Sunday, September 6, 2009

The Search for Narnia


The main allure of reading is its ability to transport the reader to different worlds. The better the author's words flow, the deeper the reader delves into dimensions at once foreign and familiar. That is why when my stress buttons are pressed, coming home to a well-written fantasy is such a boon. Such is the reason for the alarming proliferation of fiction in my room. I need more shelving.


I have a tendency to impose my tastes on others, and anyone clueless enough to ask my opinion on books would no doubt be bombarded by Anne Rice, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman and Jostein Gaarder. I lend my books (if you ask me nicely) on the condition that its conditions be preserved. I tend to become obsessive when it comes to my tomes.

My problem is, I tend to forget who borrowed which.


Among the titles missing in my collection is The Chronicles of Narnia. I found my copy at Booksale years ago, before the first movie was shown, for 150 bucks. Some months afterward, I found that same copy selling at Powerbooks for upwards of 500. I've lost track of who borrowed this book from me. I was secretly hoping that it only got lodged among the things I didn't bother unpacking from my moving from one room to the next (I'm on my third room this year), but alas, the book wasn't anywhere.

Some friends advised me to create a card catalog for my books, as they have already grown too big to commit to just memory. What they didn't comment on was my abyssmal memory to start with. Seeing as Narnia is not the only title I'm missing, I just might consider that advise, only, I wouldn't go about calling my collection a library, at least, not yet.

I'm gonna need all my OC powers for this endeavor.

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Magic: The Gathering

I was a fan of this card game way back in high school, although I had more fun collecting the cards rather than playing them. It was such a geeky game, much like Dungeons & Dragons, and I love it.

Back then, one of the prized cards to find was the Sengir Vampire, which is a "cheap" creature to cast considering its abilites. By cheap, it means that the manna used casting the creature was well worth its cost. Imagine my surprise when I saw this online:


You've got to love Gloria, she really stives for universal appeal. I mean, Filipinos from all walks of life hate her now, from geeks to jocks, and all the cliques in between.

28 comments:

  1. Nasaan na kaya si narnia? teka baka nasa Library ko na. :)

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  2. hala. i like your bookshelf. pagagawa din ako ng ganyan sa kwarto ko. hehe. btw, paerho tayo sa narnia. meron din ako nyan. pinahiram sa iba at di na nabalik. di ko pa naman nababasa yun. :(

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  3. geez...never thought you had that strange pull on gaiman and king as well. they're my wordsmith deities, if you wanna know the truth. i've been looking for king's on writing on every book store imaginable to no avail. have you, by any chance, got a copy?

    and LOLed at the comparison between sengir vampire and effin' she-who-must-be-maimed.

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  4. for a moment there i thought you were looking for my narnia. LOL

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  5. @ Acrylique: Hindi ko rin alam kung saan siya napadpad. Kung nakarating sa iyo, pakibalik naman. :-)


    @ Scud: The bookshelf is okay, but I need more shelving. I've some more books to unpack. Yung Narnia ko, once ko pa lang nabasa, I was panning to re-read it, and someone else wanted to borrow it.

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  6. @ Lio Loco: I've been obsessed with Stephen King since Salem's Lot, which is the first King book I read. Half of my collection consists of Stephen King books, mostly second hand hardbounds. Neil Gaiman had me since American Gods. I'm still on the quest to getting my hands on a hardbound copy of that book.

    I saw a hardbound copy of On Writing at booksale in Mall of Asia some time ago. Sadly, I didn't have enough cash with me to buy it at that time. You'll be the first to know if I ever get my hands on it.

    You've got to admire the Sengir Vampire, it has flying ability and it gets stronger with every kill it makes. Much like that someone who gets to fly everywhere (and with a full entourage) and seems to get stronger (and richer) with every year spent in office.

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  7. @ Narnian: Hmm... Tell me about your Narnia. Does it have poles and umbrellas galore? Tell me also about the bitch, I mean witch who governs it. :-)

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  8. Vajarl here. I can't use open ID for some reasons. Bah.


    You really meant it when you said you love reading books, didn't you? ;p

    I read more than my free time would allow me, but that is only when people let me borrow their books *cough* since I find them too expensive to spend my hard earned *cough cough* money to. Well, unless I really like them. Try reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon, if you haven't. That is one of my all time favorites. One of the books I saved for just to get a copy. =)

    I was never into Magic cards probably because I was a big fan of Pokemon and I collected Pokemon cards. Yep, I was that big of a loser. Like you, I never dueled with others simply because I couldn't find someone else who was geeky enough to have Pokemon cards with them. And I spent most of my allowance on those *cough loser cough*

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  9. @ Vajarl: You seem to have acquired a respiratory problem. Probably due to the weather. Haha!

    Dog in the Night Time has sparked my interest for quite a bit now, but I haven't saved up enough dough to buy it. Also, I wanted a hardbound copy, and I haven't seen a good enough one buy.

    Hmmm... Pokemon... probably means you're a couple of (or maybe five) years my junior.

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  10. LOL at vajarl. :D

    hi shattershards! *waves*

    i was obsessed with anne rice in my teens (go lestat!), admired stephen king from afar, and was generally oblivious to gaarder.

    i was told countless times i would love neil gaiman, but when i finally read one of his works, american gods, it didn't draw me in enough to be prompted to look at his better known works. :D

    still, it's always a joy to discover new authors and new obsessions. these days i browse book shelves by author. but it's better to pick up titles randomly. sure, there's a good chance you pick up something trashy but it increases the chance you'll make a new discovery along the way. :D

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  11. @ Deejay: I'm enamored with Rowan Mayfair more than with Lestat. Of the Vampires, which I have the whole set, except for Blood Canticle, my favorite is Queen of the Damned, closely followed by Memnoch the Devil. It's just such shame that they botched up the Queen movie.

    American Gods isn't for everyone. I loved it immensely because it dealt with mythology. To better appreciate Gaiman's prose, I would recommend Neverwhere. It has the right mixture of suspense and adventure, with a good mystery added to the mix. Watch out for the Hunter.

    I'm still on the lookout for new authors to add to my list, that's why I'm a regular at bargain bins. But there are times though, when you feel too vulnerable, that the company of a long-known author is all the comfort you need. :-)

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  12. i think geeks are cool! seriously. not because i'm a geek (not in a cool way i assure you) but because they're passionate on things that catch their interests...

    i suggest gumawa ka na ng catalog. my friend who collects books is having the same problem. and most of the time ako yung hindi nakakapagbalik ng mga libro niya. hehe!

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  13. I am about to turn 21 this December. I know, it's too early for me to undergo midlife crisis but still. XD

    My friends found it weird that I loved that book. I let them borrow my copy to make them realize how good it was but most of them ended up not finishing it. The others did but gave me just a sympathetic nod when I asked them what they thought about it. Tsk.

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  14. i so love the last pic! HAHA. PRICELESS!!

    musta na tol

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  15. @ Lucas: Aha! Self-confessed book borrower! I really need to catalog my collection, but I haven't a clue yet on how to start. hehe

    I think "cool" is a matter of perspective and intensity. Passion over your interests is one thing, but letting it rule your life is another.

    I just hope I haven't yet crossed the line. hehe

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  16. @ Vajarl: Definitely too young for a midlife crisis. Heck, you're even too young for a quarter-life crisis! From what I am seeing these days, people are too impatient waiting for their life to begin that they end up not living it. Then, they start to lament about their lost childhood and their youth. It's as if they find it wasteful to just slow down, stop, and snort the cocaine, I mean, smell the roses. :-)

    I guess I really have to have my copy of Dog, as the mixed reactions to it has intrigued me more.

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  17. @ Cruxrifter: Ako rin, I really want to get my hands on that Sengir Vampire card. I had one before, but lost it, along with my first collection of playing cards. The honesty policy wasn't such a big thing in our school then.

    But you weren't commenting about the Sengir card now, are you? hahaha!

    Okay naman ako, been busy, but thankfully, I can still find time to blog. How about you? Ang tagal mong nawala a! Kumusta yung exchange student/conference thingie?

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  18. The pictUre of gloria is so funNy. Hehe.. I love anNe rice toO and stephanie mayer.

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  19. woooh. narnia. gusto ko yan!

    pasensya na kuya shattershards! ngayon lang ulit ako nakapag-blog hop. medyo busy kasi ako for the past 3 weeks. midterm. nursing day. intrams. hai. kakapagod.

    CHEERS!

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  20. @ Walongbote: I first saw that picture in MLQ3's blog, but I saw it in this current incarnation, as the new Sengir Vampire, sa gmaresign blogspot.

    Anne Rice and Stephanie Meyer... Vampire fanatic ka, ano? Between the two, it's still Anne Rice for me. hehe

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  21. @ Poot: Okay talaga ang story ng Chronicles of Narnia, sana lang hindi sobrang blatant yung bible allegory niya. Still, it was a good read. hehe

    At least hindi na lang facebook ang pinagkaka-busihan mo. Congrats ulit sa wins ninyo sa intrams at sa contests. :-)

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  22. yeah, shattershards, i see what you mean. a familiar author is a warm bed in cold and rainy weather. ;)

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  23. @ Deejay: True, true. And in times of stress, reading your favorite book by your favorite author takes the edge away.


    @ Jepoy: Pwedeng manghiram, basta ibabalik! Pero tatapusin ko muna yung inventory ko ng books. hehe

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  24. my goodness, kuhang kuha talaga. i didn't know she had such a long tongue before i saw this pic. lol

    love,
    nobe

    www.deariago.com
    www.iamnobe.wordpress.com

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  25. Hi tol.. uhm ok naman ako eto mejo busy.. of course im not referring to that card. HAHA! hows ur search for narnia? di ako natuloy sa Korea. damn.. kasi naman after 3 days ko pa nakuha ung visa ko.. tsk .. anyways i enjoyed manila naman so no problem :)

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  26. hi kuya shatter! wazzup?

    patambay muna dito. :)

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  27. hehehe..nice pic...please send some for gloria

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