I recommend this book to my friends and neighbors, foes alike.
This cover is much better though than the one I have. (There are multitudes of copies in Fully Booked).
I can't wait to see it with the gold, Newberry medal.
There is no greater medal, in my humble opinion, than the Newberry medal. It ranks up there with the Nebula, the Hugo, the Nobel, the Oscar and the Toronto Film Festival award. Oh, to win one of these :)
There are times when I really love America and the awards they give.
I've been on a reading clip recently. I just finished Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman and not long before that The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux. I'm in the middle of reading The Happy Isles of Oceania also by Theroux but I got sidetracked by the magnificent book at the top of this post.
I get most of my books from Fully Booked, but some I have to get by special order from my consolidator in the States (my sister ;) ) In the meantime, Fully Booked will do. They are not yet perfect, but they will do for now.
But as time moved on it got more complicated. There is no denying that art can uplift, provoke, foment revolution. But in the end it is simply something you hang on the wall or fill up a space.
I went to the National Museum yesterday and I am forever enthralled by that painting that they call the Spolarium. Yeah, I know that there are bigger, grander, more famous paintings in the world. But this one is ours. And there is no denying that it is beautiful.
So it began to make me wonder, what indeed is art? What makes Michaelangelo greater than Felix Resurrecion Hidalgo?
Indeed it's the power to uplift, consensus and timing.
I guess I am bursting with pride because the National Museum is changing its stripes and is becoming more progressive in its art exhibition.
Last year I was fortunate enough to go to PS1, a branch of Moma off Manhattan with shmartypants and I wished, I wondered when we would have one here.
And we do! The National Museum has converted some of their aging and neglected rooms (and they would've been condemned if they weren't part of a national building) into one of the greatest least developed venues of modern art in the Philippines. It was a stroke of genius. Whoever thought of doing this should be lauded. Modern art (and classical) have forever been looking for venues in the Philippines. So why not the National Museum which has room to spare in the first place?
So check out the modern art and the classical stuff at our National Museum. Viva La Art!
Just as Friendster gives way to Facebook. Livejournal and Blogger gives way to Wordpress. It's just so pretty. I'm still going to keep this account because I love everybody's writing too much. And besides nobody really stays away from livejournal for long anyway.
So anyway, I can be found on beaconbackpackers.wordpress.com. Beacon Backpackers
Anyway, on a more positive note, I would like to recommend the following book
I may not agree with how he suggests to fix things (except maybe for his concept of legitimacy) but Fareed Zakaria's book is, well, one for the books. In it he writes about how the rest of the world is rising up to (American?) ideals of democracy and capitalism. How we all, including the Philippines, want a piece of that pie. I'm reading another book about how America should react to this, but I don't like writing about books I have not yet finished. Anyway, basically he is saying that America must respect the fact that it has won the war. Democracy, capitalism, free speech is flourishing all around the world and in varying degrees is the only way to go for the world. A Pax Americana, a Pax Everyone-a. It is very heartening to see such optimistic views of the future. I wish my dad was here to see it unfold. In spite of everything, I still like the overall track the world is following in the 21st century. We have more peace and prosperity than the media and some Cassandras would make it seem. Anyway, if you have the time, read the book. It's well worth your time.
Recently, Drudge Report patted itself on the back and said that it was one of the top political pundits of America, the other one was Tim Russert of Meet The Press. Forgive my bias, but I am more likely to lean towards the second one. But I love them both. Anyway, Russert and Drudge are announcing Obama already. It's just a matter of time.
We usually visit Makati Med for Rache's OB check up and this started my quest to explore the best Legaspi Village Cafes. I heard about Azure a long time ago because of its one-of-a-kind adobo pasta and the chocnut shake. When you enter this small cafe owned by Dely Fernandez, you will be greeted by welcoming smiles amidst decoration of lighthouses, boat wheels, anchors and oars. One thing we love about the Makati Cafes is that the prices are P200 or less and it is inclusive of VAT and service charges. These cafes are not threatening and you can come as you are without inviting stares from people.
I also love to blog about these cafe gems in Makati because often times they are neglected. These places serves good food at reasonable prices and with a welcoming atmosphere like a neighborhood store. You should really try their Adobo Pasta if you are a foodie :)
Azure Cafe
Ground Floor S&L Building Dela Rosa cor. Esteban St. Legaspi Village Makati City Tel# +632 817 3446, +632 813-0395
Minimum Delivery of P200. Store hours: 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday Happy Hour: 4pm-7pm
The nice thing about livejournalizing is that you don't have to finish an article to get it published. All it does is take up some space in some server farm somewhere and until some environmentalist somewhere finds something wrong with that, I'm just gonna keep on posting. :)
Anyway, recently I had to read some book for school called New Literacies: Everyday Practices and Classroom Learning. The book cost me a cool two thousand pesos but it was worth it (I wonder though if my having to pay that much affected my "liking" it). It led me to their website http://everydayliteracies.blogspot.com.
Which led me to http://wikiworld.wordpress.com/ wherein one can download a book very similar to the one I just read for FREE! I have just read the first chapter, where some Russian guy damns the educational system for perpetuating an elite that promotes high culture. How very Russian. They must've had it really bad under the tsars to have developed such a counterculture. Hey, I'm not anti-Russian (in fact I loved their chic during the Cold War) but I am starting to become aware of a particular mindset. Oh shit, or maybe I'm just a Barack loving elitist. Hehe. Two in one blow.
Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that there is a free book worth reading at http://wikiworld.wordpress.com/ and I just love it.
When I took my literacy class I didn't think it would lead me down this path. Free e-books. Sweet. I'm loving it. I just had to get these ideas out before I read the rest of the book and lose my passion. Besides a fraction of an idea can sometimes be as powerful as a whole idea. Especially if you combine many fractions together. We don't have time to read everything.
Hello friends. My friend, Pam Pascua, age 16, is suffering from cancer of the muscle. Since she entered the Music Department of St. Scho as a voice major last June (and had to eventually leave for treatment), she has undergone more than 5 cycles of chemo AND had her right leg amputated. Treatment is ongoing.
We all know the financial, not to mention emotional, burden cancer imposes on the patient and family. But just to give you an idea, ONE injection for Pam costs 5,000 pesos. And she needs EIGHT injections periodically. That's 40,000! Not to mention the cost of chemo treatments, doctor's fees and her stay at PGH.
God knows and we all know that cancer is no joke. Cancer is something that needs to be treated and treated NOW. How can you help her?
BUY A SONG FOR PAM. :)
Is there someone in your life, such as a mother or a boyfriend, or an important occasion like a birthday or anniversary that you would like to dedicate a song to, but have no relevant song in mind? I can write it for you, exactly just for that occasion or person. Specify the content, mood, style and any other details you wish to hear in the song. The song can also be made out of a poem/any text you have written for that person/occasion.
For a fee of only 300 php, you will have your song. This includes:
1. the LYRICS (unless you have provided them already) 2. the MELODY 3. the CHORDS
*Lyrics and chords, typed on paper *Additional 50 php for a LEAD SHEET or MUSICAL SCORE (containing lyrics, melody and chords)
If you want to perform this song yourself, I will teach it to you free of charge at a specified time and place.
For a fee of 400 php, you can have an additional MINUS ONE in CD format.
For a fee of 500 php, you can have the sheet music, plus your whole song, melody and accompaniment, in a CD. This includes a PLASTIC CASE and CD COVER. The CD cover will contain the TITLE and LYRICS of the song, and may include a DEDICATION from you.
The song will be ready TWO WEEKS after you have sent your order in. For CDs, THREE WEEKS.
Interested people may text me at 09279060725 or e-mail me at gmajor_scale@yahoo.com.ph. I'm also reachable on multiply as username gmajor. Please also forward this to your friends who you think would like a song made.
Whatever amount one generously gives in the service of another, in the eyes of God, that amount becomes PRICELESS. Please, let's combine our blessings for Pam! Hearing her sing freely again truly is a priceless blessing. Thank you. God bless you all. :)
I really, really adore this book. In fact it encapsulates what I probably think about every single day. I had to do a report for it at school and even though it's not that good, I posted the whole report under the cut.
They'z alzo got a blog at http://everydayliteracies.blogspot.com/ I'm not sure if the other books there are as good (they're probably not) whatever the case is, i'm hooked.
It looks like the Democrats are finally coalescing behind Obama. But, of course, it is too early to count the chickens before they hatch.
I think people are basically getting sick of Clintonesque-type politics. I, for example, like GMA but am tired of her bobbing and weaving. 2010 will be enough for her. But the Americans do not have to make do with Hillary, she has not yet been elected. Since they have a choice, they should might as well choose Obama, in my opinion.
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