Y U NO READ!?

HELLO! Long time no see, huh. This blog was in a hiatus for awhile, mainly because.. I JUST FEEL LIKE IT.

No just kidding I was busy with college and university application. And you probably already know this but I got accepted into University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire! And University of Minnesota. And University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Okay everybody stop clapping and pick your jaws up from the floor it's actually not THAT hard to get into these universities. If you're taking the same course as me you'd know how it is. I'm just SO excited to go back to the States again and further my studies there. (And my semester break is from December 21 - January 21 and my birthday is on December 26 so I am sort of planning to go to NYC again!!! Fingers crossed, ey?)

Moving on.

First and foremost, I just want to sincerely apologize as this post might be a little, not to say controversial, but might make some people feel butthurt. I just want to express my opinions here as this truly has been bugging my mind for awhile. The good ol' saying 'siapa makan cili dia yang terasa pedasnya.' He who eats the chili tastes the spiciness? Okay that sounds way better in Malay but anyway.

This will be a very short post, nothing extraordinary. I just want to talk about the free(woohoo! Can I get a high five for that) RM200 book voucher issued by the oh-so-generous government to all students currently studying at a local university/college.


Sorry for the crappy quality, forgot to take a proper picture! Just used my iPod for this.

Now to say I was ecstatic would be an understatement. I was just over the moon! FREE BOOKS? WHAA? IZ U SRS?

I went to Kinokuniya before I even receive the voucher just to check out some titles I might consider buying. Then I even went on Amazon to see the book reviews, etc. You know, to make sure I spend the vouchers very, very wisely as free things rarely come our way.

Needless to say I managed to buy 4 books, with RM200 voucher, yes, I know, pretty expensive since the average is RM50 per book. But doesn't matter.
I received the voucher and let's just say they didn't need to worry about suffocating in my wallet (..not that my wallet is full because I'm broke all the time) because I use it maybe like few days after. Definitely within a week.


The books I bought! I've read 2 of them, 2 still in wrap harhar.

(I went to Kinokuniya on Thursday evening and already picked out the books, only to find out the queue to pay for the books was VERY, VERY LONG. So I heartbrokenly put the books back on the shelves and go home :( Then Friday I went there in the morning! No line at all huzzah.)

Now, the vouchers are valid for 3 months, I think. The last date being 31 March? If I'm not mistaken. But then the government extended it to 4 months and you can still use it till end of April. In case you're not from Malaysia (hi Catherine) you should know that these vouchers are also valid for stationeries and.. other, stuff sold at bookstores? Like bookmarks, magazines, etc. I THINK. My point is you can buy anything else other than books.

That is great news, but not for a second I even consider buying a fancy schmancy pen or a scented notebook (childhood stuff!) or those tiny lights that allow you to read in the dark. I go straight for the books. I mean the reason the government gave out those vouchers are to encourage reading among youth, isn't it? Pretty logical. (Okay to be honest they probably expect students to spend it on textbooks, or something educational like 'Biochemistry 101' but I can borrow those from the library and one literally costs more than RM100 so no thank you).

I used up mine in one go. Okay I was probably a little eager. But I know a lot of my friends STILL have the vouchers after 3 months+. Why aren't you rushing to the nearest bookstore now!?

I know some of my friends actually did spend it on, non-books stuff. Everytime I found out about it I feel like screaming WHY, WOULD YOU DO THAT. It's your voucher, I know, but did you totally miss the stacks and rows and rows of wonderful books you passed by on the way to the stationery section?

And then there are some people who 'don't know what to buy' with the vouchers. I mean, the safest bet is to go to the bestseller list and just grab whatever. Ask some people what would they recommend you to read. (Or make a Goodreads account! They can suggest books you might like based on what you've read before.) I can relate if you're being really cautious and not wanting to waste it, but honestly you don't need to worry about wasting anything as a good book won't let you down anyway.

And then some people who actually TRADED IT with money (or sell it, and get caught BOO YAH). THESE, are the worst. I'm not judging, hey you might come from a poor family and I feel you. BUT, those who exchange it just because they want the MONEY instead of spending it on something that might make your brain work better (aka NEWSFLASH! : Books), I just don't get you. In fact, I loathe you. I mean, READ SOMETHING. It doesn't have to be novels, you like photography? Buy a book on photography. Everybody likes jokes, buy a book on humour and laugh your ass of and entertain everybody at the next party you go to. JUST. READ. DAMMIT. That's the purpose of this whole thing! The infamous 'Malaysians only read 2 PAGES, not books, PER YEAR' statistics. YOU. ARE. TO. BLAME.

I weep for humanity.

Okay I'm getting a little dramatic but uggghhh it just frustrates me SO MUCH! I go to bookstores all the time and gets frustrated too, but because of these wonderful books I want to read but there's so little time. Books that are just waiting to be hold and take me on an amazing adventure, teach me something about life, helps me to improve my English, widen my vocabulary, makes me laugh, makes me fall in love! Makes me cry, makes me excited about life. Gives me hope, inspires me. Helps me to figure out myself, accompanies me, and being my best friend.

Those are what a book means to me.

And if you are foolish enough to NOT like reading, I truly feel sorry for you. I really do. It's like your mind is stuck being in one place, a prison when the key is in your hands and you're free to go ANYWHERE, literally out of this world if you want to, but you decided to keep your feet locked in one spot.

That's just sad. I've always loved the quote, "If you don't like to read, you haven't found the right book yet." I don't know who said it, apparently the internet says JK Rowling but I don't find that source reliable, so let's just say the quote was said by someone very, very wise.

Please, do yourself a favor and read. I can't stress that enough. If a book takes you 3 months to finish, then so be it. Your brain will thank you for it.


(I'd also want to make a shout out to my dad because he's the one who sorta got me into reading. AND also paid for 99.9% of the books on my shelves teeheheehehehe)




ps; This is beside the point but I honestly can't see myself with a guy who doesn't read. Just saying.

pps; Again, I just want to apologize if anybody felt butthurt by this post. Hope we can still be friends xoxo~*~*
If you have anything to say do leave a comment! ...Okay nobody will who am I kidding lol.