One Coffee Afternoon
It is another collection of short stories, much like his previous "Smoke and Mirrors". In the blurb, his writing style was said to be an amalgam of the eerie atmosphere of H.P. Lovecraft, the imagination of H.G. Wells, and the droll wit of P.G. Wodehouse. I like both H.P. Lovecraft and H.G. Wells but I’m not familiar with the writings of P.G. Wodehouse. Nonetheless, I love Neil Gaiman’s work on my own, even without comparing his work to some classic writers.
I was introduced to the Neil Gaiman writings when I was a college student in DLSU. My friends would lend me copies of The Sandman graphic novels (which they borrowed from richer friends because only they could afford the P1000/book at that time. The Sandman collection well amounted to about P12000). I got immersed into his world of religious, Roman, Greek mythologies melded with contemporary characters. And the graphics novels are loaded with quotables quotes and other thought-provoking dialogues ( I’m a sucker for such things. Those who know me well, or, at least, read my blog posts, can attest to that, as I often blog about these stuffs). Add to these the captivating artwork of Dave Mckean. It’s more than enough to satisfy my craving for some intellectual and creative stimulation.
So, it’s going to be a couple of lovely nights full of literary orgasms with Neil Gaiman. Though he may not reciprocate because he’s gay, I still love him.
Reading fictional stories has always been one of my favorite pasttimes. I do read nonfiction books, too, but there is rather an irresistible pull that I experience everytime I read fiction. Perhaps it could be some pseudo-courage to break free from the bounds of reality. Or the cliche escape from harsh reality.
There have been innumerable times that I tried to write short stories and even a feeble attempt at a novel. But I don’t think I’d be a successful fiction writer because I’m not patient or creative or cautious enough to be such. Consider one who makes clay pottery; he can sustain attention and the right amount of pressure on clay with precision for such a long time that he is rewarded the very gradual creation of his art in his own hands. I don’t think my mind is wired to do that. My memory is like a sieve which has big holes so ideas easily slip past. I cannot hold on to ideas for very long; not long enough for it to hatch into a veritable oasis of literary fiction.
In cases wherein my mind is filled with such ideas, my PDA or my small shorthand notebook comes in very handy for such devices are cures for an unretaining mind. I have such stores of ideas, like rows of stillborn fetuses in sterile jars in the laboratory shelves or embryos in suspended animation. Or may be like agar plates filled with bacteria, incubating in a temperature-controlled oven. Which idea lives or dies is not really much my decision; it depends on the whims of chance. And this absence of control over the existence or survival of these ideas is the very reason that I cannot be a fiction writer.
I read somewhere that if you put computers to a dozen of monkeys and let them type at whim 24/7 for the rest of their lives, one ought to come up with, at least, a classic. If that statement is somehow true, then perhaps there is still hope that someday I might come up with an accidental genius.
* * *
After A Different Bookstore, my next stop was Goodwill Bookstore. It stocks plenty of medical textbooks, references and reviewers. I want to see what new titles are available and just how pricey those are so that I’ll know how much I must save. There are two comprehensive study guides on Emergency Medicine that I really want. One costs P5000 and the other one about P4000. So, I guess I need to raise about P9000, if I’ll be getting both of them. But I think I’d settle for one and, thus, my new savings target is about P5000. Perhaps I’d be able to get one next month.
As written in many inside front covers of medical books, Medicine is an ever-changing science. New developments were made almost every year and medical books released updated editions every 3-4 years. As one who is, indeed, serious in practicing Medicine, one needs to be up-to-date with the new clinical guidelines, studies, and recommendations which could save lives someday.
And so, though I’m struggling financially, I do have to save some for these books. It’s not a luxury, buying these pricey books. It’s a must.
