Read: Forever Night Stand by Ysa Arcangel

Brandy is a strong willed woman who only wants no strings attached hook-ups. That's why when she was in Italy, she put that out to handsome Ivo. A vacation fling, and nothing more. As the days progress, she seems jealous of Ivo's ex, can't get enough of him, and more.

The reason why Brandy only wants one night stand is because of her mother. She's worried about getting Alzheimer's as her mother is suffering it. Too worried in fact that she might have actually conditioned her mind into that( just me, okay). Too worried that she had set herself up as a test subject. Tsk tsk.

I really love the names of the characters. Although when you say Brandy, it's actually Brandy the singer who first comes to mind. But glad to have met this second Brandy.

Brandy has a short fuse but Ivo goes into beast mode when Brandy is concerned.

Eventually, Ivo and Brandy moves their romance from Italy to the States. When Ivo plans a beach getaway, they do the impulsive and get married in the Philippines (forget the documents, it is more fun in the Philippines after all). Glad that Arcangel chose the Philippines (Boracay!) as the setting for the two main character's beach wedding.

When Brandy decided to to undergo surgery for her condition, she forgets the last few years of her life, making Ivo pursue her again.

Think of it this way it's the Notebook meets the Vow. If you cried in any of those, ready the tissue. Not a fan of Nicholas Sparks, then maybe a little (er actually a little more and a little more than that hahah) bed action can convince you to give this romance a try.

References this Sunday night

There was this one story I read about St. Augustine of Hippo back when I was a child that struck me.

St. Augustine was walking by the beach thinking about the Holy Trinity, how can there be one God with three personas. He walked along that beach puzzled and in deep thought ubtil he saw a child who was digging a hole through the sand.

St. Augustine asked the boy what he was doing, and the boy answered he is diggingahole and getting water from the sea. This is so he can transfer all of the water of the sea into that hole that he was digging.

The boy made one of the doctors of the church realize something. How can the sea fit into this tiny hole? How can his mind comprehend something as big a mystery such as the divine Trinity?

Ever since then, each time I cannot come up with the answer to anything related to God, I reflect upon this story that I read in My Book of Saints. How can we understand such big a mystery such as this? It is bigger than ourselves thanwhat our world is.

A while ago, the priest retold this story in his homily. What puzzled me a great deal was that the priest said that the boy was Jesus who then suddenly disappeared. I like to believe that the story I read had more truth to it and if ever it was a divine power that brought the kid there, then it was done by God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

*****

A refernce made by the bad boy of Philippine cinema in Pilipinas Got Talent finals made me twitch. He commented to the last contestants that they were the "Helen of Troy" of Pilipinas Got Talent.

I wonder what he meant by that? Helen of Troy is the face that launched a thousand ships and was known for her beauty. Certainly this was a talent competition and not a beauty contest. Hay. I wonder if Robin Padilla even knew the story of Troy? Anyway, it is said to be true as some archeologist dug up evidences.

If it is, did the gods really played a big part as what Homer's epic tells. 

Read: Badger by CM Kenna

I have been a fan of Cara McKenna's prose ever since a friend raved about her work Willing Victim and Hard Times. As always Cara has fleshed out her characters (a vigilante who rides a yellow bike and a recovering pill addict) and the plot is always great. I found this one's more entertaining than all that steam and heat (you know what I'm talking about). Not unlike in her other books, which I found all those scenes crucial to the plot. I take that half back, it actually showed the pain in the characters.

McKenna often has a Happy For Now ending, well this one kind of, sort of has,I guess for me in the romance department. HAHHAH! Well it's a bittersweet ending. Plus, I wanted Adrian to end up with the other guy, Rey (just like how I felt in Ruin Me, where I wanted the girl to end up with Jay).

I don't have to hide it already as the summary here in Goodreads already say that there is a death somewhere. So, I was waiting, waiting, waiting for it, checking on what page I was. LOL

Review: Cover (Story) Girl by Chris Mariano

There is more to Boracay than the powdery white sand.There are activities on Bulabog Beach, there's the party scene in White Sand Beach, but this book gives more than just that.

Enter Gio, a local guy who had to go back to the province to work for his family's museum so that he support his little sister's studies and at the same time be there for his mother and grandmother. Gio plans things to the littlest detail. So, imagine when Min Hee, a Korean model, CEO, amnesiac, and other things which you can believe what she says asks that he be her tour guide, well let's just say he also planned those two days carefully. LOL!

There is a flight to Kalibo from somewhere in Korea flight, that's probably why I can see Min Hee choosing Boracay as her quiet spot. However, just like what the book did say, there are a lot of Koreans in Boracay, Last time I was there July last year, it was like half of the tourists where Koreans.

I like the premise that it is a tourist and a local, especially since I've heard stories like this. Plus, I think that if you are a tourist, there is no one or less people who will recognize you. People wouldn't know if you are the daughter of a CEO, a boss of a big start-up, a model or an actress, or just about anything.

I knew it, Min Hee is a Korean actress, that's why she hides whenever she sees fellow Koreans.
This book has a Notting Hill feel to it, especially the ending! I really, really, really love this!

The story has been told from Gio's point of view, and it is a welcome change. You feel like it is not only Min Hee who is getting toured around Boracay, you too. There's the bat cave, the pineapple farm, and the indigenous village that I can only wish I could visit the next time I go there.

Plus, the apology gift, the calamansi muffin, I wish I could have one right now! 

The author certainly had done her research and has (I think) lived it. Well, according to her bio, she is from there.

Forget #laBoracay and instead have Chris Mariano transport you to these beautiful islands.

Trees V Humans

Data by the numbers:

7 Billion +++  Human Population
3 Trillion Estimate number of trees
24 Billion Estimate number of livestock
100 Billion Estimate number of land mammals
1 Billion to 1 Trillion Estimate number of land reptiles
1 Billion to 1 Trillion Estimate number of land amphibians
22 trees needed to provide oxygen for one person

In 2006 72.39 Million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide which gave a 20% increse in the last two decades, bigger than the 7% growth of US and 5% growth in Russiaa

Links and additional readings:
http://reducing-suffering.org/how-many-wild-animals-are-there/
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/datablog/2009/sep/02/carbon-emissions-per-person-capita