The Bookworm Diaries, Chapter 1

Saturday, 28 June. Agreed to meet with a girlfriend (who's crazier about books than I am) at Pesta Buku, a book festival in South Jakarta. A rare occasion, I think (the "book festival in Jakarta", not "meeting my friend"). Apparently there were 4 exhibitions there in the same complex, opening at the same day... always a good idea to take a cab. It would be parking hell. In fact, my cab couldn't even get into the complex, because all entrance gates were closed (the Governor of Jakarta is visiting the exhibition, said one policeman... so what? Just because he's Governor he has the right to deny his own citizens entrance to a PUBLIC exhibition complex? He's lucky people even voted for him back then! %&@!?#$^@%...)

Okay. I'm cool. 

So, the three of us finally met. The two ladies have got at least a dozen books in their respective shopping bags already... and I had nada :) time to catch up. My favorite part: rummaging the piles and rows of used books at BOOKS. It's like a treasure hunt! My friend K. even offered to help unpack the books from the boxes (the exhibition just opened today)... surely to gain the advantage of grabbing literary gems before others even had a chance... hee hee. My other bookhunting partner C. got "Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing" upon my suggestion (that's one of my favorite girly book... I refuse to label it "chick lit").

So... the treasures I unearthed today? Here comes (drumroll, please): 

1. French Women Don't Get Fat (Mireille Guiliano)

The secret of eating for pleasure. Excerpt: "French women take pleasure in staying thin by eating well, while Americans typically see it as a conflict and obsess over it. French women don't skip meals or substitute slimming shakes for them. They have two or three courses at lunch and then another three (sometimes four) at dinner. And with wine, bien sur. How do they do it? Well, that's a story. That's the story. One hint: they eat with their heads, and they do not leave the table feeling stuffed or guilty."

MY kind of thing. I should've read this book a LONG time ago already. Oh well, now that I found it, I better learn something from it. N'est ce pas?

2. The Worst Noel (a collection of short stories)

Titles include, but are not limited to: "The Bite Before Christmas" (Stanley Bing), "Donner is Dead" (Cynthia Kaplan). My favorite is the "praise" part at the back cover... 

"You'll be hearing from my lawyer." - Santa Claus

"Finally, a Christmas book that I can really relate to." - Ebenezer Scrooge

"I finally get a little acceptance, and then this book comes out!" - Rudolph D. Reindeer

We, of course, celebrated the success of our treasure hunt with a cup of coffee at nearby Starbucks. Ahh... the little things that make life so beautiful...