The Bookshelf

All my adult life, I have always wanted a proper bookshelf for all my books. As I grow older and reading becomes more and more an integral part of my daily life, my wanting a proper bookshelf becomes more ardent. I would be dreaming about them after leafing through interior decoration magazines. Of course the bookshelves in the interior magazines come together with a proper study or reading room.

So, what took me so long to get a proper bookshelf and some sort of a reading room? Until late 2017 that is. I was always thinking, never mind, maybe later, there would be time. Many other more important things to focus on. When I was young, I was renting and sharing accommodation with others. Did not have many books at that time. Did not have much possessions either actually. I was just a humble civil servant. Life was about settling down as an individual, being independent, earning my own income, contributing some money to my family, filling up my time with useful activities. Also trying to find my identity in the workplace too. Bought a house in my early-thirties but I never really got down to properly furnishing it. There were just other more important things to look into. So I bought ready-made bookcases for my books. When I began to have more and more books, I resorted to keeping them in plastic boxes, placing them under the staircase, under the bed and even out on the porch beside where I park my car. Time passes and soon I found I was near retiring. Thought of building the bookshelf but then the house was already in a state of disrepair. How can I just build the bookshelf without repairing the house first. Just wait lah.

The house by that time was needing major repairs. I must admit I am quite a procrastinator in some areas of my life. I kept postponing the repair works because, honestly, I found it very stressful. Even the action of calling a contractor and asking for a quotation was quite tiring for me. With the Ringgit being badly depreciated everything becomes very expensive. I began to have very bad headaches during the negotiations. But, like it or not, I had no choice but to proceed with the chosen contractor to repair the house and at the same time build a small extension at the back, meant to be the reading room. It is just a tiny room about 11' x 16' in size.

So in mid-August 2017 the repair works and the constructing of the small back extension began. My house is a low-cost house and is actually very small. I, on the other hand, tend to have a lot of things. Books, collectibles, knick-knacks, souvenirs etc. In other words, a bit of a hoarder. So the house became a very very cluttered, untidy, dusty place on earth while the works were going on. The construction took about 25 days. Those were 25 very very stressful days for me and for my cats too. Mickey Benjamin simply refused to go to the kitchen area and I had to put the feeding bowl in the porch area for him to eat. He was indeed very anxious and stressed. What more with all the banging, hammering and knocking going round throughout the day. My cats disappeared during the day, only coming back to the house in the evening when the workmen were gone. Even then they were edgy, they kept inspecting and sniffing all corners of the house, trying to make sure that it was really their home. Well, Wan Nyah was there all the while, so it must be their home. But to them, the house must looked very strange and it smelled funny too with all that paint all over the walls.
My weight went down to 55 kg as I began to lose appetite during that period. It became more stressful as during that 25 days I couldn't go out anywhere. Even on Sundays when the workmen were off, for safety reasons I couldn't leave the house unattended. I hesitated to ask assistance from my nephews who live around Klang Valley as I felt they have their own commitments. I like to be independent whenever and wherever I can.

My 25 days of stress

The 25 days felt like forever but in the end the works did get completed. Thank you my Lord. I promise that from now on, I will pay greater attention to the house and maintain it from time to time and not procrastinate over time until everything needs major repair. I do not want to go through another 25 days like in mid-August 2017.

The repairs and the small extension were completed. Now back to the bookshelf. I really like a bookshelf  that is built-in high and totally covers one wall of the room with a movable ladder for easy access to the top part. But alas, I have space constraint. My wall is only about 9' tall and about 11' long. The other thing, I wanted the shelves to be cat-friendly. Therefore it cannot stretch up to the ceiling and on one side the shelf has to have steps that my furry kids can jump up to. I also need the bottom part of the shelves to be covered for files, papers, stationery and odds-and-ends.

So, in the end, with the space constraint and of course the money constraint too, I ended up with the bookshelf that is about 7' tall and 10' long. There's a space at the top for my kids to climb. Tam Benjamin adores the top of the shelves especially on rainy days. Actually the whole shelf is rather small and it cannot accommodate all my books. I still need to use the upstairs ready-made shelf. But at least none of my books are in plastic boxes anymore.

My dream bookshelf ha ha ha 

What I ended up with. My humble bookshelf. At long last!

Tam Benjamin, the guardian of the bookshelf

Testing the comfort of the other end of the bookshelf

The guardian, on top of the other 20-year old bookshelf

My three kids love the room

The trio relaxing in the evening

Sunlight filtering through lace curtain into the room. I
really adore the morning sunlight. It's motivating and
uplifting the spirit!

A flap-door for my kids. The guardian observing other
felines passing by.

Thank you my Lord for everything in my life. I live one day at a time. My life is very humble, very mediocre and yet I still find little pockets of joy here and there. I got this very humble and small reading room with the equally humble bookshelf when I am 63+. Most people would be puzzled why I sound happy but I am. I am very grateful. I'm also grateful that I am healthy, I feel good and I still enjoy the pleasure of reading. Books are always my companions.