CY@CY Says Welcome to my dreamscape. Where a Lim is also a Ling.
Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. – Richard Steele, Tatler, 1710
It was during my primary school days at St Augustine’s Primary School in Binatang that I picked up reading as a hobby. I devoured books by Enid Blyton and immersed myself in the world of the Famous Five and Secret Seven. I would drop by Heng Chiong Bookstore a few times each month to see if there were any new books on their shelves. I also looked forward to the monthly Dolphin magazine and the weekly Borneo Bulletin.
When I entered Kai Chung Middle School, I moved on to authors like Alistair Maclean, Agatha Christie, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson, Ken Follett, Michael Crichton, Robin Cook, Sidney Sheldon, Stephen King and a host of others. I was influenced mainly by my eldest brother Chin Tian who has always been an avid reader. However I was also influenced by my sister Lim Kim who used to have a huge collection of Chinese romance novels by her favourite authors that included the Queen of Chinese Romance Chiung Yao (simplified Chinese: 琼瑶; traditional Chinese: 瓊瑤), Yi Shu or Isabel Nee Yeh-su (亦舒) and Yee Tak (衣達). Hey, in those days, I could read Chinese novels but this is almost an impossible feat for me nowadays especially with the widespread use of simplified Chinese and my much-deteriorated proficiency in Chinese.
Nowadays I read a lot of non-fiction especially on investment and other topics that appeal to me. Of course I still read the occasional novels. I would love to read more novels but my eyesight gets tired and stressed easily so I have to refrain myself from doing too much reading.
For those who don’t read, I guess you will never understand the joy that reading can bring. You will probably fail to understand why people love to curl up in bed or on their sofas with a book instead of someone of the opposite sex.
The greatest gift is a passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, it gives you knowledge of the world and experience of a wide kind. It is a moral illumination – Elizabeth Hardwick
When I pick up a novel, I immerse myself in a world unknown to mine. I experience what the characters in the book experience, escaping from reality and letting the imagination take hold. This is what reading is all about.
When you start reading a book, it instantly transports you to an exciting world. It stretches your imagination in new directions and takes your mind on a breathtaking journey. Reading allows for the mind to relax and for the imagination to take over, providing the perfect way to take a break from the hassles of modern life. Reading can be therapeutic as it enables you to take your mind off your problems and help you to unwind. I know that when I am stressing over work related matters, I can recharge by taking the time to read a few pages of a Robin Sharma book.
Books – the best antidote against the marsh-gas of boredom and vacuity. – George Steiner
For me, the best thing that has ever happened in Miri where reading is concerned was the opening of the Miri branch of Popular Bookstore. In the mid 1970s when I was doing my Form Six in Miri, the only bookstores that did carry some English novels were Hong Yi Bookstore and Kwan Bookstore but the choices were rather limited and you would never find any books on sale at discounted prices. Then came Belle Bookshop where one can get a 10% discount on books by becoming a member of the bookstore. But when Popular Bookstore opened in Miri, suddenly Mirians have a bookstore that is well-stocked with the latest bestsellers at affordable prices. Members can get 10-25% discount on the latest bestsellers. And when the bookstore has a sale on, books can become incredibly cheap. Just imagine buying a brand new paperback novel for say RM6.90!
I drop by Popular Bookstore a few times every month, often marveling at how many new books have arrived since my last visit. I usually head for my favourite section where books on investing are stacked. If I don’t find any book of interest there, I would browse through some of the other sections of the bookstore. I would often end up buying novels that are selling at irresistible prices between RM6.90 to RM10. Just two days ago, I bought the international bestseller “And the Mountains Echoed” by Khaled Hosseini at only RM26.20.
It has been said that a good book on your shelf is a friend that turns its back on you and remains a friend. Reading is a sure way to enrich ourselves with knowledge about life, culture, world issues and the world around us. It is also one of the best ways to improve our vocabulary and writing approach. Isn’t it time for you to pick up a book and start reading?
To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life. – Somerset Maugham