“Few religions are definite about the size of Heaven, but on the planet Earth the Book of Revelation (ch. XXI, v.16) gives it as a cube 12,000 furlongs on a side. This is somewhat less than 500,000,000,000,000,000,000 cubic feet. Even allowing that the Heavenly Host and other essential services take up at least two thirds of this space, this leaves about one million cubic feet of space for each human occupant – assuming that every creature that could be called ‘human’ is allowed in, and the the human race eventually totals a thousand times the numbers of humans alive up until now. This is such a generous amount of space that it suggests that room has also been provided for some alien races or – a happy thought – that pets are allowed.”

— Terry Pratchett (The Last Hero: A Discworld Fable)

A happy thought, indeed! I, for one, would love to see all my pets again.

Image Credit: marcodelatorre

While it’s true that I called myself a fan of Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling saga a couple of times before, I am not offended every time I read a bad review about it. Truth is, I also have my own set of negative opinions of the Twilight series, especially when it comes to the “values” it teaches. I don’t, of course, think that I am actually that naive to be influenced by it, I just wish the kids who read it are smart enough to distinguish right from wrong. For one, giving up everything (your life, your youth, your family, your parents’ trust, academics, opportunities, among others) for that seemingly perfect guy (vampire or otherwise!) is severely frowned upon. Come on Bella, aren’t you supposed to be the strong, independent one?

I’ve also been openly admitting that I didn’t like the 4th book, Breaking Dawn. In one word, I’d describe it as ridiculous. I could enumerate the reasons why I think that is but I’m afraid I just might get flamed by other Twilight fans out there! Hee. I believe Cathy Deen’s review about it pretty much sums up what I think.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved the Twilight saga. It’s just that, Book 4 kinda ruined it for me. I feel that it was as if the first 3 books were written by one author, and the fourth by another. Prior to reading the last installment, I had a lot expectations of how the story could have ended. I guess I wasn’t too happy about the way the author made everything in Breaking Dawn too easy. It’s just too many “closures” and “conclusions” crammed into one book! But that’s just my opinion.

And what is this whole hullabaloo over Twilight versus Harry Potter about? Twilight is great in its own way, but Harry Potter is something else. The Harry Potter series may just be the best, most engrossing fiction I’ve ever read. Believe me, setting some time aside to read those seven fantastic, albeit thick, books is definitely worth it. And the final book (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) was wonderfully concluded. I love plots with lots of sensible twists and turns!

But even after having said all that, I’m still excited to see the Twilight movie that will premiere in Manila this Wednesday. I wanna see how they translated the novel into a movie — and to see how good (or bad?) Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart played Edward and Bella. After all, I did enjoy reading Stephenie Meyer’s first novel.

Btw, her other novel called The Host is actually pretty good too.

I forgot to tell the waiter, who took this shot, to half-press first, thus the blur. ^_^

I spent the whole day today with my family. In the photo above are my parents, my brothers Jec and Jem, Sharon, Che-che, Deej, and me. This kind of gathering doesn’t happen everyday so I thought of preserving it using my camera and posting the photos here (plus, I really really want to update this blog because it’s a Saturday night and I got nothing else to do). We had lunch today at Pier One, Global City.

If you’re wondering where you can find those big stone dinosaurs, they’re standing right outside Pier One in Global City, Taguig. They remind me of The Land Before Time!

If you know me well, you’d agree that I have this strange fascination with cars. But with the continuous oil price hike, it probably won’t be long ’til I grow tired of them (I heard it’s gonna soar to P80.00/liter in September! Huwaat!?). Anyway, this post is not about our shitty economic state, but the Cullens’ beautiful cars in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series. This gives us, Twilight fans, a clearer picture of our favorite vampire family’s jaw-dropping automobiles!

Let’s start with Edward Cullen’s car. Here is his sexy silver Volvo S60 R.

Rosalie Hale’s shiny BMW M3 Convertible that’s just as beautiful as she is.

Carlisle Cullen’s Mercedes S55 AMG. If memory serves me right, this is the car that Alice drove when she went back to Forks for Bella in New Moon.

Emmett Cullen’s huge Jeep Wrangler. It’s so Emmett, don’t you think?

The Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, Edward Cullen’s “special occasion” car that he used to take Bella to the prom. ♥

Alice Cullen’s yellow Porsche in Eclipse. The one Edward gave her as a bribe to kidnap Bella. Heh!

And now… the not-so-fancy cars:

Bella Swan’s old 1953 Chevrolet Pickup Truck.

Jacob Black’s tiny Rabbit. Can you totally picture Jacob in this? It’s cute.

Neat, huh? So among these cars, which do you like best? Because Edward Cullen’s THE MAN (Er, the vampire?), I’m voting for his Silver Volvo. ♥

I got this next photo from Anna’s post. It’s the new issue of EW with Bella (Kirsten Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) on the cover.

What do you think? Horrible? I think so too.

Dates to remember: August 4, 2008 (Release of Breaking Dawn). January 8, 2009 (Twilight movie premieres in the Philippines).

Twilight is only the second novel I’ve read about vampires. The first one was The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, a fiction that delved deep into the world of vampires and Dracula. Obviously, I didn’t think I would find vampire stories interesting until I read those two. I’ve never read any of Anne Rice’s works, except Christ The Lord which clearly isn’t anything vampiric. Heh. Between the two, my fascination with Twilight (the series) is a lot more intense!

So what’s this “rebound” book that I’m referring to in the title of this post? At the end of my Quest, when I finally gave up and told the Customer Service at Powerbooks to just reserve me a copy of Eclipse once they have it, I decided to get another book — After Dark by Haruki Murakami — just so I don’t disrupt my current reading streak. The last time I broke this kind of momentum, it took me 5 months to finish a single book! Lol. Truth is, I’ve actually been waiting for the cheaper edition of After Dark to be released. I find the original edition too expensive (probably around P800), while the one I bought sells for only P299. I haven’t read it, so I’ve got nothing to say about it yet.

While it’s true that I’ve also been wanting to read After Dark since last year (and that I’m really a fan of Haruki Murakami’s works), I still consider it a “rebound” book because the deeper truth is right now I, without-a-doubt, want to read Eclipse instead.

Check out the updates of the Twilight movie that’s coming in December! Edward Cullen is going to be played by Robert Pattinson (the guy who played Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter) and Bella Swan by Kristen Stewart (the two playful boys’ elder sister in Zathura).

Pardon me for writing this very trivial post. This is what my “over-fascination” with something usually compels me to do.

While we’re on the subject of social networking sites, why don’t you add me as a friend? (Yun naman eh, may kasamang pag-promote! Haha)

Anyway, going back to Facebook. Every time I sign in I usually just stare at the screen and think of how else I can update that page. “I should be updating because everyone else is!!” I know there’s a gazillion things to do there but I guess I’m just not that interested. Or it’s because I know that Facebook is so time-consuming that I refuse to get addicted to all these apps. As of this moment, I actually have 379 unprocessed requests in my dashboard! So if there’s an app that you really really want to share with me (that you think I’m gonna enjoy) send me a message instead! Else, the invite will just be ignored. Hehe.

Now if you go to my Facebook profile page, you’ll see how boring it is. Lol.

I did enjoy tweaking my Facebook months ago, though. I even added a few apps that some friends recommended. Among those I added is the Visual Bookshelf application. Visual Bookshelf helps me keep track of the books I’m reading and have read. I can also view the bookshelves of some of my friends in Facebook. It’s a terrific way to connect with fellow book lovers.

I added this app around the time I was reading The Virgin Suicides, which was 4 months ago. I intended to update my Visual Bookshelf regularly so when I was done with that book, I immediately added the new book I was reading then — Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides’ second book. This was 4 months ago, but until today my Visual Bookshelf remains untouched. It’s not because I neglected to update it, it’s because I’m still not done reading Middlesex. Great!

It’s really disappointing as I used to be able to finish a novel in just a week or two. Every time I read Aurus, Tina, and Nightdreamer‘s posts about the books they’re reading since the start of the year, I feel bad for not being able to finish anything at all this year. Mind you, the novel Middlesex is interesting, I just don’t have the time to get it done. Sigh. I was definitely doing better at this reading thing last year.

Funny how the Facebook app Visual Bookshelf has sent me this e-mail FOUR times since February:

Visual Bookshelf application is all about organizing and showing off your reads.
We wanted to give you a reminder so that you can keep your profile fresh if things have changed.

Is “Middlesex: A Novel (Oprah’s Book Club)” still a work in progress?

Yes, dear Visual Bookshelf, Middlesex is still a work in progress.

So to you, Dino, who’s anticipating this post — here it is!

The Registry Notice was delivered to our apartment yesterday, and today my dad claimed the parcel at the Post Office for me. So yay, I finally received my copy of WordPress for Dummies that Lisa sent!

A personally signed WordPress for Dummies! W00t! Thanks, Lisa.

The package arrived in the Philippines last November 23, but it took the postman 17 friggin’ days to show up on my doorstep. Why am I not surprised?

Anyway, that doesn’t matter anymore. I’m just glad it’s here. I haven’t read the book but I’ve been browsing through it since I held it in my hands a few hours ago, hehe. Contrary to popular belief — and, well, the book title itself — I don’t think the book is just for dummies. I’ve been studying and tweaking WordPress for almost two years now yet there’s still a lot about it that I don’t know. I usually consult The Codex or bug some people whenever I encounter a problem but now I’m glad that I actually have pages to turn (and sentences to highlight) to make bookmarking for future reference easier. The book does not only contain basic stuff about WordPress but also a comprehensive list of template tags, PHP commands, scripts, parameters, and more customization guide that I personally find very useful.

I haven’t tried setting up WordPress MU yet. But if I have to, I know now where to run!

Fine, I admit it. I AM A DUMMY! Lol.

Let me just say that I think Lisa did an awesome job with WordPress for Dummies. I’m amazed at how she was able to compile this enormous amount of data to create a wonderfully written WordPress guide. It’s truly an honor to be working for a professional blog designer like her. I hope that in 10 years I could at least be half as good as the Lisa Sabin-Wilson. And in 20 years, if I’m luckier, I can be one-third as good as the Matt Mullenweg, the co-founder of WordPress… I WISH!!

As Lisa mentioned, WordPress for Dummies is the #1 bestseller in the Blogging & Books category on Amazon today. Congratulations, Lisa! And to Nika, for winning a signed copy.

Now if I can just get my hands on that CSS for Dummies, I can finally move past my “dummy” blog designer state! Haha

Anyway, I have a blog to customize and a WordPress book to read. Why don’t you get your own WordPress for Dummies copy today?

Thanks to my kind and pretty friend, Rita, I was able to get my 2008 Starbucks Planner sooner than I expected! I swear I didn’t force her to do it. She just, all on her own, realized that she doesn’t want to fill up her Starbucks card with stickers anymore and give it to me instead (Lol @ Rita). So THANK YOU, Rits! You’re the best! You may visit her new blog at www.tarits.com.

There. I’m returning the favor by plugging her site! HAHA

Hands down, the 2008 Planner is a lot better than the 2007 one. Last year’s planner is a little bit on the heavy side which is why I refuse to lug it around with me. The new planner, on the other hand, is thinner, lighter, and more convenient. Plus, the pages actually have lines! I need those lines. My handwriting tends to slant without ‘em. Heh.

I claimed the planner today at Starbucks Bonifacio High Street branch (The Fort), but that wasn’t really my purpose of going there. I wanted to catch a glimpse of Neil Gaiman, author of Stardust, at the Awards Night and book launch of “Expeditions” (a compilation of comics and fiction done by Filipinos). I brought my copy of Stardust in the hopes that there’d be book signing. But there wasn’t, much to my despair. I wouldn’t even have minded standing in the long queue if there was one. Apparently, the only way to get Neil’s autograph was to buy his already-signed books available at Fully Booked. So, no, I didn’t get a copy.

Just by listening to him talk on stage for about 30 minutes, I can say that Neil Gaiman is really smart and funny. His hair is just a bit unkempt in person compared to his photos online and in his books but he looked really young for his age. His son Mike, who works for Google, was there too. I swear a part of me wanted to approach him to ask if Google is looking to hire janitors. I would’ve handed him my resume in a heartbeat! LOL. I brought my dad with me too but I’m pretty sure he didn’t have a clue who in the world Neil Gaiman is. Deej also went there carrying my copy of American gods. So that makes two of us plus a bunch of other disappointed fans who didn’t get our books autographed. Hehe.

Neil said he might come back here next year. I hope they’d have book signing then.

Now a major motion picture from Paramount Classics starring James Woods, Kathleen Turner, Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett.

Yep, I’m a Josh Hartnett fan. I was crushing on Josh (Uh-huh, we’re on a first name basis) during his The Faculty days, I fell in love with him in Pearl Harbor, and then I wanted to marry him in Wicker Park. Lol. Apparently, The Virgin Suicides film was released in 1999. I guess I sidestepped that one. I can’t wait to see his upcoming movie called I Come With The Rain that they’re filming in Mindanao. And did you know that Jimmy Kimmel (da who?) said some insulting words about the Filipinos in his interview with Josh?

Anyway, the title of the book The Virgin Suicides says it all. It’s all about the untimely deaths of five sisters ages 13 to 17. The fact that all five of them committed suicide was disclosed early on in the book so the story actually revolved around the people outside their family who wondered why the girls were so determined to end their lives. It’s a depressing book and it kind of makes you want to reach out to the girls and just be a friend to them. Only you can’t. Heh. I guess there are lessons to be learned from it too, especially for parents on raising kids. People have to be more sensitive in recognizing the need of others (and the suicidal tendencies of some). As for the writer — Jeffrey Eugenides is simply brilliant.

The Virgin Suicides reminded me of the equally melodramatic non-fiction that I read last year called Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel. They also made a film out of this one with Christina Ricci as the main character. The book is about a girl who felt depressed but didn’t know why she did. She was leading a life that she can’t complain about, she had a relationship with a good man in which she felt insecure despite all the efforts he made, and she was on her way to becoming a successful career woman. But all that is useless because she JUST CAN’T STOP feeling depressed. She also attempted to kill herself many times just so she could put an end to her mind-numbing emotional instability. The problem was obviously psychiatric more than it is psychological and it took decades before they came up with a medication. And then her life dramatically changed after she started taking Prozac. After that, the author segues into sharing the sad fact about thousands of kids in the US (hence the title Prozac Nation) who are faking their condition just so they could get their hands on this “happy pill.” There’s a thin line between people who actually need the drug and those who just want to escape reality.

These two interesting books, despite the angst, went deep into the world of the depressed who are living a life that they just can’t stand. There’s clearly something missing in the lives of this kind of people that it makes me sad. It also made me think of this one friend I have back home who always feels depressed. I gotta reach out to her more.

After months of waiting, the official WordPress for Dummies book by Lisa Sabin-Wilson is now available! You can get it at Amazon.com, Barnes and Nobel, Books-A-Million, Dummies.Com and Wiley.Com. But if you can’t wait for the book to be shipped, you can just get the e-book version from Wiley.com. Download the book’s teaser here.

About the WordPress for Dummies Book:

WordPress is one of the most popular blogging tools available, with over a million registered bloggers, and climbing! This all-new Dummies guide delivers just what would-be bloggers need to get up and running with WordPress and start communicating with the world. WordPress For Dummies covers blogging basics, choosing a hosting solution or setting up a host, developing blog content, syndicating blog posts with RSS, launching a specialized blog (including podcasting, photoblogging, mobile blogging, and videoblogging), and even earning revenue. It includes help on every aspect of installing and using WordPress, illustrations from real-world WordPress blogs, step-by-step tutorials on key topics, and insights from bloggers who use WordPress. (Read more)

Incidentally, the author, Lisa Sabin-Wilson, is also my boss at E.Webscapes Blog Design Studio. EW is just the best online company to work for with the most supportive co-designers and developers who are ready to go off their way to help you if you need it. It’s also a very organized place so if you’re looking into having a custom WordPress theme with your own specs, functionality, and other ideas in mind, you can request a blog design quote and have the chance to work with professional people *ahem*. At E.Webscapes, it’s not just about the design, but it’s also about establishing the overall functionality and flexibility of your WordPress blog, official website, or e-commerce site.

Win a copy of WordPress for Dummies

Anyway, if you’d rather not purchase the WordPress for Dummies book, there are ways that you can get it for free. One is at Leanne’s blog where she’s having a Pumpkin Carving Contest. This contest is perfect if you had just carved a fancy-looking pumpkin for Halloween and would want to put the thing to good use. Heh. You only need to take a photo of your pumpkin and submit your carving there. She will then post it on her blog and the owner of the pumpkin that gets the most votes will win a free autographed copy of WordPress for Dummies! The Pumpkin Carving Contest will end on the 31st, so if you’re interested in joining, you better pimp that pumpkin and set it up for a photoshoot today. (Read more about the contest)

But wait there’s more! You can also get the chance to win a free autographed copy of WordPress for Dummies at Lisa’s blog. She’s celebrating her 5th Blogiversary (Check it out – she mentioned me in her post! Lol) and she’s giving away 5 copies so you have more chances at winning. To join, you only need to:

Make a post on your blog about how WordPress has helped, or harmed, you with your blog. Include plugins you use, themes you use, stuff you’ve learned, opportunities you’ve taken.. people you’ve met. (Read more about the contest)

Just to be clear, I did NOT write this post as a contest entry. I just thought I’d help promote the contest. And I don’t think I’m eligible to join given I work for her and all, haha. Besides, I was promised I’d be sent my own autographed copy soon. *Hint hint*

I know of another upcoming contest that’s giving away a copy of WordPress for Dummies too, but I’m in no position to spill the beans, so, just watch out for that blogger’s announcement. Hehe.

Then again if you’re not up to joining these blog contests and you’ve got the moolah, you can always get your own copy directly.