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Of Glossy Pages I used to believe that museums represented culture and refinement. When I was younger, the only encounter I had the of museums and art galleries were through the glossy of encyclopedias I used to devour. Yes, I grew up in the unfilled seams of the pages of books, encyclopedias and newspapers. It […]
Mountain Profile Major jump-offs: Poblacion and Barangay Hapao, Hungduan Alternative jump-off: Balentimol Falls, Hungduan Elevation: 2,642 MASL Difficulty: 7/9, Major Climb Trail Class: 3 Days Required: 1-2 days Hours to Summit: 9 hours Source: Pinoy Mountaineer A Bloody Trail (Balentimol Falls to Poblacion Traverse) Nestled in the Cordilleran mountain range are some of the country’s most mystical and haunting […]
The Philippines, undoubtedly, is a blessed country that never runs out of amazing sights and landmarks. A mecca for the traveler, Philippines offers a wide range of exciting activities and destinations. Among these amazing destinations are the countless rice terraces that can be found all over the country. Rice terraces are very common amongst agricultural […]
This is my version of the climb. For Saul’s version of our climb, you may visit his site: Great Cordillera Traverse: Mt. Napulawan Edition. Day 1: A Small World of Bloody Coincidences When I started taking climbing seriously, the thought of doing an overnight climb barely crossed my mind. The idea of spending a night […]
Following a very successful climbing year in 2017 which helped me get back in shape, I was looking forward to climbing more mountains in 2018. I planned to climb at least one mountain per month. My first climbing assignment for 2018 was supposed to be Zambales’ newly discovered Mt. Pimmayong. I had to back up […]
Book Specs Author: Jonas Jonasson Translator: Rod Bradbury Publisher: Hesperus Nova Publishing Date: 2014 Number of Pages: 387 Genre: Humor/Comic Fiction Synopsis Sitting quietly in his room in an old people’s home, Allan Karlsson is waiting for a party he doesn’t want to begin. His one-hundredth birthday party to be precise. The Mayor will be there. The […]
Book Specs Author: John Banville Publisher: Picador Publishing Date: 2005 Number of Pages: 264 pages Genre: Novel Synopsis When art historian Max Morden returns to the seaside village where he once spent a childhood holiday, he is both escaping from a recent loss and confronting a distant trauma. The Grace family had appeared that long-ago […]
Hungduan, Blessed by Nature The Cordilleras, my home region, has, for years, been an enigma to the outside traveler. In its towering peaks resonate voices that one can barely hear through the conundrum. But like a lengthy book, it took a long time to truly unravel its true beauty. The mystical Cordilleras began taking shape […]
November 2, 2017 Just like that, my friend and I wrapped up our South Korean adventure as we spend our last full travel day here in the land of K-Dramas, KPop and Oppas. *Deep breath*. How time flies, FAST. It was just like yesterday when we landed in Incheon, brimming with enthusiasm. Who’d have thought […]
Book Specs Author: David Mitchell Publisher: Random House Publishing Date: 2004 Number of Pages: 509 Genre: Metafiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy Synopsis A postmodern visionary who is also a master of styles and genres, David Mitchell combines flat-out adventure, a Nabokovian love of puzzles, a keen eye for character, and a taste for mind-bending philosophical and […]
Book Specs Author: Margaret Atwood Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Date: 2000 Number of Pages: 521 Genre: Historical Fiction Synopsis ‘Ten days after the war ended, my sister Laura drove a car off a bridge.’ Thus begins The Blind Assassin, Margaret Atwood’s stunning new novel. Laura Chase’s older sister Iris, married at eighteen to a politically prominent […]
Book Specs Author: Michael Ondaatje Publisher: Vintage International Publishing Date: December 1993 Number of Pages: 302 Genre: Historiographic metafiction Synopsis With unsettling beauty and intelligence, Michael Ondaatje’s Booker Prize-winning novel traces the intersection of four damaged lives in an abandoned Italian villa at the end of World War II. The nurse Hana, exhausted by death, […]
Book Specs Author: Agatha Christie Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks Publishing Date: January 18, 2011 Number of Pages: 288 Genre: Mystery Fiction, Suspense Fiction, Detective Fiction Synopsis Just after midnight, the famous Orient Express is stopped in its tracks by a snowdrift. By morning, the millionaire Samuel Edward Ratchett lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a […]
Book Specs Author: J.M. Coetzee Publisher: Secker & Warburg Publishing Date: 1999 Number of Pages: 220 Genre: Literary Fiction, Novel Synopsis David Lurie, middle-aged and twice divorced, is a scholar fallen into disgrace. After years teaching Romantic poetry at the Technical University of Cape Town, he has an impulsive affair with a student. The affair […]
Book Specs Author: Philip Pullman Publisher: Laurel-Leaf Books Publishing Date: 2000 Number of Pages: 465 Genre: Young Adult Fiction, High Fantasy Fiction, Scientific Fiction Synopsis Lyra and Will, two ordinary children on an extraordinary and otherworldly quest, have fallen into unspeakable danger. With help from the armored bear Iorek Byrnison and two tiny Gallivespian spies, […]
