Middle-Earth

i'll share a little tale that happened this week, not too long ago. it's the holiday season, and i get to have a little break from school for about six weeks, and a lot of my friends returned home. so my closest friends and i planned to go out together, maybe go shopping, window-shopping, or just hang around eating some nice food and talk about all the experiences we missed with them. in my small town, there is this quite small shop where they sell books, magazines, stationary, office and school supplies. just about this year they started selling used, old books and novels, so i love going there to have a look. who knows what treasures i might come across to. like they say, "one man's trash is another man's treasure". hehe.

so on the fine day out we happen to go there and i immediately started searching and scanning the titles to find anything worth buying. there was a book that seemed interesting, but it was not what i intended to find.. i was thinking of buying it for the sake of it being interesting, when my friend pulled out a book she found and put it on top of the pile where i was staring at. and would you believe it, it was J.R.R Tolkien's "Unfinished Tales". i almost screamed in that silent shop, i think i did let out a squeal of joy, and grabbed the book to inspect it. it was in excellent condition, no dents, no watermarks, no distinct damage, and i realized it was actually new, or bought but left in a proper bookcase but was not read. it was bought in the local popular bookstore, since i could see that the sticker for where it was once sold was still in tact. the reason why i was so incredibly happy with this find, apart from the fact that love Tolkien's novels, is because i've been eyeing J.R.R Tolkien's books in the bookshop.. i've been meaning to buy them but i had to wait and accumulate enough money before it was possible to. i had to wait a long long time... and now i just came into the store one fateful day and my friend simply found it. but it did not end there. just as i was holding the book reminiscing on the wait to buy it, my friend pulled out more of J.R.R Tolkien's book, the hobbit and from the lord of the rings, the two towers and the return of the king. all were in excellent shape.

can you imagine how strong the wind of absolute happiness swept through my very soul?

it was magical really. i could not believe it. so i frantically asked my friend to find the similarion and the fellowship of the ring, but we could not find them. i was sad, i really hoped i could buy all of the series related. however, i was contented with the current find. the next best thing about finding these marvelous books was the fact that it was originally sold for about rm30+, and i only bought the wonderful unblemished books for rm6 each. so i bought four books in the price of one. less than that actually. isn't that amazing?

well i was definitely excited. i probably laughed in glee all the time we went out because of it.

there's just something about J.R.R Tolkien's works that fascinate me a whole lot. i really love folklore and mythology, especially germanic or nordic mythologies. i love the unexplained. like, we all have our religion and faiths, but in some stories, in our culture or in some other countries, old tales that tell of other folk living among us, yet unidentified scientifically, only witnessed and presented for years and years by our great great great grandparents. these stories of a different world from ours, stories of different creatures yet humanoid and stories of bizarre life and magic powers, are the stories that interest me the most. it's like an obsession. if there was a degree course for such things i'd gladly take it. i just adore life near the woods, open fields, maybe living in the illuminated trees like elves would, or under the hills like hobbits, or the thick woods as humans who could shape-shift into sacred bears. i feel excited by the world where you can conjure magic with a spell in the lips or a wave of a wand, where you can use nature's mighty forces to aid you in perilous times. like the little dwarves, strong and sturdy, holding axes at everything unfamiliar and mine for treasure. can you think of a world where the sun shines across the green valleys, the lakes shimmer under the moonlight and stars, where the skies are seen with dragons and giant eagles? i like to imagine sailing in a pirate ship, cruising the seven seas, hunting for buried fortune of seafarers long gone. these tales of adventures, tales of the simple life, tales of enchantments are what seem would be my happy place. though, i can only dream. like they say, again, it's easier to say than actually doing it. so i'm not very sure. but to me, it looks like a pretty likeable world to live in, this Middle-Earth. on the other hand, i'm not liking any gollums, hideous orcs, uruk-hai, scary trolls or mischievous goblins. i'd rather stay away from them, and from war... yes i'm a geek now, but i'm happy and i want to live a happy life.

these things fill me with great interest and it allows me to dream and cultivate my imagination, but it does not change my beliefs or faith. i just think that these stories are worth knowing about and very fascinating to think and imagine.

i love J.R.R Tolkien.