twenty-five

lindly following advice I found from a stranger online, I went to National Book Store this afternoon to look for "cheap, twenty-peso review pamphlets" that were supposed to help me with the NMAT. I didn't find any. Come to think of it, I don't recall ever seeing such a thing at National. You lied to me, stranger!

       But my quest to find these mythical magic pamphlets was not for naught, for it took me to the less-explored nooks and crannies of NBS. And, in a stroke of serendipity, I discovered the Sale section! It's an inconspicuous-looking strip of short bookshelves on the second floor. If not for this one, medium-sized sign that said "SALE!" in bold red text, you would not have known that amazing deals were to be had here. 

        And what amazing deals did I find!  

        Squee! Books! Jessica Zafra is one of my favorite authors. Imagine my surprise when I saw that her book "Twisted  7," normally P150 or so, was on sale for only P25! I couldn't believe my luck. You would think that for a book that cheap, there must have been something horribly wrong with it. But after a quick inspection, there were no missing pages or any other obvious defect that I could see, aside from the fraying edges of the cover. For a great book that's only P25, it was a little detail that I could easily overlook.

        In the same row, I found "The Kite of Stars" by Dean Francis Alfar. The book wasn't familiar to me, but the author's name was. Flipping to the table of contents, I realized why his name rang a bell: I had previously read his story, Terminos, in my Lit class with Mr. Max Pulan. And this book was on sale for just P25 as well! It's as if the gods of Filipino Literature were sending me a message.

        I also picked up a book called "Survival Cooking," for P25. Underneath the title, it said "Fast and Filling Cooking from Can to Pan." How perfect! A lot of the ingredients used here though are instant noodles and canned food, so I wouldn't know how healthy this is. But it's P25! My bargain-loving self could not resist.

        I ended up paying P92.50 for those three books and a pack of three Mongol #2 pencils (for NMAT purposes). I went home happy as a hippo.

        . . .

         I absolutely Filipino literature. Lit with Sir Pulan was heaven for me, because we got to read lots of local authors as well as foreign (a lot of Nick Joaquin!). If you haven't ever voluntarily read a book by a Filipino author, you're missing out! There are so many good titles out there that most people take for granted. For starters, I recommend

1. Catch a Falling Star by Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo
2. any of the Twisted books by Jessica Zafra
3. ABNKKBSNPLAko!? and Libro ni Hudas by Bob Ong (If you're not used to reading Tagalog like I am, don't fret. They're both really easy reads!)
4. Youngblood 
5. Any Marla Miniano book, if you're into chick lit. (I can't believe I'm actually using that word now.) I swear she's just as talented as Meg Cabot and Sophie Kinsella! 

         . . .

         That's all for now. I'll have to put these books on hold while I'm reviewing for the NMAT. I can't believe it's this Sunday already! AAAAAAAAAAAH. Afterwards, I am totally going to treat myself to that McDonald's hot fudge sundae that I've been craving for weeks now. (Hey, another good thing that's P25!)