my lolo taught me how to read

i love to read. although i'm not a mad book collector, i own a few worth-keeping books (according to my standards, that is), and when i read them, i let my soul, not just my eyes, wander through the pages.

i don't like neat books. i don't actually care for my books. or let me put it this way, i am not an oc when it comes to my books. the best i could do is cover them with plastic wrap - at least the ones left back at home - and then proceed to reading them like crazy. i fold the corners of the pages instead of using bookmarks. i don't mind having fold marks at the sides of the book. i believe the more i physically abuse my book, the more it serves its purpose. hehehe. a book is not a book if it is neat and shining and new. wear-and-tear is an evidence that it was read page by page.

reading a borrowed book is another story. of course, i won't abuse borrowed books hahaha!

reading. it brings me back to how and when i learned to read. i was 4 (or almost 4 maybe) years old. i have very vivid memories of my lolo sitting with me, with a paper and a pencil, drawing symbols which later on evolved to letters.

letters, as my lolo said, when put alongside with other letters, form words. you'll just have to put the sounds together too. i think i remember the first word was "cat". and the rest was history.

as a 3rd grader, i loved reading nancy drew and hardy boys books. fiction books were not necessities at our home that time, so the library was a haven for me.

during 4th grade to early high school, i felt i grew up with the sweet valley twins, high, and university girls. francine pascal always started describing how identical the twins looked, and then will follow with the line "but that's where the similarities end". hehe.

and there were the sweet dreams books. hahaha! light kissing scenes were the ultimate kilig moments!

and then from college up to present, i appreciate various authors. i especially like coelho and grisham today, but i don't have my own preference. if a review says this book is good, i read it. if someone recommends it, i read it.

what's a perfect setting? hmmm, probably by the beach! on a hammock! reading a good book. :)

again, it all comes back to thanking my lolo - for teaching me how to read. :) yey!