The Red Pyramid: A Book Review

I had just finished reading the 1st book of yet another Chronicles by Rick Riordan, The Red Pyramid. In comparison to his first hit on the Percy Jackson stories, The Red Pyramid gives you a more or less similar scenario of normal children being godlings. Although this time, the theme centers on the similarities between Old Egypt and the Modern World. Percy Jackson's story was of him being the son of the Sea God Poseidon and his task on battling the gods who sided with the evil Titan Kronos and Kronos himself. The Red Pyramid on the other hand, focuses on Sadie and Carter Kane, children of two famous magicians whose task was to restore peace between Egypt's House of Life (magicians) and the pharaos who ruled Egypt. A little family background showed that Sadie and Carter grew apart from each other, Carter being the loyal companion to his dad's travels all over Egypt and Sadie, living a normal life with her grandparents in London. The children were lead to believe that the reason for this arrangement was because their dad lost custody over Saddie to their mother's parents. Also they were lead to believe that their dad "killed" their mother when they were still young. Little did they know that they possess great magic that works best when they are together. A flashback in the story showed little Saddie and Carter arguing over a birthday cake and suddenly the cake exploded. The story's progress was fast complete with action scenes of magic and fantasy, that makes Rick Riordan's book entertaining and exciting. Later in the story, Sadie and Carter realized that they are what the magicians in the House of Life called godlings since they serve as mediums to the spirit of the Pharaos(imagine being possess by a spirit). Carter being the great Egyptian ruler Horus and Saddie, Horus wife Isis. This may seem weird and a bit incestuous at first, but the author gave no hint of being it such as the story progresses. Anyway the children began learning their skills in magic and meeting new friend and enemies along the way. They met Bast the goddess whose spirit resided in Saddie's cat Muffin, who later on was discovered to be the loyal servant of the sun God Ra and who acted as the children's protector. They also met a relative, their father's brother, also a magician, and other members of the House of Life who meant on killing the children. The story's energy and excitement begun when their dad accidentaly released 5 spirits into the human world, in an attempt to bring their dead mother back. The spirits comprises of Nepthys, Osiris, Horus, Isis and Set. Set being the most evil and creator of Chaos. From here on, the children were posessed with the spirits of Isis and Horus, while Osiris (the god of the dead) inhabited their dad's body. Set was set free and battled with Osiris (the dad) and sent him into the underworld. Now, at this time, little was known as to the whereabouts of Nepthys(Set's wife). Sadie and Carter, becoming orphans in just one night, was then taken by their uncle Amos and brought to his invisible mansion in New York. From there all hell broke lose. Muffin turned into Bast, a baboon played basketball, and an albino crocodile head-butted with pre-historic longnecks. Here they met Zia(who later in the story was discovered to hold the spirit of Nepthys) and some other gods of the Egyptian period. The children were led to a battle to stop Set from creating Chaos all over the earth. Honestly, you wouldn't notice that this is actually a long book because the action, the mystery and make-believe aspect of the story keeps you lifting pages after pages. It has more dialogues as opposed to more narrations which sometimes, as we all know, makes the story boring. Plus the character depicted in the two children were those of someone who is looking to have some fun but not in a chaotic and disastrous way. This book is definitely not for teenagers alone. It's a family read and good for all ages. I have already completed Rick Riordan's 5 Percy Jackson books. This time I'm not going to let The Red Pyramid pass as another collection to my library. Happy reading everyone!

Spring Sunday in Summer

2:40am on Monday already. I'm still awake and thinking..how will i be able to put more traffic to my blog? I admit i am new to this blogging craze so im practically still learning the ropes. Anyhow, why spring sunday you might wonder since Philippines don't have Spring..we don't have four seasons to be exact. Spring cleaning...an extensive job of cleaning, tidying and removing dirt and dust. Who started that phrase anyway? Spring cleaning? hmm.. well that's exactly what kept me busy the whole day. I am ashamed to say that the house was a mess, dusty to the point of suffocation. It has been 4 weeks since we've cleaned the place and it was literally packing dirt, dog hairs and dust. We started cleaning around 5pm and ended at 1:am the next day or today. Well of course with a 2 hr dinner break in between.  Now my back aches and worst my nose is clogged up with all the dust that it hurts my head to even force them out. But at least now the house is way cleaner and more tidy than it used to be. 
There was a scheduled power outage at 8am (something we were'nt aware of) and it ended until 5pm.  I was on the verge of  drifting into REM sleep with the AC in full blast when it all started. After that came the unbearable heat and humidity. It was summer all over again. I drifted in and out of sleep trying to fan myself for comfort still the heat was just so unbearable, you can feel it blowing on your face. So I went out of the room and tried to sleep on the couch. I was getting the hang of it when it suddenly became so humid. I was praying so hard for rain to come at any moment to cool the air but it didn't. Rain came at around 4pm just enough to say a quick hello before the electricity came back on. Doods had to go out and stay at his parents' place so he can somehow get some sleep. There was no power interruption in their area. I on the other hand, bravely stayed and faced the "agony". Turned out Doods exchanged sleep for a bit of family get-together. I after all did manage to sleep despite the heat.

Korean Dish Day

Saturday finally! Two days of rest before hitting the confines of the office. Friday was uneventful and painstakingly sl-ooo-ww,  I didn't have any work to do yet since I still didn't have access to the tools needed for being a workforce analyst. So I was there most of the time reading about Impact 360 Scheduler in Google. I got soo tired and almost dozed off to sleep. Thank God for caffeinne! Anyway, it's saturday and I can't wait to spend the day with my fiancee and go around town. Most of all I am anticipating our visit to our favorite Korean resto in the city, the Sodam. The owner Kein is very friendly and always makes sure to greet each customer and interact with them. His philosophy " Food is always there for people to eat. What I want is for me to know how to interact with people and make them comfortable with the food and the ambiance of the room. " We actually frequent the place to the point where we get special treatments in terms of free soup, free drinks.. and ehem..the list goes on so I won't mention all you might die of jealosy. He also lets us sample new dishes and asks for our opinion in case he'd add it to the menu. So, you can see how excited I am to go there aggain. It has been 4 weeks since our last visit. Later today, we shall be enjoying sam gyup sal and who knows what he'll offer us this time. Please check out the dish in the Food for the Day tab.

Have a nice weekend everyone!!!

Who's Awesome?

I've been feeling so down and un-cool lately. Is it because of the rainy wheather here? I was browsing through some funny sites just to perk up my mood when I saw this pic. I instantly liked it. So everytime I am feeling down and blue, I look at the pic and i go "Heck yea!" and I would just nod in confirmation. Beats having some other person tell you you're awesome. :-)

Nuts over Nuts?

Can't seem to get enough of them nuts? Or just dying to stay away from them? I for one am not really fond of snacking on nuts. The more you chew on them the more your jaw muscles seem to slack into laziness. And who would want to have those perfectly manicured nails chipped just because of some nut? Well, there are actually a few that I can think of which I would really crave for at times. Almonds are my favorite especially when dipped in dark chocolate. Now that's a treat! But of course not everyone thinks so. But hold on to those pistachios and think twice. You never know what benefits having a chipped nail and slacked jaw can do to your health.

Nuts are high in good monounsaturated fats, protein, fiber, nutrients and antioxidants. Not only can they aid in digestion but they also promote good heart. Studies have shown that eating nuts lowers the risk of heart diseases,aids in weight loss and helps lower bad "LDL" cholesterol.  4UK9NXV42WN7

Almonds contain minerals such as potassium, manganese, copper, iron, the antioxidantsVit E and selenium, and calcium. They are high in monounsaturated fats that prevent various diseases like heart diseases. They also contain calcium that aids in bone build up and prevents osteoporosis.  A quarter cup of almonds has almost as much calcium as a quarter cup of milk. Almonds are also rich in fiber, and have been known to be the best nut to lower cholesterol level because 70% of the fat they contain is the healthy, monounsaturated variety, which has been shown to help clear the arteries. They are also beneficial in giving you a glowing skin since they also aid against pimples, wrinkles and hair fall.

Are you Safe at Home?

I just got back in Bacolod City yesterday after a 3-week vacation in my hometown in Dumaguete City, a 4-hr drive away by private transportation if you are running at a speed of 80km/hr. Travelling by road can also be tiring since you are just sitting there, and your blood is not properly circulated. You get sleepy yet you can't really bring yourself to fall asleep because you're mind is cautious of the passing vehicles and sounds, ready to alert you incase of accidents. And when you finally get to your destination, all you want to do is rest and lie back. Well, contrary to that, I was on the move the moment I arrived. The house was a mess!! Clothes strewn everywhere, bags scattered on the floor, the cabinets and drawers all emptied of its contents. Boxes of every gadget we bought lay empty on the tables and floor. The house lock and doorknob visible of a forced entry. While in Dumaguete, we were informed that burglars had entered the house at night through the main door and bravely left the house early at around 6:00am. The neighbor who lives across from us noticed, while she was doing her laundry that night, that the lights inside the house were switched on. For awhile she thought that we must have returned from our trip but then she heard some noise coming from the inside, like things being ransacked and thrown away. Then she decided to text the neighbor who leaved right next to us, who happened to be her brother. They were both curious as to who were inside the house, thinking in the end that it was just probably us, tidying things. Little did they know, the next day, they saw someone trying to escape through the gates bringing a guitar with him. That's when they alerted the police and my boyfriend's dad. Anyway, the burglars managed to steal two cellpones that nolonger work, an xbox 360 that also malfunctioned 2 years ago, my boyfriend's gold bracelet and two watches of little value, and my  guitar. They took my guitar!!!! and even had the decency to leave the song hits included in the guitar case. All our old wallets were emptied of its contents (no money in all of them to begin with) and all the gadget boxes were scattered everywhere. They must have thought that we hid some money somewhere and left all our tech gadgets. All I can say is, too bad for them they stole "nothing" in a sense. Except for my guitar. So just imagine how tiring it is to clean up the mess after a long drive. We had to change the locks and bolts in the house to a much more sturdy one. The robbers must have monitored and noticed that our house has been dark for the past days so they took action. Somehow, in a way, we were glad that we weren't there when it happend or someone could have gotten hurt, and that we didn't leave our valuable things behind (laptops, PS3, money). So in line with this, let me share with you ten helpful measures to keep yourself and others safe whether inside or outside your home. I know you're probably thinking "why didn't I think of that before it happened. " Well it goes to say, " Nasa huli and pagsisisi", or "regrets come in the end".

1) Before you sleep at night or leave the house, make sure (double check) that all your windows and doors are locked and that all curtain or blinds are closed. Pay special attention to ones that open onto a fire escape, and sliding doors ( put a rod in the track to block it).
2) Have an invetory of all your valauables like jewelry, important documents, gadgets, etc.
3) Keep large amount of cash in the bank or if you prefer do not store any cash inside your house at all.
4) When going away on a trip, inform a trusted neighbor or friend so they can check on your house for you. Even better if you can ask a relative to stay at your house for you while you're gone.
5) Invest in a burglar alarm: It is never to late to buy one for yourself. I went to the hardware store today and scouted for alarms. The price ranges from P300 to almost P2000. You don't have to get the fancy one. As long as they are proven effective and workable then get one right away.
6) Know your neighbor: Always be in the look out for those who often pass by the neighborhood, especially those who seems to be staring at your house every so often. Stare them down, to let them know that you are "watching" them too. Do not be too lenient in letting strangers or neighors get inside your house even if it's for a friendly gesture. Entertain curious neighbors while they are outside your house or gate and not in, especially if you don't know them yet.
7) Do not give away your personal information too easily: Be mindful of those who pretend to need your personal information like for an informal survey. First, ask the surveyor questions that would help you determine if they are conducting a bogus operation or not. This is how certain gangs extricate certain info - they call you at home, pretend to be someone who knows your family or friends, and ask for personal details.
8) Do not drop your guard down even while you are at home and don't make it easy for outsiders to observe your life. Get curtains or blinds, and keep them closed at night. A lot of peeping toms are actually always on the look out for a prospect. Rape, burglary, etc always start from there.
9) Get a watchdog: Truly a man's bestfriend. Burglars hate dealing with barking dogs thus they go someplace else where they don't have to confront them. A tip: smaller dogs like chihuahuas and mini pinchers are aggressive dogs thus they always bark annoyingly at any intruder or stranger.
10) Speed dials on your phone: When your adrenaline is on haywire, you get too nervous to even properly punched in the numbers to your local emergency police. The time it takes to press a button instead of several could spell the difference.

Here are some dead giveaways that you live alone or that the house is empty.

1) Mails piling up: Ask your neighbor as a favor to keep your mails for you until you return home. This way, the other neighbors or other people wouldn't think that no one is at home.
2) A house or apartment that is completely dark until you get home: If it is unavoidable that you'll be out the whole day, leave at least one lamp or light on (preferably the light where force entry can be possible like the kitchen, back door or the front porch). If you won't be home for days, leave a spare key to the main door to your trusted neighbor so they can turn on the light for you every night.
3) Your pattern when you are at home at night as seen through your window, or your time patterns when you leave and return home: Your assailants scan the neighborhood, peek into windows, and get to know your patterns. Don't make it easier for them to plan ahead by leaving curtains open or sticking to a rigid and predictable schedule.

It is never too late to start protecting yourself and others now. If you are at home, doesn't mean you are safe. Always be prepared and mindful of your environment, be cautious and be aware. But hey! I'm not suggesting you become too cautious that you get paranoid ok?