On Reading

I'm a fast reader. At least faster than most people I know (except for Filipino, in which my reading speed is cut in half). But I don't equate reading with comprehension. The latter doesn't always occur with the former.

The discrepancy between the two, at least for me, depends on attention span. If I manage to retain it, the words, and sentences, sink in. If not, well, they're just individual words that flicker in my mind without grasping the concept of the entire sentence.

Of course lack of attention not only arises from boring text but from other factors as well, such as prevaling thoughts that preoccupy my mind, noise, my surroundings, and sometimes, just plain sleepiness.