Anthony Bourdain has a new book out, Medium Raw.  And last June 29th, he came to Austin for a book signing.  Before the book signing proper, AB fans had the chance to chat with the No Reservations host via a very casual Q and A type of exchange, which lasted for about an hour.  AB was very relaxed and was even sipping Shiner straight from the bottle.  Hee hee.  He is one funny guy, I tell you and very entertaining.  His fans seemed to hang on to his every word and looked like they couldn’t care less if it were social security disability AB was talking about.  Suffice it to say, I was star struck.  I couldn’t even remember half of the questions and answers.    I waited in line for 1 1/2 hours to have my book signed.  For a brief up-close encounter with AB, the wait was well worth it.  Never mind if I had to pay for the book at full price.  Hee hee.

Isa sa mga pangunahing pangangailangan ng mga halaman at bulaklak ang karampatang liwanag mula sa araw, lalo na’t kung ang mga ito ay mga tinatawag na “outdoor plants”.  Kahit ang mga “indoor plants” ay nangangailangan din maarawan paminsan-minsan.  Ang mga sumusunod na larawan ay kuha mula sa Dallas Arboretum nito lamang nakaraang Agosto.

(Plants need ample sunlight to grow, specially if they are of the outdoor type.  Come to think of it, even indoor plants need a bit of sun exposure every once in a while.  The following photos were taken at the Dallas Arboretum just this August.)

Ngunit ang liwanag ay di laging sa araw o sa ano pa mang gamit na nagbibigay ilaw sa dilim nanggagaling.  Halimbawa ng iba pang pinangagalingan ng liwanag ang mga aklat (tulad ng mga encyclopedia, storybooks, textbooks, at iba pa) at peryodiko.  Liwanag naman sa pagiisip at kaalaman ang dulot ng mga ito.

(But “light” doesn’t always come from the sun or other sources that brighten up a dark room or place.  Examples of these are books – encyclopedia, storybooks, textbooks, etc.- and newspapers.  These materials shed light to a long list of subject matters, thus, brightening our minds.)

Mga workbooks ni Abby

Dr. Seuss books ni Abby

Liwanag naman ng Tag-Init (Summer) ang isa ko pang lahok para sa Litratong Pinoy.

Mabuhay!

These are the questions that the tag wants answers to:

Do you read books to your child?
Does your child like to read books?
Do you like to buy new books or is second-hand ok?
Post a picture of your child’s bookshelf if you have one.

Yes, I read books to Abby.  I’ve been doing that since she was inside my womb.   Yes, Abby likes to read books.  She refuses to go to sleep until she’s been read to.  Oh i like buying new books!  I’m a sucker for book trials, which is why Scholastic loves me so much!   Second hand books are ok, too, but I haven’t really gotten hold of any.

I decided to pull out the books from the shelf so I can better show you Abby’s reading materials.  Here they are:

These are Abby’s first books.  We bought these during a family vacation in Malaysia.  I can’t resist a good deal. 

A child’s library isn’t quite complete if Mother Goose is nowhere in sight.  But that’s just my personal opinion.

We brought these fun reads all the way from the Philippines.  I got them at National Bookstore at about Php50.00 each.  Abby has practically memorized these books, so much so, that she can recite the words while I read to her.

These books are all gifts.

Some of the books in these pics were won from raffles, and some are from party loot bags.

These ones are from my short-lived subscription to the Brighter Vision Learning Adventures.

These are the Dr. Seuss books, another subscription, which I have already cancelled.

These are magazines.  Guess what they’re about!

These are free books from Scholastic.  I only paid for the shipping.

Abby also has a book of fairy tales.  Feminists might be shaking their heads on this one.   Don’t worry, I assure you that Abby will grow up knowing she has to fend for herself and not wait for a prince to save the day. *wink*

I highly recommend the Bob books for the beginning readers.

These are Abby’s coloring books, which she seldom uses.  She’s too much of an artist for these.

And these are Abby’s workbooks.  I highly recommend the ones by Kumon.

I didn’t realize Abby has so much books already.  She also has a good number of Leap Frog learning gadgets.  What I’d like to have are personalized books where Abby gets to be the star of the story.  I think it would make a nice keepsake.

This is not a book review.

I’m currently reading Stephenie Meyer’s “The Host”.  I’ve read all four of SM’s best-selling books in the very popular (and that’s putting it mildly!) Twilight Saga:  Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, all of which are young adult novels. 

The Host, I believe, is SM’s first adult novel.  I haven’t been getting too far in my reading though so I can’t say yet if I like the book or not.  I’ve heard the first few chapters are quite slow (and I think I agree!) but picks up at some point that one wouldn’t want to put it down.  When I do get to those chapters in the book, I can only guess I’ll be reading into the morning again.  It’s very easy for me to loose track of time when I’m too engrossed in my reading.  With the Twilight Saga, I had to will myself to stop reading at 3am!  I’ve sort of promised myself I’ll avoid sleeping that late again.  I sure don’t want to say hello to acne!

I wonder when I’ll finish this book.  I’m only on the 70th page of a 619-page book.  My pace should pick up when I hit the exciting parts.

Presently, Abby can’t ever go to sleep unless I read to her first.  In school, I know she does a lot of reading, too.  Hubby and I are always on the lookout for new books to add to Abby’s ever growing library…if only to keep her interested in reading.  I know there are parents out there whose child/ren might not be as fond of books as my little Abby.  It might help  if you make use of personalized children’s books.  These are story books where the “star” is your child him/herself!  I really think kids will get a kick out of this.  Last Christmas, Abby got personalized CDs from her godmother.  All the songs had her name in the lyrics, as if the songs were made for her.  And she really liked the CDs.  I bet she and other kids will be as excited if they find their names in books as well…in stories about themselves!  Let’s spread the love…for books, that is!

No thanks to this book, I am now in dire need of an acne cream.  I read it last Sunday and didn’t go to sleep until I finished it at 4am (Monday).  I am no book critic, but I will boldly declare that I enjoyed this book immensely.  It was just hilarious!  I was reading it while Hubby and Abby were swimming in the community pool and I couldn’t help laughing out loud!  I just love it when books make me laugh like crazy! 

Here’s the book’s description (as taken from the Borders website):

With the same wicked humor, buoyant charm, and optimism that have made her Shopaholic novels beloved international bestsellers, Sophie Kinsella delivers a hilarious new novel and an unforgettable new character. Meet Emma Corrigan, a young woman with a huge heart, an irrepressible spirit, and a few little secrets:
 
Secrets from her mother: Sammy the goldfish in my parents’ kitchen is not the same goldfish that Mum gave me to look after when she and Dad were in Egypt.

From her colleagues: When Artemis really annoys me, I feed her plant orange juice. (Which is pretty much every day.) It was me who jammed the copier that time. In fact, all the times.

Secrets she wouldn’t share with anyone in the world:
My G-string is hurting me.Until she spills them all to a handsome stranger on a plane. At least, she thought he was a stranger.

But come Monday morning, Emma’s office is abuzz about the arrival of Jack Harper, the company’s elusive CEO. Suddenly Emma is face-to-face with the stranger from the plane, a man who knows every single humiliating detail about her. Things couldn’t possibly get worse–Until they do.

I would highly recommend this book if you want to drown your worries.  We all need a good laugh.  

“Remember Me” is my first encounter with Sophie Kinsella, famed author of the Shopaholic series. I didn’t have second thoughts about buying this because I knew for a fact that the Shopaholic books are certified bestsellers. This book kept me company on the very late nights of (Good) Friday and (Black)Saturday before Easter. I did finish the book in two nights, not counting the few minutes I was able to steal while inside a moving car.

Unfortunately, the book didn’t quite excite me as I hoped and thought it would. I could hardly be considered a book critic because my reading repertoire during my younger years were limited to romance novels…and of late, children’s book, cookbooks and a few metaphysical ones. Hee hee! But I do think I know my way around romances. I specially like them to give me tickles, goosebumps, butterflies in my stomach and everything else associated with sappy love stories. Hee hee!

While I did manage to finish the book in two sittings, it was out of an urgent need to get it over and done with and to get myself out of my misery as quickly as possible. Next time, I’ll probably just stick to the best sellers…at least, where Sophie is concerned.

Have a great week, everyone! Oh yeah, I have another WS entry here.