you've got mail
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Boon has been pestering me too watch this movie ever since I can remember, convincing me that I would love it but I told him no, I wasn't ready to. I know it's just a movie but sometimes the mood has got to be right or I might just miss the whole essence of a movie. So I finally watch the movie one fine windy day and ended up soaking some tissues.
It's about Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) who owns The Shop Around the Corner, a children's books specialty store meeting Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) via AOL who runs the family business chain store, Fox Books. Coincidentally a Fox Books chain arrives in the vicinity and Kathleen and Joe becomes business rivals in reality. Yes, they both fell in love with each other before the story fades into ending.
What I like about the movie is the premise of the story. Big chain bookstores with book knowledge incompetent staff threatening to end the neighbourhood-friendly bookstore with huge discounts and volume. (Sounds morbidly familiar?) Joe Fox said, 'it's just business nothing personal' when he tried to reason out with Kathleen on the opening of Fox Books. It's just sad because The Shop Around the Corner has all the charm and knowledgeable staff on hand that a bookstore should be but was put out of business because it couldn't compete in terms of discounts. I guess that's just reality and you either accept that fact and reinvent or just be stubborn and be trampled upon.
When The Shop Around the Corner finally closes its door, Kathleen walks over to Fox Books and heads to the children section. What she saw surprised her because she thought that a huge bookstore was incapable of providing the joy of reading to children. Instead she saw kids sitting around thumbing through pages, engrossed in their own little worlds. Kathleen finally realises that kids will still enjoy reading long after the memories of her bookstore fade from the minds of her loyal customers.
I really enjoyed watching this movie and was really excited when I heard a familiar passage being read by Kathleen during a storytelling session in her shop. It was from Boy by Roald Dahl (whee!). Also, there was a scene where Kathleen was moving a stack of recognisable Shel Silverstein books (yet another favourite author of mine) and you can see The Cat in the Hat standee from Dr Seuss as well as a few other popular children books in The Shop Around the Corner.
A must-watch for book lovers and a box of tissues will be handy.
p/s Although unheard of in Malaysia, it seems perfectly fine for someone with a PhD in Children's Literature to work on the shop level of a bookstore. How cool is that?
12:15 AM
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hmm?
mirrormask
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Ah, a quirky story about a 15-year-old girl, Helena who falls into a dream world she created through her drawings and her quest of finding the MirrorMask to save the queen of the White City before the City of Light is consumed by the shadows from the Land of Shadows. The story is told in a dream-likeness where anything that can happen in dreams will happen. This unconventional book is very much like Gaiman and McKean's previous works of mix media, indulging in stills from the movie, McKean's signature penciled angular drawings and scattered text done in a readable manner. The background colour of the pages are either white or black, depicting the Light or Dark realms that Helena is in at that moment. I love that subtle effect. It's a nice story - it's like reading about someone's dream and trying to make some sense out of it. It's a fun book, a light read and something to amuse yourself when you're bored.
Then I tried watching the movie version which was directed by Dave McKean himself. The visuals are stunning but like most British films, it was a tad boring for a fantasy-themed movie. I fell asleep three-quarters into the movie. There was one part I liked though where the robots hypnotised Helena into thinking she is the princess of the Land of Shadows while singing Carpenters' Close to You in a chorus-y sort of voice.
If you're really curious about MirrorMask, I would recommend reading the book instead of watching the movie because it's just better that way.
11:38 PM
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hmm?
I need to brag...
Sunday, September 23, 2007
I just need to. First, I think the gacha machine is one wondrous invention of a genius who understands the pleasure derived from childish anticipation of twiddling the knob to obtain what you want but not necessarily getting it. It can be delightful and nerve wrecking at the same time because every individually-packed bobble is a must-have or you might just end up getting the same bobble content after the third try. So there I was thinking how cool it would be if I have my personal gacha machine that I can twiddle whenever I wanted to. And that's exactly what I did. I got myself a gacha machine.
Gacha'ed from the gacha machine itself at Cineleisure, here is a mini version of the machine, assembled from scratch. It's Sanrio of course, the mother of all kawaii things. Of course it works, you just twiddle the knob and mini bobbles will slide out. Standing not more than 10cm in height, tell me it's not cool? And you can even fit the machines on top of one another or hook them up side-by-side, just like the real thing.
When I came across The Book of Lost Things earlier this year, the title intrigued me but I thought no further to pick it up. Then I saw it again recently and felt that I must simply read it.
The book is amazing. It's a story about 12-year-old David coping with the death of his mother at the start of WWII after succumbing to a debilitating illness. David loves books (just like I do) and he finds solace in books especially after his father remarries. His stepmother is soon pregnant and David fears that his soon-to-be-born step-sibling will snatch his remaining love - his father, away from him. And then, something mysterious happens when David is somehow whisked into a world where fairy tales are real. The only thing is, characters that we've grown up to know such as Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, etc are different in this realm. David has to find a way to escape this fantasy world as well as to elude the clutches of the crooked old man. The key lies in the hands of the King who owns... The Book of Lost Things.
Twisting and portraying fairy tales in a different take is nothing new as many authors have already trodden that path. Connolly managed to weave fear and suspense in this tale of magical realism and it was difficult to put down this book once I started reading it. I cried when I was reading the last two pages and continued sobbing into my pillow, feeling emotionally drained.
A book that affected me so much, I felt justified in getting the signed copy I found today although I already have the unsigned copy in my possession. And lucky me too because the copy I picked contained a postcard with a story excerpt slipped between the pages. I simply love the cover which is done in silhouette reminding me of Jan Pieńkowski's works. Speaking of which, the eagerly awaited new book from Pieńkowski will be made available soon and I've just emailed Kinokuniya to see if they are going to bring in this book. I really hope so because Pieńkowski's illustrations are amazingly beautiful. Here's a sneak peak on his latest book published by Puffin.
Based on the original nineteenth-century English translation by Sir Richard Burton, David Walser retells these fantastic tales with a flourish of magic. Jan Pieńkowski's exquisite silhouettes on stunning colour bring the stories vivdly to life, with silver ink printing throughout making this a truly sumptuous production of one of the oldest and best-loved story collections. My previous two Pieńkowski book collection was done on marble backgrounds and so I'm eagerly waiting to savour this new book of his which is done on digitally-produced psychedelic backgrounds. Here's a sample of how the illustrations will look like in this book (left pic) and a comparison to his previous book, Fairy Tales. It's so gorgeously breathtaking, I think I'm going to faint!
Oh yes, what's the story behind the Alice's Adventures in Wonderland book? I've read the story before and since I lost my old copy I decided to get a new one. And the cover is somewhat a silhouette of vines and leaves - complements my Connolly book very well, I believe.
Gacha'ed from the gacha machine itself at Cineleisure, here is a mini version of the machine, assembled from scratch. It's Sanrio of course, the mother of all kawaii things. Of course it works, you just twiddle the knob and mini bobbles will slide out. Standing not more than 10cm in height, tell me it's not cool? And you can even fit the machines on top of one another or hook them up side-by-side, just like the real thing.
When I came across The Book of Lost Things earlier this year, the title intrigued me but I thought no further to pick it up. Then I saw it again recently and felt that I must simply read it.
The book is amazing. It's a story about 12-year-old David coping with the death of his mother at the start of WWII after succumbing to a debilitating illness. David loves books (just like I do) and he finds solace in books especially after his father remarries. His stepmother is soon pregnant and David fears that his soon-to-be-born step-sibling will snatch his remaining love - his father, away from him. And then, something mysterious happens when David is somehow whisked into a world where fairy tales are real. The only thing is, characters that we've grown up to know such as Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, etc are different in this realm. David has to find a way to escape this fantasy world as well as to elude the clutches of the crooked old man. The key lies in the hands of the King who owns... The Book of Lost Things.
Twisting and portraying fairy tales in a different take is nothing new as many authors have already trodden that path. Connolly managed to weave fear and suspense in this tale of magical realism and it was difficult to put down this book once I started reading it. I cried when I was reading the last two pages and continued sobbing into my pillow, feeling emotionally drained.
A book that affected me so much, I felt justified in getting the signed copy I found today although I already have the unsigned copy in my possession. And lucky me too because the copy I picked contained a postcard with a story excerpt slipped between the pages. I simply love the cover which is done in silhouette reminding me of Jan Pieńkowski's works. Speaking of which, the eagerly awaited new book from Pieńkowski will be made available soon and I've just emailed Kinokuniya to see if they are going to bring in this book. I really hope so because Pieńkowski's illustrations are amazingly beautiful. Here's a sneak peak on his latest book published by Puffin.
Based on the original nineteenth-century English translation by Sir Richard Burton, David Walser retells these fantastic tales with a flourish of magic. Jan Pieńkowski's exquisite silhouettes on stunning colour bring the stories vivdly to life, with silver ink printing throughout making this a truly sumptuous production of one of the oldest and best-loved story collections. My previous two Pieńkowski book collection was done on marble backgrounds and so I'm eagerly waiting to savour this new book of his which is done on digitally-produced psychedelic backgrounds. Here's a sample of how the illustrations will look like in this book (left pic) and a comparison to his previous book, Fairy Tales. It's so gorgeously breathtaking, I think I'm going to faint!
Oh yes, what's the story behind the Alice's Adventures in Wonderland book? I've read the story before and since I lost my old copy I decided to get a new one. And the cover is somewhat a silhouette of vines and leaves - complements my Connolly book very well, I believe.
5:49 PM
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hmm?
thank you thank you...
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Thank you everyone for your well wishes... well, not everyone cause I've yet to tell mostly everyone, including my sister. So lucky you, for being few of the firsts to know my little secret. The ring is back with an engraving of a message and it's snugly hugging my finger, a reminder of what I've gotten myself into!
When are wedding bells ringing? Sometime next year... we haven't set a date yet and neither have we started planning anything. In due time, I'll let you noseys know.
I've got another good news i.e. the apartment is ready for the next level of renovations. Hmm, no contractor yet, no quotes, but some ideas are still staying afloat in our heads. So yes, we'll get the place ready soon as well. (:
10:14 PM
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hmm?
the day I dumped the boyfriend, part 1
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Today has been a whirlwind of emotions.
8.00am
Reached the office, my reporting boss was early too. Fishy. Very fishy. Well, went to the warehouse to get books, chit chat with the sales guys, selected more books for an upcoming event, ran around getting my documents ready, today was the day I set to make the rounds to see my media contacts.
12.00noon
The boss called her marketing team into her room. She simply said, "I have tendered my resignation". (Ah no wonder she was in early... to print her resignation letter!) Her three little lambs were dumbfounded, shocked, our mouths mimicked a huge O. How could that be? Who will lead the blind sheep? After much sharing and teary eyes, we went for lunch. Life still goes on, she said.
1.20pm
Lugging bags of books into the car, we're going to have a busy afternoon. Well, we made the rounds to the newspapers with books for review, chit chatted awhile before my soon-to-be-ex-boss told us that the CEO would like to talk to her. We rescheduled an evening appointment and drove all the way to Subang Parade to meet the CEO. They chatted while the three of us sat around pondering our future. 5pm came and we decided to leave, our colleague had to break fast and Boon was already waiting to pick me after work. So we said goodbye and plodded back to the office in the evening traffic jam.
5.45pm
Boon was already waiting for me at the bus stop. I broke the news to him and told him that I was mentally exhausted and let's keep tonight's date quick and simple. Today was after all, our 3rd year anniversary of being together. He smiled and said, ok.
6.30pm
Reached home, lied down on my bed mumbling incoherently while the boyfriend grinned like a fool, I really wanted to sleep with a pillow over my head. But I guess not, today is supposed to be a happy day, three years of being together warrants some sort of celebration. So I dragged my lazy butt off my bed to take a shower while the boyfriend stole some 40 winks, still grinning like an idiot.
7.15pm
We're both clean and dressed (him in a shirt and me in a skirt, he insisted!) and we're heading to Sakae for our dinner date. Got into the car, the boyfriend asked me to open the glove compartment. Hey!, it's that petite box of Hello Kitty puzzles that I wanted. How imaginative, especially after he nonchalantly asked me which design I wanted two days ago. Oh well, at least he got me something because I didn't. (I didn't know what to getla, besides we're saving up for the house!)
Somewhere along the way the boyfriend...
Dear, guess what?
What? (should I try the sukiyaki or softshell crab?)
Muaks
Mm, muaks (maybe I should try something else, dum-dum-dum)
...
Muuakk...
Mm... mua... hey! where are you heading to??
The boyfriend was already on the way heading to KL instead of The Curve.
Heehee... and you really thought I'd take you to Sakae for our anniversary dinner? Sushi isn't romantic you know.
But I wanted to eat sushi! Besides we agreed not to splurge. No wonder you muak me just now... (hmmphh stupid boyfriend!)
...
So where are we going? KLCC? Revolving restaurant? Dowanla... expensive!
Noler... you won't guess it! But I hope you'll like the place because I'm going to fly you to Paris. I take you eat tai chow! Very nice one.
(Grumble, grumble) Okla... (and tai chow is apparently romantic, cheh! Aiye, three years with this fella and this is what I'm getting, sigh better than nothing la)
After several wrong turns, we arrived at the dinner spot. The tai chow place was like any tai chow place back in PJ. I want my sushi! So he parked his car at some seedy-looking car park and we walked over puddles to reach the place.
Tadaa!
Hey! this isn't the tai chow place! I got tricked again! (Eeee... stupid boyfriend!)
And so we walked into CaféCafé, a nice romantic Parisian restaurant.
(Aiyo, now he's making me all shy and sheepish. Fine dining isn't really me. Maybe the tai chow place was better! I hope he's got nothing more surprises up his sleeve!)
So we occupied a table in a dark corner and since I was still very much shy, he ordered the food and I said I needed a glass of beer. Gulp! in case there are more surprises to come.
... to be continued...
8.00am
Reached the office, my reporting boss was early too. Fishy. Very fishy. Well, went to the warehouse to get books, chit chat with the sales guys, selected more books for an upcoming event, ran around getting my documents ready, today was the day I set to make the rounds to see my media contacts.
12.00noon
The boss called her marketing team into her room. She simply said, "I have tendered my resignation". (Ah no wonder she was in early... to print her resignation letter!) Her three little lambs were dumbfounded, shocked, our mouths mimicked a huge O. How could that be? Who will lead the blind sheep? After much sharing and teary eyes, we went for lunch. Life still goes on, she said.
1.20pm
Lugging bags of books into the car, we're going to have a busy afternoon. Well, we made the rounds to the newspapers with books for review, chit chatted awhile before my soon-to-be-ex-boss told us that the CEO would like to talk to her. We rescheduled an evening appointment and drove all the way to Subang Parade to meet the CEO. They chatted while the three of us sat around pondering our future. 5pm came and we decided to leave, our colleague had to break fast and Boon was already waiting to pick me after work. So we said goodbye and plodded back to the office in the evening traffic jam.
5.45pm
Boon was already waiting for me at the bus stop. I broke the news to him and told him that I was mentally exhausted and let's keep tonight's date quick and simple. Today was after all, our 3rd year anniversary of being together. He smiled and said, ok.
6.30pm
Reached home, lied down on my bed mumbling incoherently while the boyfriend grinned like a fool, I really wanted to sleep with a pillow over my head. But I guess not, today is supposed to be a happy day, three years of being together warrants some sort of celebration. So I dragged my lazy butt off my bed to take a shower while the boyfriend stole some 40 winks, still grinning like an idiot.
7.15pm
We're both clean and dressed (him in a shirt and me in a skirt, he insisted!) and we're heading to Sakae for our dinner date. Got into the car, the boyfriend asked me to open the glove compartment. Hey!, it's that petite box of Hello Kitty puzzles that I wanted. How imaginative, especially after he nonchalantly asked me which design I wanted two days ago. Oh well, at least he got me something because I didn't. (I didn't know what to getla, besides we're saving up for the house!)
Somewhere along the way the boyfriend...
Dear, guess what?
What? (should I try the sukiyaki or softshell crab?)
Muaks
Mm, muaks (maybe I should try something else, dum-dum-dum)
...
Muuakk...
Mm... mua... hey! where are you heading to??
The boyfriend was already on the way heading to KL instead of The Curve.
Heehee... and you really thought I'd take you to Sakae for our anniversary dinner? Sushi isn't romantic you know.
But I wanted to eat sushi! Besides we agreed not to splurge. No wonder you muak me just now... (hmmphh stupid boyfriend!)
...
So where are we going? KLCC? Revolving restaurant? Dowanla... expensive!
Noler... you won't guess it! But I hope you'll like the place because I'm going to fly you to Paris. I take you eat tai chow! Very nice one.
(Grumble, grumble) Okla... (and tai chow is apparently romantic, cheh! Aiye, three years with this fella and this is what I'm getting, sigh better than nothing la)
After several wrong turns, we arrived at the dinner spot. The tai chow place was like any tai chow place back in PJ. I want my sushi! So he parked his car at some seedy-looking car park and we walked over puddles to reach the place.
Tadaa!
Hey! this isn't the tai chow place! I got tricked again! (Eeee... stupid boyfriend!)
And so we walked into CaféCafé, a nice romantic Parisian restaurant.
(Aiyo, now he's making me all shy and sheepish. Fine dining isn't really me. Maybe the tai chow place was better! I hope he's got nothing more surprises up his sleeve!)
So we occupied a table in a dark corner and since I was still very much shy, he ordered the food and I said I needed a glass of beer. Gulp! in case there are more surprises to come.
... to be continued...
11:10 PM
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hmm?
the day I dumped the boyfriend, part 2
8.15pm
I really liked the deco, very French with long mirrors decorating the gold painted walls. The ambience was romantic with French music playing in the background. The name CafeCafe reminded me of the wacky Moulin Rouge play, Spectacular Spectacular that the cast were rehearsing in the movie. Anyway, Boon suddenly remembered leaving the camera in the car and went to get it. (Yup, he is that forgetful!). I stared at the Moulin Rouge poster until I heard the tinkle of the bell and when I looked up, he was walking in holding a huge red box. Yikes! Isn't this embarrassing enough already? So he sat down next to me and gave me an envelope. I opened it...
A Mr Wonka's golden ticket means an exclusive trip to his chocolate factory! No guessing what was in the red box!
Inside was the Quentin Blake cut-out of the famous factory complete with chimneys, fire exit staircase and the story characters which you'll need to painstakingly build following the instructions given in the book. I first saw it in Kino some months back but didn't thought of buying it because I know I would give up halfway through. So thoughtful of the boyfriend to get this for me knowing that I adore Roald Dahl more than anything else. It'll definitely go well with my collection of Roald Dahl books. And yes, today so happens to be Roald Dahl's birthday. Happy Birthday Mr Dahl. I just wanted to let you know that you've been a huge inspiration to me!
Well, the boyfriend said there were no more surprises and then the buns came and we got down to business chomping away. Next came the starters, can't really remember what it's called but there were four huge prawns in cheesy sauce. Next came the seafood spaghetti and duck confit which all tasted really good. I would recommend this place but it's strictly for lovebirds and not for business chatter. And then we ordered their tiramisu which was slightly drenched in alcohol. We each took the first bite and then the boyfriend popped the question.
So you've got the golden ticket, aren't you gonna visit the factory?
Oh... yeah I should huh? (Sigh, trust him to interrupt my glorious moment with the tiramisu)
And then he open the box and I began exploring the factory. He showed me the cut-out characters and the details of the factory. And then he lifts the roof up from one of the factory and fishes out a stack of paper cards. I was already blushing by then because the message on the first card reminded me of our earlier days of our courtship. And so I flipped through each of the message cards, laughing at the silly things he wrote in them.
The last card had only one message. A question mark.
I panicked. He panicked. I wouldn't look at him. No! the boyfriend had to ruin this perfect night. That's just so stupid. I wasn't going to forgive him for this.
to be continued...
I really liked the deco, very French with long mirrors decorating the gold painted walls. The ambience was romantic with French music playing in the background. The name CafeCafe reminded me of the wacky Moulin Rouge play, Spectacular Spectacular that the cast were rehearsing in the movie. Anyway, Boon suddenly remembered leaving the camera in the car and went to get it. (Yup, he is that forgetful!). I stared at the Moulin Rouge poster until I heard the tinkle of the bell and when I looked up, he was walking in holding a huge red box. Yikes! Isn't this embarrassing enough already? So he sat down next to me and gave me an envelope. I opened it...
A Mr Wonka's golden ticket means an exclusive trip to his chocolate factory! No guessing what was in the red box!
Inside was the Quentin Blake cut-out of the famous factory complete with chimneys, fire exit staircase and the story characters which you'll need to painstakingly build following the instructions given in the book. I first saw it in Kino some months back but didn't thought of buying it because I know I would give up halfway through. So thoughtful of the boyfriend to get this for me knowing that I adore Roald Dahl more than anything else. It'll definitely go well with my collection of Roald Dahl books. And yes, today so happens to be Roald Dahl's birthday. Happy Birthday Mr Dahl. I just wanted to let you know that you've been a huge inspiration to me!
Well, the boyfriend said there were no more surprises and then the buns came and we got down to business chomping away. Next came the starters, can't really remember what it's called but there were four huge prawns in cheesy sauce. Next came the seafood spaghetti and duck confit which all tasted really good. I would recommend this place but it's strictly for lovebirds and not for business chatter. And then we ordered their tiramisu which was slightly drenched in alcohol. We each took the first bite and then the boyfriend popped the question.
So you've got the golden ticket, aren't you gonna visit the factory?
Oh... yeah I should huh? (Sigh, trust him to interrupt my glorious moment with the tiramisu)
And then he open the box and I began exploring the factory. He showed me the cut-out characters and the details of the factory. And then he lifts the roof up from one of the factory and fishes out a stack of paper cards. I was already blushing by then because the message on the first card reminded me of our earlier days of our courtship. And so I flipped through each of the message cards, laughing at the silly things he wrote in them.
The last card had only one message. A question mark.
I panicked. He panicked. I wouldn't look at him. No! the boyfriend had to ruin this perfect night. That's just so stupid. I wasn't going to forgive him for this.
to be continued...
11:00 PM
1 comments
hmm?
the day I dumped the boyfriend, part 3
The boyfriend said there was still one more message card in his wallet but before that, he took out the camera from his pocket. Next he took out a small black box from his pocket. I blushed furiously and hope it wasn't what I think it was. And then he looked at me and open the box...
Will you marry me?
(I panicked) Uh, you asked my mom already or not?
Err, da will you marry me?
You asked my mom already or not?? (Uhm, I know that was really a stupid thing to ask him but I was really panicking and I didn't know what to say and I was really nervous, scared, shy, surprised, shocked, I dunno, my stomach was in my throat and I didn't know what to say although I really wanted to say yes)
I asked already.
Oh when?? (I didn't know what to say for goodness sake!)
Today lor. Dear, I'm asking you to marry me ah...
Ah.. ah... (Tears were already brimming in my eyes)
Dear?
(I nodded and said) Yes!
And so he slipped the ring onto my right fourth finger.
And then he took out his wallet and gave me the last card. On it was written a message saying, "Thankfully you didn't say 'I don't know' ... just like the first time I asked for you to be my girlfriend". (:
So today was the day I decided to dump the boyfriend... in exchange for an upgrade. (: I blame it all on him for making me giddy with excitement and happiness. Stupid boy... uhm I mean fiance.
And yes we're both very happy about taking our relationship to the next level. We have yet to make any further plans but wedding bells will be ringing sometime next year. So, you all can seriously start saving for our wedding fund heehee...
The end. Or the beginning of something beautiful.
Will you marry me?
(I panicked) Uh, you asked my mom already or not?
Err, da will you marry me?
You asked my mom already or not?? (Uhm, I know that was really a stupid thing to ask him but I was really panicking and I didn't know what to say and I was really nervous, scared, shy, surprised, shocked, I dunno, my stomach was in my throat and I didn't know what to say although I really wanted to say yes)
I asked already.
Oh when?? (I didn't know what to say for goodness sake!)
Today lor. Dear, I'm asking you to marry me ah...
Ah.. ah... (Tears were already brimming in my eyes)
Dear?
(I nodded and said) Yes!
And so he slipped the ring onto my right fourth finger.
And then he took out his wallet and gave me the last card. On it was written a message saying, "Thankfully you didn't say 'I don't know' ... just like the first time I asked for you to be my girlfriend". (:
So today was the day I decided to dump the boyfriend... in exchange for an upgrade. (: I blame it all on him for making me giddy with excitement and happiness. Stupid boy... uhm I mean fiance.
And yes we're both very happy about taking our relationship to the next level. We have yet to make any further plans but wedding bells will be ringing sometime next year. So, you all can seriously start saving for our wedding fund heehee...
The end. Or the beginning of something beautiful.
10:55 PM
5 comments
hmm?
growing up in the 80s
Monday, September 03, 2007
Kalkitos
Remember scratching characters with a pencil onto a cardboard with background scenery? I simply loved it. I was probably less than 10-years-old. It was fun because you're in control over where to place each item to create a story page. And you have to be very careful so that when you peel back the paper, the character doesn't remove partially and spoil the picture. You also need careful thinking and planning because you can't remove the character once you've scratched it in. Unfortunately, they don't sell Kalkitos anymore. Not sure why but maybe kids these days have better things to play with.
Panini
The one and only sticker album I had was the Smurfs book. I remember going to the sundry shop near my house and standing on tiptoes to choose a sticker packet from the counter top. Because you can't see what stickers are inside each packet, it's quite frustrating when you keep getting doubles. Each packet was 60 cents and it contained 6 pieces of stickers. That's good money back in the 80s btw. I never did complete my sticker book because I couldn't seem to get all of the stickers and it was really an expensive hobby. The book is sitting somewhere on the bookshelf.
Remember scratching characters with a pencil onto a cardboard with background scenery? I simply loved it. I was probably less than 10-years-old. It was fun because you're in control over where to place each item to create a story page. And you have to be very careful so that when you peel back the paper, the character doesn't remove partially and spoil the picture. You also need careful thinking and planning because you can't remove the character once you've scratched it in. Unfortunately, they don't sell Kalkitos anymore. Not sure why but maybe kids these days have better things to play with.
Panini
The one and only sticker album I had was the Smurfs book. I remember going to the sundry shop near my house and standing on tiptoes to choose a sticker packet from the counter top. Because you can't see what stickers are inside each packet, it's quite frustrating when you keep getting doubles. Each packet was 60 cents and it contained 6 pieces of stickers. That's good money back in the 80s btw. I never did complete my sticker book because I couldn't seem to get all of the stickers and it was really an expensive hobby. The book is sitting somewhere on the bookshelf.
2:45 PM
2 comments
hmm?
gold ribbon
Sunday, September 02, 2007
The annual MPH local authors meet was held recently on 25 Aug at MPH 1 Utama. Many local authors turned up for the event to meet up with friends and to make new ones. The fifth this year, the forum's discussion centered around "What is the direction of the local book industry based on current developments? Is this the direction where we want to head, or should we collectively shift the course of things to come?"
Quite a number of issues were brought up during the 2-hour session and you can read Daphne Lee's comments here or Sharon Bakar's.
Apart from a handful of local books that might attract international markets, most of them are just nothing to shout about. There is a lack of quality in terms of individuality, imagination and eccentricity. (Personally I don't think it's appropriate to term individuals who write business books as authors. They are writers, period.) That's not to say Malaysians can't write. They can. Circumstances like high costs in production impedes potential bestsellers. Children picture books unfortunately fall in this category. Or books that might only attract niche markets. I doubt the situation is going to change anytime soon unless you finance your own project or take your book to an independent publisher who appreciates your idea or if you have the right contacts to leech on to.
So while I was taking a shower this morning, I contemplated on my book idea and decided to shelf it indefinitely. I realised I need more than ideas to get published. I need courage, self-believe, patience, money and a genuine sense of sharing my story with others. And less narcissism.
The gold ribbon is a symbol of supporting local authors.
10:30 AM
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hmm?
