The Joy of Reading!

When was the last time you read? Do you have a daily habit of reading? 

Most of the people nowadays read only what's going on in their social media account. Browsing in their Facebook, or Instagram account,  watching updates in  the latest OOTDs  of famous personalities,  what's in and what's out when it comes to their  favorite music,  movies,  trending videos and famous places,  latest  gadgets, and fashion.

Since,  we are now in the digital world, and most of the people are in a stay-home mode because of the pandemic. I guess it is a normal thing to do.   Think about it,  we are now in the 2nd year of this global pandemic,  I think it is best that we  find ways of being productive by learning new things  and spending our time  wisely. As the saying goes, “Time well spent leads to life well lived.”  Who knows?  Learning a new skills or develop a new habits. These new skills might be  useful in the future,   it might give you a new job or an opportunity that will give  you benefits like additional income. Simply discover your passion that  will make you truly  happy and fulfilled.

Way back in  mid 1970s, there was no shopping malls,  nor the television does not exist yet. We get the  latest news through listening to  the radios, or reading a  newspapers or any paper printed materials.  The usual routine back then  were hanging  outside the  house just killing the time  and listening to  conversation and talks about what's the latest gossip in  the  neighborhood. There are some group who loves to play  chess or checkers.  Others, visit their   friends or  neighbors, or  if you  love to read books like me, the school library is the  usual place to hang out. 

Yes, I spent most of my childhood  in the library  reading stories about legends, fables, and myths. Komiks or comics is another  popular reading materials during my time.  Comics is so popular as  it is the cheapest form of entertainment costing  1 peso  to 3 pesos per issue only. It is regarded as the "people's choice of entertainment and the most popular pastime of the Filipinos.  Nowadays it is now called webtoon or digital comics. Popular webtoons are from Japan and South Korea called  Japanese Manga, Manhwa which are about epic saga and short stories.  

The published stories in the comics are either a short story that can be  finished in one reading or a lengthy, serialized novel that takes  weeks or even months to finish.  Popular Filipino comic writers then  are Francisco V. Coching, Severino Reyes, Mars Ravelo, Tony Velasquez, Pablo Gomez, Jose Zabala Santos, Fred Carillo and Nestor Redondo. etc. Sad to say that these creative writers are now so few, and have diminished in numbers.

Magazine is another popular reading and  Liwayway  magazine is one of the  best if not the most popular weekly magazine then.   "Liwayway"  is a Tagalog word meaning "dawn" and   contain  serialized novels, short stories, poetry, serialized comics, essays, news features, entertainment news. This magazine is printed in Tagalog language. 

When I reached high school,  pocket books was introduced like  Mills and Boons, Harlequin Romance, Sweet Dreams; mystery books like Nancy Drews, Agatha Christie etc.  My reading habits  progressed from pocket books to  thick fiction novels borrowed from the school libraries or bought from the National Bookstore. National Bookstore is one of the biggest and popular bookshop in the Philippines then. The  popular fiction authors  then are Harold Robbins, Danielle Steele, Robert Ludlum, Sidney Sheldon  and more. 

When I started working and had the money to pay, I became  a regular customer of  National Bookstore.   I also became a member of the Book-of-the-month club - an online store  based in USA where you can order books and  shipment will be done by mail post. Readers Digest magazine become one of my favorite magazine and got regular subscriptions  as well as few local magazines. 

When I  started working  abroad  based in Dubai, UAE,  reading books became my  companion and my week end buddy.   It  became  my  savior from homesickness, being miles and miles away from home and my family.   As an expatriate,  there is not much to do during the weekends, except go to the  beach, or to  the park, travel in an out of town trips  and go to the shopping malls which is a bit expensive and exhausting too if often done. 

When bored at home, I usually visit Book World / Kinokuniya at Dubai Mall,  Magrudy's at Jumeirah, Borders at Mall of Emirates and Jashanmall at Dubai Festival City and Mall of the Emirates too for book-reading-finds.  These are my favorite  bookstores in Dubai. Then, we discovered Dubai Flea Market which are selling mostly  used and second hand items,  at a bargain price,  opened every Friday only.   

Collecting books has been my treasure-find  for years  and also serve as my anti-stress reliever.    I have collected tons of books enough to make a library. The genres of the books that I have in my collection varies from fiction, to non-fiction, self-help books and motivational books, few encyclopedias too.  

Reading Books has been my  joy  and comfort over the  years. I have  created  habits that are hard to break some times like buying book when I still have a lot of books unread at home.  The happiness of having a new book in my possession makes me happy and excited. Weird, right? That is how  passionate I am with books.

When the demands for printed books had reduce because of the digital technology and the introduction of digital and  online technology. Books are now available in audio file,  electronic form, e-book, pod cast and even Apps.  There are advantages in the introduction of the internet world  as it  save you the effort of going to the bookshop and carrying books by hand. 

Now you can purchase books online and download them.  The demand for print copy has reduced. There is even a tablet that are specifically for reading like Kindle tablet. There is some search engine or apps that had  created a library as an added feature, where you can store as many books as you want to read, and this are  user-friendly features in the use of their applications or software. 

Over the years, people adapted to these changes, even the schools implemented the  process of  having  textbooks available in PDF format and accessible through the website.  The books are now available on the tips of your fingertips as you can read them in your gadgets like cellphone, tablet,  laptop and even desktop computer.  A digital audio file can both be streamed online and stored on a disc or hard drive, too. Book reading has been made easy because of the power of internet and digital technology.

Despite the presence of online platform,  print books are still my preferred reading format.   I like the feel of the texture of the print paper in my hand and the smell of the  pages as you flip the pages of the book.  Call it old fashioned, but it has a certain appeal that touch my heart and bring back good and happy memories. Although the digital format has it perks and useful contribution, and had made our  life easier and brought convenience,   gone are the days of long hours in the library or staying out late.  

Social media and digital technology has brought many changes in our lives.  Yet, there are still one thing that remain unchanged throughout the years, and that is a good learning  attitude. Reading is a tool that all successful entrepreneurs develop in their journey to success. So, I encourage all to read books as much as we can and continue the habit of reading  everyday as there are many benefits that we can get from it, as follows:

1. Reading  stimulates your mind to think, keeps you away from Alzheimer or Dementia.
2. Reading reduce stress as it keeps your mind busy and occupied.
3. Reading gives you knowledge as well as increase in vocabulary as the saying goes "Knowledge is Power".   The more you read, the more you grow and  learn things.
4. Reading  improves your memory as reading is an exercise of the mind, it makes you become good in analytical skills,  improves your focus and concentration, and  become better in writing skills, too.

How do you develop the habit of  reading? 

You can start reading by choosing a book that interest you. You can begin reading  that is easy to  finish and according to your time frame and availability. Thick novels are not advisable for those who are just starting to read. You can also create  reading goals, like reading one or two pages a day, you must do this consistently for 21 days  to achieve your goal with positive results.  

Gradually,  increase the number of pages that you read until you develop the habit of reading within you. And in the end of this process, you will discover there is so much fun in reading and it will widen your perspective in life, increase your knowledge and sharpen your mind, too.

Happy Reading, Happy Learning to all !