First things first: From my family to yours, a very happy new year. I wish we all have an amazingly blessed 2016. <3
And now for a proper yearender post.
How many firsts can you squeeze in a year? A LOT, apparently.
ON-AIR: #RomanceClass Podcast
It’s here! The #RomanceClass Podcast is finally up, its initial offering made available on December 12, 2015. The pilot episode featured Ana Tejano’s Fall Like Rain.
For those who aren’t yet familiar with the whole concept, here’s what you need to know: Theatre actors Gio Gahol and Rachel Coates read scenes off some of #romanceclass books, penned by indie Filipino authors. There are ten episodes in total, and two have been released so far. Updates are being posted weekly and may be subscribed via romancepodcast.com, but if you want everything in one go, feel free to purchase all ten episodes of Season One here. (Preorder price is $4.99, but only until the end of December! It will be selling for $8.99 come January 2016.)
Oh, and did I mention you get a guest pass to the next live reading if you purchase Season One? Yep. There’s that, too. Exciting, right?
Anyway, click the Read More button for the first two episodes which are now available for your listening pleasure–Ana Tejano’s Fall Like Rain, and Mina V. Esguerra’s Never Just Friends.
Once Upon a Time, #RomanceClass Scored a Gilas Player . . .
. . . and they lived happily ever after.
The End.
My #FilReaderCon Feels
I revisited (part of) my old alma mater last Saturday, November 28, for my very first Filipino ReaderCon experience, and to say that I was overwhelmed is an understatement. Granted, it took me several years to return to DLSU-Manila, but I still wasn’t prepared for how different it looked. The Henry Sy Sr. Building was HUGE. Escalators and elevators were everywhere. When I attended college there more than ten years back, the only buildings that had an elevator (if memory serves me right) were the Saint Joseph and SPS Buildings. Gokongwei? Not so sure; I didn’t frequent that area of the campus even if there was a walkway connecting it to Miguel.
Anyway, I digress.
This year marks the 5th year of #FilReaderCon, and I am so glad to have been part of it. I would’ve loved to have participated in more of the sessions, but I was happy to have spent time at the #romanceclass booth anyway, helping to sell and restock books. Also buy them.
{ Short & Tweet } Episode Two
And that’s it for this year’s FIBA Asia Tournament. Philippine Team Gilas Pilipinas will come home with the silver after tonight’s championship match versus China. Not exactly the game I wanted to see, but it was something I’d also expected. From the game against Lebanon alone, we were already given a preview of what was to happen if we faced China: Lots of questionable calls from referees sending us into penalty early in the quarters and affording the rival team more free throws than we should.
Not to undermine China, however. They were formidable with very, very tall, young players with lots of athleticism and excellent basketball skills. They could have easily pulled away with a 50-point deficit banking on their skills alone, but I do believe Gilas played well defensively, keeping the margin as close as possible until the final seconds of the game. I also believe that the bad referee calls demoralized Gilas as the game wore on, and that didn’t bode well for our dear National Team. Still, I applaud the players for their gallant display of bravado and heart, from Jones Cup to FIBA Asia. Congratulations, #GilasPilipinas! <3 You guys are still our heroes!