Early Christmas Treat

the Christmas presents i got for myself finally arrived today. i feel so giddy as i saw the package on my work desk this morning. these were ordered through Avalon.ph. where they have one-of-a-kind book selections, not to mention more affordable Moleskines. great service too! they were kind enough to double-check my mailing address, turns out i forgot to include the floor of my office building (not that we have too many floors).

now on to the goods, i got a large Moleskine sketchbook and The Heart of Faerie Oracle by Brian and Wendy Froud. i think it was about time for me to get a Moleskine sketchbook. i do have a lot of notebooks and sketchbooks, i have tried using Moleskine planners and cahiers but i just had to try Moleskine to see why so many are using it as a sketchbook (they're darn expensive!).

and as i wanted someting exotic, i got myself The Heart of Faerie Oracle. it has a book and tarot-ish cards to "read", with AMAZING artwork. back when i was still a book buyer i encountered Brian Froud in book catalogues. of course i can only marvel at miniature versions of his art. now i can enjoy his art one at a time, in every piece of oracle card. and who knows, i might dabble in the art of the oracle someday.

The Queen of the Golden Bough leads the pack



thrifted!

I dropped by NBS yesterday and lo and behold, they were having a sale! So here are the stuff i thrifted.

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thrifted: A Kiss for Little Bear

while in Cebu, i was able to grab a vintage copy of Else Holmelund Minarik and Maurice Sendak's A Kiss for Little Bear and a very good copy at that! just in time for the commemorating the death of the illustrator, and what an astounding illustrator he is! i love the way Sendak puts subtle color on his pen&ink drawings.

all illustrations by Maurice Sendak, captured through photos by Bre

indeed this one shall be included in my treasure trove.

Maurice Sendak dies at 83

photo from highsnobiety.com

when i was a child, i saw Where the Wild Things Are in a list of must-read books in one of our encyclopedias at home (yeah, i read encyclopedias as a past time back then) and ever since i wanted to get a copy. the illustrations just translated through me, it's as if i can relate with the wild things. i finally got a copy when i was 24 years old, as my gift for my son (i vowed to always let my son experience what i wanted to when i was a child). i even made obvious hints to my husband to get me a copy of the movie adaptation (which worked by the way) and purchased a markdown book puzzle book of the movie adaptation only a few months ago.

a few hours ago, i was dumbfounded to discover from Whorange that the very imaginative Maurice Sendak, award winning author/illustrator of Where the Wild Things Are has already died last May 8. of course everyone has their time, but knowing that someone you admire has passed away is rather heartbreaking.

for this, i will always cherish the copy of his works that i have, and probably get a copy of the Little Bear cartoons which i watched when i was younger. to Maurice Sendak, you have done great contributions to literature that no one could ever have imagined, we'll eat you up, we love you so.

La Vie En Rose: magnetic bookmarks

and these are finally out, for Php150 ($3.50) for a set of 4. or you could also purchase individually at Php45 ($1) each. all hand-drawn and handmade by Bre. just email me for orders at ea.senga@gmail.com

more to come!

ERRATUM: This set has been sold already

good news

yesterday the Philippines was ravaged by another typhoon, and the winds were indeed howling more than the rain lashed. luckily, electricity wasn't cut off in our area so i caught up on some reading (and some sleeping, perfect weather for this too). i finally finished Powers by Ursula le Guin, and just started Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. it is also a good thing that i was able to watch the last of the series last weekend, so i can make comparisons with the book. and the tv series did justice to the book. thank God George R.R. Martin is co-executive producer to the series, otherwise they may have murdered the plot. i am very much excited for the next season, which would not come until summer of next year.

on another note, i am equally excited about a new short story by one of my favorite authors, Michael Scott. He's already written a short story about Scathach, a vampire (though not your average one as she's vegetarian) from The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Series, entitled The Death of Joan of Arc. and it was superb. now he's continuing on his promise to write more about her in Billy the Kid and the Vampyres of Vegas. the title is quite exhilarating in itself. the short story will be out on November in ebook format. thank God for ebooks, they're much cheaper than real books, however i prefer the latter.

Winter is Coming: A Game of Thrones

image from forcesofgeek.com

this series has revived my fascination of medieval life (my past life must have been from that age). Game of Thrones is an original series from HBO, based on the novel, A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R.Martin . it focuses on the life of the Starks, the family governing WInterfell. there is much intrigue and surprises than you can imagine, and it makes Lord of the RIngs too goody-goody.

in the Game of Thrones, all characters are tested; the lines between black and white are not clearly drawn out. there are even more gray areas than the two, which makes it even more fascinating. here is reflected how kings are not so godly, and that sometimes people of power shun responsibility. true and raw human behavior is depicted as one would see in real life.

the series is well-cast, with Sean Bean (Boromir of Lord of the Rings fame) at its helm, costumes and settings very well-made, but the best part is George R.R. Martin is involved with the production so the series is much more related to the novel. dare to watch A Game of Thrones and experience what it was really like in a twisted medieval world. it airs in the Philippines on HBO every Sunday, at 10pm

The Warlock



images from Flamel's Secret, the Official fan forums of the series and flamels-immortal-portal.com

 i have finally finished The Warlock (two weeks ago). i have thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it, and i'm looking forward to a re-read, though i'm still finding the right time for it. the revelatoins are amazing ang timed-right, and i bet there's plenty more in The Enchantress.

i would have to say, i am very interested in the background of Virginia Dare. she's a very shady character (in the series anyway), and a cunning woman. i hope she gets the next titular character. but none would compare to Perenelle Flamel, whose humanity remains though bestowed immortality.

i cannot wait for the last book. so it's another year of lit fidgeting for me. but i'm thankful i have books already lined up for reading. and right now it's A Dark Anatomy by Robin Blake.

for those curious enough to delve into the world of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, here's a 5-chapter preview of The Warlock :click:

surprise! (sort of)

i had a pleasant sort-of-surprise last week. i received a signed bookplate from one of my favorite (and the most indulging that i know) authors, none other than Michael Scott! the bookplate was exclusive for members of a fan forum for his series, The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, and i instantly grabbed the opportunity to have one of the bookplates. with the next installment already a few days away from being released, the bookplate simply left me ecstatic (along with exclusive spolier quotes from the forums).

a lot of thanks to Michael Scott and all the forum mods for being able to connect to us fans. you don't know how grateful we are.

break from lit fidgeting

i'm reading The Lost Symbol (Dan Brown) as a break from my lit fidgeting. i was reading Meltdown, the copy i got when i was still a book buyer a few years back. it didn't pique my interest much though as it was a suspense thriller in a financial market setting. so not my genre.

anyway, The Lost Symbol was released in 2009 (yes, i'm late again!), it's the sequel to The Da Vinci Code which spurred a lot of debate regarding the divinity of Jesus (in my opinion, he's divine, with an heir or not... but this is off topic). I haven't yet finished The Lost Symbol yet, but i'm already familiar with Dan Brown's style. what interested me most are the facts about the Masons, that it makes me want to become one! not that anyone has ever invited me... of course, i'm female. their influence on the founding of America is astounding.
the connection of architecture and the arts to history is also very appealing for me. i was even researching the artworks in real-time while reading the book. i haven't been to the US, and it really isn't my dream to go there, but while reading about the architecture in the Capitol, i changed my mind.
Noetic Science has also grabbed my interest. in layman's term, it's more or less what you'd find in The Secret.
of course, the suspense is a real chiller, especially if you're reading in a room with only your mobile phone as light. which is what i do at night after my son has fallen asleep.
i've yet to discover the secret within the Masonic pyramid, but i have an inkling it's not as grand as i imagine it to be.

Inspiration

i fell in love with The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series, a fantastic work of urban fantasy by Michael Scott last 2009. he has fused together cultures, myths and legends so seamlessly you'd think he was the creator of these stories.


now i am waiting for The Warlock (May seems too far away!). and as i am waiting for the fifth installment, i decided to make some shirts (previously, i made The Morrigan) along the way. Meet Bastet.