Reading Matters: Advance Birthday Gift #2

My 21st year may soon come to a close, but my love for books won't

Last Saturday, I, along with some colleagues, were able to drop by the 35th Manila International Book Fair at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City. Of course, you know what happened next.

I spent bucks on books. I'm not telling how much but I'm assuring that it was a really good deal for 8 titles. It's a good addition to my birthday gift bucket.

Below are the titles I got:

1-2. Isang Napakalaking Kaastigan & A-Side / B-Side (Vlad Bautista Gonzales) - Bought this because of the author. He was one of those frequently recommended professors by my peers in UP but no matter how hard I tried, I didn't get any chance of winning a slot in any of his classes. By the time of writing, I am reading Isang Napakalaking Kaastigan and enjoying the collection of short stories. Oh, and his writing actually reminds me of Bob Ong. Actually, there are circulating rumors that Sir Vlad, is indeed, Bob Ong - but I guess we'll never know.

3. Para Kay B (Ricky Lee) - Finally! No need to discuss why I bought this. Ricky Lee is Ricky Lee.

4. Manila Noir (Jessica Hagedorn, Ed.) - Part of the Noir series by Akashic books, the fact that its setting is Manila makes it more interesting. Aside from that, I personally like the list of contributors; Lourd de Veyra, Budjette Tan, Jose Dalisay, etc. Lastly, who would say no to the concept of noir?

5. Parang Kayo, Pero Hindi (Noreen Capili) - Yeah, it may be one of those Wattpad books, but the #whogoats are definitely strong on this one! (Fact: I already have a list of friends who want to borrow the book after I finish reading it. Yeah, because #whogoats)

6. The Lost World (Michael Crichton) - An addition to my Crichton collection (not much of a fan but grew up reading his books), The Lost World, as we all know, is about dinosaurs - and dinosaurs interest me. This book is also the cheapest of the bunch (and the only foreign lit) as I got this for only 10 pesos.

7. Tonio Tikbalang, Vol. 3 (Jake Vicente) - Some would notice the resemblance of the book to Trese series, since the story also involves creatures of the underworld thriving with society. though Tonio Tikbalang is a bit comical in content.

The last title was actually bought 1 week before the MIBF, but I might as well include it here.

8. Ang 13 Pasaway (Jun Cruz Reyes, Ed.) - Powerhouse list of contributors! If you don't have a copy yet, I suggest you get one! I got my copy at Fully Booked Mall of Asia. Also, can I stress how much I love Fully Booked for having copies of this? I usually check National Bookstore for my Phil. Lit. needs, so it was surprising for me to see this book on the shelves of Fully Booked. I really hope they'll sell more Filipino titles soon!

Great bunch, right? Now take a look at this stack of books I need to read:

Happy reading to me, indeed!

Ang Ipis na Lumalangoy sa Asido

Q: Kung ipis ka, bakit sa lahat ng pwede mong languyan ay itong asidong ito?

Hindi rin alam nung ipis. Sa totoo lang, kung may choice din naman ito ay mas gugustuhin niyang maambunan ng Baygon na ginagamit pamatay nung babae sa counter na matagal na nilang tinataguan ng kaniyang mga repa. Ibang klase na rin naman ang Baygon sa ngayon, hindi na nangangalingasaw na parang kimikal, amoy citrus na! Kaya kung sakali mang matepok ka rito ay para ka na ring pinabanguhan bago dalhin sa iyong huling hantungan - ang basurahan. Mas mabuti nga rin sigurong mahampas ng tsinelas at mag-play dead, for more chances of living.

Pero hindi 'yun ang kapalaran ng ipis na ito. sa hindi niya ring malamang dahilan ay napadpad siya sa isang madilim at mamasa-masang lugar, kung saan naramadaman niya ang likidong unti-unting bumabalot sa kaniyang katawan - mula sa maliliit nitong paa, sa antennae, hanggang sa maninipis nitong pakpak. Hindi na siya sigurado kung mainit o malamig sa lugar na iyon, dahil sa likidong pumapaso sa pagka-insekto nito. Kakaiba ang pakiramdam - di hamak na mas matindi ito sa Baygon nung babae sa counter.

Hindi ganito ka-vivid ang memorya ng ipis sa kung ano ang nangyari. Ang huli lang niyang natatandaan ay ang kaniyang pamamasyal sa tabi ng lutuan nitong babae sa counter. Nakabibighani kasi ang amoy ng kaniyang nilulutong burger, mga apat iyon. Sa pamamasyal ay napaisip siya kung gaano sila kaswerte ng kanyang mga repa - napakalapit nga naman sa source of food ang kanilang lungga. Kaunting lingat lang ng babae sa counter ay maaari na nilang atakihin ang kung anumang tira sa luto nito - maliliit na piraso ng burger, bread crumbs, kaunting thousand island dressing, rapsa! Dapat nga lang maging maingat, dahil ang kung sinumang mahuli ay tiyak na maaambunan ng amoy citrus na Baygon ng babaeng ito.

Hindi ugali ng ipis na ito na mamasyal habang nandito pa ang babae sa counter. Mas gusto kasi nilang magkukumpare na sa gabi na lang umatake, pagkauwi nung babae sa counter. Madilim man, wala namang kalaban. Hindi naman nila habol ang tira-tira dun sa lutuan sapagkat dun sila dumidiretso sa lalagyan ng ingredients nung babae sa pagluluto ng burger. Hindi talaga ugali ng ipis na ito na mamasyal habang nandito pa ang babae sa counter, hindi rin niya alam kung bakit niya ginawa 'yun. Siguro nga'y pag panahon mo na, panahon mo na.

Sa mga huling sandali ng ipis na ito, nag-flashback ang buong buhay niya. Itong huling pamamasyal, lahat ng escapades nilang mare-repa sa dilim, ang kanilang paninilip sa babae sa counter, pagtikim ng hilaw na burger, medyo lutong burger, sunog na burger at kung anu-ano pa. Naisip din niya ang kanyang pamilyang naghihintay sa kaniya. Hindi nila alam kung anong nangyari dahil paniguradong hindi na nila makikita ang kanyang bangkay - unti-unti na kasing tinutunaw ng asido ang kanyang maliit na katawan. Sinubukan niyang igalaw ang kaniyang mga paa, pero hindi na niya ito maramdaman. Sa huli'y hinayaan na lang niya ang kaniyang sariling lumangoy sa asido, sabay sabi ng kaniyang pamamaalam sa mundong ibabaw.

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Hindi ko alam kung paano naatim ng tiyan kong kainin ang burger na 'yun. Hindi ko rin alam kung papaano naaatim ng babae sa counter na manatili sa maruming lugar na 'yun. Katakawan siguro 'to, sayang din kasi yung tatlumpung pisong cheeseburger, buy 1 take 1 na.

Reading Matters: The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

Here's a confession, don't get sore about it - I just finished reading J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye.

I know this book is not everyone's cup of tea, and a lot have also expressed hatred towards the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, and the book in general, but to be honest, I liked it. I don't know if it's a good thing - relating to Holden's twisted sense of perceiving the world and all, but for me, it's an assurance that I am just about as normal, or not. I can relate to Holden sometimes, but I can also list down a lot of things I don't like about him. If he's actually existing, I'd probably despise his attitude, but then propose a marriage to some of his philosophical views (read: some). I am sure Holden is quite depressing himself too, and that's the reason why he is the catcher in the rye - seeing how much he wanted to catch his little sister, Phoebe, from becoming another him - a wrecked kid due to the stresses put on to him by his past misadventures, his parents, the academe, among others. In a powerful metaphor delivered by Salinger, Holden compared his thoughts on ideal child rearing to a carousel ride.

"All the kids kept trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she'd fall off the goddam horse, but I didn't say anything or do anything. The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them." (page 211)

Love him or hate him, admit it, Holden's connection to you made you react that way - and Salinger effectively did his job.

As for the people who are lashing on Holden's exaggerated profanities and overused phrases - aren't we the same? Do you expect a well-written consciousness? Given that this is Holden's mind being put to words, I don't see anything wrong. It's not that I do this when I speak to people, but I do overuse the word "shit" and "what" in my head. We all have those cliche' expressions and complex or crude thoughts we'd rather not expose. I honestly think my mind can come up with a more twisted book than this. I'm not kidding.

If there's one thing that upsets me right now, it's the fact that this book is highly relate-able. Some who have read it during their teens have an entirely different perception of it now. Does this mean I'm still immature, rebellious and full of angst? Does this mean I am not through with the coming of age phase? Am I bizarre? With these questions in mind, I'm looking forward to the day I'll be able to re-read this and have my views challenged again.

To sum things up, this book is insightful and quite intellectual, though not stellar, I'm still happy to recommend this.

Advance Birthday Gift

Everyone take a look, I got something!

Yes, I got a ukulele.

After giving up on my guitar that has yet to be fixed, and giving in to the constant demands of people, I've decided to join the hipster circle.

Guess what? I got that second hand tropical fruit themed Mahalo ukulele online for only $20, from the original $50 price, and it comes with a gig bag, a pick and a tuner. It was definitely a good deal since Mahalo is a decent ukulele brand and the instrument itself doesn't look like a pass-on item at all - works and looks perfect - aside from a few scratches.

As someone who knows how to play the guitar, studying how to play the ukulele is no big deal. The only trouble would be memorizing the chords, but the rest is just as similar. I honestly think playing the ukulele is easier, since you only have to maneuver your fingers over four strings and smaller frets, so I would highly suggest this to friends who'd like to try an instrument. Nonetheless, first timer or not, a ukulele is a good stepping stone to the string family.

PS: My birthday would be in a few weeks! How about some gifts?

My First Attempt in Traditional Art

We dry deluged hearts,
drenched from the storm, seeking warmth
'til we love again.