I may like to gripe about how Vivocity is always too crowded, how the design sucks and how it lacks a personality because it tries to be everything. But despite all that, I do visit the giantess mall rather frequently and there's a part of me that enjoys being there, even if it's for no particular reason at all. Sometimes on the way home from school, I'll drop by to look at nice clothes, to pretend to be able to afford shopping at one of those upmarket stores and to generally feel good. And because it's just a five minute commute from my place, it feels very neighbourhood shopping mall. Like another Tiong Bahru Plaza or Great World City, just a lot bigger. Vivocity has everything I need, except a KBox.

And of course, there's lovely PageOne there, which draws me to it like a magnet all the time. Now it's not me to be drawn to bookstores. I find Borders quite a turn-off because there are (or used to be) kids hanging around and they read on the floor and are very irritating. MPH does not whet my appetite for books. I think it has to do with the uninspiring layout of the shelves and all which unfortunately reminds me of Popular bookstores. Kino is a lot more palatable, except that I don't have any special feelings for it because one, I seldom go there and two, I don't really read.

So I guess what attracts me to PageOne is not the collection of books there. It doesn't have a very rich collection anyway, since it's so much smaller compared to places like Borders which prides itself on being big. But that doesn't really matter to me because there's a reason why libraries exist. And despite being small, they do have quite a bit of Chinese books and so that's very nice. I like PageOne for its pleasant ambience. It's pretty quiet inside, a welcome respite from the noisy cinema crowd just outside, and kids don't go in and loiter, probably because they all disappeared to Toys 'R' Us or the open-air playground. And I like the quirky bookshelves, the subtlety in tone of the lighting, and that touch of nostalgia which originated from that period of time when I was working at M company and used to go there and read my lunchtime away.

So it being labour day today and I am without a date and I have resolved to stay away from Facebook, Viwawa and other evil things and the library is closed for the public holiday, I headed down to PageOne with all my allowances in tow and surprise surprise, I bought a book home! I can't remember when the last time I bought a book was, not including textbooks. And now, The Kite Runner is sitting on my bed, and I wonder if I am the last person in the world to read the book which everyone has been raving about.