Finally got time to have a good sit down and peruse Eileen Tabios's latest book. It makes quite an interesting read. It made me think of something James Stevens Arce was talking about one time. Found poetry.

There is something about the way these words are written that pushes them beyond the page. From "Welcome to the Luxury Hybrid" to "Yukon Denali's Denial" there is a vibrant power that surges through the lines, reminding of conversations that I must have recorded in my subconscious. "Luxury Hybrid" awakened memories of overheard conversations: boys comparing the merits of one car over the other, dreaming aloud of the kind of car they would like to own one day - in the Philippines, it mostly remains a daydream.

Yes, there is food for thought in the carefully selected verses/commercials listed in part one of this e-book.

In the letters written in response to Eileen's questions about the balixbayan box, I found it quite interesting to discover that eventually this question gave rise to the question of colonialism in a box. Eileen notes that the discussion ended on that question which somehow never got answered. She then goes on to wonder if the right questions were asked.

I really liked this ending to the work. It made me look at the entire book in a whole new light. I found myself analyzing things and wondering too about what these lists say about us, and what the implications are. In any case, leaving it open like that invites much thought on the part of this reader. So, I'm going to read it again and think about those questions.