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Sunday, June 16, 2002
"I loved to read and to listen to music. I’d always liked books and my interest in them had been fostered with my friendship with Shimamoto. I started to go to the library, devouring every book I could lay my hands on. Once I began one, I couldn’t put it down. Reading was like an addiction; I read while I ate, on the train, in bed until late at night, in school, where I’d keep the book hidden so I could read during class. Before long I bought a small stereo and spent all my time in my room, listening to jazz records. But I had almost no desire to talk to anyone about the experience I gained through my books and music. I felt happy just being me and no one else. In that sense I could be called a stuck up loner. I disliked all team sports. I hated any kind of competition where I had to score points against someone else. I much preferred to swim on and on, alone, in silence."

Haruki Murakami
South of the Border, West of the Sun