A Journey with Children Book Launch

Finally after 6 months, "A Journey with Children (Living and Working in the Streets in the Philippines)" has been published! It was a privilege to be one of the authors of this coffee-table photobook, assisting Italian photographer Giacomo Pirozzi. The project was under UNICEF Philippines and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). 

The launch was extra special and done with highest honor at the Malacanan Palace, with no less than President Benigno Aquino III present to accept the photobook from Lalaine Loreto, 11 years old, of Nayon ng Kabataan.

The launch coincided with the awarding ceremonies of the 2011 Presidential Award for Child-Friendly Municipalities and Cities, which is a regular affair every October to commemorate the Children's Month. UNICEF Country Representative Ms. Vanessa Tobin (leftmost) also received a plaque from DSWD for her unending commitment to help children in the Philippines.

It was so nice to see  some of the children who were featured in the photobook, and of course Giacomo, Mareen, Jonas, Tito Jess Far and all those who worked in the project. The Council for the Welfare of Children and its pool of young facilitators very wisely gathered the children one Saturday prior to the event and showed them the printed book. After seeing it, they drafted a response and a call to action for President Aquino, which was presented to the audience by Lalaine.

Needless to say, the event was also a reunion of so many different organizations working on the advocacy of children's rights. Here we are doing our best to be formal during the cocktails.

These are the young facilitators from CWC who served as ushers during the event. They are (left to right) Rafael Coste, Alexander Macatual, Shane Manopol and Carlo Jagnaan;  and with them are the very young looking (LOL) Ate Ros and Kuya Rex Dayao and Ate Andre Canilang. We all belong to different child-rights organizations who participated/organized in the Philippine National Children's Conference in 2009 and ASEAN Children's Forum in 2010.

And of course, I'm happy because Momon was there to support me. Pinabilib ko lang naman s'ya. Hahaha!

Here we are with the event host, 2010 Ms. Universe 4th runner-up Venus Raj. My goodness, she is a goddess! I'm such a fan, especially now that I know she has an interest in children's rights.

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador--and my super fave singer--Gary Valenciano was also at the event! I was tasked on the spot to introduce him to to all the children who were part of the book. Lucky I have good memory and I was able to remember all the children's names, ages and locations, and give a brief background about their story.

During the introductions, Joshua, who is 11, from Lingap Pangkabataan said, "Ate, kamukha n'ya yung nagsasayaw sa TV" (He looks like that man who dances on TV). I responded, "S'ya yun! (That's him!). 

And Gary said, "Ako yun, yung sa ASAP." (That's me, from ASAP.) Then he dance very discreetly on the spot.

Here I am with Giacomo. Congratulations Giacomo!
May you continue to inspire more people through the children's stories you capture in your photos.

Oh, what an honor to be part of the book. It was a wonderful journey with children.
Please visit www.ajourneywithchildren.com to know more about the photobook.

Harry Potter Comics by Lucy Kinsley

Bukas na! Bukas na ang showing ng last film ng Harry Potter movie series!

So, as part of my countdown this entire week on FB, I'm posting these beautiful and immensely creative works by Lucy Kinsley. These are parody comics of the 8 films. 

I love them! I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I did. And please let me know what you think! Kahit pa-kilig comments lang on how you're anticipating the final film. :-)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

7th Book: Fish Without a Doubt

All right, I decided to include cookbooks in my 30 Books for 2011.

This book has been sitting in my parents' living room for quite some time. I never really paid  it any attention until now that Momon and I are going on a low-carb, high fat diet. I need to learn lots of techniques and ways to prepare fish to keep our meals interesting.

I scanned the book and saw that it has chapters and recipes on the most basic techniques for preparing and cooking fish and shellfish. It has pages on things as simple as grilled squid, grilled shrimp, garlic butter sauce, etc. Although I basically know ho to do these stuff, I would still love to really learn about the fundamentals and develop a certain level of expertise.

And of course it has the usual complicated stuff with titles I can't even pronounce. These will be my cooking challenges in the coming months. :-)

The ultimate motive: get Momon to love fish as much as  I do.

Hahaha! Hope to share some recipes from this book soon.

30 Books in 2011

I started this "project" last February 2009 when I got this idea from Rej Rosero who promised to read 50 books in 2011. I don't think I can manage 50 books, so I'm keeping it realistic and I'm aiming for 30 instead. It's now almost July and so far, I've only read 6 books! YIKES!

I'll be posting the covers of the books I'm reading, so I can keep track and stick to my word. No excuse that Momon and I don't have budget for books--I'm reading e-books instead. Got to watch out for my eyes, though. :-)

Anyway, please join me and start your own reading projects! Happy reading everyone! Here are the books I've read so far:

1: DEAD UNTIL DARK by CHARLAINE HARRIS