The Bookish Weekend!

A Lifelong Romance

The next day, I headed to the Ayala Museum in Makati with Jen to attend a talk on something we both love: books. Again, it sounded like a good idea; we were gonna be in the area anyway to watch Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and we figured we could drop by before the evening movie screening.

I can definitely get behind this romance.

And again, it was a great call. The hour-long talk, aptly titled Romancing the Book, delved into the creation, parts, history, and proper care/preservation of books.

I got there just in time to grab two seats in a room full of fellow bibliophiles, and mere minutes before book historian Patricia May Jurilla, PhD (who I also quoted on a 2010 blog entry on self-publishing/vanity publishing) started her lecture.

I’m not sure how many times Ayala Museum and Dr. Jurilla have done this lecture, but it’s not hard to understand why they’ve offered encores. Dr. Jurilla’s an engaging and funny lecturer, dishing out valuable details within a short time span and punctuating every few slides with jokes and amusing one-liners. Her love for books is obvious as well, and it helped get the audience to ask questions and share personal book-related anecdotes. The lecture’s also informative without being too stuffy or serious; everyone, from the young students to the adults, paid attention and were into it until the end.

Thanks to this talk, I now know that I’ve been storing and using my books all wrong, and that I can’t just use standard plastic to wrap books (like what we used to do with textbooks in the ’80s and ’90s). Also, I’m a reader who writes on books, and may open them up so widely that the spine gets creases. Apparently, that’s a crime for some bibliophiles.

I also couldn’t help but smile up to my ears when a senior citizen came up to the front and showed Dr. Jurilla his miniature book, a reprint of a classic whose title or author I can’t remember now (should’ve taken notes!). Bibliophilia is for all ages — and elderly couples who attend events like these are real cute. I can only wish my future husband or life partner can do that with me if/when I reach old age.

Anyway. So he showed her his mini-book, and this happens (not verbatim):

Dr. Jurilla: This is amazing. You mean you have this in your pocket all the time?
Elderly Man: Well, that’s how I romance my books!

[cue in loud laughter from audience]

Iba-iba talaga ang diskarte sa romansa. 😉

After the lecture, the audience was encouraged to check out some of the preserved books from the Filipinas Heritage Library, and roam the Museum. It was nice of Ayala Museum to include full access with the PhP300 lecture fee. I’ve never explored this Museum, either; the last time I was here was to cover a 2006 Nokia event, and that was limited to the ground floor. We had fun on the second and fourth floors; I loved the Gold of Ancestors display, with its entrance shaped like the outside of a bank vault, and the life-sized cutouts of Filipino peoples and historical/political figures.

Dr. Jurilla’s book, Story Book: Essays on the History of the Book in the Philippines, was also for sale at 20% off. I got a copy — and another title to add to the reading spree. It would be interesting to know how print publications were made in the country from centuries back and from the Spanish occupation onward, and the circumstances surrounding these publications.

If you want to check out Ayala Museum, it’s at Makati Avenue corner De La Rosa St. in the “Republic of Makati”, right between the Greenbelt 3 and 5 malls. It’s open from 9:00AM-6:00PM. Get the deets on ticket prices, exhibits and membership (among others) on the Museum website.


As I was writing this entry, I came across something really cool: The Mind Museum and Ayala Museum have tag-teamed for a month-long promo! For PhP575, you get an all-day pass to both venues that you can use on different days. Should’ve gone for that one last weekend, then. 😛

You can get the discounted pass only until July 31, so get thee to the ticket booth now. More info at the Ayala Museum and The Mind Museum websites.

In case you’re wondering — this post isn’t sponsored. And about sponsored posts… nah, I don’t do those.

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