friends or friends-ters?

Are we actually friends or just friends-ters?

Every couple of months, I get around to checking my friendster account-- to get an update on some people, to look at pictures that friends have been bugging me to check out, and to check if there are some accounts which have no longer have a place in my life (e.g. accounts like gorgeous people, drunken fairies, and so on) and therefore should be deleted.

With friends, no matter how callous I may look or actually be --- in truth, I'm a sucker. Forget me for a couple of years, ignore me (I'll do the same), don't greet me for major holidays (e.g. my birthday)... It all goes down the drain once you contact me.

By the way, to be clear, friends are people who:
1. I've actually had a conversation with -- not small talk
2. Were halfway decent to me during my weird years (i.e. all my life)

When does friendship actually stop? A cheesy message says Friendship is like “sms” bcoz it comes & stays inside Ur Inbox until U delete it. But is it really as easy as that? It's there but maybe instead of growing... you're growing apart. I admit, there are so many levels in being friends. In my world, I have:
1. practically family --- no matter what, you love them. no questions asked. time apart (almost) doesn't matter.
2. close friends --- they mean a lot and have shared a big chunk of my life (and I don't mean in years)
3. buddies --- pals who you can share SOME thoughts with
4. casual friends --


***note to Phy: This isn't the draft I was telling you about. I'm still unsatisfied with that one. This one kinda came out of I don't know what... :P

P.S. just posting it now... can't remember why I started this topic. lol

Twilight should have stayed in the dark

I wonder how movies would be if I wasn't so fond of reading books.... would I enjoy screen adaptations more. P.S. I Love You was different from the book, so was The Notebook. The Lord of the Rings was way too long for everything to be translated onscreen.But they were good films. Twilight, on the other hand, pretty much had the scenes from the book --- mapped out quite differently, but, still there --- BUT it sucked. I'll be kind (and believe me I'm often the opposite) and say that it just kinda sucked. As opposed to majorly sucked. But hello.I never thought I'd say this, but a little more cinematic license wouldn't have hurt. Haha, never thought I'd say that. There was a time when I hated my sister for saying that movies are entitled to cinematic license. But now, I realize that for a screen adaptation to actually work they should stick to the heart of the story and play around with the scenes and stuff. Yes, it's fun to see and hear scenes that you've only imagined while reading the book but movies are different from books. they are visual and in my opinion, people should read books when they want to imagine and they should watch movies when they want to see. not just watch a movie so they can see what they imagine. watching Twilight, i felt like i kept on filling in the blanks instead enjoying myself. it reminded me of watching the first two installments of Harry Potter. by the 3rd one (thank god for Christopher Columbus), I could actually sit back and enjoy the film. considering that book three was my favorite, the movie had a lot to live up to. But instead of criticizing (ok, i did criticize it negatively, BUT just a little)i appreciated it as a movie and figured that as long as they stuck to what the book was supposed to be about, it was good. It didn't need a play by play reenactment of the book scenes... that would've been crazy. That's what makes or breaks screen adaptations stick too much to the story and you get glimpses of what the story's supposed to be about. but if you take some liberties, and I mean some, you end up staying true to the story OR at least, end up with a good film. Some adaptations don't have 7 chances you know...

oh well, I'll never know the answer... 24 years is too long for someone to break a habit. reading is more than a hobby for me

Stuck in a Rut

I'm stuck... It's like I have writer's block. I have 10 drafts for my blog(s) that I just can't finish. Some are so rough, I don't want to look at them again. I've got a million thoughts running through my head but they won't come together coherently. Everything I write sucks. Aargh!

Back Again....

I've had a multiply site for some time but I've mainly used it for showing pictures to my friends and family. I was thinking that I should just quit using blogspot and continue posting my blogs there but I keep having problems accessing it so here I am again...

Cambodia Trip

I went on a trip with my sister months ago and I’ve never really gotten around to writing about it. Anyway, since I’m still lazy to do anything about it, just take a look at the photos on my multiply site: http://babyanj.multiply.com/photos/album/30/vietnam-cambodia_roadtrip

***On Tet holiday, I’m planning a trip with a couple of friends. We might do a Cambodia-Thailand trip for 2 weeks or if we’re short on money, a week-long Siem Reap trip or something like it would do. I like Cambodia (they speak English, yey) and I’m looking forward to going back.***

On Harry Potter and Rereading Books

Seeing the fifth movie on HBO made me realize how much I enjoyed reading Harry Potter books. Because of that, I decided to reread the whole series and make it last for as long as I could. Instead of going through it as quickly as I usually do, I try to take breaks and stop after several chapters or so.

For people who like reading, would you agree that rereading books are like visiting old friends? Like people I rarely see, I miss almost all the books I’ve read (and believe me, there are a lot of them out there) and I always look forward to reading them again.

Some books aren’t like that. Sometimes when you read books for the umpteenth time, you realize that they aren’t worth your time. They don’t provide as much enjoyment as they used to and you become conscious of the fact they aren’t very well written in the first place. I can’t remember how many times I’ve read this particular series but I hope I never get tired of it.

I was never as crazed about him or the series as much as others were and still are. I don’t think that it’s the best story(ies) I’ve ever read. However, I each time I read the books, I feel like I’m meeting the characters all over again and being told of their stories and included in their everyday life. I think this is a feeling that I’d like to have with the books that I will read in the future. I know it’s a big thing to expect but I hope that it does happen.

***Right now, I’m on Prisoner of Azkaban, which is one of my favorites in the series. Hello, Sirius!***

8 Reasons for 8 Months (and Counting)

I’ve been in Viet Nam for about 8 months now and I can say that I’m still enjoying it. I’m still a part time teacher at an English school and tutoring whenever I can. It’s probably not the best arrangement and some of my friends have been asking me why I’m still here since I’m not earning a lot of money anyway… So why…

I guess these are the reasons:
1. I’m not here for the money… If money was my prime reason for working, I should’ve studied something else like nursing.
2. I’m lazy. I’m good at English and I enjoy it. It’s the easiest way to earn money while being lazy(wait a minute, I was also doing that back at PS).
3. Coming here is preparing my parents my future travels to other countries. This is fairly near and they know who I’m with.
4. Like I always tell the students, “I want to try to live and work in a different country”
5. It’s cheap to live in Viet Nam. My expenses each month amount to about $100 or so. That includes rent, bills & food. I ride a bicycle to work.
6. I finally learned how to ride a bicycle and this is a good place to enjoy doing that. Pollution in Vung Tau is almost nada compared to Makati.
7. I’m learning to love vegetables here. They’re humongous and cheap. Fruits aren’t that bad either.
8. Never say no to a chance to travel and learn a new culture and (a bit) language.