Toot…

Sometimes in the morning, I like to spend a little time reading the Comics and solving the Sudoku in The Star. A few weeks ago, I saw this memorable Zits comic strip: Jeremy was trying to appologize to his parents by coming up with a few typical appologetic phrases. But Jeremy being Jeremy, he finally settled with “I’m a product of my environment”, which without a doubt, ended with a comical result.

That simple phrase lingered in my mind, and I started to think how true it is, that we are truly the product of our own environment. Of course, that does not mean that the outcome of people from similar environment will always be the same. Different people reacts differently to similar situation, hence the different outcome. But… For people to think and react differently, does it not mean that they previously had to be exposed to different environment? Then, does this mean that they react differently because they are already product of their previous environments? I shall leave this philosophy of never-ending causility alone, for now.

I remember my sister used to complain that my parents pampered me too much when I was a little kid. I vaguely remember that she said my parents used to buy more toys for me. I can hardly remember, but I know I must have been quite a brat. I remember that my first rather expensive toy that I bought was the Game Boy, after playing my cousin’s. Yes, it was the earliest version. I remember I paid quite a small fortune for it in 1998(or was it 1999?), from my own saving. The toot-est thing is that Game Boy Colour came out not long after I bought it. I spent too much time playing my Game Boy and my mother had to confiscate it to control me. Not to forget, I had to get myself a pair of glasses not long after that.

Funny though, how that Game Boy affected my life. In 2000, XJ was sorted into my class. It was that year that we knew each other. It was also the year that we started to play Pokemon game on our Game Boys. He owns a Game Boy Colour. We spend quite a lot of time in the school talking about it, what pokemon we’d encounter at which location. What were the differences between the Red and the Blue version. Heck, I even bought a tooting game guide! I was playing Red and he was playing Blue, we managed to trade Pokemons and I did finish the whole 150 pokemon collection.

Come to think of it, there were differences between how we approach the game. I very much preferred that all my Pokemons are at the same high level, but XJ preferred to speed through the game with only selected few. It took me quite a long time to finish that game. As you can see, we had different approaches, no doubt because we were different products of different environment. With hindsight, perhaps I can speculate that I liked a slow and steady approach to things, and that firm and broad foundation must be laid out before a strong empire could be built. Or perhaps, it reflected the more socialist side of me, where every pokemon deserved my time and energy to bring the best out of them, and none should be neglected. I can’t help myself but to laugh as this is starting to sound too political. I must remember I was just a primary school kid then!

I did wonder how I got through my primary school years without much revision, and with so much Game Boy-ing. For those of you who are wondering what happened to my Game Boy, I guess I have grown out of it. I spent very little time on it after I went to high school. In fact, about 2 years ago, I found it in my cupboard and unfortunately, I had forgotten to take out the cells. The electrolite in the cells leaked and “drowned” my Game Boy. I do remember that I once played Mario when I was in high school, and I thought: why did I ever think that this game was hard when I was in primary?

Hmm…… Is anyone still reading this?

I started reading Jin Yong novels when I was in Form 1. They were in Traditional Chinese. Of the 14 novels he wrote, I am proud to say that I have read all of them, other than 白馬嘯西風 and 鴛鴦刀. I used to bring a novel with me wherever I go, so that I can read them whenever I am free, even during meals! It took me about 2 years to read those 12 novels, but I did read 神鵰俠侶 twice or trice. Laugh all you want, but I like the love story very much. With all the reading, perhaps you might suggest that my Mandarin would benefit from it. I guess it did help a little, but reading and writing are totally different aspects of a langauge. I am never a good writer, I have to admit. Also, a lot of times, I find myself knowing what a word means, but not knowing how to pronounce it. And I call myself a Chinese…… (shake head)……

Sometimes, I wonder how I started reading. Was it because my father likes to read? Maybe that was one of the reasons, but I doubt it was a major factor. My dad likes to read, but his reading materials are nearly all in English. I started with Traditional Chinese instead. My mother used to be worried about my English. She said I didn’t read English books, and hardly spoke or wrote in English. Indeed, my parents were worried about the English standard of my siblings and I that during the year-end holidays in 1999, my parents sent us to English Language School (ELS) in Han Chiang. I resented the idea. Think about it, 5 days a week for 4 weeks! I thought it is a total waste of my time, and I very much rather spent my time enjoying my holidays instead! Truth to be told, I still think it was a waste of time. And money.

I remember the government implimanted the Buku Nilai program when I was in high school, though I don’t remember what year it was. At first, the school demanded that students hand in an entry every week. My first reaction was toot! Let me ask you, how was I supposed to finish a 400 over pages novel in a week, not to mention that they were in Traditional Chinese, and it must be done during school days! Of course, the school never really required that we read novels, but they must be books, fiction or non-fiction. However, at high school level, I would supposed that we have to read books of reasonable standard. But then again, we were prescribed the shortened version of The Prisoner of Zenda in Form 3, a 100 pages book, with illustrations!

I always wondered how those people who provided entries for n books a year in their Buku Nilam managed the mission impossible. However, I realised how they accomplished the task this afternoon. I was cleaning my room this afternoon and I found some old books, some were given by relatives, some were mine such as The Prisoner of Zenda. Those books never get a place in my cupboard, where my book collection is. Anyway, I found this book 小白象变猪. I am pretty sure you are not interested in it, but hey, out of curiousity I did finish reading the book. All illustrated 38 pages of it in 5 minutes. Maybe more. I was just too mesmerised by all the pretty illustrations of how that White Elephant was turned into a pig. Haha. Yeah, I know, it’s a book suitable for a 5 years old, but hey, I guess it is reasonable as an Fiction entry in Buku Nilam! Sigh…… I could have won that bicycle…… (shake head)

Seriously, is anybody still reading this?

I remember that in Form 3 (or was it Form 2?), my form teacher who was in charge of our Buku Nilam demanded that the class write an English entry. If I am not mistaken, that was one of the first few English novels I read. I can’t find it in my room, and I don’t remember what the name of that book is. However, I am pretty sure that it’s those kind of books you can find in the Teenage section of a bookstore, not too thick, 150 pages perhaps…… I read Harry Potter too, after either my brother or sister bought the first book. I suspect it was my sister, because it is very rare that my brother reads a book, much less buys a book. I am not saying that he does not read. I am just saying that he seldom reads books. “Have to embrace the new technology”, says he, staring at his computer monitor.

Anyway, Harry Potter didn’t appeal much to me. Since I had already read the first book, I bought the subsequent books too, until Book 5, The Goblet of Fire was it? That’s when I told myself, enough is enough. I decided not to read the other 2 books. I enjoyed reading The Lord of The Rings but The Hobbit was like a children’s book while The Silmarilian was like a tooting history book! I like The Wheel of Time series but why the toot did Robert Jordan die before finishing the 12th (also the last) novel!

I don’t remember which was the first non-fiction book I read. Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time, maybe? I noticed that I started reading more non-fiction these couple of years. If I were to nominate the best book that I have ever read, without a doubt, I would have chosen The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham. Took me weeks I read it, though. But I wished I have read it years ago, oh say… before 1997! Haha. Seriously though, I do hope I have read it earlier in my life. And I shall read it again.

Is this post getting anywhere, you may ask? Yeah, I have no idea also. In fact, I don’t think I’m A Product of My Environment is a suitable title at all. Perhaps What I do during my free time is a much appropriate title. Then again, the post is inspired by that Zits comic I read and I -am- the author or this blog.