The Book Tripper

Dragonborn

2012-02-17T11:14:00.001+08:00

I am not a thief and I am not a wizard.

I am not a vampire and I am not a werewolf.

I am not a soldier, not even a rebel.

I am not an assassin...

I am Dragonborn.

Skyrim as a game, is buggy.

But Skyrim as a story, is EPIC.

image © Bethesda Game Studios

The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys

2012-02-15T22:05:00.002+08:00

With that same pragmatic sentimentality and alienation of Holden Caulfield in JD Salinger's Catcher in The Rye, this book I think is much better than its film version. While working for the final revision of this novel, Chris Fuhrman may have lost the battle against cancer but won the war for making his story effective, serving as a testament of his legacy as a writer.

From the first pages you imagine that you are watching a teenage adventure film like Goonies (it may excite you or annoy you) but only to be surprised by its unwarned mischiefs, heartbreaks, lust and violence up to the unexpected anticlimax all weaved in a taut narrative from the eye of the novel's protagonist Francis Doyle.

Unlike most of the coming-of-age stories that we know, the author wrote with less drama and more with impressionism that reminded me of Hemingway. The setting is Savannah, Georgia 1974---the twilight years of the hippie generation. It's also the generation of the civil rights movement and the feminist movement when Afro-American citizens marched the streets and mothers look up to The Sensous Woman as their pillow book, but just like any kind of mainstream and cultural revolution of history, people are becoming more confused and alienated than before.

All in all, it's never too easy to forget the gang of Tim, Francis, Rusty, Wade and Joey (and Margie). God, forgive these children for they were only thirteen.

memorable quotes:

"Adulthood doesn't interest me. My only worry is drinking will stunt my growth."

"Trouble is our only defense against boredom, Francis. You know that's the truth."

"Every adult is the creation of a child...My life is the result of that boy's dreams and limitations, and of the company that boy kept a long time ago, back when things could still happen for the first time."

movie poster

Genre: Coming-of-Age, Teenage Fiction, Postmodernist
Rating: 4 tranquilizer blowguns

Logos Hope visits the Philippines

2012-02-10T11:47:00.001+08:00

The Ship is here!

Currently docked in Port of Cebu, the GBS Ship Logos Hope is serving onboard visitors and potential recruits eager to embark on a global cause in bringing knowledge, help, and hope to those who are less fortunate. This ship is more than just a floating book fair. It's also a community.

If you're a resident in Manila and wants to get involved more than just purchase a good quality literature at a fraction of it's retail value, Logos Hope will be visiting Manila at the 16th of February and will be open to visitors the next day, until March 13, 2012. Here's the schedule for the current and the rest of their trip in the Philippines:

AREA Arrival Departure
Cebu January 10th, 2012 February 14th, 2012
Manila February 16th, 2012 March 14th, 2012
Subic Bay March 15th, 2012 April 8th, 2012
Subic Bay shipyard works project April 9th, 2012 June 25th, 2012

Webcam shots as of this writing (1132H GMT +8):

bridge

bookfair port

bookfair starboard

international cafe

all images copied from www.gbaships.org

Kokology: The Game of Self-Discovery

2012-01-27T19:38:00.000+08:00

What else can I say about this book? It's been around for more than ten years and I think my late discovery is better than not having that opportunity to flip the pages at all.

Learning about yourself is fun with this book and I find the explanations or analyses of my answers entertaining and sometimes weird. The accuracy (on my case) based on a loose estimate, stands somewhere between 80%-90%. This edition that combines the first and second books includes over 100 situations and scenarios for your own leisure of reflection and insight. Originally based from a Japanese quiz show that also spawned from the study of kokoro ("mind" or "spirit" in Japanese), it is now a common tome for team building activities in business or private organizations. This is highly recommended because of its lighthearted getting-to-know-you setup without prejudice and player intrusion. It is very helpful to bridge the communication gap between two people. One of the authors described it clearly--It's kind of like a Rorschach test that uses words instead of ink blots.

kokology \kōkōl'ōjē\
A series of psychological games
designed to reveal your hidden attitudes
about sex, family, love, work and more.

I thought I was abnormal or something (LOL) but after reading this, there's nothing really to be afraid of. Unless the book's principle is severely flawed, I was still normal (and a dork) after all. If the authors' (Tadahiko Nagao and Isamu Saito) aim in publishing this book is to promote fun without diverting from science and at the same time for the reader's learning or reflection, then I can say that they hit the goal with a positive mark. Highly recommended for friends, lovers, and enemies alike.

Genre: Non Fiction, Activity Book, Self-Discovery

Rating: 4 kokoro

The Sketching Backpacker

2012-01-19T07:07:00.000+08:00

If you've never been to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Macau, Hong Kong, and provincial areas of the Philippines, this is a pretty book worthy as your de facto travel guide. According to the author Robert Alejandro, 90% of the sketches were done on site and the rest were post-processed texts and photograph prints. Inheriting the ownership of Papemelroti from his parents, Robert Alejandro's designs can easily be seen inside a Papemelroti shop from t-shirts to notebooks to calendars and coffee mugs.

I agree with him in saying that traveling is an education which you will never be able to get from school or books. I think traveling is an education of using all your senses, more than just starting from point A and ending to point B. It's about making a plan, meeting people, learning about the world and maybe next time, a chance of breaking and remaking that plan. It's about what you encounter between the point of origin and point of destination and loving that unique experience.

"I am not a tourist. I am a traveler."

Tuktuk - Thailand's version of our very own trike

Lau Prabang French Colonial Architecture

Gao Dai Temple - Vietnam

"bookleg" - paperbacks bootleg in Vietnam

Back Cover

Genre: Non Fiction, Art Journal, Travelogue
Rating: 4 sketch pads

Catching a Good Fish

2012-01-17T22:40:00.001+08:00

Searching the sea of used books and magazines, this May 2011 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine celebrating Bob Dylan's 70th birthday is a recent good catch. It's an insightful issue as we see music and history experts (and even the rock and film icons themselves) sharing their views on Bob Dylan's best 70 songs and what made "Like A Rolling Stone" a timeless freedom-loving anti-bourgeois anthem that became the best rock 'n roll song of all time.

The New York Times' chief pop music critic Jon Pareles describes well the songwriting and the impact in general: "The most powerful mystery of Dylan's songs is the way that, decade after decade, they shift with each new context. Every Dylan listener has had the illuminating, unsettling sensation of hearing a familiar song suddenly wrap itself around a new situation, with a well-known line suddenly revealing a whole new meaning."

How does it feel

To be on your own

With no direction home

Like a complete unknown

Like a rolling stone

The Gospel of Art According to Mr Vonnegut

2012-01-07T16:22:00.000+08:00

Source

Dead Romantics

2012-01-05T22:21:00.000+08:00

Is January too early for February?
Or is 2012 too late for Everything?

For Everybody who loves to Write and Wakedream...

What's Better Than Choosing Your Blog's Platform?

2012-01-01T23:23:00.000+08:00

Recently I joined Book Blogs and one member asked for a better blog format (or blog platform---to be exact) in the discussions. Looking at other sources with comparative stats between varied platforms and providers (not counting out that most online statistical data can be manipulated) and looking at my own experience since 2004, I think it's becoming a subjective inquiry since choosing your platform depends entirely on what you want and need to do with your blog.

CLICK THIS IMAGE FOR IMG SOURCE

There's a platform suitable for free hosting as well as for paid hosting. The latter is good if you want to own your content but you have to pay for it. Some like to earn money from their blogs while others choose to be free from ads (like this blog). Another criteria is the design. Some would prefer the professional look, others choose personalized (widget/gadget intensive) look, while some would prefer the simplified text-heavy look. Some would consider user popularity of the provider like this list did. Considering the boom in the social media sphere by Facebook and Twitter, and in the geek sphere by iTunes Podcast and Technorati, integration between domains also is a big factor. If your platform can easily link to potential readers, the better for your blog. Additionally, it's also important to choose a secured and spam-free platform and a provider that continues to improve and evolve to suit every user's needs. User support and forum is also a good criteria, with the current trend in "cloud" communities. Choosing a provider to keep a constant eye on what sites link to your blog and the detailed statistics of your blog (crawl errors, live feeds, search queries, etc.) will also give the blog owner a sense of control and overview.

Now if you ask me what's my choice in blog platform, I will answer its Blogger. Sorry to disappoint you Google haters, but this platform worked for me since 2004. I have current blogs in Tumblr and Posterous but for a book blog, Blogger is the platform that suits well with my needs. But this is actually, not relevant. There's something more important than merely choosing a platform.

The choice of specific criteria stated above will not guarantee a quality and loyal readership for your blog. The bottom line is still about what you write in your blog. Content is more important than platform. I have seen a lot of blogs with professional looking templates but the content speaks differently (mostly candy-coated childish posts and memes). I saw a blog with an old and simplified template but the writing is very good and very informative. I saw a blog loaded with graphics but what I like about that blog is not the graphics but what the author consistently writes about.

So once again, what's better than choosing your blog's platform? It's what you write in your blog.

Wrath of the Titans Official Trailer

2011-12-29T07:00:00.000+08:00

Marilyn Manson's version of Sweet Dreams worked perfectly in this trailer. And Rosamund Pike cast as warrior Queen Andromeda is a bonus.

Looking Forward to 2012

2011-12-28T22:28:00.001+08:00

It's been a kick ass year of quality reading (as opposed to quantity reading) and what's also memorable and noteworthy with 2011 is the overall progression of my professional, social, and personal status. Nothing's left out and no commitment being sacrificed in the corner by reading books. I shall never forget real places like Bohol, Tagum City, and Davao City. It's still hard to believe that I finally quit smoking this year. Next year, it's going to be a tough year with all the games to be released, movies to watch, places to visit, friends and family to personally connect with (as opposed to this shitty online/virtual networking), the 2012 end of the world prognosis/delusion, Pacquiao-Mayweather rubbermatch, and more books to read. Most of the time I will stick with my preferred reading category next year, the genre where I belong---the Adult Genre.

They say that the World will end in 2012 based on a belief by the Mayan Civilization. Well, nobody in this planet gets out alive and all I can say is bring it on, Apocalypse!

Caveat Emptor

2011-12-26T22:23:00.000+08:00

It was almost a struggle reading halfway through the book. The enthusiasm of reading this one diffused fast from day one up until finishing Gaiman's work. This is supposedly my Halloween read but now it's almost New Year. I needed a lot of reading breaks for this and it took me to finish one non fiction, one short story, a manga, YouTube videos and Skyrim introductory game before finishing the whole anthology. Getting busy with my work also helped and the reversal of roles between what used to be a pleasure reading and a mediocre work came in handy. Thanks to this book, my work became a pleasure and reading, a mediocre chore.

It's important to note that rating this anthology on account of reading only the story written by my favorite author will not give justice to the whole work. So I will share the plot and my views per story and if you hate spoliers, better STOP HERE and check for my overall rating at the bottom.

Love Hurts (Jim Butcher)
3.5/5
The plot resolved as easily as predicted. But Harry Dresden's postmortem work ala CSI is enough reason here for readers of dark fantasy to look and read more about this mysterious wizard and his world.

The Marrying Maid (Jo Beverly)
2/5
Weakest story for the whole anthology. This one lacks heroism and self-sacrifice. The "prince charming" here is selfish and narcissistic, less medieval and more metrosexual, has no balls at all and I imagined myself breaking his chin and busting his kneecap for good. Forcing a maiden to marry and love you in order to prevent a deathly curse against your clan can never be considered as destiny nor love. It's called extortion.
Jo Beverly should have made her "prince" a better character by searching for another way to solve his own dilemma. There is always an alternative.

Rooftops (Carrie Vaughn)
3/5
The final confrontation between Charlotte, Dorian, and the Unknown Hero is vague. Something not to be taken seriously.

Hurt Me (MLN Hanover)
3.5/5
Reversal of roles between the Ghost and the Prey. The ghost is the one being hunted here. Nice one.

Demon Lover (Cecelia Holland)
2.5/5
The detailed rendezvous between the Incubus and his victim is the only thing that I can remember here. At this point, I'm getting tired of reading about helpless and easy to fool damsels here.

The Wayfarer's Advice (Melinda Snodgrass)
4/5
Sci fi tale that reminds me of a classic story not far from our home planet Earth. This comes up with a good cliffhanger too. A shining light for the whole anthology's bleak universe. So far.

Blue Boots (Robin Hobb)
3/5
Just as you thought your mind is about to meander within the story, you are content finishing it as it ended happily ever after. A story about the crooner, his love, and her blue boots.

The Thing About Cassandra (Neil Gaiman)
3.5/5
The thing about this one: it's not Neil Gaiman's best short fiction work but it still won the 2011 Locus Award for Best Short Story. The writing is good and the story is a bit unpredictable and sad. Like any memorable Twilight Zone episode, you just take it or leave it as it is.

After the Blood (Marjorie Liu)
4/5
Another good story and a good example on how to write a cross genre fiction (postapocalyptic dark fantasy). In my mind, I can easily draw the main characters' "evolution" as distinct from each other. After reading the story, I thought there is hope for this anthology after all.

You, and You alone (Jacqueline Carey)
3/5
This episodic and spy story reminds me of the historical Alexander the Great, with cloak-and-dagger plot that started unconvential, intriguing in the middle, and ended flat. The writing is good but the story in general is more suitable to a certain group of readers different from my tribe.

His Wolf (Lisa Tuttle)
3/5
At this point, it's becoming obvious. The process of love is incredibly fast and easy in a short fiction work. Good thing here is that the protagonist advocates against traditional belief that wolves are evil and I agree.

Courting Trouble (Linnea Sinclair)
3.5/5
The story started bland but ended better than expected albeit orthodox. One of those rare stories with an ending that you find agreeable. There's a lot of Sci Fi plot details here to nuke your mind but just concentrate with the story and you'll be okay.

The Demon Dancer (Mary Jo Putney)
3.5/5
The pace is good and the writing is simple but effective. Thankfully, there's no annoying emo, nor dim-witted alpha male, nor primadonna character here to hate. And just as you thought you can predict the ending of this one (since the story involves a succubus!) you are dead wrong. In the whole anthology, this story is most adaptable to be told in graphic novel or comic book form.

Under / Above the Water (Tanith Lee)
4/5
There's beauty in this story that is not easy to describe in words. It's always been part of the human subconscious to dream or delude for love to be eternal, transcending space, time, and even sin. Thanks to the author Tanith Lee for reminding us again of this inescapable human nature.

Kaskia (Peter Beagle)
2.5/5
The flow of reading the anthology hit another brick wall this time. For someone who earned the Locus, Mythopoeic, Hugo, and Nebula awards I have to say this is surely not his best. Regrettably an empty story, imagine yourself teaching Korean or Chinese girls the English language in a virtual chatroom and that will become more memorable than Peter Beagle's short story.

Man in the Mirror (Yasmine Galenorn)
3.5/5
Finally a character who knows how to be selfless and knows when to do it at the perfect time. Nice story.

A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows (Diana Gabaldon)
3.5/5
Randall Mackenzie is no doubt an experienced fighter of the Royal Air Force tasked to perform a reconnaissance mission over the Nazi camps in Eastern Europe. When his Spitfire malfunctioned while practising his skills in recon maneouvres and operating the camera on board, Randall being able to land with minimal injury felt lucky. But there's one thing that worries him more than seeing his Spitfire in total wreck. He crashed in a different time.
I enjoyed this one, it gave me the feeling that I was actually in the British Airspace taking part in a WWII air-to-air combat or dogfight. Randall is surely a fighter and survivor who never gives up to return to where (and when) he truly belonged---to his family sometime in WWII.

-------------------------------

For the whole anthology we get an average rating of 3.26 out of 5 rounding it off to 3 out of 5 units. Checking the Book Eater's Scale in the sidebar, it's a Staple Food. Meaning, it's a substantial read but it's not good enough if you're not a fan of any of the 17 authors.

Though it's still worthy to recall the authors who made this collection alive like Tanith Lee, Melinda Snodgrass, Marjorie Liu, Diana Gabaldon, Jim Butcher, Mary Jo Putney, Neil Gaiman, and Linnea Sinclair. The rest, better luck next time.

The Western style of Romance and its definition of Love as purely an emotional process (and hormonal excess) far from being volitional or spiritual may be appealing to others and dull to some and for me, the latter almost won over the former. The "appeal" survived the "dull" by a hairline.

Don't expect too much if you want to read this book and don't blame me if you think that I didn't warn you enough.

Genre: Cross Genre Fiction
Rating: 3 imaginary girlfriends out of 5

The Hobbit Part 1 Official Trailer

2011-12-21T22:03:00.001+08:00

Finally, here's something to cheer and warm you up in this bleak and rainy Yuletide Season.

Truth be told...Baggins of Bag End!

Text Brigade and More

2011-12-21T09:08:00.000+08:00

If you're still planning to buy a book this Xmas, better skip it and donate the money instead to help our ravaged countrymen in the South. The easiest way is to send it to Philippine National Red Cross via SMS/text here:

SMS
Text RED<space>AMOUNT to 2899 (Globe) or 4143 (Smart)
G-Cash (Globe)
Text DONATE<space>AMOUNT<space>4-digit M-PIN<space>REDCROSS to 2882

You can donate the following denominations:
Globe: 5, 25, 100, 300, 500 or 1000
Smart: 10, 25, 50, 100, 300, 500 or 1000

Click images for more donation particulars.

Image courtesy of Philippine Daily Inquirer

Rorouni Kenshin: The Movie

2011-12-18T22:03:00.000+08:00

Tired of Hollywood version-3D epic fails of your favorite comic books?
Here's one for manga and Samurai X fanatics. The tale of Battousai the Slasher in live action will be seen first in Japanese theaters on the 25th of August, 2012.

The Book of Cain

2011-12-17T13:13:00.001+08:00

After unearthing the secret of Archbishop Lazarus in 1996, loyal and fanatic players of this seminal hack-n-slash RPG genre of Diablo were unanimous in looking at the series as one of the best story-driven PC game of the decade. If you're a noob in the Diablo lore and mythology, better prepare yourself with the whole mythology straight from the world of Sanctuary as Blizzard finally released The Book of Cain this month.

You can now see the truth as compiled and narrated by the last surviving member of the Horadrim, Deckard Cain himself.

video by FSG

book img source

Alternative Alamat

2011-12-14T11:46:00.000+08:00

If you love stories about Philippine Mythology this one looks delicious. Published today by Rocket Kapre Books in digital format, this is an anthology of new and old, known and unknown, fiction and non-fiction work of writers, artists, and historians involved in the fascination and study of our country's diverse mythology.

cover art by Mervin Malonzo for Rocket Kapre Books

CONTENTS:

“Ana’s Little Pawnshop on Makiling St.” by Eliza Victoria

“Harinuo’s Love Song” by Rochita Loenen-Ruiz

“The Last Full Show” by Budjette Tan

“The Alipin’s Tale” by Raymond G. Falgui

“Keeper of My Sky” by Timothy James Dimacali

“Conquering Makiling” by Mo Francisco

“The Sorceress Queen” by Raissa Rivera Falgui

“Beneath The Acacia” by Celestine Trinidad

“Offerings to Aman Sinaya” by Andrei Tupaz

“Balat, Buwan, Ngalan” by David Hontiveros

“A Door Opens: The Beginning of the Fall of the Ispancialo-in-Hinirang” by Dean Alfar

Appendix A: A Few Notable Philippine Deities

Appendix B: Interview with Professor Herminia Meñez Coben

Appendix C: Interview with Professor Fernando N. Zialcita

Appendix D: On Researching Philippine Mythology

Cover and interior artwork by Mervin Malonzo

Diablo III Opening Cinematic

2011-12-12T12:35:00.001+08:00

If you think that Diablo series is part of your life (including the rest of the games created by Blizzard since early 1990's), let us all hope that 2012 is a banner year for the best battle between light and darkness...

The Dark Knight Rises latest poster

2011-12-11T21:24:00.001+08:00

2011 in a nutshell

2011-12-10T09:30:00.001+08:00

A tradition I started last year, this is my roundup of book reads for the year 2011. Compared to last year, it's unfortunate that I got a worst read this time. It's part of an anthology I'm looking forward to finish before 2012 crashes in. My reading this year is also less in quantity compared to 2010 due to my current work in GPS navigation for the first half of the year. We surveyed Visayas-Mindanao area via road trip and RORO island hopping from Batangas-Mindoro-Panay-Negros-Cebu-Bohol-Mindanao-Leyte-Samar-Bicol-Manila (homebase). Still, I like the balanced outcome of my reading adventures this year.

January
Pacman / Manny Pacquiao & Timothy James

February
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo / Stieg Larsson

April
The Element / Dr Ken Robinson

July
This is a Crazy Planets / Lourd De Veyra

August
The Geek Shall Inherit the Earth / Carl Joe Javier
Nightwatch / Sergei Lukyanenko
Pugad Baboy 23 / Pol Medina Jr

September
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold / John Le Carre
Darna Lives / Gery Alanguilan & Arnold Arre

October
From The Profound to The Profane / Jaime Licauco
Design Faults in the Volvo 760 Turbo / Will Self
Trese 4 / Budjette Tan & KaJo Baldisimo
Dumot / Alan Navarra
Productive Pinoy / Yeng Remulla
Armageddon in Restrospect / Kurt Vonnegut

November
Tabi Po / Mervin Alonzo
Lone Wolf & Cub Volume 1 / Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima
"Repent, Harlequin!" Said The Ticktockman / Harlan Ellison

December
I Lie For A Living / National Geographic Society
Songs of Love and Death / GRR Martin & Gardner Dozois

BRAIN TOAST

Digital Art by mu6 @ deviantart.com

BEST FICTION:
The Spy Who Came In From the Cold by John Le Carre

BEST NON FICTION:
The Element by Dr Ken Robinson

BEST PINOY READ:
Tabi Po by Mervin Malonzo (also BEST E-BOOK/WEB COMICS)

BEST SHORT FICTION:
"Repent, Harlequin!" Said The Ticktockman by Harlan Ellison

BEST UNDERRATED:
I Lie For A Living by Antony Shugaar and NGS

BEST GRAPHIC FICTION:
Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 1 by Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima

BEST ACQUISITIONS(TBR):
Memories, Dreams, Reflections by Carl Jung (E-Book)
Into The Wild by John Krakauer
Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino
The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

BOOK HERO of THE YEAR:
Anton Gorodetsky from NIGHT WATCH by Sergei Lukyanenko

BOOK HEROINE of THE YEAR:
Svetlana from NIGHT WATCH by Sergei Lukyanenko

AUTHORS of the YEAR:
Dr. Ken Robinson for The Element
Kurt Vonnegut for Armageddon in Retrospect

QUICKIE/FLASH READ:
Productive Pinoy by Yeng Remulla

WORST READ:
The Marrying Maid by Jo Beverly (Short Story from Songs of Love and Death Anthology--watch out for my upcoming review for the whole anthology)

BEST BOOK COVERS:
The Best of This Is A Crazy Planets by Lourd De Veyra
From the Profound to the Profane by Jaime Licauco

QUOTE of the YEAR:
"Masyadong busy ang tunay na lalake sa pakikipagdigma sa larangan ng buhay para mag-abdominal exercises. Ang tunay na lalake kadalasa'y walang panahon sa gym dahil okupado ang katawan at isip nila sa paglikha ng mga siyentipikong teorya, mga obrang makasining, mga prinsipyong pang-rebolusyon para mabago ang lipunan. Wala silang oras para sa pang-araw-araw na 100 sets ng crunches, 45 minutes cardio, at dalawang oras ng pagtitig sa kanilang katawan sa salamin."

---Lourd De Veyra in "Ang Tunay na Lalake, Walang Abs" from The Best of This is A Crazy Planets collection.

Pag-iilaw: Xmas 2011 at UPD

2011-12-08T10:25:00.001+08:00

This place has been my home for 7 years and whenever the month of December looms in the horizon, that unique atmosphere of excitement leading to inevitable basking in festivity of the Lantern Parade is one unforgettable event for any alumni. Pinoy Theme is an undying trademark and this constellation of "parol"---lanterns glimmering in darkness is simply nostalgic.

source:
pag-iilaw
image ©upd.edu.ph

I Lie for A Living - Greatest Spies of All Time

2011-12-02T12:42:00.001+08:00

I saw a review for this book over Amazon complaining that it lacks index or bibliography. It's true, there's no bibliography part but if you look closer and try reading within the pages, you can see there's a lot of reference and source materials given by the author. Only if you read the book with enthusiasm and a keen eye.

What the reviewer failed to understand is that the current recorded information on the historical spies were directly sourced from declassified data of the CIA. Meaning, what we are seeing are just the "tip of the iceberg"--cases that were deemed closed or finished--from the CIA's perspective. We must realize that espionage work will never end as long as the threat of conflict and war is always persistent, and revealing additional sources which are connected with ACTIVE cases will surely compromise not just the US, but also any other country currently performing espionage activities. So instead of seeking for the exact source, we better read and enjoy the history of both popular and less known spies of the world as recorded from the CIA archives. The main source of the story here is the CIA and if you don't trust the accuracy of their archive, then this book is not for you.

Written by Antony Shugaar and illustrated by Stephen Guarnaccia, the reader must take note that the book was published by National Geographic Society in 2006 as a tie-up project with International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. The project aims to promote the Museum to fans and scholars of Espionage, both fiction and historical. It's purely for entertainment and informational purposes. And in this criteria the book is most effective. The NGS and the authors presented this one to be objective as possible.

When I was young I love reading through monthly copies of National Geographic Magazine and knowing the magazine and the organization (the National Geographic Society), I have no doubt with the legitimacy and reputation of their scholarly work in world history. The book's intro is written by Peter Earnest--the current director of the International Spy Museum and a retired member of the CIA. Intelligence work may be romanticized in popular media but we all know how the actual players themselves suffered but still loved their work. Others who are not lucky just simply paid their lives for it. Clearly, employing espionage work is like using a weapon similar to a double edged sword. You can never win without losing something.

The book is divided in 10 chapters (or spy categories) namely Spymasters, Selfish Spies, Spies With a Cause, Femme Fatales, Spycatchers, Masters of Tradecraft, Masks of Celebrity, Mirror Writers, Agents of Influence, and Covert Actors & Wetworkers. Now I understand the term "wetwork" as an espionage term for assassination. George Washington as a spy master and Benjamin Franklin as a propagandist are basic historical ideas but it's good to know that Erskine Childers who wrote The Riddle of the Sands is declared father of the spy novel here, and the contrast between Ian Fleming and John Le Carre (and Graham Greene) styles of spy novels were also noteworthy. Women spies who were equally deadly and controversial as their male counterpart and the involvement of Alan Turing in cryptography and the Nazi's Enigma machines are all quality informations for fans of the professional espionage. If you're a James Bond fan, you will love to know who were the historical archetypes of 007, M, and Q. The details of killing Stalin's rival Trotsky in the hands of an assassin is thrilling while Edward Lansdale's propaganda against the Hukbalahap and the eventual support for Ramon Magsaysay's presidency are ingenious.

As an introductory book for spy fans, there's more here for your delight and subtle shock. I tag this book as one of the underrated reads this year.

image source:
book cover

Genre: Non Fiction, Biography, Espionage, History
Rating: 3.5 Enigma Machines out of 5

The Working Class Hero

2011-11-30T19:13:00.001+08:00

Today will be the Great Plebeian's 148th birthday. Compared to other Philippine heroes, his story is less known to the modern Filipino but his courage and legacy as a natural-born fighter of freedom and lover of his motherland is incomparable, next to no one.

image source:
wiki

Deadly Beauty

2011-11-28T15:35:00.001+08:00

It's official.
I induct Hanna to my list of Beautiful Assassins in the world of film and fiction. This list includes Le Femme Nikita, Aeon Flux, "Charly" Baltimore, Evelyn Salt, and Beatrix Kiddo.

Just saw this movie last night and what else can I say about it? Hanna blew my mind away and I want a sequel!

image source:
hanna

What Type of Reader Are You? Part 2

2011-11-24T14:06:00.001+08:00

After sharing Samuel Coleridge's categories of a reader earlier (the post below) and after seeing the strain-bag type, I asked myself "How about the Douche Bag types out there?" as there are evidently some types of "readers" that easily annoy us in varying degrees. We encounter them in our house, school, workplace, in MRT/LRT, bus, jeepney, the cyberspace, etc. They represent the Other Types of Readers that we dread to face sometime in our lives but they will always surround us in abundance since this world is already populated with 7 billion people. For reasons of amusement and reminder to stay in the right side of the Reading Force, let's take a look at them one by one...

1. The Clone - A reader who agrees with everything he reads. He also copies the style of his favorite author, including the gesture and the bad hair. He believes he is the perfect DNA replicant of his favorite author including his idol's IQ.

2. The Proofreader - If you ask him about his current read, his answer is most likely "The comma is misplaced somewhere in chapter 4, page 238, line 27." The kind of reader who checks every misspelled word and wrong placement of colon, dash, semicolon, comma, apostrophe, italics, caps, and so on, and so forth...

3. The Incomplete - His reading is always partial. After reading the first ten pages of a book he swaps it and read the first chaper of a new one, and then turn to book no.3 only to read up until midway and then turns to book no.4 and the cycle goes on and on, and on...

4. The Lawyer - Also known as the Attorney, he retraces historical and logical fallacies, propaganda, and politically incorrect terms. The kind of reader that does not agree with everything he reads and the hardest one to please, he is a tough nut to crack and a diligent cross-examiner. Fundamentalist by ideology, his opinion is always right and absolute. This makes him the opposite of the Clone and a severe case of the Proofreader.

5. The Douche Bag - A completely useless reader.

6. The Cheater - He declares reading the book complete from cover to cover but in reality, he only reads book reviews, wikipedia articles, blog posts, and overheard comments in public places. He can also be called the Googler.

7. The Poser - You can easily spot him in public places cradling a thick, popular book of the moment, especially when the film adaptation is currently featured, or about to be shown in cinemas. His gesture is "Look world, I'm a nerd! I'm reading the most popular book on the planet and I'm cool!" as he sways and swaggers in public display of his ultra-thick book. What makes him a poser is that he actually does not read books, he just like displaying them in public.

DOUCHE BAGS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!!!

image source:
the poser

What Type of Reader Are You?

2011-11-24T10:08:00.001+08:00

"Readers may be divided into four classes:
1. Sponges, who absorb all that they read and return it in nearly the same state, only a little dirtied.
2. Sand-glasses, who retain nothing and are content to get through a book for the sake of getting through the time.
3. Strain-bags, who retain merely the dregs of what they read.
4. Mogul diamonds, equally rare and valuable, who profit by what they read, and enable others to profit by it also."

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834)

image sources:
sponge, sand-glass, strain-bag, diamond

Treat Yourself This Xmas for 1000+ TNL Points

2011-11-23T16:42:00.001+08:00

FOR MATURE READING ONLY

The 3rd San Pablo Comics Festival

2011-11-22T16:56:00.001+08:00

For the young at heart who's proud of being Pinoy and loves Comics.

"Repent, Harlequin!" Said The Ticktockman

2011-11-20T13:48:00.001+08:00

Story Art © Don Ivan Punchatz 1978

Everett C. Marm lives in a futuristic working-class city of Indiana where nobody can afford to waste a second. Time is the main capitalistic currency here, not money nor property. If you're ten minutes late, you have to pay for it ten minutes worth of your life. Those are called revocations--small penalties for minute violations. But if your offence cumulate to a considerable amount of wasted time, the System will have to terminate you via the Master Timekeeper, dreadfully known as the Ticktockman. Such is the punishment for somebody who lives a square peg life forced to fit into a circular socket kind of world.

Harlan Ellison's short story "Repent, Harlequin!" Said The Ticktockman originally appeared in Galaxy Magazine, 1965 belonged to dystopic stories we lovers of fantasy and science fiction know by heart. Those kind of disturbing stories that teach us the necessity of opposing tyrannies and rules of the conformist. The kind of stories that hit us at our very own core because we love freedom and diversity in their basic form as much as the authors want to try reminding us against real oppressions of the past not far from reality, and may also serve as warning for coming tyranny of the land with or without fantasy and magic of science. I give the author extra credit for his direct reference to George Orwell's 1984 novel, especially when the Harlequin met his transformation in the hands of his captors. There is really no need to relive the horrors of brainwashing word by word, and blood by blood...

Ellison's short opus reminds me of Yevgeny Zamyatin's seminal dystopic work WE that actually predated George Orwell's 1984 and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. All quality work that stood as cautionary tales about the past and the future. "Repent, Harlequin! Said The Ticktockman deserved to win both the Nebula (1965) and the Hugo (1966) for short fiction.

most memorable scene:
"Scare someone else. I'd rather be dead than live in a dumb world with a bogeyman like you."
"It's my job."
"You're full of it. You're a tyrant. You have no right to order people around and kill them if they show up late."
"You can't adjust. You can't fit in."
"Unstrap me, and I'll fit my fist into your mouth."

Genre: Short Fiction, Sci Fi, Dystopia
Rating: 4 jelly beans out of 5

The Hobbit Teaser (Production Video)

2011-11-19T14:47:00.001+08:00

I see 2012 as the slam bang year for Hollywood given the impressive batch of book to film adaptations to be featured. Aside from superhero team up of The Avengers, sequels (Ghost Rider, Dark Knight Rises) and reboots (Amazing Spider Man, Dredd), we will be able to see Hunger Games and finally the heavily anticipated prequel of the Lord of the Rings franchise---The Hobbit. Are we going to see the best fantasy prequel that will rule them all? That remains a good question.

Let us all hope that the Mayan Civilization is wrong (or at least the archaeologists miscalculated) on the prognosis of the year of Apocalypse. I am serious about this, because I want to see The Hobbit first before meeting the grim reaper.

The Advocate Laments

2011-11-18T15:38:00.001+08:00

"So many books, so little time."

Frank Zappa

Hunger Games Trailer

2011-11-17T17:56:00.001+08:00

Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 1

2011-11-13T20:15:00.001+08:00

Published by Dark Horse Comics

Titled in Japanese as Kozure Okami, Lone Wolf and Cub is a manga series written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by Goseki Kojima originally published in 1970. Republished in the west by Dark Horse comics, Frank Miller and Lynn Varley paired for the cover art. The series that culminates in the 28th volume became an influential read as it tells the story of a timeless and epic samurai adventure. This first volume The Assassin's Road gives us a glimpse of the classically themed father-and-son tandem carving a road of revenge in the Japanese Era of the Shogunate while serving as assassins for hire to earn a living.

This first volume is composed of 9 parts. The first part begins in the middle of the story until reaching the final part where it all began. You will see why the two chose to walk the most dangerous and treacherous path to clear the name of an executioner and avenge the demise of a clan. The era of the Tokugawa Shogunate was one of the momentous period in the history of Japanese Monarchy since it was during these times when majority of the order of samurai (Bushi) became renegades (Ronin) due to their lord's eventual demise (Daimyo). The Shogun controled the Daimyo lords with an iron fist, but not for long when some of them resisted. When an executioner failed to perform his duty to kill a Daimyo for the Shogun, he was ordered to sacrifice his life, or be killed. The samurai executioner chose to live, and swore to clear his name and avenge the extinction of his Ogami Clan. His name is Ogami Itto.

But Ogami Itto cannot leave his son alone, given that his wife was already killed with his clan. The young Daigoro must choose to be with his mother's side, or be with his father taking the road to "hell." Daigoro chooses to be with his father. How Ogami Itto allow his son to choose between a sword and a ball is a very memorable scene of the whole book.

page 186, bottom panel

I give the story 4 stars and the illustration 3.5 stars to earn the overall (rounded off) rating of 4 stars out of five. This whole series is actually an inspiration of various forms of visual storytelling since a film adaptation was already made (and remade) in Japan years ago including the Hollywood film Road To Perdition starring Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law, and Daniel Craig. It was arguably Tom Hank's darkest role to date.

page 66

One of the early Japanese film adaptations

Hollywood version starring Tom Hanks & Paul Newman

Genre: Manga, Mature Reading, Graphic Novel
Rating: 4 packs of wolves out of 5

What Drives You?

2011-11-08T10:06:00.000+08:00

Mervin Malonzo's TABI PO

2011-11-06T20:33:00.000+08:00

Philippine Lower Mythology is never complete without the fabled class of monsters that look to humans as their primary diet---the Aswang. As Filipinos, we know them intimately as main representative of evil (along with Maligno, Manananggal, Mangkukulam, Kapre, Tikbalang etc.) special thanks to our parents and grandparents (or yaya for some) in trying to teach us to stick with rules of the house or else, the Aswang will eat us alive. Contrary to popular belief, Aswang is not a local version of Vampire. Aswang belonged to a different man-eating monster class. Unlike Vampires who drink human blood to live, Aswangs devour everything to satisfy their hunger. Anyway, enough of this mythology background.

Considering the trend in the horror fiction genre today and the past and recent success of Philippine Lower Mythology in the field of comics, what makes this one different and distinct is the main character himself Elias. He's an Aswang. He is the enemy, the Anti Hero.

We commend the author Mervin Malonzo for his "loose" and "easy" penciling and the "light" mixture of colors rendered digitally that gave life to the whole Tabi Po story. The colored images are raw, reminding us readers to focus more on the story. Thankfully, we readers don't need to differentiate blood from shadows like we used to in a black n white comics. The web comic was launched under Flipside Komix during summer last year, originally narrated in Filipino and also translated in English by Adam David available online for free. We can only say good luck to Mervin and we hope to see more of Elias' story soon.

all images © Mervin Malonzo and Flipside Komix

Genre: Web Comic, Graphic Novel, Dark Fantasy, Philippine Mythology, Mature Reading
Rating: 4 Balete Trees out of 5

Gerry Alanguilan Wins

2011-10-31T22:47:00.001+08:00

Gerry hits the Jackpot for winning the Quai des Bulles - Quest France 2011 Best Comic Book of the Year Award. ELMER is proudly, Philippine made. Ihanda na ang kulawo! Bogchi na.

Lucky Bird

"Elmer is the story of a family of chickens struggling to survive in a hostile environment. A true family drama in a world where an entire class of people are ostracized by the dominant class, and where all live in a state of mutual distrust. Both funny and moving, Gerry Alanguilan crafted with candor from beginning to end an inspiring parable that masquerades as chronic delusional story. He originally self-published Elmer between 2006 and 2008 in the Philippines. Elmer is the first Philippine graphic novel translated into French."*

*--loose translation from the Quai des Bulles 2011 blog.
http://gerry.alanguilan.com/archives/3845
http://quaidesbulles2011.blogspot.com/2011/09/la-selection-ouest-france-quai-des_6333.html

Martin Scorsese's HUGO

2011-10-30T23:28:00.000+08:00

After watching the classic, shootfest film Taxi Driver I know Martin Scorsese films should be part of my DVD archive. Using Travis Bickle (played by Robert De Niro) as my Blogger profile picture for more than a year here is a testament and my sincere tribute/homage for Scorsese's greatness and brilliance in film directing. In my opinion, he is the best Hollywood director that should have won more awards than what he actually earned.

This coming 23rd day of November, there will be a worldwide premiere for Martin Scorsese's much-awaited adaptation of Brian Selznick's YA novel "The Invention of Hugo Cabret," simply titled in the film as "HUGO." This book is actually a cross-genre novel (historical fiction, picture novel, sci fi, steampunk) but highly recommended and suitable for readers of YA fiction.

Book Review Rule # 1

2011-10-30T20:53:00.001+08:00

Stop whining, bourgeois reader!

Finish the book first, and stop whining.

A book review is not a book review if you can't read through the whole book. If you want to write a review, make sure you read the book from cover to cover and go through the whole reading experience. If you don't like the experience and cant finish it, better not make a review and give the book to somebody else. The point in writing a review is you must finish the book first to prevent prejudgements and observe protocol to give the author the benefit of the doubt. Who knows if it turns out good in the end, or the hardship is intentional until you reach a certain revelation point---an "Aha!" moment? It's as important as studying first before taking an exam; if you failed the test 'coz you cant read through the book, it's your fault. You can't blame Shakespeare, or Newton.

I have often seen a lot of book reviewers endlessly complaining and whining like "This book sucks 'coz I can only read the first five pages!" or "I cant finish this book for the author's weird, political, and misogynistic foreword. Ergo, I rate this book one star! Blah blah blah" Partial reading leads to an incomplete and incompetent judgement. What they are doing is not a book review but only a book warning. As self-confessed bookworms and avid readers, they just displayed their laziness and stupidity in choosing the wrong book.

What's the point of "reviewing" if you never made the "viewing" first? As the saying goes, "Learn to ride the bicycle BEFORE you drive the motorcycle." Don't try to put the cart before the horse.

Revisiting Reboot

2011-10-25T13:08:00.003+08:00

Four to five years ago, we saw the birth of this trend in commercial film making (i.e. Hollywood) and now we can feel the effects in the world of literature. This can't be prevented, given that a lot of films base their stories from books and comics, and vice versa. Insiders would say it was justified given the success of reboot works like Nolan's Batman Trilogy (I already expect the upcoming Dark Knight Rises a success) and Rob Zombie's Halloween, while others remain skeptic after failed attempts of Superman Returns and Dukes of Hazard.

Those who fell in love with the original and classic works say there's no need for reinvention, we just need to create something new. But the problem with this is writers are running out of original idea these days. It's all becoming common, and it's all been done before. JK Rowling's Harry Potter is similar to Neil Gaiman's Tim Hunter, Suzanne Collin's Hunger Games is directly comparable to Koushun Takami's Battle Royale. Even in the narrative and the character structure, Joseph Campbell's "Monomyth" hypothesis or commonly known as The Hero's Journey/Cycle has been used and re-used (coincidentally or not) over and over again by writers of fiction. It can be seen in Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Neverwhere, American Gods, Stardust, The Earthsea Cycle, Enders Game, and other successful mythologies for both the young and old.

Others would just see "reboot" as primarily a financial move for producers and publishers due to global recession, while for authors it's just an experimental attempt, a tinkering of past creativity like a circus move, tiptoeing on a very sharp edge of a sword. But the people's verdict is still, out there. Producers must never count the consumers out since people are becoming smarter. We just have to wait if this trend will turn out good or until reaching a saturation period (3-5 years from now) when the need for a new trend is imminent. Waiting for a resolution, perhaps?

choose your own definition

Rock' n' Roll Pros Mind "Nevermind"

2011-10-23T18:54:00.000+08:00

Finally, I got this special issue of SPIN Magazine (August 2011) commemorating the 20th anniversary of Nevermind---the album that "changed everything."

Rockers who know the band talk on their personal experiences at the moment this album hit the airwaves in September 1991 and how the album influenced the mainstream music in general for the coming years. Greg Gillis talked about how Nevermind was the "pivotal album" in his life and Ray Davies thought "it was the most significant American rock' n' roll album since the Doors...twenty years on and it is still fresh." Henry Rollins saw Nevermind "that music sticks for a reason, it wasn't bullshit," while Edddie Vedder revealed how he listened to Nevermind album in walkman and watching a Nirvana gig, "seeing one of the first shows they played for the record."

All premium stuff in one issue. Only if you love Rock n Roll and know your music well.

"Just hearing that tape with the white label, it had an impact. It felt like a change." Eddie Vedder

Armageddon in Retrospect

2011-10-22T10:13:00.000+08:00

The hardbound copy has a cool Panzer Tank drawing etched on the cover after you remove the white dust jacket. The dusk jacket or the main cover here is decent enough with Kurt's trademark doodle of his own face. You might be wondering why the hell did I ever give a damn about book covers and I'm going to answer back that it's because Kurt Vonnegut was also an artist. He may be a world-renowned artist of the written form but he was also a dabbler of the visual form.

This is my second Vonnegut read, the first is the science fiction Sirens of Titan and I can't wait to finally read his classic, signature novel Slaughterhouse Five soon.

Reading Kurt Vonnegut's "Armageddon in Retrospect" this week is perfect, given that Moammar Gadhafi has been captured and eventually slain two nights ago, and 19 Philippine soldiers were killed in a firefight with MILF rebels here. If Kurt was alive today, he will be more depressed. Depressed for being right. Only small battles have their endings, but not war. As long as people know hate and tolerates violence, there's no ending. As long as man continue to destroy his fellow men and as much as man is capable of hate and supidity, War will never end.

This book is basically against war. Kurt's WWII experience in Dresden is heavily and directly used in his allegories including the retelling of how humanity struggled in that age. This collection of short stories mirrors his lifetime commentary against international policymakers who continue to qualify the necessity of killing each other (especially children and women) for the sake of economic gains and less for the sake of freedom.

As a reader, you might expect that Kurt Vonnegut's anti war stance will be expressed in a serious commentary, but it was never like that. He wrote it smartly with sarcasm and dry humor, the way his loyal followers love his style of writing.

There's also a glimpse of sentimentality with Mark Vonnegut's introduction for his father's work here that any son who just miss his father can easily relate to. Published posthumously, this collection is the latest and probably the last for Kurt. But the war against War ironically, rages on...

Genre: Anti War Lit, Short Stories, WWII
Rating: 3.5 Panzer Tanks out of 5

The Adventures of Tintin

2011-10-21T11:17:00.002+08:00

December 21, 2011. Do not forget the premiere date of this movie event of the year.

As I see it, I can't tolerate significant duality with this event...
Live Action Capture + CGI
Comic Book + Movie
Spielberg + Peter Jackson

What's not to love?

Yeng Remulla's "Productive Pinoy"

2011-10-17T11:21:00.000+08:00

This book is one of my "flash reads" this year. Meaning, I was able to read and finish them inside a book shop, or library. This book by Yeng Remulla is just one of those motivational and strategy books available in the market today. The cover design got my attention first and it took me less than an hour to browse through it and identify the highlight points of the author.

This book targets the Global Pinoy and his family to invest on the monthly remittances. The book is mostly about the best use of money, time, and opportunity. Nothing is new with this one. If you know some of those instructional, motivational, and entrepreneurial authors, you can see parts of their ideas within this book. In these pages I saw Stephen Covey, Robert Kiyosaki, Francis Kong, Francisco Colayco, and Alex Lacson.

With or without citation to the original authors, I would still commend Yeng Remulla for being able to express those ideas in a lighthearted and positive way, the way most Filipinos like to "read" a book. Remulla wrote with humility and his style is basically Pinoy for both the experienced and the novice reader. I just hope those who loved reading this book would also be able to apply the philosophy.

Genre: Motivational, Strategy, Non Fiction
Rating: 3 pieces of Siomai

Avengers OST

2011-10-16T22:08:00.000+08:00

After viewing the official trailer of The Avengers I'm sure you want to hear again that soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails. The smell of the '90s air is in my head again...

Pinoy TNL Idols

2011-10-15T10:50:00.000+08:00

Lapu Lapu

Andres Bonifacio

Jose Rizal

Macario Sakay

Gen. Gregorio Del Pilar

Carlos P. Romulo

Jose "Pepe" Diokno

Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr.

Jun Cruz Reyes

F. Sionil Jose

Vicente Manansala

Mauro "Malang" Santos

Francisco V. Coching

Manuel Conde

Mike De Leon
Kidlat Tahimik

FPJ

Rene Requiestas

Dolphy
Carlos Loyzaga Sr.

Efren "Bata" Reyes
Samboy Lim

Paeng Nepumuceno

Juan De la Cruz Band
Cesar "Saro" Bañares

Heber Bartolome at ang Banyuhay

Apo Hiking Society

Yano

Eraserheads

The country's pioneer issue of Esquire Magazine made a list of real life Filipino heroes to look up to. Choosing one's TNL idol is still, highly subjective and comparing my own list to their list is like comparing apples to oranges. You will never find any businessmen here since my own criteria focuses on politics, sports, and culture. Besides, I don't consider the privileged affluent kids who just continue to develop their inherited fortunes (mana) tough enough without trying to make a name for themselves in a completely different field. That made Jose Rizal and Ninoy Aquino exceptional for doing the opposite by sacrificing their names, their fortunes, and ultimately their lives for the good of the country.

Including the Pacman below, the photo collage and list of the other 29 (pictured above) show my choice of Real Life, TNL Pinoy Idols.

Photo Sources:

http://www.sanguinesoul.com/2010/06/episode_62-lapulapu/

http://tl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9s_Bonifacio

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/6867/6867-h/6867-h.htm

http://www.bibingka.com/phg/sakay/default.htm

http://child-of-earth.blogspot.com/2008/01/general-gregorio-del-pilar-officer-and.html

http://aboutph.com/2011/04/gen-carlos-p-romulo-1899-1985/

http://diokno.org/

http://tinubos.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gingmaganda/3548336445/

http://www.montagemagazine.net/philippine-center-of-international-pen-the-auric-gift-of-the-word

http://top100pinoys.wordpress.com/category/artists/

http://www.galleriaduemila.com/web2003/Collection/smm/smmabout.html

http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Francisco_V._Coching

http://rolandotolentino.wordpress.com/2008/09/02/review-of-the-cinema-of-manuel-conde/

http://www.kvitters.com/search/Kidlat%20Tahimik

http://mubi.com/topics/director-introduction-mike-de-leon

http://fpj-daking.blogspot.com/2010_05_01_archive.html

http://video48.blogspot.com/2009/06/rene-requiestas-comic-sensation.html

http://nugglepurl.blogspot.com/2010_12_12_archive.html

http://efrenbatareyes.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html

http://www.philstar.com/thedeanscorner/articlescontent.aspx?articleid=453435&publicationsubcategoryid=69

http://video48.blogspot.com/2008/05/1965-ue-ust-cage-finals.html

http://www.istorya.net/forums/basketball/182352-80s-90s-pba-stars-2.html

http://ethnycitv.tripod.com/

http://www.last.fm/music/Banyuhay+ni+Heber

http://pinoyclassicfolkrock.blogspot.com/2009/08/cesar-saro-banares-jr-mindanews.html

http://video48.blogspot.com/2009/11/apo-hiking-society-in-blue-jeans-1981.html

http://www.cyjen.com/eraserheads-reunion-concert-cut-short/
http://www.mannypaquiaovs.com/manny-pacquiao-esquire-philippines-1-october-2011-cover/

Immortals: Gods & Heroes

2011-10-11T14:29:00.000+08:00

Last September 28 was the release date of a movie tie-in graphic novel that showcased a Filipino-born talent in comic book illustration. His name is Rafael Kayanan. Though he's now an American citizen, insiders know there's more to his name than being just a master illustrator using pen and pencils. A master of the Philippine martial art Sayoc Kali, Kayanan was a fight instructor for the movie The Hunted starring Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio Del Toro.

This graphic novel by the way spins from the upcoming epic 3D film Immortals by Tarsem Singh to be shown in November 11 this year.

The Lineup:
Writers: Brian Clevinger, F.J. DeSanto, David Gallaher, Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, Jock, Ron Marz, Jim McCann, Ben McCool, Jeff Parker and Paul Tobin
Illustrators: Dennis Calero, Kevin Colden, Steve Ellis, Trevor Hairsine, Scott Hampton, Phil Hester, Jock, Rafael Kayanan, Patrick Scherberger and Ben Templesmith
Cover Artist: David Mack

Sample page © Rafael Kayanan

"Spinning from the upcoming epic 3-D film Immortals from visionary director Tarsem Singh (The Fall, The Cell) and starring Mickey Rourke and Henry Cavill comes Immortals: Gods and Heroes, a stunning hardcover featuring ALL-NEW tales of Greek myths as you’ve never seen them before! Featuring incredible untold tales by Brian Clevinger (Atomic Robo), Dennis Calero (X-Men Noir), Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti (Jonah Hex), Jock (Detective Comics, The Losers), Ben McCool (Captain America, Memoir), Ron Marz (Witchblade, Green Lantern), Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night) and more!"

Alan Navarra's DUMOT

2011-10-09T22:04:00.000+08:00

Shepherds, farmers, fishermen, and other members of the self-employed profession have the best reason to be happy. They don't need to deal with an Evil Boss. They don't need to hold that anger or contain that aggression against this evil puppeteer and manipulative hog who remains a constant source of pain in the urban, corporate world.

This book by Alan Navarra is about anger and hate. I bought this one on the eve of TRESE 4's launching as a companion read to that good comic book. Another reason is the title---it caught my attention because I know what the word means due to my West Visayan roots.

Though the main character's (Michael Perez) vindictiveness against his superior is a natural reaction, me as a reader feel no sympathy nor allegiance to this corporate worker who shares the same "hole" with the boss. Considering that Michael can easily puke at the mere sight of his superior (nandidiri), I think that it's stupid to bang your boss's wife. Wala syang pinagkaiba sa boss nya.

No matter how funny and clever the writer's choice of cuss/curse words and phrases and no matter how experimental and postmodern the writer's technique here, he who paints his character as an eternal victim that whined every second and badmouths everything, unknowingly paints Michael Perez as the character who failed to differentiate the pussy from the weiner and also metaphorically becoming both. It's like an attempt to spit on God's face and realizing that your spit fell back flatly in your own face, special thanks to gravity.

By the way, I think the "crab mentality mindset" is a redundant term. But I'm not an English teacher nor a communications expert, I'm just a common, pedestrian reader who just inserted his 200 pesos money to the writer's pocket. Once again, just a reader.

Luckily, this Visayan reader appreciates a good art when he sees one. Alan Navarra's style (ala Robert Crumb) of organic art transmuting into different forms and symbols of Michael's own version of the alphabet as they complement acronyms of the shitty business and corporate terms became a redeeming point. Design saved the day for Navarra, prompting me to give his book a passing mark. This one is a very angry design book and it's better to view it more as a design book than as a book of complaints but at least, the aggression here is entertaining.

I'm sure Alan Navarra knows another Hiligaynon term like YAWA and if he attempts to write a book about it, I will surely look forward to read it.

ART SAVES THE AUTHOR

Genre: Postmodernist Literature, Visual Book, Mature Reading
Rating: 3 enchantments of YAWA out of 5

ELMER: Re-Launching!

2011-10-09T15:41:00.001+08:00

Midnight Toast

2011-10-08T22:25:00.002+08:00

On this eve of the official book launching and after reading my copy, I commend Budjette for writing quality stories beyond my expectations. Of the four, this latest book is my favorite. Any Pacquiao fan would surely like the mythology Budjette created here. And for the rest of the stories in this 4th collection, they all provided depth and additional dimensions to the overall progress of the ongoing Alexandra Trese story, the World of Trese that we readers like to follow.

I never imagined of a plant elemental before since I always refer to an "elemental" as representative of the traditional, worldly and fundamental "elements" like air, water, fire, lightning, and earth but the writer used the term to represent plant-like creatures and spirits but it's okay, it never hindered me in following the story and enjoy it just the same.

What I would love to see in the future is to perceive the Trese story and legend through the eyes of Captain Guerrero. Though I wish KaJo drew him to look more Filipino than just a physical derivative of Batman's Commissioner Gordon and I would like to see him slightly knowledgeable already with the world of the unknown from all the strange cases he encountered and solved with the help of Trese and her Kambal escorts.

But for the moment, I raise my bottle of fruit-flavored vodka to Budjette and KaJo tonight.

Good work!

Rating: 4 glasses of orange juice
Genre: Urban Fantasy & Horror, Graphic Novel, Comics Series

Rare Catch This Year

2011-10-07T23:04:00.000+08:00

After reading a revolutionary essay about Society & Science on Adbuster Magazine (the magazine for culture jammers) I've been looking for this book for many years. Now, the long wait is over. Just got a copy this evening @ Powerbooks - Alabang Town Center.

It's not a comic book.
It's a Science Fantasy novel completely different from mainstream Sci Fi. Many consider this as the Book of Fables.

Design Faults of Human Nature

2011-10-04T23:03:00.000+08:00

This collection of short stories published in 2005 by Penguin marks the 70th anniversary of Pocket Penguin line of books---"intelligent books at low price" as the founder Allen Lane described it. This book by Will Self (Penguin sees him as the bad boy of English literature) is one of the 70 books highlighting the best of the short story genre since 1935.

The compilation itself is composed of two independent stories but tackles the same theme or topic. Though initial phase of reading wont show it, you have to finish the whole book first but don't worry, the book is just 55 pages in total. The first story (the title carrier of the book) is titled "Design Faults in the Volvo 760 Turbo: A Manual" and the second is titled "A Story of Europe."

Both stories are complete on their own and the plots are well-executed, hinting some snippets of postmodern technique in literature. Present day readers will surely find this book relevant since it showcases the present sport in the popular media---"snogging," as the first story's main character Bill Bywater proudly calls it. Adulterous activities depicted were highlighted by Will Self's usage of industrial/political puns and erotic word plays like "Park up a Volvo--and grab a vulva," "Serena used to be an 'it' girl--now she's 'that' woman," and "A socialite - she went to a finishing school in Switzerland where they taught her to fellate." What's not to like? You can ask Cornholio for he's the only one who knows how to properly use the TP!

The second story is an interesting depiction on how nature defeats man through age, and how the youthful stage is the best stage in life. I thought I saw magic, but later I could only sense minute traces of surrealism and now it's better to identify them wholly as pure irony and sarcasm instead. Maybe, there really is no magic in this book, only basic techniques of postmodern narrative but you cannot blame the author, not even human nature for we are all designed with unavoidable faults.

Genre: Postmodern Fiction, Short Fiction
Rating: 3 cathartic orgasms out of 5

Guess Who's Back on MTV?

2011-10-03T00:07:00.000+08:00

MTV just realize that their current shows suck, so they are launching the new season this October 27. This book-blog owed a lot to the "duo" and of course, to the creator Mike Judge. This generation of JUSTIN, EMO, and GAGA probably needed more endorsers or maybe critics from a realist point of view like that brave honest boy in the story of Emperor's New Clothes but what can I say, good luck to y'all.

Still, nothing beats the Grunge Generation of the 90's man!

JUST SCREW IT, BUTT-HEAD!!!

all images ©MTV and Mike Judge.

Supernatural

2011-10-01T11:15:00.000+08:00

First, let me share you a piece of personal history.

During my younger years my family looked to the radio as one of the primary source of home entertainment next to the black-n-white TV. I grew up in the late 80's (up to mid-90's) watching Knight Rider, Macgyver and Air Wolf, reading my older sister's monthly issues of National Geographic Magazine (she earned her subscription via my father's work) and the locally-published comics like Funny Komiks and Ninja Comix, and last but not the least---listen to the radio. We've had a daily dose of music via FM but my family bonded well by listening to late Kuya Ernie Baron's Knowledge Power via the AM station DZMM. Aside from that, my father and I loved to listen to radio coverage of PBA games (local basketball games can only be viewed via cable tv in the Visayas area, and we could not afford it being below the middle class) and DZRH's Gabi ng Lagim horror fest series, aired weeknights at 8:00 pm. In the province, our childhood fantasies and nightmares were heavily influenced by fantastic tales of the supernatural as told by our grand folks and the popular media (I came from the oldest province in the country, a ride away from Capiz and stories of aswangs, duwendes, and manananggals are staple stories in the dining table). And when it came to the unexplained stories (real or imagined) nothing beats the feeling of supernatural experience by listening to Jaime Licauco's Inner Mind on Radio segment via DZMM.

This early fascination with Jaime Licauco and his field of the supernatural proved useful when I encountered his book "From Profound to the Profane" originally published in 2009. Even if I don't believe in everything he writes and preaches (like the idea of Reincarnation and past lives), he remains the most sensible and entertaining expert when it comes to the realm of the unseen and the unexplained.

And this caution is probably the best that I can give to the uninitiated reader attempting to read his books. No doubt his articles are very entertaining streamlined with the popular media as his topics ranges from the controversial Gnostic Gospels of Mary Magdalene and Judas Iscariot; the past lives of Jesus Christ; Spirit Guides and physical encounters with other spirits like succubus and incubus; Residual energy of a dead person and the spiritual signature left in an ukay-ukay shirt (a cautionary topic for lovers of ukay-ukay goods); the stuff common Sci Fi readers love like telekinesis, bilocation, teleportation and its irrevocable connection with Quantum Mechanics; Aliens among us; Karma and old/rehashed ideas of the popular book The Secret; Carl Jung's Synchronicity Theory (this topic is my favorite!); every woman's source of romantic fantasy---Soulmates; and every man's source of sexual fantasy---the exact location of the Graffenberg Spot (G-Spot). If you don't find any of these topics entertaining then you belonged in a different planet.

But then again, I saw these topics mainly as source of entertainment and looking to open my mind and challenge my beliefs are just secondary. The former reason is how i would like to recommend this book. It entertains.

Genre: Non Fiction, Supernatural, Parapsychology, Alternative Science
Rating: 3.5 Spirit Guides out of 5

TRESE 4: Book Launch

2011-09-28T13:52:00.000+08:00

OCTOBER 8, 2011

4th Floor ROBINSON'S GALLERIA, ORTIGAS

BACK COVER

FRONT

Komiks Writing is also Art

2011-09-28T11:57:00.000+08:00

In July 2009, Carlo J Caparas was inducted as National Artist in Visual Arts on merits of his film and literary works. Some insiders thought CJC never deserved the award. For others (including GMA---PGMA at the time), his works were enough to earn it. If you're still not familiar with CJC and his works, see them here (as comics writer and film maker) and judge for yourself.

My point here is not about CJC's induction as a National Artist or his questionable "artistic" merits, but about the narrow and outdated definition of an "artist" and the politics surrounding these award giving bodies. The issue here are two: the need to define clearly what is an artist and second, what is the rightful party to vote for a person to become a national artist.

Based on the NCCA guidelines Gerry Alanguilan is right in showing that CJC is not qualified by being just a comic writer—-somebody who writes the script. In that guidelines, it's clear that a comics/graphic novel writer is not considered an artist. This definition got my attention like I was stung by a wasp. This narrow definition of an “artist” also categorizes Mars Ravelo and Budjette Tan not artists but just "komiks writers." I cannot imagine Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, or somebody in the comic industry close to these writer’s status not as artists. It’s ridiculous! Just as I thought that the world of art can be divided into two major categories; the visual and the written form, the guideline isolates the comics writer like a mere tabloid writer nowhere to be found in the art world. If they can see "comic book writers" as "writers" then the NCCA should put graphic novels under the Literature category instead. But alas, comics is still not accepted as an art form here in the Philippines. Tell that to a Japanese, French, or American reader and they will surely say that it's absurd.

An artist must be defined first before giving somebody an award, and I believe the NCCA should already know this by now. If not, then that explains the current ruckus. They better know the merit of an artist first and how the artist's work influence the public. Does an artist's work inspires the Filipino and uplift the national identity or not? If NCCA cannot answer this, then the award-giving activities are meaningless.As for the governing party, I think it should be the National Artists themselves who must unite together to endorse and vote for that person who deserves the similar stature, who belonged in their group. The President of the Philippines is out of the picture, as well as any politicking and PR mongering. Sad but true, any award giving body is never free from politics—even the Nobel Peace Prize is tainted by politics throughout its rich and colorful history. Since it cant be prevented, they should do it with a limit at least.

Our government must provide a proper action for these issues to finally settle the stalemate. It's been two years! Nakakalungkot isipin na maging national artist ang isa samantalang meron namang iba dyan na mas hinahangaan at nirerespeto pero sa hindi sila nakikigulo sa pamumulitika, hindi na sila naging priority. Francisco Coching is still not a National Artist, but his works are already printed and honored in our postage stamps! Does it mean that the Philippine Postal Corporation knows better than the NCCA? Only in the Philippines!

But no matter what happens after this, you artists and writers must continue to develop your craft. With or without this s#itty awards, genuine readers know how bad or good your work is.

TWO of my FAVORITE
COMIC BOOK WRITERS

(This post is originally based on my comment to Gerry's post in his Komikero site.)

Better Late Then Never

2011-09-26T23:23:00.000+08:00

A week a go, I voted for the best Web Comic for this year's Komikon Reader's Choice Awards. With a remorse, I already gave my nod to other web comic. But recently after viewing this one by Gerry Alanguilan and Arnold Arre I think they deserved to win it too. The art is good, and the story is just WOW! In less than 10 minutes I was caught off-guard, and left dreaming about Her.

BAD GUYS PULVERIZED INTO ATOMS

...AND DARNA EMERGES!

Images ©Arnold Arre and Gerry Alanguilan
Read the Web Comic here.

Genre: Web Comic, Fan Fiction
Rating: 4 pulverized street bastards

Nevermind, 20 Years

2011-09-24T13:46:00.001+08:00

For Kurt, Krist, and Dave, thank you for the kind of music you invented and harnessed that spawned a counterculture and an angry generation beyond Madonna and Michael Jackson's wildest dreams (and worst nightmares).

Live The Story

2011-09-23T10:25:00.000+08:00

6 Km Per Second Faster Than Light

2011-09-23T08:53:00.000+08:00

INSIDE A NEUTRINO DETECTOR

In the world of Science, this is a new discovery and a great challenge and threat for Albert Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity. Just as we thought that nothing in the universe is faster than the speed of Light, we are now wrong. Unless theoretical physicists of the world prove that experiments conducted by CERN (Conseil Europeen pour le Recherche Nucleaire - European Council for Nuclear Research) are fraudulent, this is so far a good kick-starter for a geek talk and debate.

In school, we used to study Neutrinos and their special role as dark matters in the physical realm. We even used to think about them as "neutrals" of the sub-atomic universe being electrically charged neutral with zero mass. But with this breakthrough, Neutrinos are the new "rock stars" of the science world.

Read the groundbreaking news.

NEUTRINOS EMITTED FROM A COMET

BACK TO SQUARE ONE, FELLAS!!!

Pol Medina Jr and Politics

2011-09-22T22:10:00.002+08:00

So far, PMJR is one of the well-known political jokers and satirists of the modern Pinoy era (the name Jess Abrera pops in my mind second). Pol was just unlucky to be too personal in his political cartoons as I remember one of my roommate in college days pointing to PMJR as a heretic and sacrilegious cartoonist in portraying the late Cardinal Sin in disdain, holding the Holy Cross with less enthusiasm in one of his editorial cartoons.

But this one I think is not heretic (for a non-Villar supporter) and is surely unforgettable during the 2010 Presidential Elections.

Image ©Pol Medina JR. I got this strip here.

Google+ is now PUBLIC

2011-09-21T09:42:00.000+08:00

Go to the site and Click where the arrows point:

...and fire away!

I Dont Like Mondays But I Cast My Vote Anyway

2011-09-19T12:39:00.000+08:00

Monday again. Another deadline. Mondays always signify resurrection of work, and rushing up your tempo to beat the unbeatable. Good thing, there's always a song by the Boomtown Rats to provide soundtrack for that tempo.

The third KOMIKON Awards is near and I'm using my free time (?free lunch) to cast my vote. Reader's choice awards do count heavy so I encourage you to vote via the official Komikon Website. I'm going to post the procedures below and you can also go to the site for more particulars by clicking the official icon below. Vote now!

How to vote:

1. New users must register at http://www.komikon.org/wp-login.php .

2. After registering, check your email for your temporary password. Change this temporary password to a new one.

3. Users who have registered previously do not need to register again. If you forgot your password, click on “Lost your password?” and follow the instructions.

4. Login at the same link above. You will be directed to the Dashboard.

5. To view the nominees and vote, simply click on Komikon Awards 2011 to view the available awards for voting.

6. You can vote for up to two nominees per category. Once you have voted, you cannot change your answer.

7. For any questions/clarifications, send an email to awards[@]komikon.org .

Voting Period will be from 15 September to 15 October 2011.

Filipino Reader Con 1

2011-09-15T13:15:00.000+08:00

I tip my hat to the organizers and volunteers who made the event happen (I know, it's not an easy task and it requires a lot of heart and guts--and food to pull this one off), and the sponsors who showed up and at least recognize the strength of book bloggers. It was a substantial start for a group that formed online, and I see a lot of potentials (from the publisher's point of view) to sell your product, be it personal or collective/collaborative. I agree with Carl Joe's views on the producer/consumer hybrid in the literary market since I think it is also related to the narrowing gap or boundary between the writer and the reader, the journalist and the blogger. To some this gap is actually non existent, as others believe that if you want to be a good writer you must be a good reader (or voracious reader) first. This equation I think attempts to shrink that "academic" gap.

Guest panelists and their stories were interesting, and it's easy to see that they are indeed more popular online, and abroad. For book club admins, stories on how they started their group is equally useful if you plan to build your own group.

I like Tata's stories with Ex Libris given the apparent exclusivity of her group but still able to provide scholarships to college students. How I wish I was able to join her group during my college days even if I have to master first the elvish language. =P

Overall, it was a good start. But I wish to know more people since the time was not enough for me (I came in late) and as expected (since some of them already knew each other), majority of the people flocked within their group. Luckily, somebody from Scholastic gave a seat and that was a good start to exchange ideas, backgrounds, contact details, and opinions. It was also a good opportunity to finally meet my kababayan/kasimanwa Chris who just planed in from Kalibo.

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold

2011-09-11T19:45:00.000+08:00

It's not my intention to create a hype given that the film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is about to be shown in the UK this month and the rest of the world probably later. The reading world is already full of "hype" and I don't want to desecrate Le Carre's work because of these silly "hypes." For the first place, Tinker Tailor may not be released in movie theaters here in the Philippines and I just want to read a Le Carre book imprisoned earlier on my shelf for a very long time and maybe reading it is better than leaving it to collect dusts (or termites) and remain unread.

For the record I have 3 initial Le Carre reads and in order, they are "The Tailor of Panama," "Single & Single," and "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy." I enjoyed them all. Prior to this I also dabbled into Tom Clancy's world of military intrigues; "The Hunt for Red October," "Politika," and "Patriot Games." Last year, I enjoyed Tim Powers' uber-hybrid story "Declare" (hybrid in the sense that it was a cross-genre between territories of historical fiction, sci fi, dark fantasy, and espionage). Furthermore, six years ago I felt the chill by the story of a saboteur-gone-wrong Verloc in Joseph Conrad's psychological thriller "The Secret Agent."

In all of these initial experiences within the world of espionage fiction and seeing how readers today love popular fiction, I drew a hypothesis that there can only be two kinds of a spy novel: the first kind bores you to death because the politics are realistic (if not allusive), and the second one entertained you to life because of cheap thrills, gadgets, and naked chicks.

This made Le Carre novels apparently boring to younger readers and Ian Fleming's, commercially viable to novice readers. Nothing much to blame, politics (or history) is exclusive only for the mature readers.

But now that I am an 'old' reader it's quiet different. Global politics did not bore me anymore, it was very informative and it opened my eye. The chick was never dumb though simple, still you would want to fall for. There were action scenes but they were not the center of the novel. The center of the novel was about this dark mantra--the philosophy of any professional espionage work. This mantra states that in the real world there is no such thing as "black and white." Always been and always will be. Grey areas will never go and nothing can change that.

The most important attribute of this novel is its unpredictability--in a very good and thrilling way. Originally published in 1963, the setting is in the 1950's revolving on the post WWII espionage and counter-espionage conflicts between the communist East Germany and the monarchic Great Britain. It was a classic spy war, an unseen showdown between the forces of Abteilung and agents of the Circus. The Berlin Wall still exists here and I like it when Le Carre started the story there, and also ended it all there. Perfectly symbolic. A good closure, a return to zero when you draw that proverbial, circular line. And you will enjoy this in a light reading pace of 223 pages.

Now I know why this book is heavily regarded as the top espionage novel of the past century and why Time Magazine inducted this thriller in its list of 100 Best Novels of the modern era.

Le Carre's credibility as a former member of Her Majesty's Secret Service--the MI6 is unquestionable and his deep insight into the complex world (or abyss?) of espionage is unfathomable. This is perhaps, his signature book but we hope for more as long as he still writes realistic and complex stories highly relevant through the ages. That makes a novel classic.

Unforgettable Lines:

"That's because you don't want to think, you don't dare! There's some poison in your mind, some hate. You're a fanatic, Alec, I know you are, but I dont know what about. You're a fanatic who doesn't want to convert people, and that's a dangerous thing. You're like a man who's...sworn vengeance or something."
page 35

Sometimes he thought of Liz. He would direct his mind toward her briefly like the shutter of a camera, recall for a moment the soft-hard touch of her long body, then put her from his memory. Leamas was not a man accustomed to living on dreams.
page 43

He was contemptuous of his cellmates, and they hated him. They hated him because he succeeded in being what each in his heart longed to be: a mystery.
page 43

"I am a worker," the woman replied acidly. "The concept of brain workers as a higher category must be destroyed. There are no categories, only workers; no antithesis between physical and mental labor. Haven't you read Lenin?"
"Then the people in this prison are intellectuals?"
The woman smiled. "Yes," she said, "they are reactionaries who call themselves progressive: they defend the individual against the state."
page 204

Genre: Espionage Fiction
Rating: 5 blistering sentry rounds out of 5

Looking Forward

2011-09-09T13:12:00.000+08:00

I dont think I have the right to expect anything in the event given that I'm 50/50 to go. But for the people who already planned to go on September 14th I expect these things:

1. New friends and tribes will be established.
2. New books to discover and more importantly, share.
3. Realize the implications of being a "Filipino Reader."
4. Have fun and spread the reading habit. Especially for the educational and cultural development of the Filipino child.
5. Looking forward to Pinoy ReaderCon 2 next year.

Spread on that reading habit!
EFREN and his Kariton.

There's a saying that the best event in history is never planned, it just happens. Who knows, the universe might arrange things in our favor and when that happens, we are lucky. But we can make ourselves luckier by being a blessing to others too.

For this I wish every Filipino reader and the Reader Con 1 the best of luck, more books, and more power!

Looking for Lolly

2011-09-05T12:51:00.001+08:00

DAY 1

Narj: Jan ka lang Lolly babalikan kita 'pag may pera na 'ko...itatago muna kita dito sa mga reference books! You'll be my READ for this month's "Banned Books Week" theme! Just wait for your Daddy, hehehe

DAY 2

Narj: Miss, asan na yung book ni Nabokov dito? Yung Vintage Edition ha, hindi yung annotated.

FB Gateway: Ah sir... May kumuha na yata this morning lang.

Narj: OH NO!!! LOLLY! (dalawang kamay nakapatong sa ulo)

FB Gateway: Wait let's check the database... Yup! Sir meron pong possible copies sa Greenhills and Trinoma. Kung gusto nyo ipa-transfer natin dito.

Narj: Ok, pero gano katagal yan?

FB Gateway: Sir mga 2-3 days po.

Narj: Nyak! Wag na, puntahan ko na lang (kaso may lakad pa pala ako ngayon!)... Bukas! Puntahan ko bukas!

DAY 3

Narj: Miss meron daw ditong LOLITA ni Nabokov, yung Vintage Edition sabi ng branch nyo sa Gateway. Bat iisang copy lang meron dito at Espanyol pa?

FB Trinoma: Ay naku sir, madaming naghahanap kasi niyan e. Check ko muna database ha.

Narj: Haayyyy...

FB Trinoma: Sir meron po sa Greenhills at sa Bonifacio High Street--Global City.

Narj: Dapat Vintage Edition yan ha baka naman mamaya Chinese pala yan. Ilang copies ba meron sa High Street? Ayokong dumaan sa Greenhills e...

FB Trinoma: Haha yes sir English edition. Twenty nine copies pa.

....

Narj: Boss, bat walang LOLITA dito sa mga libro nyo ni Nabokov? Andami nyang libro dito pero walang Lolita ('tong Fight Club na lang kaya ni Palahniuk bilhin ko? kaso mahal--700! aguy! di kaya ng budget kong burgis!)

FB Global City: Meron kami nyan sir. Baka sa second floor, wait lang ha...

....

FB Global City: Sir eto na.

Narj: Yaaan! (sabay agaw at kiss sa libro) Mmmwaaaah! My preciousss...

FB Global City: Haha! Mukhang nahirapan kayong maghanap nyan sir a..

Narj: Nahirapan? Hindi ah! Ang DALI DALI DALI nga e... Piece of cake!

10 Filipino Books

2011-09-02T09:55:00.003+08:00

For an avid reader who loves his/her Filipino origins, I will recommend these 10 memorable and thought-provoking Filipino books. Ever since reading Noli in my history class, I will never forget the story of Elias the renegade. And I love reading (and watching) the story of Ibong Adarna when Prinsipe Amante was able to outfox his greedy brothers especially when Dolphy plays that lead role since I have a soft spot on the Fantasy-Comedy genre. Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere, and Ibong Adarna are just two of the classic books that I believe a Filipino reader should know by heart.

I recommend these books below hoping that the public will be able to notice the value of book reading in this postmodern, digital age.

NON FICTION

100 Love Poems - Dalisay & Yuson, ed.

Revisiting Usog, Pasma, Kulam - Michael Tan

Tikman ang Langit: An Anthology on the Eraserheads - Calimag, Garcia, and Rodriguez, ed.

To Suffer Thy Comrades - Robert Francis Garcia

Food Wars - Walden Bello

FICTION

Barriotic Punk - Mes De Guzman

Tutubi, Tutubi 'Wag Kang Magpahuli, Sa Mamang Salbahe - Jun Cruz Reyes

After Eden* - Arnold Arre

El Indio* - Francisco V. Coching

Smaller and Smaller Circles - Felisa H. Batacan

*---graphic novels

I Support

Fantasy Library

2011-09-01T14:11:00.001+08:00

Fellow Flippers over shelfari.com talked about their dream library given that they have all the resources and space. My fantasy library will be inside a space station (just like Russia's MIR) with that minimal gravity close to zero you will feel floating in space, slowing down your metabolism and your body's decay. Because of this low nature of gravity any visitors will only need minimum food and fuel to stay. The ship may span the earth at the same vector of a common satellite making the reader marvel at the beauty and wonder of earth, moon, and the universe. Alice Goodwin will be perfect as my librarian. =P

Another good thing about this library is the nature of books. They are fire-proof. So that nobody can burn any book due to bacteria, or heresy.

Image © Lance Miyamoto 1981

Spy Movie of 2011? We Hope So.

2011-08-30T17:28:00.001+08:00

THE BOOK

17 days to go, seventeen days of waiting before lovers of Espionage Fiction worldwide will finally enjoy the movie with an impressive cast of actors. He played a memorable job as Commissioner Gordon in the last two Dark Knight films and I hope Gary Oldman will deliver the goods again by playing as operative George Smiley and finally hit for the home run this time around. Originally a book published in 1974 by John Le Carre who happens to be a former member and operative of Her Majesty's Secret Service---the MI6 (but this is no secret to his followers), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as a movie will finally try to become the espionage film of 2011. Tinker Tailor is the first book (and my third Le Carre read in 2006) that will serve as a good jump off point for the bigger, more complicated Karla Trilogy.

If you want a more realistic and mature espionage thriller who truly understands the current geopolitical structure with no bias, John Le Carre is on the top of the hierarchy. Not like Ludlum, Forsyth, and Fleming that puts the action and naked women at the center of the story, John Le Carre puts the issue (usually this issue is global) and the mystery at the center. In a Le Carre novel, there is no clear line that separates good and evil. If there ever was, the reader will realize that it was just a mirage, an illusion. There is no black and white. His stories are paradoxical that will make the reader think, and think again. Anyway, let's wait for the movie. We just hope that this movie is as good as the book.

Spy film of the year? We hope so.

THE FILM

THE TRAILER

Pugad Baboy 23

2011-08-29T23:41:00.001+08:00

Just got a copy of the latest release of PM Jr's Pugad Baboy. Though this compilation is similar to last year (#22) since it also doesn't contain a featured story arc that we followers of the whole comic strip love since book 1, it's still OK. I totally enjoyed it as much as the past issues.

I didn't mind if the cover failed to impress other Pugad Baboy readers out there. Putting up an issue every year---a collection of strips originally appeared in the Philippine Daily Inquirer is not easy to accomplish. He's been doing that for 23 years. If you're a cry-baby and wants to crucify PMJR after seeing the "boring" cover design and the "recurring" political jokes, better stick to your little brother's coloring books or your own hentai collections.

Spare us the emo crap if you cant grow up.

This book was really helpful to accompany my Godfather I-III DVD marathon in-between breaks this evening.

Genre: Comics, Current Events
Rating: 4 irradiated servings of sushi

The Book of Eli

2011-08-28T16:39:00.000+08:00

It's going to be a long and rainy weekend here in the Philippines so I just reviewed a memorable Post-Apocalyptic Sci Fi film officially released in 2010 that advocates the value of book reading.

The final revelation that the "book" was in Braille format and the blind hero (Eli) was able to memorize every word from cover to cover is something nobody expected! It's unpredictable and to some degree implausible but the message is actually substantial and good if you love reading books. This movie reminded me so much of Ray Bradbury's oeuvre Fahrenheit 451 depicting a band of rebels memorizing books at the final scene.

Being A Filipino Reader

2011-08-26T19:58:00.001+08:00

There are good as well as bad points in being a Filipino Reader but I think the good part outweighs the bad (otherwise nobody will give a damn about reading books) and I still believe that the frustrating part can be solved.

Books from the local seller are relatively cheap than buying from the foreign seller or online, cheaper when you buy them from second hand shops, and cheapest when you buy them from the black market. Though I don't promote buying from shops that dont issue a receipt, the choice is still yours where to buy your books. The point here is, there's plenty of books for everybody.

If you can't afford to buy (or there's no immediate supply from local shops) you can easily borrow from a friend or from your school's (or college's) library. The hard part is to find somebody who also love the same genre or set of genre. But if you're into popular fiction, it's easy.

Another good thing in our country is this freedom of expression that is highly valued leading to diverse genre of stories and non-fiction topics for us to choose from. I can't remember any book published locally or globally that is being banned to read in our country. You can read any book you want in the public. While riding the MRT you can even read a book against the administration but you're still okay, no one will hurt you. Try reading The Satanic Verses in Saudi Arabia and you're dead meat. That's a big contrast.

My only frustration as a Filipino reader is that we are highly influenced by foreign culture that we tend to forget about the great, fantastic stories of our land. Harry Potter and Naruto are more popular characters than Lam-ang and Bantugan. You can ask any kid if you need more proof.

Bad News? Image from
filipinolifeinpictures.wordpress.com

In this age of the Global Pinoy, we Filipinos are an adaptable race in fusing different cultures and transform them to our advantage. But we don't need to look that far, outside. We only need to dig deeper. Our country is already blessed with colorful stories from the past that we can no longer remember. Only our grandfathers knew, and I envy them. From here comes the true value of a book---that is, to preserve history. And consequently the value of book reading---to pass on that history.

I Support

Light and Darkness

2011-08-25T14:56:00.001+08:00

This novel currently has only one edition in the Philippines (in trade paperback format) that may appear costly for a budget-sensitive reader. But if you're highly curious and very serious to start an Urban Horror/Fantasy adventure, you will be practically rewarded. Not counting out that this is just the first book of the four.

Sergei Lukyanenko obviously employed his skills as a psychiatrist in writing this novel and whether you're an insider or not of the Urban Horror genre, you will find his book easy to the eyes and the imagination.

I was never bored reading this book being divided into three parts in sequence. The stories are told from the eyes of Anton, a second level magician of the Night Watch in the contemporary city of Moscow. The stories are unpredictable in a good way, revolving on the lives of the Others----deviants of human origin with inherent and acquired abilities popularly categorized in history as sorcerers, witches, warlocks, vampires, shapeshifters, and tricksters.

The only thing that divides the Others is a choice; a choice between good and evil. If an Other chooses the Light, he will become part of the Night Patrol or Night Watch. If an Other chooses the Darkness, he will become part of the Day Watch. If an Other dares to choose nothing, he will become a magician of the lowest form, a straggler on the streets of the human world with skills left undeveloped.

Light and Darkness. These two sides constantly watch each other's move like two dueling chess masters, planning a strategy against the enemy under the limits of a treaty, a treaty that impose balance between the two sides and the future of human civilization. And between the pages, you can see and enjoy the tension and gravity between the two sides as they try to outfox each other until another group emerges from the blinds, and the rise of a potential sorceress that threatens to tip the scales-- the balance of power.

The elements may not be original from Fantasy stories but the characters and actions are told in a refreshing perspective that will only leave you with delight and sympathy for the characters. Though I recommend this book to mature readers, it may also appeal to young adults. Because the reading here is over before you know it, and you will crave for more.

Genre: Urban Horrror/Fantasy
Rating: 4 levels of "Gloom"

A Reader's Story

2011-08-19T16:12:00.000+08:00

My appreciation for reading is not love at first sight.

At age of five when I still didn't know how to read I loved browsing through comics and enjoyed the story in pictures. The sequential form of art in its basic function allowed me to understand the stories and also helped me to imagine further adventures of my own version. I remember me and my friend creating a comic book as my friend took charge of the artwork chores and me, for the story. Watching Indiana Jones, Goonies, and Amazing Stories by Steven Spielberg helped a lot, but not yet reading.

When I entered the stage of formal learning and academics (from elementary to high school, until college) I was still skeptic about the "beauty" of this written form of art. History and Literature are just domains where you write papers, take exams and pass the subjects so that you can move on with more interesting subjects like Earth Science or Math. Thats how I used to see it. My high school Math teacher would tell the class how he loved the novels of Stephen King but I thought he was just trying to act "weird." Whenever we saw a schoolmate carrying a thick novel we tease her and say that if a doctor attempts to break her head open, loads of letters will literally burst out of her head.

Image courtesy of Noa Vichanski

Later in my teenage years I enjoyed a lot of Sci Fi and Fantasy movies and learned that these ultra cool stories were originally crafted in the written form of art, if not in the form of graphic novels, or manga. That's when I started to think again about novels. I thought I should give these novels respect the way I respected my comic books! Aside from looking for non fiction books by Hawking, Covey, and JK Galbraith, I also tried to look for action laden novels by Clancy and Le Carre, the controversial novel by Golding, a grim novel by Dostoevsky, and return to nature novels by Jack London. Those books are still tiny compared to my collection of comic books but the numbers began to rise during my final year in College when I got tired of academic textbooks. It was also this time when I discovered that reading a book in between studies actually helps in developing your focus, your concentration. For some, reading a novel may be distracting from formal studies but in my experience, it's the other way around.

Those were the days when I began to realize that a book is a very good and loyal friend---it doesn't leave you, and gives you pleasure in return. Some books let you down, but only to teach you a very important lesson. Books are not judgmental, and they always leave to you the final verdict, the benefit of the doubt. Even if books don't talk, they are good companions. These made me think that sometimes, books are better than people.

Now that I'm old and traveling is part of my work (not counting out that my homebase is 5 cities away from my office), the time is always there to open a book and escape reality for a while. And even if boredom attacks me in an uncompromising situation (whether it's on top of a construction tower, or inside the freezing office) I just recall the latest adventure read to reclaim that energy for work and finish the rest of the day.

And the adventure continues...

this piece is a response for filipino reader con meme week 2

Obscenity and Art

2011-08-17T14:49:00.003+08:00

“The obscenities in this country are the powerful Filipinos who do not do their duties, the corrupt officials, who are not responsible. These are the obscenities in our nation. There are only bad artists, and bad writers.”

---F Sionil Jose comments on Mideo Cruz and his talk-of-the-town Art

THE NATIONAL ARTIST
photo courtesy of streetsmartchic.com

Wikipedia Book

2011-08-16T11:22:00.006+08:00

How big would it be if the most relevant, neutral, and credible Wikipedia articles (437 articles to date) were ever compiled in a single book?

This big. A book of 5,000+ pages.

The question is, will you buy it? No?
Check the story here.

Nostalgia Trip

2011-08-15T09:14:00.002+08:00

I chanced to see again this memorable comic book team up and crossover (DC and Image) of the late '90s---The Dark Knight and Hell Spawn. And of course these heroes will never be complete without their arch nemesis--- The Joker and Clown (Violator). Drawn by my favorite tandem Greg Capullo on pencils, and Todd MacFarlane on inks. This art by the way, is something from the botched 2006 re-team up project.

'Nuff Said!

Planet Of the Geeks

2011-08-14T20:01:00.003+08:00

The back cover blurb states it plainly:
"In his first book, Carljoe Javier writes hilarious essays on diverse topics like being a certified geek, the panties of celebrities, the dilemma of peeing, teaching at a school for girls, his mutant powers, playing with an edgy rock band, and joining a local reality tv show."

This blurb essentially previews the whole territory of being a certified GEEK. And the book gives you clues on how to maintain that exclusive geek status as Carljoe Javier retells his misadventures with panty fetishes, loyalty tensions between two bootleg shopkeepers at-war, social incompetence with women at a wedding party, losing the battle against computer viruses, nursing the broken ego via Google, witnessing two chicks lip-locking in school, the dilemma of explaining to his little sister the truth about socioeconomic inequity, the pains of mind control when the bladder's about to explode, the horrors of writing scary stories, myopia and being Cyclops, rocking the crowd with the band, and being helpful but losing it in a reality tv show. All these with alcohol in between.

Luckily for Carljoe he will never run out of girls to talk to because he's now a popular writer. That's the most important thing to achieve if you want to be the hero of the Planet Geek.

WHERE DOES THE GEEK STAND? (image courtesy of Leigh Howells)

Genre: Non Fiction, Essays
Rating: 3 bass guitars

A Ball-busting Detour on August 19

2011-08-12T23:26:00.008+08:00

Strictly for mature readers only!
PUP Sta Mesa - August 19, 2011

Reasons Why You Must Attend The First Filipino Reader Con

2011-08-10T13:04:00.008+08:00

1. You've been busy doing work but you need a break.

2. You need an alibi to fend off pesky drinking buddies from your work.

3. You want to know if an online crush is really beautiful, or just virtually photogenic.

4. You want to support your online groupies by being involved offline.

5. You are curious about the Manila International Book Fair.

6. You want to check new titles to add in your collection.
7. You want to replace your smoking habit.

If your reason is different from above, you are still welcome as long as you love reading books and like to talk about the whole reading experience (past and present) with fellow reading advocates in the Philippines. The event will be held on the 14th of September, 1-6 pm at Meeting Room 2 SMX Mall of Asia.

What Makes a Genuine Wizard

2011-07-30T23:02:00.010+08:00

For Harry Potter fans, you all know that the main reason of his triumph over Voldemort is Harry's rightful ownership of the most powerful wand in the world (the stone, the cloak, and the wand all composes the Deathly Hallows). JK Rowling tells us that every wand has its own master and allegiance. But thinking that the experienced wizard Voldemort has no idea about this is very unrealistic, not counting that he cannot even make a physical contact with Harry (he needed another wizard to check Harry's pulses to verify his death). All these only made Voldemort a very lame and stupid enemy. Weak.

But nothing made the Harry Potter story (and the franchise) weaker than the wizard's use of wands. Anyone who reads countless epic fantasy series knows that in a duel/battle of spells and magics, a good or a badass wizard uses a staff, not wand. If you're familiar with Blizzard's all-time classic RPG + hack n slash game Diablo 2, the wand goes to the Necromancer and the Sorceress, but used as a minor weapon compared to the staff. This is one of the reasons why no matter how grandiose the Harry Potter series is (both the novels and the movies) it's still far from closing in on my top fantasy epic weaved by a British linguist and historian JRR Tolkien.

Wands are Weak...

but Staves are Epic!

At least Ron knows the real score.

Educate your heart

2011-07-30T21:15:00.001+08:00

Photo courtesy of Gang Badoy & rockedphilippines.org

This is a Mad Worlds

2011-07-24T23:42:00.008+08:00

Days before my team conclude the ultra-cool road trip project: the Visayas-Mindanao road survey, I was already planning to do two things as soon as I breathe again the bucolic atmosphere of Las Piñas. First is to watch the Harry Potter Finale and second is to read a new book.

Just before entering the theater I saw this collection of essays (published last month) by the frontman of Radioactive Sago Project and to tell you the truth, I actually have no idea that Lourd wrote a blog via the urbanite website spot.ph until buying and reading this book.

"THIS IS A CRAZY PLANETS!"
---STELLA STRADA (R.I.P.)

Nothing's new really with Lourd's sensibilities and observations (and bigotry) regarding varied current affairs but seriously, I share the same sentiment when it comes to the First Sister of the Philippines, simply referred as "K." His tribute to the legendary public enemy Paquito Diaz, eulogy for the rock n roll station NU 107, sentiments on old movies, observations on the Pacquiao Clan and PNoy's metaphor of illegal wangwangs, warning on porn addiction, and his lamentations against taxi drivers from hell plus the bad habit of indiscriminate defecation in public are all classic Lourd de Veyra. There's nothing to contend in a writer who states the obvious, and shows you the sarcasm in a mask-less face.

His reminder for women; umasal lamang ng ayon sa ganda. And for the gents; ang tunay na lalake ay walang abs. Amen!

Genre: Non Fiction
Rating: 3.5 shots of GIN POMELO

Reading List of 30

2011-07-24T12:58:00.004+08:00

01 - Your Favorite Book

FOUCAULTS PENDULUM by Umberto Eco

02 - Least Favorite Book

CONAN THE BARBARIAN by L Sprague de Camp and L Carter

03 - A Book that completely surprised you (bad/good)

THE POWER AND THE GLORY by Graham Greene

04 - A Book that reminds you of home

BARRIOTIC PUNK by Mes De Guzman

05 - A Non-fiction book that you actually enjoyed

TIME FLIES by Bill Cosby

06 - A Book that makes you cry

NIGHT by Elie Wiesel (this is a holocaust memoir)

07 - A Book that’s hard to read

---(it aint a book if its hard to read...)

08 - An unpopular book you believe should be a Best-Seller

THE SUMMER OF KATYA by Trevanian

09 - A Book you’ve read more than once

THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN by Mitch Albom

10 - The first novel you remember reading

LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding

11 - The Book that made you fall in love with reading

THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER by Tom Clancy

12 - A book so emotionally draining you couldn’t complete it or had to set aside for a bit

THE RAPE OF NANKING by Iris Chang

13 - Favorite childhood book

THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES by Hans Christian Andersen

14 - Book that should be on hs/college required reading list

THE BOOK OF FIVE RINGS by Musashi Miyamoto

15 - Favorite book dealing with foreign culture

SHIBUMI by Trevanian

16 - Favorite book turned movie

THE LORD OF THE RINGS by JRR TOLKIEN

17 - Book turned movie and completely desecrated

DUNE by Frank Herbert

18 - A Book you can’t find on shelves anymore that you love

BARRIOTIC PUNK by Mes De Guzman

19 - A Book that changed your mind about a particular subject (non-fiction)

TO SUFFER THY COMRADES by Robert Francis Garcia

20 - A Book you would recommend to an ignorant/racist/closed minded person

MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANING by Viktor Frankl

21 - A guilty pleasure book

THE GAME by Neil Strauss

22 - Favorite Series (Edit)

The LOTR Trilogy by JRR Tolkien

23 - Favorite Romance Novel

--- (this is weird, i hate romance books. better ask me of a porn novel instead!)

24 - A Book you later found out the Author lied about

AN IDEOLOGY FOR THE FILIPINOS by Ferdinand Marcos

25 - Favorite Autobiographical/Biographical book

MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANING by Viktor Frankl

26 - A Book you wish would be written

I'm thinking of a novel about a group of assassins formed after a series of brutal rape and slaying of Filipina OFWs in the Middle East...

27- A Book you would write if you had all the resources

This may be foolish but I used to write a plot about the spirits of Rock n Roll masters who died early in their career making a comeback and creating a terrible mess, a terrible void against the world of the living, the world that adores Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga...

28 - A Book you wish you never read

---(that book does not exist!)

29 - An Author that you completely avoid/hate wont read

STEPHENIE MEYER

30 - An Author that you will read whatever they put out

NEIL GAIMAN

note: my shelfari group inspired me to make and update this list. damn, i missed writing a list like this!

The Reader's Manifesto #12

2011-07-23T18:43:00.003+08:00

"Convictions are more dangerous foes of truth than lies."
Friedrich Nietzsche

Textbooks Avenue

2011-06-05T22:03:00.003+08:00

It's June already here in the Philippines and it means schools are officially Open. Being part of Brigada Eskwela a week earlier is a good experience for me but sadly, schools are not immune from corrupt officials. I just hope that kids returning to their respective schools wont waste any opportunity available at a moment like this in a well-known avenue in Manila (Claro M. Recto Avenue) where you can score second-hand books (mostly textbooks) at a very affordable price ranging from 10 Pesos to a hundred. Photo courtesy of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Food for the Gods

2011-05-27T23:22:00.014+08:00

Before they became full-pledged Rock 'n Roll Gods they first learn about the world as readers. Part of being perfectly human, they took the time for some breaks in playing their respective weapons-of-choice (i.e. guitar, drums, piano) and opted to read awhile perhaps thinking that investing on their minds might not hurt at all and also might enhance their craft further.

This short list about the favorite book/books of the modern Rock Idols is I think the first time compiled and published online, and my only assurance as a music fan is that I did my best to cross-check varied sources including my personal archive to finally present them here, aimed to the same loyal fans out there who might not be aware that their idols were also avid readers once in their lifetime.

I hope all of you will like this list.

BOB DYLAN

He basically loved literature and poets like Arthur Rimbaud, Paul Verlaine, and Woody Guthrie were his idols. Furthermore, the most memorable book for him was John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath when during his younger days he wrote a school essay about it.

BOB MARLEY

Early in his career he despised the church and its dogma but he couldn't hide the fact that his family devotedly read the holy scriptures almost everyday, and until that final week of his days, the Rasta Man converted to Christianity via the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The Archbishop baptized him as Berhane Selassie meaning--- Light of the Trinity. He declared the importance of reading by saying that a page a day is the Rasta way. Though it is subject for inquiry if the Gibson guitar he owned was actually accompanied by a Holy Bible when he was buried on the 21st of May 1981, his conversion brought a new meaning to his well known phrase---Light up the darkness.

ELVIS

The only Rock 'n Roll God that you don't need to mention the surname--the first name is enough. Elvis is basically a Christian by virtue of his upbringing and it's not a wonder to expect him loving the Holy Bible. But besides that, he also respected other beliefs and even delved into existential books by reading the Impersonal Life by Joseph Brenner along with Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet. He also liked Albert Camus' The Stranger and Tao Te Tseng by Lao Tzu.

JIM MORRISON

Jim is the most prolific of the lot when it comes to book collection. His collection is vast like a library, and it has been rumored that he can also memorize every word and phrase in a specific page, he even challenged a visitor to secretly pick a book from his shelf and read a phrase and Jim can easily answer back with the book title and page number. So much for a rocker to obtain a photographic memory. Maybe that's what pure talent really is all about. His favorites were Jack Kerouac's On the Road, Naked Lunch by William Burroughs, Finnegan's Wake by James Joyce, Albert Camus' The Stranger, and The Plague.

JIMMY PAGE

The weirdest of the lot was Jimmy Page's (and apparently his band's) affinity into the occult and ancient mythologies. Le Dragon Rouge and other grimoires like this one above is just one of the many "references" that influenced the band as shown in the cover of the Led Zeppelin IV Album. Deciphering the symbols and its meanings are discussed here.

JOHN LENNON

John as a kid enjoyed Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and made him wish he was the one who wrote the novel. Later, he also loved James Joyce's well-known and highly criticized novel--Finnegans Wake and the sci fi opus The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick.

KURT COBAIN

Kurt loved Beatnik literature and the Naked Lunch by William Burroughs is on top of them. But the only book that entertained Kurt more prompting him to write a song about it is Patrick Suskind's Perfume (originally published in Germany as Das Parfum). The central figure of the book is the antihero Grenouille--a character who has a very strong olfactory ability since birth but incredibly has no physical scent and no measure of moral judgment at all. Scentless Apprentice is a tribute song written by Kurt and performed by his band Nirvana in the 1993 album In Utero.

STING

Sting is a self-confessed bookworm and late photos of him reading a book in his free time is proof to that. He usually trips with fantasy genre, not counting out that he played the antagonist Feyd Rautha in David Lynch's film adaption of Frank Herbert's sci fi epic Dune in 1984. He also loved the Gormenghast Trilogy by Mervyn Peake. Of all the classic books, he loved Ulysses by James Joyce and Vladimir Nabokov's most popular and controversial novel Lolita.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

There you go, I hope it influenced you to find out more about your own idol's favorite novel or non fiction. I would like to know what you think about this post and any reactions from both ends of the spectrum are highly encouraged. Happy reading!

Apocalypse Now

2011-05-22T20:05:00.004+08:00

THANKS FOR THE TIP, BRO!

Harold Camping's prediction about the end of the World based on the First Testament's Book of Genesis is once again, off. His previous calculation (or rather, miscalculation) assumed that Judgment Day should have happened last 1994. Of course, humanity survived 1994 and today, does anybody care if somebody declares to know when the end will happen? With or without predictions, humanity must fight for their right to live and maintain that courage to face the inevitable.

The question by the majority now (that I really hate to hear) is when will it happen and who will be the next fool to declare it. Answering that is open to everybody and subject for anyone's interpretation.

On the other hand, my foolish opinion about the End of Days is this: Apocalypse will not happen in a single day but it has already started. Now, we are actually in the process of slowly killing ourselves by breathing poisoned air, eating synthetic foods, dealing with nuclear and natural disasters, and the recurrent man-made wars. We don't need to pinpoint exactly the ending, we only need the courage to face it. Because Man is the only species capable of this kind of courage, not plants, not animals.

Exception to the Rule

2011-04-24T22:17:00.002+08:00

I know, this blog is all about books. But when folks over flippers ask what my current guilty pleasure is, the answer is very much easy. My guilty pleasure right now is Valerie Weigmann--featured in this April edition of Rogue Magazine. This first ever sports edition is the best issue so far, with articles on the current Azkals fever, the unsung Pinoy Rugby Team, Pacific Rims author Rafe Bartholomew and his love affair with Pinoy Basketball, the late Big C--Joe Cantada, the slow death of PBA, and the Top 10 Coolest Pinoy Athletes.

But what the heck, I just bought it because of the cover. And it's now resting like a plaque in my book shelf.

Feed thy fantasy.

What is The Element?

2011-04-24T19:48:00.001+08:00

This enlightening and assuring book made it to the 4th spot on my list of best strategy books in the post-industrial era. Dr Ken Robinson got a keen eye in dissecting histories of misunderstood and miscast individuals performing unbelievably high standards of professional and artistic work after discovering where their personal passions and their aptitudes meet, and binding them in unison. He also made a very good analysis on the current system of education that dwells on the past system of standardized mass-production and assembly line, “selling” education like meals from a fast food outlet. Creativity should never be treated like that. Applied imagination has an identity, and a soul, too.

The lives of Sir Paul McCartney, Matt Groening, Gillian Lynne, Richard Feynman, Meg Ryan, Chuck Close, and Paulo Coelho can attest against this traditional system of education that almost hampered them in discovering their own personal worth and identity if not from their own perseverance to follow their hearts and their instincts and with some element of luck and positive outlook, meeting exceptional mentors that helped them to continue moving forward.

This current system of education limits the child’s creative development by concentrating the curriculum into compartmentalized subjects applied separately from each other. Science is usually favoured over arts, mathematics over music or sports. What Dr Robinson proposes is for the educator to teach art as important as science, and music as with mathematics especially in the public schools.

This is really not a new concept but human development is never complete without improving the individual and the collective creativity and if you limit education in designing students to become technical workers, the child’s education remains partial. Nobody wants to see their children learn that way, to become future automatons. We mean of synergy here as unifying science, art, music, and athletics in one learning experience.

Anyway, I encourage you to try this if you’re looking for a good non-fiction read this year. You will be happy to find yourself in it.

Memorable Quotes from the book:

“Children learn best when they learn from each other and when their teachers are learning with them.”

“You can’t be yourself in a swarm.”

“Often we need other people to help us recognize our real talents. Often we can help other people to discover theirs.”

“Never underestimate the vital importance of finding early in life the work that for you is play. This turns possible underachievers into happy warriors.”

Genre: Non Fiction, Personal Strategy, Modern Philosophy, Applied Philosophy

Rating: 4 sticks of crayons

Winter is Coming

2011-04-09T17:30:00.001+08:00

Bye Bye Books?

2011-03-12T20:44:00.000+08:00