This happened on the 18th of May, about 4 weeks ago. Well, since nobody can participate until next year, I thought it doesn’t matter when I write this as long as I write it before the book exchange next year.
A few days prior to the book exchange, May (one of my student’s mum), told me about the book exchange and so I packed about 40 over old books and brought them to the library at Westmall to exchange them for coupons. The coupons would be used on the 18th to exchange for the books that I want. However, all the libraries in Singapore have stopped collecting books for the exchange. If I wanted to participate, I would have to go down to the Central Public Library in Bugis. Yes, so I lugged 40 over books in an auntie trolley to Bugis.
On the event day, May’s husband offered to drive us there. May wanted to beat the crowd and pick out the books she really wanted so being the first few in the queue would give her an advantage. They picked Shortcake and I up at 4.15am. YES, 4.15AM. And the bunch of us arrived there dark and early, to catch the security guard sleeping while on duty.
Of course we were the first ones there. It was a good 1 hour plus before another person arrived. She took the taxi to chop place for her friends.
We started to chop places by queuing with our auntie trolleys. I didn’t have one so I borrowed mine from another student’s mother.
By the time it was 7am, the queue had stretched all the way back till we could no longer see the end from where we were. I don’t regret going over so early to queue, but it was very embarrassing when the news crew asked if they could interview us and take our photos. We didn’t agree but if you watched the news that evening, you might have seen us there. We told them we started queuing at 6am so that we don’t appear so kiasu, and that next year, nobody would try to be as early as us. I don’t want to wake up at 3am.
These are the books that I picked. I’ve managed to grabbed some books from the Shopaholic series, the book from the Taxi driver guy who had a famous blog in Singapore and then some comics and other novels. They have basically everything from Dan Brown, Sandra Brown, Anne Rice, Nicholas Sparks, Stephen King, anything really.. Even books for children.
I will definitely participate again next year. Shortcake was telling me that I should have gotten more of the Dan Brown and Sandra Brown novels. I took some but put them back as I already have them in my ebook.
HarnHam 