Let the wild rumpus start…
May 8th
… for children’s book author, illustrator and luminary Maurice Sendak, who passed away today.
My sister went to Prague and got me this…
Apr 28th
My sister’s work sent her to Europe for a couple of months, and she sent home a whole bunch of stuff afterwards — you should see our fridge, which now contains packages of Leonidas chocolates, Cadbury creme eggs, fruit pudding, and traditional Czech spa wafers (yummmmm)!
She was based in Prague, which has a long tradition of marionette theater, and so my sister got me — what else? — a Harry Potter marionette for my collection!
Chinoiserie
Apr 14th
Holed up at the Shang with the family for my brother’s birthday — I just wanted to show you what they leave on the bedspread: bookmarks!
Summer workshops at Filipinas Heritage Library
Apr 9th
Summer’s always a great time to learn something new, and maybe even discover a new passion.
For those who want to try their hand at writing this summer, the Filipinas Heritage Library (Makati Avenue, Ayala Triangle, Makati City) is offering a host of writing and book-related workshops for kids, teens, and adults.
Sunday with Lauren Oliver
Mar 27th
It was a damp and dreary afternoon last Sunday, but not for me, and certainly not for the droves of fans who trooped to Powerbooks Greenbelt to get their books signed by New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver.
I had set off to finish four of Lauren Oliver’s books as soon as I learned I was scheduled to interview her: Liesl and Po, Before I Fall, Delirium, and Pandemonium. Liesl and Po I finished early on, but my immediate to-be-read list kept piling up and I couldn’t hack away at it fast enough — I couldn’t put down A Feast for Crows (ASOIAF has kept me glued to the pages for the past couple of months, but that’s another story you’ll read about on this blog soon enough) and I had to finish A House of Mirth for this month’s FFP book discussion (and again, another story I owe you). I had started the first few chapters of Before I Fall, but it wasn’t until Saturday night that I finally got to settle into the novel, and I have to tell you, it was so phenomenal I lost sleep over it (review soon, too!)!
I woke up late on Sunday morning, started reading Delirium, and before I knew it I was already reaching for Pandemonium and finished it in record time to meet Lauren Oliver, who was somewhat flabbergasted that I actually finished devoured all three books in less than 24 hours (hehe).
Call for Entries: Gawad Panitikang Pangkalusugan
Mar 27th
Mu Sigma Phi, the first medical sorority in the Philippines and Asia, is calling for entries for the Gawad Panitikang Pangkalusugan, a multi-awarded nationwide storybook writing competition with health as its main theme. The competition “challenges participants to break away from a clinical, straightforward and sanitized presentation of health and to mold it in a form that is enjoyable and of interest for its young audience.”
The winning stories for the project are reproduced incolorful and engaging (and bilingual!) storybooks on health for underprivileged children and families. These books not only spread awareness about relevant health issues; they also advocate literacy and education and celebrate Filipino ingenuity and culture.
Happy Hunger Games!
Mar 25th
All weekend, people have been asking me how I found the Hunger Games movie so I decided a blog post was in order for the occasion.
I think I’ve been half-excited, half-scared ever since the movie was announced, the way I am whenever a favorite book hits the big screen. Everyone knows I’m not a big fan of film adaptations — I’d be perfectly happy leaving my favorite books as they are, in my imagination, where, in my experience, they’re a whole lot better.
Lately, though, I’ve been quite, erm, reckless (hehe!) in watching film adaptations — I think, now that Harry Potter is over, I’ve conditioned myself to thinking it can’t get any worse. I’ve caught quite a number of them in the past few months — and of books I love, too! — and I admit it hasn’t been half bad. The Adventures of Tintin was awesome (but underappreciated, I think!); The Girl with A Dragon Tattoo was a bit too Hollywood for my taste (too pretty!), and Noomi Rapace will always be my choice for Lisbeth Salander, but the Hollywood version did work well as a narrative. and Hugo — it was, hands down one of the best movies I have ever seen, and *gasp* I actually enjoyed it more than the book!
Jekyll & Hyde
Mar 22nd
Last week, I watched Repertory Philippines’ off-season production of Jekyll & Hyde at Onstage, Greenbelt 1.
The musical, of course, is based on the novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, in which the character Dr. Jekyll performs a scientific experiment on himself, leading to a drastic transformation in his personality.
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