Sunday, January 31, 2016

Book: A Gallagher Wedding (Short Story) by Ally Carter

★★★★★/★★★★★

Gallagher Girls will always be my favorite. Ever!
     I saw my mother in her ivory gown, Bex and Aunt Abby carrying the train as they walked from the P&E barn toward the gardens where people waited in white folding chairs. Mr. Solomon and Townsend stood at attention at the front of the crowd. Even in July and on his wedding day, Joe looked cool, like he had planned every possible outcome for that moment, and things were going exactly according to plan.
    “The bride and groom have requested that their maid of honor and best man join the ceremony,” Liz said, holding out my high-heeled shoes. “Besides, you guys have the rings.”
   “What do you say, Gallagher Girl?” Zach offered me his arm. “Do you want to join them?”
   I turned into the light.
  “I do.
And I do, Zach. I do! :")

Saturday, January 30, 2016

Book: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

★★★★★/★★★★★

“There are two kinds of guilt. The kind that's a burden and the kind that gives you purpose. Let your guilt be your fuel. Let it remind you of who you want to be. Draw a line in your mind. Never cross it again. You have a soul. It's damaged but it's there. Don't let them take it from you.”

First of all, I want to say that I have my new favorite series. 
Second, Laia is a strong and brave girl.
Third, Elias is a good person.
Fourth, Commandant is a wicked, heartless woman.
Lastly, I applaud Sabaa Tahir for writing this wonderful book.

An Ember in the Ashes is one heartbreaking and powerful book. It captivated me the moment I started reading it and now that I finished it, I can no longer wait for the next book!

The story is told alternately by Laia and Elias, a slave and a Mask in Blackcliff.
Laia is a strong-willed, brave girl who will do everything, even to be a slave to the heartless Commandant of Blakcliff, just so she could help break her brother, Darin, out of prison. Elias, on the other hand, is one of the best Masks at Blackcliff where power, loyalty and brutality rule everything. It's the one place he doesn't really want to be in but doesn't have a choice since he was chosen to be there. He's been inside Blackcliff almost all his life, training and planning his escape one day. These two characters will show us how to fight, to be brave, to stand for what we believe in, to fail but stand again and to never stop having hope. Because as long as there's life, there's hope.

This book made me realize how lucky I am to be living in a world like this and not inside a world like Blackcliff. Because I really don't know how I could survive like Laia or Elias or anyone in the book if I were them. But then I realized that there are actually places in this world like Blackcliff where people suffer and die on the hands of brutal and heartless people. It's sad to think that there are really people who abuse their power and enjoy the pain of others.

Heartbreaking it may be, this book is one hell of a book. I can't imagine how Sabaa Tahir managed to write a book as good as this. It's definitely a must-read!

Veturius smiles that knife's-edge smile. "Look at us," he says. "Scholar slave and Mask, each trying to persuade the other they're not evil. The Augurs do have sense of humor, don't they?" 

Friday, January 29, 2016

Movie: The Kings of Summer 2013

 ★★★★★/★★★★★

This movie left me heartbroken. For what reason? I'm not sure. I just found myself still crying even after it ended and I guess I should stop being so effin' emotional about everything! :"(

I recommend this film not only to teenagers but to everyone for it not only teaches us a thing or two or a lot about being a teenager but it also shows us how the lack of parental guidance affects us and how people around us contribute so much in our upbringing.

I connected so much with Joe because when I was younger I also felt the need to get away, to move far enough so no one could find me. And I guess there's really a time when everyone feels that way. When we feel like we need to get away from everyone else to find ourselves, to find want we want and to know if we really want it.This film got me so emotionally engrossed and I love how it teaches us things about life, friendship, love and self-sufficiency.


Movie: Strange Magic 2015

 ★★★★/★★★★★

I actually loved this one despite the negative reviews I've read online. I enjoyed it, it has a good message and that's what matters right? I'm not an expert on reviewing movies but it's fun and I love that it tells us that we all deserve to be loved no matter who/what we are. I also enjoyed the singing and dancing and how Marianne is a strong and independent woman. This is actually a good movie. :)


Thursday, January 28, 2016

Movie: Pan 2015

★★★/★★★★★

I've always loved the story of Peter Pan but seeing this prequel movie, Pan, disappointed me a bit. I mean, I'm fine with the characters singing but watching Blackbeard sing is a bit strange for me. The plot is good, the casts are new to me, everything else is fine but there's something about it that is off. It's not like those movies I instantly like from the moment it started and I just don't know why. Maybe because I was expecting more? More story? More action? More adventure? I'm not sure myself but it's definitely not what I expected.

So the story basically tells us the beginning of Peter Pan, from when his mother left him in an orphanage, leaving him a necklace with a flute pendant and a note saying that she just did what needed to be done and that someday they will meet again, to when the pirates came to take the children to Neverland and to the point where Peter can already fly. (I was chanting I do believe in Peter the whole time! tsk) 

Other than the film made on 2003, I've never read or watched anything related to Peter Pan (and oh, I've seen Peter Pan and Hook on Once Upon A Time, if that counts) so hearing about this movie excited me a lot. But now that I've watched it, I can say that I'm fine with the film Peter Pan (2003) as it is. I've also never seen the film where Robin Williams starred as Peter Pan but now I'm planning to watch it.

Overall, I give it three stars and it's only because it was good to see Hook and Peter Pan getting along so well. :)

 Now let's go second star to the right and straight on 'til morning!

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Movie: The 5th Wave

★★★/★★★★★

Characters:
Chloe Grace Moretz as Cassie Sullivan
Nick Robinson as Ben Parish/Zombie
Zachary Arthur as Sammy Sullivan
Liev Schreiber as Colonel Vosch
Ron Livingston as Oliver Sullivan
Alex Roe as Evan Walker
Maika Monroa as Ringer

Summary from Wikipedia:
The 5th Wave follows 16-year-old Cassie Sullivan as she tries to survive in a world devastated by the waves of alien invasion that have already devastated the Earth's population and knocked humankind back to the Stone Age. As one of the planet's last survivors after her father was killed in a massacre by the army, Cassie has to learn the hard way to trust no one. The only thing that keeps Cassie going is the hope that she can save her 5-year-old brother, Sam, from a "training" camp established by the Others (the aliens). Cassie and Ben Parish, who was her crush in school, narrate a good majority of the story, along with several supporting characters who offer different perspectives. The Waves were planned attacks used by the Others in their attempt to take over planet Earth, but the reason for their desire to inhabit the planet is much deeper than that and has a lot to do with humanity itself.

I don't really like watching movies based on books but this one looked pretty good. I was all excited and curious about the story but watching it left me more curious and disappointed.
 
It started strong with Cassie narrating and telling us what happened and finding an abandoned store with a man calling for help. She was armed with a rifle gun so she braved and went to where the man was calling. They both pointed a gun to each other but Cassie had the upper hand since the man was weak and on the ground. They both shouted for the other to put the gun down and when the guy realized that he can't win, he put his gun down first. Still unconvinced that the guy wouldn't hurt/kill him, Cassie ordered him to lift his other hand which by then was inside his jacket. She insisted even though the man told her that his intestines or something else might fall out when he removes his hand. The man made his resolve by slowly revealing his hand and when something reflects, to which Cassie reacted quickly, bullets found their way to his body. It turned out that the man was holding a crucifix and it reflected when he moved his hand. 

It continued with Cassie running away and telling us what she was doing before everything happened and it was where the story began.

I loved how the story started, with all the waves and what happened until to the point where Cassie was separated with his brother, Sammy, when US Army appeared and told them they were going to help the survivors but they can only collect the kids by then because of the lack of transportation. From then I knew something was wrong and it proved me right when Cassie witnessed the murder of her father and other people in the camp. (I hate you, Vosch!) They also didn't show or tell us what the Others truly were and it confused me even more when Evan (oh, he's the guy who saved Cassie when she was shot --- but he was like a stalker too, if you ask me) can jump high around and he had super powers when he was fighting those people in the woods. I was like whoa, you didn't tell us you have another super human character in the story (but of course it only meant he was one of the Others and that maybe Others were like him too, or he was like them, whatever!) Anyway, on the other hand, while Cassie was resting and Evan was tending to her, Sammy and the other kids (including Ben Parish, Cassie's crush) that Vosch and his team collected, started their training so they can fight the Others too. Vosch brainwashed them and taught them how to fight and kill. And that was where the twist happened. (I hate you, Vosch!)

I give it three stars because it had a good plot but the idea of using the kids to exterminate the remaining people on earth was a bit scary and heartless at the same time. (Ooops!) I mean, they knew that kids can be manipulated and that they easily believe what the adults tell them but to teach them how to kill people in early age, oh my god. The Others are insane! Tsk. I would also love it if they added something to support why the Others wanted to invade Earth and another something for the viewers to get the idea what/who the Others really were. But I guess there's a reason why this movie is based on a Trilogy. And I love Ben Parish, btw. :)

Now I plan to read the book (because it's a trilogy!) and I hope to love it more than the movie. 

Based on a novel by Rick Yancey
Title: The 5th Wave
PubDate: May 7, 2013
Page count: 457

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Coronel-Nieto Wedding (01/16/2016)


 Bryan & Phoebe

CONGRATULATIONS and BEST WISHES,
Mr. & Mrs. Nieto! 

 Me with the beautiful bride :)

 Mommy, Yana and Daddy
 (Ninang, Bridesmaid, Ninong)

We attended my cousin's wedding last 22nd of January which was held at Pariancillo Events Place in Bustos, Bulacan. It was the first wedding among us cousins (mother's side) so it was really special. My mom flew from Palawan and it was timing that my dad was also here. 
It became a reunion since it's been a while since we last visited them.

 *Aly, Yana, Mommy, Dez, Ate Anne* 


We wish Kuya Bryan and Ate Phoebe a happy and blessed life together! :)

-Ocampo Family

Palos-Oliver Wedding (01/22/2016)

CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST WISHES
JESTRI & ELVIN!

 *dez, joy, jes, kilet, jelly, nadz*



[M][M][F][S]

 Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Oliver! :) 
We're very happy for our friend, Jestri, on getting married and we wish her and her husband, Elvin, a happy life together. May God always bless them and may they have a wonderful and fruitful married life! :D

 - MMFS

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Poem: That Girl

she doesn't care whatever people say
she doesn't say when she had a bad day
she tries to smile even if she's hurting
because she's that girl and she keeps on fighting

she always cries but she hides her tears
she always screams but no one hears
she tries to fl even if she's falling
because she's that girl and she keeps on trying

she used to keep all the pain to herself
she used to believe that no one could help
she tries to be brave even if she's breaking
because she's that girl and she keeps on living

she's that girl who knows how to fight
she's that girl who always wants to try
she's that girl who'll always strive to live
she's that girl and she will never give up

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Book: November 9 by Colleen Hoover

★★★★/★★★★★

“You’ll never be able to find yourself if you’re lost in someone else.”

First reaction: Insta-love

After Second Nov 9th: Who cares if it's insta-love?

After Third Nov 9: Ben is an idiot!

Reading the Plot twist: I knew it!

When I finished the book: Asdfghjfdglhdfgnbkjnjkh :")

This book got me like "what the hell Colleen? seriously?" I have so many things to say about this book but now that I'm writing this all I can say is "good job colleen hoover". The only reason why I'm not giving it a five star is because of the plot twist (read it if you want to know what I'm talking about).

Like her other books, this one is funny and unique and poetic and heartbreaking.

Fallon meets Ben on her last day in New York. She's having lunch with her father when Ben suddenly butts in, pretending to be her boyfriend. And we all know what happened when a girl and a boy pretend to be in a relationship. Shit gets real.

I enjoyed this book so much I laughed and cried and smiled and got my heart  broken. I loved how Ben fell in love with Fallon but of course that's before I knew what really happened. Somehow I wonder if Ben really fell for her the first time he met her or only because he knew she was Fallon. But either way, I loved how he didn't give up on Fallon.


“I’m not finished falling in love with you yet.”
-Ben to Fallon

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Running Man: Kim Jong Kook

Personal Information:
Name: Kim Jong-kook
Age: 39
Birthday: April 25, 1976
Height: 1.77 m (5'9)
Occupation: Singer-Dancer-Entertainer-Television Personality

I first knew Kim Jong kook in the variety show Running Man. At first I was watching it because the guests were my favorite artists but then later on I came to love it because of the members. Now they are my weekly dose of laughter and I'm loving them more and more with every episode.

And of course, I have my favorite members. Actually I love them all but on different levels. Now let me introduce you to my first favorite member.


 In RM he's called "The Commander", "Mr. Capable", "The Tiger", "Sparta Kook", "Kookie" and "The One Man" and you can't really deny that these all are him. He's strong, smart, capable and I'm sure you can name the rest. But what I like most about him is that he always uses his brain before making a move. I've watched almost every episode of the show and Jong kook oppa is surely The Commander. Other members always get intimidated with him to the point that they get frustrated at how capable he is especially Jae suk oppa. Tsk.

Another thing I love about him is his weakness in front of a girl. Because under those muscles is still a softie who gets shy in front of a girl. There were so many episodes where he showed weakness in the presence of a girl that it was okay for him to lose rather than go against a girl. It's so gentleman of him that the other members use that for advantage and they let a female guest charm Jong kook oppa so he could lose. Ke ke.

One of my favorite guests that Jong kook oppa got so nervous and shy being partnered with was Moon Geun young. They were so cute and obviously Jong kook oppa was nervous and shy in front of her.



There was also another girl who can tame Jong kook oppa everytime she was on the show.
Shy Jong kook oppa is cute!!! :")

 
The members always want to defeat Jong kook oppa and it's funny whenever they join forces but end up betraying each other. It's so typical of them and it's what makes the show more entertaining. It's also hilarious everytime they are badmouthing Jong kook oppa but when he's in front of them they're like his servants. They always say mean things behind his back but one yell from him and they all get obedient. Lol.


I really hope this show continues and they guest my favorite artists like Lee Min ho, So Ji sub and others. I will never get tired watching, re-watching, it and I'm sure to cheer for them for more episodes! 
 
You can watch Running Man at KShowOnline.

Monday, January 11, 2016

5 Series I'll Finally Read in 2016

1. Harry Potter by. J. K. Rowling
     Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
     Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
     Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
     Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
     Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix
     Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
     Harry Potter and the Deadly Hollows

2. Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
     The Lightning Thief
     The Sea of Monsters
     The Titan's Curse
     The Battle of the Labyrinth 
     The Last Olympian

3. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
      The Maze Runner
      The Scorch Trials
      The Death Cure

4. The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare
     Clockwork Angel
     Clockwork Prince
     Clockwork Princess
 

5. Study Series by Maria V. Snyder
     Poison Study
     Magic Study
     Fire Study

Friday, January 8, 2016

2015 Book Review Roundup

January:
To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
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I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
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February:
Meant To Be by Lauren Morill
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The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams
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March:
Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
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April:
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
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June:
Bully by Penelope Douglas
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July:
P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
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August:
All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
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September:
The Fill-In Boyfriend by Katie West
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Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
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Confess by Colleen Hoover
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Liars, Inc. by Paula Stokes
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All Fall Down by Ally Carter
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October:
When by Victoria Laurie
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Playlist For The Dead by Michelle Falkoff
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Mosquitoland by David Arnold
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All The Rage by Courtney Summers
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I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios
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Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon
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Tonight The Street Are Ours by Leila Sales
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My Heart And Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga
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November:
What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler
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Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
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Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
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December:
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exepury
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Made You Up by Francesca Zappia
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Before We Were Strangers by Renee Carlino
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Never Never: Part 2 by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher
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6 Books I'll Finally Read in 2016

1. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
(July 11, 1960)
2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
(January 28, 1813)

3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
(March 14, 2006)
4. Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
(June 10, 1936)
5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
(October 16, 1847)
6. The Giver by Lois Lowry
 (1993)


I don’t really read classics but hopefully I’ll enjoy these books! :)
And if you have any recommendations, I’ll be happy to hear them.

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Book: Not After Everything by Michelle Levy

★★★★★/★★★★★

If this book didn't break your heart, well, read it again.

 Gosh! This book is freakin' emotional and I didn't think I would love it this much. It's powerful and heartbreaking and hopeful and I think Tyler would be one of my favorite characters from now on. I know he's full of anger and he blames himself for what happened to his mother but we couldn't really understand and feel what he's feeling and going through until it happens to us. And we all deal with pain and grief in different ways.

What happened to Tyler was tragic, losing his mother and living with a father who makes him feel like it's his fault that his mother killed herself. Tyler tries to keep it all in, avoiding his abusive and alcoholic father as much as he can and bottling all his anger inside him. It's heartbreaking that he has to fear for his life everytime he's around his father. Fortunately he has people around him who care. Jordyn and her family are like Tyler's guardian angels. They give him hope and the love his father should be giving him. I like that they want to help him and make him feel like he has a family in them. It's so thoughtful and kind of them. I also love Dr. Dave because he really cares for Tyler. He's such a good therapist and friend.

Overall, I really love love love this book. Though the ending is sad, it's still beautiful and I like how it gives Tyler the chance to move on and start over. But still, it's saaaaad! And as we all know, "goodbye" is such a bitch. :(


Another thing about this book that I love is its message that tells us, the past is in the past. We should learn to move on, to evolve. Surely the past made us who we are, what we are, taught us a lot of things, it has memories, but we shouldn't dwell on it. We shouldn't let it eat us up and hold us back. Because there's so much the present and the future hold for us. .

Monday, January 4, 2016

January 2016 Music Videos

January Reading List #1

November 9 by Collen Hoover (November 10, 2015)
 Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.
 

After You by Jojo Moyes (September 29, 2015)
 11 hours, 6 minutes.

How do you move on after losing the person you loved? How do you build a life worth living?

Louisa Clark is no longer just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. After the transformative six months spent with Will Traynor, she is struggling without him. When an extraordinary accident forces Lou to return home to her family, she can’t help but feel she’s right back where she started.

Her body heals, but Lou herself knows that she needs to be kick-started back to life. Which is how she ends up in a church basement with the members of the Moving On support group, who share insights, laughter, frustrations, and terrible cookies. They will also lead her to the strong, capable Sam Fielding—the paramedic, whose business is life and death, and the one man who might be able to understand her. Then a figure from Will’s past appears and hijacks all her plans, propelling her into a very different future. . . .

For Lou Clark, life after Will Traynor means learning to fall in love again, with all the risks that brings. But here Jojo Moyes gives us two families, as real as our own, whose joys and sorrows will touch you deeply, and where both changes and surprises await.



Love Letters To The Dead by Ava Dellaira (April 1, 2014)
It begins as an assignment for English class: Write a letter to a dead person.

Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain because her sister, May, loved him. And he died young, just like May. Soon, Laurel has a notebook full of letters to the dead—to people like Janis Joplin, Heath Ledger, Amelia Earhart, and Amy Winehouse—though she never gives a single one of them to her teacher. She writes about starting high school, navigating the choppy waters of new friendships, learning to live with her splintering family, falling in love for the first time, and, most important, trying to grieve for May. But how do you mourn for someone you haven't forgiven?

It's not until Laurel has written the truth about what happened to herself that she can finally accept what happened to May. And only when Laurel has begun to see her sister as the person she was—lovely and amazing and deeply flawed—can she truly start to discover her own path.


An Ember In The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (April 28, 2015)
 Laia is a slave.

Elias is a soldier.

Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.


The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord (March 31, 2015)
 Brimming with heartfelt relationships and authentic high-school dynamics The Start of Me and You proves that it’s never too late for second chances.

It’s been a year since it happened—when Paige Hancock’s first boyfriend died in an accident. After shutting out the world for two years, Paige is finally ready for a second chance at high school . . . and she has a plan. First: Get her old crush, Ryan Chase, to date her—the perfect way to convince everyone she’s back to normal. Next: Join a club—simple, it’s high school after all. But when Ryan’s sweet, nerdy cousin, Max, moves to town and recruits Paige for the Quiz Bowl team (of all things!) her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Will Paige be able to face her fears and finally open herself up to the life she was meant to live?

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Out Of The Woods byTaylor Swift ♫♪


Looking at it now
It all seems so simple
We were lying on your couch
I remember
You took a Polaroid of us
Then discovered (then discovered)
The rest of the world was black and white
But we were in screaming color
And I remember thinking…

[Chorus 2x:]
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
In the clear yet?
Good

Are we out of the woods?

Looking at it now
Last December (last December)
We were built to fall apart
Then fall back together (back together)
Your necklace hanging from my neck
The night we couldn't quite forget
When we decided (we decided)
To move the furniture so we could dance,
Baby, like we stood a chance
Two paper airplanes flying, flying, flying
And I remember thinkin'

[Chorus 2x]

(Are we out of the woods?!)

Remember when you hit the brakes too soon?
Twenty stitches in the hospital room
When you started cryin', baby, I did, too
But when the sun came up, I was lookin' at you
Remember when we couldn't take the heat
I walked out and said, "I'm settin' you free,"
But the monsters turned out to be just trees
And when the sun came up, you were lookin' at me
You were lookin' at me
You were lookin' at me,
I remember, oh, I remember

[Chorus 4x]