Pleasures of Reading
We read deeply for varied reasons, most of them familiar, that we cannot know enough people profoundly enough; that we need to know ourselves better; that we require knowledge, not just of self and others, but of the way things are. ~ Harold Bloom Reading is a must for me. Thanks to my parents, this habit was inculcated in me at a very young age. My dad (God bless his soul) would read me books in English and translate them to Malay.My mom would be doing her stuff and listen in and add a thing or two. It was fun, but after a while I got fed up and wanted to read on my own. So in school I would borrow books in English and read them on my own and ask my dad to translate whenever I didn't understand something. My interest in reading heightened when at the age of 14, my mom brought back a Mills & Boon from office and asked if I wanted to read it. I took weeks to finish and actually understand what I was reading but that was like a turning point in my life because I realized that I could READ in English. Reading in Malay, of course, was not a problem. While reading the book, I had to refer to the dictionary countless times but it was worth it. Then I started to buy and rent Mills & Boons (excuse the genre...) and exchange them with friends at school. My reading slowly improved. I started to read English magazines. At that time I was so hoo-ha over Duran Duran that I almost bought all those English magazines that featured them! By the way, reading was how I spent my time at home after school. Mom and dad were busy making a living and there was no cable TV (kids noways are so fotunate, huh?). My reading got much much better when I entered college because I was doing English and I had to take reading courses which equipped me with the necessary skills to read effectively (thank God). Then I started reading more serious stuff...of course, this could not be avoided since I had to take literature courses and all that jazz. Plus, there's no way I could run away from reading. The beauty of being a college student is that you gotta do a lot of reading...! I maintained reading the romance genre throughout my college years, though :-) (What's wrong with reading romance???)
I think there is never a day in my life that I have not read. Reading has done wonders for me. Reading has made me improve my English.Tremendously. Reading has taught me to have an open mind. Reading made me become critical of the things that I read, see and experience. Reading made me discover great writers whose imagination are beyond words..(A toast to writers!!!)
I prefer reading fiction, though. Romance is OK once in a while... hehehe. Academic reading is fun, too, provided the writer uses simple, understandable English and doesn't sound like a pompous ass! Right now my only worry is...that I 'd die, leaving behind thousands of unread great books out there...
As for writing, I can't really say that I like it...though I used to do well in college writing courses :-). Man, I'm not even sure why I have this blog :-)
But whatever it is, my eternal gratitude to my dad. And my mom. For reading to me when I was a kid. For making the time to read for me... If not for them, I don't think I'd be where I am now...
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