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The raiders torched a building and destroyed equipment owned by the Sagittarius Mines Inc. in the town called Tampakan past 3 a.m., according to a military report.

No one was reported injured or killed in the raid.

But the attack sent a chilling warning to the government that the NPA can carry out offensive despite a massive military operation to crush the growing insurgency problems in Mindanao island, where Muslim rebels are also fighting for a separate homeland.

The insurgents fled after the attack. The motive of the attack is still unknown, but NPA forces have previously raided other mining firms in Mindanao which refused to pay illegal taxation.

Indigenous tribes also were protesting the operation of the SMI, saying, the mining activities allegedly encroached into ancestral lands and caused pollution in rivers and streams in Tampakan, which is considered a watershed area.

In March last year, insurgents also raided a private coal mining firm, the MG Mining Company, in Raja Cabunsuan village in Surigao del Sur's Lingig town.

The NPA carted weapons taken from security guards at the mining headquarters after MG executives refused to pay illegal taxation imposed by the insurgents.

The NPA had been collecting so-called "revolutionary taxes" to support its armed struggle to overthrow the democratic government for a separate Maoist homeland in the Philippines.

The weapons maintained by mining firms' security guards have also attracted the insurgents.

The latest attack came days after the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) said the NPA has achieved significant military victories in 2007 and warned of more and bigger offensive this year. (Mindanao Examiner)

In a few hours it will be year 2008. Since i did it last year i thought ill make it again as a year ender post. 1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before? Worked, worked, worked, got sick, sicked, got well then worked again its a cycle! 2. Did you keep your new [...]

Luke 2:16-21
Nm 6: 22-27/ Ps 67/ Gal 4: 4-7

But Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.
(Luke 2:19)

Lord, on this first day of the year,
We honor Mary, our mother.
May her example draw us near
To You, our most loving Father.

So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in a manger. When they saw this, they made known the saying which had been told them about this child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. And at the end of eight days, when He was circumcised, He was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb (Luke 2:16-21).

Reflection

In today’s Gospel of Luke, Mary, the mother of Jesus took the time to reflect on the strange events surrounding her Son’s birth. It had not been easy for her, traveling from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea, at a time when she was about to give birth. All the inns were fully booked, forcing them to take shelter in a cave, fit only for horses and cattle. But this humble and strong lady took it all in stride, happy in the thought that despite all the miserable conditions she was being subjected to, she was the mother of the Messiah, the Lord and Savior of all mankind. Sure enough, her confidence was confirmed by shepherds who came to give homage to her Son. They told her about the hordes of angels who had proclaimed His birth. Soon after, magi from far-off lands would also pay them a visit, bearing gifts fit only for a king.

Another year has just begun, and it’s time to look forward to a better future filled with more confidence. The year past had been tumultuous and erratic — the economy was buffeted by soaring prices of oil, and the situation seemed hopeless in the light of civil unrest, crime, corruption in government, and the massive exodus of our jobless to foreign lands. Then, suddenly, as the year ended it seemed as if things are looking up again. How did we survive 2007? It was simply our strong faith as a Catholic nation. As Catholics, we are fortunate to have Mary as our model of faith and perseverance. She accepted without doubt the words of the angel during the Annunciation, just as she never wavered in the trials of Calvary. Pope John Paul II said we must be like the Mother of God, always reflecting in our hearts to be grateful for all past events, whether ill or fortunate; to live the present with exuberance (“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord”); and to look forward to the future with hope and confidence. And why not, indeed, when we believe that we have a loving Father in heaven, and a Mother who will intercede for us in our times of need?

May the year 2008 be a prosperous one for all of us, full of love and compassion, reflections, prayers, and peace… HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Father, as we plan our New Year’s resolutions today, we ask for the guidance of Your Holy Spirit, and for the intercession of our Mother Mary, our ideal of faith. Amen.

What’s the heck of making fresh pasta when there are available ready made in the supermarket? Well, the taste really differs!!! Been wondering why some restaurants are very proud to tell their customers that they make fresh pasty and that makes it quite pricey! Fresh pasta is more succulent and there is the flavors just comes alive in your mouth every bite compared to the dried lifeless

Deadweight like these cause local power outages and fatal accidents Ditto with large branches that give way to the bearing weight onto the hapless vehicle underneath. Not good without a garage...

This is just the tip of the iceberg. For the full icy refreshness, visit Normanbolditalic. Design and Culture. Fresh Whenever. :)

After 9.5 inches of downpour, the place took on an eerie light of its own, kind of like those Arctic ghost town movie sets. This was taken about half past midnight. Click to see bigger photos or...

This is just the tip of the iceberg. For the full icy refreshness, visit Normanbolditalic. Design and Culture. Fresh Whenever. :)

NY eve was a puh-retty good day!

in the morning, wala hibernate lang.


in the afternoon, it was time to have fun.!

I'm one lucky girl. If there's one thing I am really "mayabang" about is the fact that I have these four girls as friends!!!And when i say friends, not just people you "hang with" but real and solid friendships! Meaningful connections that have really touched my soul.

hear no evil, speak no evil, smell no evil, feel no evil, see no evil

free advertising baby!

peacelabenrakenrol!

great, big WITCH hug!

look!! beggars!! yay!!

meet-ups like this keeps me sane, i should do this more often..hehehe..^^

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

start it w/ a bang!

My last post for this year 2007
hmmm lets remember all the events that happened to me...

Jan: Received my TESDA NC1 License Data Encoder (for June 2006 test of skills exam)... new year of the 2007 year of the pig, at this point all of us classmates were anticipating to pass all the projects, and final exam for graduation.. I joined to the examination in Accenture at Waterfront Insular Hotel... passed the exam with the title Assistant Software Engineer (system mainframe programmer) offer a salary of 16k a month but must live at Makati

Feb: still studying very hard and making sure that we all pass the final exam... and thinking if I will accept that offer from Accenture

Mar: passing of projects and preparing all the requirements for graduation.. Received the contract from Accenture via postal mail... convincing my parents that I will work with Accenture

Apr: graduation practice and the graduation day April 21, then outing at Canibad Beach in Samal Island, my parents told me to find job here in our City before accepting Accenture offer ... so here I am started finding work... get to know someone special who work at Accenture via forum, he worked in Makati branch...

May: finding work applying to all the companies everyday I passed like 2 to 3 resumes up to the point we were was lost in one place with my friend Jash when we passed resume in one prestigious company... it was so far from the city proper...
My BF told me to pass my contract right away in Accenture so I will start asap... still thinking twice because of my parents...

Jun: Received my license NC2 passer in TESDA (Certified Computer Technician)... still passing resumes... called for interview so many times but I was choosy that I intentionally fail some of it and passed some but still I do not continue to work because of the office place was not friendly to handicap (with crutches)...
took so many exams then finally it was almost end of the month... the fourth week of June when I stopped applying...
I told myself if no company will hire me before the end of June that will suit my skills and capability, I will pass the contract via postal mail that Accenture gave me... June 27: I received a call from Ma'am Merju that I will start work on June 29 ^_^ I was shock and happy because it was my dream job web developer all about websites

Jul: my BF was changing little by little because he knows that am not going to pass Accenture's contract sooner or later as I'm happy with my work here in ESPC.. I kept on telling him about my work colleagues and client... he was changing and beginning to fade...

Aug: broke up with my BF and was hurt so bad... I put all my thoughts and energy at work to forget the pain... spend more time with work colleagues.. and help most of the office mates.
have the FIRST TEAM BUILDING in our company.. finally meeting the all the agents from day shifts... and swimming with my close work colleagues

Sep: changed client because the contract with my first client ended ... learned so many stuff with my first client.. he thought me adwords, SEO... I was not only a web developer but also a writer & Link Builder...

Oct: became a virtual assistant with my new client then link builder and graphic artist...
part time PM at the fourth week of October have some issues and been intrigue... Attended first Mindanao Bloggers Summit... met so many blog mates and welcome new blog friends... met famous bloggers and learned so much from them...

Nov: Learned so much about SEO with Ma'am Claire and received LENSMATER AWARD in SEO Training my squidoo was on #5 in judgement day ^_^ the highest ever in all the agents of night shift... Became full time PM at night shift... and also this was most painful month ever... issues... intrigues continues... adjusting was so hard with new promotion ... embracing my position was hard...

Dec: still to continue coping and adjusting... emotionally battered because of what I thought as my true friends was not that as I hope them to be...
I faced the reality the true colors of people around me... I felt no longer happy with the situation... But still strong to cope up with the issues...
Experience the First Christmas Party in our company...
Then I told myself to have a resolution on January to embrace the position I'm in now as PM... But still finding a sign before this month end...
then I was told of new plans for January 2008 in our company all what was said in our meeting on the night of 27th day of December... that was the memorable year end meeting. I was told to be quiet... I can't say more but watch out for it.
My Aice Nice Concepts blog is currently now in number 31 in the Mindanao’s Top 100 Blogs for 2007!!! ^_^


Madaming nangyari sa year of the Pig I can say this was one of the colorful year ever in my life... not only did I have one of my dreams come true (to be computer degree holder) I have one of my wishes come true have the job i wanted "web developer/web master" as Confucius said "find a job that you love and you will never work a day in your life"

also this year was an eye opener, I learned a lot in so many ways (easy/hard/experience/observation/studying/etc...)

New Life in 2008 year of the Rat I have kept in my mind all the resolutions I will make.

Year of the Rat (Earth), which begins on February 7, 2008 and ends on January 25, 2009, Rat is the first animal among the 12 animals of Chinese Zodiac sign, means it could be a new or make a fresh start... it's really time for a new change.

Welcome 2008 Year of the Rat

Years back, I can’t understand adults who can’t understand us young ones setting off firecrackers left and right. These old people are killjoys, I thought.

Here is a list of what I consider as the best Christian videos I have seen in 2007. These videos have one thing in common – very powerful and inspiring messages. Each of the 5 videos has taught me something worthwhile. I must say that “The Bridge” and “Everything” have even moved me to [...]

  Gikan sa kinauyokang luna ning naglagubo kong dughan , duyog sa pinitik ning akong kasing kasing, dawata kining akong mainiton nga pagpanimbaya kaninyong tanan ug sa inyong banay sa paglabtik sa bag-ong tuig 2008. Tim-os akong manghinaut og hugot nga nangaliya nga ang gugma, Kalipay, Kapiskay sa panglawas, ug Kalinaw mohari ...

Today, the last day of 2007, I was reflecting on the events of the last 12 months. My realization: they were good months. Not exactly as I’d planned, but highly satisfactory.

My greatest achievement for this year was the very successful conduct of the first-ever Mindanao Bloggers Summit in October. Surrounded by bloggers and supporters all throughout, I had no doubts that we could pull it off. What I hadn’t counted on was the way MindanaoBloggers.com turned out to be so viral. Long after the Summit was concluded, more and more bloggers from Mindanao are participating in the community.

In my work as an I.T. consultant and marketer, I’ve also seen some new developments this year. After several years of trying to promote Davao City to the Japanese market, it was only this year that these efforts have begun to pay off. Beginning in August, I’ve been monitoring an increased interest by Japanese I.T. companies in Davao City as an outsourcing and investment destination. This will hopefully continue into 2008 and beyond. (more…)

Sponsored By: 1st Mindanao Bloggers Summit - 27 Oct 2007, Davao City

John 1: 1-18
1 Jn 2:18-21/Ps 96

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
(John: 1-2)

John talks about the Beginning,
We wonder as the year’s end is here:
What will the new year be bringing?
May God fill it with goodwill and cheer.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, ‘This was he of whom I said, “He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” ’) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

Reflection

Today the year 2007 is ending. And yet today’s Gospel talks about a beginning — the never-ending Word of God Who is eternal — our Lord Jesus Christ, the Alpha and the Omega. He is “the light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (Jn.1:5) Through this Light from God we have come to have life, because through Him God has given us power to become children of God, believing as we do in the power of His Name. (Jn. 1:12)

Today, let us reflect for a moment on how we have lived this past year, so that we can make a firm resolve to become even better in the coming year. How well did we spread goodwill and cheer among our relatives, friends, co-workers and neighbors? How often did we show affection for our spouse and children? How much time did we spend with our parent(s) or grandparent(s), knowing how little time they have left to live on earth? How much effort and resources did we expend to give life to those who were in desolation, or the light of the Good News to those who were in darkness? We have received the fullness of God’s grace; how much of it did we share with others? How often did we stand for the truth, and spoke against the immoral and the unjust? How much good did we accomplish to make this world a better place to live in? These are just some of the questions we must ask ourselves if we are to make a resolution to become better Christians, and worthy children of God in 2008.

Lord Jesus, as we enter another year in our life’s journey, we pray for the grace to become better heralds of Your Good News not only in words, but in living our lives in accordance with our Father’s will. May the Holy Spirit abide in us always, as we strive to be more spiritually active and productive in the coming year. Amen.

Posters of different sizes and for different subjects have also been a popular pastime for many enthusiasts. Those enamored with films go for the very catchy, colorful, and artful movie posters that are seen in movie theatres and malls and which surely easily draw the captive attention of the onlookers. While others more into hero adulation may go for sports posters whether of racing cars and their drivers, professional sportsmen, etc. In short, there are posters and posters for most popular fancies and passions.
As for me, I was fortunate enough to have acquired over time a precious number of them (about 76) all about one subject, poster prints of the the paintings/illustrations of the late artist, Norman P. Rockwell, a very popular symbol of things Americana.

Click to read more.

A

US troops ordered Muslim doctors and hospital staff to close down the Panamao District Hospital at night since December 3. American troops who put up a base near the hospital even told the doctors to treat their patients at the municipal hall.

Dr. Silak Lakkian, head of the hospital, has complained about how US troops meddled into their operations.

US soldiers insist there is a threat against them in the town from suspected Abu Sayyaf militants, but the report was disputed by local security forces.

American soldiers are in Sulu since 2006 to train Filipino troops and assist and advice them in the so-called war on terror. Rebels are active in Sulu province, about 950 kilometers south of Manila.

On Monday, the Philippine military banned US soldiers from near the hospital and even sent Filipino soldiers to guard the hospital.

The governor of Sulu, Sakur Tan, allowed the resumption of the hospital operations at night to cater to emergencies and patients in Panamao after a meeting with military and town officials over the weekend.

At the meeting, the US military commanders in Sulu apologized for the incident.
“The hospital has resumed operations at night and everything is back to normal again,” Brigadier General Ruperto Pabustan, commander of the Philippines Army Special Forces in Sulu, told Mindanao Examiner.

The news of the incident only broke out Saturday after hospital staff complained to authorities and journalists about how US troops forcibly shut down the hospital at night and even threatened to shoot anybody if there was an attack against the foreigners.

“US troops have no authority to impose on us,” the governor said.

The US military tried to cover up the incident and denied it ever happened and blamed the local media for the “blunder.”

Local villagers and some Filipino troops also have complained about the arrogance of US soldiers in Sulu. Some US troops have allegedly treated Filipino soldiers like vassal.

Some US troops also prevented curious Muslim villagers to go near them in public places as though the locals were terrorists.

American troops had in the past also harassed Filipino journalists who were covering joint RP-US military war games in Zamboanga City and Sulu and in some occasions arrested and seized the cameras of reporters who took photos and videos of them.

It was also in Sulu that hundreds of US soldiers slaughtered some 800 Muslim villagers, including innocent women and children, during the Moro rebellion in March 1906 that has become known as the First Battle of Bud (Mount) Dajo also called the "Moro Crater Massacre."

During this battle, 790 men and officers, under the command of Colonel J.W. Duncan, assaulted the volcanic crater, which was held by several hundred rebels protecting Muslim villagers. (Mindanao Examiner)

I was so happy to see this post from Mindanao Bloggers' Top 100 blogs for 2007... my blog was number 31 wow! lucky me ^_^ been famous due to the SEO contest I have joined recently on our company, or may be it was famous due to controversy and intrigue it delivers from posting so many personal events in my life around the office.

and so for...


Repost of the Mindanao’s Top 100 Blogs for 2007 from Mindanao Bloggers

Posted by Winston on 30 December 2007

Here’s the list of the top 100 Mindanao Blogs for 2007. The list was taken from the registered blogs found in the Mindanao Blog Directory. The blogs’ ranking were based on the data taken from Technorati and feedburner.

To the authors of the following blogs, congratulations!

1. http://www.alleba.com/blog
2. http://www.mindanao.com/blog
3. http://www.jehzlau-concepts.com
4. http://www.batangyagit.com
5. http://www.vinceleste.com
6. http://spaceofinfluence.blogspot.com
7. http://blog.jammedph.com
8. http://aclworld.blogdrive.com
9. http://www.dotastrategy.com
10. http://ptlavina.wordpress.com
11. http://www.jemme.net
12. http://chingscdo.blogspot.com
13. http://kirbitz.blogspot.com
14. http://www.robilloblog.com
15. http://www.blogsilog.com
16. http://www.chikadora.com
17. http://migs.wordpress.com
18. http://teebob.blogspot.com
19. http://davaosfoodhuntress.blogspot.com
20. http://www.chartherct.com/
21. http://www.angdabawenyo.com
22. http://teremyblog.blogspot.com
23. http://www.dahandahanlang.com
24. http://politics.alleba.com
25. http://stentorized.blogspot.com
26. http://myconsolingasylum.blogspot.com
27. http://prcboardexamresults.com
28. http://conradmiguel.com
29. http://riajose.wordpress.com
30. http://rhodilee.com/
31. http://ice9web.blogspot.com/
32. http://siyete.wordpress.com
33. http://www.hoopaddict.com
34. http://cantilangnon.i.ph
35. http://www.philippinesparadise.info/
36. http://blog.wyzemoro.com
37. http://richelle-rn.blogspot.com
38. http://reyian.blogspot.com
39. http://www.mydavaocity.com
40. http://www.healthandwealthtopic.com
41. http://mandayamoore-orlis.blogspot.com
42. http://www.dingexx.com/
43. http://ittalks.robilloblog.com
44. http://www.cherylestorgio.com/
45. http://www.jeanclairedy.wordpress.com
46. http://taorinpoako.blogspot.com
47. http://www.davaohotspots.com
48. http://www.alternat1ve.com
49. http://wggtah.blogspot.com
50. http://www.southisms.com
51. http://bananachoked.blogspot.com
52. http://www.wordgodspells.com
53. http://robstroy.blogspot.com/
54. http://filipinonurse.blogspot.com
55. http://istambay.wordpress.com
56. http://www.robstroy.com
57. http://rhyan.net
58. http://marcospot.blogspot.com
59. http://www.shopchicks.com
60. http://doodleztech.blogspot.com
61. http://pmvb.info
62. http://shane.jaducana.net/
63. http://www.davaoblogs.net
64. http://dabawpinoy.blogspot.com/
65. http://davaodeli.com
66. http://sixpack.robilloblog.com
67. http://crazydrunkguyv2.blogspot.com
68. http://theusualsuspects.mobi
69. http://aethen.blogspot.com
70. http://care-for-your-health.blogspot.com
71. http://showbizchika.dingexx.com/
72. http://pidjanga.blogspot.com
73. http://maying.writersnook.net
74. http://fielsvd.blogspot.com/
75. http://eetsie.eklaboo.com
76. http://m2factorial.blogspot.com
77. http://myflipflopsandnotes.blogspot.com
78. http://student.batangyagit.com
79. http://bacongco.com
80. http://movie-music-review.blogspot.com
81. http://neodavao.wordpress.com
82. http://shyyen.blogspot.com
83. http://celebpro.blogspot.com
84. http://journals.aol.co.uk/jcjimc/BethanyChristianHomeforChildrenT
85. http://mindanaokini.blogspot.com
86. http://daracks.blogspot.com
87. http://benhurjun.i.ph/
88. http://www.odyscorner.com
89. http://fencesitter.i.ph
90. http://girlfromdipolog.blogspot.com
91. http://writingedge.blogspot.com
92. http://pc.batangyagit.com
93. http://honeycaragos.blogspot.com
94. http://cutieissa.blogspot.com
95. http://iamsorceress.wordpress.com
96. http://davaodiaries.blogspot.com
97. http://theignatianperspective.blogspot.com
98. http://periodicosurigao.blogspot.com
99. http://www.bloggwing.com
100. http://cutie.lecio.us

** Generated on December 30, 2007 6:10 pm

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Nene” Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban) today expressed concern that an episode in the film “Sakal Sakali Saklolo” is conveying a wrong message to Filipinos by seemingly denigrating the use of the Visayan language, which is most widely spoken in the Visayas and large parts of Mindanao.

Pimentel specifically cited a portion of the film in which a grandmother was telling a nanny (yaya) in Tagalog: “Bakit pinapalaki ninyong Bisaya ang apo ko?” (Why are you rearing my grandchild as a Bisaya?)

The mother butted in by telling the yaya: “Speak to the kid in Tagalog. Parang Pinoy. (So that he grows up like a Pinoy).”

He said such conversation smacks of an ethnic slur to non-Tagalog speaking Filipinos as he called on the producer of the film Star Cinema, to promptly take steps to rectify the error.

“It offends the sensibilities of the Visayans and other non-Tagalog speaking citizens by making them feel as if they are less Filipino than the Tagalogs. It creates useless hatred in the nation,” he said.

Pimentel also voiced disappointment that the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board has overlooked the palpable flaw in the film which it should not have tolerated in keeping with its functions.

“Sakal Sakali Saklolo,” with Judy Ann Santos and Ryan Agoncillo in the lead roles, is an official entry to the ongoing Metro Manila Film Festival.

Read more comments on: http://www.pinoypress.net/2007/12/27/visayans-unite-or-why-they-should-boycott-sakal-sakali-saklolo/

My own point of view:

Like you guys, i came from Mindanao, raised to speak Visayan language. I am glad to know that there are people from Mindanao and Visayas are fighting for this issue. It’s true that some or most of the Tagalog speaking people often discrimate Visayan speaking people, specially our accent. I’ve known some of them. I agree with Proud Cebuano’s point if view. For me, its better to separate Mindanao-Visayas area from Luzon area.

At present I am in UAE. In my own observation, there are lots of bisaya people than tagalog people here. That only means, we are successful than the tagalog once, hehehe. They dont know that  mas dghan professionals sa mga bisaya. People from Visayas and Mindanao are live decently compared to Luzon Area, at least tayo, d nkatira sa squatters area, and we do have our own house and lot.

Christmas 2007 has come and gone. Still, it shouldn't be too late to say, "Merry Christmas, darling..."

P.S.
Happy Birthday, Jesus!

I’ve been exploring lately on puff pastries and I don’t know where I went wrong on my last try, the puff pastry just didn’t puff!!! None the less, this time I made it right. I finally found the tricks, or maybe it’s just my oven. After baking for about 10 minutes at gas 10 (around 270 degrees C ), put on the grill for 2 minutes and the pastry just puffed in few seconds! Why I’m using ready

Our book club is underway. We will be having our first book discussion next month. Our first book is I Am Legend by Richard Matheson.

It's not very challenging. I mean I was looking for something more deep, more intellectually stimulating, more poignant, something that will get you emotionally involved in and make you think deep thoughts even after reading it, a pleasure to read, etc. But we chose it in the hope that it will attract more potential members knowing that it's a 'popular' book.

I'm already half-way through the novel and all I can say is that the story is just so-so. I wonder how I'm going to facilitate our discussion next month, since our reading is not very interesting hehehe... (The way we structured it is that each month we will have a three-man committee, composed of the host, the facilitator and the secretary. The host takes care of the book discussion venue, the facilitator takes charge of the discussion itself -- he or she prepares the guide questions, maintains orders, etc., and the secretary is the contact person, records the book list and suggestions for the coming months, the minutes of the meeting and etc. This way the other members can just focus on the reading.)

Still this is all very exciting. I've always wanted to join or start a book club.

But, you may wonder, why join/ start a book club?

Well, a book club will help you grow as a person, too, you know, just like any other club. It provides a place where you can socialize with other people who have similar interests as you. And since this is a book club, it will help you grow intellectually and emotionally as well.

Mr. J asked me the other day, half in jest, why he should join the club (I encouraged him but he's hesitant). He doesn't see the point of reading fiction. What's the point of reading stories that are not real, events that never took place? I told him that fiction is important, too. The stories may just be the author's invention, but they can still be relevant to our personal lives. Our existence as individuals are very limited. We only get to live one single life, after all. Yet by reading, we get to live the lives of others; the scope of our existence is widened. We get to live the emotions and thoughts of countless authors in all their variety. We plunge into the richness of human experience, and in the process we gain wisdom and knowledge, and our lives improve for the better, in a way.

If you're interested in joining our club, let me know. Btw, our club's name is Book Fellas.

I've been planning to change the template of this blog, but I can't get it right. I keep getting an error message from Blogger. I'll put back my blogroll later.

Last week the family decided to head off to an obscure Mediterranean hookah bar to start the season with flavored cancer. The waiter recommended a flavored tobacco I never heard of before called "mary juana." It was weird because he'd look around and whisper in a low voice whenever he offered it to us; and he always had something in his eye, as if he was winking, but he wasn't though.