I did not remember precisely when I started reading. It probably started when I was at grade 2 or 3. There was a library located next to the playground where I would do some ball games with other kids. Then, after the ball games, wet with sweats, I would then stay under the fan of the library just to dry myself up before going home (I know it may sound strange now, but considering this 40 years ago back in Hong Kong). Then, during the dry up time, I would pick a few books pretending I was reading them (as it's the regulation there inside the library that you were there to do reading), and later on, it's interesting development that I slowly become fond of going to the library to read books rather than going to the playground for the ball games. There were another interesting observation made that when I read the books, I read them one by one by section. What I mean is, I will go for a section, e.g. Second World War, and then I would start reading from the first book on the shelf, then the second, then the third, etc. Yeah, I know it may sound wired (that I did not only choose those that I would enjoy reading), but then this can also be simply "part of me" that I wanted to read everything and that I enjoyed reading everything!
Most of my friends who visited my house would notice I love books. I have thousands of them and they range from antique publications, old books reprints (my favorite), business, management, medical & professional publications, biographies and autobiographies (second favorite), histories, spiritual & philosophical stuffs, collection items (i.e. books that I borrowed and read and I like it so much that I would buy them for my collection), etc. I always like to recommend to people books that I enjoyed reading and I also like to give away books as gifts, or loans (of sometime no return) with the expectation that the guy would read it and then pass on to others. Good books should always be shared!
Being in Vancouver, we have one of the best library system. (*Thanks to this system, the amount of money I spent on books have significantly reduced, despite I still hold on to my Chapters' Club Card.) You can go on to the internet library to browse and search for those books that you may like to read, order it through the internet and to be picked up at a library nearby your home, and upto 25 books at a time! You can loan it for 1 months (30 days), and it costs you nothing ... yes, nothing (except you are late in return or did not pick up what you have booked for)! In the above picture, the middle pile of books are those books that I got from the library. All about cancer, from survival guide to Chicken Soup's Stories, from diet suggestion to life after recovery (see how pro-active I am)! Then, there were a few others, on the left side of the photo, one was sent in by a friend of mine in Hong Kong, second one from my sister (bought in England written by a cancer survivor offering practical tips) and third one is the one I actually read it 10 years ago which then go into my "collection items". It's a book written by a cancer patient at his last three months of life. A very direct, honest and sincere account of the author's last three months' feeling and views on issues!
Nowadays, we receive our information from internet, then TV, newspaper, magazines, and possibly books (though I am not sure how many of you still read books). I don't know where should I insert "hear-says", "gossips", or "repeated forwarded messages through emails" at the above chain of information source. Personally, I find I can ONLY learn by reading books (and the other sources of information are really meant for supplementary, and I must admit internet makes information so assessable which is great!). Books are usually well organized (assuming they are of good quality) and thus easy to be read and understood.
Knowledge is power, and to gain knowledge, we need to read and to be educated! Reading and learning is part of my life ... and I really enjoy reading and continuous learning ... until the last day of my life! Why not?
