Film Attempts

 

All came from my Diana Mini. ISO: 400 

Book Review: The Fault in our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I bought this book a long time ago due to all the hype it seemed to get. Also, since I loved Paper Towns I thought this would be similar. Since then I left this book to collect dust in my shelf until today. I read this in 5 hours, straight. Which says a lot about the book, it is a page turner. There seemed to be something captivating about their travesty and the inevitability of human mortality that I can't seem to get enough of. The question of "Would today, be the day?" kept me on my feet, as if readying myself for the worse to come. Eventually it did, I have even accepted that there wouldn't be another miracle. They would both die, even romantically so. I even thought Augustus would want to die in this fashion, not peaceful, not succumbing to the illness but something more gallant. Perhaps, he would donate his lungs for her! I thought. He seemed like the self-sacrificing hero damsels would die for. Nonetheless, the ending did not disappoint. Tragic and painful at best. I would like to think all the people who read this were masochistic. We all knew what we were getting ourselves into and yet, we kept on reading.

There were only a few things that bothered me, though it did not change my perception of the book as a whole. First, the dialogue. This put me off because I thought teenagers don't REALLY talk like that. Maybe it is another of those "perks" they were talking about when you're already terminal. I don't know but for me the language used couldn't even pass off as everyday communication language let alone used by a teenager.

Second, the parents, actually, every one of the characters seemed to talk in this intelligent kind of monotonous way. Again the dialogue but another issue that concerns it. It seemed like they all had the same type of humor. It is funny. But you can no longer differentiate the people talking. Like somehow, Hazel's dad, a self-admitted technical guy who barely says anything all throughout the book, breaks into a monologue about life and whatnot. Yeah, I like the thoughts Green puts into his books, most especially the ironies he points out for the readers' to digest. I just think he needs to even it out a little more.

The characters needed more variety. So to me they were a bit flat, which is my third concern. For example, besides being mushy what are the other characteristics of Hazel's Father? Gus' Parents were also vague to me, most especially his other sisters. It was as if they were just there to fill things up a bit and there was also Hazel's friend. But I guess I am thinking just as Hazel thought about the book.

Overall, this book is not perfect. Despite all my comments about it this novel embodied my beliefs; about life, death and the in between. People would continue to disappoint and inspire, love and loath.. it is all part of our humanity. What is wrong is when people could no longer do these things, when people become only but memories, when people fade to oblivion.


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DIY: Aztec Shoes

I intended to make a gif for this but then my Photoshop started acting funny. Ugh. Anyway I wanted to show the shoes I made from a few months back. So here it is!

Made from Crayola fabric pens, acrylic paint and a whole lot of diligence and scrutiny. I'm looking forward to making more DIY projects in the near future. 

Tips: If you're planning to make this especially you're planning to make it aztec or anything geometric LINE your shoes properly and make the design before you start painting it. Unlike what I did. Makes the painting itself easier.

Start with a white base, no matter what color your shoes are but only paint the parts where you plan to put the design. If you plan to cover the whole thing then it would be no problem at all.

Make use of anything you could get your hands on! I used toothpicks, tape, cards etc.

 

Enjoy! 

COMELEC 2013: VOTER'S PLIGHT

I am 18 and in the Philippines, it is during this age that you are entitled to vote. This October, we all know that we would have our barangay and SK elections. The registration period ends tomorrow and I thought since my schedule would be free for tomorrow I could go and register so I could vote this coming October. What a casual thing to say, no? I'll just drop by after my class fill up a form, have an interview, have my picture taken and wait for my I.D. but I was dead wrong. My uncle, who just came home from Qatar needed to renew/reactivate his voter I.D. and he has been in line since yesterday 2 a.m. No sleep, while COMELEC's employees arrive and start processing at 10 am. No eating during the whole day while most of COMELEC employees take their lunch breaks and coffee breaks in a well ventilated room and those on queue wait for them to finish, under the sun. The best part is, despite all his efforts, HE GOT CUT-OFF. Why do they a lot a very short amount of time for an operation as big as this? Registration period started last July 22 and it ends tomorrow, July 31. They should at the very least allocate a month for this not 10 bloody days. Most especially since they could not accommodate the volume of people who wants to register. Were they thinking that "Oh Filipinos are lazy, even if we allocate more time they would still show up on the last day of registration!" this may be true for some but don't we all have the freedom to choose when to go? Is it too absurd that people wouldn't have to drop what they are doing just to exercise their rights? My Uncle lost a day's earnings, which does have a big impact for a taxi driver and to think he didn't even get what he came for. But  he says "my problem is small compared to other people, there were even pregnant women on queue and mothers breastfeeding their babies!" Could you even begin to imagine how it is for them? Why do we have to fight for even the most fundamental of our rights? 

Our rights remain a luxury, manipulated by a few. This may be a minor election but as for my Uncle he says he gives up on registering, one less voter who could evict change, one less person who is exercising his right to vote.

but who knows, maybe we'll get lucky in 2016. 

Small Haul

So yesterday I went to SM North and bought a few things, mostly cosmetics! Hihihi.

(L-R) Garnier BB eye roll on, Orly matte top coat, Sally Hansen strengthening base coat, too cool for school marshmallow puff, Snoe here comes the sunblock, Dinoplatz dear brachiosaurus, too cool for school after school shade #1, 2 bottles of Caronia nail polish, Maybeline's falsies and 2 liquid eyeliners from maybeline and ever bilena. Wooh for a student this.is.too.much. Huhu. Have to save up again! Going to do a review on some of these after I've tested them for a week!

yayayayayayayay! New Blog! Hi. I'm Mara I tend to ramble a lot. I post mostly music, book reviews, and photos and a dash of DIY here and there. Also don't mind me if I start ranting, it's a hobby really. Hoping of create something worth reading. x