Greetings the admirable fellow @ladiesofhive! It's me, Iris from East Java, Indonesia. I was just recovered from a very annoying cold and nasty migrain for past weeks. I began to pick up my journaling voyage this week, thus I am so glad that I can join LOH contest again.
Thankyou @amberkashif for coming up with such interesting topic and for this week contest I want to share about my lifelong hobby and my safe haven through the topic:
| Collecting objects is a hobby that many enjoy, often without even realizing it. Do you have a collection — big or small — that reflects your interests or memories? What is the most unusual or surprising item you’ve ever collected, and what inspired you to keep it? |
I grew up in a typical conservative asian family, which often view the best education for a child is an ongoing discipline, achievement oriented, and hardworking. My parents tried to gave me the best education that they could afford as a middle working class, and it meant less recreational activities for us. They also worried about my safety and thought that students should spend most of their time at home for learning. So, hanging out with my friends was a luxury for me. And that was their love language as a parents.
As a kid, of course I always bored staying at home and that was how I found the love of my life; books! Reading a fiction liberated my soul and took me to the different worlds. Books was my safe place, my playground, my wonderland and my ultimate escape when things went bad. I couldn't afford buying books of course at that time, but there are plenty free library at my school and my city so I was content.
However, when I have adult money, I begin to spend it on books. At first, I just bought my favorite series that I have read before as a remembrance of my childhood joy. Then, when I have more to spare, I buy the new release from my favorite authors. And little that I know, I slowly became a collectors. Every month, I set aside a budget to buy new books, whether old or new series to add my collection.
I also begin to buy books whenever I was on a journey or trip to different cities as a souvenirs. I like to visit old bookstore to find books from my childhood or if time didn't permit, I will visit the nearest bookstore to find something interesting. Mostly I bought novels because I just love romance and fantasy books, but I also have a few collection of poetry book and encyclopedia. And of course comics! I couldn't afford it back then, so now I just buy the whole series at once through thrift shops or online marketplace.
When I finally bought an apartment, I build book cases to display my books, but because there are so much of them, I have to keep most of them in my cupboard and box. Later, when I have enough money to buy a house, my dream is to have my personal library and to display every book on its dignified cases.
One of my favorite author is Nora Roberts. Whenever I went to new places, I always try to find a copy or two of her series. Her writting was accompanied my adulting journey and really helped me forget about my problem, so her books always have a special place in my life.
I couldn't tell you exactly how many books that I have or how much money I spent on them because I never count. But I think, I can easily fill up a small room with my collection. I know that, we can bought digital version which are cheaper and easier to keep but nothing beats the feeling of holding a paperback and the sound of rustling pages. And it was more than a collection for me because each title reminds me of my life journey. It was a fond memory of how my state of mind at that time when I enjoyed a particular book or author. It was a memento of every stage of my life which make them more than a possession.
I didn't have any unusual or precious book, because generally I only bought titles that I was pretty sure will enjoy from the authors that I know of, but there is a book that I picked up for fun because the title was interesting.
The title is Ice Cream & Sadness by It was full of dark humor and so cynical that blew up my mind when I read it. I bought it when I was really bored with my life, so this particular book really cheer me up at that time.
And that's all about my collection that I pour my soul and money to collect. Nothing bizarre I guess and because nowadays everything can be bought online, collecting something is much more easier. But truly, I enjoy the feeling of finding a new good author or a vintage copy through browsing the bookstores.
Thank you for reading my entry and I hope you enjoy my little story. See you on the next contest!
