For the love of Books!

I am Manila International Bookfair's frequent visitor.

For two reasons -- I love to be surrounded with books, and second -- it's the time of the year when books are sold for great great discounts!

I first learned about MIBF back in two thousand three. My friends and I attended it at the SM Megatrade Hall where I bought my very first leather-bound NIV Bible, and some books by Max Lucado.

I returned in two thousand seven with a group of faculty members from the academy, that time it was at the World Trade Center where I scoured books about Sciences for our Library... I remember we were all treated for a hearty lunch at KFC courtesy of a book company.

Then again in two thousand eight, and nine, and ten at the SMX Convention Center. I missed last year's MIBF because I was preggers.This year, since we have no classes for two days because of the ingathering and no classes will be disrupted, all faculty members is allowed to go..So at seven-thirty am, a busload of teachers and students <members of the Booklovers club> left for SMX Convention Center. We came to the place about thirty to forty-five minutes earlier than its opening time which is still at ten am... so we took chances for some picture taking...

here's Ma'am Bosito who's as goofy as....

ME!

one click...

isa pa...

isa pa ulit...

isa pa ulit

paulit ulit?!

By ten am, the hall opened, and we each had gone our own ways...Due to a very limited budget <I'm buying for my office' collection>, I had to be very wise in choosing -- reference book materials published abroad costs thousands of peso pesoses! grr. So, I hopped from one booth to another, choose for the ones I like, and then reserve! reserve! reserve!

By noontime, I got into the FULLYBOOKED booth, and found practically most of the things I wanted, which made me realize that this bookstore is better than NBS -- collections wise.. hehe... And then this---

this costs 5K!

this costs five thousand plus, minus twenty percent off, which makes it four thousand plus na lang... I flipped over some pages, read some reviews, browsed some topics, put it back on the shelf, got it back again -- hay, I was in a dilemma. This book would mean everything to the practice of my profession, but then again, if I buy this as a reference material for my office, this would be the only thing I'd be able to buy! I told you I'm on a limited budget. I thought of checking with the University Library if they have a copy of this...but! I don't want to borrow, I want this to become a personal companion...

Just as I was deciding, the husband texted and he said he's coming over so we could have lunch together... I talked to one of the salesladies, and told her to reserve the book for me. Maybe, after lunch I could make up my mind....

The husband came, and we looked for a place to dine, and chose -- Chef de Angelo which offers an Eat All You Can Buffet for only One Hundred and Seventy-Five Pesos! We checked for the menus -- there's two types of pasta, mushrum soup, garden salad, rice, chicken salpicao, and mixed veggies...we thought it's sulit, so we both go for that Eat All You Can!!!

<for the record, Chef de Angelo was the place -- of --- 'the day he met my mother'!> so that's another significant place for us.

Even if I always end up giving mini lectures on dining and eating-out etiquette, I don't mind spending a lifetime dating him.

Obviously delighted! I like Italian dishes!

No sharing na, kung no sharing!

After lunch, we headed to the department -- SM Baby Co to be exact to buy things for our little boy <whom we sorely miss>...At first I thought of buying only a pair of Sabbath clothes for his dedication... but we ended up buying fifteen items!!! I thought my frugal husband would complain... but he was even the one who told me to buy this, and that...

By three pm, I was back at SMX, my husband who also has a forgotten love-affair with books wanted to come in, but he had to be in school for their three pm Week of Prayer session.

I went back to FullyBooked booth... and, I knew it! I will buy the Counseling book, and use my personal money to buy for some other books that I like. Never mind if I go over the budget, I figured out I can have my personal money reimbursed, and justify why I need that book so badly. I bought two other books from Fullybooked which cost seven hundred plus, and four hundred plus respectively.  Then I went to CSM booth <Christian Strengthening Ministry> which is being managed by Baptists. The sell all their books for only a hundred pesos <as in everything 1OO! parang bargain lang>-- including books by foreign authors Smalley, Chapman, La Haye, Sala, and others.. plus other local authors such as Ed Lapiz, and my UP Prof -- Dr Grace Koo. I bought Dr Koo's book entitled "Raising Wise Dads, Moms, and Kids" which now occupies our bedside table.

I spent Five Thousand Eight Hundred Forty -- that's for the school's books, and two hundred ten pesos -- for children's books. All that, for the love of books! And there are some more books which I still hope to buy soon, or sometime... like this one --

this costs around four hundred fifty five

or you <readers!> could probably give that one for me as an early Christmas gift! <wink, wink>

at the end of the day, nothing can be more delightful than coming home and seeing this bundle of cuteness

who is obviously more delighted for the mere fact that mommy splurged for him!!!

By the way, the Manila International Bookfair runs until tomorrow... i have more free tickets, pm me if you like. I don't have pictures inside the hall because I was busy -- reading! hehe