Signed, sealed, delivered I'm yours

We started ordering books online and purchasing them after the lockdown last year. Rolly's and my initial orders were from Shopee, but when the five or so books arrived, we felt dismayed when we saw they suffered from water and soil damage. I immediately wrote to the publisher to air our complaint. Promptly, they sent replacements in good condition.

Two weeks ago, I decided to up the ante by trying out the online store of Fully Booked where I found a single hardbound copy left of Anthony Bourdain's World Travel (on top of the bestseller list in Singapore, but that's Sg for you), Aimee Nezhukumatathil (give me a few weeks to learn how to pronounce and say her last name correctly) and her World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments and Patrick deWitt's French Exit. I opened an account with the store, provided my basic details, particularly shipping address. I took a long, hot shower, addressing God and asking Him to affirm my decision to put my hard-earned pension money in new books. I told friend Gou de Jesus of my bathroom conversation with the Almighty, and she laughed and said it's not as if I was buying lipstick and makeup. And even if it was, it was still my money. Anyway, after five days of anticipation, an LBC delivery man handed the package. So excited was I to rip open the plastic bag that I suffered a paper cut as I was turning the pages of a new book. Shallow lang naman. Hmm, I think I have a conflicted relationship with money. But yesterday, after a hearty comida china, I whispered to Rolly, "Aren't we going to drop by Mt Cloud Bookshop?" He had offhandedly mentioned the previous day that he wanted to look at what's up on their Filipiniana shelves. So off we went, getting our temperatures checked at the shop entrance and filling up the forms for contact tracing. The price to pay in order to browse inside a physical space.

I always like looking at the secondhand hardcovers near the entrance. I suspect most of those books come from the library of filmmaker-art buff Perez Butch like the Bruce Chatwin title I happened upon. Chatwin is one of the best, if not the best, travel writers in the world. Gou will attest to that. I was drawn to the cover of Loot and Other Stories by Nobel laureate for literature Nadine Gordimer. It was a painting by Georgia O'Keeffe. It's not that I can afford to spend all day in the book alcove of our home like a lady of leisure. I have official writing, editing and transcribing duties to do, not to mention researching historical images for a picture book. Then there's the laundry and the cooking chores that are the bane in the life of every full-time homemaker. But these books balance those other things off. They give me something pleasant to turn to when the quotidian is close to suffocating me.

In the kitchen with Jean | Vera Files

In the kitchen with Jean | Vera Files

BWG reloaded: Let's volt in

Congratulations and best wishes to the new officers of the Baguio Writers Group (BWG) that has opened itself to wider membership to infuse it with new and creative (read: out-of-the-box) ideas. All towards strengthening writing in this northern region and keeping its reputation as a voice in the Baguio and by extension the national community. Hip hip hooray to new BWG president Jenny Cariño who presided at the general assembly at another Baguio institution, Mandarin Restaurant on Session Road.

We started Saturday afternoon with a small table. From left are: Frank, Jenny, Grace Subido, Scott Saboy, Roland Rabang and Martin Masadao

Then more streamed in: Luchie Maranan, Baboo Mondoñedo and Junley Lazaga.

Among our recruits are Rose Urquico, Toottee Chanco Pacis and Auring Bautista

Audrey Beltran, Desiree Caluza, Pryce Quintos, Merci Javier Dulawan, Padma Perez and Frank again

Same gals from above listening to others introduce themselves this way: what I write, what I still want to write and what I expect from BWG and how I can help it

Retired economics professor Ben Tapang (seated fourth from left) says there must be more to life than the field he spent 50 years of his life on. This must mean that creative juices are still roiling within, waiting to be expressed. Photos by Babeth Lolarga

Thank you, Frank Cimatu, for graciously hosting a merienda of pancit bihon (with extra pechay toppings, as per his instruction to the waitress), lumpiang Shanghai and a round of drinks.

A spread like that is conducive to the concoction of plans. Among these are reviving the Kulitan workshop (these are bi-monthly manuscript clinics fueled by coffee for the critique-ing of works in progress by the literature profs and literary critics in the group), young adult writing workshops (open to 12 to 16 year old kids, one is coming up May 24-25 at the Frangeli House on Bakakeng road), a spoken word workshop that'll train young poets to perform and pit themselves in the Third Monday from the Sun readings/performances at Mt Cloud Bookshop (Jenny is worthy resource person for this activity), an online and refereed literary journal, among others.

We started the meeting with one large round table. As Saturday afternoon wore on, Luchie Maranan exhorted us to "let's volt in." It meant connecting two additional round tables but still it was standing room only!

What excites me about the enlarged composition of BWG is the variety of experiences, knowledge and skills that the new members are bringing in. Some of them come from civil society (human rights and indigenous people's orgs), others from the worlds of visual arts (steeped in art and comic-book writing) and local journalism. There is one who writes for an evangelical magazine as she is a theology teacher. We didn't limit ourselves to purely creative or literary writers.

Shall we sing "Happy Days Are Here Again" or "Ain't No Mountain High" to Jenny, Junley Lazaga (vice president), Scott Saboy (secretary), Merci Javier Dulawan (treasurer)?

The playful, the serious collide in Del Tolentino’s book art | Vera Files

The playful, the serious collide in Del Tolentino’s book art | Vera Files

The shine on a Sunday

Early today I was on the last few pages of the Steve Martin novel Shopgirl when I looked up to see the sun, not the ball of fire but its rays. They formed shapes/shadows after they broke through the glass jalousies that my sister had just opened. They were still there until I felt the sky turn overcast again because just as suddenly the rays disappeared.

Strange how these rays reflected the tenderness I felt for Mirabelle and Ray, the perfectly mismatched characters in Martin's story about love, heartbreak and healing, how all these elements lead to an education for both persons. There are times when the fictive characters we allow into our lives through reading can seem more real than those rays I saw with my very eyes.

Thanks, Mr. Martin, for time well spent with you. And by extension, thanks, Mt Cloud Bookshop, where I found and bought the book. It just called out to me from a shelf one late December day.

Thanks, Mr. Sun, for the reminder I should get up, get out to meet you again.

Pre-breakfast rays of light Photo by Babeth Lolarga

Del Tolentino's book art

New books by women not only for women

From the inbox once again, these announcements:

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING:

"Claire's mom is not a tiger but a quiet silk butterfly, strong as steel, dignified, influential and full of amiability. One can discern that the author's sensible advice is borne from a mother who has reflected deeply into what makes one successful in an uncommon definition of the word.

"The exuberance of heart, thoughtfulness and affection in Lim-Moore's book leave the reader with the soaring feeling that what people care about is who you are, and that what is important is how you help others. A stunning debut."

"A mix of childhood memoir, immigrant experiences and mother knows best — such as fitting in at the new school and not forgetting where you came from — the book takes you through a roller coaster of emotions that leave a lasting warmth in your heart."

"Ostensibly, Don't Forget the Soap is a memoir, and an entertaining one it is. Having said that, I could just as easily group this special little volume among my collection of parenting books. Why? Let's look at the facts: the author is a Yale-educated corporate executive who seems to enjoy juggling her career and family, likes to throw in community service and politics for fun and somehow finds the time to watch tv and write this book. As a woman, I want to know how she does it. As the mother of two daughters, I would like to know how my girls could do it too. Lucky for us, Ms. Moore shares with us the secret of her success: practical advice from her fabulous Filipina mother. Well worth the read and future re-reads."

Marie Claire Lim Moore* is a Filipina-Canadian-American working mother and author of Don’t Forget the Soap. After spending the early part of her childhood in Vancouver, Claire moved to New York City and attended the United Nations International School. She went on to study at Yale, climb the corporate ladder at Citi and travel around the world. She met her husband, Alex, while working in Sao Paulo, Brazil and they married in Manila, shortly before moving to Singapore.

Now Mom to Carlos and Isabel, Claire also manages the Global Client business for Citi in Asia. She enjoys juggling career and family and likes to throw in community and politics for fun by campaigning for US political candidates, fundraising for organizations that advance the role of women in business and promoting foreign direct investment in the Philippines. She is also a guest contributor at Sassy Mama Singapore.

At the center of many good stories – inspiring, entertaining, admittedly corny–is Marie Claire Lim Moore. Ask her about the time she and her family sat down with former Philippine President Corazon Aquino. Or the time she built houses in Mexico alongside former American President Jimmy Carter. Equally engaging are her every day experiences and perspective on
life. You will be interested to hear what she thinks is a relationship “deal breaker” or why Christmas should be regulated or why kids shouldn’t say, “I’m bored.”

After spending the early part of her childhood in Vancouver growing up with '80s sitcoms and Philippine People Power demonstrations, Claire moved to New York City at the age of 12 and attended the United Nations International School where she sang on stage with Debbie Gibson and received her high school diploma from Kofi Annan. She went on to study at Yale, climb the corporate ladder at Citi and jet set around the world.

Don’t Forget the Soap is a collection of anecdotes from different points in Claire’s life: stories from the tight-knit Filipino community in Vancouver mix with memories of her move to New York, experiences at Yale and travels as a young executive. Underlying this narrative is the story of a global citizen who does not want to forget the fundamental values that come along with the “immigrant experience” as she and her husband raise their children in the increasingly glitzy expat bubble of Singapore. Her parents continue to remain a big influence in her life and her mother’s reminders a grounding force. These stories will warm the heart and resonate with people of any culture.

Download the e-book at http://bit.ly/dontforgetthesoap*
Visit the Author's Page at on Amazon.com for more info.

Book launch-cooking demonstration for A Matter of Taste with warm words and delicious food at Cafe By The Ruins, Chuntug Street, Baguio City (across from City Hall) Dec. 12 at 4 p.m.

The book A Matter of Taste: The Culinary Memoirs of Jean MacGarvin de Vera (published by Mt Cloud Bookshop) includes 90 recipes that nurtured her family. The authors are Baguio's Adelaida Lim and Leonisa Bautista.

Jean MacGarvin de Vera is Sing Wei, meaning "good heart" in Chinese. MacGarvin de Vera was born and raised in cosmopolitan Shanghai before World War II. Her mother was from a landed family with properties in Zungkaza, a suburban village where everyone had the same surname: Zung.

Her father was an American engineer-architect in the construction business. After the war, young Jean fled China with her husband and three young children to start a life in the Philippines.

Jean stayed 25 years in California with her daughter, Irene before deciding to retire in Baguio in 2001. At 90, she lives in Tuding, Benguet surrounded by her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and dogs and pets.

Geraldine Maayo in Baguio

Announcement from the truest bookshop in our favorite city, Mt Cloud at Casa Vallejo, upper Session Road, Baguio:


You are cordially invited to the Baguio launch of Geraldine Maayo's latest collection of short fiction, The Boys in the Boarding House. Two of the stories in the book, including the title story, are set in Baguio City, where Ms. Maayo lived and worked as a teacher at the University of the Philippines from 1976 to 1982.

Ms. Maayo will be visiting here this month to be reunited with friends and former colleagues and students. On Nov. 16, Saturday, at 2:30 p.m. in Mt. Cloud Bookshop, she will give a short talk and will sign copies of her book. Coffee will be served courtesy of Elizabeth Lolarga, with cookies from Cafe By the Ruins.

As is always in Mt Cloud Bookshop, everyone is welcome!

The Golden Arrow at the Cloud

The Golden Arrow of Mt. Makilkilang and Other Cordillera Folktales will be launched June 30 at 2 p.m. at Mt Cloud Bookshop at Casa Vallejo, Upper Session, Baguio City. The event will include story-telling and a performance for children by the Aanak di Kabiligan Community Theater Group.

Published by the Cordillera Green Network (CGN), the book is a collection of folktales from Kalinga, Benguet, Apayao and Mt. Province. These stories were collected during Youth Eco-Summits around the Cordillera, in which local children turn stories told by their grandparents into theater productions through community workshops facilitated by the CGN, a non-stock non-profit organization committed to establishing a wholesome Cordillera environment by working closely with local communities.

The tales impart lessons like taking care of the environment and protecting its resources. These lessons are learned through the tales of the brave and clever Gawan and how he fought a monster snake to save Gammilayan; the curious Kankanaeys who discovered the edible fern Paco; the powerful yet generous Ari Moran who led his people to plant rattan; and the strong Bugan who journeyed the river from Sabangan to Kalinga inside the belly of a snake.

Mt Cloud Bookshop aims to bring the written word to life in Baguio City through various literary activities such as author's talks, poetry slams and readings, story-telling sessions for kids and small workshops. The bookshop is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Weather condition and an unplanned purchase

Saturday
May 24, 2013

Weather condition: "Back to Baguio weather." The person in charge of the Cinematheque made this comment after he stepped out of the cinema's darkness to take a breather.

The hem of my gray sweat pants is damp from rain, and so are my socks. The rain was sudden, strong. The downpour caught me along upper Session Road on my way to Hill Station. The entrance or patio portion, though covered, started to experience a small flash flood as water flowed down the steps so I moved to the bar where I ordered a cappuccino with Splenda. The slice of dark decadent chocolate cake I asked the server to return to the chiller until my coffee-drinking companion arrived.

Coffee and Baguio--they go together like tea and sympathy (honk! honk! for being corny there) or mangga at suman at the height of an Antipolo summer.

My old journal has a few more blank pages--the entire time I was here, I couldn't bring myself to open it, except for the times when Kai wanted to doodle lines and circles.

Simply irresistible

Page marker, with a reminder to also write the day of the week and the weather conditions

I fell in love at first sight with this new journal when I swung by Mt Cloud. I just intended to browse, but I couldn't help myself. The cover illustration was truly death by cuteness!

Twice L tried to drive out of her place to get here, twice the rain held her back. But I know of people who'd rather be up here in this weather than when it's dry and sunny.

Only the bar and its smoking area are open--the Hill's main dining room is being prepared for a product launch so tables are scarce, including my favorite one. But the light at the bar is good, and the bartender Albert is familiar with my face.

Nice amber light cast in bar area

That table with the only couch I already reserved once it empties. The couch is what a couch ought to be--cushy, comfy, gray from its thin black and white stripes and tiny white dots. There I can slouch and write at the same time. What to do with my old notebook? Maybe my lesson plans for the first weeks of classes will go in them.

Proprietary about this couch

Finally, I realized that I have this "timeout" hour to myself outside the house. I'm not counting the whole days when I chose to remain home alone.

This.... (unfinished thought)

Photos by Babeth Lolarga

3rd Monday from the Sun at the Cloud

From the Inbox comes this announcement from our favorite Baguio book shop:

"Third Monday from the Sun" is a free, monthly open mic event for poetry and spoken word at Mt Cloud Bookshop inside the Casa Vallejo building on Upper Session Road, Baguio City. On Aug. 20, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., Mt Cloud Bookshop will hold its second open mic evening for poets of all ages and all walks of life. 

This is not a contest. It is a poetry reading for anyone and everyone who wishes to share original poems and performance pieces with a warm, receptive audience. 

In celebration of our second anniversary this August, we are giving away small tokens to the poets who come to read or perform. As is always in the bookshop, everyone is welcome.

Birth, life, love and Robin Lim

BAGUIO CITY—Midwife Robin Lim, 2011 CCN Hero of the Year, once ran into an obstetrician. They compared how many babies they had delivered that day. Both helped birth three each. Lim asked the doctor, "Do you know the mothers' names?"

Taken aback, the doctor couldn't recall his patients' names and admitted to never bothering to know, part of the detachment that his practice requires. Lim recited the names of women she had helped deliver their babies. She had known them well since they went to her for prenatal checkups.

The doctor cried all night. His wife rang Lim, founder of Yayasan Ibu Bumi Sehat (or Healthy Mother Earth Foundation) that encourages natural birth, including those that take place in water in Bali, Indonesia, to ask, "What have you done to him?" That moment with Lim served as the doctor's epiphany when he questioned his profession.

At a time when 918 women die yearly worldwide from childbirth or complications resulting from it, Lim finds the situation scandalous with the US investing heavily on childbirth technology and landing a man on the moon at the cost of billions of dollars.

Life-saver, story-teller

The CNN honor made hers a popular voice. She said it was a human rights issue that "these women are being struck down at the prime of their lives."

A protocol she wants hospitals to allow is to wait for a few minutes so the infant's umbilical cord and the placenta can fall off naturally. This also keeps the mother from bleeding too much.

She said science has shown that it takes years for a child to reach optimum health if the cord rich in nutrients is cut too soon. A proponent of prolonged breastfeeding of up to four to five years, she said giving mother's milk is "a gift to them that you can never get back."

She cited Albert Einstein, also born at home and still taking a snack at his mother's breast till age 10.

She asked individuals and organizations to "communicate, cooperate to find real solutions that the government can back up so we don't need to lose people needlessly." Her work empowers women to own their bodies so "they can have the lives they were meant to live."

She has met prostituted women who get pregnant and whose "bosses" compel them to give up and sell their babies. "It's the most tragic thing," this advocate against human trafficking said.

Lim met a poor young girl who became a prostitute to raise money for her mother's cancer treatment. The mother died, but the girl couldn't get out of the cycle of prostitution.

Lim said. "If you know how love can save lives, ask a midwife. I teach midwifes to practice with love, to look into another's eyes to say, 'I love you.'"

She called her sister midwives "the first line of defense like our lolas, a combination of hilot and medical practitioner."  She described herself as being "pro-women, pro-baby, pro-child, pro-family."

Lim embraces Lolit Dicang who runs Baguio's only birthing clinic.

In a high-risk situation, she has seen how a newborn given up for dead is resuscitated when the room fills up with midwives and relatives prodding the child with declarations of love.

A mother of eight, she manages to "chase the genie"  (her term) to put words on paper and produce books of poetry, fiction (Butterfly People) and non-fiction. Coming soon is a workbook on natural family planning to promote a lifestyle of non-violence to be published by Anvil.

She said when mothers give birth at her clinic, she sees butterflies flitting in and out. Her grandmother Vicenta Munar Lim taught her that these creatures may be fragile but they can fly. She said since then she has become "jealous of them" and saved their wings when she found dead ones.

They became her personal emblem. She explained that a butterfly begins as a crawling worm that later goes into a coffin, surviving sun and rain. One day it opens and out flies a thing of beauty. She said the human soul is similar.

Her friend, writer Edgardo Maranan, introduced her to a crowd at Mt. Cloud Bookshop in Casa Vallejo in this city, saying when CNN announced Lim as a hero, many countries rushed to claim her as theirs, including the US and Indonesia, but, he added, "To us she is a Baguio girl."

Lim took nine months of non-stop writing to finish Butterfly People, likening the process to a baby's gestation in a mother's womb. It took nine more years to find a publisher.

Maranan was the first to read the manuscript that covers six generations with action moving in the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Hawaii. He recommended this thinly disguised biography of Lim's family in northern Philippines  to Anvil Publishing.

She said her being Filipino by blood makes her a magical realist storyteller, adding, "It's so Pinay to exaggerate."--Text and photos by Elizabeth Lolarga

Originally published by Vera Files/Yahoo Philippines, May 7, 2012

400 @ 400

Tuesday next week, Jan. 24 (my dad Enrique Lolarga Jr.'s 83rd birthday, if he were still around; he was a UST College of Medicine alumnus, batch '53), is "400 @ 400" day or 400 books, published by the University of Santo Tomas Publishing House, to be presented to the University on its 400th year.

Quite a feat Dr. Cristina "Jing" Pantoja Hidalgo, publishing director, Prof. Jack Wigley, her deputy, and their hard-working staff have accomplished since Prof. Hidalgo took over the university press.What I like about this coming event is the venue, a library, specifically the Miguel Benavides Library at the UST campus.

The library is thus described at its website: "The UST Miguel de Benavides Library is housed in a 6-storey building facing Dapitan Street. Seventeen sections and four branch libraries comprise the UST Library. The collection of each section / branch varies according to courses offered by the University. The Library Staff is headed by the Prefect of Libraries and the Chief Librarian. There are 27 professionally trained librarians, 24 support staff and 80 student assistants."

There'll be space to move around, and if my cold and cough (an allergy, don't worry; nothing viral or catching) isn't licked by the 24th, I'll be there in an inconspicuous corner with a box of Kleenex and a jug of water, waiting for friends and family to come by and have a copy or two signed.

This whole enterprise of putting out a book of selected essays is a story of a challenge met. The challenge came from Jing who asked if I was interested in gathering my little Facebook notes and other essays into a book. Not only was I interested, I hired myself an able research assistant, UP Diliman geography graduate Marye Panganiban, who could accompany me to the Lopez Memorial Museum and Library and the Philippine Daily Inquirer library to look for "old words," as my editor Chato Garcellano would put it. Marye, with my daughter Kimi's help, encoded these essays and reports, a whole section of travel pieces from the time when Chato sent me all over the country on assignment.

The OC (obsessive-compulsive) streak of my niece Marga Susi was harnessed as she arranged the essays in sequence to facilitate the layout artist's job. Several times the flash drive I submitted to Jing was corrupted until one afternoon, Kimi and I sat down cleaning my files one at a time till I was able to send a clean USB to UST.

I heeded Gilda Cordero Fernando's advice not to get a more established writer to do the introduction. She had a funny experience when she had a first book of short fiction introduced by someone else. It seemed the intro was unrelated to the contents and it was generally ignored.

She suggested that I get writer friends familiar with my works to submit blurbs, and that's what Chato, Marj Evasco, Cris Yabes, Gou de Jesus and Anna Leah Sarabia did. They didn't need to be sent samples of my work to go over. They were familiar enough with the stuff I've managed to get published over the decades (that really dates me) and turned in their short blurbs by text or email after a day's notice. Aren't women friends wonderful?

One day in late June, Jing texted, "Your book is out!" Excitedly, I made arrangements to pick up my 10 complimentary copies at her home (henceforth, delivered to the blurb writers). I think this was as close as I could get to UST. Throughout the process, everything was done online. The series of USB I would send through a personal messenger or drop off at Jing's house on my way to or from school where I taught (when the Community of Learners was still at its New Manila location).

The proofs were sent to my mother's house in Pasig, and I went over them during a weekend in Baguio. My husband of 27 years cursorily read them, then declared in an offended tone that he would boycott my launch if his name was not moved from the acknowledgment to the dedicatory page (hmmm, this detail should go into an autobiography because I find it funny; my reaction was "Kailangan pa bang i-spelling 'yan?" but the correction was made for fear of losing a prized patron).

I arranged a book reception in my adopted city of Baguio at that bookshop-turned-literary salon Mt. Cloud. Padma and I worked on my modest working woman's budget so we could feed the visitors and book buyers with Hill Station's delicious turrones and flowing coffee. All 26 or 28 books I brought up were sold out that afternoon in July. The others were sold by Nina Araos at her Kitsch the Cook Boutique, at the Alabama art fair in Cubao and at Libreria at Cubao Expo.

My kumare Winnie Velasquez, fellow Paulinian, made a special trip from Marikina to Baguio to be with us, while my grandchild Butones made her public debut as my guest of honor. She wasn't featured on the dedication page; she wasn't born yet when the making of the book was in progress.

Last December, as the Christmas rush got started, Philippine PEN sponsored an authors' talk that had me sharing a panel with Manong Ed Maranan, Mookie Katigbak and Dean Francis Alfar. I arrived early at National Bestseller at Robinson's Galleria to chat with the salesladies.

The store manager said my book was doing well. My heart skipped two beats as I began to think of royalties and imagine Catholic and Emancipated on the NBS bestsellers list for non-fiction.

I asked, "How many copies has your branch sold?"

She answered, "Sampu po, ma'am. Marami na iyon."

That's why I like writing and getting published. It has a way of keeping you humble. I'm sure Dad would've agreed.

Photo of blogger's book courtesy of Rudi Tabora

Mad about books and the babe, too

We're a family that loves and lives for books. I confess I can be writing more (my vocation and avocation) if not for being tempted away by a good read.

As a young mother in the '80s and '90s, I tried mightily to see to it that my two daughters absorb and assimilate this passion. Last month, when my youngest Ida accompanied my partner and me to the Manila Book Fair at SM Mall of Asia SMX, her wry question before we boarded the cab was, if her tatay would break his all-time high of P10,000-plus worth of purchases last year. Well, about a third of that were my selections so I was restrained this time around--I exercised the strictest self-control. I said I'd just keep to my duty of signing books that UST Publishing House's Jack Wrigley asked me to do.Ida was also restrained, even selecting kiddie titles on emotions (happiness, sadness, anger) not for her but for her niece Kai.

A week ago, after "Pedring" and "Quiel" exited the country, Kimi and I pronounced it a good day to go on a book foray in downtown Baguio. There is just one authentic book shop that respects its visitors, young and old, and turns their customers into frequent shoppers: Mt. Cloud Bookshop.

On this latest visit, I found my book reservations intact. Unlike in other stores that just give you a few days to cough up the money for your reservation, this one is aware how writers and artists struggle for their fees so it allows you some leeway to earn.

The shelves are full to the brim, and the "Death by cuteness" items (notebooks, post-its and other stationery) had to be moved to a table while colorful origami birds hung from the windows and other corners.

Proud to say, Kai is at home here--she was my youngest guest at my book launch in July. She has attended a story-telling session there. This time her mother and I wanted to pose her by the new black and white mural showing a Cordillera girl reading and imagining. Kimi had long waited for this chance.

I came away with these purchases: a collection of garden poems (Everyman's Library Pocket Series), Cathy Birch's The Creative Writer's Workbook (with exercises on building up a story character suitable for my high school students who want to go into fiction writing) and an Icon picture book on The Swan herself, Grace Kelly. For Kai, a cardboard Abakada book published by Adarna.

Our book appetites satisfied, Kai suckled on her mother's breasts and quickly nodded off. I met my girlfriends for two hours worth of catching up at nearby Hill Station which now offers apple pie on its dessert list. Merci Dulawan and I had a wedge each. The slice is thick and generous, but I had no problem polishing that off with the coffee.

When it was time to leave, we made a brief stopover at Kai's grumpa's office, then got cracking on our purchases once settled at home base.

On Cloud 9

In business terms, Mt. Cloud, the bookshop inside the century-old Casa Vallejo in Baguio City, is meeting its monthly overhead.

"And then some," adds one of the partners, Padmapani L. Perez (the other half of the partnership is her kid sister Feliz). While the profit is not yet spectacular, the older Perez happily reports that "the Cloud is keeping afloat. We sometimes have concerned customers (new ones as well as regulars) asking, 'How is the business?', or, more bluntly, 'Are you making enough to survive?' When we say yes, we're okay, we're not drowning and we're not in the red, they look relieved and happy, and some exclaim, 'Good!' If anything, this tells us that people want us to stick around."

She is aware that in an era of e-books and big bookstore chains, "the general expectation seems to be that a small independent bookshop in Baguio is doomed to failure. Every day we are open is evidence to the contrary. We aim to satisfy discerning clients who grasp and appreciate what Mt. Cloud is all about: a love of books, above all. This may not be quantifiable in business terms. It may be naïve, but we believe this sets us apart from others in the book-selling business in the country. This is not to say that other booksellers don't love their books. We let our respect for the written word suffuse the way we do things in Mt. Cloud--from the selections we make and the events we hold to the look and feel of the shop."

The eight-month-old Mt. Cloud, and by extension, the year-old Hill Station and its space, including the walls and corridors, have become a hip, happening place in the laidback city where it is common for residents to feel some seasonal affective disorder set in when the monsoon rains pour. That's when they'd rather stay indoors and read and read under layers of clothing.

Perez says, "We've only been open eight months. We feel everything we do is new. We often make decisions on the fly, so it's hard to speak of innovation. We keep the Cloud bustling with warm bodies by lifting the written word off the page and bringing it to life in the shop. We invite authors to talk about and sign their books in our intimate space. Authors we've had the pleasure of hosting have remarked at the depth and quality of the dialogues they hold with the Baguio community members that meet them."

The Cloud (fond name for the shop) organizes art exhibits that complement the books it carries. Perez says, "Ah, this is an innovation! It wasn't part of our original plans, but local artist Chris Yñiguez approached to ask if he could use our hallway as an exhibit space. That got us started. Since then, we've been approached by other Baguio artists, and we've actively invited people to hold exhibits in our hallway or on our walls, among the bookshelves."

The authors whom the Cloud invites to speak were part of the plan from the very start. Perez, who is an anthropologist, poet and essayist, says, "We knew that it wouldn't work to sit and wait for books to be picked off our shelves so we have made Mt. Cloud dynamic, a place that aspires to the life of the mind and approaches it in a respectful, sometimes playful, way. In the poetry slams, aspiring and established poets come together in thrilling battles of spoken word. We've had two so far and intend to make the slam a regular event."

Mt. Cloud has reached out to the local writers, making it known to them that their works have a special place in the shop's heart. Perez says, "We carry books published independently by writers from around the Cordilleras, and we promote their work every chance we get."

Feliz, who teaches at the Laren Alternative School in Makati City while her Manang Padma is based in Baguio, takes charge of acquisitions. She is in touch with publishing houses in Metro Manila and ensures the Cloud has a steady stream of new titles.

The older Perez handles the shop's daily operations. She used to teach graduate classes at the University of the Philippines Baguio, organize field school for Laren, do anthropological research, and freelance writing.

She confesses, "I've resigned from the post of Delusional Superwoman Aspirant. I've narrowed down my occupations to motherhood and the shop. It's like having a baby. I still do the occasional, small writing assignment. To keep sane, I bike. Someday, I'd like to teach again."

Mt. Cloud has a Facebook page and Twitter account to keep people abreast on events there and the arrival of new stock (books or stationery items). In the not-too-distant future, it will launch an online store.

First published in the summer 2011 issue of Prime magazine. Photos by Laarni Ilagan