I am no different. First of all, hello new site design! I'm not good at visual creative stuff, but I found myself tinkering with the design of my blog until I used up so much time playing around with it that I just decided to go ahead and apply the design to my blog. It's a bit dark, but I really don't have time to do anything about it now without sacrificing other things I have to do. At any rate, I am liking the new look and feel of the blog.
Another thing, and this is what I'd like to share right now, is a challenge that I decided to take on this 2011. It started sometime during the holidays as I was looking through my Tumblr dashboard. One of the posts pertained to a challenge to read 50 books this 2011, and after looking at it for a bit, I was in.
For as long as I can remember, I have always loved reading books. Whenever I read a book, I am transported into a different world, and this experience is something I always enjoy. This is why I tend to look a bit crazy when I read, because I am so absorbed in my reading and it affects me so much that if I read something funny, I really laugh out loud; sometimes, when the events are too much for me, I really have to take a break from reading. I'm that affected. And yes, sometimes my family thinks I'm crazy. I think they just got used to it over time.
Nevertheless, even if I really like to read, that doesn't mean I can boast of a lot of books that I have read. I do read a lot, but then I don't own a lot of books, so it's hard for me to keep track of the books I've read. I've only just really started to collect books when I was in college because I get just enough to get by before that. And then, by that time, of course, I was already addicted to the internet, and a whole lot of other things also keep me from really reading a lot.
That is why sometimes I think I'm just someone posing as a bookworm. And the thought makes me sad. However, I really can't deny that reading is something I really enjoy, an experience I find to be amazing. Because of this, and because I have also decided to live my life as fully as I can from this year on, I decided to commit to this challenge. It's not as if I have to be pressured or stressed by this challenge, because according to what I read in that post, it's supposed to be fun--and it's also not a strict challenge, which means that rereads and all type of books are included (um, law books, anyone?). And really, if this was a stressful challenge, people will lose the whole point of it all, which is to enjoy reading, and reading more.
The next issue, then, is how to keep track of the books that I will finish this year. To solve this, I dedicated a page of my beloved Journal to serve as the record of my finished books. But sometime this week, as I was looking up my online accounts (aka procrastinating, sorry!), I stumbled upon my neglected Goodreads account. And, what a cool twist of fate, they also have a 2011 Reading Challenge!
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| Zmeyette's Goodreads Reading Challenge! Fight! |
Goodreads' 2011 Reading Challenge is a bit different, but still ties up well with the Tumblr reading challenge that I committed myself to. In Goodreads' challenge, the user can set the goal he/she wants for 2011, and this goal can be changed at any time. What I absolutely loved about this, however, is that it gives me the perfect tool to track the books I have read. Motivation, too. This is because Goodreads has a widget that shows me how far along I am in accomplishing the challenge (see above picture). To update this, I only have to set the date I finished reading a book, and in so doing the widget will be updated. This also serves as motivation for me, because I just can't stand the "You have read 0 books toward your goal of 50 books" message staring at me from the widget. Hence, I posted this widget in my blog so I will get really motivated (and so I will not forget).
I am really having fun with this as of the moment, and so now I will continue reading so I can finally update the blasted widget. Why don't you try this too? There's no need to go to a website or set a really strict and formal goal, but it's fun to take on a challenge once in a while. Go make your own 2011 Reading Challenge! Good luck!
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