Strawberry Fields Forever

This is one of those IT books wherein at one point, it would be considered cool to actually own these, or to post a pic of yourself holding a copy on instagram, twitter, or facebook.  Quite frankly I don't get the fuss.  Dubbed as 'mummy porn' because of it's smut content that seems to be targeted towards sex-repressed mommies, Fifty Shades of Grey has brought commercial crap writing to record new levels.  Twilight is crap compared to classic literature or compared to a modern well-written book *cough, Harry, cough, Potter, cough*: But then again Twilight is considered a work of art,and I'm saying Shakespeare level work of art, compared to Fifty Shades!  I didn't think it was possible but it's true!

So many things in Fifty Shades are just so wrong on so many different levels.  And it was really irritating to read.  There are A LOT of things on the books that just irritated me to death that I don't know where to start but I will try to enumerate them all.  But before I proceed, I would like to say that I mean no offense to lovers of this series.  I am sure you all are nice people, but I think your taste in books is crap. LOL.

Anyway, here are the most irritating things about the books:

1.  I know that EL James started out as fanfic writer for Twilight, and it shows, BIG TIME.  Ana was obviously molded after Bella, with her eternal blushing. clumsiness, and her seeming 'bright and innocent and good' personality, while Christian was Edward minus the sparkles and the golden eyes.  I would have thought that as a writer, one would exert some effort to come up with more original characters but no.  Ana and Christian were like Bella and Edward in some kinky Twilight Alternative Universe.  And what's worse, the author magnified Edward and Bella's worst character flaws: Ana is an even weaker version of Bella with her neediness and dependence on a sadistic man for her happiness, and Christian was an even more controlling version of Edward: his need to enforce his will on the weaker Ana was great and his stalking even more alarming!

• "Oh he's affected all right - and my very small inner goddess sways in a gentle victorious samba."
• "My inner goddess is doing the merengue with some salsa moves." (WTF???)
• "My inner goddess sits in the lotus position looking serene except for the sly self-congratulatory smile on her face."
• "My inner goddess is writhing on her chaise lounge."
• "My inner goddess is doing a triple axel dismount off the uneven bars, and abruptly my mouth is dry."
• "My inner goddess has her sequins on and is warming up to dance the rumba."
• "My inner goddess licks her lips salaciously and gives me her well-fucked grin."

• Bella evading Alice and Jasper to 'save' her mom / Ana evading her guards to 'save' Mia.
• Bella beating bitten by James and hears Edward before she blacks out / Ana being beaten up by Jack and sees Christian before blacking out.

There are so many things in pop culture that I just don't get.  I am left scratching my head in wonder on why so many people are so fanatically crazy about these things/people.  Honestly!

First, albeit randomly on my list of things I don't get is Twilight (both books and movies).  

Before I continue with this entry, I wanna warn you all that this is a very biased view against Twilight from a Potterhead.  Proceed with utmost caution. :)

I admit I have read all the Twilight books from Twilight to Breaking Dawn.  In fact, I own copies of all the books, including the graphic novels made by this Korean artist (apologies but I forgot her name but her artwork kicks ass!).  Though the books are enjoyable, I don't get why some Twitards  Twihards would think that Bella is all that or that Edward is the ultimate dreamboat!  And more so that I do not get how people can compare Twilight to Harry Potter when it's like comparing a child's nursery book to an English classic lit.  Honestly, though both are fantasy books, they are worlds apart in terms of the plot, the story development,  the twists, the characters, writing style, and most especially the lessons imparted to their readers.

Let's start with the 2 major characters:

First, Bella annoys me... really, really annoys me because of her damsel in distress ways.  She is NOT a strong female lead character.  She is in fact a weakling, whose every waking thought centered around Edward and how she can be with him.  No major thoughts whatsoever on how to strengthen her relationship with her father, no serious attempts to enrich friendships with the people around her, and no thoughts whatsoever to think about her education and career beyond high school!  She is entirely too dependent on her sparkly vampire and was basically comatose when he left her, and had even resorted to doing dangerous things so that she could feel Edward's presence.  Oh dear...

Female leads like Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley and Katniss Everdeen would eat her alive if they are given the chance to fight.

And in line with all that, being a MAJOR Harry Potter Fan and a fan of strong female characters, I couldn't help but wholeheartedly agree with these memes:

Quite frankly, I find all that really disturbing.  These are things I would not want an impressionable young reader to follow.

To finally end this, let me share these memes that I found on the net that I find really amusing because they are sooooo true:

As we are nearing the end of 2012, some people (like me) have started scouting for the 'perfect' 2013 planner.  I know that A LOT of people have started drinking coffee like crazy to be able to be one of the first folks to show off that coffee planner (haha).  So to help my fellowmen who feels it's imperative to start the new year with a new planner, here are my top picks on 2013 planners.  Warning though, that because of my personality, I tend to favor planners that are cute, feminine and colorful.

Starbucks Planner 2013 - After a disappointing 2012 planner, Starbucks Philippines came back with a bang with the 2013 planner.  This, by far, has been my all-time favorite design ever since I started collecting the planner back in 2008 (I think).  I am almost positive that I will be getting this planner in green but I might probably buy it through ebay (unless someone will be kind enough to give one to me.. LOL).  Though money is not an issue, I definitely have issues on the additional calories that I will accumulate in working my way through to the planner.  Unless they invent a frappe with 0 calories, it's gonna be eBay for me.

Sanrio Hello Kitty Academic Diary Weekly Yearly Schedule Planner Calendar Book 2012 - 2013 - Of course, I like this planner just for the mere reason it's Hello Kitty.  And it's weekly pages are cute and colorful!

Belle De Jour Power Planner - I think I've had 3 of this planner in the past few years.  What I really like about this planner would be the extra sections aside from the actual weekly calendar, like the expense tracker, vacation tracker, dreamboard, etc.  I also like the coupons (though I haven't used most of them) and the colorful pages and the monthly articles.  What I don't like about this planner is the paper quality.  Feels cheap compared to the other planners out there.

Posh: Pink Blossom 2013 Planner - I like the pink, clean pages of this planner.  The overall design also looks very classy as well..

Kikki.K 2013 Planner - Soooooo cute!!!  Another one of the planners that I am going gaga over because of its sheer kawainess!

Le Petit Prince Daily Planner - 2 reasons: First it's Moleskine and second, it's the Little Prince.  Nuff said.

Paulo Coelho: Transformations Day Planner 2013 - Nice pages/design and very nice inspirational passages,  What else do we expect from Paulo Coelo?  Not to mention that this is cheap compared to the others at 495php.

The Do-It-All Mom Planner 2013 - The planner after my mother's heart.  The cover design is cute and reflects the lifestyle that I have (well, except for the exercise part, LOL).  I am not sure what extras it has inside that would be beneficial for moms (Amazon or Barnes & Noble did not specify) but the pages are cute and very feminine looking.  

Filed Doodle Planner - Very monochromatic planner so it's really up to the user to add some color to it.  I personally would love to have the white version and color its cover with colored pens.  This planner also comes with a bandolier or pen holder that can hold upto more than 5 pens.  Now how cool is that?

This Journal Will Actually Change Someone’s Life 2013 - Like with the BDJ, what I like about this planner would be the extra sections where one can write his/her thoughts apart from the day's actual plans.  Unlike the BDJ planner, its pages does not feel cheap, so plus points for this planner.

Witty Will Save the World Planner 2013 - Oh goodness, one word to describe this planner is HILARIOUS!  It's daily thought-starters are sooooo wickedly funny.  If only it came in a more colorful and prettier design, this would have been my number one planner of choice.  I commend its creators' creativity and wit and intelligence.  It takes a really smart person to be able to come up with something as cool as this.  Two thumbs up!

Hello Kitty 2013 Hardcover Engagement Calendar - Another Hello Kitty planner on the list.  Please see planner number 2 for reasons why I like this.