Headline January 06, 2017/ ''' THE *BOOKAHOLIC* !WOW! '''

''' THE *BOOKAHOLIC* !WOW! '''

YES, I'M AWARE THAT'S A made-up word, but I think it's appropriate. I've have been addicted to books since I was about five years old.

It started when my father instituted ,  as part of our bonding time, a trip to the bookshop every  Friday  after school.

As a voracious reader,  he thought nothing of a weekly buying spree comprising at least  10 books  for each of us. 

After devouring  them, we would chat about the tomes we'd read,  and exchange insights and ideas that we'd gleaned from our respective piles of books that eventually littered our entire house. 

It's a habit that I've yet to kick. At last count, I have about  200  unread books strewn around my room.

I tend to eschew fiction, thanks to the fervent belief that real life is as, if not more interesting. Limiting my reading habit also helps to prevent me from book  buying-induced  bankruptcy.

I realise that my passion for books, especially physical ones, might seem a little hard to understand, especially for millennials, accustomed as they are to digital entertainment and gadgets that make  old-fashioned  paper-and-ink  books seem positively ancient.

I'm not sure if I can even explain the attraction. After all I too enjoy my electronic gadgetry as much as the next guy. 

But, for me,   books are irreplaceable. I can't really put into words, but there's something about their physical nature that puts me in a contemplative and focused state. 

Perhaps it's just me, but having the written word confront me from the pages of a book makes me read more deeply, and analyse and absorb the information more clearly. It actually activates my imagination in ways that digital technology can't.

In fact, if anything, technology seems to remove the need  *for the power of imagination*.  Who needs to even think these days?  Information and experience will come rocketing into your mind, whether your brain is switched on or not.

At the same time, in current age of short attention  spans and products that cater to them  {think Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.] there's still much to be said about long-form writing.

The ability to focus on an idea  for longer than  15 seconds  or  140 characters is a skill  that'll hold any of us in  good stead in daily life.

*Otherwise, we'll soon lose the ability to formulate complex strategy or come up with cleverly constructed ideas*.

Many, many parents use their smartphone or tablet to keep their young children entertained. While certainly convenient, it inculcates a few of those worrying habits that I mentioned earlier from a very early age. 

I remember being one of those odd kids who was never without a book, even at the dinner table  {geeks, I know}.

But for all the teasing that I endured, I'm glad that I caught the book bug, and haven't lost it since.

*Here's hoping that it never dies out for future generations too*. Now only if I could finish some of those  200  books   on my floor.

With best wishes for Nicholas Fang.

With respectful dedication to the Students, Professors and Teachers of the world. See Ya all on !WOW!   -the World Students Society and.... Twitter-!E-WOW!  -the Ecosystem 2011:

''' Reality Bites '''

Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless