How to compile an inventory of books
October 13, 2007
Let me dispel any notion that this post is about accounting, confined as it is to the sphere of debits and credits. Still, in a way this entry would have something to do with “bookkeeping.”
And by books, I suggest nothing else but hardbacks, novels, paperbacks, history books, nonfiction, thrillers, classics, and everything in between – especially those by Ursula LeGuin, Murakami, Frank Herbert, Coelho, Debray, John Irving, Dostoevsky, Kafka, Saramago, Marquez, Castañeda, and more. I have an appetite for books.
For some time, I have been thinking about how to account for all the books that came into my personal possession.
Appalled at the growing number of books that have gone missing (some other things have been missing too these days), I was driven by necessity to keep track of the books that I have, including those that I lent to some people, and the others that have simply become absent both from my memory and the physical realm.
All of a sudden, as I was in a bedridden state, I thought of something.
Tags, Murakami, telephone buttons and haiku
October 12, 2007
I’m not feeling well lately. (Again.)
So I’ve reset the sectioning system of Postcard Headlines to conform to WordPress’ new tags and categories interface. Now, now. Too bad I didn’t notice the category to tag converter in time, hahaha.
Che Guevara’s last diary entry
October 10, 2007
Yesterday, October 9, marks the 40th anniversary of the death of Ernesto Che Guevara.
Guevara, an Argentine medic who joined Fidel Castro in fighting the US-backed Batista dictatorship in Cuba and later becoming a leader of the Cuban revolutionary government, was captured and executed while waging guerrilla war in Bolivia in 1967.
In a tribute, Fidel Castro once recalled that it was Che Guevara’s habit to record his observations as a guerilla in a personal diary:
During the long marches over abrupt and difficult terrain, in the middle of the damp woods, when the lines of men, always hunched over from the weight of their mochilas, munitions and arms would stop for a moment to rest, or when the column would receive orders to halt and pitch camp at the end of a long day’s journey, one could see Che…take out his notebook and, with the small and almost illegible letters of a doctor, write his notes. What he was able to conserve from these notes he later used in writing his magnificent historical narrations of the revolutionary war in Cuba…
Does Lea Salonga Works Magic for Les Misérables?
October 8, 2007
Is she the secret weapon of this musical comeback? I am obviously biased here because we share the same Filipino heritage. However, when Les Misérables (The Miserable Ones) re-opened in November 2006, it initially advertised itself as a limited six-month engagement. Now ten months later, it has an open-run date and has scheduled shows all the way to January 2008. She wasn’t among the original revival cast, she came in 3 months prior to its supposed closing in May 2007. In that short time the role Lea currently plays had to be replaced not once but twice before everyone was comfortable with the character fit. Although majority of the original cast are no longer in the show for various reasons, Lea maintains her role (7 months and counting) with the only two remaining original revival cast Adam Jacobs and Ali Ewoldt, who happen to be Filipino-Americans!
Hilarious Zay-T-E hearing
September 26, 2007
Mar Roxas’ turn to ask questions now. LIVE transcript of the hearing by Manuel Quezon III plus a few comments in Inquirer Current Blog. And it’s confirmed, Abalos bribed Neri as disclosed by Newsbreak a week ago. The transcripts from Inquirer Current’s live blog around 10 today:
N[eri]: Let me give you facts. Chairman Abalos came to visit me at Neda, I forgot the dates, looked at calendar. Sometime last last year, early this year… I cannot recall what we discussed, frankly, I have poor memory… But I believe we had lunch meeting arranged by Chinese embassy, one or two Chinese officials of embassy and of ZTE, Abalos there with us. I left meeting before dessert because ZTE officials were heavy smokers, couldnt stand smoke, dont know what transpired. Then a golf game at Wack-Wack.
V[illar]: Long game?
N: Nice game, Chairman was charming. Something he said surprised me. He said, Sec. may 200 ka dito. Since he was host, I chose to ignore it.
V: What did you say?
Decline of the Written Media and the Crisis of Socialism
September 22, 2007
This is a must read. I printed the following article from the New Left Review and read it while in bed (yes, I’m still sick but I think this viral infection is about to leave my body).
The paper explores the the diminishing stature of the written media and the transition to a more audio-visual oriented culture as a much ignored factor in the present crisis facing the Left. The writer - Regis Debray - is a French intellectual, book writer, professor and journalist.
On a related note, also check out MediaShift for an article on why we love (and hate) print publications. Debray’s paper can be read below in full:
Face-Rocking Covers #11: The Flash
September 18, 2007
Legend has it that fans had a hard time relating to The Flash and his amazing quickness, so the Flash creative team made an issue featuring a fat Flash. Fans related to the Scarlet Speedster in no time.
Saramago’s latest book: why it won’t happen in the Philippines
September 16, 2007
The book started by narrating the circumstances of the elections in the capital of an unknown (It’s Portugal) “democratic but right-wing state.” “Terrible voting conditions,” remarked a polling station official as really heavy rain in the morning of Election day seemed to have discouraged the populace from coming out and vote.
But surprisingly, a deluge of voters all went to the polling stations late in the afternoon leading the Ministry in charge of elections to extend the hours given for voting. However, after the counting (which was amazingly done in the dawn after the polling day) it was found out that 70% of the ballots are blank!
Join IPR-Photo Philippines eGroup
September 13, 2007
IPR-Photo Philippines is the brainchild of photographer-participants in the ‘Seminar on Collective Administration of Visual Arts in the Philippines’ which was organized by Intellectual Property Office-Philippines (IPO) and International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CSAC) last July 12, 2007.
The group aims to help and promote Intellectual Property Rights for Photographers through discussions/ fora, sponsored talks, establishing networks and linkages with other like-minded organizations, and advocacy programs specifically aimed towards promoting viable photography industry in the Philippines.
More info on how to Join IPR-Photo Philippines eGroup at Shutter Box Philippines.
Para sa satong mga kaakian
September 7, 2007
Cross-posted from my weblog.
KAN nakaaging Miercoles, nagtiripon sa kaenot-enoteng pagkakataon an mga alkalde kan pitong ciudades igdi sa Kabikolan para sa sarong sharing workshop. An tiripon na idto ipinaapod ni Legazpi City Mayor Noel Rosal, pamayo kan League of Cities of the Philippines igdi sa Bikol, asin ginibo sa Villa Caceres Hotel.
Inda kun tano ta naisip kong ponan an programa sa lenguaheng Bikolnon, alagad sa heling ko, tama an desisyon na idto. Siempre, dai nalikayan an paggamit nin Ingles durante kan okasyon, alagad nagin mas sabot an paghiras kan mga programa asin eksperyensya kan pitong alkalde sa sadiri nindang tataramon.
An mayor na pagkukulang ko iyo an pagtagama sana nin 15 minutos kada alkalde duman sa ipinadarang imbitasyon: kulang na marhay palan iyan sa sarong pulitikong ginaganahan.
Pigsambit ko an pangyayaring ini tanganing idoon an duang punto.
Coelho’s definition of a writer
September 3, 2007
It’s the first of September – a totally wonderful day despite an irritatingly disappointing stage play I watched with Beryl titled Paglilitis.
I just finished reading Paulo Coelho’s book Like the Flowing River: Thoughts and Reflections, which is a compilation of his short stories written from 1998 to 2005. The collection didn’t stand out like Zhang Jie’s As Long as Nothing Happens Nothing Will, another book I read a month and a half ago. Still, I consider the handy paperback a good read for its inspirational value. Those who love Coelho should go buy this book.
Writing for Nobody
August 28, 2007
Apparently, less and less people are reading books. And as much as this depresses me, I can’t say I’m surprised. My own reading habits do nothing but support these statistics.
I used to read a lot when I was younger. A whole lot in fact, that my mother would worry (and with good reason) about my ability to cope with real world problems should they come my way. But the older I grew, the more things started to get in the way of my reading. Distractions of the productive as well as of the non-productive nature began to take up more and more of my time, leaving me too tired to read at the end of the day.
The desire to read is still there, just not as strong. Now, I can stand to walk in a bookstore and not buy a single book. While not having purchased a good book lately makes me feel like I’m missing out on a lot of things, I can begrudgingly admit that I wouldn’t be able to read it anyway. Heck, I have around 10 books sitting on the shelf just waiting to be read. But what can I say? Watching TV and / or going to the movies are all the stuff I have time for now.
As a workaround to my literary drought, I have started listening to Audiobooks. Agatha Christie’s ABC Murders, A Pocket Full of Rye, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, and Hickory Dickory Dock were among the books I first listened to. Then I tried out books I wouldn’t normally have read like A Confederacy of Dunces.
Help argue for a Bikol Wikipedia
August 23, 2007
NOTE: I wrote this entry on my weblog last August 1, 2007 but Filipinayzd asked me to repost it here. So here goes:
IRVIN Sto. Tomas first wrote about it here, and his second post, almost a plea, moved me to do my part.
The objective: convince the Wikipedia Foundation board of trustees to approve the development of a wiki in the Bikol language.
I urge you to do the same, even if, like Tito Valiente, you seem to have been burned by a past effort. I may not have Tito’s elegant prose, or Maryanne’s, or Kristian’s jagged-edge poetry, but that’s how his latest column at Vox Bikol strikes me.
If you are interested, Irvin’s last entry has the how-to’s.
Isang Wika, Matatag na Bansa. Hindi nga?
August 19, 2007
Paano mo maituturing na isang bentahe ang pagkakaroon ng maraming dialekto ng Pilipinas? Marahil hindi. Si
mulat-sapul, ang pagkakaroon ng ating bansa ng kung ilang dialekto ay nagdulot na ng hindi mabilang na hidwaan dala ng hindi pagkakaunawaan.
Napakalaki ng ating bansa, napakarami nating mga Filipino. Higit na mas malaki ang bansang Tsina, at hindi hamak na mas malaki ang populasyon kumpara sa Pilipinas. Ngunit tulad natin, marami ring dialekto and kanilang ginagamit. Tulad din natin, mayroon silang ginagamit na pangkalahatang wika, and Mandarin. Sa Estados Unidos, malaking bentahe ang pagkakadala ng mga Europeo ng wikang Ingles. Dito sa Singapore, bagaman nahahati sa tatlong lahi Instik, Malay at Indian, na may kanya-kanyang wika, Ingles ang pangunahing ginagamit.
Paano mo masasabing matatag and isang bansa? Maganda ang ekonomiya, iginagalang and mga namumuno, walang nag-aaklas at nagproprotesta sa lansangan, walang nangangamba kung ano ang mangyayari kinabukasan, masayang namumuhay ang mga mamamayan. Isang pagmumuni-muni po lamang, kung hindi man, isang napakalaking kalokohan. Alam naman nating lahat na ito’y malayo pa sa katuparan, mana pa, sa katotohanan.
Kahit papaano pagbali-baligtarin ang mundo, matatagalan bago tuluyang matanggap lahat ng Filipino na isa lang ang wika ng Pilipinas. Tao, hind lang wika, ang magpapatatag ng bansa. Kung hindi mo kayang unawain ang kapwa mo Filipino, kahit na nag-iisa lang ang wika natin, walang mananalo, lahat tayo, Filipino, talo.
Ang paradigm shift at ang mga erehe ng KWF
August 16, 2007
Crossposted galing sa weblog ko.
LABIS ang kasiyahan ko matapos basahin ang keynote address ni Ricardo Ma. Nolasco, chairman ng Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) sa 2007 Nakem conference na isinagawa sa Mariano Marcos State University noong Mayo 23, 2007. It made my day, ika nga.
Una, dahil kinilala rin sa wakas ng pamahalaang nasyunal ang pagiging multilinggwal at multikultural ng mga Pilipino. Sa talumpati ni Dr. Nolasco — ang pinakamalinaw na policy statement ng gobyerno, sa aking palagay, ukol sa paglinang ng ating mga wika — binigyang diin na hindi kahinaan, kundi lakas, ng bansa ang mahigit nitong 170ng wika. Pangsampu tayo sa buong daigdig na may pinakamaraming wika, aniya.
Ang ikalawang dahilan ay maaaring ma-misinterpret ng iba nating kababayan, gaya ng walang kwentang away sa pagitan ng ilang tinatawag na A-list Pinoy bloggers, na umani ng maanghang na reaksyon ni Gibbs Cadiz; sana naman ay hindi. Pero natutuwa akong nangyayari ang pagbabagong ito sa pananaw ng Komisyon sa pangunguna ng isang Bikolano, na tulad ni Gibbs ay tubong-Sorsogon.
WikiPilipinas: The Hip ‘n Free Philippine Encyclopedia
August 11, 2007
Attend the OFFICIAL LAUNCH of WIKIPILIPINAS at the 28th Manila International Book Fair on 29 Aug.-2 Sept. 2007…
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
August 5, 2007
This being late, I promise to write something short and sweet. It took me close to two weeks to finish Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In those two weeks, I also managed to build my website from scratch so bite me!
Reading the book helped me reinforce the lingering notion I have of JK Rowling’s literary style. One, that her punctuation marks are all over the place. Two, that she could not, for the life of her, write an effective fight sequence. With those out of my chest, everyone could admit that Rowling more than compensated this flaw by narrating the most intricately woven and interesting of plots. So intricate, in fact, that she had to close HP6 with a whole lot of loose ends, sending her cramming to mend each of them in the final chapters of HP7. Interestingly, she still managed to come up with odd surprises[...]
[...]Somebody I work with asked me, “Know what? I’ve been wondering. How come the [...] managed to survive when I could have sworn it had burned?” I answered nonchalantly with an air of sophistication and authority, “Magic!“[...]
Read the rest of this artlcle at fritzified.com >>
Isang Milyong Aklat, Isang Milyong Pangarap
August 5, 2007
Re-post from the blog of AHON (Acts of Hope for the Nation) Foundation.
::RISING TO THE CHALLENGES OF TODAY BY HELPING CREATE BRIGHT FUTURES THROUGH EDUCATION::
683-0262 loc 109 / ahonfoundation@gmail.com / 3/F Topy’s Place, Industria cor. Economia Sts. Bagumbayan, Q.C.
JOIN US NOW!
World eBook Fair
August 3, 2007
The World eBook Fair welcomes you to access a variety of eBooks unparalleled by any other source.
Second Annual World eBook Fair: July 4th to August 4th
* 620,000 Free eBooks + ~110,000 Commercial eBooks
* Grand Total about 3/4 Million Total eBook Files Available
* eBooks in over 100 Different Languages!
* Created by Contributions from 150+ eLibraries Around the World
* Last year 1,000 newspapers carried this story when 1/3 million eBooks were offered free of charge at The First World eBook Fair.
* This year there will be twice as many eBooks!!!
* Last year The World eBook Fair gave away about 1 million eBooks a day for 30 days between July 4 and August
What happens after the last Potter book?
August 3, 2007
A Bitch Attack…Almost
July 24, 2007
Making my usual rounds of bookstores, I was able to hunt down the elusive George Orwell classic, 1984 (elusive for me because I can’t find it in all the bookstores I’ve gone to). Then, at NBS SM North EDSA, I found it nestled in between Animal Farm (by the same author) and Bleak House (by Charles Dickens), being the result of NBS’ aversion to arranging books alphabetically based on the author’s name. It’s a Signet Classic paperback edition, with a deep black pupil inside a bright blue iris as background of the title.
I might post a review once I finished it and if my clinic and duty schedule do not get in the way.
There were no second thoughts plucking that book from the shelf. One reason is that it’s only P275 and I’ve got P200 in my NBS E-purse. Another reason, the more important one, is that I’d like to know how Eric Blair (writing as George Orwell) played with doublethink in the novel.
And, of course, I bought it because it’s a classic.
Clutching my newfound treasure, I went to the cashier (there wasn’t even a line). She punched in the required codes and numbers.
And then, it happened…
Continue reading the story here.
Inside the Latest Harry Potter
July 23, 2007
Warning: This post contains plot spoilers on the latest Harry Potter book. Skip reading this post if you have no intention to know the possible contents of the new book. But if you do, please continue.
I always thought of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series as one of the biggest triumphs in the literary world of recent times. It’s not because of the profits raised from the books’ phenomenal sales. More importantly, it inspired non-readers to take interest in books at a time when the only thing people seem to be reading are tabloid headlines, shortened cellphone texts, and friendster message board titles.
The newest addition to the popular series - - should help renew interest in reading books. And this seemed the case Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallowsas thousands of Harry Potter fans snapped the first copies of the novel last July 21, 2007.
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