Bookshelf Scavenger Hunt

I saw this post on Pinoy Book Freaks United FB group last week, and I was thrilled to do it!

It's the Bookshelf Scavenger Hunt, where there's a list of books one has to find.
Thanks for tagging everyone, The Nocturnal Fey!
The problem then was I was too busy, but now that I have free time (sort of), I plunged into it!

I'm this giddy right now.

Find an author's name or title with the letter Z in it

The Dapitan Correspondence of Dr. Jose Rizal and Dr. Ferdinand Blumentritt compiled by Romeo G. Jalosjos
I love Rizal and his love for the country so much. This book is a gem for me.

Find a classic 

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
It says so in the cover. :D This is one of the books which opened my mind about the real world. 

 Find a book with a key on it

Murder at the Abba by Isaac Asimov
My one and only book with a key. I haven;t read this one, though.

Find something on your bookshelf that's not a book 

50 yen, stress ball, two bean bags
I just went to Japan for some days, and these are the 'souvenirs' that I brought. It happened that I have no other place to put these on, so they're on my shelf. 

Find the oldest book on your shelf 

The New Lexicon Webster's Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language, and Gulliver's Travels and Other Writing by Jonathan Swift
My first book, thus oldest book I own is the former. The latter's the oldest published book (1726, first edition).

Find a book with a girl on the cover 

Animorphs #48 The Return by K.A. Applegate
This one's easy because I have Animorphs collection. Picked Rachel because I love how her character grew. One of the best characters that I've read, ever.

 Find a book that has an animal in it

Pyramids by Terry Pratchett, and Animal Farm by George Orwell
Forgive me for not picking one, but I've got to show you these two lovelies. I love the book art of the former; I love the theme of the latter. Please read these two books. 

 Find a book with a male protagonist

Smaller and smaller circles by F. H. BatacanMany of my friends nudged me into reading this, and when I did, I knew why. 

Find a book with only words on it 

How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie
This helped me cope up with the world.  

Find a book with illustrations in it 

Instructions by Neil Gaiman
Given to me by my boyfriend after graduation, this book is wonderfully illustrated by Charles Vess. Don't miss this book if you're a Gaiman fan, too.

Find a book with gold lettering 

Wilderness Tips by Margaret Atwood
I bought this without a jacket, let's just assume the lettering in the jacket is gold, too. This is my first (and only aotm) Atwood, and I enjoyed every story in this book. 

Find a diary (true or fictional)

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
This inspired me to bits. After reading this, I needed my diary to look as intellectual as hers. 

Find a book written with a common name (like Smith) 

Kung Baga sa Bigas by Jose F. Lacaba
Just like Marie for girls, Jose is one of the common names for boys in the Philippines. (I have three Joses in this list.)

Find a book that has a closeup of something on it 

Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett
My first Pratchett book (that I've finished)! Been looking forward to read him again ever since.

Find a book on your shelf that takes place in the earliest time period

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
Set in 16th century. I must reread this. 

 Find a hardcover book without a jacket

The Prophet by Khalil Gibran
Given to me by my boyfriend without a jacket. He memorized most of the passages of the book so he gave it to me. One of his favorites. Became one of mine, too.Find a book with stars on it

The Joy of a Peanuts Christmas by Charles M. Schulz
There's this need in me to have books that can be read by children. This is one of those.

Find a teal/turquoise colored book

Viajero by F. Sionil Jose
Lots of information from this book. 

 Find a non-YA book

New Poems in Pilipino edited by Federico Licsi Espino Jr. 
I have many non-YA books, but this one is such a gem (a Marcos-era project), so I picked it. 

Gods, I enjoyed it so much that I'm tagging everyone who reads this, to spread the fun!

On why we have to study 'Life and Works of Jose Rizal'

It's not the first time that I heard it; actually, most of the college students complain about taking history and Rizal courses. They question the use of these subjects on the career that they will be pursuing after graduation, how their money is wasted on those units, and how their time is consumed just to earn good grades for the subjects. 

Truth be told, I felt just the same when I was in high school. We were made to report or dramatize Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo per chapter, and every five chapters, there would be an exam covering names, places and dates from those sections. Their importance were not explained deeply, and they were forgotten when exams were over. 

But college came and I took a different perspective because of one thing: my Rizal professor told us that they teach those courses because it's a law. The Republic Act No. 1425, An Act to Include in the Curricula of All Public and Private Schools, Colleges and Universities Courses On the Life, Works and Writings of Jose Rizal, Particularly His Novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, Authorizing the Printing and Distribution Thereof, and for Other Purposes, commonly known as the Rizal Law, mandates all educational institutions in the Philippines to offer courses about Jose Rizal. 

But he didn't stop there. He told us how stupid we are not to want to know history, and it's evident on the way we respond to the what is happening in the Philippines. If we are learned in history, we will not still be in the society that Rizal drew in Noli and El Fili, but alas, most of their chapters are reflections of the present Philippines still. From the falsehood of the Filipino Catholic church as 'church for the poor', to usurping of lands from the indios, to mockery of too-Filipino-looking people (pango, kayumanggi, maliit). 

Padre Salvi and Sisa's family story is parallel to Bishop Teodoro Bacani and his sex scandals, Tandang Selo's family story is parallel to Hacienda Luisita's farmers' never-ending battle (I hope not) with the Aquino-Cojuangco clan, and powdered Dona Victorina is parallel to every out-of-stock condition of whitening products in the Philippine market. 

If only these were taught to every Filipino since high school, no one would dare ask again of its relevance.

In the end, nothing's changed because we don't know the value and meaning of the things that are required for us to learn.