Twisted 8 1/2 by Jessica Zafra

Where to start? Jessica Zafra‘s latest essay collection, Twisted 8 1/2. I wolfed this down in an hour or so. Not because of its size, but because the writer has always wielded that power to make such invested readers out of old fans and fresh converts alike.

I decided to get my friends “generic” gifts this Christmas. I ordered copies from the writer herself via SMS, who willingly agreed to an afternoon meetup. Gahd, Rockwell in Christmas. Everyone was hoarding sweets and pastries like crazy, and the huge cartons carted off by even the most well-meaning gift-givers crept me out a bit. Cupcakes were sold out, “rich fudge brownies” and “food for the gods” seemed to be spelled out on every forehead coming my way.

Anyway, back to The Meetup. The writer was a bit too polite for my expectations. Apologized for coming in late, albeit just a good five minutes. I was able to fish out my other Twisted books for signing before the mob of other book buyers could execute their own attack.  Handed out a copy to my boss the same afternoon, giving a blow-by-blow account.

Me: I met her this afternoon. Pretty nice for my expectations. She apologized for arriving late. She reminded us to count the books; she gets “dokleng” daw all the time.
Boss: Aww really? You should have had your photo taken with her.
Me: Nah. I want to preserve the whole thing in my memory.
Boss: How poetic.
Me: *She’s a nice Christian girl. She can’t be sarcastic, can she?*

Twisted 8 1/2 contains entries published  in Zafra’s blog (Yes, she blogs, but asserts that not one of the 16 accounts in Facebook belongs to her) and in her Philippine Star Sunday column. She officially calls herself a technology columnist in one of the essays. I had fun reading about 1 TB hard drives, Lomo, nose hair trimmers, and other technological coups and misadventures. And still the same style that will keep you going back to your old Twisted series.

The paperback is available for P100. It’s officially the best gift I ever handed out.