My Favorite Children's Book (Pt.2): A Little Princess Novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett

  Yesterday, I bought a classic children's book entitled, 'A Little Princess,' written by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I really love the story. I used to watch the Japanese animation dubbed in our native language when I was still a teenager. I also first saw the film adaptation, the one where Ms. Shirley Temple starred. It's a bit different from the book. There's also another movie adaptation in the 90's but it is also not the same as the story told in the book, again it deviates a little bit. The setting was in the U.S.A., instead of London, England. My favorite version is the one starring Amelia Shankley. I read its quite faithful to the novel.

Why do I like this novel? Aside from showing another country and culture like India, and England. (Very interesting that the author uses these 2 countries, since British colonized India before). That is why you can see an Indian man in the movie, and also read it in the book. The character of Ramdas, a sikh, he is the one wearing a turban. I believe it is diffirent from the middle eastern honorific title word, which is the sheik.                 

                       
I can say, firstly its very true. It portrays the harsh realities of life wherein if you don't have money, you will be treated as a nobody. That in this world, there are heartless, and abusive people like Ms.Minchin, who is only concerned of what she gets or what profit she can get from others. That's why she treats them nicely, and if she can't milk anything from them, she just treats them badly. Also, there are reasonable, good people like Ms. Amelia, but are just too afraid to voice out their opinion. Another is that there will always be people who are jealous, and envious over others, even if the person that they are jealous with doesn't have anything to do with them. But despite of these things, despite of the hardships, and difficulties in life. We can still hope, and things aren't always as bad as they seem. We just need to have faith. Believe that there are still a few good people out there. No matter what, we should always be good, and never forget the good values that we have learned as we grow older. Treat others kindly, even if you will not get anything from them. That speaks a lot about your true character. Treat other people the way you wanted to be treated.

The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun

    Yesterday, I bought another J.R.R. Tolkien book, The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun. Previously, I already bought all of the J.R.R. Tolkien book titles in our local specialty bookstore. I had this book reserved for me. This book was available only in their other store branch. I waited for this book for around 2 days. I haven't started reading this book. I still have a lot of Tolkien books in my list to read. If you are interested in this book please read the information I got from Harper Collins UK online.

Unavailable for more than 70 years, this early but important work is published for the first time with Tolkien’s ‘Corrigan’ poems and other supporting material, including a prefatory note by Christopher Tolkien. Set In Britain’s land beyond the seas’ during the Age of Chivalry, The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun tells of a childless Breton Lord and Lady (the Aotrou’ and Itroun’ of the title) and the tragedy that befalls them when Aotrou seeks to remedy their situation with the aid of a magic potion obtained from a corrigan, or malevolent fairy. When the potion succeeds and Itroun bears twins, the corrigan returns seeking her fee, and Aotrou is forced to choose between betraying his marriage and losing his life.

Coming from the darker side of J.R.R. Tolkien’s imagination, The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun, together with the two shorter Corrigan’ poems that lead up to it and which are also included, was the outcome of a comparatively short but intense period in Tolkien's life when he was deeply engaged with Celtic, and particularly Breton, myth and legend.

Originally written in 1930 and long out of print, this early but seminal work is an important addition to the non-Middle-earth portion of his canon and should be set alongside Tolkien’s other retellings of myth and legend, The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrn, The Fall of Arthur and The Story of Kullervo. Like these works, it belongs to a small but important corpus of his ventures into real-world’ mythologies, each of which in its own way would be a formative influence on his own legendarium.

I already browsed through this book. The one that I've got is a hardbound. It has a nice sort of leaflet cover, and the spine of the book has a gold embossing title. The famous Tolkien insignia is included of course. The paper quality is really good, and the font (text size) is good, very readable. It is a sort of a poetry book. I think this is not a sort of story style novel, but it is a story told in poetry style. This is something new to me so I decided to purchase it, and this work of Tolkien deviates from his Middle-Earth works. Personally I think, this is a must-have for Tolkien followers.

My Favorite Children and Young Adult Books (Pt.1)

       Yesterday, I bought 2 classic children, and young adult books. The first book that I'm gonna talk about is the Nancy Drew series. I got the title no.1. "The Secret of the Old Clock." I remember I used to borrow these books during my elementary days in the library, along with my favorite big book of Fairy Tales. Eversince, I was a kid I love books. I guess, that back then we were fortunate that during our childhood days, the kids are not that very tech savvy. We just have a game and watch, wherein there's only one game, and its not colored. We have the battery operated one, and the solar powered. I remember we have a game and watch, wherein a seal would balance the ball. We can play it near the flourescent light, or outdoors since its solar powered. Then came pc games. I really feel good visiting our school's library always. Aside from the Nancy Drew Series, I also like to read the Choose Your Own Adventure. Wherein you get to be the lead character and you choose what's going to happen next.The writer of the Nancy Drew series, I just found out wasn't really Carolyn Keene, but it was sort of an alias used by the writers of the book. Along with Nancy Drew Series came another young detective book named, Hardy Boys. These books were a huge hit and there was even a tv show before with the same title, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries. The show ran from the year 1977 to 1979. A movie was made in 2007 starring Emma Roberts. I think that these books and tv shows inspired the many detective tv series today like CSI etc.

The other classic children's book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I only came to know during my adult days. But I have seen the old film starring Gene Wilder before during my younger days.I haven't read the book so I decided to buy it. Also, I cosplayed before as Willy Wonka in our workplace, so this story was really memorable for me. The latest movie adaptation of Roald Dahl's novel was starred by one of my favorite versatile actor, Johnny Depp (he starred in Edward Scissorhands, as a pirate in Pirates of the Carribean, a vampire in the movie Dark Shadows, Alice in Wonderland as the Mad Hatter, Chocolat, he also starred in suspense thriller movies like the Secret Window, Sleepy Hollow and many more) who played Willy Wonka. What I like about this story is that it teaches us about hope, and kindness. That no matter how hard life is, there's still a rainbow in the end. It also teaches us to never give-up. Just try and try. Also, greed, and other selfish acts does not end in a happy note.

This is just the part one of my favorite classic books. I'll just update when I have a new one coming-up!

The Tolkien Society

     I can say I'm a certified bibliophile (a person who collects and love books). These days I've been so fascinated with Tolkien's works. I bought a few of his books, and they are a bit pricey, but its all worth-it. I'm very proud to say, and to share with you dear readers of this blog of mine, that I'm an official member of The Tolkien Society now. I was accepted last week. Why did I join? Because, I wanted to feel how it is to be a certified Tolkienist. One of our group member in a social page (local Tolkien group), commented why did I say I'm not a certified Tolkienist. Well, like what I have written in my English fan blog. As a former member of Jane Austen Society in Australia, I joined the group because I wanted to belong to an organization or group that shares similar interest with me, and I also what to belong to a group officially and the status quo of course.

In our local Tolkien social group page, someone asked me what are the perks of being a member. I pointed out to them the society's web page. I was hesitant before, if I should go on and sign-up as a member. I'm afraid that I will not exhaust all the benefits of being a member, since I am not from the UK. Anyway, the prestige of being a member is enough for me. The membership fee is, £30. So that is equivalent to 2000 plus Philippine Pesos.

What are the perks of being a member? You can choose the student, postal or online membership. I chose the online membership because I dread to wait for the stuffs that's going to be mailed to me. Since its from the UK, its gonna take a long, long time for it to reach me. You also get Amon Hen their bi-monthly bulletin, and Mallorn their annual journal. Plus, you get online access. For online membership category, you get instant access to the society's publication. But a postal membership is also good, because you get a hard copy. If I'm not that impatient, I would have chosen the postal category. There is a "For Members" only access page in their website. Aside from that you get to join a worldwide fellowship who shares the same passion for Tolkien, and you get to promote his works too! According to their website it has 1,000 members from around the globe, in over 30 different countries. Also, you get discounts in their affiliated institutes like Mythgard Institute that offers fantasy, and Tolkien studies/courses.

So if you are interested in joining too, here is their website just click on this. -> The Tolkien Society

To those who do not know who J.R.R. Tolkien is here is his short info. about him.

Prof. J.R.R. Tolkien C.B.E. was a renowned scholar of the English language best remembered for his works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, which have become two of the most well-known, best-loved and biggest-selling books of all time. He is also a poet, and philologist.

I really admire Tolkien, because he was a brilliant story-teller, and writer. He devised his own language called Sindarin, the language spoken by immortal elves in his stories about the Middle-Earth. He also created his own insignia. The famous Tolkien symbol. If you have not read his works and have only seen the movies, I suggest you grab a copy of his books. I'm sure you will also be a fan! 

For more info. just visit The Tolkien Society page.

(Update, I just got my membership ID card and welcome letter this 23rd of March.)

Map of the Middle-Earth

 

Today, I just got my very own map of the Middle-Earth. I purchased this online, for less than a thousand bucks. This map is made of cloth. The feel is similar to silk.

Middle-Earth, is a fictional setting created by J.R.R. Tolkien. If you have seen the movie, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, and have read the books, then you surely know what I'm talking about.

The term Middle-Earth was not originally from Tolkien, it comes from Middle English middel-erde. I believe that Tolkien got some inspiration from Beowulf the classic epic poem of English/Anglo-Saxon origins, that he had worked on. From the LoTR online Wikia, it says there that there are a lot of parallels between Beowulf and Tolkien's work.

There are a lots of inhabitants in the Middle-Earth. Iluvatar (origin of everything, the creator, The One) created the Ainurs, they were angelic beings who made beautiful music for Iluvatar, but one of them rebelled and his name is Melkor. I see a parallel here, the story of creation in the bible, and the fall of Lucifer. Next are those who entered the world, the Ainurs became Valars, and from the Valars came lesser spirits called the Maiar. The Maiars, worked for the Valars. For example the spouses Osse and Uinen, ruler of the seas, acted under Ulmo. I suggest you read the Silmarillion for better understanding of Tolkien's world and mythology. I had a hard time grasping it at first. So I made notes, and I also listen to the audio in YouTube. Over-all, as I read and learn of the writings of Tolkien, I am really impressed day by day of his works. I know that I should not make him an 'idol', God should always comes first. But in learning more of Tolkien, and other brilliant men like his son Christopher who continued the work of his father and because of him we have the Silmarillion, and Beren and Luthien among many others. I thank God for these men. All these came from Him anyway. 

So much so about that, going on other inhabitants of the Middle-Earth are, the Elves (my favorite is Legolas Greenleaf), they are intelligent beings created by Iluvatar alone, the first born. There are many clans of Elves, there are the dark and light elves. But the dark here doesn't mean they are evil. They would just never see the light of the 2 trees in Aman. Because, they remained in Middle Earth, dark elves are called the Avari, and the Eldar. The 2 main languages of the Elves are called Quenya and Sindarin. Physically they resemble human, but are beautiful, and they have pointed ears. They are agile and quick-footed, and are taller than men. Though they can be killed, they are immortal, they can die of grief too. 

Men are the second born of Iluvatar. They are mortal, ageing and dying quickly. Men, are less beautiful. Next are the Dwarves, who were said to be created by the Valar, Aule. They are master craftsman. Their language is known as Khudzul, a secret language for their own use. They are mortal, but live longer than men. Also, male and female dwarves are identical in their appearance. They are smaller in size too. Next, are the Hobbits or Halfling, according to Tolkien, they are offshoot of the race of men. They were generally half the size of men. They speak the Mannish tongue Westron. There are 3 kinds of hobbit, The Stoors, Fallohides, and Harfoots.

Other races were the Ents, shepherds of trees. They speak, and move. Created by Iluvatar, at the request of Yavanna. Treebird, in LoTR was the oldest Ent. Evil creatures such as Orcs and Trolls were created by Melkor also known as Morgoth. They are mockeries of the Children of Iluvatar and Elves. Other animals like the Eagles also live in the Middle-Earth. There are also giant spiders that descended from Ungoliant, also dragons are present here like Smaug. Another are Wargs, they are species of wolves allied with Orcs. In the Hobbit movie, one creature that I cannot forget was the skin-changer names Beorn, a man who could assume the form of a great black bear. I think he is the last of his kind. There are a lot more creatures in the Middle-Earth. (All the information here I got from Wikipedia and LoTR Wikia.) 

Back to my review of my Middle-Earth map. The small characters are not that very clear, but when viewed from afar, over-all, its nice to look at. It is great for a room decor, either in your own room, or in your living room. I'm sure Tolkien fans and visitors will be amazed if they saw this hanging inside your place. If you are a Tolkien fan this is another must-have. 

My Jareth Funko Pop Toy

  Finally! After waiting for almost 3 weeks. I received my Funko Pop Jareth. If you are wondering who Jareth is, he is one of the main character of the classic, 80's movie, Jim Henson's Labyrinth. This movie has left a mark on me. I really can't forget it. Before, I even bought the book that I saw in a local second-hand bookstore. Inside that book are Labyrinth movie photos. Too bad, I left that book in the house where I grew up.

Now, I have the Labyrinth vcd. The part that I remember fondly is the ballroom scene, wherein Sarah, wearing a beautiful gown, dances with Jareth. I find the character portrayed by the late David Bowie, kinda attractive. That's why I have a crush on Jareth. I also like storyline, Jareth the goblin king fulfills the wish of Sarah. I think Jareth has feelings for Sarah, its just that Sarah is oblivious to it. Argh! If I were Sarah, I'll go with Jareth, and we can be happy together with my baby brother Toby! He!hehe! That is... if I was Sarah!

Back to my new vinyl toy. This is kinda a huge Funko Pop for me. Because my first Funko Pop was the pocket pop keychain, Peanuts edition, Charlie Brown. This is the Labyrinth edition, Funko Pop Movies no. 364. Over-all I like the appearance of this Jareth, Funko Pop. Nice details on the jacket, necklace and the eye-shadow of Jareth is cool! Jareth is a goblin king, but I also have this theory that he's not a goblin. He is an elf. He is tall for an elf, and handsome too!

I also love all the songs performed by David Bowie in the movie, and I also love the ballroom scene, as the song 'As The World Falls Down' plays on. This is a kid-friendly movie. For me, this movie has also nice special effects because, it was the work of the late Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. If you have not seen the movie, I suggest you see it now. You are definitely missing something!

Leuchtturm1917 Notebooks/Journals

 My quest in finding a good, and long lasting notebook didn't cease. I was disappointed with my previous experience regarding another brand of a popular luxury notebook. It has not met my expectations.

I am happy with my Leuchtturm1917 journals. I can now say, the search is over! I have two. Each regular sized notebook costs around a thousand Philippine pesos. I have no complain about this notebook or journal. Leuchtturm is known for their high quality notebooks, binders, and portfolios. Leuchtturm1917 is made in Germany.

I bought two lined notebooks. One in metallic silver and another in metallic gold. These are special editions. They are both hardcover. It also comes with stickers, for the spine and for the title cover of the notebook. It also has a built-in bookmark, and a flap jacket inside. It also has a blank table of contents. From the look and feel. It is indeed a sturdy notebook/journal. I chose a lined notebook because I'm really going to write down my notes. I am studying Tolkien's Silmarillion now, and I am enjoying writing down my notes in these eye-candy journals. These journals also look posh. I would definitely recommend this to everyone.

Moleskine pocket sized notebook

  My first luxury notebook was Moleskine. Heard a lot about this popular brand of notebook that's why I decided to buy one. I bought two pocket-sized plain notebook. It costs less than a thousand pesos. A few of the pages are detachable, they can be teared easily because of the paper line marks. This notebook comes in black and dark blue color.The covers are cardboard like. I think it has approximately 50 leaves. These first Moleskines of mine were not that impressive for me.

My other Moleskine minis are colored purple, and black. These two costs less than a thousand Philippine pesos. The purple dotted mini journal has a thin cardboard covering, while the black one, which is a mini-sketch pad has a hard cover. These Moleskines for me were just fine. I used the purple dotted one as my 'note' book. I use it for writing down episodes from my favorite classic cartoon,The Charlie Brown and Snoopy show, and the other one I used as my sketch pad. These 'notes' are more sturdy compared to the first one.

Over-all, I just don't feel like buying any Moleskine mini notebooks or journals in the future. Like most of the reviews that I read and saw online. It does seem like the quality of Moleskine has dwindled these days. Moleskine is designed in Italy but manufactured in China. Anyway, if you always like to write and jot down things. These portable mini Moleskines are for you. You can take them wherever you go, and they can be easily stored in your bag.

Parker Jotter Pen Valentine's Day Set Promo

  Today I went to a local bookstore that has a Parker pen kiosk. Parker company are known for manufacturing luxury pens. This is kind of a late post because I bought this pen a year ago. This vday promo set pen is only available in this color, in dark red. It just costs around less than a thousand pesos because it is a bundle promo.

I often use this pen now at work. Like when I sign documents, and when I write something. I like it because it has that smooth feeling when writing, and it does not blot, even if I have dropped my pen several times. When I was little, I saw my late aunt having a lot of steel pens. I never liked them because its kinda heavy for me to hold. It is only now that I appreciate it. I also bought 2 Parker jotter pen refills. One in black (fine tip) and one in blue ink (medium tip). They also released new colors of jotter pens. I am eyeing the dark blue one since blue is my favorite color. I also had my name engraved on the pen. Script style.

Over all, I think this is a finely priced pen. There are more expensive branded pens around like Cross, and Sheaffer. The jotter pen now is priced around 500+ Philippine pesos. I think its worth it. The ink lasts a long, long time. Have been using my pen for a month now, and it still has an ink. So if you like to write like me. Grab a Parker Jotter Pen now! Parken pens origin is from the US. The founder is George Safford Parker. I suggest you buy from a reputable store, because there are fake Parker pens circulating around especially online. Look for the logo, and the warranty paper inside.