Loving Harry

There I was wearing my cape, with a packet of tissues, anticipating the start of the last movie installment of Harry Potter. I ooohed, aaaahed, clapped, teared-up, anticipated and yahoo-ed throughout the movie. I dreaded the end of the movie anticipating a hollow in my heart after the credits rolled, but it did not come. Instead, I felt satisfied. I felt closure.

* * * * *

Harry Potter and I knew each other for 11 years, when I was introduced to him in 2000 by a friend who has the same penchant for books on fantasy, magic and children. It was when Hagrid brought Harry to Diagon Alley to buy things for school that I knew I would be with this boy until the end of the series. It was when Ollivander and Harry had their conversation at the wand shop that I felt the magic. It was when Harry and Ron shared their first chocolate frogs that the wizarding world became real for me.

What is it with Harry Potter that it took the world by storm? Many fantasy geeks would argue that "The Lord of the Rings" is better-written and has a more complex mythology. I wouldn't argue against that. One could say that Tolkien was a pioneer in creating fantastic worlds and characters and peoples beyond Aesop's fables and Grimm's fairy tales. The same could be said of his friend CS Lewis and his "Narnia Chronicles." Yet for both writers, the world took a while to realize the genius of their work. But when people finally did, they paved the way for the likes of Douglas Adams, Neil Gaiman, Lemony Snicket and JK Rowling.

Rowling was lucky in the sense that the world has gotten used to magic and fantasy (though she had her share of "HP is the work of the devil" haters). It took a few years for the her wizarding world to fly, but when it did, it was like riding a Firebolt to fame. Every other attempt to follow suit was a ride on a sad Cleansweep 7.

What kind of magic did Rowling cast? It has been pretty much established that it had to do a lot about love. But I also think beyond the typical battle between good-evil, it was her care in details that made the world not just like Harry and his gang, they wanted to be like them! It did not matter if you were 12 or 21 (my age when I began) when you started reading the book. I remember discussing with Pia how butterbeer would taste like, and closely approximated it to Zagu's brazo de mercedes brew. Pia was also our generous donor of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans from the US, of which I knowingly chose weird flavors like grass and pepper (vomit and booger were still in production) which tasted the way it was advertised. I had to finish off with buttered popcorn so as not to have the same aversion to the treats as Dumbledore. Crissy brought home Chocolate Frogs from Australia, which included a limited edition card. I was half-expecting the frog to move about once I opened, but to no avail. Rowling presented broomsticks like they were the latest car models, that one is better on the other, taking into consideration the maker, the model, the drag and what have you. The spells were delightful (Riddikulus, Expecto Patronum, Petrificus Totalus, Avada Kedavra, Crucio, etc. etc) and the magical items awesome (floo powder, portkey, sneakoscopes, remembralls, howlers, etc. etc.) and the mytichal creatures mystical (grindylows, cornish pixies, centuars, giants, house elves, ghosts, etc. etc.). I could go on and on and on. For me, it was all about the intricate details that Rowling put together to make the wizarding world more magical, more fantastical and more real to its readers.

The details also went into the people. The characters in the book were quite complex. With the teen-agers, you can imagine the insecurities they had to deal with and realize you were once or are like that. Hogwarts students had to deal with bullying and pranks and falling in love. They had to face the dreaded exams or deal with terror teachers. And in the end, they had to deal between the choice of good and evil, right and wrong. They had to grow up in a world at war.

As for the adults, many had complex histories (it is now I realize that we know little of McGonagall. Hmmm.). You had an truly evil Voldemort who never experienced love and therefore could not understand it. You had an unfathomable Snape, whose enduring love for Lily Potter kept him from going to the dark side before or during Harry Potter (thank you, Star Wars!). You have Horace Slughorn, who along with Snape, showed that being Slytherin does not necessarily make you evil but emphasizes on slyness and cunning. You have Remus Lupin, whose kindness of heart is shadowed by the stigma against werewolves. The list goes on and on and on. Bottomline is you get to know the characters in the book as persons and not just names.

Rita Skeeter wrote sensationally. Rowling wrote lovingly.

And so in the last 11 years, I, along with millions of Potter fans, saw many characters grow up, some grow old and a few pass away. The younger fans grew up with Harry while I felt like the three's bigger sister, proud with their achievements, sad with their pains.

We alternately waited for the next book or the next movie to come out. The anticipation is sometimes more exciting than reading the actual book or seeing the actual movie. What made the anticipation delightful was it was shared with many people. The funny thing is, Harry Potter is one of those things you don't mind the world likes/loves along with you. I mean, I know friends who lose interest in music or books because other people caught on. But Harry... you want to share him. You want others to experience the magic as you have.

* * * * *

The anticipation for Harry Potter truly has ended when the last movie installment has shown. Waiting for this last unkown Harry Potter franchise rooted itself in nostalgia, led me and a lot others into tears thinking it was THE end. It was like knowing family will be going away.

And yet, when I saw the final movie, I did not feel the sadness that I expected. What I felt was closure... even peace and contentment. It is AN end, but not THE end. Rowling and Dan Radcliffe were right when they said, "The stories we love best lives in us forever."

Harry Potter will live on in the pages of the seven books, in the cel of eight films and especially in the hearts of its fans.

So along with the thousands of fans camped out waiting to watch the UK premiere of HP as Jo Rowling was making her speech, I shout "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" to her. It was a wonderful ride of which I would be sure to take over and over and over.

Thank you for the wonderful wizarding world of Harry Potter. He is truly "The Boy who Lived."

the perks of being a wallflower

You can say the book came to me serendepitiously. I was at National Bookstore at Ever Gotesco Ortigas looking for fantasy books to purchase when I found the book on the new arrivals table. I've heard about it before but never really gave it much attention. But there it was, with a nice cover and a blurb putting it alongside JD Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye." Being a fan of coming of age stories, I decided to get it.

I was introduced to Charlie, the first person narrator of the story. I flipped page after page, getting involved with him and his friends. I read on and on and find myself loving Charlie. Charlie must be one of the most sincere and most beautiful persons I have come across.

Despite joining along the many crazy things American teen-agers do, illegal even, Charlie shows that young people are more three dimensional that they are often portrayed to be. He shows how young people are blessed with their own kind of wisdom, the kind filled with wonder and intuition. The very things that make Charlie beautiful to me.

As for the Catcher in the Rye comparison, I would hardly say so. I'd say the similarity ends with having a young teenage boy who smokes and drinks as a protagonist. Charlie hardly has the angst of Holden Caulfield.

"I feel infinite." A powerline from Charlie that captures what every teenager feels upon discovering freedom and independence. That feeling of looking up at the vast sky and being sucked into its vastness and sensing every bit of the world.

"Ang ganda." It's beautiful. A phrase I often throw around about books. But it has been a while since I FELT a book, a character to be beautiful.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is beautiful because it is simple and quiet and real. And with the crazy noise surrounding the world, we need more books like this.

Dear Anne Frank...

Dear Anne,

It's a pity that I did not discover you when I was much younger. You see, I have been so keen on reading about fantasy and magic and super powers that I barely give much thought to stories of real people. I thought, how could someone's life be more fascinating that pyromancers or wizards or superheroes, which goes to show I really don't know much.

You could say it was your affiliation with the Netherlands that made me read your diary. Ever since I lived there for fifteen months, falling in love with its people and the country, I can't help but want to associate myself with things related to Holland. You were one of them.

L, who loved your book, asked me if I wanted to come with her to your house in Amsterdam. I went with her for lack of anything better to do. I also figured I could brush up a bit of my history.

We arrived at your house. It was quite ordinary... a home I would not have expected to have anything happen much. But like I said, I really don't know any thing. As we walked past the photos of you and your family, I felt goose bumps. The same kind of goosebumps I felt when I went to the Jewish Cemetery in Prague. The same kind of goosebumps I felt when I saw pictures of people who suffered in the hands of the Nazis. The same kind of goosebumps I felt when I saw drawings of young children who spent time in camp before being gassed. Those are the moments I was like your mother, "Thank you, Lord, that I did not experience that kind of misery."

After a visit of your home, I vowed to read your book. It was actually tempting to get a copy from the museum store that was packaged like your red and white diary. But I did not have the 30 euros to spare...

Yesterday, I was finally able to read your story....

Anne, you are an amazing young woman. So full of life and intelligence. So full of wisdom. I am amazed at how you were able to survive those 24 months without going outside. Moreso, without hitting any one of your miserable companions. But you were always self-conscious, aware that you are writing out of anger or spite. Something people could hardly be aware of in the best of circumstances.

Despite being locked up, you experienced life to the fullest. I find myself kilig with the developments between you and Peter. And I find myself proud that you are not easily swayed by your feelings. You know your limits. Something that young girls nowadays can learn from you as well.

Despite being young, you have been given wisdom that people my age need to pick up. You see your faults... you accept who you are, yet at the same time strive to be better. You are young, full of dreams, self-aware.

You truly have the gift of writing. And I am glad you got your wish to be immortalized.

Your story is definitely something that people should know about. Yes, people should know about the difficulties of the war. It is something that should not happen again. But there are countless of other more violent, more disturbing films and books about that. No, your story is not just about the war itself. Your story is about every girl or even boy out there struggling to discover who they are as they slowly make their way out of childhood and into adulthood. Your story is about every person who struggles to deal with people every day. Your story is about every individual who finds themselves trapped one way or the other.

I despair that you were so close to freedom and yet you were not able to get it. It was unfortunate that someone felt the need for money more than the need to protect. And yet, as I read the epilogue... your little story (which is not so little) have influenced more people that you will ever know. You have given catharsis to some, inspiration to many. Despite having lost you, people found themselves through you.

Indeed, Anne, you are a wonderful girl. You are a gift to the world. When I have a child of my own, I will encourage them to read what you have to say. I hope they will learn to have their own voice from you.

Thank you, dear Anne Frank, for being so honest to Kitty. Because of your honesty, the world may just be a little better.

Yours, Anj

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

One would think that a classic like this would be read by a girl like me much earlier in life. I've always known that this book was a classic along with Hellen Keller and Anne of Green Gables, but no, I have not ready any of the three before. It's only now that I am actually reading Anne Frank!

It would not have landed on my reading list if not for the fact that a friend from ISS asked if I wanted to go with her to the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam. I never thought for a second that the her story actually occurred in the Netherlands! Since I did not have much to do anymore since it was my last few days in the Netherlands, I gladly joined her to the Museum.

As we were walking around Anne Frank Huis, I felt that the experience would have been much more meaningful if I have read her book. The house looked like an ordinary house. Names and notes that were posted by pictures or desks meant little to me, though I could still feel some goosebumps thinking that the people who lived in that house suffered terribly from the war.

After the trip, I promised myself to read the book. And now, I am halfway through the diary with just a few hours on it.

If I did not know that this book was actually a diary, I would have thought that this was just a wonderfully crafted tale of a young Jewish girl stuck with her family and strangers in a hidden house. Yet we all know that it is a story that happened. Truth is indeed stranger, and immensely more fascinating... and tragic, than fiction.

It's a bit funny that I am reading the book at a time that I am quarantined from the world, unable to go out and see people lest I spread my virus. Yet my predicament is barely anything compared to the madness that must have been Anne Frank's life.

I have not come to the ending yet but I already feel a bit of pain and sadness at the thought that this brilliant girl will come to a tragic end. How I wish somebody would discover who ratted them out to the Nazis. For what? Maybe to channel the anger I feel with everyone else who has read the book. Maybe so the Frank's can have a certain sense of justice, I don't know.

I wiki-ed a bit about Anne Frank and discovered that her last entry was August 1, 1944. August 1 is my birthday. Manuel Quezon died that day in the US. In 2009, Corazon Aquino passed away from cancer. My birthday does not seem to bode well with famous people.

Every pause I have from reading the book, I am thankful to have lived in a time of freedom. Indeed we rally and fight against constant injustice, corruption and greed. But what we experience now can never compare to what happened during the time of World War II.

I am glad that time is over.

Pacific Rims

If I heard of the title before I read the book, I would not have thought basketball in the Philippines. I'd probably think of the various calderas in the "Ring of Fire" before thinking hoops.

The book is by Rafe Bartholomew, a Fulbright scholar who decided to do his research on Philippine basketball. Being a hoops lover himself, the he heard about rumors of our obsession with basketball. What could be more intriguing than a country of short people hopelessly devoted to a game that height was a major requirement? Of course, he had to come and see for himself.

I am not a basketball lover. I am a Ateneo basketball fan. My love for the sport begins and ends with the UAAP, fueled by my love for my college alma mater. I do not care much for PBA, though I did try to follow it after seeing the 2002 Championship team finding in different teams. But it was just not the same.

So why did I read the book?

It began with this video.

Adorable ain't he? Clearly fully American yet he speaks better Tagalog than most people who has lived in the Philippines for ages! This guy definitely wanted to know basketball in the Philippine context that he learned the language to have a better gauge of it. He has more love for our country than some of our population.

But it was still not enough for me to shell out P900 for a hardbound copy. I would have waited for a paperback copy or borrowed from someone who had the book.

What finally encouraged me was an article from Michael Tan, one of my favorite Inquirer columnists, about the book. He included some snippets of the book in his article which piqued my interest: the carnival side of the sport where there was a game of gay men vs. midgets to entertain people, the relation of circumcision with the sport and finally, the lack of academic research on the sport. The last one did it for me. No, I have not turned nerd all of a sudden. But it was indeed interesting to discover that despite our undying obsession for it, no one has really written about it in an academic perspective.

* * * * *

I'm finally done with the book. I thought I would turn Alaska Aces afterwards because it contained a lot about his sojourn with the basketball team. He talked at length about Roe Ellis and Willie Miller, their lives and how they played ball. We become privy to their 2007 championship (which was an unexpected bonus for Rafe). It was like watching "Coach Carter" or some basketball movie. The underdogs working their way up for the happy ending of winning the trophy.

But what was more interesting was how he was able to incorporate Philippine culture through a basketball lens. Rich kids vs. servants, sneakers vs. tsinelas. It was about the income gap. It was about our ingrained politically-incorrect nature. It was about our ability to laugh even at the most miserable of occasions. It was about Philippine politics. It was about our "agency" (ah, such an ISS word) within a system that did know how to be fair.

It is an engaging book, with Rafe as a participant observer. He was both insider and outsider. A lover of basketball and yet a foreigner researching on local ball. He was both knowledgeable of the subject matter as well as one in a journey of discovery.

After closing the pages, I had the most interesting reaction... "wouldn't it be fun to go back studying again?" Gasp! It must have been how he has been able to make his research enjoyable yet still meaningful and full of discoveries that made me think that.

Anyway, this book is for Alaska fans, basketball fanatics and anyone interested in Philippine culture. National Bookstore is on sale until August 22 so you get 20% if you buy before that. What's more he's coming for a slew of book signings the coming week so that's an extra bonus!

August 21, 5PM at National Bookstore Cubao.

August 24, 6PM at Powerbooks Greenbelt3

August 25, 6PM at Fully Booked Fort Bonifacio

August 28, 5 PM at National Bookstore Ayala Mall

i can buy books again!

since i got back, i had to hold back buying all the books that i wanted because... well, because i wasn't sure when i get a job. and while books would have been the perfect company while i was stuck at home waiting for job interviews, it would also be an unnecessary expenditure.

thank God for great friends who lend their own! bunny lent me "underpass" while andoy lent me the entire percy jackson series and some issues of fables. great reads! i finished all five books of PJ and fables issues in less than one week. i did read edgardo reyes' "maynila sa kuko ng liwanag" which was written in the 80's (or was it 70's) and unfortunately speaks the truth about poverty until now.

there were a lot of other books that i looked at longingly every time we entered a bookstore. some of the titles i wanted to read, since they were indie local comics, could only be found in local comics stores which thankfully are not in the easily accessible paths of the mall. in other words, kelangan sadyain.

now... i finally have a bit of disposable income. and so i bought some of the books that i wanted.

i have been looking for septimus heap for ages. none of the places i went have the first book. i went to a less-known branch of National Bookstore and found lots of copies. wooot!

Since the movie was coming out, I had to put it on priority list. Read the book, saw the movie. Makes it fun to be 12 and reading this.

And TRESE. Trese, trese, trese. Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo... wow. wow. wow. I can't get over the fact how amazing the story of Alexander Trese and the Kambal are. My fancy for local folklore has been tickled crazy. I've re-read the comics twice. In two days. And I want to read it again. And guess what... Neil Gaiman likes Trese too. NEIL GAIMAN LIKES TRESE. How cool is that?! How cool is that?! I think this book should be released world wide!

I hope the duo comes up with more Trese stories soon.

Anyway, I want to buy more books soon. But I think I should hold back a bit. I should really put a book cap on myself per month because I can go crazy especially since I've been using my credit card a lot (i know, i know... I tread dangerous waters here). I think I've reached my April quota. So I should buy on May already.

Next on the list is Elbert Or's Lola (as illustrator, not writer), Alanguilan's "Elmer" and "Where Bold Stars go to Die", the second Wimpy Kid and Septimus Heap book,

Though... on the 17th would be the KomikCon... so I may not be able to keep my word. uh-oh.

in compliance to my new year's resolution...

when i returned from studies, the first book i bought was artemis fowl: time paradox by eoin colfer since i collected the series. bad idea. my bro gave me the same title for a christmas gift. oh well.

then a few days ago, i bought the first book of the percy jackson series. i'm curious about the book especially after learning that instead of witches and vampires, this juvie fiction deals with the greek gods. ahhh... a mythology close to my heart. how can i resist!

but then, i did make that resolution that for every juvie fiction i buy, i should get one that is either adult (which meant non-fiction, i forgot to say) or filipino literature (comics don't count though because i will buy and read them anyway).

so to fulfill my new year's resolution, i bought...


i actually saw this last summer and found it quite interesting. being a sucker for philippine pop culture, i wanted to have a copy. i didn't get it because i had to buy another book which i thought i needed for my research paper.

i still find it a little expensive given my current unemployment, but i figured... might as well get it. it's a chance to see how discourse was applied on popular culture, given that my research topic is somewhat related to it. not to mention that i am a fan of zsa zsa zaturnnah and darna (the pre-angel locsin one). everything else in between will definitely tickle my jologs fancy. so i'm actually excited to read this one. not to mention that i had soledad reyes for a teacher and found her to be a brilliant woman. :)

the other book i bought was edgardo reyes' maynila sa kuko ng liwanag (two reyeses in a day. i impress myself. heehee!). jan mentioned the other day that he wrote somewhat like hemingway. having read only a couple, i'm not sure what that means. haha. but i bought the book anyway because jan said he was impressed by e. reyes' writing style. i think the filipino used is quite deep and the story is quite depressing, but i will force myself through it.

i don't know when i can start though... i borrowed a couple of HP books thinking i won't be buying any new books, but i can never resist a national bookstore when i am in the mall.

sigh. addictions, addictions!

resolution for 2010

i've never really been big on resolutions. back in high school, i tried it and failed it a lot. apparently, there is an explanation for it (thanks to rowie for this link). knowing it's pretty futile, i've given up making one and just started the year with the hope that things will be better than the last.

this 2010, i decided to make one: for every juvenile fiction/children's book i buy, i also purchase either one filipino literature book and/or an educational book.

i am so much into juvenile fiction that i actually hardly read books outside the genre. this was one of the things i revealed to my supervisor/convenor during our last lunch together. and she said, i have to change that habit. haha. i'm not one to change skins quickly, nor do i want to let go of something i dearly enjoy but i do believe that i should expand my horizons more. studying in the ISS made me realize that real world issues are as exciting as fantasy, that informational stuff can be great literature.

at the same time, last year's fiasco about carlo j. caparas being nominated as national artist got me really riled up. yet, he did have a point when he said that how many people have really read the works of rio alma or f. sionil jose? i, unfortunately, am not one of them. while he has been allowed to receive the award, i thought it important to continue to advocate against him by reading the works of those who oppose him. that will be statement. and that will be my support for the local arts. i want to have legitimacy to promote arts and culture which represent the genius of our country and not the capitalist side of it.

so while the article above somewhow says that resolutions are physiologically hard to keep, i'd like to challenge myself this year. reading is always fun. purchasing local books not only contributes to the local economy but will encourage more and more filipino writers to blossom in their craft. and reading more mature books can help me have confidence dealing with people my age and older.

the graveyard book by neil gaiman

because i got the book at the same time that i was doing a major paper for school, i ended up finishing it more than a week. but i know i could have finished it in one sitting if i had the luxury of time and not just snatches.

the story is about nobody owens, or bod, who unknowingly escaped a murder plot against him by the man jack. his one and a half year old self ends up at the graveyard where many spirits from time past reside. the book tells about his adventure in and out of the graveyard until he turned 15.

after reading the book, i felt... whoa. wow. whoa. wow.

there has been an interesting debate as to whether it is a children's book or is it a juvenile book. though it being granted a newberry award puts him in the children section.

but at usual, gaiman uses the richness of his imagination thus making the story hard to define. i felt all sorts of emotions reading the book. at first i was giggling and amused, then worried, then relieved, and then worried again. and at the end, i was sad and happy at the same time.

as usual, gaiman has crafted another array of interesting and lovable characters, he makes it difficult for you to choose which one is your favorite. i loved silas. i loved lisa hempstock. i loved caius pompeius. i loved everybody! i disliked the jacks, but they are not meant to be liked.

it was worth the 18 euros i paid for, especially with the signed copy. definitely worth it!

online shopping: virgin no more

so i did say i finally redeemed by $100 gift certificate for amazon.com from igougo.com for writing travel reviews.

initially i wanted to get a camera bag for dixie as well as lens cleaners. there was this watch that meant something to me that i lost so i wanted to replace that. unfortunately, they won't deliver the camera stuff here in the netherlands or in the philippines. i would have waited until someone was going to the philippines from the US. but i wanted to run away from school work so much that i busied myself with online shopping.

apart from the watch, i ended up with a neil gaiman books buying spree.

and also ended up getting 'neverending story' by michael ende suggested by jovan, which i have always known to be just a movie.

total purchase was just around $66.oo but the shipping cost half of that. bummer! still it was not money that i had to work for with blood, sweat and tears. i did also enjoy the experience and the fact that it helped me run away from important homework which i should be attending to.

my next $100 gift check, i will make sure will just end up with purchases and not shipping. heehee!

little things that can make your day better

it's just one of those days when things aren't going the way you want it to go. you are tired from not getting much sleep. not getting enough sleep from thinking too much. basically, it's a blah day.

and then something happens that lightens your mood a bit. like having a friend get you the book you hoped she can get from London. and she got it from one of those quaint bookstores... Hatchards. and the book is Neil Gaiman's 'The Graveyard Book'

and then things get better. there is a little band around the book that says:

and then you think it's not for real. how could that be? neil wasn't there. but then you open the book's page. catching a whiff of the smell of new paper...

that it's true. which makes your day better for at least ten minutes. and then it's back to being blah. still! a signed copy of the graveyard book! woot!