FPAC and Stuff September 18, 2009

:O so I went to the Festival of Philippines Arts and Culture this past week.  Honestly it was the first time going to a Filipino festival xD  Was nice, I really wanted to buy some of the books though, but they cost so much.

Those books reminded me that there’s practically nothing in the chain brick and mortar stores here.  I mean Filipino’s are the 2nd largest Asian demographic in the United States but there’s hardly anything in the bookstores.  Anything from Rizal has to be ordered at the counter.  This was when I lived in Long Beach, so maybe its different here, but I seriously doubt that.  I remember staring at the Asian History section and seeing Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and no Philippines.  I don’t think I have go to the counter and request anything, it should just be there, especially since Filipino’s were no minority in Long Beach >:

I know Filipino’s have been in Riverside since Riverside has been Riverside, but again, its practically Middle America.  My best bet would be San Diego, if they don’t have anything I’m not sure what to think.  And I don’t know if its just because Boarders and Barnes & Nobles aren’t aware how many Filipino’s there are in California, or if its just because Filipino’s tend not to buy books on the History of the Philippines (from chains at least)…

Other then that, I found my Godmothers address and phone number   We’re thinking of just surprising her with Christmas gifts instead of calling first :3  I want to make a shawl since she made so many things for me, but I’m not sure what the weathers like in Hawaii, so I have no idea if it should be very lacey and light or somewhat heavy, maybe I’ll just ask Hawaiian Ravelers.  I have some pattern suggestions on my other blog, but I still really need to narrow it down and get started as soon as possible.

 

Also quizzeh!  I’m not surprised 8D

 

You Are Fantasy / Sci Fi

You have an amazing imagination, and in your mind, all things are possible. You are open minded, and you find the future exciting. You crave novelty and progress. Compared to most people, you are quirky and even a bit eccentric. You have some wacky ideas. And while you may be a bit off the wall, there’s no denying how insightful and creative you are.

What Kind of Book Are You?

Blogthings: Cheaper Than a Therapist

Books, Books, Books, and Hipsters oh my! September 5, 2009

Just read a CNN article on libraries a while ago.  It remind me of those articles about the schools getting rid of the books in their libraries and going full on digital.  On the one hand I can understand the need to keep up technologically, but on the other wtf is a library without any books?  I’m one of those people who want’s a Kindle, or hell, any e-book reader, and I know I’ll use it (donations plz :p) but at the same time I <3 my books.  If we had a fire near the house and they told us to evacuate I’d probably attempt to haul all my books off with me.

I can understand/appreciate/envy the convenience of having all your books stored on one little device, and taking them with you when you go places, but it seems a little cold too.  I love the feel of holding a book in my hand, or snuggling under a blanket thinking “I’ll read just one more page before going to sleep” and actually turning a real life physical page (oh my!).

Greenwalt, for example, set up a Twitter feed and text-messaging services for his library. He monitors local conversations on online social networks and uses that information as inspiration for group discussions or programs at the real-world library.

Other libraries are trying new things, too.

The Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, in North Carolina, has a multimedia space where kids shoot videos and record music. It also runs a blog dedicated to gaming and hosts video game tournaments regularly.

I can also understand the need to go digital, or the need to not totally shut itself out of all things technology, I actually think it makes more sense then just being totally stubborn about “libraries are for books only”.  Or the need to appeal to a larger community, a lot of libraries are shutting down and if widening a library’s use to welcome more mediums/technologies means more people (and money) then I would consider that a good thing.  But at the same time I don’t think they shouldn’t be throwing out books in favor of the shininess that is technology.  Even if I do end up eventually saving up for a Kindle, or any other e-reader (donations? lol), I’d still buy physical books, and I definitely wouldn’t get rid of the books I own now, even if I do get digital copies.

Like burning books, you can burn as many books as you want and there’ll always be another copy somewhere else in the world, but it doesn’t make the loss all the more sad.  You can get rid of all the physical books in libraries all you want, because you have digital copies, but it make the physical loss all the more sad.

I love books, not just because of what they contain, but the smell of them, the weight of them in your hands, the crinkle of the pages, and the creek the spine makes when you open them up, I love everything about them.  The thought of libraries getting rid of their books scares and saddens me, not just because I’m one of the millions of people who loves actual bound books, but because I know that its one step closer to having the machines enslave us all D<!!!!!

Seriously though, can’t they go digital and keep the books?  Why does it have to always be all or nothing with people?