February 14 is International Book Giving Day

Visit the website to know more about International Book Giving Day 2014.

What Teens Are Reading

In a talk with fellow KUTING writers and probees last November 2013, I shared with them three high school libraries who collected titles of YA novels read by their students. Joy Fajardo Nera and Ann Grace Bansig sent their library's top ten YA reads based on circulation reports.

From Joy Fajardo Nera, Assumption College, San Lorenzo Makati
1. The House of Hades by Rick Riordan 
2. The Infernal Devices Series especially the Clockwork Princess  
3. The Secret Series by Pseudonymous Bosch 
4. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli  
5. The Abundance of Katherine by John Green.  
6. The Inkheart Trilogy by Cornelia Funke  
7. Life of Pi by Yann Martel  
8. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho  
9. Sophie Kinsela's books 
10. The Giver by Lois Lowry.

Top Ten List from De La Salle Santiago Zobel School (Grades 7-10) sent by Ann Grace Bansig
1. Dancing Home by Alma Flor Ada and Gabriel M. Zubizarreta (lexile book) 2. Revenge of the Whale : the true Story of the Whale Ship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick (lexile book) 3. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green 4. Looking for Alaska by John Green 5. Paper Towns by John Green 6. Ten Great Mysteries by Edgar Allan Poe (lexile book) 7. The Princess Plot by Kirsten Boie (lexile book) 8. The Wright Brothers at kitty hawk by Donal J. Sobol (lexile book) 9. This As What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer Smith 10. Let It Snow: Three Holiday romances by John Green

Book Spine Poetry December 2013: Judge's Review (1 of 2)

Rhandee Garlitos, author and poet, sent his review and comments on the winners of our Book Spine Poetry Contest in school. He was the judge for the month of December. He had five poems selected as honorable mention (2) and 3rd, 2nd and 1st placers respectively. 

What do I look for in (found) poetry? As a poet and as a lover of books, I find the task of threading together words in order to produce an image very daunting and challenging.  But the basics remain – poetry should have the capability to hold a moment that should stun its reader, like venom that would leave an impression to its beholder, although in a positive way.  What makes this doubly tasking is to put it together in such a way that it comes out as a form that would withhold its meaning without being too cryptic.

Several of the entries stood out, and some of the entries contained some of the most arresting book titles that have seen the light of day. Though I personally feel that your library, where most of these titles where sourced from, would have carried more.  Imagine if someone started his/her poetry with one of Paolo Coelho’s – “By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept”.  I would have also wished that there would be more Filipino entries (Was it the lack of Filipino titles or the simple disinterest of the students with Filipiniana? I just wonder.) as Filipino titles would have elicited more images that would be more authentic to the Filipino experience.

Nevertheless I commend the creativity of the students who came up with some of the interesting stack of found poetry.  Some would have stood out had there been more care and restraint, but three of the entries followed what the American poet Stephen Dobyns calls “Best Words, Best Order” in poetry (I am actually quoting the title of one of his books.).  

I commend two entries here that would have merited had they been edited well.  One, “The Old Man and the Sea / Fell / After / the Fifth Mountain / Snow Falling on Cedars / Catching Fire”, would have succeeded if it were threaded properly, so that it would read like this:

Catching fire

after

snow falling on cedars,

the old man and the sea

fell

the fifth mountain.

Had this been the order followed, this would have gotten my utmost attention and admiration for its stunning imagery.  Imagine Hemingway’s two most powerful adversaries (coincidentally the title of one of my most favorite books by a most respected author) being enclosed in what would be a conquest of the formidable, while at the same time it reads like a Zen poem, lush with the image of smoldering embers warming frostbit hands.

Another entry was able to gather some of the best lines/titles, but it suffered from one or two more extra (therefore unnecessary) words.  I always emphasize the need for restraint in poetry, that it should never reveal more than it should. Therefore, “Over a thousand hills I walked with you / Up the downstair case / going going / criss cross / thinking about almost everything / Piercing the Darkness / Breaking Dawn” would have been better if it read like this:

Over a thousand hills I walked with you,

piercing the darkness

up the down staircase,

breaking dawn

thinking about almost everything.

It would have personified the deadening pain of being with someone in a journey, trying to dismantle the fabric of the cold, unfeeling “darkness” from where the persona stands (up the downstairs case? or up the down staircase?), trying to break free and see the light from the chains of worrying too much.  It would have symbolized the weight of a mother’s anxiety, anticipating the arrival of her beloved (husband or child, one can choose) even as she imagines herself being in the process of going home.

23 Mobile Things PH&SG: Thing #2 Photo Apps

It's all about Photo Apps in 23 Mobile Things PH & SG this week.

I'm not a big Instagram fan and I only post in IG when I feel like it but I definitely love taking photos. So you'll find all sorts of pictures in my IG account should you visit me there or choose to follow me. However, recent upgrade in my mobile has made IG more interesting as I can use Pic Collage, post it on IG and link the post to Twitter. Twitter then sends the link to FB. Ah, social media magic!

Collage of new books posted in IG

Should you visit the 23 Mobile Things PH & SG website, you'll read about a blog entry of Hedren Sum from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He has recommended a slew of Thinking as it asks relevant questions on the use of the said technology. More than knowing how to use technology, understanding the why of using technology is just as important.

Here are my answers to the questions:

When was the last time you printed out photographs you have taken? What could be the reason behind this?

I have not printed out any of my photos. But I might. I'll Tweet and tag #23mthingsphsg.

How could your library use photographs to promote library services, events and activities?

I used Pic Collage to combine photos of new books. I sent this to our school's mailing list. By day's end, we received five book reservations!

Do you have a permission form available so that when you take photographs of clients or events, you have their agreement for those images to be used and shared online?

This is a good suggestion and I'll try this out.

How easy is it for clients to contribute digital photographs to your library collection (eg. local history)?

This question prompts me to look at the library's photo collection. For now, all are stored in digital folders and in CDs as back ups. But, yes. It is good to revisit procedures on how the community can take part in building the library's collection.

A sample of my book spine poem to entice high school kids to join the contest. Posted in IG too.

Thanks to Karryl and Joan for this wonderful initiative, and to Hedren for the content he provided in Thing #2! I had fun answering the questions.

I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends

A few backs I sent a SOS to all my social media networks. This was my message:

SOS Librarian friends: I am in need of tips, standards in the organization and preservation of architectural blue prints. Short term and long term plans for management of such records. ASAP. Send me PM please.

Amazingly, I got two replies: one from Eimee Lagrama who sent in a link on the storage, preservation and management of such records; and the other from Mercy Servida, librarian of Lopez Museum. From her reply, I was able to set a procedure for the initial care of the blue prints.

1. Determine if the blue prints are the originals as these last longer than replicates;
2. Remove the blue prints from rolled forms.
3. Straighten the blue prints by placing glass on top or any flat, heavy object;
4. Scan and/or digitize;
5. Classify and catalog the blue prints by architect, building, specifications and access points;
6. Store in space with controlled temperature and humidity.

With social media and Web 2.0, librarians can continue to grow and help each other out! Thanks Eimee and Tita Mercy!

Book Review: Modern Heroes For the Filipino Youth Series

Back in 2010, Bookmark won a Best Reads National Children's Book Award for Lub-Dub Lub-Dub, a biography of Dr. Fe Del Mundo the first woman pediatrician in the Philippines. Written by Rusell Molina and illustrated by Jomike Tejido, the book is part of Bookmark's  Great Men and Women of Asia–Children’s Series. The series brings together stories of ordinary people who've done extraordinary acts of goodness that it elevated them to heroic status. Specifically, the heroes featured in the series are awardees of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Awards. At a time when teachers and librarians are looking for biography books for children to read, Bookmark took the brave initiative to have this series published.

And they've only just begun on this courageous venture as another series is produced for the Filipino young reader: The Modern Heroes For the Filipino Youth Series.  The series aims to present role models for young people to emulate. Each story in the series contains a central theme that exemplifies a moral value or characteristic or an exemplary incident in the life of each principal character. So it says in each of the book's blurb.

The books live up to its aims as values of bravery, courage and love of country, bespeak of the stories of Ninoy Aquino, Ed Jopson, Jaime Ongpin, Vidal Lorenzo Tan, Gen. Vicente Lim, and Jose Abad Santos. The stories of Richie Fernando, Sr. Christine Tan and Macliing Dulag would inspire young readers to look at love, service for others, determination and social justice in a new light. 

The series also features the artistic genius of Lino Brocka and Jovita Fuentes; the ingenuity and business acumen of Margarita Dela Cruz Santiago; the dedication of Fr. Eduardo Hontiveros SJ to bring liturgical music closer to church parishioners; the drive and endurance of Filipino scientists Drs. Lourdes Cruz and Baldomera Olivera Jr.; and the heart and passion of Doreen Fernandez to teaching and writing.

Written by the country's best writers and illustrated by select artists, the series is a beautiful medley of good storytelling and strong visuals. Readers young and old would definitely feel the creators' intent at putting in their best effort and talents to produce quality reading material. What really worked for me, as far as this series is concerned, is it's message of revisiting core values that would help define our identity as a nation in this age of rapid change and globalization. At a time when we're all going through problems that challenge our moral fiber, we need stories to remind us that we're capable of making the right choices no matter how difficult the odds are.

Bookmark's launching of Modern Heroes for the Filipino Youth Series Children's Books and other titles is on Feb. 5, 2014, Wednesday, 3.00PM-8.00PM at the Last Chukker, Manila Polo Club, Makati. For details check Bookmark's events-link on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/events/208450979341623/

Book Spine Poetry Winners for December

In the school assembly last week, I announced the winners of the library's Book Spine Poetry Contest for the month of December. Judge of the month, Palanca award winning author and poet, Rhandee Garlitos, gave a thorough and comprehensive review and commentary. I will post his comments in the next few days.

For the meantime, here are the 1st and 2nd prize winners:

2nd Prize: When No One Understands

Maths 1001 

Academic Anxiety 

A Game of Groans

1st Prize: In the Country of Men

Things Fall Apart

Funny How Things Change

As I Lay Dying

The 2014 Reading Challenge

Because I want to debunk the myth that librarians have read everything there is in the library. Besides, reading becomes more meaningful if the individual experience of it moves to the collective.

Some faculty members joined in the reading fun too!

The procedures are easy to follow:

a. Write your book recommendation on a piece of paper with your name and grade level. 

b. Drop this in the bowl assigned to the teacher.

c. If your book recommendation gets picked, you get a token from the library.

d. Your book recommendation will be read by the teacher over a period of time.

e. She will write a review of the book which will be posted in the library bulletin board or published in the newsletter.

f. Once she’s done reading the book, teacher will pick another book from the bowl.

* Recommend books you’ve borrowed and read from the library.

2014 PBBY Alcala Prize Call for Entries

Lifted from the PBBY website. 

The Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) is now accepting entries for the 2014 PBBY-Alcala Prize.

The winner shall be given a cash prize of P25,000.00, a gold medal, and an opportunity to be published. Prizes will be awarded in an appropriate ceremony to be held during the celebration of National Children's Book Day on July 15, 2014.

CONTEST RULES

1. 1. The contest is open to all Filipino citizens except those who are related to any PBBY member up to the third degree of consanguinity.
2. Entries must be based on any of the following, all honorable mention winners of the 2014 PBBY-Salanga Prize:
   
   • Ang Misay sa Aming Bahay
     by Susan Anne Alegro Quirante
   • Gaano ba Kalayo Patungong Paaralan?
     by Genaro Gojo Cruz
   • Reyna Elena
     by Michael de Guzman
3. Copies of these stories may be requested from the PBBY Secretariat or downloaded from the PBBY website (www.pbby.org.ph).
4. All entries must be original unpublished illustrations that have not won in any previous contest.
5. All entries must consist of three (3) illustrations that are of the same size and medium. Entries do not have to be based on consecutive spreads/parts of the text.
6. A contestant may send in more than one (1) entry.
7. Each entry must be signed by a pen name only, preferably on a small piece of paper pasted on the back of each artwork. Entries with a signature or any identifying marks are automatically disqualified.
8. which only the pen name of the contestant shall appear. The envelope must contain the contestant's full name, address, contact numbers, short description of background, and notarized certification vouching for the originality of the entry and for the freedom of the organizers from any liability arising from the infringement of copyright in case of publication.
9. All entries must be sent to the PBBY Secretariat, c/o Adarna House, 109 Scout Fernandez cor. Scout Torillo Sts., Quezon City by April 14, 2014.
10. Winners will be announced no later than May 12, 2014. Non-winning entries must be claimed no later than June 13, 2014, after which they will no longer be the responsibility of the organizers.

For more details, interested parties may contact PBBY by calling 352.6765 or emailing pbby [at] adarna.com.ph.

Interested artists and illustrators can download the manuscripts.

23 Mobile Things PH & SG

Filipino Librarian Karryl Kim Sagun and Joan Wee of Singapore teamed up for 23 Mobile Things PH & SG, a self paced online course that provides discussion and interaction on 23 mobile things that libraries can use to deliver services. Scheduled to run on a weekly basis for 23 weeks, participants register, log-in and engage with moderators and co-participants in the course from all over the world. Started in 2006 by Helen Blowers, 23 Mobile Things has been replicated by librarians from different countries like Denmark, Australia and New Zealand.

Today, January 17, is the start of the first 23 Mobile Things discussion. Thing #1 is Twitter. Aaron Tay from the National University of Singapore Libraries moderates.

If you have not registered, you can still catch up. Register in 23 Mobile Things. Once you have registered, join in the conversation in Twitter by using #23MThingsPHSG.

I will be moderating Thing #10 and Thing #16. See you online!

Tag Team Interview: Dang Bagas & Aldy Aguirre (3 of 3)

Here is the last part (part 3) of the Tag Team Interview of Dang Bagas and Aldy Aguirre. Part 2 was posted last January 12, 2013">.

What is your favorite children's book or YA book?

DB: Asking me this question is like asking me to choose just one star in the universe I would like to own and keep in a jar for only me to look at. Please, please don’t force me to choose only one, cause I have lots and lots, countless lots of favorites.

Ok. Fine. I’ll choose one. And I’m choosing this one because I think this is one book that at every moment I read it presents something different and new to me like it’s always the first time I’m reading it. And so it would be a good choice of book to keep if ever I get trapped in an island with no hope of rescue. And that would be Zusak’s The Book Thief.

(Now, my other books are jealous. And they’re all clamoring for a hug.)

AA: The dream hunters by Neil Gaiman and Yoshitaka Amano, books by Shel Silverstein among others

Dang Bagas is a tinkerer – a scriptwriter, theatre artist, filmmaker, teacher, playwright, KUTING’s current president. 

Aldy Aguirre is a freelance illustrator from Q.C. He tries to create drawings and illustrations which he hopes can inspire others to also draw and imagine. He has the 2010 PBBY Alcala illustrator’s grand prize and is a member of AngINK (Ilustrador ng Kabataan), a group of driven illustrators for children.

The 2013 Students' Best Reads

Last month,  I posted in the blog a photo of a post-it board where students can write their best reads of the year and the books they wish to read in 2014. I got this idea when I attended last year's 3rd ReaderCon.

Now here is the collected data.

BEST READS OF 2013
   
Fiction

The brief wondrous life of Oscar Wao / by Dâiaz, Junot.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull / by Bach, Richard..
Ender`s Game, at battle school fighting is compulsory / by Card, Orson Scott.
Amulet, Prince of the Elves : Amulet / by Kibuishi, Kazu,.
Catching Fire / by Collins, Suzanne.
Eleanor & Park : You never forget your first love. / by Rowell, Rainbow.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane / by Gaiman, Neil.
The Hobbit and Philosophy
Game of Thrones, A clash of Kings : Kings & queens / by Martin, George R. R..
The Picture of Dorian Gray / by Wilde, Oscar.
The Virgin Suicides / by Eugenides, Jeffrey.
The Fault in Our stars bY John Green
Franny and Zooey / by Salinger, J. D.

Non Fiction

The expression of the emotions in man and animals / by Darwin, Charles.
Batman and Philosophy : the dark knight of the soul. -- Hoboken, N.J. : John Wiley
Long walk to freedom, the autobiography of Nelson Mandela. : the autobiography of
Nelson Mandela. / by Mandela, Nelson.
Rich dad, Poor dad for teens : the secrets about money - that you don`t learn in
school! / by Kiyosaki, Robert T.
Beowulf : a new verse translation.
The Armchair Economist : economics and everyday life / by Landsburg, Steven E.
Isaac Newton: A Biography of Choice : A Biography of Choice / by Gleick, James..The History of the World, from the dawn of humanity to the modern age. : from the
dawn of humanity to the modern age. / by Welsh, Frank.

The 2014 PBBY Salanga Prize Honorables

SALANGA PRIZE

• Michael de Guzman
  Reyna Elena (honorable mention)
• Genaro Gojo Cruz
  Gaano ba Kalayo Patungong Paaralan? (honorable mention)
• Susan Anne Alegro Quirante
  Ang Misay sa Aming Bahay (honorable mention) 

Three Authors share Honorable Mention at the 2014 PBBY-Salanga Prize

The Philippine Board on Books for Young People awarded Honorable Mention for the 2014 PBBY-Salanga Prize to writers Michael de Guzman, for his story "Reyna Elena;" Genaro Gojo Cruz, for his story, "Gaano ba Kalayo Patungong Paaralan?" and Susan Anne Alegro Quirante, for her story "Ang Misay sa Aming Bahay."

This is not the first time de Guzman and Cruz have been awarded by the PBBY. De Guzman bagged Honorable Mention in 2003, while Cruz won Honorable Mention in 2004. This is Quirante’s first award from the PBBY.

The three winners shall be awarded during the celebration of National Children’s Book Day in July 2014.

For inquiries about the contest, contact the PBBY Secretariat at telephone number 352-6765 loc. 203 or e-mail pbby@adarna.com.ph.

For inquiries about the contest, please contact the PBBY Secretariat at telephone number 352-6765 loc. 203 or e-mail pbby@adarna.com.ph."

Lifted from the PBBY website

SLIA Hits Top 35 Yesterday!

Tag Team Interview: Dang Bagas & Aldy Aguirre (2 of 3)

Here is part 2 of 3 of the tag team interview I had with Dang Bagas and Aldy Aguirre on their book, The Little Girl in a Box (Adarna House 2013). Part 1 of the interview was posted last December 19, 2013

 
In the story, the box is a powerful metaphor. Readers may interpret the box into many things. As an artist, how can a "box" or "boxes" help you become better at your craft? 

DB: As a writer, I sometimes liken the box to my own limitations and to the limitations set by the industries I write for. I mean, working as a writer, there were lots of times when I felt “boxed in” or “trapped in a box” or “forced in a box”. But, and this I realized early on in my writing career, that this box can be moved, or one can work around it or shape it and color it any which way I want it to be. Doing that is certainly hard work but the only thing that should stop an artist from doing so is a lack of imagination and afterwards, determining choices that work, then determination to stick by these choices, at whatever cost.

Actually visualizing my craft as something like a box already helps me make it better cause then I know I could make it what I want it to be though I am still working on that: letting my imagination go freely, making the right choices, and sticking to these choices according to what is the best for me, and the stories that I write.

AA: A big box full of inspirations would certainly come in handy, and thinking out of my box usually helps too.

What is the story/picture book you wish you've written/illustrated? Why? 

DB:  Asking me this question is like asking me which star in the universe I’d like to go to cause there’s lots and lots, countless lots, of stories out there that I wish I’d written.

If I can name only one, I would say Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief,  because fifteen years ago, I was working on a story about the children of our epic heroes and diwatas (Lam-Ang, Bantugan, Mariang Sinukuan, etc.) discovering they’re the children of mythical gods, discovering they have powers and banding together to save the world. But real life got in the way and I shelved the story. And now, with the Percy Jackson series, I can’t write this story without it looking like a rip-off! Oh well… Yes, universe, lesson learned: heed the call of stories demanding to be written and try not to leave them behind.

If I can name more, I wish I’ve written Anne of Green Gables, The Little House in the Prairie, Where the Wild Things are, The Giver, The Story Girl, The Earthsea series, The Chocolate Factory, The Wizard of Oz, The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, Charlotte’s Web, Looking for Alaska, Tall Story, A Wrinkle in Time, Chika Chika Boom Boom, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Bridge to Terabithia, Alamat ng Ampalaya, Ang Barumbadong Bus, Coraline, Tuwing Sabado, The Graveyard Book, The Disc World series. The Monstrumologist, The Dragon Rider, The Thief Lord…

Ok, enough, there’s more, it’s a really long list, as many as the number of books in my shelves, as many as the books I’ve read and read again and again and again. And this is the same reason why I wish I’d written these stories – I have kept all of these stories close to me; I have loved and will love these stories for the rest of my life. That is the writer’s dream: that one’s stories be loved, read again and again, for years and years and generations to come.


AA: Hmm, I never actually thought of wanting to illustrate picture books that I’ve read. I think they will not be as great or the opposite, if the pictures will be different from what they are right now.

Filipiniana Online & The Digital Future of Libraries

An invite I got from the Filipinas Heritage Library: 

 

Greetings from the Filipinas Heritage Library!

 

Since 1996, FHL has aimed to be the one-stop electronic research center for Filipiniana and it is only now that we have almost realized this goal through our newest library offering: Filipiniana Online.

 

Filipiniana Online is an e-library of over 2,000 rare Filipiniana materials which FHL has created in partnership with Trade Channel Philippines. This online facility was produced by initially scanning the materials into PDF files (using a non-invasive book scanner) and later converting it into “flipbooks” (powered by Digizines). The platform allows the user to still have the experience of “flipping” the pages of the e-book when reading, albeit virtually on a tablet or a laptop.

 

It is in this connection that we are writing you. May we invite you and other teachers/ lovers/researchers of Filipiniana to join us on January 22, 2014 at 3:00 pm in the 2^nd floor function room of the Ayala Museum for the launch of the Filipiniana Online? Through Filipiniana Online, we believe that having access to primary sources on culture, heritage, and history of the Philippines, will make the Filipino youth appreciate their Pinoy roots. Indeed, we think that Filipiniana Online is a hip and cool way for them to learn more about himself or herself as a Filipino.

 

Please feel free to disseminate this e-invite to kindred souls wishing to have access to Filipiniana anywhere, anytime. Truly, Filipiniana Online is the best way for today’s generation to have History at Your Fingertips!

 

Should you have questions or need clarifications, please feel free to contact us. Our landlines are:

                                                                                                                                                           &nbsp ;                   

·         759-8282 and 759-8288 local 39 (Suzanne Yupangco)

·         759-8281 and 759-8288 local 36 (Ella Gonzales)

·         759-8278 and 759-8288 local 29 (Jei Ente)

 

We would appreciate getting headcount so that we can prepare enough chairs and coffee.

 

Our warmest regards,

Suzanne

 

Suzanne G. Yupangco | Senior Manager

Filipinas Heritage Library, 6F Ayala Museum, Makati Avenue cor De La Rosa Street, Makati City 1224 Philippines

Tel: (632) 759 8282 | (63917) 854 8042 | Email: yupangco.sg@ayalafoundation.org Website: www.filipinaslibrary.org.ph

               

AS ONE WE CAN

Reading Choices of Filipino Teens

Here is the PPT I presented to KUTING during one afternoon with probee members. The lecture was part of a series for probee members who seek to develop their writing craft.



Thanks to school librarian friends from Miriam College, Assumption SanLo and DLS Zobel for contributing their top YA reads to my lecture.

Librarian-Storyteller: Ann Grace Bansig

Librarian-Storyteller Ann Grace Bansig shares her answers to my questions before we had our storytelling session in Sambat Elementary School with Sambat Trust scholars.

1. What motivated me to volunteer? 

Volunteering is my passion. It was intensified during my college days where I was a member of a socio-civic organization that visit institutions. Now, this passion is being sustained by the many volunteering opportunities in La Salle through our Social Action Office, Book mobile project and other personal endeavors. So, in short, its within me. 

2. What is my personal goal as a storyteller? 

My personal goal is to foster love for reading and develop life-long readers. It is my advocacy now to spread awareness about the many benefits of storytelling to children. 

3. What is my volunteer-storyteller experience prior to this activity? 

I have a lot of storytelling experiences prior to this activity. I usually do storytelling whenever we do Bookmobile project. I also volunteered in ATD Fourth World Philippines in the previous summers. And being a Reading major, storyelling is very essential as we advocate for a literature-based reading program.

4. What are my expectations from this experience?

I don't really expect much but I do hope that the students that we catered during the small group storytelling session realized how reading can make a difference to their lives. 

Librarian-Storyteller: Martin Julius Perez

Martin Julius Perez shares his answers to my questions before we had our storytelling session in Sambat Elementary School with Sambat Trust scholars.

1. What motivated me to volunteer?

 At first I’m reluctant to join due to a busy schedule, but then I decided to volunteer. As a librarian and an advocate of reading and learning, I think I can help and contribute to this activity. I’m thankful that when I was younger, there are people who would share to me stories that inspired me and touched my life. This time, it is my chance to return the favor to the younger generation. I hope to inspire them with these little acts of mine.
 

2. What is my personal goal as a storyteller?

 When telling or sharing stories, I just want to put smiles in the faces of these children and to inculcate in their minds and hearts positive insights, values and lessons that will, in some way, have an impact in their lives. I want to promote reading for learning and for leisure, and to make them appreciate every story, whether it is short or long, simple or complicated. I want them to realize that in every story there’s something to learn and there’s an idea to capture for the development of their imagination and outlook in life.
 

3. What is my volunteer-storyteller experience prior to this activity?

I think the last time I volunteered for a storytelling activity was in an outreach program for patients of a children’s hospital in Quezon City. Also, aside from this, I love to share children’s stories to my little cousins at home.
 

4. What are my expectations from this experience?

I just wanted to have fun and to share what I have to these children. While they are learning, I think I will also learn from them and from their stories too.

Prayer For the First Day of the Year

PRAYER FOR THE FIRST DAY OF THE YEAR

O God, ever blessed and eternal

I THANK you that today you have

Allowed me to begin a new year.

Here in your presence I make my

Resolutions for the days to come.

I resolve:

To be faithful and true to those who love me

And loyal to those who are my friends,

So that I may never bring distress to their hearts

To live in forgiveness and in kindness,

That I may go about doing good.

To live in goodness and purity

That I may resist temptation and

May be a strength to others who are tempted.

To live in sympathy and gentleness,

That I may bring comfort to the

Sorrowing, and understanding to the perplexed.

To live in serenity and self-control,

That no anger and no passion may

Disturb my own face and the

Peace of others.

To live in full obedience to you and

In your perfect love, that in doing

Your will I may find peace.

O God, My Father, grant me the

Strength to keep these resolutions

All this year through Jesus Christ

Our Lord.  AMEN.