CJ Faderogao

My readings for 2024 concluded with just 12 books.  I spent most of my time reading English style guides to improve my prose and most of them were unmemorable and technical. In my reading nook. Nevertheless, I still sneaked in a few books on self-help , mythology , and travel . While I see my study to focus on English, my curiosity still compelled me to read widely.  I let my muse lead me to a few fascinating reads. My curiosity was satiated the most by the following books.  These are my top reads in 2024: 1. The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell  This book has been on top my reading list since I discovered it. It's the magnum opus of American writer, Joseph Campbell on comparative mythology, explaining how world myths reveal a single story of how life tends to unfold. Campbell considers this overarching narrative as mankind's  monomyth.  Drawing upon religious texts as diverse as the Quran, Vedas, Bible,  and Talmud; Folk stories like The ...

Keep close to nature's heart...and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.  -John Muir I was only able to hike once this year. Continuing my quest to conquer minor peaks, I chose to go to Nasugbu, Batangas again where my mother mountain,  Mt. Batulao stands. My next hike will be north of this mountain. Atop Mt. Talamitam in Nasugbu, Batangas. To make up for my scant nature trips, I hiked 3 mountains for my third hike: Mt. Lantik, Mt. Talamitam, and Mt. Apayang. Together, they are called the Nasugbu trilogy. The Nasugbu trilogy The three mountains are next to each other, with a hike distance of just 1 hour from each summit.  Courtesy: pinoymountaineer.com Mt. Talamitam has long been a popular hike and campsite in Nasugbu. It is colloquially considered Mt. Batulao's "younger sister." The other two, Mt. Lantik and Mt. Apayang has just recently opened. There were barangay tourism disputes in the pas...

International floating book fair, Doulos Hope, visited Philippine shores earlier this year. It docked in 4 ports: Subic, San Fernando, Manila, and Batangas city. Bringing knowledge, multicultural awareness, and help to communities, Doulos hope gives a great opportunity for people of all ages to have a glimpse at the diverse cultures of the world, while sifting through quality and affordable literature.  I visited Doulos hope during its sojourn in Manila bay last April 9, and it was a memorable experience. Being surrounded by books, people of different ethnicities, and the relaxing view of Manila bay was a rejuvenating scene. It was the perfect day off for me. I'll be sharing more of my experience but first, let's know more about  Doulos hope.  The noble voyage of Doulos hope  Doulos hope is one of the two ships operated by faith-based organization,  Operation Mobilization (OM) and German charity,  Gute Bucher fur alle   (Good books for all). The ship'...

Besides a visit to Barasoain, another excursion that I had last holy week is a motorcycle ride to Batangas. We visited the Monte Maria pilgrimage site in Batangas city, along with the scenic beaches and mountain roads of Lobo.    Clockwise: A group photo at Monte Maria, the beaches of Lobo, and the Taysan-Lobo road. Traversing rural areas, shorelines, and mountain paths, our trip was a pilgrimage, a nature adventure, and a tour of Batangas all at once. This blogpost recounts our holy week journey. This is my motorcycle ride series, of views and gears.  * * * Road to Batangas city Our ride starts at dawn, just before 6 am in Las Piñas city. To get to Batangas city, we considered two routes: go through Muntinlupa and Laguna's service roads or go through Emilio Aguinaldo highway to get to Tagaytay and descend into Lemery, Batangas. We went with the latter, not only because it is the least busy route, but also because it has the more scenic views.  Stop over at Emilio Ag...