Invaluable

"Invaluable" does not mean "not valuable"; it actually means "very valuable".

I love antique books. Especially those with fabric or leather wrap. Books that passed from a generation to another generations. I can’t hold myself from imagining that someone, far before I born read the same book I read. And love it. I wonder what she or he felt back then. The anxiety and anticipation when the pressure rises. The happy ending. The love and sad story. Story the author wants to share.

Unfortunately, most of those books I love written in English. Language I don’t understand. That why I learnt English. No. Not from school or teacher. I don’t really like school, frankly. And I don’t understand what my English teacher taught me. When I bear in mind about me as a child. I remember a kid with lot of learning problems. But I can read. Not only read. I understand sentences. Two different things, I guess.

As child, I hate school so much. Especially my classmate and the teachers. Ck… They bullied me so much. I am not a clever kid but I knew that I am not an idiot too. Long story short I have no friends. Yea yea of course someone talked to me and we had lunch together. But they will dump me on the first chance when they get new friends. I was lonely.

My first sanctuary was children magazines. Bobo and Aku Anak Saleh. And my favorite part was Oki and Nirmala comics. Bona and Rong-rong’s story was my prefered too. Then I get to know Kawanku, Aneka Yess, and Gober Bebek. Oh, it was heaven. Until one day I found Hello magazine. There was an article written in English with a very amazing caricature. And I was so curious about what the article said. My mom was too busy back then and I had no one to ask. I kept that part of the magazines for some times. I forgot how. But finally I knew what the article said. It was about a fairies world where all animals and plants can talk. Awesome!

Then I got addicted to books. I can say that I could get dizzy if one day I didn’t read anything. I read anything. Books, newspaper, add on paper, or my parent teaching source. And old books. My first source of old books was my grandaunt library. Then my grandpa books collection.

Now, while I “uhuk” got older. I even love books more and more. The smell of old paper gets better when I flip it while drinking a nice cup of coffee and chiffon cake. That is my treasure. I can be a detective, a witch, a doctor, a circus member. Everything!.

I can go to Baghdad to solve a mystery with Mr. Poirot. Or fly across the Pacific Ocean with Emilya Reinheart. Or simply being a “santri” from a village who dream of study high and far in “Negeri Lima Menara”.

That is why I love “Inkheart”, the movie. I feel like someone or probably something understand what I feel. Something in my head. Well, I don’t really understand the joke, honestly.

OK. I will write more tomorrow.

Hanjisss….. I write this far.

Ciao, it is 4:38 am.