09.15.08

Phew!

Posted in random commentary tagged , , , , , at 9:11 pm by nikkiverzo

Fourth_Comings

As soon as I read the last line of Fourth Comings, I rushed to my laptop and quickly typed in Jessica Darling book 5. Nothing. Megan McCafferty 5, I thought? Still nothing. I was seriously starting to panic.  How could a book series I had loved and followed for such a long time just end just like that?  But I kept hopeful.  And thankfully enough, after a few more permutations of what I desperately wanted to find, I was finally successful.

Holy my Lord. Thank you Megan McCafferty for making a fifth.  And for declaring it to be the last.  I know this sounds pathetic, but I cannot bear another installment of the series.  I cannot have the Jessica-Marcus story hang on such a thin thread. Not like the way you ended it in the fourth.  Not that it wasn’t obvious that you’d be writing a fifth because the ending was begging for a continuation, nor did I really think that you were that type of writer that purposely leaves tales frustratingly open-ended and calls it art. But Lord, that really gave me a scare, there.  The possibility of it ending just like that – ME, YES, ME/YOU, YES, YOU and all.

I hadn’t realized I was that much into happy endings until this. Or I guess not with books, or book series at least.  If I invest time and sacrifice lengthy afternoons of sucha calorie-burn wasting activity, the ending better be worth it.

Gaaaahh.  Megan McCafferty is supposed to be writing this fifth and last, and has already done a pre-launch reading this year to prove that it’s real. At least there’s something legit to confirm otherwise dubious internet fan reports.

I cannot wait until April 15 next year. I swear, the ending better be worth it or I am going to have a fit. Sloppy Firsts was great, Second Helpings pure awesomeness, Charmed Thirds mostly horrible (but understandably necessary,) and Fourth Comings good but just frustrating. Perfect Fifths better be what I expect. Or else, I don’t even know. AYAW.

Balik na lang ako kay Edward-Bella. The cheesiness may be too much to stomach at times (and hello, Buffy-Angel forever,) but at least you get what you want. Hwaaaaa!!!

Okay, back to my mature self now.

Whatever,

Nikki

(Don’t read on if you do not like spoilers), From Perfect Fifths:

“This is a final boarding call for passenger Jessica Darling.”
After Marcus heard it the first time, he made sure to listen extra
carefully the second time, just to confirm it was her name being
called over the public address system, and not a phantom echo in his
mind.
“This is a final boarding call for Clear Sky Flight 1884 with nonstop
service to Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Final boarding call for
passenger Jessica Darling.”
Jessica Darling…
Marcus feels overexposed, overstimulated, like his whole body is on
extrasensory alert. His nerves rattle and clang like the dirty
silverware carelessly thrown into plastic takeaway tubs by the too-
busy busboys. He tries to calm himself with a series of deep
inhalations and exhalations, but breathing cheeseburger smog only
makes him more queasy and ill-at-ease. The alarms going off in his
nervous system evoke erratic animal behavior preceding natural
disasters: a mass exodus of elephants seeking higher ground, dogs
wailing under door frames, rabbits clawing at cages, snakes shaken
from hibernation slithering through the snow. His instincts, too, urge
him to flee…

Sounds promising, at least. And I love how the POV changed. I’m pretty sure all Darling readers have been wanting to see what it’s like to be inside Marcus’ head.

Speaking of Marcus(es). I miss Mark. Hi hon. Cebu rocked, but I really hate weekends without you. :*

08.05.08

On Transport Systems, Hair Products and Out-of-town Trips

Posted in random commentary tagged , , , , , at 4:51 am by nikkiverzo

I rarely work on a post without a single theme in mind, but I’ve been logging in and out of my WordPress account unable to finish a comprehensive entry for the past few days now, so I’ll just go ahead and do this quick random thoughts post. (Lame-ass introduction for a lame-ass post. I know. Haha.)

On Singapore: I know this is pretty old, but I’d still like to be able to post something more comprehensive on the experience (apart from the pictures I’ve already uploaded, that is – I’ll try to work on it over the weekend.) So it’s been a couple of weeks since we got back, but I’m still super overwhelmed at the thought of having been able to afford and gone on a trip abroad on my own (as in my efforts and my money.) Especially since I am in no means earning cash big enough to have any to waste on out-of-town getaways and whatnot, so the trip was really saved up for with absolute hard work and pure discipline (read: no shopping for months. haha.) Hopefully the ethic will stick. :D So yeah, apart from the trip being a huge thing for mark and myself as a couple, it was pretty significant for me as well.  Yay! :) Next destination: Vietnam and Cambodia with Marga and Ted! (Yeah right. Haha.)

On the inefficiency of our road and mass transport system: Aside from the usual love for food and culture, fascination over others’ transport support structures is one unusual thing that I usually take home with me after visiting other countries.  Now I’m no advocate of the hopelesness of many of our systems, knowing how there is often a disconnect when it comes to certain parallelisms made between older, much more developed countries, and our relatively new and progressing nation… but kakainggit lang talaga when you see how easily people go from one place to another abroad.  Diba? Especially when you think of how sitting through traffic for almost three hours on a rainy monday morning here in Manila is nothing new. I mean, it’s pathetic that that sort of thing doesn’t surprise us anymore, right? :o Check out some of the basic transport systems I’ve seen:

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At the MRT station in Changi (Singapore)

metroploitan

An arc leading to an underground station in Paris (that’s the Louvre behind it)

train

Train leading to Versailles in France

CIMG4546

Tram in Oviedo, Spain

Efficient and pretty. What more can you ask for? And really, I just love love love trains and bridges and everything that supports the need to move faster than we can with just our legs and feet. :) Haha. I love my car, but I’d gladly take the train to wherever if it were convenient enough.

On the availability of cheaper, mass-produced care products for curly hair: I used to only be able to buy hair products in the states and local PCX stores, and they would always come with a huge price tag; until, that is, hurrah hurrah, I found a line by Pantene in the supermarket the other day. :D Still quite pricey, but at least I can make do without extra transpo fare. Haha. :) Got myself a hairspray product the other day to add to my previously bought mousse, cream and gel (all by Pantene.) Another yay! :D

pantene

I really don’t know what these are, but they were the only products from the hydrating curls line that I could find a decent shot of on the net. Haha.

Hmm… that’s it for now. More substantial thoughts to come. Haha. :D