In Between Coffee and Books

Waking up to a delightfully chilly 17 degrees Celsius these mornings, it’s quite difficult for us to get up from bed. With this colder-than-usual-climate, it makes me want to grab a cup of my favorite Starbucks’ coffee and cuddle up for a good read with a book in hand.

Still, the colder-than-usual climate/weather due to the cold front that we are enjoying now is highly likely just a prelude to what is probably going to be hotter than usual summertime temperatures—when our bodies will literally be baking under the relentless and unforgiving sun. And also to a yet another devastating round of storms next year when the rainy season comes (heaven forbid, I hope not…) that will wash out our countryside with killer flash floods (please nothing like Ondoy).

I’m sorry if I’ve been somewhat paranoid for thinking about future disasters among all the other stuff I could’ve written here. It’s just that I have just received two new books to read this week, and I couldn’t help but recall what happened when super typhoon Ondoy unleashed its power against the entire Metro Manila where my treasured collection of paperbacks, bestsellers and hard bound books were all wet and filled with muds. I was left with no other choice but to trash them all. I guess as with all the other certified bookworms, I made some effort to save them. I dried them page by page with a hair blower. You may all laugh at me now for saying this, but yes, I cried for nights and I regret not being able to save my books in time. Since that fateful day, my love for reading has somewhat waned. It’s like I had lost my interest in books. I had stopped buying books. I’d only read e-books online or I’d drop by Powerbooks or Fully Booked branches every now and then to skim on books, but I no longer buy them.

You could imagine my delight when I had received two new books this week. I look forward to the day when I can buy myself a Kindle. Yes, I’d want an electronic gadget where I can download my favorite books, and read them whenever I want to without having to carry a lot. I do hope too that one day, my love for books will also come back. But for now, allow me to enjoy sipping my cup of hot coffee…