still roaming

What are some of the best(and worst) things about summer?
Submitted by L33tchica.

Back during my student days, the best thing about summer was having a break from school, leaving the city for two months and spending time at my grandparents' house until school rolls in.

Now that I'm working, I think the best thing about summer is that there's less students to compete with during commute :p

Worst thing, it never changed: The heat. 'Nuff said.

If you were independently wealthy, where in the world would you live?
Submitted by Eileen.

I'd like to think that I'd have houses in several places around the world that I can visit at any time. Oddly enough, I don't really want to live anywhere else even if I have these houses and have the means to. I'll probably buy a piece of land in my dad's hometown, preferably near the beach, build a house there and devote my life to my art. Then if I feel like it, I'd visit my other homes and stay there for a month or so, then go back home.

2008 is the Year of the Rat.  Which animal year were you born in?

I was born in the Year of the Rooster, and my element is metal. ^__^

What are you most grateful for in your life right now?
Submitted by Becca-Pink.

My family of course. That's my parents, my three brothers and my sister. My grandfather. My uncles and aunts and my cousins.

My friends: Aldekari, the Cruz family, Thea, Toni, Maya, Drew... I'll stop now because if I type all their names, I'll never be done.

Cable TV. Microwave oven. Refrigerator. :)

Food!

Hanging out with my brothers.

My job.

Waking up and not worrying that I might be out on the street one of these days :(

Knowing that I don't have to be hungry.

That I have people who love me, and whom I can love freely.

The freedom of speech.

Respect.

God.

So much more!

What are you saving up for? 
Submitted by Star. 

The funny thing with me is, I start saving for something I really want, but more often than not, I have doubts if I really want to buy it, haha.

Well, I actually plan to buy a digital camera, so I'm saving up for that. Next time, I'll be saving up for a new phone (a Sony Ericsson P1i, or a Walkman 960i). I'll probably save up for a laptop next. :D

But sometimes, I spend my money for necessities or emergencies, so it's back to square one. :P If I can just get a camera, I'll be happy.

What is your daily commute like?  What is the weirdest thing you've seen on that commute? 
Submitted by E. 

Really fabulous question. :D

In my old job, I used to take a taxi cab from our house to the office. I worked at ungodly hours (4am the earliest), which doesn't give me the option to ride the jeepney. When I moved to my current house, the train was my main means of transportation.

I changed jobs last year, and now my daily commute comprises of two parts: a tricycle ride from our compound to the train station, then a long train ride to Legarda, Manila. I suppose I could count a rather lengthy walk as part of the commute.

Probably the weirdest things I ever seen/encountered were my fellow commuters. Off the top of my head, I recall this American teen who, fresh from his basketball practice, applied deodorant and changed shirts on the train. It's an unusual thing here in the Philippines to do that, so we all couldn't help but stare.

For some reason, most people would rather stand in front of the train doors where there's no safety handlebars to hold on to. I guess they think it'll be easier for them to step out once they reach their stop, but frankly, I just think it's plain stupid.

Well, I've virtually forgotten all about my Vox account. :p I think just about everyone who's on my friends list here has. Which is too bad.

Life has been pretty topsy-turvey for me during the last few months. My uncle died unexpectedly (by that I mean he wasn't sick or experiencing anything that would have caused his early demise), and my aunt flew in from Florida. Talks about what to do with the family property uncle was responsible for ensued. I saw my cousins after a long time, and it was sad that we had to be together this way. My uncle was a good, kind man, and though he had his faults, we love him. He will be missed.

Got to spend time with the family during that week, which was good. I realized that I should take better care of my family and various relatives. We plan to spend Christmas in my dad's hometown.

Art
I haven't been drawing lately. I haven't written anything either, be it a story, or a decent blog/journal entry. I recently purchased a Moleskine Reporter notebook, and though I carry it around with me all the time, I've yet to really use it. Hoping some inspiration strikes, or at least I get in the mood to use it :p

Holidays
Like I said, Christmas is coming and we'll be celebrating it with the family. New Year we might celebrate here, with my mom's family as it's her sister's (my aunt and godmother) birthday on January 1st. There's plans of visiting relatives in Davao next year, but I guess that'll depend on whether we can save enough for the fare and other expenses. I would really love to go there.

What makes your best friend so special? 
Submitted by Jessmiloo.

Over the years, I've met people whom have become close to me and whom I consider part of the "best friends" group. They may not know each other, but they have, in one way or the other, touched my life and I'm forever thankful for that.

The first person that pops to mind when the words "best friend" are mentioned is Carmenez. We've known each other since second grade and were classmates up until we finished high school. Since then, we haven't seen each other as much as we would like, but what's amazing is whenever we see each other, it's like we never spent time apart.

There's so many ways I can describe why she's special, but I'll try to whittle it down. She's hardly ever angry at me, but she doesn't hesitate to tell me if I'm wrong or being stupid. She (along with her family) encourages me to go after my dreams (or what used to be my dreams until I lost faith in me and it, but they still continue to encourage). She understands that if I'm holding a book and not talking to her it's not because I'm ignoring her but because I'm so deep into reading I can hardly hear her. She feeds me (a long standing tradition from field trips to school lunches to bivouacs), she teaches me cooking techniques (or I let her do all the cooking and I just watch), and once in a while during our class projects, she lets me do it anime-style rather than lace and ribbons :)

In a related vein, her family is special too. They treat me like a cousin or another sister. The dogs in their house don't bark at me anymore. Her extended family knows who I am and I'm often invited to family gatherings up to the point where one of her distant cousins ask if I was a blood relation.

She's also someone I know I can run to if I have a problem: be it something as serious as a financial issues or if it's something as (mundane?) as needing a dress for a formal affair.

I guess my best friend is special because she's accepted me for me.

What was the last wedding you went to?  Were you in the wedding?

The last wedding I went to was to my former co-worker and friend Teng's wedding. She married her college sweetheart Jamie and it was last July 16. I wasn't part of the entourage or anything, but I was pretty happy to be a guest. First time in a really long time that I wore a dress. A formal one at that. :p

I've re-read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and I have frankly changed my original opinion of it. I'm happy that Harry's story ended happily, with his marriage and his family and all, but somehow J.K. Rowling's treatment of the end of it all seems a bit off. It seems hurried for one, and the writing isn't too clean. From a writer's point of view, I'd hate to think that J.K. sacrificed the quality of her writing under pressure to finish the book. :(

Then again, I'm just glad it's over.

Still, for those who want more of Harry, and those who feel that J.K. has left so many things unsaid, this one's for you.

J.K. Rowling goes Beyond the Epilogue

[info from various sources including MSNBC and USA Today]

J.K. Rowling has announced in new interviews with the Today show on NBC TV today (July 26) that the epilogue of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was vague on purpose.

She said it was her desire for it to be "nebulous," something "poetic," and that she wanted the readers to feel as if they were looking at Platform 9 3/4 through the mist, unable to make out exactly who was there and who was not.

She admitted her original epilogue was "a lot more detailed," including the name of every child born to the Weasley clan in the past 19 years. For example, Victoire, who was snogging Teddy, Lupin and Tonks' son, is Bill and Fleur's eldest child.

"But it didn't work very well as a piece of writing," J.K. said. "It felt very much that I had crowbarred in every bit of information I could ... In a novel you have to resist the urge to tell everything."

But now that Book 7 is in our hands, J.K. no longer has to hold back any information about Harry Potter. With 14 fans crowded around her in Edinburgh Castle in Scotland earlier this week, J.K. has now told us the following exciting information:

Read more here

So there's going to be more. I would definitely like to learn more about what happened to everyone at the end.