My love for reading

While on the family car back home...

My siblings and I discussed reading. I can't remember how we came upon this topic, the earliest recollection I had was my brother mentioning that we exchanged 20 Enid Blyton books for 1 Harry Potter book at a bookshop in FEP and asking if it was worth it. I thought it was because, thinking back, the Enid Blyton books weren't nice at all and I didn't understand why I liked it so much when I was younger.

I then proclaim my love for reading, which my siblings cannot understand. They both agreed and told me that reading story books were a waste of time. They would rather spend the time reading non-fiction, which could improve their general knowledge.

I was neutral on this. I read both fiction and non-fiction, but I don't read very widely. The non-fiction books that I'd read were mostly finance or economics related, topics that I am interested in. However, I do not view reading fiction as a waste of time cus I read as a form of entertainment. Just like how my siblings would download movies/dramas to watch, I prefer to read. If given an option of reading or watching a movie adaption of the story, I would choose reading anytime. I feel like reading allows me to understand the protagonist and connect on a more intimate level compared to watching a movie. Well, I guess different people have different preferences.

My favourite author currently is George R.R. Martin. He is the author of <A Song of Ice and Fire>, the stories on which the TV show <Game of Thrones> is based on. At first, I couldn't accept the story plot and stopped watching the show. I took a break, went back and I was hooked!! I ended up buying the books to the entire series (which hasn't ended yet) and I have completed all the books.

I like him because his stories are refreshing. The characters in the series are very real, compared to Harry Potter/Katniss Everdeen/Robert Langdon. For example, for Harry Potter, the dilemmas he faced always were very clear, black or white and no grey. He always manages to make the right decision every single time and survives all of Lord Voldemort's attempt to take his life. Meanwhile, some of the dilemmas in ASOIAF weren't always black and white and I like how the characters were morally ambiguous, which is more reflective of reality. In real life, the decisions facing us is not always black and white. And the good does not always triumph over evil.

However, I just can't stand it when good does not triumph over evil!! I wonder if this tendency to feel good when justice is being served is innate in us? So I tend to get frustrated with GRRM's plot when he kills off the main characters. I feel good when I reach the end of Harry Potter/Hunger Games/Dan Brown books cus I know justice is served and the good triumphed in the end.

Again, I feel conflicted... But currently, he is still my favourite author!

I'm jobless

As much as I hate to use the word, I'm jobless. 90% of my time now is spent thinking about it. I spend my days applying for jobs then feeling bad for myself. Sometimes I go out and meet my friends, then I complain about it again. Oh god, I hate myself. It's negative but I can't help it!! I really shouldn't have been so picky a few months ago and apply to everything! Then maybe I would have spared myself the agony.

Sighhh...

I'm currently working on something, but it will never make me as happy as I will be when I get a job. Nevertheless I'm glad that I'm learning/doing something useful while I'm jobless.

Sighhh... Meanwhile I shall keep in mind what my mum told me: Patience Jing Wen patience.