2014 World Book Night Invitation

Take part in this year's biggest celebration of book sharing and giving. If you are interested to join as a community book giver, click the image above for details or click Registration. As a prospective giver, you can give away any any book you want - one you already own, or one you buy specially, new or second-hand.  You can also choose whoever you want to give the book to – a friend, a member of your community, a complete stranger.  What the World Book Night organizer ask is that you give your book with the aim of helping someone develop the same love of reading that you have.

Mega Book Sale at National

This is something not to be missed. I visited the store last night and unexpectedly, I saw a big crowd - busy browsing and reading from the huge files of assorted books and school supplies. After an hour, I brought home 8 books worth total 292 pesos only! Aside from pocketbooks there are academic books and reference materials, including children publications.

Free ebook on how to conduct research projects: theses and dissertations

Introduction to Scientific Research Projects is a concise introduction on how to conduct an undergraduate research project. It also explores different components of dissemination such as poster, oral, viva, and thesis.Thus, it makes an easy and enjoyable read for both students and teachers.

BookFace: Read my mind by Atty Mel Sta. Maria

My 6-year old niece browsing the book...

ONE OF THE FEW BOOKS I HAVE READ recently authored by a Filipino. The book contains essays and commentaries originally posted on-line (Interaksyon.com). The writer, Mel Sta. Maria is a legal adviser/lawyer, a professor and a radio/tv commentator (Relasyon at TV5).

Because of curiosity I bought the book from National Bookstore (Cubao branch). Even though, I am a regular listener of his radio program, I do not even read his regular column in Interaksyon.com. 

Just a few things about the book:
1. The book has 15 sections with timeless subjects with personal and national importance. Straight forward commentaries... The first section on Sabah is perfect to be in the first few pages of the book. Atty Mel's opinions are relevant and with substance that for ordinary people could understand and encouraging us to come up with our own judgment. His criticisms are not "below the belt", but witty, especially with sensitive issues;
2. I suggested that this book is a timely and special Xmas gift to our dear President, P-NOY and his advisers to address the Sabah conflict, and other political concerns. (If someone close to our President and Cabinet members wants to give a gift);
3. I am also an educator and do feel same with Atty Mel's teaching experience on how we inspire young kids to be of service to unfortunate kababayans and inspire them to be professional on their chosen careers;
4. I do agree with Atty Mel's stand concerning Carlos Celdran's case, and VP Binay for his future candidacy as President in 2016 election...and of course the author's advice on how the government will address Sabah's territorial conflict is commendable;
5. On a lighter note, there is something lacking in the author's commentaries regarding "Inspirational Loss" and "MVP-Ateneo Misunderstanding". Finally, I did smile while reading his Jesuit's anecdote - even GOD S.J. cannot help but to get a side! And finally, the author's hilarious teaching situations with his students... they were really funny but witty;
6. Finally, Atty Mel's collection of photos with big personalities/celebs are authentic, absolutely they were "not photo shopped"; and
7. By the way, just one minor suggestion. A list of references or bibliographies should be added in the book for readers familiarize with the various laws and legal documents (including original sources) referred/cited in the text. 

OVERALL, the book is an eye opener to current events and issues facing the country... Commentaries from Atty Mel provided a better understanding of the issues presented in each of the essays and much an appreciation of the Philippine legal system.

Unusual story of Beatrice and Virgil (Yann Martel)

“To my mind, faith is like being in the sun. The shadow is doubt. And it goes wherever you go as long as you stay in the sun.” 

This is about Henry's fate when he met a professional – a taxidermist who preserves, treats, and mounts different kinds of dead animals. Beatrice and Virgil are the main characters of a play written by the taxidermist. He (taxidermist) shared their story by reading the script during Henry's regular visits to his Okami Taxidermy shop. Henry became obsessed with taxidermist's storytelling on the lives of a donkey and a monkey which also led to the former discovery of the latter strange behavior.

Yann Martel's story has a disturbing and unhappy ending with strange turns of events. At the end of the book, he included the games that Beatrice and Virgil enjoyed to play. For instance, Game #1: Your ten-year old son is speaking to you. He says he has found a way of obtaining some potatoes to feed your starving family. If he is caught, he will be killed. Do you let him go?

For Game #11: Of your community of 1,650 souls, 122 have survived. You hear that your entire extended family is dead, that your house has been taken over by strangers, that all your possessions have been stolen. You also hear that the new government wants to turn a new page and address the errors of the past. Do you return home?

And finally, Game #12: A doctor is speaking to you: "This pill will erase your memory. You will forget all your suffering and all your loss. But you will also forget your entire past." Do you swallow the pill?

This book was registered in Bookcrossing and released/received in March 2011 during a Bookcrossing-Northern Ireland meet-up in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It took me more than 2 years to finally read and release it here in Manila. Click the image above for the release notes and the book journey. Hope this book will travel well and inspire others to release more books in the wild...!

My personal donation to a community public library in the Philippines

I HAVE COLLECTED A NUMBER OF MAGAZINES during my residency in Northern Ireland. For almost 3 years, I did not subscribe to any publication, but I buy every issue per month. These magazines include: Stuff (the world's best-selling gadget magazines), Digital Camera, Practical Photography, T3 (The gadget magazine), Digital Photo, and many others. More than a hundred copies were collected and sent back to the Philippine after I completed my studies.

Lately, I decided to donate these magazines to our local community library, Quezon City Public Library located in Cubao, Quezon City, Metro Manila. Instead of keeping them in the box, it is more useful if these mags will be displayed and share to other local residents who regularly visit the library.

Aside from these mags, a number of pocket books are also donated. Some of these books were also registered at BookCrossing to track down their journey. The officer-in-charge was happy enough to accept my personal collection.

I am just hoping that this contribution to the library will increase the readership and inspire others to travel and take photos while traveling.

Note: I got an official letter from the librarian, thanking me of my donation. Some of the copies of the magazines will be displayed in the main library of the city. I also decide to donate copies of my postgraduate theses to the library very soon. 

No Limits the will to succeed – Michael Phelps with Alan Abrahamson

So many people along the way, whatever it is you aspire to do, will tell you it can’t be done. But all it takes is imagination. You dream. You plan. You reach. There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, with belief, with confidence and trust in yourself and those around you, there are not limits - Michael Phelps

Michael is considered as one of the greatest American athletes that we have known today, especially after his unprecedented eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. In 2012 London Games, he continued to excel by surpassing his previous world swimming records.

This book somehow reveals Michael’s personal strategy to achieve these great successes in the pool. As sections of the book, he identifies the key attitudes and factors that influence his remarkable performance, namely: perseverance, belief, redemption, determination, confidence, courage, will and commitment.

Michael says that:

I just wanted to make sure I took every single moment in and every single swim in, every single moment with my teammates, so I would remember them. I don’t want to forget anything that happened.

BookFace: Battle Hymn of the tiger mother

The author, Amy Chua fearlessly concludes that a Chinese mother believes:

(1) Schoolwork always comes first; (2) An A-minus is a bad grade; (3) You children must be two years ahead of their classmates in maths; (4) You must never compliment your children in public: (5)  If your child ever disagrees with a teacher or coach, you must always take side of the teacher or coach; (6) The only activities your children should be permitted to do are those in which they can eventually win a medal; and (7) The medal must be gold.

She adds up that,

there’s another huge difference between raising dog raising and Chinese parenting. Dog raising is easy. It requires patience, love, and possibly an initial investment of training time. By contrast, Chinese parenting is one of the most difficult things I can think of. You have to be hated sometimes by someone you love and who hopefully loves you, and there’s jut no letting up, no point at which it suddenly becomes easy.

ENRICH (healthy lifestyle and living): Very enriching publication

October and November 2013

THIS IS MY FEW REVIEWS FOR MAGAZINES posted online, but it might be the first ever full review of Enrich in the Philippines. The magazine is distributed locally at Mercury Drug – a Filipino drugstore with almost a hundred 24-hour branches nationwide.   Enrich is published monthly by Mercury Media Corporation and produced by Skittles-Broke Media (Hong Kong). 

I came across with the magazine during my regular visits to Mercury to buy medicines and groceries last year. At first, I was surprised to find this at the check-out counter, just beside the cashier's machine. Not quite a common location, but I think this is something that customers could grab at the last minute of shopping, or to get the attention of customers and tempting them to browse its pages while waiting for their turn to pay. Who knows, one of them grabs a copy for only PhP65 (100 pages including cover) which is cheaper than that of other leading glossy publications available in the supermarkets and bookstores.

Lately, I decided to buy its October and November 2013 issues for personal reasons: (a) the mag featured Louvre Museum (were I spent 6 hours just to explore the entire building and meet Mona Lisa in person); (b) it featured places like Siargao (Surigao del Norte) - reminded me of my first surfing lesson in San Juan, La Union, and Dublin (Republic of Ireland) - part of my PhD thesis on urban regeneration; and (c) it offered 20% discounted rate for Mercury Suki cardholder - absolutely a big saving!

Well, because of these reasons, I was encouraged to post a comment on its Facebook account (https://www.facebook.com/enrichmagazine?fref=ts) just to inform the publisher that I finally read the magazine! Eventually, it inspired me to write a detailed review (as you are reading now) and also to share my travel experiences for those places that have I visited in the past as featured in the magazine.  Honestly, I think this is the big factor that pushed me to buy it. But I'm sure that the magazine is different from those popular travel publications even though Enrich's front cover is showcasing travel destinations locally and abroad, its main features also focusing on health, sports and medicine which others do not cater.

My first surfing lesson at San Juan, La Union

These two issues, (Volume 6, Issues 63 and 64, October and November, respectively), contain interesting places that I had the opportunity to explore in the past.  In particular, October issue featured Siargao Island (Surigao del Norte), Dublin City (Republic of Ireland), and Louvre Museum (France), while November continued to carry-on with Louvre Museum's artwork. 

Siargao's article reminded me of my first attempt to surf in San Juan, La Union last year. What a surprise, I did well in my first ride on board and instantly, it made me think to consider it as a regular holiday sporting event! To find out more of my surfing adventure, CLICK HERE. 

One of the hostels at the Temple Bar area

"Georgian & Gorgeous Dublin" (written by Shalini Mitra) highlights city's tourism infrastructure – from historical buildings to downtown night life. I was a little bit disappointed of the article because of the limited attractions (with photos) covered in the article. I thought that, the author missed-out some of the most relevant attractions at the city center like the Irish colorful doors, statue of James Joyce, Stephen Green Park, monuments, and other prominent old buildings (aside from Trinity College). She did not mention the "special token" given to visitors upon arrival at the viewing deck of Guinness Storehouse, aside from a free sip of the Irish "black beer". Until now, this small gift is safely kept and one of my most priceless souvenirs.  If you are interested to find more about my Dublin escapades, please CLICK HERE and HERE.

I love reading pocket books, and Dan Brown's books are always in my top list, including Da Vinci Code which is featured in both issues. Interestingly, the article entitled, " Following the Da Vinci Code: Trail at the Louvre" highlights the factual truth why Dan Brown chose Louvre as one of the settings for his former book.  The two parts of the article somehow reminded me of my 6-hour stay in the museum 5 years ago. Indeed for 9Euro, my admiration to more than 35,000 pieces of decorative art, sculptures, paintings, drawings, and antiques is indescribable! I took hundreds of photographs but these images are enough to capture the richness of Louvre's collection. Indeed, another visit to the museum is something to look forward to in the future. Again, more stories of my tour to Paris, CLICK HERE and HERE. 

I spent 6 hours inside the museum

Other enriching and informative sections of the mag include "This Month in History" which showcase important historical events and personalities that shape our civilization;  "Physical Fitness Formulas"  that covers a simple techniques, exercises and workouts for various body parts; "Our Weird and Wonderful World  is a "quirky news" that highlights
some of the unusual and strangest things happening on Earth; and " What.com" provides a quick review of useful Pinoy websites available on the worldwide web.

And most importantly, the sports, medical and health sections are very educational and helpful. I think Enrich is commendable on this regard! Why? These articles can help increase the level of awareness for healthy lifestyle and simple living among Filipinos. 

The glass dome -entrance to the museum

For example, October and November issues featured the following topics: indicators of stress, diabetes as so called lifestyle disease, thyroid disease, stem cell therapy, common health problems that affect call center agents, recognizing genius abilities among children, sweet addiction, and hormonal fluctuations and dominance.  It is also interesting to mention the article (November issue) that tells us the on-going health caravan project of the Philippine Department of Health which started in 2011. This "Journey to a Healthy Life" aims to increase the awareness on practices related to maternal and child health and nutrition. This is a very noble cause of the Philippine government in combating malnutrition and malpractices on family planning.

Not to be the least, Enrich has promotional offers that are available to Mercury Drug valued customers.  There are discounted coupons (detachable from the magazine) to be collected and redeemed anytime for specific products available in the drugstore in a limited promotional period.

I have only one comment for the cover story and front lay-out of Enrich. This is not really a downside of the publication, but rather to enhance the marketability of it. In order not to be mistaken as a "travel" magazine, I suggest that the cover photo/page should have bigger thumbnails of the regular health featured articles, having the same importance with the featured travel destination sections. But so far, the current lay-out of the pages (articles versus ads), quality of the images, font color/size are technically above the standards for a wide spectrum of readership, not only in the Philippines but also abroad.

FOR PROSPECTIVE READERS out there, there is a special promo for a one year subscription.  At Php624 (Metro Manila area) for 12 issues, you get a free Mercury Drug Suki card plus a copy of the 13^th issue. A 20% discount (Php52) per issue is also extended to existing valued Suki card holders. The Suki card allows customers of the drugstore to accumulate points from purchases and these points will be converted into cash as payments for future purchases. Monthly newsletter is also available and it can be downloaded from its website at: www.enrich.com.ph.

BookFace: Combating changing climate

These books are relevant nowadays. Aside from being my personal reference materials in teaching Environmental Engineering at the university, these books provide updated ideas in combating climate change.  Happy Go Local (Linsly Donnelly) features interviews and tops from professionals in the sustainable movement; Ten Technologies (Chris Goodall) provides the technologies that significantly reduce emission or extract large volumes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere; Clean Tech Revolution ( Ron Pernick and Clint Wilder) also highlights eight major clean-technologies: solar energy, wind power, biofuels/biomaterials, green buildings, personal transportation, the smart grid, mobile applications, and water filtration; and finally Climate Change: The Challenge To All of Us (Sean McDonagh) explains on how the churches have responded to global warming.

   

It is very important to note that Ten Technologies identifies and explores in improving the planet's carbon sinks through our soils and forests, efficient homes, and fuel cells - the best available repository for excess carbon resulting from mankind's action.

Discounted books and Kobo (Philippines) Launching: Courtesy of Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) 2013

THE RAIN POURED SO HARD but it did not stop me to catch the last hours of MIBF on its final day in SMX Convention Hall Complex last week. This is a 5-day event and still I did the last-minute visit to the venue despite the heavy rain pouring the metropolis. Thanks to MRT and I reached the venue 2 hours prior to closing!

One of the highlights of my visit was a friendly chat to the product representative of Kobo e-reader. Through National Bookstore, this latest gadget is introduced to the Filipino readers and officially launched in NBS website over the weekend. Technical features and specifications for Kobo Tablet and eReader are already posted for browsing and for possible online orders/purchases. I'm already a member Kobo-Hongkong using my playbook Blackberry since last year. Once in a while, it offers discounted rates thru its regular newsletter send to members. The Hunger Games (Part 1) is my first e-book purchased from the website. For easy access to Filipino ebooks with Philippine peso tag prices, I decided to open an account in Kobo-Philippines.

Unfortunately, it is currently experiencing technical problem after I upgraded the current version of the application in my playbook gadget. However, I can access my e-books library using other computer units in the internet cafe/shop.

Only four books I managed to buy from the event. Two books (Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less; Cat O'Nine Tales) by Jeffrey Archer at PhP20 each from Goodwill Bookstore; only one book from NBS entitled The God of Small Things (A Booker Prize Winner); and two books (Alex Cross, Run of James Patterson; and Building and Managing Ebook Collections) courtesy of iFlickPhotoBook as souvenir deals for a photo shoot (as shown above).

BookFace: Travelling - locations, events and destinations

PLANNING TO TRAVEL ELSEWHERE? These books are excellent guides to places and events for us to enjoy. Despite its thickness and weight (almost one kg for each book), these publications provide invaluable source of information for travellers and the like searching for future escapades or looking for another getaway to experience different cultures, festivals and sporting events.

"501 Must-Visit Destinations" contains 544 pages divided into 5 major sections: Africa; America & the Caribbean; Asia; Australasia & Oceania; Europe & the Middle East; and written by a team composed of our of travel writers.

With the beautiful iconic shot of the magnificent Taj Mahal (India) as the front cover, aside from a descriptive page (with a photo) for each attraction, it also provides brief description – what is it to explore, where is it located, what is there to see, when is the best time to go or visit, and how to get there. Some of them contain additional short notes of the historical importance and interesting trivia of the featured places.

Interestingly, some of the places featured in the book that I want to go are as follows:

Africa: Mount Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar (Tanzania), Victoria Falls (Zambia), The Valley of the Kings at Luxor (Egypt), El Djem (Tunisia). For Americas and the Caribbean: Blue Lagoon (Jamaica), Iguaza Falls (Argentina), Rio del Janeiro (Brazil), Easter Island (Chile), Galapagos Island (Ecuador), Quebec City Winter Carnival (Canada),  Miami South Beach (US), Grand Canyon (US), Yellowstone National Park (US),  Mt St Helens (US). 

For Asia: The Great Wall (China), Mt Fuji (Japan), Varanasi (India), Taj Mahal (India), Angkor (Cambodia), Komodo National Park (Indonesia), Palawan Island (Philippines), Phang-Nga Bay (Thailand), The Tunnels of Cu Chi (Vietnam). While for Australasia & Oceania: Uluru (Australia), The Great Barrier Reef (Australia), Blue Mountains (Australia). 

Finally, for Europe & the Middle East: Mont-St-Michel (France), Berlin (Germany), Octoberfest (Germany), Amsterdam (The Netherlands), The Van Gogh Museum (The Netherlands), Geneva (Switzerland), The Scottish Lochs (UK), Oxford (UK), Stonehenge (UK), Prague (Czech Republic),  St Petersburg (Russia), The Kremlin and Red Square (Russia), The Acropolis (Greece), Venice (Italy), Assisi (Italy), Ohrid (Macedonia), Barcelona (Spain), Cordoba (Spain), The Blue Mosque (Turkey), Jerusalem (Israel), The Dead Sea (Israel), Petra (Jordan).

On the other hand, "501 Must-Be-There Events" features an amazing array of events being celebrated all year round in different parts of the world. The book is divided into 8 sections highlighting the selection of celebrations, festivities and sporting events from North America to Africa, and from Europe to Asia. 

Of course, there are interesting events that I want to attend in the future such as: Celebration of Light Festival (Canada), Sundance Film Festival (US), The Super Bowl (US), The New York Marathon (US), Rio Carnival (Brazil) – as the front cover of the book, Nobel Peace Prize Concert (Norway), Gothenburg Book Festival (Sweden), The Boat Race (UK), Edinburgh Festival (UK), St Patrick;s Day (Ireland), International San Sculpture Festival (Netherlands), Cannes Film Festival (France), San Isidro Bullfighting Festival (Spain), Easter Mass in St Peter's Square (Italy), Dubai World Cup (UAE), Dubai Shopping Festival (UAE), Dragon Boat Festival (China), Singapore Lantern Festival (Sngapore), Sinulog and Ati-atihan Festivals (Philippines), Gold Coast Indy 300 (Australia)

After reading these books, I feel that there are so many places to discover in this amazing world and more years to discover them. I understand that the collections included in the books are only selection of the writers. Yes, there are more desired and interesting places and events to be added in the list that each one of us wants to visit and experience in the future.

BookFace: (Filipino) Ebooks for Kids...free download...

ONE OF THE POPULAR POSTS I shared in my blogsite was posted two years ago about free e-books in Filipino. How did I know it? Well, I have this icon in my sidebar that reflects the readers or visitors of the post: Filipino E-books for Free. This is a live traffic feed (Feedjit) in real time which shows the location who clicked/viewed and the title of the posts in my blogsite. This is an easy way to determine which posts I have popular or got more attention in the cyberspace.

Recently, I  received a comment from a reader: "Hello Reymos, I was hoping that you could help me.I have 7yrs old daughter. I want her to learn how to read Filipino books. Is there any books for kids that i can download from your books...Thanks."  My straightforward response is: "I do not have links for Filipino books online dedicated for young readers." However, I can help it out...this is the reason why I posted this journal to help the parent of this 7-yr old girl and hopefully other guardians to find time in telling stories to their children!

Few weeks ago, I visited a local library near my residence for personal reasons. This is a branch library being managed by a local government in one of the cities in Metro Manila. You might be asking me: why I visited this particular library?

Well, for good reasons... Firstly, this is part of my future feature in my blog - to introduce local libraries in the metropolis...Secondly, I want to donate some of my old magazines in photography and travel to the library as part of its collection. These mags are just stored inside the balikbayan boxes for years now! These are old issues but I believe the information written in the publications are still relevant nowadays. Thirdly, I want to offer my knowledge in blogging and photography thru the library. I can volunteer myself in the library's regular outreach programs such as computer literacy tutorials.

The librarian was so enthusiastic to listen to my suggestions and proposals...She even introduced the library's website. This was the reason why I can help it out to find free e-books for children! Why? The librarian informed me that the library has a collection of e-books for Filipino young readers and old ones who can still read stories to kids. So now, I am sharing this to you!

The International Children's Digital Library (ICDL) contains a collection of books from around the world, including from the Philippines. Aside from ICDL, there are additional e-books for international readers. Check it out by clicking the logo below.

NOTE: For other Filipino e-books for free reading, CLICK HERE...

BookFace: Religion and Globalization

Another set of discounted books from BestSellers (sister company of National Bookstore) which will be added to my collection. This is different from the majority of my books considering that these two book faces tackle religion. In particular, Reconciliation is a personal account of Bhutto during her final months in Pakistan after her historic return to Karachi on October 18, 2007, consequently to her assassination on December 27, 2007. She argues that "the UK and US supported some groups that have only short-term interest..." She implies that dictatorship leads to terrorism...

The second book is very enlightening one...written by His Holiness The Dalai Lama.He explains that "...to foster the beneficial potential of religion in the world, the faith traditions must find a way of relating to each other with mutual acceptance and genuine respect." The Dalai Lama adds up that "the highest form of compassion, as a practice in daily life is selfless service to others..."

BookFace: Stories about Japan

  

For curiosity sake, I grabbed a copy of Rashomon after reading its review in a travel magazine. I was convinced to read the book considering that it only contains 123 pages of short stories which some of them have sense of humor. I found it in National Bookstore (Philippines) for a regular price (bit expensive for few pages). I was truly convinced by the review that the author is one of the best writers in Japan and Rashomon was also adapted for film production. But honestly after reading it, I was a bit disappointed because I could not see any connection from the stories and characters to my own interest in storytelling. .

 As one of the goodreads' members commented that he was "not overwhelmed with pleasure at reading these stories." ... He continues,  "I don't have the required knowledge or appreciation of the place and time they were written but I just didn't find myself caring one way or another about the outcome of the stories."

The other book, Kuhaku was also from the National Bookstore's  discounted corner (70%). It was really a bargain grab! I enjoyed the essays based from the experiences of selected Japanese people and foreigners who decided to live in Japan for work and family. I do like the packaging of the book - from the cloth-type cover to the lay-out, including a glossary of Japanese terms at the end of the book! By the way, the word, "kuhaku" means blank, void empty space...A blank  in one's memory.