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LIM LAUGHS AND LEARNS
Sunday Star, StarMag, Oct 2, 2005
ALTHOUGH he was not an avid reader as a child, comedian/actor Douglas Lim has become a real book-lover now and hopes to leave his future children with a book that will help them to understand life’s mysteries.
Lim, 28, played Steven in the hit TV series, Kopitiam. As a kid, he hated reading because he always associated it with academic pursuits. It didn’t help that he was born in the era of colour television, which was always more entertaining, he says.
As Lim grew older, however, he started reading more. “Now I find I’m more of an active reader. I want to find out a lot more, and how things impact me and my worldview.
“That’s why I like books that have a bibliography. They are factual or semi-factual and you can always look for related material to read.
“I have a cabinet where I chuck my books. I’m not a displayer, which also works against me because it’s difficult for me to find a book. In my room, I have spaces where I just pile the books. I move them once in a while when I have to clean that part of the floor!”
Most of the books he has are written by comedians, or are about being an effective comic, as well as research papers by several comedy professors.
“I have loads of books by Dave Barry, a humour columnist for the Miami Herald. He’s a really funny guy. Some are collections of his columns,” says Lim, who also collects books by stand-up comedian George Carlin (“That guy is brilliant. He’s not just funny. He’s smart as well.”), Steven Fry (“Another smart fellow, very, very funny.”), and Ben Elton, the creator of the Mr Bean and The Black Adder TV series.
He also collects books featuring scripts from popular TV sitcoms like Seinfeld and Frasier. “Just to try and get into the minds of comedians, (see) how they think and view things, how they have a different viewpoint that makes the jokes funny.”
Another of his interests is true crime and he has many books on real-life criminals.
“I don’t really read mysteries because I’m stupid, I can’t get it. Even as I get towards the end of the book, I still can’t figure out who the killer is. So I stick with true crime because from the start, you know who the killer is. I read about people like Ted Bundy and Bonnie and Clyde. I also have books that give different views on Jack the Ripper, each claiming to know who he was.”
Lim also loves books about the supernatural (like the pyramids, UFOs, and unexplained stuff) and magic (coin and card manipulation). He would like to leave one particular book to the kids he hopes to have one day – the world’s greatest mysteries.
“It features everything, from the animal kingdom to the pyramids. It has lots of pictures and uses simple language.” The book is based on fact, but has enough questions to keep one wondering about the marvels of the world.
Lim believes that as he gets older and more mature, learning becomes empowering, and reading is something everyone can do to improve him or herself.
“My humour books are two-pronged. They help me with my work; at the same time, I thoroughly enjoy them. So it’s entertainment as well as education.”
Right now, he is reading Nelson’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Bible Facts: A Comprehensive Fact-Finding Sourcebook on All the People, Places, and Customs of the Bible by J.I. Packer, Merrill C. Tenney and William White. It tries to link whatever is in the bible to historical events based on the writings of other religions, culture and archaeology, Lim says.
What books does he think every home should have?
“Hardcover books because they can double as shelves and stools to put stuff on!”
Copyright Star Publications (M) Bhd
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