you realize you lost a book you've always treasured.

For as long as I can remember, I've owned a copy of Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul III, and now I don't know where it is. It has just always been in my bookshelf since high school. And when I thought of making my youngest sister Gail read it lately, it's not there anymore. C'mon guys, who borrowed it? Return it, please, I'm on my knees!

I know it's just another one of those gazillion Chicken Soup titles available, but this particular copy has sentimental value to me. Oh whoosh with sentimentality, but it really was my consolation during tough times in my early teenage years. I even let go of the chance to join our school's semestral field trip to be able to purchase the book. It cost a fortune for a 13-year-old those days.

Now I'm 19. A few more months to go before I graduate from the teenage roster. And gosh, I think the best thing to remind me of the vibrant, formative years that passed is this book. But now, Gone Baby Gone. Casey Affleck didn't win the Oscar. I wanted him to. Thought it was the best time to recognize Ben's little bro.

Hehe, labo. Change topic bigla.

So I've seen 111 of the 1,000 Best Movies Ever Made listed by New York Times.com

I have mixed feelings about this. I mean really, if I've seen more than 111 films in my 19 years on Earth, I should have just chosen less chick flicks and box office hits and more quality titles.

But I'm thankful. Imagine, I already saw the best genre movies like Douglas Sirk's melodramas All that Heaven Allows (1956) and Written on the Wind (1956) and Todd Haynes' Far From Heaven (2002), classic screwballs It Happened One Night (1934), The Lady Eve (1941) and Philadelphia Story (1940), rarities like Vittorio de Sica's Ladri di Biciclette (1949), Godard's Breathless (1961) and Truffaut's La Nuit Americaine (1971).

I saw both listed Little Women films (1933 and 1994) and most Audrey Hepburns like The Nun's Story (1959). Thanks to bootleg versions and small franchise original DVD rental shops, and almost ten years of Pioneer DVD players.

But what I HATE about the list is its preference of questionable titles like Clueless (1995), Get Carter and Monsters Inc. being included without undoubtedly better ones such as Once Were Warriors (1993), Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), and even just one of the The Lord of the Rings super three!

I can't believe it. It seems that even if you come up with 1,000 movie titles and claim they're the best, you still miss out a lot.

I also saw 98 of IMDb's Top 250 Movies and 292 out of the 325 All-Time Worldwide Box-Office titles. Gosh, how many more have I seen? I'm frightened to know I spent over hundreds of hours, mouth opened and eyes widened in front of the television and theater screens. But you, you've got to use your time better. Go!

I know it's not nice to put in all caps phrases in the web, but it's part of making a point you know. I'm really working on some important things now, work work work, but I couldn't resist to post about this:

Meet Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of recent bestseller Eat, Pray, Love. I stumbled upon her official site and she has some interesting things to say and share with people who are yearning to make a mark through writing.


Here are some quotes from her page "Some Thoughts on Writing."

"I believe that - if you are serious about a life of writing, or indeed about any creative form of expression - that you should take on this work like a holy calling. I became a writer the way other people become monks or nuns."

In her words, I feel there are also traces of believing that writing as an gift. Although we know it can be developed as a skill, in some ways it works more like a vocation, something someone is born to do. Like yes, Kant's concept of genius.

"It has never been easy for me to understand why people work so hard to create something beautiful, but then refuse to share it with anyone, for fear of criticism. Wasn't that the point of creation - to communicate something to the world? So PUT IT OUT THERE ... just don't sit on your work and suffocate it."

And in the same paragraph:

"Don't pre-reject yourself. That's [the editors' and agents'] job, not yours. Your job is only to write your heart out and let destiny take care of the rest."

My favorite part:

"The more important virtue for a writer, I believe, is self-forgiveness. Because your writing will always disappoint you. Your laziness will always disappoint you. You will make vows: 'I’m going to write for an hour every day,' and then you won’t do it ... Continuing to write after that heartache of disappointment doesn’t take only discipline, but also self-forgiveness."

This one's not from Gilbert herself, but from film visionary Werner Herzog as response to a seemingly hopeless indie filmmaker who wrote him a letter:

"Quit your complaining. It’s not the world’s fault that you wanted to be an artist. It’s not the world’s job to enjoy the films you make, and it’s certainly not the world’s obligation to pay for your dreams. Nobody wants to hear it. Steal a camera if you have to, but stop whining and get back to work."

And the best thing to do about these things is to read the article yourself.