Friday, April 25, 2008

Omuniuum & Reading Lights

On a Friday Freeday morning, April 25th, 2008.

S: "Shall we execute our plan?"
T: "By bike or angkot?"
S: "Up to you"
T: ... (considering)
T: (braving up) "Let's take our bikes"

Our first target was Omuniuum, a bookshop across Parahyangan University. We've read some publications about this place but have never actually been there. Leaving Kanayakan, we went through Dago Asri housing complex, out at the intersection of Cisitu (Sangkuriang?) and Siliwangi. We had to go against the traffic for a couple of meters, then slided down Siliwangi street until the bridge. The route has been downhill so far. After the bridge started the ascending road.

Syb could handle the climb easily. Me, I had only my will to stay on the bike. None of us knew the place, so we stopped at a wrong spot - a Circle K - just underneath the aimed address. That's where I had the chance to collapse a bit, before continuing our journey. When we finally got to the place and locked our bikes together, we could feel ourselves sweating like a dog. No, dogs don't sweat; they pant. Anyway, our sweat didn't stop running until another half hour, at least. But let's not talk about perspiration.

The shop was weirdly hidden. There's no sign whatsoever; I had to ask a person at the parking space about the entrance. We had to enter a small, dingy restaurant to reach a staircase that goes directly to Omuniuum. Getting in, I had to rest again on a couch, facing the street. Until Syb called out from behind, "It's all comics here!" (that was enough to get me springing up towards the designated shelf).

The shop isn't too big and choices are limited. Of course, we shouldn't compare it to our favorite second hand English bookshop in Amsterdam: Book Exchange. However, I found interesting books of my childhood: The Famous Five (even the half-comics version), Malory Towers, and a lot more Blyton series, Nina, Tintin, Johan & Pirlouit and many more old (Belgian and European) comics published by Misurind, and novels from my teenage days by Bung Smas. At the end of our visit, our grazing throughout the small shop resulted in:
Confessions of Felix Krull (15K)
Nobrow (38K)
Lateral Thinking (35K)
Mangan Ora Mangan Kumpul (35K)
Panji Koming (35K)
Joe Sacco's Palestina (20K)
Tao Te Ching (20K)
The Saying of Confucius (15K)
Crime and Punishment (35K)

It started to drizzle, but no problem - our next target was nearby: Reading Lights, at the upper corner of Siliwangi Street. We only had to go downhill and turn left after the traffic light. No sweat. This place provides more seats and offers drinks and snacks, as well. They seem to have less options of books (compared to Omuniuum) but it's a pleasant place nonetheless. We browsed and picked our books and sat at a table facing the huge window, watching the rain showering the street. It's obvious that we were tempted to try their café service.

On to the menu: hot/iced coffee, hot/iced coffee, snacks, light meals, specialties. Guess what: they have Neil Gaiman Coffee(!). I almost ordered that one, but I didn't, because:
(1) It is an iced coffee, while I preferred a hot drink at that moment.
(2) The mix includes peanut butter, which is not exactly my idea for a drink substance
Maybe next time, when I feel the need to brag to Neil that I've drunk a coffee named after him.
So here's our order:
- Hot cappuccino (the "super" variation, meaning extra thick) for Syb
- Hot honey-lemon tea for me
The drinks were accompanied by two kinds of sugar (white and palm) and each drink came with two pieces of kattetong-like biscuits.
- Pancake with chocolate syrup for Syb: three pieces of folded golden-colored pancakes, swimming in glistening dark liquid, half-melting dark-chocolate buttons scattered all over.
- Honey cinnamon toast for me and Syb: two layers of crusty toasted white bread, cut into tiny squares, damp on the surface with honey and cinnamon sugar.
And here's our shopping spree:
The Human Consequences (Brian J.L. Berry) 25K
The Naked Society (Vance Packard) 30K
The Bonfire of the Vanities (Tom Wolfe) 35K - discount 20%

The sky has cleared up, the sun shone again, we were fueled and ready to go back home (besides, our backpack started to fill up and it was Syb's turn to be the 'pack mule'). Downhill until the bridge, a climb along the rest of Siliwangi and Sangkuriang, then turn right at Cisitu. The road is not steep but it was full of parking cars and stopping angkot, which caused us to halt and slither our way through the traffic. Home safely by one o'clock, tired but refreshed at once. That was a pleasant morning!

OMUNIUUM
Jl. Ciumbuleuit 151 b lt.2 Bandung
[front of unpar, for this time entrance through mie jak & gubuk dongeng]
Ph. 022-2038279
email : omuniuumbooks@yahoo.com
http://omuniuum.blogspot.com/

READING LIGHTS
Jl. Siliwangi 16 (near Ciumbuleuit)
Bandung - 40141
West Java
Ph. 022-203 6515
http://readinglights.blogspot.com/
OPENING HOURS
Tue & Wed : 10 am - 6 pm
Thu, Fri & Sat : 10 am - 10 pm
Sun : 11 am - 8 pm
Monday Closed

the photo above is taken from readinglights website

63 comments:

  1. oh I love this place ! banyak koleksi buku2 bagus...buku2 baru & koleksi2 lama...
    salam buat ijob & arief kalo mereka masih disana yaaaaaa

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  2. very welcome. iya aku jg mau mampir lagi - kalo kira2 mereka udah dapet koleksi baru :)

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  3. yang mana? atau dua-duanya? :) oke nanti aku tanya2 kalo ke sana lagi, cari yg namanya ijob atau arief :D sampai ketemu besok di bandung!

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  4. Beberapa taun yang lalu pernah pesen buku buku Roald Dahl edisi lama dari Omuniuum, pelayanannya menyenangkan sekali heheheh...

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  5. Tee...hee... jarang yah bisa outing berdua seperti ini. Ke toko komik pula!

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  6. aduh, jadi kangen bandung banget, Ta...membayangkan naik sepeda dari dago turun ke siliwangi, trus naik ke ciumbuleuit :D Bandung katanya lagi dingin, ya?
    Mau mampir ah ke toko buku di seberang Unpar :)

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  7. hihi iya jarang banget :P wah, I wish toko khusus komik! tapi toko buku bekas berbahasa inggris spt ini udah lumayan banget ;))

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  8. ini perjuangan banget ya :P
    iya dingin, ujan melulu, anginnya juga lumayan.. para ABG jadi pada bisa ngeceng dengan sweater, jaket, cardigan trendy dll, menutupi seragam sekolah masing2 :)

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  9. hmm.. bisa dicoba lagi nih.. *nginget2 buku2 kecengan tadi pagi, yg belom kebeli*

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  10. Duh, baru ngebayanginnya aja udah ngos-ngosan! =))
    Kayaknya asik ya toko2 bukunya, ntar pingin juga ke sana ah...tapi gue mah naik angkot aja ah! ;)

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  11. jalan juga bisa makplon, kan nggak gerah :D
    hayuk, ntar ta' temenin ;)

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  12. Mauuuu! Iyalah, kalo jalan cape kan bisa duduk-duduk di warung tehbotol sejenak :D

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  13. whoa, naik sepeda menanjak siliwangi. hiii. setor paru-paru deh...

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  14. Ta, seru pisan, romantis euy, kencan-di- tokobuku-sambil-naik-sepeda
    *bayangin bisa nemu 2 tempat kaya gini di Jkt

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  15. Mau ikutaaaaaaaan bike dan belanja2 buku kalo main ke Bandung! Boleh ya Mbaaaaaaaaaa :-p

    *aku enjoy banget baca perjalanan santainya Mba Tita* sampe membayang2kan :-)

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  16. Love reading lights, the atmosphere, snacks (delighting), and the books, some are rare colectibles. Love omunium too, the owner's so sweet and I got some books that I looked for which I found it hard to get anywhere. Tony & Iit, love you!

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  17. haaa romantis ya? *kebayang pas sedang terengah2 nanjak* ;))
    di jakarta, kalau ada, mungkin infonya bisa dicari di forum/situs komunitas ekspat?

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  18. sapa takuuut (eh takut deng, takut kalap belanja :P)

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  19. hayuuukkk! sambil jajan2 juga tentunya :D

    *makasihhh - happy to hear that :)

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  20. a vast customer, are you? :)
    (gotta try their other snacks one day!)

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  21. Sebenernya mah gua agak jarang kesana, tapi gua kenal deket ama yang punya (omu) and managernya ( reading lights..) kekekeke.... ini promosi.... har har har...

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  22. oohh hahahah... promosiin yang asik2 gini mah nggapapaaa :))

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  23. anjir, ada makmak ama bule, jadi ojek sepeda :-)

    ketemu iit, ngga?
    iit omuunium ?

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  24. nggak kenal euy. di sana wkt itu cuma ketemu satu mas yg jaga di penjualan, dan satu mbak di bagian perpusnya.

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  25. Saya sempat jadi langganan Readinglights, padahal belum pernah ke sana sih :D

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  26. langganan? langganan mesen buku, atau langganan blog-nya?
    ayo mampir kalo pas lagi di deket2 sini :)

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  27. wah dari kalo ke bandung dari gerlong sepedaan ke cimbuleuit kuat nggak yak? ^^;; Udah lama mau ke Omuniuum tapi blum kesampean aja. baca tulisan mbak Tita jadi kabita ^_^

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  28. pantesan.. gak ada sepedanya.. seru kan bawa sepeda masup toko.. ;)

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  29. Ah iya, romantis sekali, mana hujan2an lagi - ngos2an naik sepeda is just a minor detail :)

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  30. Langganan beli.
    Pengen mampir, tapi tiap saya ada di Bandung pasti lagi long weekend. Long weekend di Jalan Siliwangi = menakutkan.

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  31. Wow, thanks for the recommendation, the omuniuum will be in my "must-visit list", apalage ada kumpulan Mak Blyton, hhhaaayyyaaa... sumangat '45 dweh... merci, ma belle:)

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  32. I'll just go crazy here. *catet di daftar must visit*

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  33. tapi ntar dikasih label harga, terus ikutan dijual... :(

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  34. hahaha.. mayornya pas berusaha mengembalikan napas saat koleps...

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  35. iya asik banget, langsung menemukan 'mesin waktu' gitu :))
    bahkan sampe seri blyton yang buku2 kecilnya juga ada! *langsung berusaha nabung*

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  36. jadi kapan kita go crazy bareng, nih? ;;)

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  37. selamat telah berpartisipasi dalam kampanye STOP GLOBAL WARMING.
    sekarang lagi memikirkan untuk beli sepeda , hmm harus beli dua :-(

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  38. Nanti ya setelah bisa ngabur dari Medan ;))

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  39. wow... ke omuniuum pake sepeda ? najak donk...

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  40. cuma perginya aja kok. pulangnya: pahala! :D

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  41. OMUNIUUM...... pernah mampir pas mereka masih lokasinya deket ama sekolah St. aloysius..... terus hilang entah kemana...ternyata.... thank you for sharing... love this place....

    reading lights.... selalu pengen datang tapi selalu juga kelewat... makanya belumpernah nyampe sampai sekarang

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  42. iya ya, letaknya strategis banget. sebelum mampir ini aku juga tertariknya karena ngebaca spanduk gede di depan tokonya: we buy your used english books. prospektif banget ;)

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  43. iya....spanduknya segede gaban... sempet mikir buat nyumbangin buku2 ke sana.... tapi kayaknya gak kepake ya...soalnya isinya sangat spesifik.....

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  44. eh belom tentu.. kali2 ada yg khusus ke sana utk nyari "spesifik" sejenis :D

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  45. Jangan dibayangkan Nat, dicoba ajah :p Tak kasih pinjem deh sepeda gue. Enteng kok tanjakan ke ciumbeuluit hehehehe (ala setan)

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  46. Saya suka jual buku bekas ke toko ini Tapi pelit ah buku bagus masak cuma dihargai maksimal 20rebu.

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  47. format novel paperback segitu ya? dijualnya juga sekitar 35ribuan sih :P (yg nggak dikorting)

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  48. Bukan novel. Buku " Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl", (dan 2 buku lainnya), semuanya hardcover, disampul, dan dalamnya bersih. Ya daripada saya buang ke tong sampah, ya minimal jadi duit lah.

    Ini juga ada beberapa yang mau saya jual. Kemaren buku paperback "Last Don"-nya Mario Puzo saya buang.

    Oh iya sapa tahu disini ada kolektor mad magazine, saya punya nih beberapa tahun 98an. Sapa tahu minat, daripada saya bakar.

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  49. wah, saya juga doyan ini, dan nggak pernah tega ngebuangnya. mau dijual borongan?

    (hardcover bersih cuma dihargai 20rb? ckckck...)

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  50. Ya borongan aja, ada sekitar 10-15. Nanti saya kumpulkan lagi deh. Kondisinya bagus karena sampul putih pelapis halaman muka tidak pernah saya lepas. Ada juga national geography 97/98 tapi kondisinya gak bagus. Kalo minat tak kasih haratis dah.

    Hukum pasar ya begitu, berbisnis buku bekas ya beli murah lalu jual mahal.

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  51. Sip, kabarin lagi nanti ya. NG juga suka :)

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  52. ini dah masuk ke list places to visitku loh..eh malah nggak jadi ke Bandongnya..tapi kupasti datang...jangan ngidam dulu sebelum asem squshnya datang yak buw.. (ehh..nih ries von tembi )

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  53. ohohoho.. siaap, pasti kutemenin sampek ranselnya penuh!

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  54. kaw mang pecinta multiply, kaw bahagya kan liat bawaanku bermultiply heheheh

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  55. pertama kali mampir ke omu utk ambil kaos koil...
    kedua kali mampir ke omu utk ambil kaos kubik...
    sama mulai belanja buku juga
    ketiga kali mampir ke omu utk tuker buku yg salah cetak
    keempat kali mampir ke omu? belon tuh... he3x

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