Liz and Jess, I've missed you so!

Sweet Valley High sequel to follow characters into 30s

Francine Pascal promises 'shocking' update on the progress of the much-loved Wakefield twins

One of the Sweet Valley High novels' covers

Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield, the blond, tanned, teenage twins of the bestselling Sweet Valley High series, are set to grow up after creator Francine Pascal announced she was writing a new novel that will follow her cast into their 30s.

Launched in 1983, the Sweet Valley franchise has produced around 500 titles, written by a host of ghostwriters. From high school romances to stalkers and serial killers, it follows the adventures of identical twins Elizabeth and Jessica "with their shoulder-length blonde hair, blue-green eyes, and perfect California tans", and has sold hundreds of millions of copies around the world. Fans will know that although Elizabeth and Jessica "were exact duplicates of one another, down to the tiny dimples in their left cheeks when they smiled", Elizabeth is the sensible, responsible, hard-working sister, while Jessica is largely interested in boys and parties.

The new book, Sweet Valley Confidential, takes place 12 years after the high school series, when the twins and their friends are in their late 20s and early 30s. It will, according to publisher St Martin's Press, see "the real world intrude after a perfect childhood". "I've had thousand of queries from fans over the years wondering what Jessica and Elizabeth would be like as adults. Well, Sweet Valley Confidential should give them all the answers," said Pascal, who was originally inspired to write the series by the experiences of her three daughters. "And I can guarantee they will be very surprised. Actually, more like shocked."

The Sweet Valley series has never troubled itself too much with realism. In one novel, To Catch a Thief, Elizabeth is "swept off her feet by Prince Laurent de Sainte-Marie – the most romantic guy she's ever met in her life", only to find herself locked in a dungeon by his fiancée's evil mother the Countess di Rimini. In another, London is plagued by what appears to be a werewolf.

St Martin's Press, which will publish the novel in early 2011, gave away little about the plot but fans are already speculating about which direction Pascal will take her characters. "Most everyone hopes Elizabeth and Todd are married, but we all have an idea Liz is having an affair if that's the case," said one reader, who has written about the entire series on her blog, Shannon's Sweet Valley High blog. "We figure Jessica has probably gone to Hollywood to be a star, but some of us are kind of hoping she's failed. Because seriously, that girl has had it too easy. And of course we all want to see the return of Lila, Bruce and the other side characters. It just wouldn't be Sweet Valley without them. A few of my readers are hoping Lila and Bruce are married, but I'd rather see Lila and Jessica trolling for guys together like they always have."

And this (!):

A film based on the Wakefield twins' high school years is also in the works, written and produced by Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody.

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Sweet Valley High: The Movie! It's about time somebody made one. But since that somebody is Diablo Cody, I'm sure it'll be well worth the wait.

Calamities

An earthquake yesterday, a fire today. What is the world coming to? Apparently the Armageddon of 2009 is making its way into 2010 as well. This can't all be due to global warming, can it? :|

Something's telling me it might be you.

She passed away today. Ate Mary Grace Lumogda-Quintela. My heart sank when I read Fr. Francis' text in the middle of class today. I knew it was only a matter of time, which prompted the emergency wedding in the first place, but I still felt such a sadness, a heaviness in my chest. I could no longer pay attention to Dr. Abdulla's lecture.

It happened just a week after her wedding, too. It was Mother Mary's birthday then. And today was the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. Ate Grace must really have a special place in Mother Mary's heart. She sure does in mine.

Please help me pray for the repose of her soul, as well as for the family she left behind--Kuya Titus and their daughter.

Graduation weekend

It's now Wednesday afternoon, three days after an incredibly eventful graduation weekend. I meant to write about everything sooner, but I guess I've just been reeling. I've spent the past three days at home, catching up on Grey's Anatomy and other shows via SurfTheChannel or SideReel, save for yesterday afternoon, when Ruari and I watched 17 Again, as per Karen's recommendation. I haven't been able to get myself to exercise, which I sorely need after having indulged myself over the weekend. Not to mention the occasional potato chips and cookies here at home while watching my shows.

Anyway, grad. Saturday was the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy Graduation at the University Theater, while Sunday was the University Graduation at the Quezon Hall Amphitheatre. Now looking back, the two days were mostly a blur of sablays, white dresses, medals, flashing cameras, lining up in the heat, sorority paraphernalia, heels sinking in the grass, and endless smiles. But there was also a delicious family dinner, a hospital visit, an alarming fire, a miraculous sunny day following a rainy week, and a renewed friendship. :)

All in all, it was a wonderful graduation. I really couldn't have asked for anything more. Except for that brief moment when I thought I might lose something so precious, the weekend was perfect. I felt too blessed, if such a thing were possible.

Amidst all the excitement for med, graduation gave me a chance to also relish my last moments as an undergrad, to reminisce on my four-year stint as a psych major in UP Diliman. Though I didn't shed any tears, nor was I able to sing UP Naming Mahal without looking at the lyrics, I still very much felt the UP spirit. School spirit is not something I feel everyday, unlike students from other universities. But I felt it then, and I felt thankful. Thankful for the past four years behind me, and thankful as well for the five years yet to come, all of which I have carried and will proudly carry the name Iskolar ng Bayan. :)

Ruari took this. :) Could I pass for a college graduate?

How disappointing, indeed.

Ateneo stude’s dad meets suspect

By Nancy C. Carvajal Philippine Daily Inquirer

Posted date: February 27, 2009

MANILA, Philippines – In his first face-to-face encounter with the woman who drove the van that had run over his son, all Jose Fernando Alcantara could say was, “Was it you?” Alcantara, father of 10-year-old Julian Carlo Miguel “Amiel,” a Grade 4 student of the Ateneo Grade School who was killed in a three-vehicle mishap on the school grounds on Tuesday afternoon, told the Inquirer that he went to Camp Karingal by himself at around 3 a.m. on Wednesday. He added that he had just come from Arlington Memorial Chapels where he supervised the preparation of his son’s body, adding that it took six hours to reconstruct Amiel’s face and head to make it fit for viewing. Before that, Alcantara said he was in Camp Crame for the autopsy of his boy’s body. “I just wanted to see the face of the person who took away someone so precious,” he said. According to him, he was disappointed with the response he got from Ma. Theresa Torres, who has been detained at Camp Karingal since the accident. “Except for a shrug and ‘Wala akong magawa, aksidente yun eh (I couldn’t do anything, it was an accident)’, I did not hear anything more from the driver,” he narrated. Alcantara, who described his son as like the “wind” because of his love for the outdoors, said he left without saying another word to Torres. He added that he did not know Torres, who also has a son studying at the school, before the accident. The Inquirer tried to talk to Torres but was turned away by Quezon City Police District traffic head, Supt. Rudie Valoria, who has custody of the suspect. “She said she is not in her right frame of mind to grant any interview,” Valoria said. He added that charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, serious physical injuries and damage to property had already been filed against Torres. Bail for her temporary liberty was set at P42,000. “After she posts bail, we have to release her, otherwise, we could be charged with illegal detention,” Valoria said. He said that based on their investigation, the brakes of the vehicle used by Torres, a Toyota Hi-Ace, at the time of the accident, were working. This contradicted her testimony that her brakes had failed. The younger Alcantara, his older brother, sister and nanny were walking toward their car on school grounds at around 4 p.m. Tuesday when Torres’ van hit the victim. The nanny, Tata Suarez, 65, was able to push Alcantara’s brother and sister safely out of the way before she was also hit by the van. Witnesses said that even after hitting the boy, the van did not slow down, only stopping when it hit a Honda CRV and another van. Amiel died on the way to the hospital while Suarez was set to undergo surgery for leg injuries. On Thursday, the Ateneo Grade School Boy Scouts bid farewell to Amiel by attending a Mass at a chapel on the school campus where the wake for the victim is being held. “He wanted to be an Eagle Scout and was working to be a first Boy Scout,” Delfin Bautista, advancement officer of the school’s boy scouts, said. His fellow scouts offered salute and scout claps for Amiel, whom they described as helpful, cheerful, fair and playful. “You could count on him to lend a helping hand when someone needed it,” one of the scouts said. The victim’s aunt, Sari Moreno, said her nephew would be cremated at the Arlington Memorial Chapels on Araneta Avenue at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Since the accident, Ateneo students and their parents have been lighting candles and offering flowers and prayers in the area in the parking lot where the accident occurred. “The children have been praying nonstop at the site where the boy fell. The area is lit up by candles,” a security guard of the school said in Filipino. --- It has become exceedingly difficult not to feel anger or blame towards this mother. When my dad relayed to us over dinner the contents of this article, my heart was pounding. Kumukulo dugo ko. She could at least have some remorse. There was no apology or anything! I heard she's already made bail. Hats off to the dad, for reacting the way he did, or rather, not reacting. He chose to be the bigger person, in the toughest, most emotional situation imaginable.

I give up on thinking of song lyrics to use as blog entry titles

Despite my innate ability to memorize song lyrics (that I so wish were applicable to chemical reaction mechanisms) and to come up with a song for every occasion, I knew I'd run out sooner or later. There is no song I can pull off the top of my head that describes the way I feel at this moment. It's a mix of things, really.

Sick. I feel very sick. My sore throat from last Saturday has finally developed into a full-blown cold. And thank God, too; I was beginning to think it was tonsillitis. A cold is definitely the lesser evil, despite the runny nose, postnasal drip, body malaise, and general lethargy it brings. At least I don't have a fever. It's already starting to become a cough, though, and I will soon need to bring out our trusty nebulizer. Yep, this pattern of cold-cough-asthma is one I know all too well. It hits at least once every semester, usually around the time the weather starts to change.

Shocked. I received a very late reply from Sir Sumera, my org chem professor, regarding the schedule of the chem exam (which took place two days ago). He said, Hi Carmina, Tuloy ang exam. The next thing he told me was my score in the said exam. Suffice it to say it was much better than I expected, especially since I fully expected to fail. Maybe watching the Oscars on the morning of the exam brought me luck? Remind me to never, ever miss the Oscars, especially when it falls on an exam day.

Super proud. Haha, keeping in line with the s alliteration. I'm super proud of my orgmates who were elected into the University Student Council for the academic year 2009-2010:
Titus Tan, USC Chairperson
Lee Tan, USC Councilor. Go buddy! :) Yay for the Tan dynasty!

Sad. I was with my mom at Ate Cecille's birthday party last night when she received the news about Amiel Alcantara. He was a Grade 4 student at the Ateneo who was pinned between two cars yesterday, as he was crossing the street at dismissal time. A mother was behind the wheel of the van that crashed into Amiel; she had transferred into the driver's seat after sending her driver to look for her son. It's unclear whether the van was manual and she started the engine without ensuring that the gear was on neutral, or the van was automatic and she accidentally stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brake. This caused not only the crushing of a ten-year old boy in between two cars, but also a five-car wreckage. Amiel was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival, at around 5:oo PM. (For more information, read the article here.)

Such a heartbreaking, tragic accident can stir so many reactions and emotions. Sadness at the loss of a young, promising life, sympathy for the family of the bereaved, anger towards the driver, the traffic scheme imposed by the school, or to the very unfairness and senselessness of the event. I felt all of these things and more. But I am ashamed to have felt anger at the driver, the mother in the van that caused it all. Yes, she had been quite careless. I was angry at her negligence, thinking that she should be put behind bars. I even wondered why she had to send her driver to pick up her son--bakit hindi na lang siya sumundo sa anak niya?

This we might never know. What I do know is that that mother must be in an unbearable amount of pain right now, equivalent to or even greater than what the Alcantara family must be going through. For the rest of her life, she will carry with her the image of that little boy being pinned in front of her. I heard she fainted right after it happened. With the weight of the reality of what had happened, I would have fainted, too.

We have no right to blame this mother, or feel anger towards her. In fact, we should include her in our prayers. Not only should we pray for the repose of Amiel's soul, or for the strength of the Alcantara family, but for this woman as well, that she may, in time, forgive herself. It was an accident, after all. It could have happened and it can happen to any of us drivers. Let this unfortunate event serve as a reminder for us all.