WHAT’S the use of a celebrity sighting if the celebrity does not look familiar? This happened to a friend who’s currently vacationing in New York where she saw one of Leonardo DiCaprio’s ex-girlfriends.
This often happens to me, too—there’s a celebrity, everyone else is excited to see him, and there I am wondering, Who is he?
I had my share of celebrity sightings in New York once upon a time: Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Billy Crystal. My wish, though, was to see Brad Pitt. Haha.
I have a book about Brad Pitt and magazines that have him on the cover. When he married Angelina Jolie, I began collecting magazines that have her on the cover. I hope I’ll be able to give all these away someday. I mean, both Brad and Angelina must have removed themselves already from their respective photo albums, so, why am I still holding on to these magazines? Because I want to discover how piles of reading materials can attract dust. I don’t even want to read them again. Besides, they have more ads and photos than pieces, so, there’s nothing much to read.
I have this habit of writing on the book’s title page these details: my nickname, the bookstore where it was bought, and the date of purchase. I used to buy books about depression, and after re-reading them this time, I decided to give them away because depression doesn’t spark joy. Except for Tracy Thompson’s “The Beast: A Journey Through Depression” which I was about to put in the “give” box until I saw this on its title page: “Barnes & Noble, 600 5th.” Meaning, 600 5th Avenue, New York, New York. It’s the only book I bought in the U.S. So, I’m keeping it.
Was I depressed when I bought it? Nope. I think depressed people are initially in denial and will never buy books about depression. I was simply curious. Or perhaps its first paragraph, which is always a part of my criteria for a good read—interesting first paragraph, yes!—caught my attention.
The books in the “give” box will eventually end up in a library for high school students. I wonder if they can relate to these books. I belong to an older generation whose current topics are comorbidities and maintenance medicines while feasting on food that may be worsening health conditions. But we always justify that with, We meet only once in a blue moon, so, better savor each moment.
With that generation gap between me and the books’ young recipients, I can only hope that their teachers can still relate to the books’ topics.
Reading is a good hobby. Although there’s no substitute for an actual experience, at least you’ll have an idea by reading about it. There will be that day when you’re walking down a street in a place you’re visiting for the first time, and all of a sudden it occurs to you: This looks familiar. Perhaps you saw it in a dream or you’ve seen its photos on social media and the internet. But the one that could have the strongest impact is a book’s detailed description of that particular street.
