Books are our friends

Hi. It's been a while. I've just been so busy with school what with the final term almost coming to a close (yay!!!). It's actually my finals week next week and TBH, I'm quite excited. Not for my exams but excited for the three-week break that comes after. :)

I've already started making plans about what to do during my sembreak and one of them is spend the day at Booksale. I just miss spending time with books! I'm actually currently reading Jane Eyre, Sophie's World (again) & Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (again, of course). From that you can tell that I need new friends to keep me company. And by friends I mean, yes, those with spine uncracked and pages clean and crisp.

My future house will have a staircase/bookshelf like this.

I didn't start enjoying reading until I was in high school and there were those things called book reports. Mitch Albom got me started with his beautiful, moving novel Tuesdays With Morrie. And then came Nicholas Sparks (whom I actually first encountered with A Walk To Remember) and Paulo Coelho and even Eoin Colfer (Artemis Fowl). But before high school, I was already very much into the Harry Potter series. But of course, that was only one thing. So there I was, a newly instated bookworm in training.

And right now the bookworm inside me is finding its way to the surface...

I just found this fantastic Tumblr blog called prettybooks and it has such pretty photos and quotes and some nice recommendations as well. Browsing through its pages just made me want to run around the metro and visit every bookstore I could find and rob them of books I want to read. Oh, if only I could really do that... But hey, a bookworm can dream, right? ;)

Oldie but definitely a goodie

Just earlier this afternoon I was sitting on the couch watching Channel V and Backtracks was on. Usually, I don't sit through it because I know they play really old music that I don't recognize but every once in a while they do play stuff that I'm familiar with, like music I grew up listening to and enjoying, which actually makes me feel old. Anyway, the very first music video they played was of Alanis Morissette. I didn't know the song but the simple beauty of the melody struck me so I continued watching. The song was "That I Would Be Good".

Once I heard the lyrics, I knew that it would go straight to my favorites list. Why didn't I know about this song before? It was actually first released in 1998 from Alanis' fourth record Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie. Then, an acoustic live version of the song (video above) was recorded during a session for MTV Unplugged in 1999. It was released as a single for the album Alanis Unplugged the following year. Where was I in the year 2000? I think that was 4th grade and I was around 9 or 10.

As I was saying, I was simply mesmerized by the lyrics and its simplicity. I'm either a lyric person or a music person but more often than not, I guess I'm a lyric person and that's why I absolutely fell in love with this song. It just has that certain personal sense to it. No matter who you are or where you're from, I'm sure at some point you can or were able to relate to what the song says.

That I would be good even if I did nothing
That I would be good even if I got the thumbs down
That I would be good if I got and stayed sick
That I would be good even if I gained ten pounds

That I would be fine even if I went bankrupt
That I would be good if I lost my hair and my youth
That I would be great if I was no longer queen
That I would be grand if I was not all knowing

That I would be loved even when I numb myself
That I would be good even when I am overwhelmed
That I would be loved even when I was fuming
That I would be good even if I was clingy

That I would be good even if I lost sanity
That I would be good
Whether with or without you

Hi. Good night.

“Stars shining bright above you
Night breezes seem to whisper ‘I love you’
Birds singin’ in the sycamore tree
Dream a little dream of me.”

(Leap Year, 2010)
*photo cred

Just the way you look tonight

I'm in music heaven. <3 Just when I thought I have heard every amazing song in the world comes Maroon 5's rendition of Frank Sinatra's classic ballad "The Way You Look Tonight." I was inch by inch melting as I was hearing this on the radio and when I found out a bit later that it was Adam Levine on the vocals, I just melted away and dripped on the floor. LOL. But srsly, this is a big deal for me. I love this song with all my heart that it may be my wedding song. You see, my dad is a singer. He used to sing at clubs way back when. But even though he only sings in front of the karaoke now, he still has his golden voice. And this song is his song. He sings it to my mom. He sang it at my brother's wedding. He sings it to me. So when I heard this very very nice cover of Maroon 5, I flipped. My dad was there with me listening to the radio, and yes, he was singing along all the while mentioning that if he had that kind of accompaniment on Maroon 5's version, which is a 30 piece orchestra, he would sing the song flawlessly. Heart. I'm swooning right now, really. I love you, Adam. But most of all, I love you, Papa. :)