Books & Brews: Stylized Book Hang-out

Great evening!

I've been in a hiatus for what --- 3 years! Haha. My, time goes by. A lot has transpired and changed especially in my life so it's time to come back... again. I hope this time I don't go away anymore. Let's see. :)

I'm usually busy nowadays so recreation needs to be scheduled too. Nevertheless, it's liberating even. Paradox as it may seem.

So I stayed in Manila over the weekend and my Manila Sunday was the normal lazy afternoon for household chores, mass and a movie. (Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi, geek overload yeah! Maybe I'll blog about that in the next few days.)

I decided last night that I should have a fresh adventure in the metro at least once a month so I browsed the net for places that I haven't been to. I realized that if I will travel abroad, I can also travel locally and experience the culture from a different perspective.

Travel need not be outlandish especially on the financial side so I was supposed to go to the National Museum earlier because of the free admission on Sundays. ^_^  But because I got hooked on Star Wars, I only got a few hours left to roam around the museum if I pursued it.

Good thing I remembered that there was a book-swapping event shared by a fellow PRPB (Pinoy Reads Pinoy Books... catch us on GoodReads) member. Maybe a good book is bound for my shelves, I thought. Plus I can clear off some books that are getting dust already. Waze informed me that I can get to Eastwood Mall in 30 minutes so off I went to Books & Brews.

Books & Brews Programme until September 12. Click image to enlarge.

Books & Brews: A Coffee & Book Fair. Fabulous idea to influence typical mall-goers to the literary world.

 I thought I had to find the book fair and ask around but it actually welcomed mall patrons as they come inside, particularly the live acoustic music on stage.

Lovely acoustic music for sipping coffee and reading a good book... or just roaming around the vicinity.

The objective of swapping a good book was foremost on my mind but I saw Pinoy graphic novels first and respectively browsed through the array of Meganon Comics. Skipping to the other stalls, price tags were posted for as low as Php 5.00 so I wondered if I can swap my books. Happily, I saw Hemingway Books stall and a good number of books I wanted - fiction and non-fiction, foreign and local - all of which were in mint condition. Yay!

Wide range of mint books in Hemingway Books stall. No, it's not Charles David's.

To get this for free
- well, in exchange of 3 books,
which I can go without already -
is a treasure. Maxwell fan here.
This will definitely be handy
for me and my team.

Still my books were not as minty as they can be so I summed up the courage to ask if I can swap my book(s) in exchange of a gem I saw - John Maxwell's The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork. I thought, Lord, even if this is the only book I get, I'd be happy. I had to give 3 of my books just to have it! Oh well, the price to pay is lesser than the knowledge I can acquire, ei?

It was a quick transaction with only 1 book left in my bag, which they didn't want to swap for. I tried looking instead to paperback novels that can be exchanged for my lone book but there were no more books from John Grisham and Anne Rice. Surprisingly, there were Agatha Christie books but I knew Alexandra Potter cannot be exchanged for the great mystery writer.

Leaving the fair, I chanced upon a lady doing an actual painting. I was a frustrated painter when I was young so it was mesmerizing to see a good artist - she seemed an expert with the brush strokes - in action. I came in closer and read her background and she was actually Sunshine Plata, the Pinay coffee painter! I don't recall her name but I do remember that there was a celebrated artist because of using coffee as a medium of art.

Sunshine Plata: Pinay coffee painter, housewife, mom of two.

Amazed and curious, I asked her why she used coffee for painting. (In my new business, talking to strangers is a necessity so this is becoming a habit of mine unlike my more introvert days.) She said that she learned of an ancient document that used coffee as ink so it inspired her to paint using coffee to make lasting pieces of art. I also inquired if she was the only coffee painter in the country but she mentioned that there are already other coffee painters in Baguio. She has been using this style for 15 years already.

I liked her persona instantly and asked her if I can feature her in Empowered.Today. Thankfully, she said yes and I'm excited to interview her soon! While waiting for that post, you can visit her blog at d1wata.wordpress.com. Also here are samples of her works as displayed in the fair.

Indeed, travel need not be pricey or even time-consuming. With less than an hour, I was able to find a "treasure" book and an interesting individual who introduced me to a different culture I was not accustomed to.

May you find your own local adventure too. :)

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