books

Of books & man

February 20, 2019February 21, 2019 KarlLeave a comment

Seems like all the book fiends I know are excited about the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale set to take place this weekend and will last up to the first week of March. My workmate Badette, for one, is electrified that she was chosen as among the VIPs who will have first dibs on the books, a day before the event officially opens.

Me, I’m likely to skip the event (again, just like last year). First, the venue — World Trade Center in Pasay City — is far from where I live. Secondly, I’ve activities galore in the next couple of weekends. And thirdly, the recent sales in Powerbooks and National Bookstore have put a serious dent in my finances.

Speaking of the National Bookstore sale, my visit there last Friday had been fruitful. Check out my loot:

books

Indeed, books about such colorful characters as serial killers, rock stars, and an infamous Colombian drug trafficker. I’ve been to many book sales, but this one’s among my favorite haul, so far.

Meanwhile, I’m already on page 437 of this 461-page monster that is Enter Night, Mick Wall’s biography of Metallica. Finishing this before February ends is now a sure thing.

Moral lessons

January 7, 2019January 9, 2019 KarlLeave a comment

X-Man_All_Saints_Day_Vol_1_1 Today’s comic book was a random pick. And an old one at that. How old? How about the-last-few-frames-were-still-dedicated-to-the-story’s-moral lesson old? (This one’s about how you live your life, not how long). Not sure, but I think they stopped doing comics like that after 1999. Anyway, this may be dated, but not actually bad. It was, in fact, kind of fun.

Back to the normal scheme of things today. Anyone who woke up moaning about post-holiday blues was just prolonging the agony. Despite this, though, commuting to and from work was surprisingly not as bad as I had anticipated. I reached Antipolo early and therefore had time to visit my mother for dinner and conversation.

Saw someone today who reminded that, once upon a time, I was holding something precious in my hand, only to turn it into shit because of my stupidity. (No wonder I get emotional when I hear Weezer’s “Butterfly.”) Ah, well. That’s life I guess. Talk about moral lessons.

Perhaps it was the cold weather, but today, for the first time in a long while, I listened to a black metal album: Deathspell Omega’s Paracletus. Listened to it from first song to last.

comics

First for the year

January 2, 2019January 3, 2019 KarlLeave a comment

filbars

Pushed to Filbar’s in Megamall after work today for my first comic pickups for the year. Figured it was a good day for it as there were still fewer people out and therefore fewer vehicles on the streets — one of those extremely rare days when it can be said that commuting is a “breeze.” Reminded myself not to enjoy it too much.

Anyway, new comic books are in. Of the bunch I’m most excited to read Heroes in Crisis #4.

Back home I put my father cap on and helped the kiddo with her lessons. It was a difficult task as the subject was Math. Turned out passionate dislike for numbers and computation runs in the blood. Needless to say, I don’t think I did a pretty good job as a parent today. Fuck that shit.

Was actually feeling a bit sleepy today so I picked a rather aggressive jam: Metallica’s Hardwired… to Self-Destruct.

marvel · work

First day

January 1, 2019January 9, 2019 KarlLeave a comment

X-Force_Vol_1_48 Read only one comic book today — an old X-Force issue from 1995 scored on sale from Comic Quest last year. It’s Boomer getting chided by her teammates for her closeness with Sabretooth. Interesting. Glad to have finished it before sleep overpowered me.

It’s been a weird and dismal first day of the year. My first memory of it was standing on the deserted ML Quezon Avenue at 5 a.m. waiting for an available tricycle. It was dark and drizzly, and passing tricycles were few and far between, and already occupied by passengers. I smoked, I grumbled, I cursed having to work early on a holiday.

But just as when I was about to lose hope a tricycle with no passenger magically appeared in front of me. I nearly hugged the driver. I was then off to my first working day of the year. Listened to Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms on Spotify and allowed my brain to go blank inside the dark belly of a Cubao-bound UV Express.

At the office, things were hectic to the point of migraine.