certain death, she strikes a deal with the District’s president to be the face of the rebellion, with her comeback as the Mockingjay.

The only official character artworks that I've seen.

Review:

Catching Fire is just as good as the first one. It started where the first book left off, but continued all through the year along the celebrations, the preparations for the next game, and well through the 75^th Games itself. A lot happened, but it did not feel rushed at all.

Although it started slow, the story develops beautifully in this book. This one had more, bigger, and better twists than the first one. The action packed scenes kept me on the edge, and it mercifully gives breathing rooms at the right moments. The love story is still there, as well as all the girly stuff from the first book, but it’s nothing to complain about. It makes the book better than it already is.

Mockingjay is a bit different than the first two. This time, most of the time, Katniss is in relative safety. There could have been a lot of opportunities to have some action packed fights, but as the story goes, it feels like it was all saved for last parts of the book. Even then, compared to the first two, I did not feel as much adrenaline.

This one however has at least two of the most heartbreaking moments of the series. Like I said on my first review, this is a book about killing. Like the second book, a lot of new characters were introduced in this one, though only a few joined the other cast to become major characters.This is also concludes whom Katniss will end up with. And I’m glad my team won.

The thing with a great book and a great sequel, it can’t be helped to have high expectations for the concluding novel. It was great, but just as I said, I expected a little more.

I got my Mockingjay book! And bookmark! And shirt!

Just got back from the mall to pick up my copy of Mockingjay.

I reserved one from National Bookstore weeks ago and got a 30% discount. Nice, right? But it gets better. When I reserved my copy of The Deathly Hallows three years ago, I got a free bookmark. This time, aside from the bookmark, the freebies include T-shirts! What a great deal!

Bookmark reads:

"My name is Katniss Everdeen. Why am I not dead? I should be dead."

I'm still in the middle of reading another series but screw it, I'm putting it down and start reading Mockingjay instead. I have really high expectations, hopefully I won't be disappointed. Okay. I'm off! Happy reading! =)

His Dark Materials

I saw the movie, The Golden Compass with my friends a few years back. I also found out that it’s quite a controversy on its own that might actually offend me for it sort of attacks my religion. But the movie really left a good impression on me with the armored bears, the flying witches, and most of all: the dæmons, which are basically humans' soul in animal form. I really liked the idea and the next thing I knew, I wanted to read the books. So I went to buy them, and they look awesome.

Synopses:

The Golden Compass

The story takes place in a world pretty much like our own, with a girl named Lyra and her dæmon, Pantalaimon. She doesn't know that she is special, that she is destined to make a decision in which everything is depended on. In a span of a few days, she learned about the mysterious particle called "Dust," her bestfriend, Roger, went missing, and she received the Alethiometer, a truth telling device: The Golden Compass.

Lyra begins her great adventure to rescue Roger from a terrible fate. She was rescued by a society that lives on boats, found out the truth about her parents, helped an armored bear gain back his

honor, met flying witches, and traveled all the way to the north; only to fail ultimately in the end by an unimaginable betrayal.

The Subtle Knife

The second book begins at our world with Will, a boy leaving his mother in order to search for his father, an explorer who went missing years ago. He found a secret window to another world, an

empty city, where he joined forces with Lyra. They met Dr. Mary Malone, a scientist that studies “Dust” and Will got became the bearer of a weapon that can slice anything, even the fabric between universes: The Subtle Knife.

Back at Lyra’s world, Lee Scoresby, a friend of hers was on a quest to find Dr. Grumman who holds the answers about the "Dust." Lee found out that he is from Will’s world, and he vowed to get him back. Even though most of the goals were fulfilled, th

e book ends with tragic losses. All the while, a great army of creatures from different universes is gathering under Lord Asriel’s command to fight the oppressive Authourity (that was built from lies) and its forces.

The Amber Spyglass

Lyra and Will went on to finish Lyra’s goal and traveled to a lot of worlds and ended up their destination: the land of the dead, where they should leave their dæmons behind before they could accomplish their goal. All the while, Dr. Malone learned that the "Dust" are vanishing as she observed on the device that she made: The Amber Spyglass.

The war between the Authority and the rebels began. It turns out in the war that whoever has the kids' dæmons will influence the two kids, and would ultimately end the war in their favor. The answer to the mystery of "Dust" is revealed, and if it not resolved, would mean the end of everything. The only way to save the very fabrics of the universes and everything on it will have great consequences for the two children, the ones destined to make the very decision.

Official movie trailer of The Golden Compass:

Review:

I felt that the whole of Lyra's journey was great. There are just too many adventures. When a goal was finished, there is always another one waiting. I enjoyed reading and following her and Will's story all throughout. Specially in the first book where she went a lot of places and met a lot of friends: most of which will make a pleasant comeback on the next two books. The trilogy also made me tear up more than once. There are a lot of emotional moments, specially the intense, tear jerking moment with Lee on the second book.

The idea of the multiverse amazes me, and from the moment Lyra crossed the bridge to the stars, and when Will acquired the Subtle Knife, we knew that a brand new story just began. I didn't get offended at all about the issue of the Authority, but I can clearly see while a lot will be. It's basically a war against God. It kinda turned me off. So it's a good thing that most part of the books are about Lyra and Will.

A scene from each book from the covers of the British Junior Editions

I also find it easy to get confused when the story shifts to the different minor characters, specially the ones preparing for the war and even Dr. Malone's journey. I know that Lyra's adventure is the main story and the war itself and Dr. Malone's discovery of dust are just part of the bigger picture but when I'm reading those parts, I can't help getting sleepy and bored and putting the book down.

There are a lot of times that a part of a story closes and another one opens all throughout the trilogy. As the last book comes to a close, we find out what should be done and read on wishing that something would come up to have a perfect happy ending. The series got me hooked on that much. I agree that the ending was good, but I admit, I did not like how it turns out.

I loved the Compass and I loved the Knife. The Spyglass? Not as much. All in all? A great Trilogy.

The Hunger Games

I've always been interested in to read this book because in every bookstore that I have been to, it's always prominently displayed. I searched about it online and found myself wanting to read it more. The only thing that stopped me from buying this until now was that it doesn't have a paperback edition yet, and I have to save up to buy all P759 of it.

Synopsis:

The book is set in Panem, a some kind of post-apocalyptic North America. It has its dominating Capitol surrounded by 12 districts. Decades before the story began, there was a failed rebellion among the districts to overthrow the unjust Capitol. As punishment and as a reminder of their the power over the districts, the Capitol created the Hunger Games.

74 years on, the Games continue. A boy and a girl, aged 12 to 18, from each district will be drawn in a lottery to play the televised Game. They will be placed in a huge outdoor arena to kill each other. The last kid standing wins. Of course, the book's protagonist, Katniss Everdeen from District 12, was entered into the games, and we see her fight to death along with his male counterpart, Peeta Mellark.

Strategy is everything

Review:

It's a book about killing. Expect it to have blood. Although as brutal and bloody as hell as it was, you won't feel so disgusted by the deaths: part of it knowing that there could only be one survivor by the end of the book, and part of it is rooting for Katniss all throughout the Games. As long as it's not her death, you can deal with it.

With a female main character and a female author, the book at some point is bound to be, well, girly. Specially in the parts where they have to prepare Katniss in front of Panem, very much like a beauty pageant. We also have Peeta. A guy. With Katniss. A girl. From the same district. Both trying to be the only survivor and hoping that they won't be the ones to kill the other. What a love story.

The story is filled with action and a lot of heart-pounding moments, but as it goes, it gives its readers some breathing rooms in between. Underneath all the violence and the love story is a hint of the bigger picture of rebellion against the Capitol through its Hunger Games, which is just plain wrong in every possible way.

A very very good read. Easily a perfect 5 out of 5.

Visita Iglesia 2010, Bulacan

Seven churches, 14 Stations of the Cross, two stations per church. That's how it's done, unlike our attempt last year. The churches we visited were just around our area in Bulacan. Three in Marilao, two in Meycauayan, and one each in Bocaue and Sta. Maria. Here they are:

San Isidro - San Roque Parish Church

Malhacan, Meycauayan

St. Francis of Assisi Parish Church

Poblacion, Meyacuayan

St. Michael the Archangel Parish Church

Poblacion I, Marilao

St. Martin of Tours Parish Church

Antipona, Bocaue

La Immaculada Concepcion Church

Poblacion, Sta. Maria

National Shrine of Divine Mercy

Sta. Rosa I, Marilao

Our Lady of Fatima Parish Church

Heritage Homes, Marilao

The whole trip took us around three hours. As a souvenir, I bought myself a rosary ring from the Divine Mercy Church. I got five of them so far: one from our high school retreat in Caleruega, Batangas; one from the Our Lady of Manaoag Church in Pangasinan; one from Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage in Antipolo; and a gift from a Ninong that he got somewhere in France.

I suddenly got interested in GoogleEarth and mapped out our journey. I used our own parish church, Sto. Nino, as the starting and end point on the map below. Here's the whole trip:

The Alchemyst

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, first book.

After finishing the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson series, I realized that I am hooked into fantasy novels. I saw this book at a local bookstore, read the synopsis at the back cover, and thought that I just might like reading the series. I did some research in the net and found out that is a recommended good read after Harry and Percy. So I bought it.

It is a good read, though not as great as I expected it to be, but if you're also into fantasy novels, I highly recommend it.

Synopsis:

It's about fifteen year old twins Sophie and Josh, whose world turned upside down when they got caught up in a magical fight between a mysterious man called John Dee and Josh's bosses who turned out to be none other than Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel. In the middle of the fight is the Book of Abraham, the secret behind the Flamels' immortality. It holds a lot of secrets, including one that can give rise to a better world of the "Elders" that only include humans as slaves or food, and one that prophesies the twins: one has the power to create it, the other, to prevent it.

John Dee managed to steal the book and kidnap Perenelle, but Josh tore off the last two pages to prevent Dee's plans to change the world. Now, Nicholas must find a way to awaken and train the twin's powers to stop Dee at all costs. But with the book gone, so is his immortality. He only has a month to do it.

This book actually has a trailer

Review:

This is very different to the books that I use to read. The book was told in everybody's point of view, including the antagonists. Every scene shifts to another character to see in their point of view. Sometimes the story goes on as it shifts from somebody's point of view to another, other times the time will be reset to see what the other characters are doing while the previous chapter was happening. This made the book very long in a sense that we see a lot of things that are happening at the same moment, but at the same time, very short: the whole book happened in a course of two days.

There are a lot of great battles in the action packed book. We see fights between immortals using their auras to blast each other up, we see an amazing event happen at the Golden Gate Bridge, we have a horror movie scene wherein a town was attacked by zombies, and we have a battle of half-crows and half-cats against pterodactyls and half-boars as the god-like "Elders" take on each other. A lot of that good old fantasy novel action.

The thing is, as the book ends, you'll know that it's only the beginning. So only read it if you are prepared to read the whole series of six books, the fourth book only to be released on May 25, so it will be a long wait.

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth

It's Miles Edgeworth's time to shine. Yes, the brilliant prosecutor gets the lead role, though he does not, well, prosecute. The courtroom drama brought by the first games are now moved in the sidelines as we focus on the crime scenes.

Gameplay:

At the crime scenes, you gather Evidence, and you get some ideas. You can use these ideas to formulate new ones by using the new function "Logic." There's also a new gadget called the "Little Thief" that can recreate the crime from silhouettes based on the data that you already have.

Although we are on the crime scenes, we still have the courtroom gameplay that we learned to love in the first games. We have the Testimonies and Arguments by the witnesses and your rivals, and your Rebuttals. Of course, there's still a lot of the finger-pointing "Objection!"s and "Take That!"s.

Graphics and Music:

More detailed sprites than the first games, along with the new small field sprites. The only music that really wowed me were the remix of Gumshoe's theme, the new "Objection!" theme, of course, which is a remix of Edgeworth's theme, and the one used here:

This is pretty much the general idea of the game

Characters:

In every crime scene, Edgeworth gets some assistance investigating from one of the following: the ever loyal Gumshoe, the whip cracking Franziska, and a new character named Kay. We also have cameos of both major and minor characters from Phoenix's adventures. We also have a new rival, the international investigator, Agent Shi-Long Lang, (and his sidekick Shih-na) who has hatred towards prosecutors, and who I think is one of the coolest characters in the series along with Godot.

Story:

There are five turnabouts. Four of which happens in three consecutive days, the other one is a flashback. Though the cases seem unrelated, all five are connected to the great thief "Yatagarasu" and the smuggling ring that he/she/it tries to stop.

There are a number of twists but if you have played the series before, you'd figure them out early on, or at least, you won't be as surprised as you'd be if you haven't; save for the true identity of the Yatagarasu, which I think is as brilliant as the mystery of Elise Deauxnim.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

I saw the movie last February and it convinced me and my sister to read Rick Riordan's books. The only other novels that I enjoyed reading was the Harry Potter series. I thought that Percy Jackson should be another series of fantasy novels that should be fun to read.

It was.

Synopsis:

Percy is what you call a demigod: child of a god and a mortal. His father is the sea god himself, Poseidon, so some of his powers are rubbed off on Percy. It's about his adventures with his friends: fellow demigods, a satyr, a cyclops for a half-brother, and a mortal.

Each of the books (except for Titan's Curse which happened on winter) starts every summer at Camp Half-Blood, the summer camp for demigods, then they go to a quest given by the Oracle of Delphi itself. Along their quest, they encounter Greek mythology monsters, and the gods themselves. All these as the titan Kronos plans and executes his revenge for the gods; and Percy is the one destined to decide if the era of the gods continues or if the titans regain all that was once theirs.

Top:

Annabeth Chase (Daughter of Athena), Percy Jackson (Son of Poseidon), Grover Underwood (Satyr)

Bottom:

Noco di Angelo (Son of *Spoiler*), Tyson (Cyclops), Rachel Elizabeth Dare (Mortal)

Review:

It's written in first person, on Percy's point of view. Each of Percy's adventures are all based on individual prophecies so we get the idea of what would happen as the story goes.

His adventures include trips and battles on epic locations such as the Underworld and the Labyrinth; and smartly placed locations of Ancient Greek places on American soil. From Mount Tamalpais (Mt. Othrys), to Mount St. Helen's (Mt. Etna), to the Bermuda Triangle (The Sea of Monsters), to the Empire State building (Mount Olympus).

It's like the present-day America clashing with Greek mythology.

It has a lot action between demigods, monsters, gods and titans themselves. We have demigods using swords, bow and arrows, spears, and shields; with the main characters having a special unique weapon that has magical properties. They can also use powers and abilities that they inherit from their god parent. We get a glimpse of both the gods' and the titans' powers and their classic and famous weapons like Zeus's lightning bolt, and Kronos's scythe.

Overall: Classic battles of epic proportions. The books may look intense, but they were still very easy to read, in a sense that the words were phrased in a very simple way. If you have the time, you can finish each book in a day or two. Every plot of each of the five books finish in a way that keeps the readers satisfied. It's a really great series.

So great that it had a sequel series.

Naglevel-up na ko!

I won a pizza! Hey, I rarely win anything so this Thick Family Ultimate Hawaiian Overload from Greenwich and The Morning Rush is very much appreciated:

Today was the first time that I was tuned in to The Morning Rush from start to end. I was to take my brother to school and pick-up my parents at the airport from Bohol so I was in the car the whole morning, locked in on RX93.1.

Today's top ten was the signs that you won't be a good parent. I sent in an entry while parked at the airport. I was hoping, but not expecting, for my entry to be picked. I only had one other entry that was picked before so imagine the excitement I had when I heard my entry land on the top of the hour. The pizza that I won was just the icing on the cake.

Here's my pizza-winning entry: "...if you love playing with your pets but you leave the feeding, the bathing, the cleaning up, all the unpleasant stuff, to somebody else."

When my parents arrived, I asked them if they want some free pizza and that I won one, so we went to Ortigas. It's a good thing that my sister pointed out where RX's office a couple of times we passed Emerald Avenue before. I got there, got my gift certificate, and we went home. This really made my day.

Antipolo Trip

We have been planning for a car blessing for our Nissan Navara for a long while and my Dad decided to have it blessed one Sunday after hearing mass with the whole family. What he did not tell us until the night before was that we'll be hearing that mass in Antipolo. That's what I like about my Dad.

I was too young to remember the last time I've been there and I was wondering why in the world my Dad decided to go there. It turns out that the Antipolo Cathedral is the shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage. It's like the perfect place to have a car blessing.

I must say that I was impressed with the Church. Not just by the cathedral, but the community itself. There were people were guiding vehicles to a parking space near the cathedral, some were greeting and welcoming people as they enter the church, there was one organized line to the shrine behind the church after the mass, and they have brothers ready to bless vehicles of the travelers. It's easily the most organized church I've ever been.

After Navara's binyag, we ate lunch at Padi's Point Antipolo. Just like any other establishments there, it has a really, really great view of the Metro Manila. The food was okay and it really looked good so we took a picture. Haha!

After that, a quick trip to TriNoMa, then we went home. It's always the unplanned trips to unfamiliar places that are the most enjoyable and exciting trips you'll ever be in.