went to the manila international book fair today and treated myself to new reads for my birthday >:D
katabasis was my top priority. i only found out that it was already available in my country earlier this week and it was honestly the sole reason why i was willing to make the commute to mibf in the first place 😭 was initially vying for the paperback but the hardbound presented itself to me with its beautiful art on the fore-edge and i simply could not resist. i don’t buy hardbounds very often, but for r.f. kuang i undeniably would.
pachinko and gideon the ninth have been on my reading wishlist since forever, and getting both at 20% off each sounded like a speak-now-or-forever-hold-your-peace kind of deal. (books are so fucking expensive these days 🥲) gideon the ninth i always have trouble finding in my local bookstore specifically, so i’m glad i finally have it in my hands before it could slip away.
i’ve been quite fixated on food literature and other various media relating to food for a while now. filipino food culture specifically because our cuisine is so underrepresented globally and there’s just so many layers and intricacies to unpack regarding our food’s relation to our culture. tikim is sure to scratch that itch for me.
i hopped on over to my university’s booth just to see what we had to offer and wasn’t really intent on buying anything in the first place, but are you still watching? easily caught my eye. it’s a collection of essays on the filipino tv & film industry! literally my bread and butter. flipping through the pages i could already tell that it was going to be an enjoyable read. it reminded me of the fun classes and discussions i had when i was still studying. plus, there’s not a lot of literature out there that covers our showbiz industry, so finding a book that does is always a welcome novelty.
i’ve read through the first two chapters of katabasis and i’m already hooked. i’m praying to all the gods and goddesses and deities out there that i actually commit to getting back into reading for more than a measly month this time around.
i was hoping to buy orv eng novel but either the staff had no idea what i was talking about or there really weren't any stocks yet. i've read tsh before but i've always wanted a physical copy for my reread. dracula i've been wanting to read for a while now. sports cut hachiware blindsided me and my wallet lol
my morbid longing for a physical copy has been quenched!!! *pant* *pant*
Keihancarl here. May this weekend be free from traffic, rain, and floods. I’ll be disappointed if I encounter at least one of these.
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I’m off to the Mall Of Asia Complex for this year’s Manila International Book Fair at the SMX Convention Center. While I’m at it, I might also visit the two malls in Aseana City (Parqal Mall and Ayala Malls Manila Bay).
My outfit choice is mostly black, but I decided to add a splash of color to it: the beige Jean-Michel Basquiat shirt from Uniqlo, as well as the yellow-white-black socks from Mumuso (from a few years back). I was planning to go experimental with my outfits, but I found some combinations unsatisfying. That's another reason why I’m planning to shop at SM Mall Of Asia after spending some time at the MIBF, hopefully to shop for some new clothes. And I’m planning to try out one of the cafes there, the ones that are not present in either SM Fairview or Fairview Terraces, the malls nearest to my place.
I decided to leave the house earlier than expected, considering the tremendous traffic on the northern portion of Commonwealth Avenue (I still ended up leaving the house at 9:30 AM, though). On my last mall-hopping trip, I was so pissed off by the heavy traffic in the area that I cursed several times inside the UV Express van until we finally got past the almost non-moving traffic in the area. I was hoping there wouldn’t be a repeat of this scenario.
It was bright and sunny when I left the house. I hope it stays that way until the afternoon.
There was heavy traffic along Commonwealth Avenue, particularly along Litex. Yeah, there’s heavy traffic in the Fairview area as well, but it’s not as bad as last time. Traffic was light past the problem areas.
I reached Trinoma around 10:50 AM, about an hour and a half later. I passed by the mall first, and they’re having a vinyl collectors event there. Also, the mall itself is undergoing redevelopment/renovation. Anyway, I immediately head to MRT North Avenue Station, and I board the train just minutes before it leaves the station.
SM Megamall's got the ribbons. Meanwhile, past MRT Magallanes Station, the blue sky was turning gray. Could this be a sign of rain? I hope not.
I reached the MRT Taft Avenue Station more than 30 minutes later. The entire MRT trip was faster than expected. But I still need to ride the EDSA Bus Carousel to SM Mall Of Asia, which is a short distance from MRT Taft (I load up my Beep card first before taking the bus, in case I'm gonna take the MRT/LRT later). I reached SM Mall Of Asia just before noon.
I passed by MOA Square, where IKEA is. The mall itself is already dressed up for the holiday months.
Reaching the SMX Convention Center, I immediately bought a ticket and headed inside the venue. As usual, it didn’t take me long to get in.
I checked some of the booths. I started with Fully Booked, since there’s a specific manga book I want to find (The Summer Hikaru Died, but I’m not sure if it was actually available in the PH). While I couldn’t find the manga in question, I did buy three of the other titles, one of which was a Makoto Shinkai manga, 5 Centimeters Per Second (originally an anime film later adapted into manga). It sure was chaotic inside. I’m starting to feel dizzy. The line to the counter is incredibly long as well. It took me fifteen minutes to pay for the books. It almost cost me 3000 pesos just for the three manga books, but since all books in the booth are 20 percent off, I saved almost 600 pesos. Not bad. I also got a freebie.
I also checked the Komiket, Bookware, and Anvil Publishing booths, though I never bought anything. I decided to skip the National Bookstore booth after spending an hour inside the Fully Booked booth, knowing that it’s as chaotic as the latter, not to mention long lines at the counter.
At the second level, there are school supplies and a few more publisher booths. Ricky Lee, Instituto Cervantes Manila, and the Norwegian Embassy also had booths there, among others.
I bought another manga book at the Tankobonbon booth. Sadly, this will be their last appearance at the MIBF since the shop is closing down. All the manga books are discounted. These are actually the store’s final stock.
There’s a food concession offering snacks, drinks, and rice meals. However, I opted to eat elsewhere, as there were a lot of people. And there’s also a catering service.
And that’s all for the MIBF event. Anyway, time for mall-hopping and some shopping.
I decided to head to Ayala Malls Manila Bay next, passing by Parqal on the way there. Sadly, it rained just as I was about to leave SMX. Well, I decided to proceed despite the rain, since the books are protected in plastic. It got a little intense as I reached the intersection.
Reaching Parqal, I decided to check the mall from the second level. There are mostly restaurants, some cafes, a few fashion and specialty stores, and wellness shops.
I passed by the Kurata Steak House. My brother and sister-in-law had dined there a few months back.
And I reached Ayala Malls Manila Manila Bay. The Landmark Department Store is now open. It looks quite large.
I also checked the food court and supermarket area. I’m tempted to have a sizzling steak, but I decided to change my mind at the last minute and head back up.
There was a Go Negosyo event at the activity center, focusing on online selling (I think). Meanwhile, I decided to have a late lunch at Hawker Chan, where I had soy chicken and roast pork, with a sparkling peach for a drink.
I only visit a couple of shops. But it took me longer than expected to check the entire mall, as I was full and I’m still carrying the books from the MIBF, which are quite heavy. By the way, Anko is opening a branch there.
After more than two hours, it’s time to head back to the Mall Of Asia Complex. It was already dark by the time I got there. Not wasting any more time, I head to S’Maison first and check the Fully Booked branch there.
I spot a robotic floor sweeper within the mall.
And finally, SM Mall Of Asia. I immediately head to the MOA Sky for a little sightseeing and some pictures.
Looks like the seaside is gonna disappear as the reclamation is underway. No more SM By The Bay, then?
I get to see the football field up close. There was a group of football players practicing on the field.
Inside the mall area, I checked several shops, particularly Bocu, Fully Booked x Kinokuniya, Muji, niko and…, and Nitori. I didn’t bother checking Uniqlo at the moment.
I found an awesome cardigan at Muji, and at a great price. But I couldn’t find a size above XL. I also checked some of the items, mostly bedding and storage items.
At Nitori, I bought an N Cool pillow, and a large one too. I wonder how I'm going to carry that thing home?
I took a short break with a drink from ChaTraMue. I ordered a Thai Lemon Tea this time. But man, the amount of ice is too much.
I tried uploading some pics on my Instagram account, but the signal was incredibly weak in that area. I was getting frustrated. I decided to hold off uploading photos in the meantime and head to my last stop, IKEA.
As usual, there are some awesome displays at the showroom. I wasn’t able to buy anything, though.
Well, at least they're selling some water dippers, though they call it a bucket for whatever reason.
It’s already 8:30 PM, and it’s time to head home. This time, it was a real pain trying to figure out how to get home from there. I’m considering taking the train to North Avenue, but I ended up taking the carousel to the PITX, and then taking the carousel to Quezon Avenue (Centris area). I managed to get home past midnight, and my left shoulder and both legs were sore from the entire trip. Despite the hassles of taking a transport from the Mall Of Asia Complex, travel was quite fast considering it was already late at night.
And here's my haul from the MIBF. They're just as heavy as the last set of books I bought last year. And I actually bought a manga adaptation of the Makoto Shinkai masterpiece.
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I suppose I could’ve planned this trip better, considering that I ended up going home later than expected due to some inconveniences. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the MIBF + mall-hopping trip just the same.
My book haul consists of all 4 manga books (three from Fully Booked and one from Tankobonbon). Along with the other expenses and items, I ended up spending more than 5,000 pesos on this entire trip, the most expensive so far.
I’m planning another mall-hopping trip on my upcoming birthday, which is a month away. I’m aiming for either Ortigas/Estancia or Eastwood/Frontera Verde/Bridgetowne areas, with a side trip to Greenhills. This will be the first time I’ll get to visit these areas post-pandemic. I’m more excited for my first visit to the Opus Mall (Robinsons) and seeing its amazing interiors in person.
For now, it’s time to conclude this one. Until next time!
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Most of the pics are from my Instagram account, @kcox_105. The selfie pics are uploaded to my private Instagram account, @kcox105. The MIBF book haul pic was originally uploaded to this site.
