Somebody stop me!
Last stop on our store visit route this afternoon was The Gateway. After checking our Arrow store, I could have gone home directly, but no. I just had to go up to Fully Booked and take a peek. My original motive was to see if Book 12 of A Series of Unfortunate Events had already come out. When I discovered it wasn't available yet, I could have walked right out, but no. I just had to gravitate towards the "new arrivals" tables and spot the new Candace Bushnell book. After failing miserably to fight the urge to buy it, I could have marched straight to the register and paid for it, but no. I just had to wander around the shelves, browsing through the titles, until my eyes landed on Zorba the Greek. Since I loved The Last Temptation of Christ so much, snatching this other Kazantzakis novel right off the shelf was almost automatic.
And so I left with 2 new books and another Fully Booked receipt which puts me 900 bucks closer to my P15,000 target. At the rate I'm going, I'll probably get the discount card before November.
posted by Ailee Through the Looking Glass @ 8:47 PM
22 comments
22 Comments:
You're so lucky! Whenever we're in the book store, I have to be contented with reading the backs of the books. Sometimes, all I do is look around to see if there's anything new because when a book costs more than Php250.00, I lose the desire to buy it. :D Except for some books, those that people highly recommend reading. ;)
i'm sooooo close to my Php 15,000 goal. i can taste that yummy little card already. mwahahahahahaha :))
i have an lj! it's charsbandicoot. finally caught the bug. not that it's updated all that regularly. hahaha :)
Prices higher than P250 used to scare me off too. But as I got older, I realized that it's not just book prices that are soaring anyway, so might as well indulge in something that at least feeds my mind (I can think of other expensive habits that are much less beneficial). Besides, our parents never complain when we splurge on books. I guess they're just relieved we're spending on books and not things that would rot our brains, like alcohol, drugs, or video games. :p
Chars: Care to pass on your excess receipts when you get your card? ;p I'll be adding your LJ link to my blog. Prepare to be stalked by your former English teacher, haha.
Yeah, I did just now. I love how clean your blog looks (most of my students' blogs have dizzying backgrounds, fonts and images-- that means YOU, Tarin :p). And of course it's always a treat reading your writing. I don't miss checking book reviews, but I actually miss reading yours, hehe.
When I get that "yummy little card" (as Chars so eloquently put it), I'd be more than happy to pass on any excess receipts I have. :)
Video games? I'm appalled! hehe. Alcohol and drugs, yes, but video games? There's a game "addict" (depending on the kind) talking here. ;) I know there's a lot more to them. True, some video games are all hack and slash, but there are role playing games too, and they give additional info on other stuff. There's this empire building game, Zeus, that deals with mythology. Now, where do you suppose I got info on the Greek gods and goddesses we studied 2 years ago? From the game. :D Most RPGs make you think a bit more critically since your decision now will affect where you will go in the game. Besides, there are also values in video games, but I can only speak for PC gamees and PS2 games. :)
Haha :D Just like what you've said, books are investments. :)
Books should be your other "luho" besides the ones you've mentioned in your previous entries. :)
Enjoy reading! No regrets! :D
Ange: Haha, sorry, I should have said "alcohol, drugs, and TV." :) I'm just not a big fan of video games, save the games I have on my Palm.
Laura: Oooh, that is such a tempting offer. Wouldn't it be too much trouble? I don't want you wasting your sem break burning CDs for me. :) But I'd love it if you could do that. And yeah, I'm sure Pau and I will see each other one of these days. Thank you so-ooo much Laura, you're a doll.
Jac: Yes, I do believe books count as a luho of mine... at least they're healthier than bags, ey? ;p
TV?Not TV too! :P
Hahaha, fine, fine. I concede that not all TV is bad. But they don't call it the boob tube/idiot box for nothing. :p I'd take a good book over a good TV show anytime.
It depends on what you watch. Sometimes it's much more fun to learn when you watch it on TV. That's an effect of media on today's generation. :D
I just think it's sad that kids nowadays don't exercise their imaginations as much, since everything's already shown to them on TV. Moreover, their grammar, vocabulary, and composition skills are weaker because they don't read often. I enjoy TV as much as the next person but I also can't deny its negative effects, especially on young, developing minds. But of course there are books that are detrimental to their mental and moral growth as well. I suppose it's all a matter of selective reading/watching... and parental guidance. :)
TV doesn't quite show everything. There is still room for the imagination. Besides, in our country, it's cheaper to switch on the TV than to buy good books. Also, it's more convenient to sit in front of the TV than to walk all the way to the public library, which may not even provide the right materials that would encourage learning. But I think that the person himself is the one responsible for what he feeds his mind with. Parents can't help their children if they can't help themselves first. It's all a matter of thinking.
It's a sad reality of the world we live in that watching bad TV costs nothing while buying a good book costs an arm and a leg. However, even when people have free access to good books, very few would take the chance to enrich their minds. In Ateneo for example we have what is supposed to be one of the best libraries in the country, but students would much rather hang out in their tambayans and gossip or swap spit. We have evolved into a culture of lazy couch potatoes, and while media is not entirely to blame ("it takes a village" after all ;p), it has still contributed significantly to it.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not about to hurl our remote control out the window. But after an hour or two of zapping my brain cells with reality shows and sitcoms, I recharge by curling up with a good book before going to sleep. I suppose it's just a matter of balancing how much bad and good medicine you take, and being careful that you don't overdose on either. :)
Everything in the world is changing. Sometimes, we may not even see the effects of these changes until it's too late. Blame the government and people who have the capability to make the right choices (which is almost everyone). The youth have to suffer because of these older people's negligence. It isn't the kids fault if they have to stay at home and watch TV, having no where else to go. Some are fortunate, some are not. Some can afford, some cannot. Some hunger for learing, some do not. Some want improvements in their lives, some like things the way they are. People differ, but not entirely. Again, it depends on the person if he decides to make use of the resources he has. It's his life anyway. XD
Why not make it "alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes"? :) Cigarettes rot something, and we might both agree on that. :D
I was going for things that rot the brain. :p And while I agree that cigarettes are vile, I don't think they affect the brain. Other options I'd consider aside from video games and TV are music videos and pornography. There, porn. Can we agree on porn? ;p
Cigarettes rot the brain indirectly because when people become too dependent on them, they'll end up destroying their health, and in the process, their brains. :D Music videos, can't agree with you. Porn, hmm, definitely agree. XP
Gee, I'm glad you finally agree with me on something. ;p
Well, you should have chosen a less debatable vice. I would have (most probably) agreed with you in the very beginning if you had.:)
But then we wouldn't have had this most engaging exchange. :p Controversial topics are fun because you can say so much about them, and conflict keeps things interesting. If I had started out with "porn" right away, this would have been a much duller thread. :)
Exactly (agreeing again). I enjoy talking about these controversial topics and many more. It's what makes everything about life more fascinating. It's also fun to express different opinions once in a while and see the fruits of our labor. ;)
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