Reading Binge

Last week I caught Hilton reading a Murakami while in our Bio 11 lab class. Being that ancient, I concluded that he was just too uninterested in our activity that he opted to read instead. Valid point. When I asked him why he was reading, he told me he was following the advise of Jessica Zafra that it is good to bring a book or two so that when you feel the urge or the need to read then you can do so. In this case, he was reading because our class has gotten so boring and he didn't have enough interest to revel in things Bio 11.

Maybe to maintain the number of books I have unread, because Bea gave me the complete works of the Grimm brothers, I picked up the last addition to my pile of unread books: Jane Eyre. I finished it over the weekend, as I relayed in my other entry. Hilton's suggestion in mind, I put Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Chronicle of a Death Foretold in my bag last Monday. I chose it because it's a short novel and it won't add significant weight in my bag. I kind of forgot it was there until this afternoon.

My classmates and I were waiting for our turn for our second Bio 11 lab exam in one of the unoccupied rooms at IB. Everybody was buzzing around, cramming every morsel of information one can. We were the last class to take the exam, and I was getting tired of cramming that I might just go blank when I step into the exam room. I remembered I had a book with me; in the middle of all the mad cramming, I started reading.

I must say that being well-read is a dream I'm afraid I may never get to fulfill. My reading habits are quite erratic: when I am on the reading train, I read book after book and when I am off the reading train, I don't see books. While I love going to the bookstore to browse titles and I like to hang there while waiting, I don't buy books not recommended to me or not praised by critics. Little glitches in my brain allow me to buy books on a whim but they're quite rare.

Reading Chronicle of a Death Foretold has gotten me into a high I can easily recognize. Buoyed by the delight I got from the said novella, I was impatient for another read. My feet took me to Fully Booked, and I browsed the titles in anticipation. I dismissed the idea of buying another classic since I was bent on going to Bookay-ukay in UP Village one of these days. Trippy enough, I got a book that I haven't heard of from someone I know, The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. It appealed to the history lover in me, as it promises a thrill ride through history. Apparently it's a vampire novel but not Twilight-like from what I reckon, but let's see.

I have always considered books to be good investments, I hardly hesitate to buy good books. Unlike food that can be diminished or clothes that you can outgrow, I think books are more or less absolute and always in fashion. That being said, I don't mind that I am growing a heap of unread books, I'll get to read them later. But if my current momentum is enough, I might get to read a good number this time. :D

Camera or Phone?

My Panasonic FS8 is not a year old and I am content with its performance, I know. But perusing over at Gizmodo (reading up on the new iPhone leak), I saw a new Leica. I don't know, the Leica brand has a certain appeal to me. Following a couple of links later, I saw its Panasonic equivalent. Now, I want to buy one.

I'm not really a camera aficionado nor a photographer wannabe, but I do like my gadgets to be really good. Not really best of the best awesome 'cause that'd be too expensive, but awesome enough so that I know it's way above the average of its kind. I now have two equally attractive cameras in consideration, one I saw in Gizmodo and one I found while googling the aforementioned camera. 

First up is the Panasonic ZS7, which has 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom. I like it because I realized that I like having my camera shoot good images from afar. I'm not very keen on going lengths to get good pictures. I'd love to have the power to shoot pictures at long distances. Also, what makes this camera extra neat is that it has built in GPS, geo-tagging baby! Coupled with other new features such as Intelligent Resolution Technology and all that shiz, I am very much considering breaking my piggy bank.

The other camera I'd like to get my hands on is the Panasonic TS1. It's waterproof and shockproof, I don't have to worry getting it all shaken when I use it. It is a 12.1-megapixel camera, not that it's all that matters, and it has Lumix's new Venus Engine HD which from what I understand is a processor. It's a bit older than the ZS7 but it has specs that really stand out. 

So what do I do? What I usually do, delight myself researching about these gadgets. I'll think about the buying part later. And besides, I'm also considering buying a phone. Between the two, it's hard to think clearly right now. Let's just indulge shall we? 

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For in depth reviews, check out Digital Photography Review and Imaging Resource.

Baguio Weekend

My family went to Baguio for the weekend. I have always liked going to Baguio. I used to spend summers there while Tia was still stationed in Baguio, good times. This weekend, we stayed at Tita Nadine's transient space for a night. The house was spooky, but we had a great time scaring Miguel. 

Saturday afternoon, my siblings and I wasted time at Burnham Park. They went biking while I read. I feel quite happy that over the weekend, I finally got to finish a novel! Scrap one off my tally of unread books. Mwahaha. For those wondering, I read Jane Eyre. I found it a very good read, maybe because I can identify with her principles, kinda.  I got the title when I saw Definitely, Maybe.

Bea met with her HS friends from Berkeley and Achievers, my mom went shopping at the flea market and ukay-ukay, my grandparents and my dad went to Good Shepherd for goodies. We had different plans, so we just agreed to meet at SM Baguio. After dinner at home, we went to Session Road for some nighttime ukay-ukay. I have frequented Baguio, but this is the first time I went to the nighttime ukay-ukay. The goods were laid out on the streets, where numerous street food were also present. My only purchase was a small bag, 'cause it was hard to see which ones were good with the little light that was available. And besides, I'm kuripot. Haha

Before we went home, we stopped by Camp John Hay. Unfortunately, the humungous chocolate crinkles at Everything Nice was not available in the branch at CJH. Boo. Good thing we already have alfajor and ube jam from Good Shepherd, that's quite enough Baguio goodies for me. 

Leaving Baguio, I realized how it has degraded. When I reached SM, all the negative little things I saw while driving around just overflowed.  I used to picture Baguio as a very cool, green and rural-ish retreat. I loved that it had parks, had so many family activities, and that it had a very cozy charm. The Baguio I saw this weekend was dirty, very commercialized and populated. I hate to say this but I think it has lost its spell on me.

I hope after this coming elections, those who will be fortunate enough to win will at least try to get Baguio cleaned up and jazzed up again. I hate having no favorite Philippine city.