Farewell, Tigana

If you have happened to get curious at what stuff I read or books I recommend, then visit my Books page. There, under the category of ‘Fiction‘, is a curious title ‘Tigana’, a novel by Guy Gavriel Kay (GGK). By now, you will have come to realize that I dabble and enjoy works of fantasy and science fiction. That’s my genre, I guess – that of the other-worldly; an escape of sorts, to worlds imagined, worlds that reflect likeness to our own; strange yet strangely familiar, and of stories about the human journey and of the human heart.

It is sad when the journey has to end. And when you realize that the trip was more enjoyable than the destination. Tigana has been my travel book ever since I bought it for my second trip outside the country. That was way back in 2004. I know it took an unbelievable amount of time for me to finish the book. I had to reserve the reading to when I was away from my family. But surprisingly enough, even though my trips were several months spaced away, Tigana was a familiar land to come to and its characters were like old time friends.

Tigana is a work of high fantasy by Canadian fantasy author Guy Gavriel Kay. The story is set in a world with two moons, in a peninsula called the”Peninsula of the Palm“, divided into seven provinces (including the island-province of Chiara), and conquered by two powerful wizards from beyond the sea. These two conquerors have divided the peninsula between themselves and have since ruled each three provinces, with the last province being independent, delicately balancing the powers on the Palm. Tigana is one of those conquered provinces, but because it has resisted so much to the point of killing one of the conqueror’s beloved son, its name is never spoken… nor even heard… except those who came from that land before the magic was cast.

Thus begins the story of the remnants of Tigana, of their prince, and of those who have held back and prepared for a time to banish the conquerors from their lands. Along this journey, love will bloom, decisions that weigh as heavy as another man’s life will be made, and old links to the past must be re-forged into a weapon for the future. It touches on themes such as the burden of the past, true identity, and the struggle of love and this tormented identity.

Characters are vividly portrayed: Alessan, prince of Tigana; Dionara, a woman torn between her sworn duty and the growing love for the man he vowed to kill; Devin, a young man awakened to his true identity and of the events that would lead to the freedom of his home; Catriana, a young woman thrown into the same situation as Devin, who plays a catalyst to the final act that would free Tigana.

The rich world GGK weaves is spectacular from the depths of its mythos to the history and politics of the land. He masterfully creates a world in parallel to Europe in the middle ages, where the sword ruled. His artful use of magic – sparsely at that – is a good tool to keep the story believable and rational.

The story itself is a complex weave, with many unforgettable scenes and twists. And its conclusion is one that I was caught off-guard, but was ultimately enjoyable. This novel comes highly recommended. At a little less than 700 pages, it’s a very good one-shot read to immerse yourself in the struggles of identity and freedom (a very apt reading for the Filipino today who is still searching for identity and recognition).

Parenting XP: First Day of School and Fatherhood

June is, before Father’s Day became so popular and commercial, always – always – the start of school. It was a time of dread for all students. I was one of those kids who would have a queasy feeling in the stomach upon waking up on the first day of school. As I grew older, I asked my friend and bus mate this insane line of thought: “Who invented school anyway?” followed by “If I had a time machine, wouldn’t it be nice to get rid of the person who invented school so that in the future, where we are now, there wouldn’t be any school?”. Always. (hmm… so that explains my inclination these days to sci-fi and fantasy…). I could never recall a schoolyear when I actually looked forward to.

Now, the roles are reversed. I’m a father of a three-year-and-two-month old boy who decided, together with my lovely wife, to enroll our son to toddler school. The feelings too are reversed. We were shopping for school supplies and clothes for Matt the other day and we bought him his black shoes and rubber shoes. Both Nina and I marveled at how he has grown – from a fragile baby I was afraid of holding the first time we came home from the hospital. Now, he’s all grown up , trotting about in his new rubber shoes yesterday as the whole family (all three of us) went on to celebrate Father’s Day at The Old Spaghetti House in Makati.

He loves his new Mickey Mouse footgear. And it was he who noticed that the Mickey icon on his shoes looked angry. So whenever he would refer to his shoes, he would say “Mickey Mouse… arrgh.” with matching growl, and a smile and laugh after his parents join the fun. (Jeez… I could still remember the feeling of having my very own Mighty Kid shoes when I was in grade one or two, after everybody would have them and the fad was dying out.) But that was about the only thing exciting for me whenever June would arrive (unfortunately) – buying new stuff for school.

I guess my son and I shared the same feeling about going to school. His first day last week was spent crying over his mommy leaving him behind in a room full of strangers. His second day was also spent crying. Today, I’ve learned from Nina that his crying was intermittent, and that he actually listened to today’s lesson (The letter R). We always encourage him to like school – and I find myself contradicting my initial feelings and stand about the subject. I chose to spend the night with Matt reviewing him of his lessons and we both figured which words began with ‘R’. I dunno if I’m putting pressure on him, but I do strive to make our play and learn time fun. Maybe tomorrow, he’ll be OK. I know he will be.

A funny thing that Matt said today was narrated by Nina, when they were going to school today. Matt didn’t like his black shoes so much as his rubber shoes. But my wife eventually got them on his feet. It’s about noon time when Matt’s classes start. When they walk outside the house, they would usually run to the shadows of trees until they reach the gate of the subdivision. This time, since it was Matt’s first time to wear black shoes, when Nina asked him to run to the shadows of the trees, he said “Can’t run. Too big. (points to his shoes). Buy new one.”

Hearing that made my day, and strengthened my resolve to make Matt’s schooling days enjoyable.

———-

Footnote: I guess the road on from here would find me in more contradicting situations. That’s what fatherhood is, I guess. Knowing where you came from so that you can point your child to the direction that would be less troublesome for them to reach their fullest potential.

I do not want to put too much academic pressure on him, even if the outside world does expect it. I’d rather he discover his true gift, and ask God to polish it and refine it. Diamonds are made from the most intense pressures and temperatures. They can now be created artificially. But the most beautiful of diamonds and gems – and the most precious – are those that are polished from the rough, strewn from the crucible of nature, and fashioned by the hands of God.

Things That Get Me Excited

Summer’s definitely over - sternly reminded by that raging thunderstorm that hit Parañaque last night. It’s been only 6 days since I arrived and it feels like I’ve never quite recovered my strength yet. Now, I’ve found some quiet time at the computer and gave this entry a brief thought after surfing the net. Here are some things I found that put a smile on my face and got my nerves tingly. So, after an exhaustive business trip outside the country, its good to sit back, relax, and try to find a dash of excitement to rev up for the days ahead.

Finances > Asian Monetary Integration > Think ACEs

When the Asian Financial Crisis struck, I was a third year college. Everyday, I would look at the newspaper, find the Business Section, and see our Peso fair against the Dollar… and the Thai Baht. I remember that the Peso and the Baht began almost on equal footing when the crisis started. But sadly, the Peso was left behind, or rather, harder to fall, than the Baht. That’s when i got interested in financial markets – but my interest was limited to the stock exchange figures and the currency exchange.

I never quite got a hold of how the details of the market index worked, and only theslightest idea of what influences the exchange rates and how it will affect us, but then the next big thing to happen came at the turn of the century – the formation of the European Union and the emergence of the Euro. As a (forced) traveller, you will really appreciate the ease to consumers the single European currency provides.

This post from Patrick’s blog points to an article about the possibility of a financial and monetary integration here in Asia. Imagine having just one currency, going to Hong Kong or Singapore, and buying there hassle-free. No need to worry about commission fees or low exchange rates. There are many pros and cons to this, but I do hope to see it in my lifetime. A currency at par with the mighty Euro and Dollar.

AMU? ACU? Just as I commented, I prefer ACEs. Check out this brief wiki regarding the subject.

There will be a lot of prerequisites for this to happen. And if it does, a lot more for us to qualify for it (think of the would-be (I think they are already) EU states of Romania, Bulgaria, or even Turkey and the demands for them to meet priior to integration within the EU – including market conditions for the Euro).

Technology > Microsoft Surfaces > The Days of Star Trek Has Arrived!

Image from Microsoft Surface website: www.micrsoft.com/surface

If you’re a trekkie (or trekker, like I am – and yes, there is a difference!) remember the ‘pool table’ on the Engineering Deck of the Starship Enterprise-D of Capt. jean-Luc Picard? Yes, Geordi’s toy table. Well, thanks to Top Dog’s post, view that same technlogy today on Microsoft’s site! 

Image from Microsoft Surface website: www.microsoft.com/surface

Enter the Microsoft Surface. Utilizing technology first popularized by Steve Jobs’ introduction of the Apple iPhone, MS Surface uses multi-touch technology to bring a richer user interface experience. This will be a revolution. Draw. Paint. Expand. Digital Jukebox. Share. Send. Wow!

The days of the ubiquitous computers has arrived…

Gaming > Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword Expansion > Expansion? More Like Civ 4.5!

For those Civ fanatics out there. you’re probably counting the days when this expansion will finally hit the market. If you’re not a Civ fan yet, then perhaps the details to this expansion on this CivFanatics.com post!

Box art from 2K Games
Aside from 10 new civilizations, more additional leaders, there’s a lot of new concepts injected into the game – corporations, spies, random events and many more! Better read the Info Center to get into the details.

What I’m looking forward to are the Scenarios! I’ll definitely want to try the Final Frontier scenario – a space-type Civ game (Star Trek, anyone?). And there are Historical Scenarios to whet my appetite such as Charlemagne’s Conquests and World War II.

With the release of Beyond the Sword, it will change how expansion packs are developed. Civ IV has proved to be a very modable game and the modders community has been given the ample recognition by the inclusion of not 1, but 2 full game mods in the pack. It’s halfway to the next level of Civilization – and it’s becoming more ‘real’ than ever.

This is A MUST for strategy gamers.

Scrapbooking > Nina’s New Layouts > WOW!

I’m a die-hard fan of my wife. And with these fantastic layouts, should there be any questions why? Combining her layouting skills and wisdom for words, her layouts are truly magnificent works of art!

I just love how she combines all the colors and details with the pictures and personalizes it with her journaling. Do check out her works and more in her blog.

The Future > A Car and a House > …Wishin’ and Hopin’

It’s hard to save up, but yes, I do hope that one day my family will have our own car and house. This is what wakes me up every weekday and brave the drudgery of work. I hope to take a step forward in at least one of these 2 dreams by year end.