Updates

donate to help the victims of tropical storm sendong

The death toll from the flash floods on Sunday rose to at least 711 in Mindanao. Hundreds remained missing.

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) said it was a combination of factors that led to the tragedy.

“It’s unusual for Mindanao; a month’s worth of rainfall fell in only a few hours; people were already asleep; the storm hit pineapple plantations that don’t absorb water; it was high tide and waterways were heavily silted. It was unprecedented and overwhelming,” said PRC secretary general Gwendolyn Pang.

In Cagayan de Oro, the bodies, many bloated and bluish and frozen in grotesque poses, continued to pile up in funeral homes. Senior Supt. Gerardo Rosales, city police chief, said 474 bodies had been recovered. A total of 482 persons remained missing.

Officials said 214 died in Iligan, 15 in Bukidnon, five in Compostela Valley and three in Zamboanga del Norte.

The government and the Red Cross appealed for help to feed, clothe and house more than 35,000 people huddled in evacuation centers as soldiers battled to recover bodies.

Source.

Click to donate! I used Paypal. Safe, fast and secure.

According to the Iligan Bloggers, the Paypal Donation ID for Iligan is singcol.inquisitor@gmail.com.

For Cagayan de Oro, send to francis.siason@gmail.com through the Cagayan De Oro Bloggers. “Proceeds will be donated and delivered to Xavier University Cagayan de Oro where the members of CDOBloggers are planning to volunteer. Thank you and God Bless.”

Click here and here for other donation details.

hear ye, hear ye

Late post! But I’m sure you know by now that

The day has come!

“Alternative Alamat“, our digital anthology of stories inspired by Philippine mythology, is now available for US$4.99 at the following fine establishments:

  • Amazon.com – US$4.99 (note there’s an extra US$2.00 charge for certain non-US territories/accounts, including, unfortunately, the Philippines)
  • Flipreads.com (epub file) – PHP235.00
  • [iTunes and Barnes & Noble/Nook editions to follow]

I hope that by now you’re all excited to get your hands on the book (or, rather, the hardware holding the file), and if so, thank you and what are you waiting for? If you’re still on the fence even after the preview of our contributor and story introductions, and our author interviews (Raissa, Mo, Eliza), then read on (or download the press release here)!

You heard the boss. Click here to see a glimpse of some of the non-fiction segments of the book, as well as the wonderful artwork of Mervin Malonzo, creator of “Tabi Po”.

What’s been happening? My maternal grandmother’s birthday on the 8th, my paternal grandmother’s birthday on the 11th. That was epic, because it was Lola’s 90th birthday (90th birthday!) and they had a reunion party with games and raffles and all. I brought Jaykie but knew and was able to introduce only at most five percent of my relatives there. (Fail!) It was nice to see the boyfriend mingling with family. Even family I didn’t know, haha.

On the 9th I visited the old office to see my friends.

Company Christmas party on the 14th. Theme was Famous Couples and I came in as Veronica with another officemate as Betty. But I don’t think anyone really understood I was supposed to be Veronica. At least Betty had a blonde wig.

Didn’t win anything at the raffle, as per usual. (One of the new girls won an iPad! Why can’t I be that lucky?)

Really looking forward to the holiday vacation so I can write, write, write, read, read, read.

coffee and the blues

Coffee with the girls (and Kim and Jaykie) on Monday night and Wednesday night. Thankful that I was able to meet up with them. I needed the chika and the laughter. Eliza Victoria and the Infinite Sadness. I feel like I’m wasting my time. Or time is being wasted on me.

In other news, try Starbucks’ Peppermint Brownie. It’s really good.

I’ve been having extraordinarily kind Monday mornings.

After a revision, my short story, “username: tanglaw”, has been accepted for publication in the seventh volume of the Philippine Speculative Fiction anthology! Thank you to editors Kate and Alex Osias for giving me a chance to revisit the piece and make it stronger.

And good news for readers abroad – PSF is going digital this year in order to reach a wider audience. Stay tuned for the details.

From anthology editor Paolo Chikiamco:

On December 14, 2011, “Alternative Alamat“ – our anthology of stories inspired by Philippine mythology – will be released on Amazon.com, Flipreads.com, and the iTunes store. This anthology has been more than a year in the making, and it is near and dear to my heart, so any help spreading the word would be greatly appreciated. I’m excited, not the least of which because of the excellent cover art provided by Mervin Malonzo (creator of “Tabi Po“, who also provides the interior illustrations), and because I believe we’re attempting something that hasn’t been done before, in the context of Philippine mythology.

Book details, story introductions, and information for book bloggers and interested book reviewers.

December 14! I have a story here – “Ana’s Little Pawnshop on Makiling St.” Please buy the book and/or help spread the word!

a visit from the goon squad

Every once in a while you read a book that is like a drink of cold water after a long, hot day. I read the first few pages of A Visit from the Goon Squad and immediately settled down with a sigh. My kind of language, my kind of storytelling. My cold water to parch a thirst. Every chapter in Jennifer Egan’s fantastic novel can stand on its own as a short story (some chapters in fact have appeared in magazines as short stories), but the characters are all connected. The chapters jump back and forth in time, moving a character from success to utter failure. Blink and you will miss it. Happiness is temporary. Love is illusory. Time’s a goon.