And these three shall never be planned in the same day. Ever. Never ever.
The Book Fair That Broke Me (Financially and Physically)
I recently went to one of the biggest book fairs, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed because BOOKS! AND MORE BOOKS! BOOKS GALORE! I was practically salivating just at the thought of going there again after so many years. And then that day came. I found myself crossing the street and then pausing in surprise at the sheer number of people. It had been so long since I went that I’ve forgotten just how many people that the book fair draws in.
I spent so much time walking around from one end of the hall to another, and then back again, that my legs and feet hurt after around two hours of non-stop walking. I just probably need regular exercise because there is no way I felt exhausted and puffed out all because I attended a book fair.
On the bright side: I bought a few books! I’m so excited to read them. I’m not sure yet which one I’ll start with first. A K-pop romance? A collection of short horror stories? Books strange enough that it blurs the fine line between what’s real and what’s not? Or a book that makes me solve murders? We shall find out soon! In the meantime… I’ll be resting my poor legs.
Three Is Never A Crowd
I didn’t count on hurting myself in the book fair, so I made plans days before to meet up with former colleagues. I found myself limping (while cursing silently) my way to the adjacent mall, practically hauling my left leg with the wounded foot. I can almost hear my sister cackling, “I don’t know how you always find ways to hurt yourself!” I can’t fault her for thinking that. She grew up seeing me trip on my own two feet, bump into doorways, and walk into walls. Clearly, my talent veered lightly (lightly?!) into the self-inflicted disaster type.
And did I mention? As if I wasn’t already in enough pain and inconvenience, it started drizzling the moment I stepped out of the book fair’s venue. HAHA. Joke’s on me.
I made it to the restaurant in once piece, though! One of us was already there. Huffing and wincing, I sat down on our table and started yapping away. In no time, both of us were sharing tea in just about anything and everything – work, personal, and the in-between. And then the third colleague arrived, decked out in a cute Christmas-colored white sweater. We celebrate the holiday season early here.
So in between pica-pica, pasta, and wine, the three of us talked as if we’d only seen each other yesterday. Like every other millennial, we talked about work, taking PTOs, travel, the prices of owning a home, etc. as if we weren’t living in the middle of a doomed economy, if not a doomed country.
Time flew by as if it was in an F1 race and when it was time to say our good byes, we were all reluctant to go. Let’s do this again! Let’s have a sleepover! Let’s try clubbing one more time! We told those half lies to each other, truly believing that we might just pull off clubbing at our age.
The Spa Experience To Soothe My Aching Body
I went straight to the nearest spa after parting with friends. It was just such a soothing relief to stand there under their hot shower, letting my aching body soak in the heat. I felt so much better after that. And even better when I got a massage.
I thought I was going to fall asleep during the massage, but I still hurt all over. I am never going to the book fair again. I thought tiredly as my body was pulled and kneaded and poked. And wow, did that feel good.
All’s Well That Ends Well, Except…
Our area had a blackout by the time I arrived home. Just my luck. The blackout lasted for around five hours, which is a long time to have no electricity. Luckily, I downloaded a couple of horror movies. I watched “APT“, an old Korean horror film, and the idea of having neighbors in the next-door apartment dying one after another horrified me. It was a great movie! But exhaustion won and I decided to sleep, even though it was a bit warm and humid. Armed with my small handheld fan, I drifted off to the land of the zzz’s.
When I opened my eyes, I saw my sister’s dog staring at me as if I was a creature he’d never seen before. It was almost four in the morning and I hauled my ass out of bed. I whiled away the time by chatting with my sister. It hit me how this all felt nostalgic. I remember my childhood, where blackouts were spent with our family gathered around the sala or the kitchen, where the adults would exchange scary stories. I think that’s what sparked my love for horror. Instead of retreating to our room, I stayed there and listened to them, enjoying the spooky, the strange, the unsettling stories. Yep, definitely the good old days!
Back to the present: The lights flooded our house at past four am and, as we cheered, my mother’s first question was, “Is our internet on?”
