I was finally compelled to write this blog after reading Bhing Comiso's hobby posted on her blog, Gumamela sa Paraiso. It is indeed great to be able to go places and meet people and know about many things, even without leaving your home or room. You can travel by just being relaxed on your bed or sofa. I even equate real travel with reading because every time I travel I would always buy at least 1 book or magazine or newspaper. Even in the plane when the snoring begins, I would still read ... and fall asleep just when the plane starts to descend. :)
I believe in the benefits of reading ... there are downsides but these are nothing compared to what we can get from reading. One can never read too much. We need wisdom though in handling all the information and knowledge we obtain from reading. Of course there are good and bad reads. I've had my share of spending time and money on reading materials which are nonsense (to me) but maybe useful for others. Or maybe not, especially when it comes to absolute truths. Indeed, we should not just judge a book by its cover.
What I really wanted to write about reading is to share something which transpired last December when I met with some of my high school classmates. We have one classmate who is well-known as a wide reader. So we understand each other because I love reading, too! Anyway we got to talking about reading and books and I said that you could really see the difference between a reader (esp. a wide reader) and a non-reader. The others in the group also agreed, and we discussed all its benefits.
And then one of our friends suddenly mentioned another person whose philosophy is "money is everything, never mind about reading!" Our conversation was something like this:
A: Our friend B did not really read that much but look at her these days!
All: uh-oh
A: True. She even said that she should have been the valedictorian of our class because she is the only one who has millions (of pesos) among us.
All: (speechless, mouths gaping) - ok this is an exaggeration but I am telling a story here ...
Me (ayaw patalo): Really? Life is not just about money and esp. millions of money ...
A (taken aback!): She was only joking, of course, when she said that (seemed like she was trying to appease us...)
Me (again): There are more important things in life than money. The question is how you obtained your millions!
A: She was only joking, of course! (pabawi pa ...)
-End of story-
OK, so there...I have finally written it. My narration might not do justice to the actual atmosphere and emotions of that moment coz the account above is just a translation of what transpired in the Kinaray-a language. But I hope you got the gist of it.
Oh well, to read or not to read? I will take reading any time, whether there is money in it or not!
I believe in the benefits of reading ... there are downsides but these are nothing compared to what we can get from reading. One can never read too much. We need wisdom though in handling all the information and knowledge we obtain from reading. Of course there are good and bad reads. I've had my share of spending time and money on reading materials which are nonsense (to me) but maybe useful for others. Or maybe not, especially when it comes to absolute truths. Indeed, we should not just judge a book by its cover.
What I really wanted to write about reading is to share something which transpired last December when I met with some of my high school classmates. We have one classmate who is well-known as a wide reader. So we understand each other because I love reading, too! Anyway we got to talking about reading and books and I said that you could really see the difference between a reader (esp. a wide reader) and a non-reader. The others in the group also agreed, and we discussed all its benefits.
And then one of our friends suddenly mentioned another person whose philosophy is "money is everything, never mind about reading!" Our conversation was something like this:
A: Our friend B did not really read that much but look at her these days!
All: uh-oh
A: True. She even said that she should have been the valedictorian of our class because she is the only one who has millions (of pesos) among us.
All: (speechless, mouths gaping) - ok this is an exaggeration but I am telling a story here ...
Me (ayaw patalo): Really? Life is not just about money and esp. millions of money ...
A (taken aback!): She was only joking, of course, when she said that (seemed like she was trying to appease us...)
Me (again): There are more important things in life than money. The question is how you obtained your millions!
A: She was only joking, of course! (pabawi pa ...)
-End of story-
OK, so there...I have finally written it. My narration might not do justice to the actual atmosphere and emotions of that moment coz the account above is just a translation of what transpired in the Kinaray-a language. But I hope you got the gist of it.
Oh well, to read or not to read? I will take reading any time, whether there is money in it or not!
