Baba Reads

"It's nice to travel, you meet new faces." Halina Mitchell is a half-Filipino half-American New Yorker who visits the Philippines for the first time to meet her relatives. Here she also encounters Cris, a struggling film critic whose passionate loathing for bad local movies reflects his views of modern Filipino sociaty. Coming from completely different worlds, the two eventually learn from each other. Through Cris, Halina gets a quick course on Manila life, from driving through midnight traffic to listening to the Eraserheads, while she helps him gain a newfound appreciation of living in his own country. From National Book Award-winning author Arnold Arre, creator of The Mythology Class, After Eden, Ang Mundo ni Adnong Agimat, and Trip to Tagaytay comes Halina Filipina, a story about friendship, understanding, and love; about finding one's identity and experiencing the joy of finally having a place to belong.

Noong bata ako, tagabili ako lagi ng napkin ng kung sino-sino basta may tip na piso. “Pabili pong napkin, kahit ano basta may wings!” ‘Yan ang lagi kong linya sa tindera sa sari-sari store. Maliban diyan ay wala na akong ibang alam tungkol sa period. Buti na lang ang librong ito ay tungkol sa ibang klase ng period. Ito ‘yong mga tuldok ng buhay na nagdudulot ng pagdudugo sa puso at nagmamantiya sa pagkatao. Tungkol sa happy ending na nauna ‘yong happy pagkatapos biglang nag-ending; mga love stories na walang story, 3-month rule na naging 3-man rule; pagpapatawad na naging pagpapatawa, atbp. Kasama rin sa librong ito ang iba pang mga punctuation marks na nagbibigay kahulugan sa ating mga tula at kwento, na nagtuturo sa ating magpatubo ng sarili nating wings para makalipad sa kanya-kanyang depinisyon ng langit. Have a happy period, mga beh at pre!