遗忘了的习惯 Long Forgotten Habit

（Dear English readers, please scroll down to find the ‘click’ for English translation)

小时候， 很爱阅读， 是个书迷。就是因为常躺着看书，常在动摇的巴士内追小说，常顾不了灯光暗淡还是放不下书本，我变了个千度大近视。

上了大学后，虽还是常看书，可是少了文学，多了课教本。或看的是电脑。唯一接触文学时，是每个暑假回马追金庸武侠小说。不过，那也是好多年前的事。已忘了追小说的感觉很久了。阅读文学书籍这个好习惯早已慢慢在我的日常生活中消失。

现在回想起，我虽曾爱看小说，可是都是以华文书为主。 对英文的文学世界真是一无所知。在澳洲书店见到琳琅满目的英文小说，可真是不知从何看起。所以，要多看英文书的心常不了了之。

至到遇上Ed才稍有改变。Ed爱看书 （只是英文书，他不会中文）。他常鼓励我多阅读英文小说，因为他太受不了我很烂的英文。他说，‘拼命’阅读可较快地加强语文能力。这个我当然知道啦。可是，他的亲身体验还是给了我很大的鼓励。他七，八岁移民来加国时，英文很不行。就算到了中学，还是不过如此。一直到他拚命阅读，书写能力才开始大大地进步。

这个我也明白。我在澳洲住了那么多年，英文虽已比以往好，日常的沟通也没问题。可是，还是有很多时候有些词不达意，也写不出漂亮的文章。现在，手头上有些时间，所以决定好好啃书充实自己。

于是，Ed常带我到书店逛。他会介绍我一些好的作家。我则会站在那读上几页，看我喜不喜欢作家的风格。加上，这里有很多二手，或便宜卖过时畅销文学书的书店。Ed弟弟的妻子也很爱书。上次见她，给了我一大堆书看。

渐渐地，我又开始爱上了阅读。最近，除了中文书，也看了蛮多英文小说，对英文的现代文学界也开始有多些了解。

很开心，把遗忘了的好习惯重拾起来。也添加了新的阅读习惯。语文能力虽没那么快进步，可是书中的‘黄金屋’已找到….

I used to be an avid reader. I read in the bus, I read in the dark, I liked to lay down to read. No wonder I have become almost legally blind now.

However, such addiction began to wane during my university times. I still read but most of them were textbooks and computers. Literature was a luxury at that time. The only time I had for literature was during my summer holiday in Malaysia. Nonetheless, that was almost ten years ago. Situation did not improve after I started to work. I slowly forgot how it felt like to read a good novel. Reading literature has slowly disappeared in my everyday life.

Reflecting back to the older days, though I have read lots of books, most books were Chinese books, possibly none English. Mainly due to my lack of confidence in English. My ignorance to English literature since young further discouraged my interest in it later in my life. Most times when I looked at the many and various English fictions in book stores, I simply did not know how or where to begin. I ended up giving up the intention to try to read English literature all together.

This did not change till I met Ed. Ed loves to read (only English because he did not know Chinese) . He constantly encourages me to read more English books because he can’t stand my poor English. He believes my English can improve much quicker if I start to read more. Well, of course, I know this theory but I was lazy and not motivated. Ed told me, when he first immigrated to Canada at around 8 year old, his English was really poor. It did not improve even after many years in Canada. His English especially writing skills only started to improve tremendously after reading avidly.

I understand that. I have been living in Australia for over 10 years, though my English has improved heaps and have no problem in daily communications. I still have times that I can’t fully express myself, I still can’t write very good essay. After listening to Ed’s experience, I decided to try harder again since I have more free times now.

Ed likes to take me to bookstores and introduces some of his favorite books or authors to me . I will then read the first few pages to get a feel of the style, and see if I like them. The good thing about Toronto is, there are many second hand bookstores, or bookstores that sell older bestsellers with much lower prices. In addition to that, Ed’s sister in law loves reading too and she gave me lots of books to read. Hence, this constant supply of affordable books has encouraged me.

Slowly, I picked up my long forgotten habit, reading, again. And now, apart from Chinese books, I read a lot more English books too. Modern English literature is no longer a stranger to me.

I know my language skills are still very poor, yet I feel good and am feeling fulfilled, in my world of reading. There is a Chinese saying, you can find houses full of golds in books. And I have found mine….