Binondo, the oldest Chinatown in the world, prides itself as being a center of our nation’s colorful history. Established in 1594, it is, as one would expect, steeped in legend and stories. That day’s walking tour (Jose Rizal’s Binondo) led by the country’s popular and social media-savvy historian, Ambeth R. Ocampo, explored what is not… Read More Ambeth Ocampo, Binondo, and A Walk with Heroes
“The time of the great West has passed. Now it is the time for the East to rise from the shadows.” There has been a movement over the past few decades, a call to replace Jose Rizal’s NOLI ME TANGERE (nicknamed Noli) and EL FILIBUSTERISMO (Fili) in the school curriculum with this book. When I… Read More Can this book replace Noli and Fili in our classrooms?
It is little known outside Ex Libris that this book club was founded by music and architecture majors during their university years at UP Diliman. On a trip to the capital last month, the music section of Ex Libris was able to convene whilst the architecture section was excellently acknowledged through the venue — The… Read More Of Book Clubs and Beginnings
“Lei the lovers. Petal all passion. Garlanded thus, the world was tolerable.” Exploding Galaxies‘ pioneer publication is an under-appreciated masterpiece, by any measure, that sets such a high expectation for their succeeding titles. Where do we sign up to pre-order Book 2? The multi-sensory pleasure begins when one picks up the book. Exploding Galaxies is… Read More Exploding Galaxies’ Pioneer Publication: But For The Lovers
“For certain things, like love, there was only so much time.” There are authors who are put in the canon for a reason, whose works are analyzed and studied by English majors for generations. Reading Gregorio Brillantes’ 500 page collection of 39 short stories is just like seeing the past 90 years of Philippine history… Read More The Brilliance of Gregorio C. Brillantes
Actors in movies speak of book clubs with a hint of derision, imagining some kind of group therapy for bored suburban housewives plying each other with alcohol before noon. But for some, myself included, book clubs can be a source of deep joy, and even a life-affirming sense of identity! Our book club helps us… Read More About the Book Club
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