What is something you genuinely enjoy doing as much as I love reading?

[Apulu_backagain]

Yesterday was my last high school final exam and today, I read a full books within 2 hours. "The last Lecture" by Randy Paush. And then I was going to grab "Tuesdays with Morrie" but then my mom was like, "enough reading for someone who just finished high school"

A kind neighbour, who is a retired sociology professor, gifted these books to me 7 months ago when he learnt that I am a big reader just like him. I was unable to read it then because I was busy with studies but now I'm able to do that and I realised how much I loved reading books! And the sense of accomplishment that comes with completing a book within few hours.

I'm going to finish "Tuesdays with Morrie" few hours later when my mom's not looking. You gotta admit that how lucky you are as a mother if your daughter is hiding and reading lol.

[Cyfris]

Listening to music. I can get lost in music for hours. Each song a sculpted feeling and emotion everflowing with my next que. Can transport me to mars or ground me if I have drifted too far. As to your reading making your mother lucky it is a double edged sword. If you are in your room reading you aren't putting yourself out there getting hurt. But the other side if you aren't out there getting hurt you never learn how to heal which makes it more crippling when you eventually do get hurt which you will.

[Apulu_backagain]

I mean reading isn't the only hobby I have, it's just my most favourite one. I do enjoy listening music too, like you. And I really enjoy writing about stuff. Another thing which I enjoy the most is talking with old wise people, my neighborhood is filled with retired professor, they like talking to students like myself and they're always willing to teach. Every morning I go to the nearby park with my dad where there is abundance of old wise people, so much to learn from them.

[Cyfris]

Tru dat but none of what you said is going to in anyway prepare you to live a long happy life with a man that loves you which I would assume is your moms point.

[Apulu_backagain]

Nope, my mom's point was that I should get break from all the reading because I just finished high school finals. In no way she's raising me to just be a married woman. She cares about my mental health and doesn't want me to strain myself more by reading because she thinks it's a mentally exhaustive task.

And I'm not preparing to live a long happy life with a man that loves me. If that man loves me then I don't think I would need to prepare anything special for that to happen because he would accept me for who I am.

[Cyfris]

Again you confirm my suspicion. Your mom is worried about much more then the damage reading a book after school is going to have on your mental health. It is possible she is worried about both. She knows what happens after high school. And I wish you good luck if you think someone is going to love you just because. You still have to earn it, nurture it, and all the things. But you will figure that out as you grow up or you won't and you will have cats.

[Apulu_backagain]

As if being single and having cats is a bad thing.

[Cyfris]

The worst thing. If everyone did it no one would exist. I mean there is nothing wrong with having cats. But having cats instead of children is a bad thing. If every person doesn't find a mate and have at least 2 children the population decreases and you have to import people from places that don't share your beliefs in to your land to maintain your society. Then you have conflict of interests that lead to civil wars similar to those that are unfolding accross America. So you can believe that if you want but you are just looking at a very close up picture of the ripples accross time that come off of it.

[Apulu_backagain]

Do you know there are so many orphans who live a really hard and lonely life? If we really care about children then shouldn't we care about orphans too because they basically fill up for those who don't have children?

And extinction of human race due to people not being married is such an absurd take because humans are overpopulating the world, decrease in population would do more good than maintaining the current population.

I'm not going to comment on that civil war take though, tells me all I need to know about you, I thought you were coming from a good place with your opinion.

[Still-alive]

Well you know me, its video games lol. I got a huge collection

[Still-alive]

Enjoy your books!

[Apulu_backagain]

Yeah, you have a bigg room filled with those right?

[Still-alive]

Two rooms lol. one with all the modern stuff and one with my retro stuff. feel free to come over anytime if you wanna play lol

[Apulu_backagain]

You were the cool kid in school and college with the best home to hang out then?

[Still-alive]

I wasn't the cool kid. i was the nerdy shy one lol. But i did have quite a few video games back then too

[Apulu_backagain]

Was video games a nerdy thing back then? Now it's a cool kid stuff, reading is the nerdy thing now, it always was.

[Still-alive]

Yeah it was. i used to feel like a bit of an outsider cause i played games so much lol.

never mentioned it much around girls especially cause they never played them back then

[Apulu_backagain]

If you play video games as a young boy now, you may not get attention from many girls but you sure are the best guy in the popular guy group.

[Still-alive]

Well thank ya. how come you weren't around when i was in high school? lol jk

[Apulu_backagain]

Thank God I wasn't, the shit I do would have ended me in a witch trial lol.

[Still-alive]

oh would you have cursed me? the shy kid? :P

[Apulu_backagain]

Tbh I would have been a shy kid in that era too. But I would have been very rebellious, a nightmare for any conservative immigrant family from Asia.

[Still-alive]

Oh so you would get me into trouble. bad girl! jk lol

[Apulu_backagain]

Well, would a shy kid really be partner in crimes then?

[Still-alive]

I did befriend some of the other shy kids in school so maybe lol

[Apulu_backagain]

Did you often got into trouble?

[Still-alive]

Rarely. i remember i slept over at a friends house and we snuck out to go get food and his mom came and got us and was so enraged lol. we still stayed the night though

[Still-alive]

Thank you for mho. Have a great day!

[Apulu_backagain]

You're welcome!

[7Phoenix7]

That’s awesome… and honestly probably every parent’s dream …their kid hiding somewhere just to read a book. I definitely loved reading when I was your age too. Before I graduated, I’d even be stretched across the school bus seat reading on the way home lol. But dancing was always my favorite thing.

These days I still enjoy dancing… but I’ve grown to love hiking, traveling, and exploring new places just as much as you seem to enjoy reading.

[Apulu_backagain]

Are you barbie?

[7Phoenix7]

Lmao 😂 why? I sound like the back of a Barbie box?

[RandomGirl42]

Drinking and hibernating until spring so I can be outside and go gardening and camping.

And oh yeah, narcissism.

[Apulu_backagain]

What's your 1# hobby though?

[RandomGirl42]

Anything outside. 🤣

[AI Opinion]

I love this story—reminds me of students I’ve worked with who “sneak study” after exams because learning is their comfort zone.

For me, the thing that feels like your love of reading is deep conversation: one‑on‑one, long, wandering talks where time disappears—about ideas, mistakes, dreams, fears. I come away with the same quiet high you’re describing after finishing a powerful book.

Protect that love of reading. It’ll be one of your greatest lifelong advantages.

[Simslover92]

Listening to music which is something I do almost everyday. I'm so fortunate I get to listen to it while I'm at work.

[Apulu_backagain]

That's peak hobby.

[DryGermanGuy]

When I was your age I was easily reading 50 new books a year. Now it's down to 2-3. :-/

[Apulu_backagain]

That's damn good. I want to read as many books as I can before college starts. You must be a really interesting person to talk to if you read that many books. What do you read usually, fiction or non-fiction?

[DryGermanGuy]

Back then, probably 90% F/10% NF. Nowadays it's more 50/50. Due to my parents being teachers with 10.000+ books it was very easy to find something interesting to read.

[Apulu_backagain]

That sounds good, what stops you from reading now?

[DryGermanGuy]

Job life/adult life. There is always something more important to do.

[Apulu_backagain]

I see, that sounds bad.

[DryGermanGuy]

Not much good comes from getting older, that much I'm certain.

[Apulu_backagain]

What about the adult money part?

[DryGermanGuy]

"Money's always something you need in case you don't die tomorrow."
- Carl Fox, Wall Street

[MrChinaski]

👏 Well done on finishing exams. What does the future hold?

[Apulu_backagain]

I actually got 2 conditional offers from Universities in UK and hopefully my grades satisfy those conditions. I waiting to hear from 2 more. And now I'll prepare for this common university entrance test for Indian universities too just incase the UK plan doesn't work.

[MrChinaski]

Very exciting!!!

[Apulu_backagain]

Yeahh, everything is moving so fast.

[FunkyMonkee]

Spending time and having sex with my girlfriend, playing records, drums and cards, riding my bike and swimming.

[queenofcardio]

That's amazing.

[Apulu_backagain]

What do you love doing?

[queenofcardio]

Working out

[ChicoFromThe305]

Probably playing video games lol

[Apulu_backagain]

That's cool, i look at video games with the same lens as reading books for hobby.

[ChicoFromThe305]

Really? So what do you like to play? 🤔

[Apulu_backagain]

I don't play stuff, my parents don't allow me to play video games and all. But isn't video games basically exploring a different world, disconnecting from reality for a while and challenging your mind into something really simulating? That sounds similar to reading a fictional book.

[ChicoFromThe305]

I guess it can be similar in some ways, instead of imagining the images and story, you can see and control it to an extent

[Apulu_backagain]

Yeah, so it's like reading but more simulating which makes it the perfect hobby.

[ChicoFromThe305]

Yes which I never thought of til now, interesting 🤔

[Xawyx-2]

I like reading too.

[Apulu_backagain]

Same pinch!

[Xawyx-2]

Great minds think alike ;)

[jamesgoldman]

Sorting jewellery or coins

[Apulu_backagain]

Is that why you have 'gold man' in your user id?

[jamesgoldman]

It's what I do for a living

[Nikki1989]

Playing or listening to music.

[Sunnyrjs]

For me that would be listening music