dressed up and went on a mini-date

Just a date with myself and a meet-up with a good friend whom I haven't seen for a while. He is the same friend who sells books and high-quality notebooks for a living and I have known him for more than a decade! He has supplied my personal library through all those years as well as fed my fondness for Moleskine. (Do check out his online shop and blog at http://www.avalon.ph)

So first, I went to see my friend and in the process discovered a new yogurt/donut/coffee place that looks good enough for a second visit. The place is called J. Co and it's from Indonesia. I got a single-serve yogurt with fresh strawberries and it's pretty good. I will definitely return for a bigger serving!

Meanwhile, this is what my bookseller friend had for me:

We had a good chat and updated each other on business and books and also promised to meet up again soon.

I went back into the mall and deliberated on where to have a late lunch (it was 1:30pm by then). I felt like eating in a nice place as some sort of treat but then I thought, what if I opted for a cheaper lunch and use the extra money to buy myself something I could actually take home and keep? So I went to have chicken and salad at KFC while reading Jack Canfield's Success Principles -- yes, feeding the body and the mind and the spirit all at the same time! I had a few epiphanies and made a mental note to write in my journal when I get back home (which is what I will do next after this blog entry).

Next I went to get a fresh stock of contact lenses as I am on my last pair. I had to go through three stores before I found one carrying my brand and grade.

Then I went to a bookstore.

I haven't browsed in a bookstore for a seriously long time. Lately I've just been limited to browsing in Amazon and downloading samples. But despite my love for trees and desire to save paper, sometimes I just simply crave the feel of a solid book in my hands and the smell of printing ink. Before there were all these sites that give you recommendations and reviews, I relied on my good ol' instinct in picking out good reads. First a cover catches me, then the title would either dissuade or persuade me to pick the book and read through the summary at the back cover. Then I check the price if it's reasonable given what it promises. Favorite authors get extra points, or those associated with favorite authors. If the book is not sealed, I check the feel of the paper and the font and the layout of the text. I also scan through a few sentences to see if the writing echoes with me. If the book is sealed then I rely on gut-feel. I have rarely been disappointed. I believe I have this certain affinity with books and they speak to me.

So after a very long time of just buying Kindle books, I bought these through the old ways:

I'm a bit of a fairy tale fan and if you add Neil Gaiman to the mix then I'm pretty much sold. This book literally presented itself to my face as I rounded a corner to a shelf. It was not even in the proper section. It's like it schemed to be there to be seen by me. It was the only copy too.

I love discovering new authors to read and these two are new to me. I was also drawn to the exoticness of the settings and the stories. And of course, both have the fairy tale aspect going for them.

And the best part of it all -- the bookstore was having some sort of summer book sale so I got everything at a discount!

Yes, I am pretty happy with my loot. I have made up my mind to sell a few books from my library to make space for the new. So I have also convinced myself that buying these new books will be paid for by the old books. *grin*

Happy Easter everyone!

a bit of a splurge on my first date

I went out on an Artist Date (one of Julia Cameron's Artist's Tools) which I actually did not do very well because I tacked on a few errands along the way and ended up trying to squeeze everything in one afternoon without getting caught up in the Friday rush hour.

In any case, the first part of the date was not too bad. I spent more than an hour browsing and I ended up buying these out of the, oh, fifty, that I wanted to buy.

I loved this author's first book entitled poemcrazy. That book helped me a lot in my poetry writing and got me through quite a few unrequited loves. This book is about the creative process which is a very timely subject in my life right now.

I love felt though I have yet to create anything out of the colorful sheets I have purchased three months ago. This book should get me started on something. Like coasters.

I've seen this book in the store a number of times and each time I check if it has been bought. Every time I would tell myself that if it is still there then I am meant to have it. This time I finally bought it. It was the last copy.

I treated myself to a super yummy lunch/dessert of peanut butter waffle which came with banana slices, cream and a swirl of plain delicious yogurt. I wrote in my journal while I ate, sitting by myself near a window in a small yogurt shop filled with happy families.

After the bookstore, the errands began : First a trip to the organic market to load up on fresh vegetables. Next was mailing a little token for a friend abroad. Next was paying the electricity bill. Last couple of stops were supposed to be buying dragonfruit at the fresh fruit market and checking art supplies in another bookstore but it was a little past 5pm and I didn't want to get caught in the mad rush of working people going home so I went instead to the taxi station and caught myself just as a wave of would-be passengers started to crowd towards the station. Good timing for me!

Next time I'll plan my Artist Date better and be less harassed. But for now I'm quite pleased with my loot. :)