A Final Goodbye to Shelfari

Any bookworm who is active online knows that Shelfari wont last that long ever since the owner (Amazon) bought Goodreads in 2013---a worthy, independent, and direct competitor at the time. Only last year, I joined Leafmarks in an attempt to look for a home in keeping track of my book reads and book-reading friends even if discussions were not active and the diversity of reading groups not yet established. After seeing active or rather, hyper updates in my gmail inbox from Leafmarks did I realize that the numbers of refugees are serious as a repercussion of that decision made by Amazon to shut down Shelfari. I can say that this diaspora of forum members who have no home online and do not want to be part of Goodreads is greater than substantial and I am sure that they have something (sad) to say about the move by Amazon.

As I see it, the move will benefit both parties (commercial-vs-independent online groups) because Amazon can now focus promoting everything they have on Goodreads while private readers and authors (including programmers) who choose an independent platform and forum can now help in improving Leafmarks. I sympathize with those who loved Shelfari with all its simplicity and clean-looking UI and I miss those days when we can talk about anything regarding books. One of my favorite discussion was in the Flips Flipping Pages group (a Filipino group) talking about how to protect your book shelf from parasites and I had a lot of real fun in giving my own sarcastic view and also in reading different kinds of wise and intentionally not-so-wise suggestions. The fun part of being a forum member is that you can talk to a lot of interesting characters and personalities and you can also learn a lot from them. Another memorable group was the Sci Fi group where I can always find a worthy sci fi reading recommendation. Those are just my own experiences with Shelfari and I am going to miss them (if not missing them already). I have an account in Goodreads but I was never active in any group I joined and I heard a lot of not so good things regarding trolls, fake reviewers, propagandists, and cyberbullies targeting not just the readers but real book authors themselves. That is so UNcool. I am looking forward for Amazon to improve Goodreads (because I have an existing account there)  and I also hope they stay away from Leafmarks.

October 2008 - January 2016

Summer Komikon 2014 Reads

KAYAW by Magay, et. al.

This indie publication that categorizes itself as war epic is deeply centered into the heart of the Kalinga pride--that being unscathed by the Spanish, American, and Japanese regimes. Being part of the Austronesian race (but unlike their southern brothers --the Visayan Pintados that went the low profile), Igorot and Kalinga tribesfolk settle their conflicts through brutal headhunts with much public display. The introductory story is far from gruesome though (or maybe not just yet) but the sublime contrast and similarity to the Yakuza tattoo art is noteworthy. I know, it will connect heavily to the future with Lt. Masamune in tow.

Rating: 4 cuts of lengua out of 5

RODSKI PATOTSKI by Alanguilan & Arre

Since Lastikman and Darna Lives, the tandem of Gerry Alanguilan and Arnold Arre is always a good read. That territorial dispute would have been better if they put a Chinese and not Japanese Armada to express the current climate in the West Philippine Sea. The weapon's encryption algorithm would have been better if entrusted to Dr Dalawangpuso. All in all, it remains a great read not to be taken seriously.

Rating: 4 scoops of pistachio ice cream

KIKOMACHINE X by Manix Abrera

I thought I was buying a vintage Metallica or Pearl Jam vinyl when I saw this one. Of course, this is the 10th Kikomachine book by one of the current names in local comics. Glow-in-the-dark ang cover. Sakto lang ang lalim.  Parang Sunken Garden na bumababa ng 8 cm kada taon. Hwoooh.

Rating: 3.5 fathoms deep

Click here for my review of Mervin Malonzo's TABI PO #1. 

All images belonged to the copyright authors.

Filipino Friday 1: Hello

Here's my part in supporting my fellow readers to the Filipino Reader Con this 9th of November. Filipino Reader Con is now on its second year but it just felt like two months since joining the weekly meme.

The template for Laura E. Kelley's Reader Species by the way is this:
Domain>Class>Family>Genus>Species
and you can view the infographic she made in details here.

This blogger's species can be classified in 7

1. Reader>BookLover>Compulsive>Cherisher>LibraryLover

Nothing beats the ambiance of a well-tended library and the smell of a used book.

2. Reader>BookLover>Compulsive>Cherisher>Hoarder

This is true when I enter book sales and second hand book shops. Scoring a rare item on a reasonable price completes the mission.

3. Reader>BookLover>Situational>ComfortReader

Master Yoda says "Forgotten strategy, how-tos and whys recall you must."

4. Reader>BookLover>Situational>TravellingReader

Because the time you enjoyed reading, was never a wasted time...in transit.

5. Reader>BookLover>Situational>Social>Evangelist

This is a past crime when I push friends (and siblings) to try a favorite read. Lessons learned.

6. Reader>BookLover>FreeRange>It'sComplicated

It's hard to explain that's why it's complicated but defying categorization is always a cool thing. Everybody wants to be unique, but still we all end up as book suckers.

7. Reader>OtherReader>Conflicted>NoTimeToRead

This is exactly my current place in the world of reading, and probably for the coming years. Indeed "Life is what happens while you are busy making other (book reading) plans," said John the bookworm Lennon.

North American fans, you are so lucky!

poster art by JP Cuison

First Filipino Reader's Choice Awards

Congratulations!

Children's Picture Book: But That Won’t Wake Me Up! by Annie and Anelka Lumbao and Liza Flores (Adarna House) 

Essay Anthology: It’s A Mens World by Bebang Siy (Anvil) 

Short Story Anthology: Alternative Alamat edited by Paolo Chikiamco (Rocket Kapre and Flipside) 

Chick Lit: Fairy Tale Fail by Mina V. Esguerra 

Comics/Graphic Novel: KikoMachine Komiks #6 by Manix Abrera (Visprint)  

Novel in English: Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco (Anvil) 

Novel in Filipino: Ang Huling Dalagang Bukid at ang Autobiography na Mali by Jun Cruz-Reyes (Anvil) 

Poetry Anthology: Off the Beaten Track: Tulaan sa Tren 2 (Vibal)

Filipino Friday 4: Books and Friends

''Are you a part of a book club? If yes, what made you join one? What’s your favorite activity that you have with them? If you’re not a part of one, will you consider joining one? Why or why not?''

Before creating this blog, I was already part of an online book club. It's cool to reach out to somebody who also share the same passion of reading. Even if I can only do it online, it's still a favorable choice than having no one to talk to about my recent adventures with a novel. Online book clubs come with each member's whim, style, and preferences as hosted by specific server or platform. There's the Sci Fi Group (my favorite group of them all), Flips Flipping Pages, and A to Z Reading Challenge Group at Shelfari. There's The Filipino Group at Goodreads (where my status is supra delinquent) and recently, Read Philippines.

99% of the time I lurk and sometimes I share and discuss. Sometimes, I'm a big nuisance to all. For my past memberships, I miss those no-holds barred discussions and impromptu exchanges and recommendations between members regardless of educational background, career, or nationality. I also miss the endless debate between members that became very amusing in the end. Having a book club opens up your eyes to new worlds that you've never been and also you learn something priceless from other people. Though I've never joined a face-to-face discussion, it's a worthwhile experience even to learn online a tip or two from someone who is an experienced and accomplished reader.

If you've never been a member of a book club, I suggest you try joining one and enjoy the full experience while it last. People may come and go but you'll find your book stash endlessly expanding; you will spend time and resources (I'm talking from a plain reader's perspective here, no monkey business involved) and end up needing for more. But the point here is, you are able to live at the moment. And probably help another lonely and helpless reader too. Like this lurker below.

Online discussion is enough bro. Because I bite!

source

Vote Now, Filipino Reader!

Click image to vote for 1st Filipino Reader's Choice Awards.

This award is for Filipino works published in 2010-2011.

Colorado 7.20.2012

Filipino Friday 1: Intro

In spirit of reading I support the upcoming Filipino Reader Con 2 by participating in this newly revived Filipino Friday meme. I already introduced myself last year and I just want to share my favorite books of all time (it's true, choosing your own favorite books are not so easy).

My Top 10 favorite books of all time are:

Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco
The Spy Who Came In From the Cold by John Le Carre
The Power and The Glory by Graham Greene
Night by Elie Wiesel
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
Barriotic Punk by Mes De Guzman
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

I prefer reading mostly Sci Fi, Espionage, Literature, and Fantastic Filipino novels. I also enjoy some Non Fiction and History books. And of course, the feast of eating books are not complete without comics!

I've been to the Reader Con last year but what do I expect this time? Nothing but better and more. Better topics, better discussions, more food, and more people to look at. LOL. I mean more people to know better.

My reading stats at Shelfari.com

See other bloggers for more of their stories here.

Pinoy Readercon 2

Wow. I cant believe it's almost a year since attending the first Filipino Readercon in Mall of Asia. Loyal Filipino readers of both ages, genre, and format, this is a call. This is another chance to show your strength in numbers to support and celebrate the value of reading books.

And there is no better commemoration than to participate in nominating and voting for the First Filipino Reader's Choice Awards for Filipino works published in January 2010 to December 2011. I already made two nominations and I hope that both pass the qualification process. A new round of Filipino Friday meme is also in the works (sharks, how I enjoyed doing it last year! this one by the way is my favorite and also this one). The Friday meme will officially start on July 20 and will end on August 17, 2012.

Rock on!

Kwentillion: Premiere Issue

published by Summit Media

The superb cover art by Chester Ocampo can easily square off with any artist of the adult-oriented Heavy Metal magazine in the US but it's important to emphasize this early that this premiere issue is very much suitable for general patronage now known as the YA generation. The short story by Budjette and KaJo is once again a good work (and another quality young heroine of Trese tradition) while Poso Maximo by Robert Magnuson is highly enjoyable. I can only wonder if the young heir of Datu is directly related to the world of Alexandra Trese but this remains to be verified. High Society by Chikiamco & Buena is a noteworthy read.  Andrew Drilon's The Secret Origin of Spin-Man is a memorable short parody of the superhero genre.

Dimacali & Bumanglag's Sky Gypsies reminded me of the recent clash involving illegal Chinese fishermen and the Philippine Navy in the Scarborough Shoal but this story does not involve anything about territorial disputes and the role between the bully and the harassed is in complete reverse here. Upcoming and current stars in the world of graphic illustration can be helpful especially in knowing their influences.

Philippine Folk Magic compiled by Chikiamco and drawn by Mervin Malonzo is for me, the best feature of the whole magazine and I hope that they continue this feature for the next issues under the category of Myth-troduction. It's a good eye-opener for the uninitiated and a refresher for old followers of Philippine Mythology.

My wish so far is to finally see a good collection of mythology from our brothers in the south---the Mindanao Epic. It may be republished in a book form and not necessarily in a magazine format, as long as it follow the original narrative structure of the oral tradition. I want to read more about Prinsipe Bantugan's fall and how his friends recapture his spirit by outsmarting the Gods of the underworld. I want to see him reborn and kick his foes to oblivion with his magical Kampilan just in the nick of time. I don't mind seeing Tikbalang in a distant galaxy or a Tamawo guarding a forgotten colony ship but what I do mind is the original story. It's easy to reinvent, readapt, or retell a story in the current setting, but the challenge lies in making the mythology relevant to the young generation without sacrificing the original story and the reason why myths are being told  by our grand folks. Philippine Mythology exist to teach the Filipino a lesson, they exist to provide value not to the material, but to the unseen things like justice, honor, brotherhood, and humility.

If You're Fed Up Dealing With the Office Crabs

then you can always escape and take a detour for the Summer Komikon - WAKASAN this Saturday!
Also, watch out for these Indie Artists and their Komiks Tiangge. Summer Komikon 2012 will begin at 10am and will end at 7pm. Venue is the same as last year --Bayanihan Center, Pasig City.

The Next Day

at the same time and at the same spot, this is what I saw after taking some shots:

The sunset is back to normal. The second photo is a bit out of level as the train arrived with a wailing siren. Damn, I'm missing the red skies already...

Manila's First Red Sky of the Year

It was fifteen past six this evening and at the moment I left the exit and signed off at the bio-metric scanner, I realized that everything outside the office building turned RED. It wasn't a normal sunset and I could not stop noticing it even at the time I got into my first homeward stop at the J. Ruiz LRT 2 station, I find it irresistible to use my ancient phone and took some shots in the upper, western Manila sky...

At that point, I suddenly remembered a classic mantra: "Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in the morning, sailor's take warning." If it was a sailor's delight, then there's nothing to worry about it. If the sky at sunset is red, a high-pressure system with dry air is coming in and whipping up dust and it's probably a dry weather the following day. This explanation, I only learned later after referring to a book by Brett and Kate McKay. 

sign of the times

Cyber Wars 101

Anonymous Philippines finally fights back. Expect the unexpected if the Chinese government continues to bully smaller countries, disrespect United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea, hoard tons of endangered species and destroy coral reefs in the Scarborough Shoal.

The spelling may be wrong but the message is clear. 

Read the story here.

Booktripper Detours: Balangiga

The navigation device reported less than 2 kilometers remaining in road distance to the nearest town and instinctively, I searched for the church tower. As we descended to 30 kph just before entering the short bridge from the boundary of Lawaan, I spotted it. It was adjacent to the Balangiga River. The church looked just like any Christian church judging by the yellowish paint probably applied not more than a year ago. It is so common and any traveler who passed this church will never think of anything that happened in this site almost 111 years passed.

Balangiga Church

My companions followed my suggestion to stop for a while and look around the church and the nearby plaza. It was almost noon at Sunday of July 17, 2011 and the church was closed but the people never bothered about a group of local travelers taking some photo of the place. The local folks were probably got used to it. I can sense the wonder of my companions why must we bother about stopping by the place since the town never looked so special. The main trade here is apparently fishing (as an old woman offered us her trade of dried fish and native delicacies), and you can economically categorize the town from 3rd to 2nd class. I told my companions that we just came to a very historical site but I explained no further and just gestured that it's up to them to find it all out.

 What's so special about the place? Anyone who came in that church can spot the clues by walking around.

church marker

Balangiga Church is the spot where Filipino men garrisoned before attacking the American troops at the height of Philippine-American war in the morning of September 28, 1901. In return, the American troops killed all people capable of holding a gun that resulted to at least 2000 Filipinos dead in what is  known today as the Balangiga Massacre.

If you think already that you see the picture here, you better think again. Why would the townsfolk attack the visiting American troops for the first place? Nobody attacks in group without a reason. And this reason is unfortunately, a subject of debate between the local and the western historians.  Some say the cause was a miscommunication between the two parties (just like any stupid war of history) while others say that it was a legitimate action by the local folk being sanctioned economically by the Americans after the blockage of three key trading ports in the south of Samar namely Guiuan, Basey, and Balangiga ports.

The Balangiga Massacre consequentially, was an act of retaliation by the American forces from a very humiliating defeat in the hands of the natives. It was a direct obedience from an order by General Jacob Smith to "kill everyone over ten." Today, they are still keeping the Bells of Balangiga Church as war trophies and the Philippine government is pursuing the peaceful means to reclaim the bells.

Balangiga Shrine (Plaza)

September 28, 1901 Death Toll

We came in the town 5 minutes past eleven in the morning and we were almost  stepping on our shadows that day, obviously it was  a better time to take shelter from the scorching sun and humidity. For local folks, it was an ideal time for lunch but we just came from a 'merienda' and we were accustomed to a late lunch, given the target area for our lunch was the next town of Giporlos. 

It was our fist time to come in that town but strangely I already felt the nostalgia. It felt like I've been in that place before. In my head I recalled the memories of actual stories, photographs, and newspaper reportage from that sad and eventful day of September 28, 1901.

After seeing the shrine markers and taking photographs, the faces of my companions transformed from confusion to enlightenment and probably, skeptical reverence.

They understood why we have to stop over. Our forefathers genuinely fought for freedom in that town.

New York Journal - May 5,1902

road tracks - July 17, 2011

If you really want to help...

Do it with no conditions. Because Earth needs an immediate and direct solution now. No need for commercial gimmickry.

Prometheus: Sharing the same DNA with the Alien Franchise

In the distant future, two superpowers control Earth and fight each other for all the solar system's natural resources. When one side dispatches a team to a distant planet to "terraform" it for human colonization, the team discovers an indigenous race of bio-mechanical predators.

Ridley Scott, director of 'Alien' and 'Blade Runner,' returns to the genre he helped define. With PROMETHEUS, he creates a groundbreaking mythology, in which a team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a thrilling journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race. 


Genre: Science Fiction
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace
Release Date: June 8, 2012

 

An Alien prequel to be told in another new and complete series for years to come? Just wait and see. 

With the upcoming batch of high profile and high budgeted movies to be shown this year, I have a gut feeling that this one by Ridley Scott is going to be the Dark Horse to stun them all. I am a huge Ridley Scott fan and I love collecting and studying his films. I bet my archive that this is going to give The Avengers, Hunger Games, Amazing Spiderman, Dark Knight Rises, MiB3, The Hobbit, Bourne Legacy, Skyfall, Battleship, Wrath of the Titans, and even the Expendables 2 a pretty good and impressive fight in the box office and in the chalk board of film critics. I give it a good chance at the second spot head-to-head against the Dark Knight Rises in the overall ranking next only to the sureball and clear winner this year; The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey. 

We've simply got another reason to return to the cinema this year.

When words connect, dreams can become real

After updating my database of a fresh batch of acquired books, it's always a habit that I ponder the future scenario of my archive. What will happen to these books if I cannot read them all, or read them to someone from the younger generation? Will I be able to pass on that reading habit? Books live longer than people. What will happen if books continue to multiply as much as the rise in number of children who cannot read and write? Shall I hoard some more and care only about my family and turn my face away from the real, current situation of global illiteracy?

This thought is actually more than just an imagined scene. Especially if you consider the current 793 million illiterate people. New and old books are published in traditional and digital format annually but the current number of people who can't read and write is still huge. There has to be a way to cut their numbers by making our government policymakers and the common people to notice and take action. My solution for this is based on being a reader---we only need to share our love for reading.

This is essentially the same sentiment with the global aims of LitWorld:

"On March 7, 2012, LitWorld, a global literacy organization based in New York City, will be celebrating World Read Aloud Day. World Read Aloud Day is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people. World Read Aloud Day motivates children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words, especially those words that are shared from one person to another, and creates a community of readers advocating for every child’s right to a safe education and access to books and technology. By raising our voices together on this day we show the world’s children that we support their future: that they have the right to read, to write, and to share their words to change the world."

To learn more about LitWorld and to register to participate in World Read Aloud Day, please visit: http://litworld.org/wrad