Welcome to the "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" audiobook playlist on Spotify! Immerse yourself in the captivating world of Ron R. Lacson's acclaimed collection of short stories set in the Philippines. Part One of our audiobook series takes you on an emotional journey through tales of romance, love, heartbreak, and the complexities of relationships.

Indulge your senses as Ron R. Lacson's masterful storytelling comes to life in vivid detail, transporting you to the bustling streets, sun-kissed beaches, and enchanting cityscapes of the Philippines. Each story is woven with rich cultural nuances and authentic Filipino voices, creating a truly immersive listening experience.

Read by Cindy Wong

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May ligalig na pumipiglas sa lamyos ng tinig ni Francisco Arias Monteseña. Naroon ang pirming paglikom ng lakas ng loob upang umibig nang buo, kahit laging inuusig ang katuturan ng pagtangi, kaya't "araw-araw [na] kinakapa ang dibdib/ sinisiguradong nasa tamang lugar ang puso/." Mula sa mga karaniwang tagpo gaya ng pagkatinik ng lalamunan, sa matimping desperasyon ng naninibugho, hanggang sa pagpitas ng talinghaga mula sa samutsaring flora, makukutuban ang sabay na kahandaan at pagtangging mabigo, maingat na hindi "dumating nang paragasa// na may batong madudurog/ o may dahong makakasama sa pag-anod.//"   Ilan pa sa pinakamatitining na piyesa ni Monteseña ay nagbubunyag ng pilit na pagsalunga o pag-ahon mula sa lapot ng kawalang-pag-asa, gaya ng huling sandali ng mga manggagawang napiit sa poso negro, o ng mga musmos na nasadlak sa gitna ng digma--pawang mga personang may "mumunting talim ang lihim// na nais itago ng bawat pagkuyom." Sa kabila ng hapdi at dalamhati, mga likha itong nagpapabaon ng lugod, madalas ay dumarating sa"iyong kabuuan/nang payapa, halos di mo alam."                                                                         - Rosmon Tuazon   

Mababakas sa aklat na Ang Lahat ng Mga Nilikha ang isang kamalayan na may matinding pagnanais na magpakahulugan sa danas. Sa pinakamahuhusay sa mga tula, dumadaloy sa mga taludtod ang puwersa ng pagbabanyuhay. May matatag na paniniwala si Francisco Arias Monteseña sa kakayahan ng wika na tinagin ang mundong nariyan na. Sa mga makatang tulad niya, mabisang kasangkapan ang pagtula sa pagsusumikap na maunawaan ang iba at madamayan. Bagamat iba-iba ang tema at estilo, pinagbubuklod ang koleksiyon ng hangarin niyang mabigyan ng angkop na paggunita, dignidad at hustisya sa wika ang kalagayan ng kapwa.                                                                          

-Allan C. Popa

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Travel is romance. Let your prose light up your readers' eyes. How do you make readers fall in love with your writing? A travel story is about romance. What matters is how you show it. Write with pizzazz, break rules and get away with it. Travel writing is an art. But first you have to know how to craft a story. Like everything else, practice is the heart of the matter. Travel writing is nonfiction. You can get published by simply practicing some methods. Why not write like a pro?  More than a collection of the author's articles and stories, this book is an indispensable guide to improving your writing skills about your journeys. It is an easy to master handbook that will inspire you to write, to travel, and most importantly, to write about travel. Travel is romance as in a quest, a challenge, taking risks and loving what you do.

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Yung inugat ka na sa kahihintay ng third movie nina Aga Muhlach at Lea Salonga, kaya sumulat ka na lang ng kwentong inspired sa kanilang dalawa. Bilang tagahanga ng LeAga loveteam si Lolakwentosera, pinilit niyang tuparin ang hiling ng maraming SANA MAULIT MULI ang kanilang pagsasama. Kaya, hala arya! Tayo na't basahin ang kwento nina Nzo at Mia dahil may karapatan ding kiligin ang mga tito at tita noh at ang umibig ay hindi lang exclusive sa mga bagets na gaya niyo.  Nag-viral ang music video ni Mia Salamanca nong isang gabing mag-mental breakdown siya at maglasing dahil sa lungkot ng pagiging soltera. Akalain ba niyang biglang sikat siya at bininyagan sa Tawag ng Tanghalan na, 'The Drunken Diva'?  Habang bumubulusok ang showbiz career ni Mia, nawawala naman ang karisma sa masa ng beteranong aktor at dating 80's and 90's hearthrob na si Nzo Fuentes.  "Nzo, sa panahon ngayon para maging relevant ka, kailangan mong maging isang mema," sabi ng manager niyang si Guy Hernandez. Kaya yun, napilitan si Nzo na makatrabaho si Mia na sumikat lang dahil sa social media. Papatok kaya ang tambalan nila sa mga netizens o magsasapawan ang dalawa sa pagsasabing sila ang 'the chosen'?  Paano pagtatagpuin ang dalawang taong magkaiba ang mundo> Easy! Gawan mo sila ng dalisay na kwento dahil in the end, there will be two less lonely people in the world 'coz love unites them as their stories unfold.

We have much to learn from our Japanese neighbors, if we are to understand why they do the things they do.  GOING JAPANESE is based on the author's journey and aims to enlighten non-Japanese about what makes this culture and way of life impressive and admirable. It answers the question of what makes them tick as a people and as a nation.

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Written during the pandemic, Cindy Wong will take us from Russia, Turkey, Antarctica, and the Philippines in her latest collection of personal essays entitled Embracing Uncertainties.  In this world of uncertainty, how do we find joy and strength? How do we keep our faith and love alive?

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In Sipalay where I was born, there was a place in the mountains where gold ores are discovered, the place was called "sankee" People would go there to pound on rocks and to quarry manually under the scourging heat of the sun. They sift rocks and soil to find this tiny bits of gold sand.  In writing my book, I discovered my very own "sankee" where I would sit and pound, sort and sift to find some golden nuggets in my life. A wonderful journey of discovering that what truly shimmer and sparkle isn't contained on rocks, but in the moments and places we shared with people in our lives. These treasures are in our hearts.  This pandemic has brought so much CHANGE in us to embrace fear, pain, struggle and to some loss of love ones. Nevertheless, it is the time we need to give more of our love, compassion, and kindness.   I was given more time during the weekends to stay home. Every one is given time to cultivate the talents we set aside to attend to our daily task. Others cook, sell, become plant titos and plant titas, as for me I write.  During this time I was able to publish short stories with Scribblory and Angpinoy. I was also given a chance to write a book.  Given this hard times, I make a choice. I choose the path that I love that brought healing to me  living in this broken world we are in. This gives me hope that living each day to the fullest makes me a little bit braver for what tomorrow might bring.   This pandemic may give us the sign to stop or a sign to go, or maybe just like me we come to the place were we can pause and discover our true selves and transcend the struggles we are in and come to our own ripening.

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Betrayal 

The Philippines have always anticipated a major earthquake like what happened in 1968 that toppled the Ruby Tower in Tondo, Manila. It’s this earthquake that hits the country along the north-south fault line that runs through Manila. Then another global pandemic hit the country and finally its economy collapses.  The government then decides to “rent out” Luzon, the northern third of the country to the highest foreign country bidder. The process is mired in corruption and murder, which eventually leads to an unstable rental agreement.  The capital, Manila, is then relocated to the southern island of Mindanao. A senator, presumed dead, awakes from a 10-year coma to find out his vote against the rental agreement was not honored - which would have invalidated the deal.  

Crankbait 

`Colonizing a distant planet a few light-years away is never going to be easy.  It’s worse when the home office, tampers with the controls of the ship. Captain Louis Ferrera has to figure out how to get back control of his ship, then somehow pierce through the dense atmosphere to determine where exactly he needs to land before his ship’s fuel runs out – and help will be at least 20 years away from the time an SOS is sent.  

Bait and Switch 

The Philippines is one of the last countries to enter the planet colonizing game. Tired of picking up scraps from the prime countries in the solar system, it engages in a very risky public-private project (PPP) that breaks all the known rules in the solar system.  If the project is successful, untold riches will rain on the country.  However, the backlash from the United Planetary alliance (the body of the solar-system govt that had replaced the United Nations) could potentially negate any benefit from such a bold plan and destroy the lives of those in charge of the mission.  

Family 

This is a tale of a young woman with a promising cargo-pilot career that eventually turns to a life of space piracy with her best friend. A brilliant mind can be a blessing and a curse for Vilma, who uncovers a web of conspiracy involving space piracy.  A web so intricate and deadly that anybody caught in it, even accidentally, can lose their life.  A victim of space piracy herself, Vilma and her co-pilot were lucky to be alive thanks to her best friend, a three-eyed humanoid from Titan, who picked up her faint SOS. Enraged at the ineptness of the space police, she decides to hunt down the pirates that destroyed her ship and left her, and her co-pilot, to die.  #fdf #fateofadistantfuture #pinoysci-fi

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