A gift of Earthsea

First published on 20 April 2006 at http://kulasisi.blogs.friendster.com/miamanila/

Eagerly awaiting my birthday gift from the SO.... :-) Bliss bliss bliss. He has ordered from Amazon.com, the complete selection of the Earthsea series by Ursula Le Guin. Once upon a time, I had this Earthsea trilogy -"A Wizard of Earthsea" (Book 1), "The Tombs of Atuan" (Book 2) , and "The Farthest Shore" - (Book 3) all in one paperback copy.

I told him I have since lost the book to an unrepentant and forgotten borrower. He researched and found out that three more books have been written since. And so that is what I am getting for my birthday this year (among other goodies of course...), Books 1 - 3, and "Tehanu" (Book 4), "Tales from Earthsea" (Book 5), and "The Other Wind" (Book 6). Bliss bliss bliss. Thanks, sweetie.

Meanwhile, am reading "Spoken Here: Travels Among Threatened Languages" by Mark Abley and "The Hand of the Enemy" by Kerima Polotan and rereading "Stephen Hawking: A Life in Science" by Michael White and John Gribbin. Immediate past reading was "The Camel Club" by David Baldacci.

Given my eclectic tastes, I have everything from Prehistory of Sex to Winnie the Pooh, The Oracle Book, Zodiac Spells, Tropical Vegetables, Gem Identification Made Easy, Unspeakable Images, Five Quarters of an Orange, Freaky Deaky, When the Moon Waxes Red, Birds of the Philippines, Chinese Love Signs, The Political Economy of Gender, The Food Allergy Cure, Ultimate Pilates, Philippine Cyclopedia of Plants, Antiques of the Philippines, The Secret Language of Birthdays, Style by Elsa Klensch, Curious George, Marx and Engels, Directing the Documentary, Shelters of Stone, The Da Vinci Code, Physics Made Easy, Bach Beethoven and the Boys, The Jam Fruit Tree, Idiot's Guide to Getting Rich, and everything else in between!

Books, Baking, and the Beatles

First published on 24 October 2005 at http://kulasisi.blogs.friendster.com/miamanila/

(Fade in music, "I Want to Hold your Hand" by the Beatles)

Was at National Bookstore - QA yesterday to grab some books for family members celebrating their birthdays one after the other. Was thrilled when I came across "Lady of Avalon" by Marion Zimmer Bradley, sequel to one of my all-time favorites, "Mists of Avalon," about the rise and fall of Camelot but seen through the eyes of its women - Gwenhwyfar, Viviane, and Morgaine. ('The best retelling of the Arthurian saga I have ever read. Completely compelling.' - Isaac Asimov).

Also, I got three new books from my former housemate! These are "Cross-Cultural Filmmaking," "Documentary Storytelling for Film and Video," and "Making Documentary Films and Reality Videos." I still have to crack the last two though. ;) A good friend also lent me "Participatory Video." Those should keep me occupied for a while. :)

Haven't been making carrot cookies lately (too meticulous to do) but I did manage to bake ginger bars! Friends always think they're about to bite into chocolate brownies until their first taste and smell. And then, the ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, coffee, brandy, and molasses slowly seep into their taste buds.... Really yummy and moist! :-D

Currently playing an MP3 compilation of the Beatles! It seems like a Beatles sort of day today. :-)

I Want to Hold Your Hand

Words and Music by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

I'll tell you something

I think you'll understand

When I say that something

I wanna hold your hand.

(chorus)

I wanna hold your hand

I wanna hold your hand

Oh please say to me

 You'll let me be your man

And please say to me

You'll let me hold your hand.

(chorus)

I wanna hold your hand

I wanna hold your hand

(bridge)

And when I touch you

I feel happy inside

It's such a feeling that my love

I can't hide, I can't hide, I can't hide.

Yeah, you got that somethin'

I think you'll understand

When I say that somethin'

I wanna hold your hand.

 (chorus)

I wanna hold your hand

I wanna hold your hand

 (bridge)

And when I touch you

I feel happy inside

It's such a feeling that my love

I can't hide, I can't hide, I can't hide.