Free Comic Book Day - May 4, 2013

Hi all!  It's Free Comic Book Day on May 4, 2013.   FCBD is comic publishers' way of enticing more readers to collect comics by giving away comic titles for free. Thank God I am over my comics addiction (crossing my fingers!).

may 2007- at my first and only fcbd - black cat comics in Milpitas, CA

I had been an avid collector of Spider-man and Star Wars comics.   I loved being the only girl browsing the stacks in Comic Quest and Filbar's.   It is quite a humbling experience to be in the same room with serious buyers who know so much about the Marvel Universe.  They usually get 2-3 of each edition,  are quite finicky about the grade and condition the comics are in, and are bothered about the imaginary dents and creases their comics have.

One day, I was looking through my whole collection housed in 5 big comic boxes when I realized I haven't even read as much as one box.    I was running out of money buying comics I don't even read!    That's when I knew I had to quit.

a comics store in downtown SFO

Some things I learned during my comics addict phase:
1. You can't ever complete your collection.
2. You will never have time to read all your comics.
3. You can't read them in chronological order. (I'm sure bungi bungi rin ang collection mo.)
4. You can earn money from holding on to your collection, but it's the really, really old and collectible ones that fetch more money.
5.  You can't hold on to your collection thinking your sons will enjoy them in the future.  (Mine didn't.)
6. It feels good to stick out like a sore thumb in a man's world!

photo from fcbd philippines facebook

Get your free comic books at Fully Booked, National Bookstore, Comic Quest, Filbar's  and wherever comics are sold. 

The Constant Reader in Cebu

    

     This was taken in Cebu last holy week.  We stayed at Crimson Resort and Spa on Mactan Island.   We did not expect much because this was our second choice (we planned on going to Boracay because we have never been there!), but we loved Cebu!  

      

 

 My goal has always been to travel to at least one new destination each year. 8)

These pictures are fake!  I didn't get a chance to read at all because of my tiny toddler who loves to swim and explore.

My Nancy Drew Collection

     Titian.  Sleuth.   These were just some of the words I first learned when I started reading the Nancy Drew series.  Back then,  I remember writing Carolyn Keene as my favorite author in autograph books.  It was only recently that I found out she is not a real person but a pseudonym for a whole bunch of authors who wrote the series. 

     Nancy Drew is an eighteen year old from River Heights who always seemed to stumble upon mysteries and is able to solve them.  She had her friends, blonde Bess and tomboyish George, and a college boyfriend named Ned Nickerson.  

I did not like this series much.

This is the series I liked best!

# 34 Vanishing Acts  was my first book.

Not as good as the Nancy Drew Files

     

        I will always remember this book collection because it grew from a reward system with my parents.  Getting good grades (blue, red or gold eagles in report cards) always meant more books from the bookstore.  I must have stopped collecting when I reached Grade 6 or 7,  no more eagles then. 8)

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The Passage - Justin Cronin

   

    December 21, 2012 was said to be the end of the world, but we survived!   If you are a fan of end-of-the-world, zombie-ish/vampire-ish fiction, grab The Passage by Justin Cronin.  The book is part of a trilogy and book two, The Twelve, recently came out last year.

photo from amazon.com

     The Passage is about Project Noah, a military experiment where 12 death row convicts are injected with a virus created to make humans immortal and extremely strong.  But the experiment goes horribly wrong and the virus quickly spreads through America; you are either killed/eaten or taken up as a 'viral'.    The story then moves years into the future where a small pocket of survivors venture out to see what is left of the world.     This book reminds me so much of I Am Legend.  I guarantee that you will love it.

Rating: 5 stars!

The Constant Reader in Bohol

     I am sharing with you a picture of myself at Amorita Resort in Bohol, Philippines taken last November 2012.  I was rereading Justin Cronin's The Passage then.  I plan to commemorate each new destination I visit by having a picture of myself reading in those places.

My 2012 Christmas Book Wish List

It's Christmas time again! Oh, how fun it is to make book wish lists!

1.  Modern Calligraphy and Hand Lettering: A Mark Making Workbook for Crafters, Cardmakers and Journal Artists by Lisa Engelbrecht.  Ever since I took a calligraphy workshop under Fozzy Castro-Dayrit, I've learned to love my handwriting!   I try to practice everyday by writing down my favorite quotes and decorating the page with my other fave, washi tape!

2. Script and Cursive Alphabets: 100 Complete Fonts - selected and arranged by Dan X. Solo.  I need a book of script alphabets so that I can practice writing in my favorite fonts.

3.  Lettering 101 for Scrapbooks and Cards by Suzanne McNeill.  I have always been fond of lettering.  I actually bought and returned this and the following lettering book from Michael's when I was in the States in 2006.

4.  Letter Better by Cyndi Hansen.    Now, I am blaming the cheapskate in me.

5.  Joy of Zentangle: Drawing Your Way to Increased Creativity, Focus and Well Being - Suzanne McNeill, Sandy Steen Bartholomew,  and Marie Browning.  I have no talent in drawing realistic things so doodling is the next best thing.

6.  Zentangle Untangled: Inspiration and Prompts for Meditative Drawing by Kass Hall.  Zentangle, a fancy word for doodles.  Hehe!

7.  Artist's Journal Workshop: Creating your Life in Words and Pictures by Cathy Johnson.  It is my dream to regularly go outdoors with an art journal in my hand and a Sakura Koi Watercolors Field Sketch Set in the other to paint the beautiful things in nature. 

8.  The Usborne Introduction to Art by Rosie Dickens, Mari Griffith, and Jane Chisholm.  Teaching the famous Art and Artist unit to Grade One students in Beacon has opened my eyes to the wonderful world of Art.   I was not only the teacher then but the student, too.

9.  The Usborne Book of Drawing, Doodling and Coloring: Fashion  by Fiona Watt. I love fashion illustration!

These are all available online.  I haven't seen any of these books in the Philippines yet.  

Merry Christmas!

*note: all photo credits go to amazon.com