Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Book Review: Inferno by Dan Brown (Signed Edition)

It's been a year since i bought this signed copy of Dan Brown's latest novel Inferno. Bought from Barnes&Noble (trackback blog post here). I just finished the book last week. My reading progress for this book is not the usual 'read at one-sitting' because i became a very busy person due to my high-paid work. It reached a year before i finally finished the book.

Anyway, here, my book review starts for Inferno.


Book Information:

Title: Inferno
Author: Dan Brown
Language: English
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Publisher: Doubleday
Published Date: 2013
Edition: 1st, Signed Edition
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 480 pages
ISBN: 9780385538176



I ordered two signed copies of Inferno from B&N. One copy has a minor wrinkle on its jacket (see below):

Front Cover of the Inferno novel written by Dan Brown

But all-in-all, the other copy itself is in good condition, generally. I didn't returned it to B&N for replacement because copies are very limited and they might not accommodate my request:

Back Cover of the Inferno novel written by Dan Brown

The binding of the book has a minor dents on top of its spine (see below):

Side Jacket of the Inferno novel written by Dan Brown

With all the noticeable condition (minor) of the book, It's still a rare piece because of the author's signature (see below):

Copy of the Inferno novel signed by the author Dan Brown

Because this is a rare book, I enveloped it with a plastic cover, meticulously crafted, a crafting technique that only I on Earth has mastered - a detachable plastic cover to preserved the cover jacket of the book (see below):








The Inferno


Given the title of the book itself, obviously, the story has something to do with Dante Alighieri's The Inferno. Good thing, I read the divine comedy the Inferno wayback year 2011 so I'm comfortable reading it straight (check my book review of Dante Alighieri's The Inferno here).

Just a brief of what you can expect by reading this book. Spoiler Alert! You'll find our main character Robert Langdon lies on a deathbed. Upon waking up, he is pursued by people he doesn't know. He doesn't know why he's pursued and why he end up there in Florence. On the other hand, there's this Divine Comedy fanatic who want's to spread an unknown kind of a plague. World Health Organization (WHO) was even alerted because of this. This is only a brief summary of what you can expect to the novel. If you think the flow of the story is that simple, simple as what i summarized here, think not, you know how Dan Brown writes (if you've read his other novel), there's always a twist to the story that will make you more hook and thrilled.

Tragedy & Comedy, If You Don't Know Yet


If you're sleeping like me during the lecture of your English/Literature teacher back in your/our school days, you may realize that you missed the true meaning of Comedy & Tragedy to The Divine Comedy. I felt a kind of shame the time i learned in this book, that the 'Comedy' is not a funny portrayal or something an actor do to make you laugh while watching your favorite comedy show. The true meaning is, see quoted below:

"By modern standards, The Divine Comedy has nothing comedic about it. It's called a comedy for another reason entirely. In the fourteenth century, Italian literature was, by requirement, divided into two categories: tragedy, representing high literature, was written in formal Italian; comedy, representing low literature, was written in the vernacular and geared toward the general population." - (Robert Langdon, pg. 82)

Manila as Gates of Hell Controversy


Before i read the book, It became controversial to some of Filipinos who, I don't understand why they're being so reactive about the portrayal of one of the character in the novel about Manila - as 'Gates of Hell'. Even the Chairman of Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Atty. Francis Tolentino is against the book. Take note, he's titled Attorney.

My curiosity grows and upon finishing the book, I trackback the issue and realized how the brains of those people who was butthurt need an emergency remedial to school and learn to define the meaning of fiction in Literature class. They even need, I think, a review lesson in Psychology on how to manage their anger. Moreover, they also need to conduct a thesis about the population and do a field work in Manila, preferably women (and they must be ALONE when conducting their field survey).

The End Justifies The Means

"The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who in time of crisis remain neutral"

Does the Inferno quote above hit you?

You'd understand this part after you read the book. The question is - would you do what Bertrand Zobrist to mankind? Releasing a kind of plague to decrease the human population. Given the uncontrollable human population's growth, the population in the Philippines as a kind example, need to be lessened. If not, poverty will increase. Crimes will be rampant. Starvation. Devastation of human race.






Reference:


<THIS POST IS SUBJECT TO FURTHER EDIT>

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Wickedmouth - Unang Putok ni Glenn Tabarejos

Pamagat: Wickedmouth
Pangalawang Pamagat: Unang Putok
May-akda: Glenn Tabarejos
Limbagan: BHM Publishing
Petsa ng Pagkakalimbag: 2013
Kalidad ng Pagkakalimbag: Maganda
ISBN: 978-971-95188-2-2
Halaga: 200.00 pesos
Akma sa Edad ng Mambabasa: 18+

Nagustuhan ko ang pagkakaguhit sa pabalat ng librong ito. Ang gumuhit ay si Al Estrella o Mots ng Teacher's Pwet blog.
wickedmouth unang putok front cover
Wickedmouth - Unang Putok Front Cover
Bibigyan puntos ko rin ang paglalagay nila ng Parental Advisory Explicit Content badge sa librong ito bilang babala. At di ko sinasadyang naiwan kong pakalat-kalat sa bahay namin ang Unang Putok at nabasa ng aking pamangkin na nasa 12 taong gulang. (buti na lang, wala pa siya sa kalahati)
wickedmouth unang putok rear cover
Wickedmouth - Unang Putok Rear Cover
Una kong nadiskobre ang blog ni Glentot noong nakaraang taon sa isang pooksasapot na nakasapot sa isang komento sa blog na natagpuan ko sa sanggunian ng mga blog mula sa BlogNgPinoy.

Hinanap ko ang librong ito sa Filipiniana / Filipino Literature at di ko mahanap kaya't itanong ko ito sa 'miss' dun sa National Bookstore - Megamall...

   Ako: (nag-inquire ako sa Customer Desk). Miss may "May Unang PUTOK kayo?"
   Miss Nat'l: Ha?!
   Ako: Unang PUTOK. Author nun si Glenn.
   Miss Nat'l: (nakakunot yung noo) Tagalog ba yung libro?

Nabastusan yata sa akin dahil sa matigas na pagkakabigkas ko ng "PUTOK" hahaha.

   Ako: Oo... yata.
   Miss Nat'l: (nag-type siya sa kompyuter para hanapin)

Pinayuhan niya ako na maghintay at kanyang kukuhanin ang aking hinahanap.

Siya'y bumalik at ibinigay sa akin ang Wickedmouth. Yey!

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Book Review: The Pearl by John Steinbeck

Book Title: The Pearl
Author: John Steinbeck
Genre: Parable
Form: Novelette / Novella
Language: English
ISBN-10: 014017737X
ISBN-13: 978-0140177374
Publisher: Penguin Books
Where To Buy: National Bookstore (Philippine) | Price: ₱279.00
Comment: I just borrowed this book from my niece.

Front Cover of The Pearl by John Steinbeck - Penguin Books

Back Cover of The Pearl by John Steinbeck - Penguin Books

The setting of the story is in a poverty area on a land's seashore, I think, in a shore around Gulf of somewhere in Mexico. The main characters are Kino (the one who found the pearl of the world), Juana (Kino's wife) and Coyotito (their son).

In the story, I see that there's a barrier between rich people & the poor. I learned, In the time setting of the story, being married & being baptized would require a sum of money and getting a healthcare / a doctor would also require a sum of money. People, their neighborhood have the culture of being a gossiper where story crawls to neighbor-to-neighbors, reaching beggars to churches, offices, tantamount to the whole city.

On the last part of the story, I didn't know first exactly how *spoiler alert* their son died. It made me wonder if it was because of stray bullet fired by the hunters to scared the coyotes off who they thought was crying. Juana and her son were left to the cave. How the bullet got inside? The last part didn't clearly tell how it happens because the conclusion of the story is they arrived back in the city, with Juana having her son dead and Kino having a rifle on his back. Kino decided to throw the pearl back to the sea because it brought pain & disaster to them. And i think it's already useless too because his dream for his Coyotito will never happen.

I searched for more information about the ending of the story and it confirms the cause of death was because of a stray bullet fired by the hunters. ( source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pearl_(novel) )

What i learned after reading the story - having a valuable item or something great about yourself, there's an accompanied envious feeling on someone's end. Envy is a sin according to Christian ethics. For me, envy is a sin if and only if you are doing something bad due great desire. In my opinion, I couldn't say it's a sin if you're doing something good or something with an effort to get what you're envying about (like working hard to buy what you desire). Envy is a sin if you're doing something bad like stealing or doing something wrong to the person just to get what you desire. Simple, Isn't it? Well, speak of 7 Deadly Sins, the story may also relate to other three deadly sins called Greed, Wrath & Pride.

My review ends here.

Thank you for reading :-)

By the way, If you'd like to buy the book, you may click the links below by Amazon.com:


You will like it.

Thanks!


Monday, June 17, 2013

Career Civil Service Sub-professional & Professional Book Reviewers

What is Career Civil Service (CSC) Examination?
It's a pencil-and-paper test conducted by Civil Service Commission (CSC) in the Philippines for the purpose of readying aspiring takers to get into government service. Government offices in the Philippines are mostly requiring applicants to have this exam, passed.

When can i take the CSC exam?
The test holds two times per year. For this year, the examination dates April 14, 2013 (ended already) and October 13, 2013. The period of application for October exam already started April 15, 2013 to August 30, 2013.

Where can i take the test?
CSC will inform the applicant or will send you the "Notice of School Assignment". Examinations are to be taken on the assigned public elementary schools.

How much is examination fee?
It will cost you 500.00 pesos.

For more information not answered to this post, you may visit their site here: http://excell.csc.gov.ph/cscweb/geninfo_cse.html



Based from Experience

I took the CSC examination back year 2010 and unfortunately, I didn't passed because i didn't reviewed much back that time. I thought the exam would be easy like a simple IQ test but it is NOT.

Is there a reason for you or me to take the CSC exam? Back the time i finished my college (circa 2010), CSC exam was a requirement. Yes, I may need it because I'm job hunting. It's a need to qualify for a job in Government office. Luckily, upon receiving the failed result of my exam, I already landed a job in a private company where I still work as of today.

Though I'm working in a private company now, I'm still going to retake the CSC Examination. There's an urge inside me to retake the exam. Maybe, I just want to achieve something or maybe i just want to support our Government (now, i'm getting nationalistic but no).

Next, I'll discuss the book reviewer I'm using.

Recommended Book Reviewer for Sub-pro & Professional Takers:

Book Title: MSA™ Civil Service Reviewer for Professional and Sub-Professional Levels
Edition: The New Millennium Edition
Authors: Merle S. Alferez, Amacha A. Feliciano
ISBN: None
Price: ₱225.00 in National Bookstore, Philippines
Comment: This is the first reviewer i bought back year 2010. I haven't answered all the questions in this book and one factor why i failed the test. The publisher of this book actually has an establishment - a review and a training center in 315 Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City, Philippines 1105. (see below the front cover of the book)

MSA Civil Service Reviewer (2010) - published with quality

MSA Civil Service Reviewer (2010) - sneak peek
What i like about the MSA CSC reviewer is their high-quality paper and good printing. The choices in the test questions are shade'able.



Book Title: Career Civil Service Sub-Professional & Professional Reviewer
Author: Arellano V. Busto
Publisher: A. V. B. Printing Press
ISBN: 97189-6103-8
Price: ₱275.00 in National Bookstore, Philippines
Other Inclusion: with CSC Form 100 for applicant to fill up
Comment: This is the second reviewer i just bought last month. I thought my first reviewer is lost but I found it eventually in my bookshelf (my poor eyesight). Anyway, It's still a good thing i bought it because it's aimed for 2013 exams. (see front cover below)


Well, compare to MSA reviewer which will show you ahead the questions in the next 3 pages, this book by Busto is a comprehensive one. It tells you first everything about CSC (not the answers of course). It's very informative and the context sounds like the author came from a Government office, If you know what i mean. (see pictures below)

CSC Reviewer by Busto (2013) - he added the 10 Commandments, really

CSC Reviewer by Busto (2013) - informative

CSC Reviewer by Busto - additional commandments in the rear cover 
The con of Busto's CSC reviewer is that the included Form 100 is poorly attached. (see below)

CSC Reviewer by Busto (2013) - Free Form 100 is Poorly Attached

I detached the form carefully but the Form 100 is, the margin of it is bounded. So how careful i try, It will mess up. I actually checked the other copies in National Bookstore and some of them are poorly attached too.

If you will ask me which one to buy, I would still buy the book by Busto because of its comprehensiveness and full of details about taking the exam (never mind the attached Form 100, I can download the form from CSC site anyway).

As for the contender, I checked the latest MSA reviewer in National Bookstore and the book is still straight-forward. Anyway, the CSC site is there to check for information.

Here's my tip for you about buying these book reviewers, If you have a friend who will also going to take the exam, set a condition with him/her. He/she may bought the MSA reviewer while you bought the reviewer book by Busto. When both parties are done answering their book, exchange or trade books to try-out the other.

Hope my tips helps.

Good luck to all of us on taking the October CSC exam.

Thanks!

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Khaled Hossieni's "And The Mountains Echoed" Signed Copies For Sale

A friend of my told me about "Kite Runner" book. He said it's an interesting book and I should read it to be inspired.

Anyway, I just found that the author of Kite Runner has a new book and Barnes & Noble is selling signed copies of it. (see below for the product link):

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/and-the-mountains-echoed-hosseini-khaled/1114193156

If anyone is interested to this book, grab the chance. Value of such book would raise in the future.

Thanks!