The warehouse sale last weekend was indeed a Sunday madness for me. Not only did I actually encounter people hoarding books, putting them in huge boxes as if there's no tomorrow but I also get to realize that there are still many Filipinos who enjoy reading. Sometimes, I would laugh at myself since I am quite aware of the fact that I was one of those students before who just simply hated reading.
But my father continued to influence me, in the most indirect and subtle ways that he can. Whenever we debate and engage in an intellectual discourse, I was often left in awe before. I knew I wanted to say something but I was afraid my ideas were wrong and I was skeptical if my viewpoints even existed. And so, my father would always tell me to keep on reading. My omma would always remind me of my spending habits about books hahaha( sometimes I know I have this super weird tendency of hoarding). But my papa will just smile, it's human capital investment after all. My perception and views on things and life in general come from my penchant for book collection.
While looking for some pictures for this blog post, I came across this picture. Hmmm. Top 10 Most Read Books in the World. Assessing how far I fared, I think I was able to read 8/10. The Bible will always be the top, the greatest and the most influential book ever written. My lifeline and spiritual knowledge comes from this Holy book.
Since I am very interested with politics, I also got the chance to read the works of Chairman Mao. I think one of the nicest things I learned from my dad is to never choose what you read. Some people would think reading Mao Tse Tung's works can inflict harm. That by knowing his political standpoint, you might be dubbed as a Marxist. Often, my dad and I would debate about certain topics. Coming from a enlightened neoclassicist's point of view, our opinions would clash most of the time. Back then, I was recalcitrant to accept views opposing mine. It was then when I started reading materials that I usually considered as black and red books before did i realize that my knowledge is inadequate and so is my political view. With his books, I was able to grasp some of his thoughts and perspectives especially when it comes to China and the struggle of the working class.
As for the other books, I have always been led into the bandwagon effect lol. Whatever the current trend, sometimes, I get carried away. No wonder I became part of the LOTR, Harry Potter and Twilight phenomena. It's actually a good thing.
Top Picks
And so, while I was hunting for some of the cheapest and the best books inside the book store. I saw this book. OMG I couldnt help but laugh. Last year, I also went to Booksale and found this book. Being a romanticist that I am, I bought the book and read it. Haha. To my surprise, it is I think one of the most scientific books I have ever read about love. Who says love is purely an emotional thing? This is one book I highly recommend. :)
Since I have matured when it comes to the materials I read, I focused on searching for specific books that would shed light on my understanding of my country. I seriously want to know not just the economic aspects but also the hierarchy, the societal and political structure and even power relations. This book is a must read. The Philippines has long lost its identity as a nation. With this book, every reader will get accurate details about our country's society prior to Spanish invasion.
My yearning to learn more as to why Philippines has lagged behind countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, HongKong, etc., serves as my inspiration. Our country has vast and rich resources, not just natural but also human resources. But there are factors, political, historical and societal factors that impede our nation's growth. One of the ways for us to evaluate and to gauge our current and past conditions is to know more about other countries. We need to know how they thrive, how their leaders advance their respective country's interest and how their people react to such leadership and change. The perfect book I think that would best suit my purpose is Lee Kuan Yew's From Third World to First.
Next top pick goes to Malaysian Maverick.
Among the leaders I truly admire is Malaysia's former Prime Minister Mahathir.
He is one of the living testimonies that you do not have to be a lawyer, an
economist, a traditional politician to institute reforms. Mahathir, is a doctor
who is well versed in history and political economy and is also considered to
be one of those mavericks who dared oppose Western interventions. This is
something that we should learn from Malaysia and Singapore. Yes, we have to be
pliant like the bamboo but we should also learn how to say No. We should still
assert our Sovereign rights to independently rule our country, free from an
foreign policy intervention.
Without a leader with strong convictions,
without a leader who will fight for the interest of the people and of the whole
nation, every effort would surely go to waste. For when the intentions are
wrong and the vision is blur, no leader can ever implement the reforms this
country needs.
* With all these, I can say I am one happy nerd. Never mind if I
am a political maverick or if I appear somewhat deviant compare to my other
econ fellows. For me, free market of ideas still operates and this is one
platform where I get to practice it.
P.S. I saw this pic online. Haha I want to know what men think
about this? Guys, any comments?violent reactions?lol
11 comments
Adik ka talaga sa libro!lol Syempre alam mo na sagot dyan. remember the questionaire, I'll still go for beauty.... with brains!hahaha nakow char magboyfriend ka na nga!
ReplyDelete@JK: Kung sakit na rin lang ng ulo wag na haha ewan ko ba naman kasi mkhang nstranded ata sya sa timbuktu or kng saan man haha tayyyy
ReplyDeleteForeigner?Gusto mo?lol take the FSO exam and when you pass madami akong irereto sayo kaso ang choosy choosy mo naman lol
ReplyDeleteSige ka lalong mtatakot sau mga guys nyan eh wahaha just a joke saludo na talaga ko sayo!
ReplyDeleteChar I recommend you read the complete set of Past Revisited by Renato Constantino
ReplyDelete@JK: Tay ndi kaya may criteria lang lol yup pero probably after my grad school wahhh
ReplyDelete@anon: haha pwd pong maglagay ng name!!! :D
@achie: Thanks achi yup papa has the first book nun kaso sobrang luma n at maalikabuk haha
Pumunta ka pala sa sale?maganda iyong mga books?
ReplyDelete@ria: yup nagpunta ko haha sobrang daming tao kaya haba din ng pila ung iba kng mkpghoard parang balak n atang magtayo ng bookstore.lol
ReplyDeleteikaw talaga feeling 18?lmao pero for sure pag pumasa ka makakapagfocus ka na sa ibang bagay
ReplyDeletenagtanung ka pa alam mo na siguro sagot!!hahaha!
ReplyDelete@JK: anhirap naman kasi huhu
ReplyDelete@maria: kya nga ngtatanung eh lol