June Wrap-up & July TBR

 

June In One Word:
Bibliophilic

My inner bookworm was very satisfied this month! I maximized my last remaining free time(and month) this year by reading all the books that I've wanted to read in a long time. I managed to read a total of eleven books, which wouldn't be possible anymore now that school has started. As you can see, I've decided to push through with my medicine proper and I've taken the first step into making my dream to become a doctor, a reality. I'm so glad to be back on track but I will surely miss those care-free days! So let's get to it, here's a recap of June!

7 Songs That Were Most Popular On My Ipod This Month

1. Madness by Muse

2. Undisclosed Desires by Muse

3. Gold - Owl City

4. The Middle by Jimmy Eat World

5. Brave by Sarah Barreilles

6. Sky Full of Stars by Cold Play

7. Best Day of My Life by American Authors

Top 3 Books I Read This Month

1. Clockwork Series by Cassandra Clare - So this one's a trilogy but I cannot choose just one cause its so unbelievably good as a whole. I read this series immediately after finishing the 3rd book of the TMI series and I must say this is far better than TMI! It made me feel a roller coaster of emotions; one minute I was laughing and then the next thing I was holding my breathe and crying my eyes out! Never in the entire course of my life have I felt this raw tears and emotions towards a book. I was completely enthralled! And my favorite character is easily Will Herondale.

2. Rebecca by Daphe du Maurier - Every year, I make it a point to read two or three classic novels and this year, I chose this to be one of them. It is such a beautiful and engaging novel; definitely included it in my favorite books of all time.

3. To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han - loved everything about this book - the writing, characters, topic, humor, dialogue. 

Favorite Quote From A Book I Read In June

"It was books that made me feel that perhaps I was not completely alone."
 - Will Herondale, Clockwork Prince

July TBR And Things I'm Excited For

Let's pretend that I could still read the same amount of book this July, please?
The 5th Wave - Rick Yansey
Legend - Marie Lu
Cinder - Marissa Meyer
Brida - Paulo Coelho
Open Road Summer - Emery Lord
Since You've Been Gone - Morgan Matson
Love Letters to the Dead - Ava Dellaira
Jellicoe Road - Melina Marchetta
City of Fallen Angels - Cassandra Clare 

- I'm so excited for this one! :) Anna and the French Kiss is one of my favorite contemporary novels!

WWW Wednesdays!

Welcome to WWW Wednesday, hosted by MizB! To participate in WWW Wednesday, you need to answer three questions.

•What are you currently reading?

•What did you recently finish reading?

•What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

This series is so addicting! The writing isn't really perfect, but the story and characters just reels me in. 

What did you recently finish reading?

No surprise here. This series changed the way I looked at fantasy books. I'm a huge fan now. I heard The Infernal Devices is even better and I cannot wait to read that!

What do you think you’ll read next?

Just to switch things up a bit so that I won't fall into a reading slump(yup, I'm a mood reader), my next book would be a contemporary one. I keep seeing this cover on my favorite bloggers' page, and it has received good ratings. I'm so excited to read this one.

Happy Reading!

Sweet Little Things

"I fell asleep on my couch watching old romance movies with my glasses still on and my book in my hands. I woke up and ate a spoon-full of frosting and debated whether I should set the coffee maker for the morning.

I have a king size bed with a blanket on the end I never unfold. I always sleep on the left side, the right side kept perfectly made. Some nights my room is so quiet I can hear my heartbeat. Quiet is something I’ve had to get used to.

I bought a glass bottle of root beer today and couldn’t get the cap off. This man gently took it out of my hands, opened it, smiled and walked away. I was talking to my friends about how I want to find love, honestly I’m not sure that I really do.

Unless it’s someone who would close my book and take off my glasses when I fall asleep on the couch. Unless it’s someone that will kiss frosting off my lips and make me excited to set the coffee maker (because I’ll know that in the morning I’ll take two cups out of the cabinet and smile as I pour hazelnut creamer). Unless it’s someone who will mess up my sheets and perfectly made bed, making this room a little less quiet. Unless it’s someone that will laugh as I struggle to open a glass bottle of root beer and instead of opening it for me he says, "You can do it, I know you can." 

Rainy Days

 If it must rain, rain colorfully.

Rainy season has arrived!

I admit I'm not a huge fan of rainy days. It has something to do with the dark and overcast sky  that kind of dampens my mood. One thing great about it though is that the chilly weather makes reading in bed extra nice. Here's my happy list and some of the things I like to do during this season.

1. Waking up to the smell of brewed coffee in the air.

2. Curling up in bed with a really good book.

3. Playing board games with my siblings.

4. Movie marathon or TV series marathon.

5. Exchanging stories with my friends and family.

6. Trying out a new recipe.

7. Preparing a hearty meal for my family.

8. Bake cookies.

Stay warm and dry! And God bless. :)

May Wrap-Up & June TBR

Hey everyone! Its been a long time since my last post here and now I'm happy to say that I'm finally back. I've been busy with a lot of things, including summer trips with the family and working on my career. Honestly, I'm currently at a phase wherein I'm constantly weighing up my decisions career-wise. My situation involves making a life-altering decision, which inevitably led me at a crossroads. I'm having a hard time choosing which path the take cause I have so many factors to consider. And being an over-thinker that I am, doesn't help at all. I know that this is part of growing up and being an adult, but, as I have always prayed for, whatever happens, may it happen in my favor. 

Anyway, let's move on ahead to lighter topics! Last month, I was able to get out of a reading slump and managed to finish a total of nine books. I chalk it up to Murakami's South Of the Border novel, which made me fall in love with reading all over again.

South of the Border West of the Sun - Haruki Murakami

Just One Day - Gayle Foreman

Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins

We Were Liars - E. Lockhart

Rosemary Beach trilogy (Fallen Too Far, Never Too Far, Forever Too Far) - Abbi Glines

City of Bones - Cassandra Clare

Books I'm Currently Reading:

Game Of Thrones: A Storm Of Swords - George R.R. Martin

Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

Favorite Quote From A Book I Read In May

"Happiness is not a possession to be prized, it is a quality of thought, a state of mind."
— Daphne du Maurier (Rebecca)

June TBR & Things I'm Excited For!

I recently added plenty of new titles in my e-reader and I'm ecstatic to read all of them!

City Of Ashes - Cassandra Clare

Just One Year - Gayle Foreman

Attachments - Rainbow Rowell

Cinder - Marissa Meyer

Amy & Rogers Epic Detour - Morgan Matson

Shatter Me - Tahereh Mafi

Everyday - David Levithan

Where the Stars Still Shine - Trish Doller

Movies:

Of course, fans of The Fault In Our stars(including me), are all excited to see the movie on June 6! I simply cannot contain my excitement and I've been recommending the book to my friends non-stop. I'm also happy to see my favorite book bloggers feature their interview with John Green, movie stills, newspaper articles and basically everything about the upcoming movie!

20 Problems Only Book Lovers Will Understand

1. When someone asks you what your favorite book is and expects you to pick just one.
2. When the movie version of a book gets everything wrong.
3. And completely ruins your mental images of characters.
4. When someone you like tells you they don’t like to read.
5. When you forget to eat or sleep because a book is so good.
6. When your favorite character dies. 
7. And you pretend they’re still alive but it’s just not the same.
8. When a book you love gets a harsh review. 
9. When an author stops writing mid-series.
10. When someone spoils the ending of a book. 
11. Or worse, the ending of an entire series.
12. When you walk into a bookstore.
13. When you lend someone a book and get it back in terrible condition.
14. Or never get it back at all.
15. When you finish a book and have to wait a year for the sequel.
16. When a book makes you cry hysterically in public and everyone thinks you’re crazy.
17. When no one gets your obscure literary reference.
18. When someone says you read too much. 
19. Because you know there’s no such thing as too many books. 

20. When someone interrupts your reading. Because, really, a book is basically a Do Not Disturb Sign

 

(Source: BuzzFeed)

2014 | New Year's Resolutions

2013 has been a roller coaster ride - there were a whole lot of ups and downs and some I couldn't even comprehend happening to me. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and every experience shapes who you are as a person. This year, I would like to make a conscious effort on changing certain aspects in my life, always for the better.

1. Lost Weight - This is probably the most cliche'd resolution, but this year I will exercise more. I'm determined to achieve my goal weight especially now that we're back to eating homemade foods with less calories.

2. Read 15 books - I've grown attached to books last year and discovered so many great authors that I never knew before. This year, I aim to read 15 books; I've set my goal lower this year because I'll be devoting most of my time on my career.

3. Relationship with God - I would like to strengthen my relationship with Him even further. Through good times and tough times, He is always there for me and I'm immensely thankful for that.

4. Take more photos - I would like to grow my collection of photos of my family, friends, special occasions, and other things that I'd like document. Now that I have my own blog, it'll definitely motivate me to do so.

5. Reconnect - I've been terrible with catching up with my highschool and college friends and this year, I really have to change that. I would also like to expand my circle of friends!


 
I'm going to link this up on Ashley's Monthly Goals and I'll continue doing this every month because it's so much fun! :) Here were my goals last month and let's see how well did I do:

Goals for December:

1. Workout 3-4 times a week. - I knew I was bound to fail this one right when S&R opened this month and it's situated so near our house. I love their pizza!

2.  Create a DIY project. - I love books and having an attractive place to store them. I was able to complete my DIY bookshelf and I'm so happy about the outcome. I painted it super crisp, solid white and then placed a nifty wallpaper made of foam,  which I bought at Daiso(a Japanese store) at a low price. 

3. Drink lots of water. - Check!

4. Save money! - I spent my Christmas allowance on books and presents, so no, I wasn't able to a save money this month.

5. Enjoy time with my loved ones and take lots of pictures. - One big fat CHECK! Now it's time to organize them and save some back up!

6. Read 3 books. - Despite my busy schedule, I'm glad I was able to squeeze in 3 books, namely: The Princess Bride, Eleanor & Park, and Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire. I'm completely satisfied with ending 2013, reading GoT(best new book discovery of 2013!).

7. Try 2 new recipes for our Christmas and New Year feasts. - Spicy tuna carbonara and Tiramisu! :)

I hope you all learnt a lot from 2013 and I wish you the best for 2014 - remember whatever you do - think positive!