Malditang Librarian

My family had a rare vacation in Boracay Island, Aklan, Philippines. Boracay is the ultimate beach getaway, and the atmosphere is relaxed and laid-back, with everyone going here to forget the stresses of everyday life. The beach was beautiful, the water was clear, clean, and perfect for swimming. The narrow streets are crowded, with foreigners outnumbering the locals. Everything is more expensive. In our last day, there was rain. We didn't do much except drink overpriced fruit shakes by the beach. Its good to just sleep, reflect on the past year, and read books on my tablet. The last time I went there was 2012. I think it will be a long time before I go back again.

Star Wars: Guardians of the Whills by Greg Rucka, Glendale, California: Disney-Lucasfilm Press ©2017 I wrote about the movie Rogue One in my last post and how much I loved it. When I spotted this book in National Bookstore and saw that it was about two interesting characters from the movie, I bought it. The book is about two Guardians of the Whills in the city of Jedha, Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbus. They were played by two Chinese actors, Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen, respectively. In the movie, we are introduced to the two characters when Jyn was walking around and a blind monk (Chirrut) begging for alms says "Your necklace for a glimpse to your future." Jyn didn't show off her necklace with a kyber crystal pendant and haven't told anyone about it, yet this blind beggar knew about it. Cassian dismissed him as another troublemaker, but when Cassian and Jyn was surrounded by stormtroopers, Chirrut shows up and whips them with his stick. Then there was a moment where C...

The latest movie in the Star Wars franchise, The Last Jedi , started showing here last December 13. I watched it the first day so the Internet can't spoil the movie for me. I actually watched it twice in the theater, and I'll write my reaction here soon. Star Wars has been very popular since the first movie  A New Hope in 1977 and it has a big (and intimidating) fanbase. I just watched the original trilogy after The Force Awakens , which starts a new story. As a casual fan, I feel that I'm not 'qualified' enough to write about it. Star Wars has the most dedicated fans on the planet, and on the internet, there are many analyses, speculations, and theories we can't keep up with. So before The Last Jedi 's showing, I watched the prequel trilogy and the 2016 stand-alone film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story . I actually watched Rogue One in the theater when it showed in December 2016. This is one of my favorite films ever, and I don't get tired of rewatchin...

How to Win Friends and Influence People  by Dale Carnegie, New York: Simon & Schuster. ©1936 Dale Carnegie, Revised edition ©1981 Donna Dale Carnegie & Dorothy Carnegie This book is a classic on human relations. It has influenced a lot of successful people like the American business magnate Warren Buffet, but it also helped the likes of Charles Manson (American cult leader). But don't get me wrong about the book there, it's up to the reader on how to use the information here. The principles are still based on basic goodwill and sound virtue. Actually, the main points of this book can be summarized into two: 1) The Golden Rule: Jesus' words in Matthew 7:12 ""Do to others what you want them to do to you." 2) Appreciate, don't criticize. I read this book with an expectation that I would discover the magical secret that would make me instantly likable and popular. I was surprised when the advice was simple, straightforward, and common sense. ...

Yup, I am that Girl by Maine Mendoza, ©2017 Summit Books Let's get things clear first: I am a fan of Maine Mendoza. The KalyeSerye/AlDub explosion of 2015 was an unexpected moment in Philippine TV. I love her personality and the story of her accidental rise to fame. I like that she secretly dreamed of being a celebrity and achieved it, it's also an inspiration to those who have artistic dreams. I also love that she writes. When she became popular I was an avid reader of her blog, The Pessimistic Optimist Bella . Maine admits that she's an introvert, which could be surprising to some who always see her in light and comedic roles. As an introvert myself, I'm happy to see that she shows that there's more to us than the usual negative stereotypes . When she posted that she will have a book coming up, I always checked in bookstores if it was available. After trying to look for it in National Bookstore, I found a copy in Booksale for 295 pesos. Yup, I am that Girl ...

Photo source: CPD Council Facebook post Ms. Elvira Lapuz is the newest member of the CPD (Continuing Professional Development) Council of the Board for Librarians. She replaced Ms. Eimee Lagrama whose term ends this year. The CPD Council is composed of: Hon. Lourdes T. David as Chair, Dr. Avelina Larca Lupas as the member representing the academe, and Ms. Elvira Lapuz representing the professional librarians. Ms. Elvira Lapuz is the current Deputy University Librarian at University of the Philippines Diliman and Senior Faculty of UP's School for Library and Information Science (UP SLIS). She was the President of the Philippine Librarians Association, Inc. (PLAI) in 2015-2016 and also served as the President of Philippine Association of Academic and Research Libraries (PAARL) in 2009. According to RA 10912 or the CPD Act of 2016, each profession should have a CPD council (under their respective Boards). The CPD Council's responsibilities are: make sure that there are eno...

"The scales of justice cannot be evenly weighed." -Hercule Poirot Murder on the Orient Express (2017) is a movie adaptation of Agatha Christie's 1934 novel of the same name. Christie is a legendary writer in the mystery genre. I've only read one of her novels before, And then there were none. It was a memorable read, it keeps you guessing until the last page and the conclusion was unexpected. The star of this movie is Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh), a Belgian detective who just might be the "best detective in the world." He is one of Christie's well-known characters and has appeared in many of her novels and other media adaptations. In the movie, Poirot had eccentricities you would expect from a detective character. He's obsessive-compulsive, observant, and logical. The movie begins in Jerusalem, where Poirot solves the case of a stolen artifact. Three suspects come up: a Catholic Priest, a Jewish Rabbi, and a Muslim Imam. He catches the th...

Last November 21-24, 2017, the Philippine Librarians Association, Inc. (PLAI) held its National Congress at SMX Convention Center, Bacolod City with the theme Libraries take Action: Providing Access and Opportunity for All . This is the second PLAI Congress I attended ever, the first was in Ilocos (you can read about my experience in the PLAI 2015 Newsletter here ). More than 1,000 librarians all over the country attended the event. This is also the first national congress with CPD (Continuing Professional Development) implemented. For those who aren't aware, there is a new CPD law that requires all professionals in the Philippines to acquire a certain number of points to renew the professional license. One way to get points is attendance in CPD-approved seminars, workshops, and conferences. Professional organizations have to comply and PLAI is doing its best to provide CPD programs and activities. Its good to see that PLAI also improved their registration and attendance sys...