FAAWIS Picnic

It had been two years since I went to the last FAAWIS picnic. And with the new location, I didn't quite know what to expect.
The weather held up though it was a little cool. It did sprinkle a little bit but it did not turn into a full-blown rain.
There was a good turnout. So many people were there that my dad had to constantly call me on my cell phone just to find out where I was! People stopped at our booth looking for me while I'd be somewhere else but eventually we found each other. I got re-acquainted with people I haven't seen for a while and met some new ones. If there was one person that stood out for me at the picnic, it was Renee (Inday) Mondano who really went out of her way to make people welcome. She was everywhere, tending to people, helping organize and just saying 'hi.' Thanks Renee for making everyone feel welcome! Everyone else was friendly and had a smile ready for everyone.
What gave me the goosebumps (besides the cold breeze blowing on my skin) was when the Philipine national anthem, "Lupang Hinirang" ("Beloved Land," I think is a fair translation) was sung. It just stirred the patriotic emotions inside me...not enough to bring tears to my eyes though!
The food was delicious as usual and there was so much of it that it was almost overwhelming. My favorite was the lechon (pig roast). It was especially good this time. I'm not a lechon person so if you get me to eat it, it must be good! Then there was a young-jackfruit-with-coconut-milk dish. It was pretty yummy! I never did catch who made it and couldn't find it the next time I went through the line.
I presented Connor and Colin with the T-shirts that I ordered for them. Printed on them was: Filipino, from East to West, We Stand Proud. It had the Philippine Flag and the Statue of Liberty on it. Colin was so excited that he wore it right away, over his sleeveless shirt while Connor was so-so.
Tommy liked being passed from one person to another: from Lolo to Lola to uncles, to daddy, to mommy and Connor. He watched his older brothers who had fun playing with the giant chess under the FANHS-WI tent and guarded the captured pieces. Then the boys played kick ball with their uncles afterward. They cheered on as they watched their Uncles Ondo and Ray play tug-of-war, who lost twice. "The Marine was defeated," we teased uncle Ondo. They wanted to watch them play volleyball but we could not stay any longer. We had to leave early for it had been a long day for everybody with Tom taking the boys to baseball practice the entire morning then running an errand on the north side of town before stopping at the picnic.
It was a great day and I'm so glad I went. The experience exceeded my expectations.

To Read or Not to Read?

I did it! I ordered "The Five-Forty-Five to Cannes" by Tess Uriza Holthe a few days ago. I couldn't resist. Now, I'm holding it in my hands. The question is, Do I dare read it? I know that when I start, I'm not going to be able to put it down. I just am that kind of person and right now, I have so many things to do with preparing for a car show on Friday, picnic on Saturday, 4-day camping next week and then trying to plan for my son's birthday party, baseball 4x a week! Not to mention constant Facebooking and emailing...I don't know how I'm going to fit reading a book in my schedule. On top of that, tomorrow is the last day of school for my two older boys. They're going to be home to constantly and sweetly bug me! Maybe I should wait until we go camping to read it. I'm looking at it right now and it's very tempting. I did read the first couple of pages that were allowed in the "See Inside" feature in either bn.com or amazon.com, can't remember which one. Okay (taking deep breath). I'll have to let you know what happens next...

Out of the Blue

Today, out of the blue, I thought about a Filipino-American author by the name of Tess Uriza Holthe whose first novel, When the Elephants Dance, is a New York Times bestseller. It was back in 2003 when I was invited by the president at the time, I believe, of the Filipino-American National Historical Society-Wisconsin Chapter to attend a book signing by the said author at the Schwartz bookstore in Shorewood. I instantly looked up the book and borrowed it from the local library and read it in 3 days!
She was already reading a portion of her book when I walked into the bookstore. There were a few attendants from FANHS-WI. When Tess was finished reading, I proceeded to buy a copy of her book and had her sign it. She and I posed for a picture that my husband took. I printed two copies of the picture: one I framed and the other I pasted on the book that she signed.
Anyway, I decided to look her up on Facebook and I found her! I started reading her blog and I visited her website where I learned that she had published another book in 2007 titled, The Five-Forty-Five to Cannes, which is a series of short-stories connected together. I can't wait to get my hands on this book and read it. She is one of my idols. I am proud of her and I am proud to be Filipino!

Wild Imaginings

When I told an acquaintance of mine that I just finished writing my third book, she asked me, "Where do you get all these ideas?" Good question. Where do writers get their ideas? Are we inherently just more imaginative than the next person? Everyone has wild imaginations but a writer takes it further. He takes the time and effort to put it down, to capture the moment and have it etched forever in something concrete. He plays with the beauty of the words coming together to make a story that's unique to his style and personality.
I told my acquaintance that if I had all the time in the world, I probably would have written more than a hundred books by now. That's how wild my imaginings are. Ideas come to me everyday when I'm awake and even when I'm asleep. I just have to filter them out and decide which one has the right elements to make it into a viable story.

Comments

I love it when I hear comments (especially good ones) about my books. I like it when readers feel the emotions that I felt when I wrote them. I like it when my readers cry for I like to pull on their heartstrings. When you cry reading the books that I wrote, that has served the purpose of my writing that particular story. But hopefully, for every tear you shed, there will be a smile. If you've cried and smiled and sighed, then I have fulfilled my duty as a writer--to take you away from (suspend) reality in the duration of your reading.

A Big Thank You

Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by at the book fair. It was a great success. I know it took a lot to come into the store for it was such a gorgeous day yesterday. Tommy and I kept looking out the window where it was sunny and wished we were outside running in the park or our backyard. Connor and Colin didn't really care for they each had "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" in their hands and were engrossed in reading. Hardly anyone was there for the 11am reading but majority of people I know came at the 1pm reading. There were also a few customers who sat down with their wee little ones to listen to the story telling.
Connor and Colin had fun being my camera men. Connor was behind the camcorder while Colin took the still pictures. They both took great pictures too! In between that, they had fun browsing at the books and eating lunch at the Food Court. It was a new place for both Connor and Colin for we seldom go to the mall these days, them being at school most of the time. When we do go, Southridge is always our choice destination for it's a straight shot on the freeway and we know almost every nook and cranny in that mall. I might have to take them back to Mayfair Mall on one of their off days for they (not to mention, yours truly) liked it so much.
Again, thank you to everyone who came to the book fair!

The Book Fair

All week, my two older boys have been trying to decide whom they're going with today: Daddy or Mommy. Daddy happens to be working overtime the same day Mommy is going to the book fair to do story time. Connor is the first one to decide, a few days ago, that he's going with Mommy. He said that he can always go with Daddy when he works overtime; he's pretty sure there'll be a next time and it'll probably happen sooner than later. Then he said that his Mommy doing story time at Barnes and Nobles doesn't happen often, if again. So that's how he decided to come with me today. He'll be my camera man too, something that he's very proud to do.
Colin just decided last night that he's coming with me too. So I'll have all three boys with me at the fair. I'm most concerned about Tommy. Hopefully, he will sit still and not cause a racket. His Tita Rosie will be holding him during story time and he loves his Tita Rosie. So he should be fine.
Well, we better start getting things ready...