I know i should be sleeping. I know i have my readings to do, no, correction, reading to do. And, I also know i need to pray. AND…i know my academic day starts only at 12 noon =D
So here i am, perfectly excused(right…) to pen my thoughts ( too many thoughts), so my chest can deflate with an enormous sigh of relief, and i can go to bed without thoughts swimming actively in my head.
I often wonder any reader of this blog, anyone at all for that matter, just anyone, has so much time in the world they browse through EVERY content of this blog and read EVERYTHING that is meant to be read. That includes my two previous blogs.
I always have a resounding, unifying voice of “OF COURSE NO” in my mind when i ask myself this. I mean, come on! There is SO MUCH to read! Even if you are some avid readers (and i know quite a few visitors of this blog are), you would find it a chore to read through EVERYTHING, especially my previous blogs-archive of about 5 years worth of blogging! This is not to mention the sheer small size of the text, the ambiguous layout of my blogs and the obvious lack of graphic to deter any keen intruder to my once very private space. Surely, SERIOUSLY!, you must have better thing to do than to read through them all!
I have never chosen my blog layout in the past so to deter readers or visitors. Only on hindsight i realise how much they helped to keep my blog and my thoughts incredibly private. In very similar fashion to the epic email that was sent out about a month back, the posts often look incredibly boring-full of words and mostly LONG to any passing visitor, and yet, i must admit ( sorry if i seem to indulge in some self-praising for the moment lolll) they are quite interesting! They are interesting to me, (well not all…but most are) and if i find it interesting, a few others should as well!
And…i never wanted to share it with many, or any sometimes. I wanted to delete them off at a time, just never got around to doing that (thank GOD!) and then i let the thousands of websites and blogs on the world wide web devour them- never meant to be visited or read again. I just didn’t realise Google still exists. LOL.
Tonight i contemplated for a moment the possibility of my blogS being read thoroughly, being felt,, being reread, being bookmarked,being treasured even…I thought it through, and no longer a singular voice of NO WAY screamed in my head, instead a softer “hmmm…maybe? greeted me by surprise.” Very comforting, very indulging…and i surrender to indulgences quite easily heh. =)
If anyone does read, read with keen interest, it must be the person has a rather keen interest in this writer. If he even reread just once these entries, he must have Loved me. No other explanation can rationalise such a foolish, time-wasting, and oh! God-forbidding committed act.
The same concept may be applied for my commitment to my academic readings. I have finished reading most of my readings (that’s why it was a singular reading) for IPIR. I really like Politics- the academic subject- and i read all about it in almost one go. Back about a month go, i was so motivated i looked up my reading list in the NLB, with much disappointment i have to add. I couldnt find most of the recommended books in the catalogue…and i remember standing at the catalogue-search station to search for ANY (after doing topically failed miserably) readings in all 12 topics being taught for the course, to get increasingly frustrated and happy at the same time. hehe.
I couldnt find most of the books…so i resorted to browsing through those shelves both at the lending and reference (LKC reference library, LEVEL 7!) library dedicated to politics and international relations. I found a few of my readings, i found some books by authors listed in the list but not the book im supposed to read, i found other stuff…what did i do? I borrowed about 4 books, i photostatted chapters related to my topics; i felt like i was doing research again.
The whole process reminded me of the many days (or months) i spent in that library and NUS library doing my wonderful EE on more wonderful topics of Winston Churchill and fall of Singapore and Malaya( sarcasm detected). I remember exactly where the photocopying rooms are, where the tables are, where the shelves of southeast asian collection on fall of malaya and singapore ( level 9 near to the counter i believe of LKC, basement 3 or 4 right end of NUS oh my gosh i still remember!) are, and i felt neither lost, nor overwhelmed by the books, nor cold this time.
Once the bookshelves have appeared to be staggering towers of heavy dusty old rectangular guards, ready to all charge at me for intrusion. Once they were much feared and dreaded, and hated. Once i vowed i would never visit THOSE libraries again!
When i was at LKC in August, the same orderly rows of shelves containing the same neatly stacked books left me awestruck with how much information they contain; the worlds of within beautiful minds they keep hidden, safely guarded for only those of keen and genuine interest to enter. I must have, like Lucy in Narnia: the lion, the witch and the wardrobe who discovered the Narnia through the wardrobe, that special necessary childlike wonder to finally discover the wonderful worlds these books have kept( no sarcasm detected). I spent a few days altogether looking for my readings. There is very good reason to hate libraries- you tend to spend too much time in them and forget the world outside. It is a sinful indulgence.
So i was that committed, i read a few chapters of some books, and i deliberately ignored due dates so i can read them (but of course i couldnt…so many things to do!) and i paid a hefty fine for about 3-4 books. I discovered some fiction books along the way, and i spent even more time on those fiction books haha.
The photostatted readings are now neatly stapled, classified according to topics and filed .=)
During my free time yesterday i attempted to do my french readings, and finish my assignments for next week, only to realise my lecture is only today, i have to attend the lecture first, then do the assignments and readings(but then i already read through the assignments). I was quite disappointed i couldnt finish my exercises. heh.
That left me international law. If all the lectures are going to be like the one i attended today, i really pray to God I will somehow find the readings more interesting to keep me going! Oh gosh, not that the topics were not interesting, but the young english prof has a disdainful way of sprinkling boredom all over them! I have yet to touch any reading for int’l law- i have good reason not to. No tuts this week, i would forget all i have read by the time tutorials start proper next week. No point reading that early before…i think.
I must say, in my analysis of my reading commitment and pattern, it is obvious that the one with utmost interest and love gains the most attention. No brainer.
I can also, apply this concept to my commitment to read the Bible. I think any non-christian would definitely agree that it might be the most boring book they pick up. Look at it, it looks utterly boring! (Most do anyway, except for a few editions now that have used modern advertising methods to enhance the physical attractiveness of the Bible) It is full of words…and more words…and more and more words…(AGAIN, ignoring illustrated Bibles and whatnots). In one look, a passing visitor the bookshelf would never pick out the Bible.
I will admit i have once treated the bible with such disdain, several times, not once i realise. Sometimes it rested on my table as just another book, buried deep beneath the mess of countless other objects. I would sometimes remember QT and frantically looked for it, and failed, and borrowed my sister’s copy (she has many). I would learn to treasure it again after, and then the cycle of loved and abandonment continued. I realise now, it reflected my Love for God, and how i treated Him and His Word.
I have to come to understand, only recently, that as my Love for Him and His word, His truth deepened with time, the worth of the Bible-the physical object- increased. I kept it in better places, so i remember where i put it, i would still leave it around and forget where i put it,(just old habit really dies hard-for all my things) but i definitely treasure it a lot more.
Isnt this a proven fact, that only when we have learnt to love GOD, the Author of the Bible, the Author and Perfector of our faith( Hebrews 12: 2), will we then learn how to love His Word, the Bible? Then isn’t loving God the first step to knowing how to read the Bible, subsequently to learn how to treasure His words?
How do we LEARN to Love GOD??? By spending time communing with Him- no short cut!
How did i learn to love politics? I spend a heck lot of my time with it! (referring to MUN) I experienced it! I know how politics and international relations can be incredibly exciting!
Similarly, I have since learnt to Love God, because i experienced Him in many ways, in my trials and my triumphs, in knowing His Love is so great it overcomes my sins and shames so that i can Love Him in return, in believing He is the Supreme God, the Sovereign King (being sovereign means being separate and independent, having the capability to control over the territory – i actually do remember the stuff i learnt in Int’l Law) that rules the Earth and the universe. He controls everything!
Only when i have learnt to Love God, can i now appreciate His Word, His instructions, His laws, His teachings, His stories… I indeed hold them as treasures worth beyond gold (or diamond lol).
Back to my blog, the concept( a definite structured way of viewing something, the building block of knowledge- Andrew Heywood and i paraphrased) that if that person reads through my entire blog, he must therefore Love me then holds true as seen in the proven examples above.
I’m comforted by that thought, because i know there have been many that viewed through and read through my blogs. You must Love me =) ( a great song by Madonna loll..)
You see, we read to write. MOST who love to read also love to write. I can be an exception…cos i actually love to write more than i love to read loll… BUT that is still a fact. (we can debate on the definition of a fact at another time)
I read my readings and learn more from them than from my professors in a way. I go to lectures to actually just get the summary of my readings, and to get more recommended readings by my profs- listen to them to know what are the HIGHLIGHTS you should read in that long list of recommended readings. You actually read for your degree- the lecturers here never fail to reiterate this to their students. You read so you can write better, so you can understand better as well.
So, in the light of the recognition of such importance for reading, i currently tasked myself with the completion of reading the following list(honestly to just really spend at least 1 hour for each…)
- Myth of the rational voter- Bryan Caplan
- Presidential Power- Richard Newstadt
- The argumentative Indian-writings on indian history,culture and identity- Amartya Sen
- How demoratic is the constitution of the American constitution?- Robert A Dahl
- The politics of the governed:reflections on popular politics in most of the world- Partha Chatterjee
- Montevideo convention on the rights and duties of states, article 1- Harris casebook
- Astro-german customs union advisory opinion- same book
- The laws of nation- J briefly- same book
- Notes on british and US practice on the recognition of states-SAME BOOK!
- Carl Zeiss stiftung vs rayner and keeler ltd- same book!!
- W ou the souvenir d’enfance- chapter 1
I seriously need to go and freaking get the Harris book. Sian.
This is well….as you might have guessed- my reading list for this week =)
I have a very good reason to put it up- i can refer to it anytime anywhere in the library electronically to search for them loll…i visit my blog quite often hehe.
Okie…I REALLY HAVE TO SLEEP. long day tomorrow.
And im very satisfied with this post. Good ole fashion of long meandering post =)
Finally, i can heave a huge sigh of relief and sleep with no active thoughts swimming as disturbance. =)
Good night!