Missed opportunity

Yesterday, the TV set was tuned in to TFC (The Filipino Channel) and a segment of Kulilits was on. I wasn't really watching it because I was busy playing with my toddler. But what caught my attention was when the camera panned around a room that looked like a library. Cutie little Bugoy was indeed in a library and I watched with bated breath on what was going to happen next. The sight of a library in a children's show truly got me excited!

But I set my hopes too high because right after Bugoy's initial spiel telling the viewers he was in the library, the lady sitting behind the counter, whom I assume to be a librarian, stood up then bent over to where Bugoy was and gave out a loud "Shush"! By golly gee, that sure made an impact on me! I was shocked to say the least.

After recovering from the initial shock, I was still keen on what was going to unfold. So the camera pans out to a lady sitting across the library then back to Bugoy. The camera follows Bugoy as he walks down the room towards the lady. I was thrilled with anticipation thinking to myself, "Ooh, I hope she's a librarian." So when he approaches the lady and greets her, her name and position flashes on the screen. And guess what, another surprise - she was a Reading teacher!

I can not, for the life of me, rationalize why the segment producers could not have asked the school librarian (the segment was shot in an exclusive girls school in Quezon City) to be part of the segment. I mean, who could better talk about library policies than a librarian! I don't have anything against a Reading teacher if she was talking about a particular book or something, but she was discussing library policies! Bugoy was asking all sorts of questions regarding the various signs in the library like why do students need to be quiet and why they can't eat or drink inside, that sort of stuff. The teacher managed to answer all his questions (of course everything's on the script), but still, I took it as an affront on librarianship.

Having said that, it just annoys me that the school's library administrator didn't scream in protest at their exclusion at what could have been a golden opportunity at promoting the library to young people at that and projecting a positive image of the librarian. At this point, I wouldn't even want to know who the library administrator is and be disappointed it's someone I know.

RDA subscription price for US out

The Joint Steering Committee on RDA has just announced the price for subscribing to the RDA Toolkit. Price is for the US market only but it should give you an estimate of how much it would cost your library.

I wrote a 3-part piece on RDA back in 2008 if you want to refresh on the topic.

Getting back "my" life

Now that Gabby's a bit more independent and can play by himself, I can finally do things around the house like tidying up, cooking, and ironing without him demanding for attention. But most importantly, I can get back to doing things I haven't done for some time like recreational reading and doing Qigong, which I learned from an Assumption nun, Sr. Mary C., RA. And blogging, of course!

When Gabby turned one, I came to a point where I realized I had to give myself some breathing space after going on maternity leave for a year, where everything I did revolved around the baby. For starters, I signed up to do volunteer work to give me a reason to get out of the house and be in touch with other people. That included an 8-week training which was a welcome change even if it meant I had to go home late on a workday. Then last year I enrolled in an online course that ran for a year and managed to complete and pass. And I have to give credit to my hubby and my two older sons for supporting me through all these.

I was never one to be tied down at home in a previous life (in the Philippines, that is) and having accomplished these has lifted my spirits and sense of self-worth. After raising a baby sans yayas, lola, and titas, I think I have outdone myself this time around. There remains one thing though, getting myself to lose my excess fats. If only I could get rid of them or at least knock off some kilos, now that would be an achievement!

Overdrive

Last Friday, at around 3:30 am, I woke up overflowing with ideas for this blog. And as you might see, it's been quite a while since my last post.

It seemed that my subconscious had a "brainstorm" that went on overdrive that it literally jolted me from an otherwise restful slumber. And much as I wanted to go back to sleep, the ideas just came pouring in one after the other that I had no choice but to grab my iPhone and type in all the ideas and assign titles to them.

So yeah, it's good to be back.

(Photo caption: Brainstorm, from Ben 10 Alien Force courtesy of fanpop.com)