Dainty Damsel Stories

Giving Audio Books a try. HELP ME?

I miss reading. Books. Books. Books. I realized it's hard to juggle reading with college, academic readings, and papers. Sure I get to read sometimes ( like 2x since 2013 started! *sob.sob*), but I really miss reading so I'm going to try something NEW...to me. Bahaha.

*drumroll*

Audio books! I haven't tried this, but I'm up for the challenge. :D I'm also not sure how it goes. Does the narrator changes voice to match the characters? Does the narrator read the lines with feelings? Are there many narrators? Wheeew. I really have no idea about audio books. I NEED YOUR HELP!

Can you suggest the best audio book you've ever read? BEST is defined as:

Compelling narrator
5/5 plot
YOUR FAVORITE

Thanks everyone! :') God bless you all! :)

laurice-with-love ♥

#365DOT Day 12: Serene Night

Disclaimer:

#365DOT is a blog feature at Dainty Damsel Stories. It features at least one thing, event, or person that I thank God for the next 365 days of 2013. :] If you're interested in joining, hop in! I'd love to hear your stories! :] Just link me back and leave a comment. :'] Yay! A blessed 2013 to everyone!

To be honest, I had a rough day. I was tired, sad, pained. The one thing I just wanted was to simply be home and seek refuge from all the thorns the world is throwing at me. But when I finally got home, I hesitated to go inside so I stayed out and looked at the night sky. It was the most beautiful masterpiece I saw today. The stars were lined in their rightful places. The moon shines so brightly at me. It was a serene night.

I realized then that the rough day I had is just a tiny speck of dust compared to the vastness and greatness of God's plan for me and your life.

If God could arrange the stars in the sky, how much more will God, our Creator, arrange the broken pieces of our lives?

laurice-with-love ♥

#365DOT Day 11: Dinner w/ the 'rents

Disclaimer:

(Sometimes, the heart speaks louder than words and actions.

So for tonight, I just want to say....)

THANK YOU LORD JESUS. ♥

laurice-with-love ♥

#365DOT Day 10: 6:59 AM

Disclaimer:

At 6:59 a.m. it was a typical Thursday morning.

At 6:59 a.m. I was waiting in line at the MRT Station.

At 6:59 a.m. people were going about their usual lives.

At 6:59 a.m. some were waiting for a cab; some, buses; and others, the MRT.

At 6:59 a.m. a middle-aged woman in yellow and red was sweeping the streets of EDSA.

At 6:59 a.m. a passerby dropped a 20-Peso bill on the street.

At 6:59 a.m. a policeman saw the 20-Peso bill, but didn't know whose is it.

At 6:59 a.m. the policeman gave the 20-Peso bill to the street sweeper.

At 6:59 a.m. the street sweeper's face was brightened up with her heartfelt smile.

At 6:59 a.m. I took this photo to capture at least a glimpse of God's hand at work.

At 6:59 a.m. I thank God for allowing me to witness His sweet miracles.

At 6:59 a.m.....

At 6:59 a.m. the street sweeper could have stayed at home and left the garbage untouched. But she didn't. She sacrificed and cleaned other people's trash.

At 6:59 a.m. the policeman could have kept the 20-Peso bill to himself. But he didn't. He sacrificed and gave it to the street sweeper instead.

At 6:59 a.m. I could have observed other things. But I didn't. God made me see how He makes all things beautiful.

At 6:59 a.m....

God bless you! :')

laurice-with-love ♥

Waiting on Wednesday #8: If I Should Die

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

For my eight WoW and 2nd WoW of 2013, I give you...

*drumroll*....If I Should Die!

Book-iography

Title: If I Should Die

Author: Amy Plum

Published: May 7, 2013

Publisher: HarperTEEN

Type: Series (Revenants #3)

Bookshelves: Paranormal Romance, YA

Links: Goodreads

Blurb:

I will not lose another person I love. I will not let history repeat itself.

Vincent waited lifetimes to find me, but in an instant our future together was shattered. He was betrayed by someone we both called a friend, and I lost him. Now our enemy is determined to rule over France’s immortals, and willing to wage a war to get what they want.

It shouldn’t be possible, none of it should be, but this is my reality. I know Vincent is somewhere out there, I know he’s not completely gone, and I will do anything to save him.

After what we’ve already fought to achieve, a life without Vincent is unimaginable. He once swore to avoid dying—to go against his nature and forsake sacrificing himself for others—so that we could be together. How can I not risk everything to bring my love back to me?

Thoughts! :'>

The COVER...uhmm...is absolutely Photoshopped! UGH. They could have done better!! It looks like it was hastened to finish. .____. COVER DESIGNER, kindly edit it! :) You have more like 5 months to make it look better! ^.^

Anyway, I love the blurb of the three books! I like the concept, but I haven't started reading it because I was waiting for this final installment. I don't want any cliff hangers to ruin my mood, so yeah. I'd rather wait for 5 more months to read the complete series than to weep in anguish while waiting after a cliff hanger. OR NOT. :P

Have you read the other two books? What are your thoughts? :)

God bless you! ;)

laurice-with-love ♥

#365DOT Day 9: Baby Sam

Disclaimer:

Wheeee! I thank God because today He gave us Baby Jana Samantha! ♥

Baby Sam is my churchmate's daughter. Isn't she lovely? Look at those eyes! They're eyes from and for heaven. ♥

I can't wait to play, sing, laugh with that little one!

¹³For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
¹⁵My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.

-Psalm 139:13-16

Life is a gift from God! Treasure it!

God richly bless you! :)

laurice-with-love ♥

#365DOT Day 8: Coffee, Stickers, and Stories in between

Disclaimer:

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” ― C.S. Lewis

I couldn't have said it any better. Thanks C.S. Lewis! Tonight was special because in one sitting God gave me three things to be thankful for. First, I thank God because I finally completed the stickers for my 2013 Starbucks Planner! Eeeeeek! >.< How sweet is that! (^_^) I haven't decided which color to get, though. White or Black? Black or White? Hmmmm? O:)

Second, I thank God because for the first time this year I get to bond with two of my favorite people! ♥ Hooray for Tuesday! Say "HI" to my mentor/leader/friend/brother-in-faith/teacher/father(mehehe, kidding) and to my best buddy/friend/brother-in-faith! :D

Third, I thank God for the meaningful four hours that we spent talking and encouraging one another. I thank God for people like them who aren't afraid to give a part of themselves to help others grow. Sometimes I wonder why I don't have that much friends, but now I do realize why. It's because God has given a handful of true friends. ♥ Thank you, Jesus!

The next time you see a friend, thank him or her! Thank God for his/her/their lives! :) Ooops. Hold it. Don't even pity yourself for not having many or any friend. Don't you see Him? Look beside you, above you, in front of you, around you...Jesus Christ--the BEST friend anyone could ever have--is practically everywhere! He's simply waiting for your call. :)

And oooh! I'm also here. Just call my name, I'll be there. You've got a friend! ;) Haha!

To all my friends (Yes, YOU)... THANK YOU!

God bless us all! :)

laurice-with-love ♥

#365DOT Day 7: Quizzes

Disclaimer:

QUIZZES?! I'm thankful for quizzes?!! Yes. Apparently, I am. O:)

Today I'm the happiest and most grateful girl on Earth because I had a quiz! :] This isn't really something I'm proud of, but I almost missed the quiz because of lack of discipline. I left home 10 minutes late from my calculated travel time and got stuck in traffic. When I reached the MRT Station, the line was unbelievably long! While on the train, I asked God's forgiveness and asked Him to increase my self-discipline. Jesus forgives! He is full of mercy and Grace. When I reached school 10 minutes passed bell time (we don't have a bell, though), the quiz has just started and I was able to take mine! :D Wheeee! Praise the Lord! :"> Thank You for Your Grace, Lord Jesus! :)

Lessons:

1. The Grace of Jesus Christ is rich and sufficient.

2. Do your part! Discipline yourself!

3. Learn from every mistake and practice what you learned. :)

Hope this helps! God bless us all! :D

laurice-with-love ♥

#365DOT Day 6: 1st Sunday of 2013

[ SORRY FOR POSTING THIS LATE. I GOT BUSY OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS. :) ]

Disclaimer:

There's no greater way to spend my first Sunday of the year than listening to God's Word, worshiping Jesus, and encountering His Holy Presence at His Holy Temple. :'> I am especially thankful for today's message because it reminded me of how blessed I am and how great God is! I was blessed to see thousands of people of God lifting their hands and shouting, "Thank You, Lord!" Our church was filled with tears of joy, shouts of thanksgiving, and spirit of gratefulness. Everybody was thanking God for both the blessings and the trials in 2012. I'll always treasure this moment.

How about you? What are you thankful for the year 2012? Job promotion? New books? Good grades? Family? Here's what. Thank God for both the good and bad experiences of 2012 because you wouldn't make it to 2013 if not for His Goodness and Grace. :')

God bless you!

laurice-with-love ♥

#365DOT Day 5: Dawnwatch

Disclaimer:

Today's Dawnwatch Service at our church will be forever embedded in my spirit. I thank God for this opportunity to gather with other worshipers and corporately encounter Him at the dawn of the day. It's not easy to carry a half-awaken self to church at 4 am, but it's worth it. The presence of God this morning was so thick and tangible I could touch it.

There was one night last year that I cried to God and asked for my identity. At that moment I was at the season of brokenness. I felt so empty and broken. All self-confidence and self-esteem were lost. I felt my dreams slipping out of my hands. I no longer knew who I am. Today God gave me my long-awaited answer. I just knelt down and asked God, "How do you see me, Lord?" Before I knew it tears were streaming down my face because God encountered me at that place. He removed all doubts and walls around me. I knew then that God wants me to completely surrender and entrust everything to Him. No more pretensions. No more inhibitions. No more self-reliance. But more of JESUS. Only JESUS. He is more than enough.

If there's a Dawnwatch Service at your local church, I highly encourage you to attend it. It's an open invitation to encounter God. :]

God bless you always! :']

laurice-with-love ♥

#365DOT Day 4: Icon Pop Quiz with friends

Disclaimer:

First of all, I THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY! Wheee. It's the last school day of the week! Despite the fact that I've been back to school for only two days and already loaded with readings and paperworks, I still praise God because He led me through the week! :)

I'm also thankful for Icon Pop Quiz because I honestly enjoyed playing it with my friends! Can you believe that? College students actually know how to have some fun! :D Here's the story. Everyone in my class was busy preparing for the consultation session with our professor. But once some of the groups were done, my friend brought out his iPad. He started playing something and then everybody's huddled around the iPad. Bahaha. That's them at the photo above. :) I was curious so I watched them. It turns out they're playing the cooooolest game of the day! Talk about stress reliever. :D The game's about guessing the icon on the screen. The categories are Famous People, Place, Cartoon Characters, Movies, and Holiday Seasons. In the case of the photo above, it's Scooby-Doo! :D It's fun, isn't it?

I thank God for this experience! :)

Here's the link of Icon Pop Quiz App in case you want to download it. :]

Have fun this weekend! :)

God bless you always! :']

laurice-with-love ♥

Book Review: Flat-out Love

Book-iography

Title: Flat-out Love

Author: Jessica Park

Published: September 11, 2012

Publisher: Amazon Children's Publishing

Format: E-book

Pages: 345

Type: Stand-alone

Bookshelves: Contemporary YA

Read: December 31, 2012- January 1, 2013

Links: Goodreads

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating:

What can I say?

For my first book review of 2013, I'll start with something I completely love. ♥

I picked Flat-out Love for at least 3 times in 2012, but didn't get passed Chapter 1 for some trivial yet funny reasons. First time I tried it was over the summer break last year. I read it on my cousin's gadget, but we parted ways so I wasn't able to finish at least Chapter 1. Boohoo. Second time was after reading Ascend by Amanda Hocking. I loved Switched and Torn, but the final installment was beyond frustrating. Ugh. Anyhow I needed to comfort my weeping heart so I picked this up only to find out that one major character in the book is named Finn! Apparently the other leading guy in Switched, Torn, and Ascend is named Finn as well. Obviously I wouldn't want anything, not even a name, to remind me of the Trylle Trilogy. So I didn't read Flat-out Love for the next four months. I tried a third time, but for some reason I couldn't remember I wasn't able to reach Chapter 2.

Come December 31st, I was browsing my TBR list for something quick and fun read. I wanted to finish something before the fireworks starts cracking so finally I picked up this book. AGAIN. Apparently it wasn't a quick read. WAIT! Don't get me wrong. It is a quick, light, and FUN Contemporary YA! :"] It's just that the characters are a little bit too nerdy in some way. Our guy, Matt Watkins, lives in a house of intellectuals. His mom and dad are both academes. His 12 year-old sister Celeste is also brilliant, but she has some socio-mental problems. She doesn't have friends; acts like a child; and keeps a flat cut-out board of his "adorable" travelling brother, Finn. So much for a normal family, aren't they?

Julie, with all her apartment mishaps, gets to live with the Watkins for a year. She temporarily stays at Finn's room since he's not around. Although Finn isn't around, Julie was able to befriend him through e-mail and Facebook chat. She babbles about her life. He sends her photos of his volunteer work abroad. Eventually she notices that something isn't really normal with her host family, especially with Celeste. Celeste cannot live without Flat Finn, the cardboard representation of his brother. So he asks Finn, who then tells her a glimpse of what happened, which apparently isn't enough to help Celeste and to satisfy her curiosity.

Eventually Julie and Finn admit their feelings for each other. Matt, on the other hand, stays the same old sweet, nerdy Matt. :"> When things are getting better, Julie discovered the worst. Even her life was broken when that she learned what happened. The question is, how will things fall back into place now that they're broken?

Discover the truth. Hope. Laugh. LOVE. ♥

Enjoy reading! God bless you! :)

laurice-with-love ♥

Find this review on Goodreads!

#365DOT Day 3: Back to School

Disclaimer:

Ha! I can see those wheels turning in your heads! (^_^) I know. I know. You're all wondering what's got into me to thank God for school. Yes, school can indeed be infuriating, but now that students are back from the Christmas break I thank God for my school. I'll thank Him everyday for it. Not everyone is given a chance to study in a prestigious university for free. All for the glory of God, I'm one of those given that rare opportunity. It's true that every day in school is a battle of survival. I get tired, over-fatigued, stressed-out, what-have-you. But at the end of the day, I grow. I thank God for giving me this chance to stretch myself and hone my skills, all for His Glory!

How about you? What are you thankful for today's class? Your teachers? Friends? Lessons? I'm sure there's something you're thankful for. Pause a second and thank God. :)

God bless you always! :']

laurice-with-love ♥

#365DOT Day 2: Hand-me-downs

Disclaimer:

Anyone who wants hand-me-downs? Well, I DO! I love receiving hand-me-downs from my sister because she's a walking magazine! Seriously, she's like a cut-out from a fashion magazine! No wonder her stuff are nothing less than elegant. (^_^) So for today, I thank God for these hand-me-downs that I got from my sister. I woke up this morning to see four heels, two bags, and four planners! My sister's an angel! O:) Though the planners were of 2010, I can still use it as journals. Yay! I LOVE JOURNALS! And of course, I thank God for my sister. I love her so much! I'm so blessed to have her! Wheee. It's just the second day of the year and I can't thank God enough for all these blessings! :]

God bless us all! :']

laurice-with-love ♥

Waiting on Wednesday #7: A Beautiful Lie

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

For my seventh WoW and 1st WoW of 2013, I give you...

*drumroll*....A Beautiful Lie!

Book-iography

Title: A Beautiful Lia

Author: T.E. Sivec

Published: January 3, 2013

Publisher: T.E. Sivec

Type: Series (Playing with Fire #1)

Bookshelves: Contemporary

Links: Goodreads

Blurb:

He saw her first, but his friend made the move.

She settled for the safer choice, but her heart knew the truth.

They love, they crave, they lie.

Garrett McCarthy, Annabelle Parker, and Milo Roberts were as close as friends could get. They shared in each other's joy during graduations, promotions, and engagements. They consoled one another through heartache and loss.

When one of the friend's life is tragically cut short, it's up to the two left behind to pick up the pieces and find out the truth - no matter the cost. As they slowly start to uncover the nature of his deception, and the very powerful people behind it, they begin to question everyone and everything, even themselves.

Everyone has secrets - some do it for love while others do it for power. Those secrets can change perceptions, alter reality and sometimes destroy lives. What do you do when you find out your whole life has been a lie?

Thoughts! :'>

I'm not entirely sure if this is YA Contemporary or not. Nevertheless the blurb caught my attention. It seems that there's some conspiracy and mystery going on here. I'm not a fan of mystery novels, but I'd love to check this out. Besides, the cover is AWESOME. Hoping the story is as good as the cover!

Oh! Look at that, it's going to be released tomorrow. :) Sweet. :)

laurice-with-love ♥

#365DOT Day 1: Cousins

Disclaimer:

This photo was taken at the wake of my uncle Mike. Though it was a somber event for all of us, I still thank God because of the opportunity He has given me to bond with my cousins. I love my cousins! They're the best! We used to stay up all night playing truth or dare, UNO, and other things when we were kids. Now that we're grown-ups, I thank God because He continues to strengthen and deepen my relationship with them. :]

Wheee. 1 day down; 364 days to go! God bless you! :')

laurice-with-love ♥

365 Days of Thanksgiving (#365DOT) Introduction

A blessed 2013 to all my readers!

It was a great 2012 for me. Though there were ups and downs, God's faithfulness was ever-present from the beginning 'til the end of the year. His Grace for me and my family never ends; always ready to forgive and to offer second chances. Always ready to sacrifice and love.

Indeed I have a lot to be thankful for.

My family.

My 19 years of existence.

My ministry.

My JIL family.

My school.

My friends.

My newfound interest: reading.

My blog.

My supportive readers.

My work.

My community.

My family's good health.

My good health.

My experiences.

My trials and testings.

And a whole lot more...

I have a lot to thank God for each passing day. This year I want to do the same, but I WANT TO SHARE MY LIFE'S STORY WITH YOU. I know how unpredictable life can get. Sure we know that our existence on Earth starts at birth and ends at death, but the life in-between can be very complicated in some way. We can be very happy one day, then broken the day after. We can reach the peak of our success one morning, then find ourselves in trash a few hours later. However hard life can get, I'd like to show you that it's God's gift that we should all treasure. Even in our darkest day, there is still something to thank God for.

Life is beautiful. Allow me to share at least one thing/event/person/etc that God blessed me with for the next 365 days of 2013. Allow me to share something that I'm thankful for each day. I admit that there will be tough times, but I am confident that God will lead me through each stormy day. I will never run out of reasons to thank God every day.

If you want to join me, hop in and see how blessed you are! :']

Just post one photo of something that you thank God for the next 365 days of 2013. :] Witness how beautiful life is. :)

CHECK OUT MY #365DOT!
Click the caption.