Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Losing a loved one is a traumatic experience–especially if the cause of his or her death is, by its very nature, incomprehensible. Nine-year-old Oskar Schell finds solace in the unexpected death of his father–a victim of 9/11–by throwing himself, obssessively, into solving the mystery of  a key found, hidden, inside a vase owned by his [...]

Obama for the Global Soul

Barack Obama has won the race. I cried my eyes out. As voting booths closed one by one and votes were tallied, reporters did their best to contain their excitement as each new State went to Obama. Even though I am currently in the Philippines, thousands of miles away from America, the buzz was in [...]

Beyond the Sand and Surf: Hawaii 911?

Endless surf. Salty sweat dripping down hot skin. Soft sand between your toes. These are just some of the images that come to mind when people think of Hawaii. However, there is more to the islands than dancing hulas or (hot) surfer dudes and dudettes. Like any other popular hub, people who often visit this [...]

Couch-trip: Films to get you going

If I’m not on the road, I turn into an “armchair traveller” and head over to the nearest video store (i.e.download films) to vicariously experience a world away from home. An aspect of films that gets me itching to strap my travelin’ boots on are those that takes you through a city or a country, [...]