Hunger Games E-Book Review

I am so into Hunger Games nowadays and it is not because of the movie. I have just finished reading Book 1 and 2 of the Hunger Games and been spending sleepless nights finishing the Mockingjay (Book 2). I am now clearly a fan of Suzanne Collins. I love the main characters in the book, Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellarck, Haymitch and Gale. 

The book is nothing like the Twilight or the Harry Potter but since it is another trilogy and also a novel that has been turned into film, I think some people can’t help but compare them. And I can say that between the three, Hunger Games is the best. Harry Potter is very much for children while Twilight is so much for teenagers. On the contrary, Hunger Games is a book that deals with concepts that concerns everyone. It tackles poverty, politics and an oppressive government but also highlights family, friendship and love issues. One thing that I noticed about the book is that Suzanne Collins never mentioned the idea of religion. I noticed that Katniss even if she’s about to die did not utter even a single word of prayer. 

Narrated by Katniss character, the book is set in the future when a television show called Hunger Games is staged every year. In this game, the twelve districts would each have one male and one female participant aged between 12-18 years old. The participants on the Hunger Games are called tributes and for 2 weeks, the 24 participants would fight each other to death in a place called the arena. The Hunger Games is a cruel reminder to everyone of the uprising that took place years ago, a war that destroyed District 13 completely. 

For a book with a violent or should I say barbaric theme, it shows so much emotions; the love of Katniss for her sister, her special relationship with Gale, her confused feelings towards Peeta and Peeta’s undying love for Katniss. I also think the character of Katniss would be a good role model for young girls – she’s brave, smart, determined and a survivor. I have seen the movie and I think the movie actors (Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson as Peeta) are perfect for the role. I quite have regrets that I did not see the movie in a cinema but on second thought, I don’t think I will appreciate it as much if I haven’t read the book first. 

I was able to have a copy of the book because my officemate gave me an e-book of the whole trilogy. To those who wants to have a copy of the Hunger Games e-book, just leave a comment and I will send it to you via email.

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Get Beautiful Lawns in a Snap

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Scotts® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

 

We all have versions of our own dream houses. And in my case, I would love a big house with a blooming garden. Of course that would mean maintaining a great lawn area. Keeping a beautiful garden is not so easy as it can get messy and tiring. Fortunately there is one product that can help make the lawn task a breeze- Scotts® Snap® Spreader System

 

Alas, I don’t have a garden area in the house where I lived right now so but I know someone who I think would greatly benefit from using this product- my sister in the US. I am talking to my mother via Skype the other day and she mentioned that it is already Spring season in America. She loves the weather and the fresh air. She also told me that my sister requested the services of a gardener the other day to tend their lawn.

 

The next time we talk, I would suggest to her to give this product a try so she won’t need to hire a gardener again. This product might save her money and might make her feel she has a green thumb as it seems to be so easy to use. The Scotts ® Snap® Spreader System  promise to help one achieve a great lawn fast because the system is just snap, lock ago.

 

 

I can’t wait to tell my sister about this product. To those who are in the US (or know someone there), you might want to check out this product. Know more about it by  checking out the Scotts® Snap® Spreader System and "like" Snap perks on Facebook

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Holy Week 2012

For the Holy Week this year my family is supposed to go to my husband’s hometown in La Union. However, we had to cancel this trip at the last minute because from Sunday afternoon to holy Wednesday, Sophie has a fever that would not go away. We went to the doctor on Monday because we are scared that it might be dengue. Thank God, the complete blood test confirmed it was not.

Even if Sophie is already up and about by Wednesday evening, we opted not to pursue our travel plans because our daughter needs all the rest she ca get. Sophie had lost weight and not her usual active self because she doesn’t want to eat anything during the time she was sick.

As an alternative, we just stayed in our house in Cavite. You see, we mostly stay in my mother’s house in Mandauyong because it is nearer our workplaces. We only get to visit the house and lot we purchased thru Pag-ibig in Cavite on weekends and during long vacations. The house is still a work in progress, but we had furnished it with some furniture and appliances to make our stay comfortable such as sofa, bed, refrigerator, aircon, oven etc. But we have no TV yet! Mu husband is saving up for a LED TV I think which I find expensive.

So our vacation is really simple. We would wake up at around 6-7am, eat breakfast and then we would let Sophie play in the subdivision’s playground. After the morning walk, it is time for me to do some dusting, sweeping and a bit of scrubbing around the house. My husband and daughter would still be outside – my husband cleaning his car while Sophie runs around to alternately disturb us.

Sophie would insist for a play time before lunch and after lunch. Then we would all enjoy an afternoon nap. It was not always easy as Sophie would throw tantrums every now and then.

We basically just bond, watch movies, play video games, cook, talk and eat and eat. I actually enjoyed and did not mind the no TV part as it tends to eat most of our time.

But all in all- there was no stress and no worries - our vacation was great. I spent it with the two most important persons in my life and I got that much needed rest and relaxation.

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Easter Sunday Greetings

May your Easter be blessed with health, longevity, love and a lot of happiness!

Happy Easter!

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Cute Panda with a Short Temper

It is a typical day at the office and I am a little bored. I lack energy as I haven’t had much sleep the night before because I have been watching marathon episodes of Pretty Little Liars. So when an officemate shared me a link of a video, I am not so keen to click it. But thank God I did because it made me laugh so hard, it snap the blues out of my system.


I find the video amusing and really very funny because of the cute panda throwing fits. It is a cute scene but I would never let my daughter watch it. I think the commercial is too violent for young minds and may convey a wrong message.


But just for laughs, I want to share the video here. Watch it and share your thoughts about it:

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The Flight Going to the US

Conclusion of blog post: Journey to US Immigrant Visa

So my mother’s US visa was delivered on Nov 11 (yes it was the 11-11-11 day) last year and my sister was able to schedule a US flight for my mother on Nov. 29. Though we are all expecting that my mother would be traveling to the US before year 2011 ends, you can just imagine how busy we all were in November. First my mother had to figure out where to book a flight for my mom. She first asked me to inquire the schedule and rates of Philippine Airlines. When I called PAL, the schedule they gave me was this: my mom would need to have two stop-overs and in both stops, my mom had to wait for six to twelve hours. My mother is traveling alone so we don’t want her waiting that long.

Then my other sister who is working in Abu Dhabi had to go home (only for a one week visit) because she wants to see my mom before her flight to US. She also wants to personally help my mother pack her things because as an OFW for almost 15 years, she is a pro when it comes to traveling abroad. Then we arranged two small despedidas for my mother. I also had to buy some stuff for my sister in the US.

Back to my mom’s flight, my sister just contacted a travel agency from the Philippines and booked a flight for my mother and then gave me the contact details of the agency. My mom and I went to that travel agency to pay in US dollars and claim the ticket and itinerary.

In this flight, my mom had to travel on a Tuesday morning, around 8 am then by 1:00 she would have a stop over in Narita, Japan where she would only stay for two hours. My sister chose Delta Airlines (formerly Northwest Airlines).

Then the next flight would be from Japan to Detroit, USA which is my mom’s US port of entry. She would only stay there for three hours then she would board a flight going to Baltimore. She was set to arrive in US time at 3pm. But in the PH time, that would be around 4 am.

As my mother is not used to traveling overseas, my sister requested wheelchair assistance for her. Though my sister already specified it in to the travel agency, I still called the airlines a day before the flight to confirm the wheelchair assistance and I also informed them that my mother would need help in filling out immigration forms.

I also did little research and found this short but helpful video for those traveling to US for the first time. I let my mother watched his video several times so she would have an idea what woud happen in the course of her flight.

On the day of the flight, we are all up early and arrived in NAIA three hours before the sched. It surely pays to be early, because as my mom is traveling to US for the first time, she still needs to undergo a PDOS seminar. That got me worried for a while but the airport officer told me that the PDOS formality would only take a few minutes. We had to pay PHp400 for this seminar and I filled out an immigration form for my mom. They also checked in and weighed our baggage. I am nervous about this part because my sister requested many items for her balikbayan box.

We are over the 10 kilo-limit but since the excess is only two kilos, they let it pass. I think an excess of up to 5 kilos is allowed. Then we had to take pictures before saying goodbye and bon voyage to my mom. My brother and pamangkins, husband and daughter were all there.

All throughout the flight, I am praying for my mom’s safety. I love Delta Airlines because they have this flight tracker tool in their website- www.delta.com

I was so relieved when I saw my sister’s facebook status about my mom arriving safely in Baltimore. My mother has been in the US for four months now and though she sometimes complains about boredom as there is barely nothing to do around the house (meaning no chores), she is happy and intends to stay for a year before coming back here for a vacation.

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US Visa Finally Arrived!

In Continuation of: US Embassy Interview for Immigrant Visa

After mailing the documents, we patiently waited. According to what I researched, if the visa officer is still not satisfied with what we submitted, they might call us or we might receive an email with details on the additional requirements. My sister said that if two weeks passed after mailing the docs and we still get no reply, I think I can already call the Embassy for a follow-up.

So I think about two weeks passed and we still get no reply from the Embassy. I am getting worried and was about to call them to make a follow up when finally the much awaited visa arrived!!! It felt like I run for miles and miles and finally I hit the finish line.

I was at work then and my mother called to inform me that a messenger just delivered a big brown envelope from the embassy. I was so excited and happy because I know that it is already the US Visa. I asked my mom to open the package and thank God my mother did not obey me. According to her, there was a big written note that the sealed brown envelope should not be opened.

True enough; the package should only be opened by the visa officer at the US port of entry. We can only get the passport which is outside the sealed envelope.

When we opened the passport, we were all so happy to see the US Visa stamped. I immediately informed my sister that my mom’s passport now has a US visa stamp. We felt so triumphant and thankful. So now it’s time to book a flight for my mother.

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