To Read...

I've got four awesome books on my shelf waiting to be read. There's "In A Gilded Cage" by Rhys Bowen given to me by Kai from National Bookstore's recent warehouse sale. Joan got me "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern for my birthday (but I got it just this Monday). And I bought "Skin Deep" by E.M. Crane and "The Carhullan Army" by Sarah Hall last weekend, when their prices were awfully but delightfully cut (Skin Deep used to be P309 but I got it for only P75 and The Carhullan Army used to be P465 and I got it for frickin' P50!). 

I've started reading In A Gilded Cage and The Carhullan Army - which are very good, I must say - but with the very demanding schedule I have at the moment, I'm pretty sure they'll be sitting on my shelf until Christmas break.

♥Andz

Be Brave :)

Honestly, this semester is just beyond stressful. We have a lot of paperwork, speeches, readings, and reports to do, plus I also have AIESEC duties to fulfil, as it is OGX season and I'm a part of the OGX team. 

It's pretty difficult juggling all of them with my two little hands. I'm just tired. Really tired, and I've been feeling ill for the past two days. But who am I to complain, when there are the older college students who are suffering much worse, and there are also teenagers out there who aren't even in school, even if they wish to be, right?

It definitely is the perfect time for me to be brave. 

♥Andz

Friends: DOODLED!

OK, so I'm just posting this illustration I made weeks ago after a day out with my Stargirls, Felis and Lanie, in case I delete it or lose it. What do you think?

♥Andz

Saturday: NSTP Fieldwork :D

The day was good. The sun was shining brightly in the clear blue sky, as thin white clouds drifted overhead. The trees rustled to the light breeze, and the faint sound of children chatting in their classrooms filled the early morning air.

Sure enough, everything was different from the hustles and bustles of city schooling. There were no vehicles honking in the streets that surrounded the school. Pollution was a distant idea. Fruit-bearing trees, rice fields, and calm ponds were the backdrop instead of narrow buildings, tangled electric wirings, and street shacks. And, the hot sun wasn't as annoying as it used to be.

We had our first field work for the second semester today; the second for the whole year. We were assigned to the same province (Bataan), the same school (Asuncion Consunji Elementary School), and the same students (mine's named Alena). And unlike our first time, there was no barrier between us tutors and our tutees anymore. We knew them pretty well, and they remembered us perfectly! In fact, Alena gave me that smile of hers the moment we walked into the classroom.

Our lessons for the day were Roman numerals and basic maths problems. The 3rd graders haven't tackled them yet, so we had to work extra hard to make them understand everything. It was very challenging, indeed, but honestly and surprisingly, I found it enjoying teaching the subject, and whenever Alena gets the answers right a sense of pride fills me. I know it sounds oh-so dramatic, but it's really fulfilling! 

It was a bit sad when we were told that we were leaving, as we really had fun. Good thing, we have next week to meet our tutees for the last time. 

♥Andz

Book Review: Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise Trilogy

It's been a while since I've finished reading The Promise Trilogy, but I still find myself flicking through their pages every once in a while.

The Promise Trilogy picks up immediately where the Avatar series left off back in 2008, when peace and harmony among the remaining nations - the Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom, and the Water Tribe - is restored by Avatar Aang with the help of his friends.

To keep balance in the world, Avatar Aang, Fire Lord Zuko, and the Earth King started the Harmony Restoration Movement - a movement that seemed to be the very solution to keep peace among the nations, until a rift between the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation plunges the world back into war a year after the movement is announced.

With a promise that if fulfilled might shatter his friendship with Fire Lord Zuko, Avatar Aang faces his biggest dilemma yet.

Reading The Promise Trilogy brought back so many good memories of the show, sometimes urging me to be reminiscent and a bit sentimental. There's also a huge sense of familiarity, even though the story is told in an entirely different format, as author Gene Yang perfectly captured the personality of every character in the script he wrote for the graphic novel. I couldn't help but hear their voices in my head as I went through their lines.

I love the artwork as well. If I were to describe it in one word, I would say, "brilliant". Dark Horse comics didn't go wrong in picking Gurihiru to do the job, because he recreated the characters perfectly. They looked so much like their TV counterparts, that  they made me think that they were moving right before my eyes.

Overall, I would say that The Promise does not disappoint, unless you're one of those unappreciative Avatards who just couldn't move on.

The Promise will be followed by another trilogy entitled "The Search", which will follow Zuko's journey in finding his long-lost mother, Ursa, and will also explore the spiritual side of the Avatar universe. Gene Yang and Gurihiru will team up again for the new Avatar project.

The Search Part 1 will be out in March 2013.

♥Andz

TGIF

Well, thank God it's Friday. This week has been a real whirlwind for me. 

My first AIESEC local committee meeting was held last Sunday. This Monday and Tuesday, I went to see the doctors, and pretty much got what I didn't expect, which is pain - loads of it. I'm feeling much better now, though. I also had this group report in Rizal Course, which turned out good enough for a decent grade - I guess.

Wednesday's OK, but Thursday was a lot better, because we started our basketball class. Gosh, I missed shooting hoops! I used to be really good in basketball in my sophomore year in high school, but that was until I got injured, and my ma shunned me from playing the sport, until now.

Today, we had our first quiz in Filipino, which I surely failed. Anthropology also bored me to death, and it's not even because of the subject, but because of the professor!

I have a long mental to-do list at the moment, and I'm not planning to tick out an item soon. I need some rest. Some good rest.

♥Andz

Monday

After school, rushing a report, and seeing my dentist to have my ligatures changed, I went to the doctors today, because I have observed some "changes", and today, I felt what pain means. Don't ask me what exactly happened, but damn, I never expected the procedure to be so bloody painful! I'm literally still hurting right now! Can't some genius invent something less torturing? 

Geez! 

I actually cried right after. And I never cry. I rarely do, so this is a momentous painful first in a long time! I'm not afraid of doctors either, so today really surprised me. After getting dressed and gathering myself a bit, I walked straight to a record bar and listened to some Santana and One Direction tunes playing around. 

The results were OK, if you're wondering. I still have to meet another doctor tomorrow, though.

On the brighter side of this post, my mum got me an Avatar: The Last Airbender book (my mum keeps giving me surprises these days, and I'm loving it!), and it's tales 1-4 of the Earth Kingdom Chronicles! Now, all I have too look for are the tales of Zuko and Katara.

And oh, Walkers cheese and onion crisps will always be one of the best comfort snacks after seeing the doctor. Better than lollipops!

♥Andz

The Disney Princesses Go High Fashion With Harrods

I stumbled upon photographs of these really lovely gowns inspired by the Disney Princesses and wondered where they came from. With a li'l bit of googling here and there, I found out that Harrods unveiled their Christmas Window last 1 November featuring the Disney Princesses.

The gowns are designed by some of the biggest fashion royalties of our time - Missoni, Marchesa, Oscar de la Renta, and Versace, to name a few.

While some designers opted to make a similar impression of what the Disney Princesses wear, some gave a modern touch and added personality to their masterpieces, without losing the original imagery of the beloved princesses.

Here they are:

Cinderella

Versace

Jasmine

Escada

Tiana

Ralph  & Russo

Aurora

Elie Saab

Belle

Valentino

Ariel

Marchesa

Mulan

Missoni

Snow White

Oscar de la Renta

Rapunzel

Jenny Packham

Pocahontas

Roberto Cavalli

*Note: I do not own any of these images. 

♥Andz

Avatar: The Last Airbender - Attempting Fan Art

Having nothing to do yesterday afternoon, I put my Avatar: The Last Airbender fangirling to a test: I drew portraits of Team Avatar. I'm not really good when it comes to drawing, but I'm not bad at it either. It's safe to say that I'm OK.

With the help of two pencils, an eraser, and The Promise Trilogy as a guide, I just started sketching and sketching until midnight. 

I really had fun drawing the characters, as the outcomes surprised me greatly. Never did I think that I'll be able to draw them. I decided to leave out the eyes, though, since I'm terrible in drawing eyes and I want to keep this 'effect'.

I'm planning on digitally adding colour to them when I get the time to do it. In the mean time, here are my sketches:

AANG
I found drawing Aang the easiest. It's just a matter of
making the shape of his head, and to perfect
that playful smile of his.

KATARA
I loved drawing Katara, especially her hair. She's just this
really beautiful animated character, so I tried not to ruin
that in my drawing - and of course, to give her and her
creators justice.

SOKKA
Sokka is also one of the easiest to draw. I like the shape
of his head (like a potato), so I just imagined that while
sketching.

TOPH
Toph is my favourite character in the series, so I wanted
to capture her personality in my drawing, including her
mischievous smile. I also liked drawing her hair.

SUKI
Suki gave me a hard time. Adding her beautiful eyes
or not was such a dilemma to me, because I love the
Kyoshi warrior makeup! I decided to rule it out, though,
and just draw her lips.

ZUKO
Zuko gave me the most trouble of all! He has the most
complex facial features, with that scar and all. Being my
toon crush, I really had to do a good job in this
one, which I wish I did.

♥Andz