“A reluctant witch. A 1500-year-old vampire. A mysterious
manuscript known as Ashmole 782. The story begins with a discovery of
witches...” (www.deborahharkness.com)
Copyright (C) Deborah Harkness
Diana Bishop and her handsome vampire Matthew Clairmont
successfully time-walked into Elizabethan England to find her a mentor and to
escape threats to her life. They also seek the manuscript in its original form,
before the missing pages turned the book into a rambling tumble of nonsense.
Diana and Matthew are plunged into the chaos of Elizabethan
England, and into the company of the enigmatic School of Night. She meets the daemons, Christopher Marlowe
(yes, the playwright Christopher
Marlowe) and Thomas Harriot (mathematician and astrologer), Sir Walter Raleigh,
and Henry Percy, the Wizard Earl. To complicate matters, Kit (aka Christopher Marlowe) is insanely in love with Matthew and Diana stands out like a sore thumb, despite being a historian. And the most complicated thing is that witches and vampires are prohibited to fall in love, according to rules of the Congregation. They also meet a whole host of interesting
characters such as Mary Sidney, Doctor John Dee, Queen Elizabeth I, and King Rudolf II of Bohemia (who had a disastrous infatuation with Diana).
As they try to trace the origins of Ashmole 782, they need
to go back to Matthew’s past as well. For the 14th century Matthew Clairmont
is not the cultured, learned geneticist that he is of the 21st
century. He was the spy, Matthew Roydon, and Matthew de Clermont, distinguished
member of one of the oldest vampire clans in the world, grand master of the Knights of Lazarus, and one of the vampires seated at the Congregation in the 1500s. We also meet members of Matthew's family and discover their origins: the De Clermont patriarch Philippe and his inimitable wife Ysabeau, the faithful Gallowglass, and Hancock.
Just as Diana begins to harness her surprising powers, betrayal and scandal find their way to them. With nowhere to go but the present, Matthew and Diana once more time-walk to the present and face their destiny.
I love how Deborah Harkness introduced each character despite having a lot of new characters and putting her central characters in a whole new setting. She injected flaws into otherwise austere characters like Christopher Marlowe and Rudolf II. Her character development for Philippe and Matthew was just exquisite that readers understand the complexity and depth of their relationship. I find myself devouring each piece of information about the characters and mentally try to fit them into a puzzle. The author meshes magic and history exquisitely, giving us a glimpse of life in the 14th century yet teach us about magic and spell weaving at the same time. Her descriptive prose transports her readers in the setting of her choosing, be it Oxford, New York, Bohemia, or Elizabethan England.
Shadow of Night is a rich and intricate of
tapestry that weaves together alchemy and genetics, magic and history, passion
and honor. A riveting book that will
leave you craving for the next one.
A Discovery of Witches (The All-Souls Trilogy Book 1)
by Deborah Harkness
"A reluctant witch. A 1500-year-old vampire. A mysterious manuscript
known as Ashmole 782. The story begins with a discovery of witches..." (www.deborahharkness.com)
The All-Souls Trilogy is a beguiling and compelling read. I could compare it to Twilight but for grown-ups. It would be unfair to say that it is on the level of Twilight, however, as this trilogy is so, so much more than just the Romeo and Juliet of creatures. The All-Souls Trilogy surpasses Twilight in every aspect (Sorry Twilight fans!). It is intellectually stimulating, sensual, sexy, and just generally deep. The humor and references are really quite intelligent, and if you are not a widely-read adult, you won't really get them. Of course, as the characters are both erudite, you would expect no less. I love how Deborah Harkness captured that.
The love story between Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont starts out aversely, with her being initially wary, then exasperated with him for stalking her. Matthew Clairmont, in his defense, was only doing his best to protect her from creatures that want to harm her. This develops as they both spend more time together, out of necessity. It is good to see an adult romance that does not start with them hopping into bed together. Instead, their intellectual compatibility draws them to each other while they tread softly over their burgeoning feelings. The suspense of how the romance will progress resonates on a very real level, and that is one of the reasons why I love this trilogy. It is also noteworthy to say that this is not a tawdry romance, with them going at it all the time. The few love scenes portrayed are key to the storyline, and they are not described in explicit detail. What is explicit is how they feel about each other as they make love.
Deborah Harkness seamlessly introduces her readers to a whole new world of alchemy and magic, history and genetics. She captivates her reader into plunging head-first into the world she wove and makes us want to stay.
For those who seek adventure, The All-Souls Trilogy is a must-read. You will learn about creatures (vampires, witches, and daemons), time-walk to the Renaissance era, get intimate with royalty and historical behemoths, and experience the otherworldly love of a vampire and a witch.
Let's start with the first book, A Discovery of Witches:
Copyright (C) Deborah Harkness
A Discovery of Witches starts with historian Diana Bishop unearthing Ashmole 782, an alchemical manuscript, from the Bodleian Library in Oxford. Unknown to her, this ancient manuscript has been bewitched so that only she may find it. This discovery sets off a series of events that throws her in danger and into the arms of geneticist Dr. Matthew Clairmont.
Diana, who is orphaned of both her parents in childhood, was raised by her aunt and her partner, who are both witches. Being a sub-par witch herself (she later discovers she was spellbound), Diana immersed herself in a successful career as a historian. So imagine her bewilderment when Dr. Clairmont explains creatures to her and the relevance of Ashmole 782 to all of them. Humans, unknowingly, live alongside creatures for ages. These are almost-immortal vampires, powerful witches, and creative/ destructive daemons. Ashmole 782 holds the key to the beginnings and the future of all creatures.
Matthew Clairmont gently eases Diana into their world, as their growing awareness and regard for each other deepens. What also escalates is the threat to Diana's life as other creatures go to desperate measures to get their hands on the elusive manuscript. As she frees herself from being spellbound (her parents locked her powers so she won't be killed by their murderers), Diana discovers a wealth of extraordinary powers that she inherited from her parents.
The book sees Diana and Matthew time-walking to Elizabethan London to find her a teacher and to elude capture from their enemies. Will they make it there?
Stay tuned to next Wednesday's review of Shadow of Night (Book 2 of The All Souls Trilogy).
maybe
we can't help being idiots when it comes to love. that's what makes
love beautiful and extraordinary. it takes us beyond our normal, mundane
selves and turns smart, capable people into glorious fools.
-christine fabian, 2009
I will be sharing our love story, a very ordinary story that has become my life's best adventure.
Courtesy of Warner Music Philippines
This song by Nina came out in 2003. It is the song that made me realise I was falling in love with my best friend.
It was the summer of 2003 and I was a NBSB (No Boyfriend Since Birth) college freshman. Jeno and I were constant companions and friends. He was just fresh off of a breakup and I have just learned my crush was not interested in me. I have never had a close friend of the opposite sex, and quite frankly, I felt threatened by them. So when Jeno and I first became friends, I was pleasantly surprised to find someone who wasn't interested in courting or dating me. Heck, he was pining for one of my closest female friends! This mutual friendship (my close friend and his fresh ex-girlfriend) and riding the same jeep route brought us together. I would listen to him moon over his ex, he would listen to me swear off guys, we would share food and walk to the paradahan together. We'd remind each other the need to stay out of relationships and romance. We would send each other text quotes and talk to each other on the phone everyday. I was "Sis Christine" on his phonebook and he was "Bro Jeno" on mine. I finally shed my distrust of the opposite sex, totally comfortable sharing my opinions and thoughts with him. Slowly, very slowly, something else blossomed.
Slowly, like a rose coming into bloom,
Grudgingly, like a very sore loser,
I admit to losing my heart
In the heat of summer,
To a boy who smiled with his eyes
And has a penchant for mushy text messages.
Love came slowly and hesitantly because we were like brother and sister.
Our once platonic friendship moved into a zone that I was afraid to go
into, not because it was unpleasant, but because it would complicate our
friendship.
It was complicated. I felt guilty developing feelings for him because I was instrumental to their break-up. I was May-May's confidant and I encouraged her to break up with him. I saw that she was having other personal issues that needed her full attention and she simply cannot deal with what I perceived to be a needy boyfriend. Although she started to distance herself from him to soften the pain of separation, he relentlessly pursued her across campus. As her friend, I saw most of it. At first, I felt some derision for Jeno, at how he was martyr-like in his devotion. One night we started talking, when May-May refused to talk to him. He told me he liked me but I was too hard to reach. I laughed and said he had no chance. He laughed too, and we became friends. So instead of going after her, he would hang out with me and Ramon, another friend who was going through heartbreak. So when I began feeling something, I tried to smother it, not wanting May-May to think that I stole her boyfriend.
I started feeling some queasiness when he would tell me about how his ex (and my classmate) would avoid him and I reluctantly comforted him. One night I dreamt about the two of us kissing and that's when I started to see him in that light. Whenever we'd talk about his failed relationship, I will just nod but actually try to block off everything that he's saying. I was getting uncomfortable seeing him looking at May-May with puppy-dog eyes because it highlighted the fact that I was getting jealous he didn't feel that way for me. It riled when he'd text me and call me "sis". We high-fived each other, invented this elaborate fist pump, and be ourselves with each other. I felt that to him, I was just one of the boys. I was friend-zoned even before the word was invented! It was not a good feeling.
Still, our friendship remained because he was a good friend. "Jealous" would be playing on the jeep radios when we'd go home together and I am made more acutely aware of my hopeless situation. I was jealous of the lucky girl who had his heart. I bore May-May no ill (we were, and are, friends despite this weird set-up) but it was a pity that all Jeno's devotion was wasted on her because she won't have him back. I remember thinking "If someone loved me like that, I will never let him go. I will cherish him and let him know every day that I love him."
The breaking point came one beautiful afternoon in a park. Jeno, Ramon, and myself went out for a stroll. I have just admitted to myself that I was irrevocably and totally in love with my best friend, and have accepted that. I was silent most of that time, being suddenly shy around him yet wanting to enjoy the day with both of them. When he took Ramon aside to talk about something "private", I moved away, knowing they will be talking about his ex. I went as far away from them as possible and cried. When they went to find me, I wiped my tears away, pasted a smile on my face, and pretended something was in my eye. My heart was in a million pieces.
That week, I avoided Jeno and told Ramon I can't hang out with them anymore. I told him I can't stomach seeing Jeno pine for May-May and help him find ways to get back with her or get over her (depending on the day). I was on the losing end and I hated losing. So I distanced myself hoping that I will forget him and this storm of emotions he awakened in me.
I never thought to fall in love like that. I wanted a knight in shining armor, bearing Prince William's face (and fortune) , to come and sweep me off my feet. I wanted pomp and circumstance, with the fairy tale ending in a dream wedding. I did not expect it to blossom from a platonic friendship.
I had my fair (or unfair) share of suitors and I all turned them down. I did not know why back then, but as soon as a guy showed any intention of courting me, I immediately turn them down. I won't encourage them or give them hope that they have a chance because that would be unfair to them. I just get turned off when it happens. It is only recently that I have realised that I did not want to be pursued. I agree that it is romantic and it feels good to be wooed. Personally, I do not like the idea of "staging" love. Because that's what wooing is. You put your best foot forward and shove your bad side to the back. I do not want to be pursued. I wanted to be on equal footing with my lover, for both of us to fall into it together and discover it and navigate it together. I want to get to know his good side and bad side.
However, at that time, I was in love with someone who was still in love with someone else. Walking away was a good idea to survive being "friend-zoned" unscathed. After I poured my heart out to Ramon, he looked at me funny and he LAUGHED. He insisted that I talk to Jeno and tell him what I just told him.
That afternoon, I called Jeno. Figuring this might well be the last conversation we'll have, I told him everything. We ended up talking for 3 hours, as he confessed to returning my feelings but was afraid to tell me for fear of rejection. He confessed to "love at first sight" but, taking our friends' advice, did not make any move on the Ice Queen (me). We ironed out all the mixed messages and agreed that we were in love with each other. The first few weeks was an adrenaline rush as we got to know each other more and moved from friends to something more special. I was getting used to the novelty of falling in love and reveled in it. But I was not ready to have a boyfriend. I did not want to make any rash decisions, so we remained "Special Friends". He waited some months before we became a couple.
He told me that when you love somebody, they stay in your heart. You
don't forget them, you just learn to live without them. I have accepted
early on that he cannot "un-love" his past girlfriends because he had truly loved them. I am not
replacing anyone and he would not have me compare myself with any of his exes. Being with him should not mean that I negate his exes or try to erase the past that he had with them. I have learned that I am the one he loves at present because we "fit" each other (for the lack of a better term) perfectly at that time in our lives, and should work on growing together to have a future with each other.
I was 18 years old and I was finally brave enough to fall in this adventure called love. I am glad that I waited until I was mature enough when I had my first boyfriend. I am glad that he is my best friend. We had, and still have, a lot of things to iron out in our relationship. He is not my Prince Charming; he is my funny sidekick and I am happy with how my story is turning out.
The summer of 2003 started with "Jealous" and ended with "Forevermore".
The CC Cream or Colour Correcting Cream is goes one step further from the ubiquitous BB cream by correcting uneven skin tone, redness, and dullness. It also provides some sun protection from SPF 15 to SPF 30, depending on the brand. Just beware, higher SPF creams provide more protection but you will find that they also have a shiny finish to your skin. So it's a trade-off between skin protection or oily skin.
As I approached my 30th year, I noticed that my skin is not as supple and unblemished as it used to be when I was in my early to mid-twenties. I have uneven skin tone and a sun spot. My use of eyeglasses also contributed to more breakouts on the temporal area. Something ought to be done about it.
I decided to go for L'Oreal Paris Nude Magique CC Cream as my first CC cream. I ordered it off of Priceline for AUD $26.95. There are 3 variations of the CC cream: Anti-Redness, Anti-Dullness, and Anti-Fatigue. I will be reviewing the Anti-Redness one because I have uneven skin tone and reddish areas on my face.
It has an SPF of 20 and comes in a 30 mL tube.
Color: The L'Oreal Nude Magic
Anti-Redness CC Cream comes out as a green, runny liquid. It eventually
blends to your natural skin tone as you massage it onto your skin. The
green color is for Anti-Redness, while the Anti-Fatigue comes in a cream
colour while the Anti-Dullness is a violet liquid. All these eventually
blend into the user's skin tone.b With this cream, I have no problem
finding the right number or shade for my skin as compared to the usual
foundation or concealer.
Consistency: Loose and runny. Blends easily onto skin.
Coverage: Light but you can build to medium coverage by adding more layers. Just don't overdo it.
Before After
Step-by-step Guide:
1. Pat on particular areas that need to be evened out. For me, those areas are around my nose, lips, cheeks, temple, forehead, and under the eyes. Everywhere!
2. Blend by massaging it onto your face with your fingers. Notice how the color of the cream on my nose started to blend with my skin.
3. Viola! Flawless skin! Then, draw in your eyebrows. or mine need it anyway. Curl lashes and apply mascara.
4. Apply lipstick. I like a bold red.
5. Smile! and say "I am beautiful!"
After 6-8 hours (without re-touching):
My face felt oily, like more than twice the usual. I think it is because of the sunscreen. Coverage is still alright. I think to avoid the face shine, you need to top it off with a layer of powder to set it. I don't like to do that last step though. I like the dewy look but if you would rather stay on the matte side, go ahead and set with powder.
Verdict: I like the coverage it gives. It looks like I don't have makeup on yet my skin looks even. The CC cream is not at all heavy and I feel like I'm not using anything on my face, unlike when I wear a foundation. It does not clog my pores and I have noticed less breakouts. Price-wise, I think that $27 is reasonable compared to buying foundation, concealer, moisturiser, and sunscreen in the hope to achieve the same effect. Will buy again.
