Sunday, March 31, 2013

What on earth happened?

As I'm writing this, it is 7.00 pm on a humid Easter Sunday night in Manila. And I am in deep thought, wracking my brain as to how I spent the last 4 days and why oh why I was not able to finish even just 1 damn book.

In the Philippines, a country with a predominantly Catholic population, we have a lot of religious holidays. This week is just one of them. We get a long weekend this week, beginning with Thursday up to Easter Sunday.

So what the hell happened the past 4 days? I didn't even leave the house, except last Saturday to do a bit of clothes shopping and then dinner. Based on my calculations, I should have had at least 60 hours for reading. And yet, I'm back to work tomorrow and I have not added any books yet in my reading list.

Before, I used to read 5 books at least during the Holy Week. Now, argh, 0! I'm just disgusted with myself. Hello, ground I'm stepping on. Why don't you open up now and swallow me whole. And spit me to the fiery abyss of my own version of hell. (In my hell, I wear prescription glasses and I'm in this huge library. Then I drop my glasses and the lenses break.)

I received a late birthday gift (John Green's The Fault in Our Stars) from an officemate last Wednesday. Funny thing, I was in the bookstore the day before and I was holding the same book, deciding for close to an hour if I should get it. I didn't! Yay, restraint! Yay, fortuitous circumstance! Of course, I wasn't able to read it. Yay?


11 comments:

Lynai said...

Hi Peter!

I guess reading slumps are just normal to bookworms like us? (And yes, I'm not ashamed to use the word "bookworm"). This happens to me at times too, and I also wonder what I did with my time haha!

Hope you get your reading groove back. :)

Peter S. said...

Thanks, Lynai! I sure hope so!

bennardfajardo said...

Your version of hell is similar to one of Twilight Zone's episodes (the scariest for book readers like us).:D

Also, I think reading slumps are normal. And, eventually, I am sure your reading will pick up.:D

Kaz said...

Same...I've had two months of Easter prep on top of my regular stuff at work - St James' don't do anything by halves - so my reading time has been lessened because by the time I've got home I've just been crashing. What I HAVE read is sitting in a pile waiting to be written about...GAH! This week I have to get the work magazine out and we're going away on Thursday, so it's going to be another rushed one - oh, and a massive freelance assignment too - would LOVE to just curl up with a really good book and shut the world out.
Here's to getting back to normal!
K

Peter S. said...

Hello, bennardfajardo! Yes, that was inspired by a Twilight Zone episode actually.

Hi, Kaz! Hear hear! I can't wait for the magazine to be published! You have your work cut out for you, it seems.

Monique said...

There, there. Now don't be too hard on yourself. If I were *that* hard on *me*, I'd be long dead. Haha. :))

Peter S. said...

Hello, Monique! LOL! Yeah, it's just a phase, hopefully a short one.

caite said...

Sometimes the reading thing just leaves me..and then it comes back.
Often with a vengeance ! Lol

Peter S. said...

I like that thought, caite!

Anonymous said...

Me too! but then the book I'm reading feels like "pasyon".

mahirap pa yan when you're a polybookist, kasi sometimes one forgets that he/she has a book unfished pa. hay.

i hope your vacation was relaxing at least :)

Peter S. said...

Hi, stokedbunny! I had the most relaxing vacation!