i don't collect a lot of things. when i was younger, i was a sticker and stationery addict (like probably many of girls of my generation). in fact, some of them were very special that i still have them until now, unused.
as far as i remember, i didn't have any other collection, like say, barbie dolls, video games, hair clips, shoes, or bags. even in my adulthood and capable of buying my own stuff, i did not have the "mentality" of buying just to collect. i hardly wear makeup, i'm not into clothes fads, my feet are too big for designer shoes, i can be contented with cloth bags for my everyday use.
however, i do have one collection, that was not even from my own initiative of starting. presenting, my agatha christie paperbacks....
when i was in college, my sister's best friend lent her a book, which i borrowed later. i loved the plot so much that i started to get interested in murder mysteries, especially agatha christie. the book that started it all for me was "the body in the library." then i started borrowing from the... eherm, library. i love hercule poirot, her sleuth character! i'm learning about the art of deduction by reading them.
i did not buy my first personal copy until i was already working. and even then, i bought second hand ones only. after all, the author has long since been dead and never again published new works. her books were decades old. rands picked up my interest and slowly procured the books for me. he went through every booksale outlet, curio shop, art store, and just about any tiangge that sold second hand books, and bought all the agatha christies there! he would give them to me on special occasions as gifts; i wrote on the first page the date that i received them... as far as i know, the early dates were 2005.
i would read one book when i travelled to work. when i finished, i would immediately get another one from the pile. i would know that i had read that book through the bus ticket that i had inserted as marker. it also served as date when i finished reading it! i wanted to finish the entire collection asap!
unfortunately after i got married, i left my collection in our house when i moved out. i had forgotten about it all throughout my pregnancy and taking care of my baby. however, now that my son is already 3 years old, i suddenly craved for the habit of reading again. going through the books, many of them had no bus tickets inserted yet, or many still in plastic wrap... yup, it won't be long until you are all read,
mon ami!
