Christmas Gifts for MyseLf

Last Saturday, December 19, I was able to go out to the mall on my own! My cousin Mike, his wife, Marivic, and their children, Amber and Julie, are home decorating the house for Christmas; so they could look after Papa.

I was very excited. I was like a child who learned that his parents were taking him to a toy store. Imagine, that's how I feel here. The simple activity of going to the mall on my own is something extraordinary for me. In fact, about three months had passed since my previous day-off.

First I went to my favorite bookstore, Chapters, and bought the following books:

1. Faerie Tales, edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Russell Davis (2004, DAW Books) – a collection of twelve original tales about the Faerie realms, written by contemporary fantasy-fiction writers
2. Flights of Fantasy, edited by Mercedes Lackey (1999, DAW Books) – an anthology of eleven stories involving fantastic flying creatures, again, written by contemporary fantasy-fiction writers including the editor.

Several of the books on my list were unavailable in-store so I just placed an order, free delivery. Here're the books I look forward to receiving through the courier after a few days:

1. A Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell (1972, Princeton University Press)
2. Goblin Market & Other Poems by Christina Rossetti (1994, Dover)
3. On Dreams by Sigmund Freud (2001, Dover)
4. Essay on Man & Other Poems by Alexander Pope (1994, Dover)
5. Justine by Lawrence Durrell (1991, Penguin Books of Canada)
6. A Thousand Pieces of Gold (hardcover edition) by Adeline Yen Mah (2002, Harper Collins)
7. The Art of War by Sun Tzu (2005, Shambhala)

At Toys-R-Us, I bought the following Star Wars action figures, which were "buy-one, take-one-at-half-price":
1. Tanus Spijek – from Episode VI Return of the Jedi, a denizen of Jabba's villa
2. Princess Leia in Red Gown
3. Taun We – from Episode II Attack of the Clones, one of the Kamino cloners
4. Bib Fortuna – from Episode VI Return of the Jedi, Jabba's majordoma

At Future Shop and HMV, I bought the following DVDs:
1. Star Wars Ewok Adventures Double Feature (Caravan of Courage and The Battle for Endor)
2. Star Wars Animated Series: Droids
3. Star Wars Animated Series: Ewoks
4. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Special Extended Edition

Several weeks ago, when all went shopping for Christmas gifts, at Black Bond Books I bought Deluxe Book of Flower Fairies by Cicely Mary Barker (2003, Tumbleweed Press).

I went home with all those Christmas gifts for myself, but I still couldn't feel the spirit of the season, because I terribly miss home. This is another realization that no amount of material compensation can satiate the yearning of my soul for genuine love from people who truly care for me. Finally, I know now who I really am and those who really care for me, and what I really want for the remaining years of my life.

aLfie