Luring the Vacation Bug

After 13 hours in Sandman's realm, I woke up to a cool morning and decided, "Hey! What a fine day! Let me grab my pen and write down...my paper requirements." That's me, on a weekend while burdened with school work. Three-quarters into my work, the thought suddenly hit me hard enough to stop me from working: "What the hell am I doing? Mismanaging the remaining days of light of my life with rubbish and hoping beyond hope that the closing hours would be the prime time?!" Deep. Very deep that it reflects so much of my lifestyle. So I placed down my pens, took a shower and went off to God-knows-where.

While I was walking to the jeepney terminal, the ridiculously-studious side of me kept me reminding what I am doing and that this is a waste of time and should be spent finishing my school work. Thankfully I reached the terminal before that bothersome side of me won and walked me back to my work table.

Without any plan in my mind, I started ouija walking (a term I learned from the book I bought today despite my self-imposed book buying ban) around the mall, I found myself buying from my 'first true love' ('first love' is Starbucks): Zagu. A double espresso grande and a belgian chocolate waffle in hand, I went back strolling mindlessly around the mall, going against the tide of people and mumbling my 'Sorry's and 'Ugh's, respectively. Clothing stores never catch my attention - except the ones found inside the gold mine that is Divisoria - but 'Artwork' and its glorious 50% sale has caught my frugal but also artistic sides. Sad to say, my coffer has prevented me (once again) from striking a deal which I would regret later. Like a few days-kind-0f-later. My walk across the techno-hub portion of the mall also did nothing good with my self-pity but did help me imagine myself owning these streamlined gadgets. Few more sips of this cold fix and I can now immerse myself in the one store that is Circe's island for me while in the mall: Booksale.

I have 10+ books - non-academic ones, in my defense - back in the apartment, majority of them classic titles, which are still in mint condition. So I made up this messed-up rule despite my bookworm self's protests which has never been successful every time I walk past book stores, especially the ones buying second-hand books. Armed with a keen eye and a frugal lifestyle, I searched the shelves for titles that pique my interest - aside from you, which is quite a rare but a life-reassessment experience. More of that later - and immediately flipping to see how much they cost. More than 50 pesos and you're off my choice, even if you're a classic or  a Crichton. After a lifetime of searching, I found these three books, each with a unique tale that swayed me into buying them.

Definitely NOT Instagram. Just my crappy camera phone
with the pictures edited in Photoshop.

Let's start with 'Whirligig' by Paul Fleischman. Honestly, the frugality that can solely define my lifestyle told me "That's one a keeper!" Why? See for yourself:

Told you!

So I started reading it on my way home cause traffic jam is such a bitch. It's a good find, like that way I felt when I bought 'Holes' for a cheap deal and ending up with a good read. Not yet done reading it but I will try to finish it with the little leisure time my academic life allows. And this is that book where I got the term 'ouija walking' where it's defined in the book as to 'walk without any conscious plan, letting your feet go where they will'. 

Then, there's Arthur C. Clarke's '2010: Odyssey Two'. I've been looking for Clarke's '2001: A Space Odyssey' after being left WTF-ed by the movie after falling short of my space-high expectations (pun intended this time, sorry). But since the blurb has literally wrote down the same burning questions in my mind, I bought it to ensure my being a just reader/watcher in reclaiming the epic film's reputation from the dump where I threw it immediately after watching the 2+ hour of visual spectacle but definitely not a plot-heavy movie to my standards.

Finally, 'The Birth Order Book: Why You Are The Way You Are' by Dr. Kevin Leman, a psychologist who has written this book in such a humorous way. Being a fan of Adler and his birth order personality theory, I bought the book with no reservations. Add to that the cheap price it came with. For 15 pesos, I would never turn my back from it.

After deeming the other titles too costly (sorry Crichton's) and too whatever for my taste, I paid the lot and whaddayaknow, the three books only costed me 50 pesos. Yes, a whooping 50-freaking-pesos! Ooooh, the love I find in such places such as the following lines from the Book of My Life:

...Once inside, my sense of time suddenly became dulled with the constant hum (and scent) of second-hand (up to the nth-hand) books lining the shelves, filling my bookworm self with too much excitement and giddiness. Then you entered the scene. I heard you telling your little sister to find a book with a title 'Tuesdays with Morrie' and the way you smiled when I saw you delegating a quest to your soldier of a sister. The way you search the titles like ticking off items from your checklist flickered something within. I even hated myself from nurturing the idea of buying a brand-new 'Tuedays', breaking its spine (and my heart as well, poor book spine) and flipping it a few times just to give it the antique feel and handing it to your little sister and telling her you found it stashed in some easy-to-forget corner. Good (?, I don't even know) thing you went to cash out your finds and left the store before I did something stupid. This is a silent cry of help....nah. I'm happy with my books. So happy that I broke that one rule that I self-imposed: book buying ban....

:)

Back to finishing them papers. And there's dinner to finish. What a drag. Hey, tomorrow morning is the first morning of Misa de Gallo! Time to rush things so I can sleep early!