Follow Friday 6/24/2011

Friday is upon us again, and here in another edition of Follow Friday by Parajunkee's Views is a pretty interesting question that we all need to answer. This week's question is:

Q. In light of the Summer Solstice. Also known as Midsummer...let's talk about fairies. What is your favorite fairy tale or story that revolves around the fae? 

I've already talked about ten of my favorite fairy tales, but my most favorite?  The Wild Swans by Hans Christian Andersen.  I just loved that story, and I found an animated film version of that and I just watched it again and again.

As for stories about fairies, my favorite would have to be Peter Pan, of course!

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Hello there again!  This is another hop that I have decided to participate in.  This is my first time on TGIF!  Yay!  Since I am always looking out for the weekend, it only follows that I should do this to really kick off the weekend fun. 

This Friday's Question:

Summer Love: Where is your ideal place to take a 

summer vacation & get lost in a book?

This is a very easy question.  I have a favorite place here in the Philippines, it's near Tagaytay and it's called Balay Indang Red Ginger Farm.  It's a garden retreat place that a friend of my mom owns and she often invites us to come over.  I loved lounging around the different houses and cottages there, and there were even beds outside under the trees!  I once brought a book there and it was such a great experience.  And the food is awesome, too :D

Here are some pictures:

The Watch Tower.  This is my preferred place to hang out and read.  You can go inside and find a really comfy bed and a rocking chair, as if asking you to take your pick.

The Main House

The Dining Area

The Stairs to the Dining Area

How it all looks from afar.

Another cottage where you can find some bean bags to sit or lie on.

Would you believe that this is part of a toilet and washroom?  I'm standing next to the toilet, of course.

For other pictures (not taken by me), you can check out Balay Indang (The Red Ginger Farm and Garden) on Flickr.

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So that's it, I hope you all have a great weekend, and happy reading to everyone!

10 Good Things on a Monday!

10 Good Things on a Monday is a weekly meme I am doing dedicated to every person's compulsive list-writing.  Every Monday we are going to make a list of 10 things that will cheer us up and help us tide over the whole week.

<a href="http://buoyreading.blogspot.com/search/label/good%20things" target="_top"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ZLJhw831LIwGjiA8RrpkyCa2Kw0vJ-MCDZ92vwi4is-CRlAzDfrov1rTTH16ntcfHxERkDFchxdM-bLazZ6g9M8tSP4JfsgI1z6BjiHzILQVknmvbcSdG9PpCXAdG9SZ1LU5PvsKPpM/s1600/10.JPG" border="0" /></a>

Here's how it works:

1. Think of a particular group of good things you want to make a list on, does not necessarily have to be about books, e.g. your current book wish list, or your favorite book foods (you know, foods you love to eat while reading, if you're like me), or your favorite girly names, whatever you can think of, as long as it makes you feel good.
2. If you have no ideas for a list, you can always visit my blog post to check out my theme for that week and you can take a cue from my list.
3. Post your list on your blog, grab that cute ARGH button above and put it on your post too, so we'd know you're doing this meme.
4. Leave the link for your post on my own 10 Good Things post for the week, if you see others doing it, comment too and let's share our good things with everybody.
5. Everybody goes through the whole week happy!

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My 10 Good Things for this week:  My Favorite Fairy Tales

I'm sorry this came out a bit late.  I've been swamped with a lot of stuff lately, but at least I can still find time to blog so it's worth it.  I've been fascinated with fairy tales for as long as I can remember, and I recall when my mother bought me the complete works of Hans Christian Andersen I was on cloud nine because he wrote most of my favorite stories.  

 

Here we go with my favorites:

 

1. The Wild Swans by Hans Christian Andersen - this I think is my ultimate favorite fairy tale.  It's about a princess with eleven brothers who were turned into swans by their wicked stepmother, and the princess was tasked to sew shirts out of nettles that will turn her brothers back to humans.   I so loved this story, especially when I saw a cartoon adaptation.
2. The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen - although the Disney version is cute and had typical 'happily ever after' ending, I still preferred the real ending by the author, where the mermaid dies and becomes a daughter of the air.
3. The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen - this one is about a young girl who travels to the Snow Queen's kingdom in order to save her friend.
4. The Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Andersen - I remembered that after reading this for the first time, I tried to put a small pea under several blankets and my mattress and was so dejected after I could not feel the pea.  I was so disappointed that I was not a real princess! 
5. The Red Shoes by Hans Christian Andersen - I was curious about the title of this one and found it a bit depressing but nevertheless entertaining.
6. The Frog Prince by the Brothers Grimm - I think most would agree when I say that this is one of the funniest fairy tales ever.
7. Cinderella - who knew that this was a Greek folk tale recorded by the historian Strabo in the first century B.C.?  Awesome.
8. Puss in Boots by Charles Perrault - this is also a big favorite of mine.  I really thought it was fun to read, and I almost had my then cat wear boots!  
9. How the Killing of the Old Men was Stopped - this story had a lot of variations from different countries but this Serbian fairy tale was very touching.
10. The Giant Who had No Heart in His Body - I loved the adventure in this story.  

There you have it, my Good Things for this week!  Have a great new week everyone!