i got me a few new books! ^_^

As some of you may already know, there was a book fair at the SMX last week.  And I almost forgot about it! Good thing the Hubby and I were able to make time to go on Sunday, the last day.

The last day of course means a lot of people.

For non-literature lovers, it must be confounding as to why there was such a fuss about a books (a friend of ours for example, asked, What are you going to do at a book fair?).  This annual event gathers various publishers and distributors together all in one place, and books are sold at much lower prices than they go for at bookstores.  There's a good chance of finding titles that aren't usually sold at National or Fully Booked, even hardbound copies.

Well I love books.  I don't exactly enjoy the process of reading, but I enjoy taking in what a good book has to offer.  I have therefore made visiting the Book Fair a yearly tradition.

I was hoping to buy a biography of Sir Winston Churchill and of Teddy Roosevelt, but I didn't find any.  The bio sections were full of tomes of William and Catherine, and various volumes on Obama ( 9_9 tsssss) but I didn't care for any of those.

I proceeded to look around and found other titles I was interested in:

 

They were all titles I intended to buy years ago, but I thought the bookstore prices were too expensive.  Book Fair discounts are much more budget-friendly.  And oh, I got a free sampler from Penguin Books too - WHAT THE WORLD IS READING is a compilation of  the first chapters of hot new novels; if I like any of them I'll know what to look for in the future.

I prefer hardbound versions to paperbacks, especially for bestselling novels, but  I decided on saving a few pesos by settling for the paperbacks. They have the same contents anyway.  They don't look as lovely and they have smaller type, but it's a tiny inconvenience I'm willing to put myself through. Besides, most of the hardbound copies were already sold out by this time.

Hubby and I wanted to look around some more, but I - in a lack of foresight - was wearing four-inch wedges and I'd already twisted my ankle several times.  Plus the crowd was getting thicker and more impatient by the minute, we had to bail before things got too uncomfy.  Anyway we acquired five new titles, and we're really happy about that.  ^_^

I'm excited to start devouring our new books, but I still have an old one to finish...  Maybe I'll start on a new one anyway.  ^_^

tarragon tea

I noticed how the row of tarragon in my dad's garden has been looking lively lately, and I got tickled by the thought doing something with the fragrant herb.  I don't know much about tarragon and what sort of dishes call for it; I do remember sipping a cup of tarragon tea at Sonya's in Tagaytay some time ago.

Tarragon is slightly sweet, and I imagine it would go nicely with mangoes. My rabbits love eating it.
To my nostrils, a whole bunch of it smells slightly of Mighty Bond superglue, but not at all in an offensive way.

It is said to have relaxing and stress-relieving properties.  I decided to test that by making myself some tea before bedtime.

Image mine.

* Since tarragon is on the sweet side, there's no need for sugar. But if you need a bit more sweetening, I suggest you use honey - it goes nicely with the flavor.  Besides, it makes sense not to use sugar if your intent for drinking is relaxation.

I've always been the type to have trouble sleeping at night (sleeping in the daytime however, often proves to be much easier) and it looks like the tea is already working its power on me.  Either that or the Heroes marathon the Hubby and I did today lulled me to ennui.

girls talk: black leather boots

For the first Thurdsay of September, we're Girls Talk-ing about something black.  Luckily I have a whole lot of black stuff (No, its not my favorite color, but I like buying things in black, white or cream so they'd be easy to mix and match).

I decided to show-and-tell about one of my current favorite items, a pair of black boots.  See poor-quality photo below:

I acquired them when I visited the U.S. a few months back; they're hand-me-downs from a family friend, but they're still good as new.  I hadn't dreamt of getting boots while I was there, but I seriously needed them because my feet were freezing from the cold.  Good thing these were just my size.  ^_^

I just love the way they look, they're perfect for covering up my unsightly feet.  It's a pity they stop being comfortable after about half an hour or so - they are strictly for porma purposes only, not for walking around.  :p

 Girls Talk is hosted by Beauty Queen Gene.