BOOKS! BOOKS! BOOKS!

Whoever is reading this, I know what you're thinking right now.

1. You're thinking that I'm a nerd.

2. You're thinking that I've just wasted a lot of money over these books and that I should've used it to buy clothes instead or take someone out on a date.

3. You're thinking that I won't finish reading all of these.

I'm no telepath. So this is as far as I can think about what you're thinking about me right now.

Answer to Question no. 1:
Yes, I guess I am a nerd after all. I'd rather read a book than go to a dance party. I'd rather be propped up on my bed reading a novel than watching telenovelas on TV. I love the smell of a newly-bought book, "fresh" from the bookstore. Putting plastic covers on a book is very therapeutic for me. I find it relaxing and it calms my nerves as drinking camomile tea does to me.

But are all book lovers really nerds? I don't think so. I'm not a recluse nor am I an agrophobic hermit. I like meeting my friends, talking and laughing with them. Though I am an introvert, I take my friendships and keep them well.

Answer to Question no. 2
Investing in books allows you to invest for your future. Books such as these are simply hard to come by and sometimes, they're once-in-a-lifetime chances to buy. Clothes, you can get them as ukay-ukay. I don't have to buy new clothes because I have enough.

But with books, I believe it's never too much to have them. Knowledge can be powerful. Knowledge can form you in ways you may never expect. Books, most especially the good ones, make you more human and humane.

Answer to Question no. 3
I don't expect to devour all these books in one sitting. Yes, I know I won't be able to read all of them now, but a time will always come when I need a book most. This has been very beneficial to me. Experience shows that I have not made the wrong decision to buy these books. I am learning a lot and in the process, I am also helping other people (most especially my fellow seminarians) with the books that I have.

In a Mall
Every time I enter a mall, I always look for a bookstore, be it the National Bookstore, Fully Booked, Booksale, St. Paul's, or Powerbooks. It's always a safe haven for me and I always feel at home there. Malls are just too big and sometimes for me, it's just senseless to go there if you don't have anything specific to buy. Thankfully, ICM here in Bohol is not that big compared to SM Malls or Ayala Malls. These large malls just exhaust me unless of course I get to find the bookstore and find my "home" there.

Books!
For the meantime, I am trying to rebuild my library since many of my old books got eaten by termites while I was away for four years. But nevertheless, books are coming back to me. I may not yet have a functional bookshelf yet (I don't have the budget yet to have one made) but let the presence of these books on my desks suffice. In the end, they will always be my companions in this life until in eternity, when all the books of the world will stand before me for my eternal perusal. But while I'm still here in the world, let me get a book or a novel from my shelf, sit back with a mug of cappucino beside me as a cold November breeze passes by.

Indeed, it's like heaven on earth!