monday mumblings: moron -- not the person, charlie and the choco fact, book to bring on a trip, sicknesses in the family

Alright, I changed my mind over the weekend about reading 52.

I realized I needed to read first Infinite Crisis before hitting 52 and since I don't have a complete copy of IC yet, I have to defer reading 52 then. Makes sense, otherwise I won't understand what was going on when the storyline first emerged in the DC Universe some years back.

Instead, I found an old copy of Roald Dahl's Charlie and The Chocolate Factory sitting in my bookshelf last Friday evening and decided to read it. It's a short read, bound to be done in a few hours (if I get those few hours tonight). 

The book has already spawned a couple of theatrical releases. Initially in 1971 which was entitled Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory which the author disowned as the story focused more on Wonka (played by Gene Wilder) rather than on Charlie Bucket, the protagonist of the tale. In 2005, Johnny Depp took on the Wonka character in the more-properly adapted film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory which also starred Freddie Highmore as Charlie. I have yet to see the Gene Wilder-starrer but I've partially seen the Johnny Depp and I've liked what I seen. I will have to secure myself a DVD copy of the Tim Burton-directed film version.

Going back to the book, this is probably the youngest book I've ever read (discounting of course the books of my daughters, Ikai and Issa) and in my opinion, is a tad even younger than The Mysterious Benedict Society series.

* * * *

I'll be off on a business road trip this mid-week and while I'm hoping to get some fiction writing done, it'll be somewhat impossible given that I won't be bringing any laptop with me. It'll be back to basics pad and pen style if I do any writing. It's going to be likely more plotting and outlining rather than writing but that still going to be progress especially with a month-end deadline forthcoming.

* * * *

I'll be bringing along for the trip, A Game of Thrones. It's about time I work on this book to see what the fuss was all about and whether the next volumes of the series merit the pesos I'll be shelling out.

Depending on how long I'll be gone, I usually pack one to two books plus I carry a laptop that contains more reading materials, just in case. This time around though, I've got no rig on hand so if the PSP doesn't consume all my free time then GRRM's A Game of Thrones will be my main entertainment.

Of course, there's always cable TV.

But then again, depending on what province you travel or the type of hotel you stay in, there's no 100% guarantee the cable TV will be quite good. Better to have a good book on hand, just in case.

* * * *

Came in late for work today as Ikai had to be brought to the hospital as she's had high fever since yesterday afternoon.

Elvie and I woke up several times during the evening to monitor her temperature which hovered in the 38's. This morning, even though Ikai was singing and dancing around, her temp still hovered in the high 37's so we decided to bring her to the hospital for a check-up.

Of course, dengue is the unspoken fear we hope against the most however, the ER docs said it's quite too early to test her for that. They instead ordered a urinalysis to check whether she has UTI or a viral infection. After finally getting urine sample from Ikai after a couple of hours at the hospital, the doc told us we could take her home and observe her there. If the fever continues until tomorrow, we're bringing her back for a CBC.

Hopefully, she'll get well soon as she has practices to attend for her Twinkler Scout investiture on Friday (alas, I am away and cannot witness the occasion).

* * * *

I was in the hospital last night as well.

My father had flu-like symptoms since last Friday and after much egging, he finally permitted himself to be checked up. Good thing I was in Laguna yesterday evening and I accompanied my folks to a nearby hospital for the check-up.

CBC and urinalysis came out clear so the doc suspected viral infection in the throat area (aka trangkaso) since Papa also had a cold and slight coughing spells.

After an hour or so at the ER, my father was discharged.

* * * *

Moron (pronounced moo-ron not mow-ron) is a native delicacy of several provinces in the Philippines, namely in Leyte and Samar and most recently, I learned from Butuan as well.

It's a suman (rice-cake) made from milled rice, blended with coconut gata (coconut milk), flavored with chocolate, and wrapped in banana leaves and resembles a tamale or corndog in shape. Over the long weekend last week, I was the proponent for the making of moron at Laguna. I helped out of course, helping in stirring the quickly-massing milled rice and coconut (continuous stirring is needed to keep the mixture from sticking to the pan as it becomes a sticky dough-like substance) and in shaping the two dough flavors into small flat cakes for blending later on.

Last time my parents came home from their hometown in Samar, they brought with them commercialized moron which were sold at P75 a dozen -- freakin' robbery considering that the morons were roughly just about four inches long and an inch in diameter. In contrast, the moron we usually make at home are about half-a-ruler in length and somewhere near one and a half inches thick. 

Last night, I went home with lots of moron in a bag :P
Last week when we cooked moron at Laguna, there were still a lot of banana leaves left over. Last Friday, rather than allowing the banana leaves to go to waste, my parents decided to cook another batch of morons so that the banana leaves would become useful. How's that for reasoning? :P

late review: path of the sun

After what seemed like eons, I've finally read the 24th chapter of Path of the Sun by Violette Malan and in the process ended reading the book.

Well, I generally liked it although the ending was a bit of a disappointment, at least for me.

As this is the first Dhulyn and Parno novel I've read, I'm zero as to how their previous adventures had prospered and ended. From hints within the book, the previous adventures of the duo and their friends Gun and Mar were more engaging, I believe. It would seem to me that by the time Parno and Dhulyn appear in the Path of the Sun novel they've already achieved Steven Seagal-ish qualities in that they're in their ultimate forms -- Dhulyn already a tad more experienced with her Vision and Parno with his Pod sense along with their extra-human fighting skills as Mercenary Brothers. That is what's evident for me.

The book is a detective case, in truth. Charged with protecting their employer, Parno and Dhulyn, are however unable to ultimately to do their jobs and have to seek out the killer of their employer to exact some form of "revenge". Using skills learned from their years of training and field experience as Mercenaries, the duo (who have the penchant to call themselves affectionately as "my heart" and "my soul" while exchanging playful yet punishing blows) enter the mysterious Path of the Sun and emerge in a mirrorworld not unlike their own and thereby track the killer who, eventually as always, gets caught after a bit (yes, only a bit) of a scuffle.

There's no heavy undertones in this book, just plain straight, cop-work set in a medieval setting. Of course, the killer's motives are politically-charged -- someone feels that he should be sitting on the throne but his claim has been effectively nulled with the birth of a rightful heir. The mastermind hatches a plan that'll bring the throne to his hands and recruits the killer. Killer kills the wrong people -- Mercenary Brothers --and the Mercenary Brothers love their own -- so enter the dynamic duo of Dhulyn and Parno to solve a string of murders and in the process right the wrong in the succession.

And while the ending is unavoidable -- the mastermind will get lynched, the wronged prince gets the throne, Dhulyn and Parno live happily ever after as far as their Mercenary lives allow -- Malan doesn't tell us that. She ends the novel at Chapter 24 with Dhulyn and Parno still stuck in the mysterious labyrinthine Path of the Sun but we, the readers, know that because they have the blood of Steven Seagal, they'll move on to their next adventure in probably a couple of years or so.

A sure different way to end it, with a try at wry humor but personally, I would have preferred it if Dhulyn and Parno eventually reunited with Mar and Gun and the prince gets crowned and gets the girl who loves horses. I'm sucker for such endings that spell it out for me so I was a bit surprised when the book ended so suddenly.

But that's more of an idiosyncrasy than a real flaw in the work. The ending, despite not suiting my taste, does not deter the fact that Path of the Sun is a exceptionally-written tight piece of fiction. Despite its brevity, it tells a lot and as I've mentioned before, I wouldn't mind getting my hands on the earlier adventures of Parno and Dhulyn if they become available locally. It's also quite refreshing for me as instead of your usual magic-laden novels, the magic stuff in the novel is subtle, at many times uses dreams as its medium. We don't see lightning being summoned or fire blasts appearing out of calloused hands. Instead the magic is innate -- it's in the characters themselves.

Path of the Sun was a good read. A bit slow-paced yet engaging and definitely sustained my interest throughout.

Final Rating: 4 / 5 - If you get the chance, read it as it's worth it!

now on the grrm bandwagon

Now why did I upload the image of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series of books?

That's because I now am officially joining the bandwagon of new GRRM fanatics with my purchase of A Game of Thrones, the first novel of the series.

After reading raves and praises for the series, and after reading the short novel "The Hedge Knight", I was convinced that GRRM's books will be worth diving into.

Thanks to National Bookstore's ongoing Cut-Price Booksale (which runs until the 21st of this month), I scored the mass market paperback edition (the blue one with the sword and not the Sean Bean version) for only Php 252 about an hour ago.

Now, if the pockets become deep enough before Sunday, I will try and purchase at least the next two books at the same rate of Php 252 apiece. NBS-Greenbelt still had several copies of the next three books in the series, namely A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, and A Feast of Crows. I've only seen hardcover editions of A Dance with Dragons so far but that can wait as I still have to go through the first four novels before I ever get to ADWD.

* * * *

A quick check with my book purchases tells me that I've spent a mere Php 729 pesos from NBS' ongoing Cut-Price Booksale. I'm sure other bibliophiles' purchases have gone over the thousands. My wife will still be able to fathom my obsession with sci-fi and fantasy books :)

late review: legends 2 - new short novels by terry goodkind, george r.r. martin, & anne mccaffrey

Before I buy a music CD of an artist of which I've never heard of or only having a fleeting familiarity, I make sure I have listened to at least three songs from the prospective album before reaching into my pockets. Thank goodness for record bars that allow you to sample music (alas, no more Tower or Music One for such).

The same is true for a multi-volume series from an unknown author (at least, unread by yours truly). You would want a taste of how he or she writes before you splurge on that trilogy, pentad, or 12-volume epic or otherwise you'll be wasting several hundred pesos when you're the type like moi who otherwise buys his multi-volume series at least three books a time (a lesson I learned after completing David and Leigh Eddings' fantasy series in over three years or so).

So, the Legends 2 compilation of novellas by modern fantasy masters, edited by Robert Silverberg, comes as a sampler of sorts. The volume I have, Volume 2, collects short novels by Terry Goodkind, George RR Martin, and Anne McCaffrey -- three fantasy authors I've yet to read. The two other volumes compile short novellas by other writers like Stephen King, Silverberg, Orson Scott Card, Raymond Feist, Robert Jordan, Ursula Le Guin, Tad Williams, and Sir Terry Pratchett. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to score second-hand editions of the two other volumes from Book Sale.

But now more on Volume 2 ...

As someone who has yet to step into the popular fantasy worlds created by Goodkind, Martin, and McCaffrey, the novellas in Legends 2 act as a sampler of sorts. Even without buying the first volumes in their respective series', Legends 2 is already a good step into those worlds as these lengthened short stories are already able to give you a deeper-than-expected immersion to their respective worlds. They give you a bite, a listen, before you go on and buy the real thing.

After reading Goodkind's "Debt of Bones", set some years before Richard Cypher was born, I immediately wanted to rush to the bookstore to get my hands on "Wizards First Rule", the first in the Sword of Truth series. On the other hand, Martin's "The Hedge Knight", a scene set about a hundred years before the politically-motivated Song of Ice and Fire series intensified my belief that I should jump in the GRRM bandwagon (and also try to score a copy of the HBO TV series based on the epic). Thirdly, after some hesitation and a bit of a slow start, I found myself enjoying McCaffrey's Runner of Pern, a story about the Runners' caste in her sci-fi and fantasy mash-up set in the world of Pern. I'm sure to start looking around for other Pern books from now on.

The three novellas are all superbly written, no doubt showing the prowess of the writers and the richness and depth of the imaginative worlds they've created. While you're only shown a bit of the worlds explored in the volume, there leaves no doubt in your mind that there's a whole lot of world out there to explore for each of the three novellas in their respective series'. Instead of just being merely satisfied, you're left with a craving to know more, read more, and be immersed more. Just like the first time you traveled with Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield and his merry band of dwarves to Smaug's mountain to retrieve the Arkenstone.

I can't really say much about the writing as I've yet to compare these stories with the authors' other works, having read none before. But reading these novellas gives you a glimpse of how the authors' respective series' will "sound" like. And from my personal "sounding" of the three novellas, I liked how they sound. The full series' promise to be a treat.

First time readers of these authors will surely delight in this book. And for a read in mint condition, bought at only Php 80, this is quite a steal! Brand new sells at over Php 300 at most bookstores.

Now, I will just need to shell out a few thousand or so to buy the full series of all three authors though. Now, that's a killer.

Final Rating: 5/5

friday frolics: happy f-day, lists of books, old video games

Happy Father's Day!

That greeting goes for my Father -- Ely Ragandan, and of course, to all the fathers I know including my uncles, my cousins, my nephews, my friends, my current anf former officemates, and all the menfolk I have known who are now doting fathers to their respective sons and daughters, and yes, even grandchildren.

* * * *

Just had to put that out up front lest I don't get a chance to do it over the weekend as I'm not yet sure whether I'll have time to go online and blog.

Sadly, prior unshakeable commitments make it impossible for us to celebrate Father's Day on Sunday with my folks. And even though Monday has been declared a holiday, Elvie has work so that really ended plans for the family to go to Laguna this weekend. We'll just have to do the celebration another day then.

In any case, experience dictates that Father's Day isn't only confined to just one day -- every second, minute, hour, or day you spend with your children is already Father's Day. It's all in the mind, and in the heart :)

* * * *

And since it'll be a forthcoming three-day weekend, I hopefully can find the time to finally finish off the Hercules' Labors episode in Zeus: Master of Olympus and move on to the next episode.

While the game is an open sandbox (meaning there's really no definitive end to it), by completing the remaining two episodes (each episode consisting of about 4-5 chapters), it'll be akin to finishing the game (and then move on to the next level of difficulty). Plus, there are scores of downloadable episodes made by fans over at Zeus Heaven.

After this, I just need to locate my Poseidon expansion CD and it'll be off to Atlantean episodes thereafter :)

* * * *

When I was younger and had less responsibilities, roles, and commitments, there were lots of time to play video-games. And back then, I didn't even own my own computer.

My friend and former office-mate, Noel (Happy Father's Day, pre!), and I installed various games on our respective PCs. Since we were in marketing, we were provided with the top-of-line PCs, Noel's PC a bit more powerful than mine mainly because he doing graphic design stuff. Where did we get time to play? Well, off-hours, of course, meaning before work, during lunch-time, and after work. And yes, we even sneaked in a few minutes or so during work hours just to stave off the boredom.

I remember waking up quite early and leaving Laguna for the office before the sun was up just so I could have about 2 hours playtime. Offices opened at 9am so I was usually in the office by 7am and after a quick breakfast, went on to play. Lunch was also a quick affair -- at times done while playing. And then, staying on for another hour or so -- not for overtime work -- but to play. There was a period I was so addicted to a game that I left home at 5am just so I'll be in the office before 6am to play.

What sort of games are we talking about?

Well, some of those games I continue to play today like Zeus, Nox, and Dungeon Keeper 2. We also played the likes of Starcraft and Warcraft, plus Diablo. Noel tended more to play with action-packed games like MechWarrior, Diablo, Starcraft, Warcraft, and Half-Life while I leaned more towards simulations including Sim City, The Sims (1), and ThemePark World. I also played Odium for a while and almost finished Septerra Core but games I actually managed to finish during that time included Freedom Fighters, Max Payne 1, and Medal of Honor and its expansion packs. I also wasted a lot of hours on Grand Theft Auto III and on Asterix and Obelix. Noel and I, and sometimes with other colleagues in the department battled it out with the IT guys over Counter-Strike. It was CS that gained the notice of management. Apparently, since a lot of people played CS over the office network, the bandwidth was severely hogged by those playing that this caused the disruption of certain services including internet and email services. That ended networked games and we were back to playing solo.

Those were the days :)

* * * *

Unfortunately, Fully Booked Greenbelt didn't have copies of Philippine Speculative 6 on hand when I went there yesterday noon. They did have copies of the earlier volumes except for Volume 4 so I'll make sure to secure copies of those one of these days.

* * * *

To help me in my book prowls, I've started keeping small bits of papers in my wallet that lists down books I hope to add into my collection. This'll be helpful when I find myself deliberately or unexpectedly in bookstores and book bins with moolah to spare. At least I won't have to wrack my brains trying to remember whether I already have a book in a particular series.

Anthologies and stand-alone novels are no problem.

The problematic ones are those that are part of a series and many sci-fi and fantasy books belong to such. That won't be a problem with books by Brian Jacques which do not require you having prior knowledge from earlier books. However, if a epic story is split into a trilogy or a quad or pentad, that becomes a problem. I still have in my collection volumes 2 and 3 of the The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant which I bought on sale but have yet to secure volume 1.

My wallet now has lists for the following:

• missing books from the Redwall Series by Brian Jacques (I've actually amassed over half already of all volumes, just missing the more recent ones)
• missing books from the Left Behind series
• Isaac Asimov's Foundation and Robot series
• list of books under the Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica Series by James Owen
• George RR Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice series (seems that book 1 -- A Game of Thrones -- is usually out of stock in recent days)
• books from Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld (which like Jacques' can be read out of order but I've downloaded a reading guide some weeks ago that would help a newbie like me)

The latest list to join my bits of paper in the wallet is a list of core steampunk books that'll help one appreciate the genre.

When I get to buy a book from one of the lists, then I simply cross it out. So, these bits of paper will be staying for a while in my wallet as I'm not buying books as much as I used to.

* * * *

Happy weekend, folks!

late review: sucker punch

I have been meaning to write a movie review on Sucker Punch for quite some time now but given the tons of review people on the 'net have done about this Zack Snyder flick, it might be an exercise in futility. Nevertheless, let me give you my personal thoughts on this film.

All-girl action. Fish net stockings. Corsets. High heels. Female leads skimpily dressed. A Russian-accented dance seductress. Cabarets. Erotic dancing.

A porno-flick, maybe?

Not if you add guns of all sorts and sizes from hand-held pistols to MP5s to a rattling machine gun, a samurai sword, stick grenades, a B-17 Super Fortress, a time-activated city-leveler bomb, World War I era bi-planes, bayonets, and other weapons that cause destruction. And to add even more confusion to an already chaotic scene, add in dragons, knights, orcs, German Nazi zombie-like creatures, and an enigmatic Wise Man cum sensei cum military commander cum bus driver.

That's Sucker Punch.

But the story's not as chaotic as you think although you do have to make sure you start the film from the beginning otherwise you'll be hopelessly lost in the midst of the action, the drama, the dancing, the music, and the violence within the film.

This latest offering from director Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) is a rollercoaster ride. It's a story within a story within a story. In this film, a 20-year old girl is placed in a mental institution by her stepfather after she accidentally killed her kid sister (and we all know why, because the stepfather wanted to do something nasty to the girls after their mother died and she (the mother) left all her money to her two girls). The girl, Baby Doll, then retreats to a fantasy world where the mental institution becomes a cabaret where she and other girls are being held against their will by the club owner. However, within the cabaret fantasy world, Baby Doll further retreats into another world, a more fantastic one, that is forever pitting her and the other girl protagonists into action, and she is induced into this secondary fantasy world when she dances in the cabaret-inspired first fantasy world. Her actions however, in both fantasy worlds, have an impact to the real world of the mental institution where she and her girl-friends are able to reveal the ugliness of the institution. Baby Doll however makes the ultimate sacrifice (she is lobotomized) but her actions have allowed a fellow inmate to escape the hell they were in.

Sucker Punch is a visual geek fest. This films combines elements from manga, anime, mecha, sci-fi, fantasy, and yes, even eroticism (fetish more likely, the young-girls-in-short-skirts type) in 120 minutes of reel that, in my opinion, depicts pages from a futuristic Warhammer comic. And the musical score is probably one of the best ever done for a film. The man Snyder and his musical scorers not only made this a visual geek fest but also a fest for audiophiles.

The film's use of fantasy within a fantasy within a fantasy allows for the mixing of elements from different genres. Where else can you find machine totting girls in sexy military uniforms storm an Orc-filled castle aided by a B-17 Super Fortress? Add a dragon, a bullet train with a doomsday device, a 1940's cabaret-fronted prostitution den, and you've got a kaboodle of ideas.

But Sucker Punch is not an easy movie to follow and to be honest, I had read a synopsis and a summary of the film even before viewing it for fear that I might not get into the meat of the story. For those who like their movies linear, the complexity of Sucker Punch's progression is a bit hard to digest as the film leaps from the reality to the fantasy to another fantasy.

And looking at how netizens, movie buffs, and critics have dissected the movie, it's obvious you either hate it or love it. The sentiment for the movie is so polarized that at this early critics (both for and against Snyder) are already forecasting the outcome of the reboot of Superman which Snyder is set to helm.

Personally, I liked the movie. Not because of the story which I think could've used a little more tightening and probably another 15 minutes or so of reel time (felt hurried towards the end) to build up a more powerful (err, dramatic?) climax but because of the visual flair, the action, the soundtrack, and all the other elements that make up a good flick. Of course, the story or the script or the screenplay should've been the most important element but where the screenplay falls short all other elements come in and rescue the film. Sometimes you just have to appreciate the movie for the entertainment value. It's not always that you look for a film that wrenches you to tears or awakens a strong sense of something in you. Sometimes, you just go into a movie-house, watch a film, and enjoy it. Come on, Iron Man wasn't that too deep a movie to watch, right?

Don't look to Sucker Punch to bring home any screenplay or screenwriting award but for an overdose of action delivered by femme fatales then this movie should kickstart your butt.

Final Movie Rating: 3.5 / 5

calls for submissions to phil-spec-fic 6

The bells are a-tolling again for Pinoy spec-fic writers out there!

Philippine Speculative Fiction, an annual showcase anthology of the Philippines' talented writers in the field of speculative fiction, has sent out a call for submissions to their sixth outing. And this time, PSF6 is going digital!

PSF Editor, Nikki Alfar, will be joined by another LitCritter for this volume, Kate Aton-Osias, and they'll eagerly be awaiting submissions until midnight of November 15. Reposted here are the guidelines for submissions:

- - - - -

Calls for Submissions: Philippine Speculative Fiction 6

Editors Nikki Alfar and Kate Aton-Osias invite you to submit short fiction for consideration for Philippine Speculative Fiction volume 6.

Philippine Speculative Fiction is a yearly anthology series, which collects a wide range of stories that define, explore, and sometimes blur the boundaries of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and all things in between. The anthology has been shortlisted for the Manila Critics’ Circle National Book Award, and multiple stories from each volume have been cited in roundups of the year’s best speculative fiction across the globe.

First-time authors are more than welcome to submit; good stories trump literary credentials any time.

Submissions must be:

1. speculative fiction—i.e., they must contain strong elements or sensibilities of science fiction, fantasy, horror, magic realism, alternate history, folklore, superheroes, and/or related ‘nonrealist’ genres and subgenres

2. written in English

3. authored by Filipinos or those of Philippine ancestry

Submissions are preferred to be:

1. original and unpublished

2. no shorter than 1,000 words and no longer than 7,500

3. written for an adult audience

In all cases, these preferences can be easily overturned by exceptionally well-written pieces. In the case of previously-published work—if accepted, the author will be expected to secure permission to reprint, if necessary, from the original publishing entity, and to provide relevant publication information.

Submission details:

1. No multiple or simultaneous submissions—i.e., submit only one story, and do not submit that story to any other market until you have received a letter of regret from us.

2. All submissions should be in Rich Text Format (saved under the file extension ‘.rtf’), and emailed to kate.osias@gmail.com, with the subject line ‘PSF6 submission’.

3. The deadline for submissions is midnight, Manila time, November 15, 2010. Letters of acceptance or regret will be sent out no later than one month after the deadline.

Editors’ notes:

1. Please don’t forget to indicate your real name in the submission email! If you want to write under a pseudonym, that’s fine, but this can be discussed upon story acceptance. Initially, we just need to know who we’re talking to.

2. If you’d like to write a cover letter with your brief bio and publishing history (if applicable), do feel free to introduce yourself—but not your story, please. If it needs to be explained, it’s probably not ready to be published.

3. We advise authors to avoid fancy formatting—this will just be a waste of your time and ours, since we will, eventually, standardize fonts and everything else to fit our established house style.

Compensation will be Php500 for selected stories. In previous years, we’ve provided contributor copies of the book, as well as small royalty shares, but we are strongly leaning toward shifting Philippine Speculative Fiction to digital format, so we’re shifting to outright financial payment as well.

Please help spread the word! We’d really appreciate it if you’d publish this invitation on your blog, e-group, etc.

Thanks,

Nikki Alfar & Kate Aton-Osias, co-editors

Dean Alfar, publisher

- - - - -

So, what are you folks waiting for? Start writing!!!

wednesday warbles: tigana, best philippine spec-fic, quijano, rissa's christening

Taking a little break from the insanity that is work to give me brains some oxy!

* * * *

I am currently reading Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay, a book loaned by a colleague from the Desk who is also into SF&F. GGK is a new author for me and if Tigana is any indicator, I could end up buying his other works (or an alternate to buying would be hitting the sale books bins and scrounge for them).

Other authors I would like to line-up as must reads include Jeff VanderMeer and his fiction works circling around his world of Ambergris (including the novel Finch), China Tom Mieville (The City and the City), and Lavie Tidhar. Among these three, I will most likely read Tidhar first because I have in my N6680 an eARC of his work, Bookman, which according to Wikipedia is a steampunk-themed novel.

And since we're already talking about SF&F and reading, the indefatigable Charles Tan has released earlier last month The Best of Philippine Speculative Fiction 2009, compiling what seems to be the best of the best in the Philippine spec-fic field for 2009. The anthology is available for free reading online and for download as a PDF or an EPUB. Unfortunately, my EPUB download didn't work with the N6680 which runs Mobipocket reader even if it's supposed to work. So, I may just end up downloading the PDF and probably print that out and get that binded :)

* * * *

And while still on the subject of books ...

I've recently finished reading Nick Joaquin's Reportage on Crimes, a book originally published in 1977 when I was but a year old.

I bought the book purely out of whim after seeing it on the shelf of Powerbooks in Glorietta. I've always wondered about the journalistic side of old Quijano de Manila (old Nick's nick or sometimes pen name) and by the title alone, the book then promised such (it was a choice actually between Reportage on Crimes or Reportage on Lovers, chose the former). And surprisingly, the book did show the journalist in old Nick.

Reportage is like an investigative crime TV show (think Gus Abelgas's SOCO, or Arnold Clavio's defunct show Emergency, or Tulfo's Bitag) but only in prose. Rather than straight out narrative of crime news, Joaquin, through sheer his sheer writing prowess transformed what would have been stale and common news fodder into investigative pieces that captivated and begged readers to finish the true-to-life tales. Only a journalist of Joaquin's genius could have mastered the art of blending true news stories and literary story-telling, the likes of which I've yet to see in today's newspapers whether broadsheets or tabloids.

Reportage transported the readers to the 1960s and gave a picture of the Metro Manila then, harkening old places such as the Grand Opera House or Odeon Cinema and giving us later generations a glimpse into the early lives of famous personalities we've grown accustomed to like FPJ and Erap (who, according to the book where notoriously notorious in their younger days) in thirteen crime stories included in the volume. While reading the book, my imagination was in a perpetual state of black and white -- just like watching the old movies before Technicolor was invented.

Reading Reportage somehow rekindled the journalistic interest in me, if only briefly. Nevertheless, I believe any true-blooded journalist should take time to read and learn from the master. And that makes buying the other volume, Reportage on Lovers, a must as well for me.

* * * *

I've switched back to my old phone, the Nokia 6680, taking it back from my sister-in-law, and gave to her the E71 Pro (kuno) phone. Until I get a new phone one of these days, I'm sticking with the 6680 for the meantime.

* * * *

It was a tight group that was with the family when our little Rissa Kristelle was christened last May 29 at the Cosmopolitan Church. It was a bigger crowd that joined us for the reception that followed at Lotus Garden Hotel Manila.

If you're friends with me on Facebook, you'll see some photos of event in my photo gallery.

Thanks to all our relatives and friends who shared that special moment with us, and special thanks as well to Pastor Bing Dakanay for accommodating our request for a christening even if it was on a Saturday.

call for legends -- reloaded, refreshed, reinvented!

Geesh, am tired!

Having a hard time concentrating with work in the office because eyelids threatening to close. And my mind is wandering, much like that state you're in just before you finally fold into the arms of the Sandman.

In any case, my fatigue and how I am not seriously able to counter it during the work week is not what this quickie post is all about.

Over at Rocket Kapre, editor Paolo Chikiamco has called for submissions to an anthology for re-imagined Filipino folk legends or alamat. For a backgrounder, visit his post about here. We're talking about Lam-Ang, Maria Makiling, Bernardo Carpio and yes, probably Juan Tamad here, folks, when we talk of Filipino legends. But let's give it a spin and put something fresh in our own legends.

Hope the big tobacco over at RK doesn't mind if I re-post the guidelines here in full:

ALTERNATIVE ALAMAT ANTHOLOGY by Rocket Kapre

Story Guidelines:

I’m looking for stories which have the following characteristics:

* The story should make use of characters, events, and/or artifacts from Philippine myths or legends
* The element taken from myth/legend must be integral to the story. Even if your protagonist owns Bantugan’s sword, if he/she never uses it, then that doesn’t count.
* The myth/legend from which the element is taken must be integral to the story. Even if your protagonist wields Bantugan’s sword, if that history doesn’t come into play (in other words, if you just treat it as a generic magic sword), then that doesn’t count.
* While we’re drawing from myth/legend, I want stories written with a modern sensibility. Note I don’t mean the stories need to be set in modern times–what I mean is that I want stories that the modern reader can relate to and enjoy.
* Because part of the mission of this anthology is to raise the reader’s awareness of our myths and legends, you need to be able to point me to your source material: the name of the myth/legend, the book/site where you found it etc. If it’s simply part of the oral tradition of your area, let me know and we’ll see if we can transcribe it and put it online somewhere, because it’s important that readers have the opportunity to read the source material.

What I’m Not Looking For:

* Stories that involve generic creatures of folklore like aswangs, tiyanaks, dwende, mananggal etc. By generic, I mean that using a fairy in your story doesn’t make it eligible per se, but if you’re using the specific fairy, say the one from the legend of The Boy Who Became a Wild Hog (and that history plays a part in the story, as I mentioned above), that’s an eligible story.
* Stories that are straight re-tellings of myths and legends.
* Stories with illustrations, fancy fonts, hyperlinking, or fancy formatting. Stories with those elements can be awesome and cutting-edge, but I want to try distributing the anthology as widely as possible, and that means minimizing formatting issues from the get-go.
* Stories which use elements from urban/modern legends – stick with the pre-hispanic tales, or stuff like the metrical romances of the Spanish Era like Bernardo Carpio.

Genre: Speculative Fiction. The speculative elements must be evident.

Length: 3,000 – 7,000 words.

Language: English.

Who May Submit: Filipino authors, whether residing in the Philippines or abroad. Age is immaterial, but if you’re a minor you’ll need parental consent for the contract.

Reading Period: June 1, 2010 – August 30, 2010. Plenty of time to hit the books and find that perfect, obscure myth just begging to be put back in the limelight.

Rights: We ask for first world English electronic rights (text and audio), and first print anthology rights.

Reprints: Not accepted, unless solicited.

Multiple Submissions: Not accepted, unless we’ve already rejected a prior story and have asked for another.

Simultaneous Submissions: Not accepted.

Compensation: PHP600.00 + a copy of the anthology when we release the book the first time, either as an ebook or as print. If /when release it a second time (as an ebook if it was initially print, or vice versa), we’ll add another PHP400.00 and a copy of the new version of the anthology.

FORMAT GUIDELINES

Electronic submissions only, attached to an email. Send an email with a subject that reads “Alternative Alamat: [Title of Your Story]” to rocketkapre[at]g m a i l . c o m

Submissions must be in Rich Text Format (.rtf) or Doc (.doc) format and attached to the email.

Please include a brief, 300 word-or-less, bio.

* * * *

It looks like I've missed a lot by not attending the Summer Komikon 2010. Just by ogling at the pictures from various blogsites that featured the event, it looked like fun. And there were lots of goodies to buy. Oh well, there's always the 6th Annual Komikon coming this November.

welcome to thaiburley: a review of city of dreams and nightmare by ian whates

Imagine my surprise when I reached page 3116 of the electronic advanced reading copy (eARC) of Ian Whates' City of Dreams and Nightmare which I've been reading on my trusty Nokia 6680 with a Mobi ebook reader software.

For the sake of brevity, I'm truncating the title of the book to just "City".

I had expected the Mobi-powered eARC to run another 2000 pages or so along with a more sinister sub-plot to extend the somewhat faster determination of the plot in the first 3000 pages but instead page 3116 ended what is presumably the first book in a series.

Digressing ... being alone in Pagadian City (a rather smallish city in the southern Philippines) has allowed me the luxury of finishing "City" and actually do a review, the first ever book review I've done in ages -- the last dating back to my days in the university. And since I'm expected to do a bit of travelling (alas, locally, that is) from now until June, I should be downloading more eARCs from Angry Robots to read in transit.

But back to Mr. Whates' "City" ... did I like it?

Surprisingly (as evidenced by my surprise at the abrupt end at Mobi page 3116), the book was a short read. Language was quite easy to comprehend as I recalled not having to have fished out old Mr. Webster from the shelf (or hitting www.m-w.com, that is) to look up obscure and dumbfounding words. The story, despite the plot being a rehash of age-old formula of secret-bad-guy-plots-end-of-world-unlooked-for-hero-emerges-with-wise-and-all-powerful-co-stars, was tightly written, engaging and immersive.

"City" is one of the more engaging books in the fantasy field that I've read in recent memories, And while the plot, like I've said, is another take of an age-old formula, Mr. Whates has managed to refreshen the plot with original and innovative ideas and concepts (at least to me and the range of my books in and exposure to the field) like Kite Guards (elite warrior class that fly and glide using their capes ala flying squirrels), and khybul which is crystalline shit from lizard-men that they shape into sculptures of beauty.

Incidentally (and totally out of the topic here), khybul sounds and is almost similar to a Filipino term, "kybo" -- an acronym for "keep your bowels out". Kybo pertains to a make-shift toilet and the term gained notoriety in the late 80s and early 90s among campers (this was before the advent of portalets). My personal experience with kybos was in a week-long camping trip as a Boy Scout attending a Southeast Asian jamboree. But I digress ...

Mr. Whates has also taken familiar concepts and ideas, remolded them, and turned them out fresher and crispier and that much more easier for us to consume (figuratively speaking, of course). Take the case of street-nicks and their gangs ... respectively thieves and rogues and their thieves guilds. The Arkademics (like Magnus and Thomas), both good and bad lot, reminded me of the Church Hierocracy from the David and Leigh Eddings' Elenium and Tamuli series. Our protagonist, Tom the street-nick, is our Garion (again from the Eddings) who discovers he has fantastical powers and is abruptly thrust with responsibility, most notably the responsibility to save the world. And while the Prime Master is no Gandalf or Elminster (from Forgotten Lance) or Zed (from the TV version of Terry Goodkind's fantasy series), he exuded a rather Yoda-ish or Obi-Wan Ben Kenobi-ish aura throughout the story. I however cannot shake off the image of Emperor Palpatine during Primey's scenes in the book.

On the other side of the court, we have the Hounds of the Dog Master remind me soundly of the, guess what -- the Hounds that Garion and Belgarath outsmarted when they went to face Torak at the god's sleeping spot in vast Mallorea. Dog Master and The Maker's characters were no Sauron or Melkor but more akin to the Witch-King, leader of the Nine of Mordor. They could also be likened to Count Dooku and Saruman (incidentally both played by Sir Christopher Lee in the film versions). Dewar the Assassin kept appearing in my mind as one of the shapeshifter-antagonists or Baron Harkonnen's twisted Mentat henchman in B. Herbert and K.Anderson's Dune preludes.

What would be most innovative for me though in the book, what actually stands out for me is Whates' depiction of his story-world -- Thaiburley, the "City" -- a vertical city divided physically in Rows, socially divided into the Heights (where the affluent live) and the City Below (where the lower-classed citizens made their lives). All throughout the story, I keep envisioning Thaiburley as this one huge building and the Rows are floors in the building that open up to a huge balconies. However, what challenged my imagination was having buildings within each Row which then meant that each "floor" was several storeys high to accommodate the concept of buildings inside the "building". Think of the Empire State Building in the USA or for a local flavor, the RCBC Plaza.

For me, the concept of Thaiburley and its vertical rather than horizontal orientation was quite a refreshing take on world-building. Rather than sprawl as in the case of most fantasy stories and epics, we are instead treated to ups-and-downs with Thaiburley although much of the action takes place Below City where the "slums" are located. The nearest I could think of that is similar in city-structure would be the Hidden Kingdom of Gondolin and its seven gates from Tolkien's epic.

But did I like "City"?

The story starts off action-packed. Mr. Whates early on establishes the premise and plot of the story -- that of the innocent protagonist who is framed up for a crime he did not commit and how he slowly finds out more about himself and the hidden super powers that suddenly decided to manifest itself just when our hero was in the midst of trouble in the first place. With that clearly established, Mr. Whates then proceeds to become Dan Brown-ish with a fast-paced "police" chase filled with obstacles and puzzles that our beloved hero and other sub-protagonists (in "City" those sub=prots would be Tylus the Kite Guard and the deadly Katarina "Kat", survivor of the Pits -- a gladiator ring of sorts) participate in. If my reading was accurate, I believe the entire story of "City" in a span of just a few days, three days at most.

Mr. Whates' introduces us to his world and its denizens rather gently in that you don't get a feeling of info-overload or ramming-down-the-throat when street-nicks, Jeradines, Tattooed Men, sun-globes, arkademics, swarbs, and Kite Guards made their appearance in the book. When these unique elements in Mr. Whates' world were introduced, you readily get enough information and description -- more of it's subtly imbibed into you -- that you don't need to turn back pages to recall what these elements were.

The characters in the book were also well-crafted though they were not original nor that remarkable (you've seen dozens of Magnuses, and Toms, and Tyluses, and Kats and Rayuls and Insints in other books and worlds and sci-fis and fantasies). But they worked well enough for the book to move the story along quite well. It might also be just a case of yours truly having had read the same plots and storylines for years and years on.

But did I like the "City"?

As I've mentioned, the writing was tight, the action sequences and the talkies portions interspersed effectively that you could liken it to a measure of a symmetric musical piece. The build-up to what was supposed to be the climax was, in my honest opinion, done quite well.

However, I was just a tad disappointed with actual climax portions -- when Tom unleashed his powers to free the infected street-nicks, and when Dewar and Kat faced off with the Dog Master.

For the Tom climax, I would've wanted more flash and more magic rather than him passing out and we learn later on from recounting by the Prime Master and Ty-Gen that he had succeeded. I would've wanted to read about how the street-nicks managed to shake off the hypnotic persuasion devices that the Dog Master had latched onto them.

For the death of the Dog Master, I would've wanted more action, more dialogue, and probably seeing Dog Master die fighting rather than him getting his throat slit up by Kat with a stealthy come-from-behind approach.

I guess that's where the surprise came in ... the abrupt death of the Dog Master had me thinking this was a secondary plot of the book. I thought that there was more to read after the rather quick death of the DM ... there was Insint still AWOL, right? But Mr. Whates quickly dashed my delusion of another 2000 pages when he started narrating the usual end-of-book-whatever-happened-to-them-afterwards, capping with Insint contemplating his next move against Thaiburley.

It was however the main plot of the book. But it's more likely just a small ripple in the over-riding arc of the series. Nevertheless, as this was central to this particular book, it could've been done with more pizzaz, more firepower to make for an explosive first book.

But did I like City of Dreams and Nightmare?

Yes.

Despite the disappointment I felt at the climax and end of the book, the richness and uniqueness of the world of Thaiburley, and the build-up that Mr. Whates has done more than made up for those aforementioned shortcomings.

Mr. Whates has hinted a lot of things still yet to be discovered and explored in Thaiburley like that great heart-like mechanism that Tom saw on one of the Rows when he was escaping from Magnus' hands -- presumably the Core that Prime Master was referring to that can be tapped by special individuals like the healer priestesses and seers and the likes of Tom.

Cliffhangers also abound at the book's end, enough to pique your curiousity.

What happens now to Tom after it is discovered he is a unique individual able to harvest the power of the Core more abundantly or powerfully than other tappers? He's no ordinary street-nick but being a street-nick is the only thing he knows?

What of Kat and her sister, Chavver, and their relationship with the Tattoo Men? Will Kat survive her duel with her sister and will we see the romance of Kat and Tom flourish?

Will Tylus survive his captaincy and establish his training school for Kite Guards in the City Below? Will he be able to keep his cape in check?

What of the Demons who actually look like Angels?

Have we seen the last of Dewar?

Will we be able to see more of the young seductress, Jezmina?

Will we finally be able to figure out why this book is entitled City of Dreams and Nightmare (taking note of the singularity of "nightmare")?

In summary, City of Dreams and Nightmare is a good, quick book to read. You're presented with a new world to explore and although the characters may be too familiar, they've been given a fresh innovation and make-over to make them unique. The plot is predictable but the twists and turns and fresh concepts interjected by Mr. Whates propelled the story forward. It's a good intro to Mr. Whates' world but the overall action still has to pick-up in probably the next two or three books so I think the next book in the series will probably be better. But as the first book, the strength of this book is in the crafting of the characters and the setting-up of the action that has yet to come in the coming books.

I give City of Dreams and Nightmare, 3.5 thumbs-up out of a possible 5. That means it's a good read but don't expect too much fireworks.

of writing and books

In all honesty there are always instances when something happens or I see something or feel or touch something and I knew it was worth writing about in this here blog ... but something else comes up and I get side-tracked and lose the moment. When I finally get the time to open Blogger, log-in, and hit "New Post", what I wanted to write about earlier doesn't feel exciting anymore.

I do not want writing, especially my personal and creative writing, to be a chore.

I want to write because I want to and desire to and have the enthusiasm for it but not to write because I know I have to. Because then writing becomes a chore and everyone I believe at one point or another in their lifetime has surely hated chores (I know do, until now :P). It becomes work and I am doing a lot of that already at the Desk on almost a daily basis, thank you.

I envy those who can write anytime or anywhere, who have the ability to mentally shut off all things and people around them and just write.

J.K. Rowling wrote parts of the first book of what would soon be the phenomenal Harry Potter series in a coffee shop. J.R.R. Tolkien wrote about elves, dwarves, men, and orcs, and their stories in the midst of war serving as a soldier during World War I. L. Ron Hubbard was under financial stress and pressure when churned out story after story early in his writing career. Locally, Dean Alfar finds time to write down spec-fic while juggling his many roles as a businessman, boss, franchisee, and editor while bi-focal problems have not stopped the irrepressible Charles Tan from writing his daily spec-fic blog. Sir Butch Dalisay still make sense in his regular column pieces and comes up with creatively-driven commercial writing despite the apparent distractions of techno-gadgets, old typewriters, eBay, travels every now and then, a continued stint as a professor in Peyups, and, oh yes, his now famous collection of fountain pens.

I still have a long way to go to be able to do what they do and what they can do. But I know I am not getting any younger. I need to start doing that now.

Looking back on the course of my 30 odd years, I honestly think my creativity strikes right after the midnight bell tolls. Just when the aswangs and the multos have supposedly began their hauntings, that is when I believe I am at my most creative. In my younger years, I was creative -- churning out personally-published comics (drawn on bond paper, inked using a Pilot black ballpen), wrote songs, came up with love letters fit for an episode of "Young Love, Sweet Love" or MMK, developed fantasy lands for envisioned SF&F books and games.

These creative pursuits were stilled in college with a need to devote more time to studies, term papers, girls, and the rock band. The time for creatives eventually went from stilled to nil when I entered the workforce as a bright-eyed, still wet-in-the-ears new graduate.

But then I entered marketing and creativity took a bit of a new meaning for me and I found out I was rather good with that type of creativity.

I, however, still yearn for that old creativity -- the one that did not come with a 15-30 pay check or the 9-6 work hours.

I always yarn and yak in this blog about finding the time to write but I think, after getting hit in the eye a gazillion times by all those articles I have read on the subject, it is actually not finding the time that matters really but managing the time to write.

And I am guilty of using up time (and many instances, wasting it as well) better used for developing and honing my craft. Rather than double-clicking the Burger Rush game icon or happily scrolling away looking at how my Facebook friends are doing, I could have been writing down 500 words or so. I think the word discipline also comes into mind when you talk about managing the time to write.

Distractions too play a role. I think it was Jay Lake who mentioned never having had watched TV for quite some time now and not having pressed a gaming button for eons and those simple yet earth-changing decisions have merited him success in the spec-fic scene. While I have yet to let go of TV and video games, I will need to draw the line somewhere if I am ever to finish that book someday.

* * * *

Speaking of books, I have just finished James A. Owen's Here There Be Dragons, the first book in his The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica series. I have to say I have loved it! This makes Mr. Owen probably the third YA writer I like after the enduring Brian Jacques whose Redwall series never failed to charm and Mr. Rockstar himself, Neil Gaiman, for his magnificent work, The Graveyard Book (a book I hope my daughters will one day read as well -- when they are able).

I have piled up on books actually in preparation for the Christmas break, which with four days of mandatory leaves and a looming paternity leave will mean a two-week vacation for me starting on 21st.

Yes, I still have many left-over books on the to-be-read pile but just to be on the safe side, I have piled on a few more books including an anthology featuring retellings of Jules Vernes' stories and two prequel Dune books. I will be hitting the bookstores soon enough so before the year is out I will surely be piling more and more books on that to-read list.

Dang, I just remembered I needed a bookcase!