Showing posts with label library. Show all posts
Showing posts with label library. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

"The Unbearable Lightness of Being"

I just finished reading "The Unbearable Lightness of Being," a 1984 philosophical Czech novel by Milan Kundera. This novel is considered a modern classic in literature.

I found one interesting concept in the 6th chapter that I want to share with you. 

From Milan's words, "We all need someone to look at us. We can be divided into 4 categories according to the kind of look we wish to live under."

"The 1st category longs for the look of an infinite number of anonymous eyes, in other words, for the look of the public."

Think of celebrities and politicians.

"The 2nd category is made up of people who have a vital need to be looked at by many known eyes. They are the tireless hosts of cocktail parties and dinners. They are happier than the people in the first category, who, when they lose their public, have the feeling that the lights have gone out of the room of their lives. This happens to nearly all of them, sooner or later. People in this category, on the other hand, can always come up with the eyes they need." 

"The 3rd category is for people who need to be constantly before the eyes of the person they love. Their situation is as dangerous as the situation of people in the first category. One day the eyes of their beloved will close and the room will go dark."

"The 4th category, the rarest, is for people who live in the imaginary eyes of those who are not present. They are the dreamers."

Personally I think I belong to the 2nd category because I find comfort in being surrounded with the people I know--those who I trust, love, and care for. It gives me joy to entertain them at parties and spend time with them during travels, in coffee shops, or even via modern technologies.

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

My 2016 in Books, Films, and Theater

2016 edition of my annual recap:

BOOKS

  1. "Before Sunrise & Before Sunset' - screenplays
  2. "A Raisin in the Sun" - screenplay
  3. "To Kill A Mockingbird" - novel
  4. "Kill Your Darlings" - screenplay
  5. "10 Short Plays" - plays
  6. "Write Here. Write Now." - autobiography/memoir
  7. "Steal Like An Artist" - autobiography/memoir
  8. "Gagamba" - novel
  9. "Humans of New York" - photography, anthology
  10. "Of God and Men" - memoir
  11. "Brokeback Mountain" - short stories
  12. "Princess Maryam" - screenplay
  13. "Waiting for Godot" - play
  14. "Biography of Mother Theresa" 
  15. "Martin Luther King Jr.: History Maker" - biography
  16. "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" - novel, self-help
  17. "The Vagina Monologues" - play
  18. "Dear Distance" - short stories
  19. "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" - novel
  20. "Humans of New York Stories" - photography
  21. "Letters from Father Christmas" - letters


MOVIES

Foreign

  1. The Revenant - drama
  2. Sisters - comedy
  3. 50 First Dates - rom-com
  4. Macbeth - drama
  5. Room - drama
  6. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - action, comedy
  7. Trumbo - drama
  8. Diary of a Teenage Girl - drama
  9. The Danish Girl - drama
  10. Steve Jobs - drama
  11. Kung Fu Panda 3 (because of my job!) - action, comedy, animation
  12. Big Hero 6 - drama, comedy, animation
  13. Eat. Pray. Love. - drama
  14. Midnight in Paris - drama
  15. Angry Birds (twice!) (because of my job!) - comedy, animation
  16. X-Men:Apocalypse - action
  17. Captain America: Civil War - action
  18. Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice - action 
  19. Families (from French Film Fest) - comedy
  20. The Very Private Life of Mr. Sim (from French Film Fest) - drama, comedy
  21. Dead Pool - action, comedy
  22. Ant-Man - action
  23. Kingsman: The Secret Service - action
  24. Alice Through The Looking Glass - drama, fantasy
  25. Guardians of the Galaxy - action, animation
  26. Ghostbusters - comedy
  27. Looking: The Movie - drama
  28. Nerve - drama, suspense
  29. Suicide Squad - action
  30. Don't Think Twice - drama, comedy
  31. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - fantasy
  32. Sausage Party - comedy
  33. Dr. Strange - action
  34. Ms. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - fantasy
  35. Miss Saigon: 25th Anniversary Concert in cinemas - drama, musical
  36. Across the Universe - drama, musical
  37. Moana - animation, adventure, comedy
  38. AMY - documentary

Local
  1. Buy Now, Die Later - horror, suspense
  2. Walang Forever - rom-com 
  3. Just the 3 of Us - rom-com
  4. Imbisibol (from French Film Fest) - drama
  5. Imagine You and Me (because of my job!) - romance, drama
  6. Lando at Bugoy (from Cinemalaya 12) - drama
  7. Ang Babaeng Humayo - drama
  8. Apocalypse Child - drama 
  9. Ang Kwento Nating Dalawa - romance, drama
  10. Toto - comedy
  11. Kabisera - drama (#MMFF2016)
  12. Saving Sally - animation, romance (#MMFF2016)
  13. Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 2 - comedy (#MMFF2016)
  14. Sunday Beauty Queen - documentary (#MMFF2016)

THEATER
  1. Tanghalang Pilipino's "Prinispe Munti" - musical, puppetry, drama
  2. "Open The Door" - political satire, comedy
  3. Red Turnip Theater's "Constellations" - play
  4. Tanghalang Pilipino's "Tito Vanya" - play
  5. Virgin Labfest sets A-D
  6. Tanghalang Pilipino's "Sandosenang Sapatos" - musical, drama
  7. Tanghalang Pilipino's "Pangarap sa Isang Gabi sa Gitnang Tag-Araw" - play, tragedy-comedy
  8. Ballet Manila's "Cinderella" - ballet

TV SERIES
  1. How To Get Away With Murder (season 2, season 3 fall finale)
  2. Empire (season 2, season 3 fall finale)
  3. Mozart in the Jungle (seasons 1 and 2)
  4. Looking (seasons 1 and 2)
  5. Stranger Things (season 1)

Sunday, May 29, 2016

#TheBookStopProject

In case you don't know yet, there's a pop-up library currently located in front of Manila Cathedral in Plaza de Roma, Intramuros.

It is the brainchild of architectural firm WTA. They aspire to maximize the use of public spaces to promote reading books.

It's stylish as it can get. Truly an inviting centerpiece in Plaza de Roma, Intramuros
The rule in this open-space library is simple: give a book and get one of your liking in return. The 'policy' rests on public trust as it doesn't have a personnel monitoring the supposed barter. A WTA architect informed me that they are assigned to man the library for at least 1 hour a day. Some people give and don't get, while some get and don't give any.

I visited the library earlier today to watch a storytelling session in the park by Adarna Books volunteers. Storytelling is one of many pocket activities that WTA and #TheBookStopProject prepared for the public. 

In the photo below you can see a volunteer lively narrates "Ang Kwento ni Ampalaya" to random children. Seated at far right is Lyn Ching-Pascual, host of GMA's "Unang Hirit" and a reading advocate.

A WTA staff told me that next Saturday afternoon, Words Anonymous will perform live poetry for free!

From a communications and advocacy standpoint, I admire the creativity and passion of WTA in experimenting with the library's concept. It's no secret that reading books is becoming a challenge (and buying them, a luxury) and public spaces are getting hostile to and unprepared for creative ideas and executions. Not to mention that using them for free is likely impossible these days.

A WTA architect, however, expressed their company's confidence in the project. He said, (non-verbatim) "Nung first days may mga kumukuha lang. Pero at the end of the (installation period), mas marami pa rin ang new books. We have about 100 new books and about 500 visitors daily."

If these numbers are any indications to the future of literature, public participation, and more recreational and artistic public spaces, then I think we're heading in the right direction. Thanks to WTA for initiating such feat (I swear I don't know any of them.)

Before the library is in Intramuros, it spent two weeks at the heart of Ayala Triangle in Makati.

Book lovers can visit #TheBookStopProject everyday from 9AM to 10 PM until July 10, 2016. After in Intramuros, it will be transferred to Quezon City.

You can find out more details about it by searching for The Book Stop Project (@TheBookStopPH) on social media.

You can volunteer your time and talent, and donate old and unused books, and even money, to the cause.

Hurry and make a difference before the rainy season threatens the library (regarding this, another staff told me that they're working on it).

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