writing by moonlight

hate the haze

2009-07-17T22:20:00.005+08:00

I am positively hating the haze that's enveloping KL & PJ right now. It seems to have gotten worse since we got back from Sydney. I really miss the clean air in Sydney... sigh. I miss the cool weather and nice buildings and friendly streets. When we walked to and from work in Sydney, we went through a tree-lined field called "The Domain". It was so soothing.

In KL, for our trip home from work, we have to stand for 30 minutes to an hour for a commuter train that always seems to be delayed, while having the sun beating down our backs, listening to horrific traffic and breathing in filthy air. I get elbowed by some fat guy nearly every day when I try to get on the train, then I suffocate for 30 minutes in a train that's packed, and the air conditioning doesn't work - as if the working day wasn't stressful enough. By the time I get home, I'm usually bloody exhausted.

Oh yeah, back to the haze. I'm convinced that everyone's feeling sick because of this toxic air we're breathing. It's hard not to be depressed when you look around and things seem so apocalyptic. Here I am recycling my household waste, trying not to accept plastic bags, and using public transport to do my part for the environment, and the air is freaking toxic. If I could go without breathing, I would.

It seems like a joke that we're taking our son out tomorrow, so that he can play in the kids pool at KLCC and get some "fresh air". Such a thing doesn't exist in KL! When are we going to get skies that look like this?

Sigh.

Image from publicdomainpictures.net

you've got venus mail

2009-07-16T17:06:00.003+08:00

Wah! I received my first Venus mail today! It seems Venusbuzz.com, which I've been contributing to for a while now, has a newsletter! Cool! Do sign up! We promise to bring you good articles!

something wicked this way comes...

2009-07-16T12:31:00.009+08:00

Admittedly, I am a bit of a Potter fanatic, so I WILL be watching "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" this weekend with husband and son in tow (I had to swear to my son that we're only going to watch this once). I didn't need to read any reviews to know that this movie will have lots of teenage hormones on a rampage, I have read the book after all. That makes me squirm a bit, because I'd rather not revisit the "Twilight" experience if you know what I mean. Nonetheless, it is how JKR wrote it. She did include hormones in Harry's life, so that's fine. However, since I'm allergic to teenage mush, I may have to avert my eyes during certain scenes. I don't know why I'm not excited about this movie, maybe it's because I was disappointed by the silver screen's take on "The Order of the Phoenix". Still, it will be fun, I think.

Image from Wikipedia

fresh new start

2009-07-15T23:37:00.006+08:00

I decided to change the look of my blog, in keeping with my current mantra of "living with less". Three cheers for fresh new beginnings... hip, hip hurray (3x).

Image from publicdomainpictures.net

Helping hand and Sydney sense

2009-07-07T16:26:00.004+08:00

July is "social awareness month", did you know that? I didn't. But now I do! As part of my assignment for Venus, I came up with a few suggestions on how to make our children more socially aware. Here's an excerpt:

"Social awareness, it sounds like a big thing. Just the sound of it makes you think that responsibility and maturity are the basic requirements of being socially aware, but truth is, children can get involved in it too. Children are important members of society, and they have a lot to give, so why not let them do their part? After all, it builds character."

To read more, visit the following link:

Of course, I also had to write something based on my trip to Sydney. Here are a few things I learned about the city when I got there:

Sydney, I love you

2009-06-30T14:19:00.021+08:00

I'm back from my 10-day working visit to Sydney, and I've got to say that I've absolutely fallen in love with the city! It's a truly inspiring place. I'm really happy that I got to go with my husband as well, because he's great company and he's what I call the "human compass", so we never got lost!

This is me with a huge tree at the Royal Botanical Gardens, a truly magical place!

A Close Eye

2009-06-15T11:40:00.004+08:00

I admit, as a parent, I'm pretty paranoid. Whenever we go out, for example, I get my son to recite the following rule - "Stick to mummy like glue". Well, I truly believe that we can never play it too safe when it comes to our children, which is why I wrote this article for Venus...

Sew-phisticated Beauty (Essenze Vol 14 - 09)

2009-06-12T16:05:00.008+08:00

Check out the latest issue of Essenze magazine! They've made my article a cover story ;) This time, I've written something on the art of Malay embroidery. I'll be leaving for Sydney in a few days, so excited!

Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion

2009-06-04T16:41:00.010+08:00

It's official! The Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion will be out in May 2010! I wrote an essay entitled "Textile Traditions of Malaysia and Its Impact on Dress" for the South Asia and Southeast Asia volume back in 2006. It's been 3 years in the making! How exciting!

The 10-volume Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion will be published in May 2010. It will also be an online encyclopedia called Berg Fashion Library. Keep up to date with the latest news and offers by signing up for the Berg Fashion Library Newsletter at www.BergFashionLibrary.com

1.com.my

2009-06-02T10:27:00.004+08:00

Sigh... I'm pretty depressed because I wasn't able to find my lost hamster last night. I looked everywhere, and it's killing me to think that its alone, hungry and scared :( On a more positive note though, I've got myself a new gig, helping a client edit the blog posts on his corporate blog 1.com.my. Here's one I did on a Malaysian artist, more to come!

Where's my hamster!!

2009-06-01T21:44:00.005+08:00

I did a very, very stupid thing yesterday... I fed my hamsters Cuddly and Snuggly, and then I left Snuggly's cage door open. I only noticed that he was missing this morning, and we couldn't really look for him because my husband and I had to go to work. When I arrived home just now, I searched everywhere for him. Still no Snuggly. I'm so worried!!

Still, amidst my growing concern for my pet, I thought of writing a short story about a lost hamster, or about his adventures around the house. A quick search on the Internet yielded that a tale of this sort has already been written by James Preller and published by Scholastic. It's called "Case of Kermie the Missing Hamster".

What a fun read! You can buy the book on Amazon.com and browse inside here. Wish me luck with my hamster hunt... I think I will write that story after I've gotten over the heartbreak of losing my hammie.

Me in Personal Money

2009-05-31T18:24:00.008+08:00

Picked up the June '09 issue of Personal Money magazine today...

Here's an article on "15 ways to make more money"...

Look! I'm on page 70, talking about freelance writing :)

Thanks Siew May, it's a wonderful article ;)

Minute taking

2009-05-23T12:07:00.004+08:00

The last two days, I've been in several meetings that lasted almost the entire working day. Things is, I was the one taking down the minutes. They've got to be perfect for Monday, so guess how I'll be spending my weekend! God, I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

In any case, I take as much pride in my minute writing, as I do in my other writing pursuits. So as soon as my brain wakes up, I'll give it my all. For all you dedicated fellow minute takers out there, I don't need to tell you that "it's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it"... so here's a couple of cartoons to brighten up our day.

from CartoonStock.com

by Mark Anderson (http://www.andertoons.com/)

Blurt of the day

2009-05-14T20:28:00.002+08:00

This is from a friend on Facebook:

"While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about!"

Ending bedtime battles

2009-05-14T15:51:00.008+08:00

If you have kids, you'll know that bedtime can be a battle of wits. Rest assured, you are not alone. I recently wrote about my personal struggles with my preschooler in an article for Venus. Here's an excerpt:

"It’s 10.00 pm and I’ve finally managed to get my preschooler to sleep. He usually obeys and nods off at 8.30 to 9.00 pm, but tonight, he resisted. First, he needed his favourite soft toy, then he needed a glass of water, after that, he needed to go to the bathroom… it seemed to drag and drag, with no end in sight. Finally, he fell asleep out of exhaustion, I think. That’s a bad thing, because he’s got school tomorrow, and I don’t want him to be sleepy at school."

To check out the full article, just follow this link:

Tom, Dick and Harry

2009-05-14T15:46:00.004+08:00

Who are Tom, Dick and Harry? Well, I recently learnt some interesting facts about them, and wrote an article for Venus. Here's an excerpt:

"You’ve probably used the phrase “any Tom, Dick and Harry” or “every Tom, Dick and Harry” to describe a bunch of unspecified people before, but did you know that this well-known trio actually existed? Tom, Dick and Harry were actually the Dunsden brothers, highwaymen from Fulbrook, Oxfordshire, who lived in the 18th century. Apparently, an injustice was done to one of them, and so they sought to exact revenge on the townsfolk."

To find out more about them, click on the link below:

toot toot

2009-05-10T17:07:00.005+08:00

(sound of mild tooting of own horn)

Dear, dear... it's been an exhausting, albeit rather exciting and utterly weird week for me. My husband, my colleagues and I have been working very hard to put together the latest exhibition at the IAMM, entitled "A Decade of Dedication". The PM came to launch it on Friday, with the First Lady of Malaysia.

As if that wasn't exciting enough, Tun Dr Mahathir, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah, Datuk Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim and Datin Seri Utama Masnah Rais were special guests at the ceremony. I had the honour of giving the PM, his wife and the special guests a tour of the exhbition. My tummy felt like it was hosting a Monarch butterfy migration.

That same morning, I appeared on Malaysia Hari Ini (TV3) at about 8.30 a.m. Then, later, I was told I popped up on TV again during the evening news. That earned me a number of sms from friends who gave me a ribbing about about my 15 seconds of "fame". An aunt, who saw me on TV, called up my mum to tell her about it.

To my mild horror, on Saturday, mum told me that I appeared with the PM in most major Malaysian newspapers. Berita Harian even put the PM on the front page due to his comments on the DUN Perak incident. I happened to be in the picture with him. Yikes. Apparently, a few of my very observant relatives saw me in the papers and told my elder brother about it.

I haven't seen any of the papers, but I got to see an online article of one of them. Yikes.

Anyway, to celebrate Mother's Day, my husband and I went and got our first ever foot massages. It was good, we'll be back!

Blurt of the day

2009-04-25T11:13:00.005+08:00

Sigh. I'm tired, my son has a fever, and I can't be home to take care of him. Sigh. My blurt for the day is:

"Don't just sit there, do stuff..."

Art House Co-op

2009-04-22T11:16:00.006+08:00

I found something really inspiring on the Internet today - Art House Co-op. They're an Atlanta-based team that creates massive art projects that anyone can join - way to bring art to the masses! So cool. Some of their current projects include: "The 10,000 project", where 10,000 people interpret one word; "The Great Art House Print Exchange", where you get to trade editioned artwork with others; and "A Million Little Pictures", a photo exhibition bringing together 1,000 artists and 24,000 photos from around the world. You do have to pay a fee to take part in these projects, but it's necessary for operating costs and the guys who run this have to make a living somehow! I signed up for membership today, and I look forward to actually taking part in some of their projects whenever my budget permits. Curious? Find out more about them at this link:

Star suicides

2009-04-20T17:14:00.002+08:00

I was struck down by a fever last week. I had headaches, chills, and a horrible cough that kept me awake at night. Being sick is bad news for writers, your brain just refuses to cooperate. Thankfully, however, all that has subsided, and I can feel my strength returning.

I wish I could say that the article I'm about to highlight is rather more cheerful than being sick, but it's a lot worse. It's about suicide. To be exact, it's about the disturbing trend among Korean stars, who seem to think that killing themselves is the only way out. Check out the unnerving Korean drama, as it unfolds on Venus:

Blurt of the day

2009-04-10T22:13:00.007+08:00

Today's blurt is inspired by my favourite SNL skit "More cowbell":

"Guess what? I got a fever, and the only prescription... is more cowbell!"

Interview with Personal Money Magazine

2009-04-05T10:30:00.009+08:00

Yesterday morning, I headed over to Amcorp Mall with husband and son in tow, to meet Siew May, a writer for Personal Money magazine. She said she wanted to interview me about freelance writing and how it helps in the current economic slump.

The family and I arrived early, so we sat down at a kopitiam. I asked my husband to get me a 'Nescafe ais'. They didn't have it, so the hubby figured that a 'kopi ais' would suffice. I took a few sips, and decided, no thanks.

About a half an hour later, Siew May and her photographer friend arrived. There was a brief introduction, and the husband and son went about their way. My interview with the charming Siew May lasted an hour or so. I think it went well, although I found myself yammering away at times. Once we were done, I reunited with the family for lunch.

I also had to take my passport photo that day. It turned out horrible. It wasn't the photographer's fault, of course. I looked exhausted, and well, frankly, I need to lose about 40 pounds.

My husband pointed out, not unsympathetically, that J.Lo's luggage was now parked underneath my eyes. I pacified myself by thinking, "Everybody looks bad in their passport photo," although I'm sure this isn't true.

I can only hope that the photos the Personal Money magazine photographer took of me weren't half as bad. Oh well. The magazine will be out in June, we'll find out then.

My unsatisfactory passport photo made me realise that I've been working too hard and neglecting myself. I must resolve to get more rest, even if it means writing less.

My boys doing what they do best, reading comics and playing with plastic dinosaurs, while I waited for the writer to arrive and continued to stir my undrinkable kopi ais with a straw.

Blurt of the day

2009-04-04T09:17:00.009+08:00

I think I'm going to start posting simple sentences that I find interesting, inspiring or intriguing... It'll mostly consist of things that have just popped into my head or words borrowed from someone else. I'll call them 'blurt of the day'...

Today's blurt is:

"I have something to say"

Baby learns to read :)

2009-04-02T17:42:00.017+08:00

Disclaimer: People, please do excuse this gushing post, I'm a proud mama!

Mum called me yesterday, while I was at the office. She screamed, "Your son can read Lin!!" over the phone, which sounded too good to be true, because every time I'd ask my 5-year old, "What did you learn at school today Amir?", his usual reply would be, "I don't know." So, staying true to myself, I reserved room for skepticism, "He probably just memorised a few words in his book," I thought.

That evening, when I got home, mum urged little Amir to show me that he had learnt how to read. Amir opened his school book, pointed at the words on the page and read, "Kuh-eh-tuh. Caaaatttt. Cat." He pronounced each consonant and vowel; then he read the word, first slowly, then fast. It was so cute. I saw, however, that there was a picture of a cat on the page, so I still wasn't sure if he was actually reading.

But then, he read and read, stumbling on words as he went, and spelling them out, phonetically, to himself. By the time he got to the middle of the book, which had no pictures, I was convinced that he had, indeed, learnt how to read. Cat, bat, tot and cab, these were the four words he read over and over again.

To test him, I purposely messed up my spelling as I read with him, "Kuh-eh-tuh - BAT!" I would say. He'd giggle endlessly at my silliness, delighting in the fact that he was smarter than his mum. He'd then point out my mistake and recite the correct spelling.

As I tucked him in that night, we spelled things that were in his book, then things that weren't in his book, like: rat, hat, fat, pat, mat and sat. We finished up with a silly sentence - 'A fat rat sat on a cat on the mat', which drew more giggles, and then he fell asleep.

He has only learnt to read about four words, since this is his first reading book, but I'm so proud of him! I can't wait until he brings home more reading books from school, so we can learn to spell and read and spell some more. Soon, he'll be able to read all of the books that I've been collecting for him since before he was born! What an adventure that'd be!

He said, Scribd said

2009-04-02T10:04:00.015+08:00

If you're a bookworm and you like YouTube, then you'll probably like Scribd, a website where you can read stuff for free. The California-based company, founded by Harvard students Trip Adler and Jared Friedman, is said to attract around 55 million visitors a month, making it 'the most popular literary site in the world'.

They say on their website that the technology they've built breaks all barriers to traditional publishing and forms one of the largest readerships in the world. In a move they call 'Democratizing Publishing', they've allowed everyone to easily upload and immediately share their original works online. Problem is, people have been uploading stuff that's not theirs as well. Copyright infringement anyone?

It was a matter of time until someone blew the whistle. The Times London just did, publishing a story recently about how the publishers and agents of authors like J.K. Rowling and Ken Follet were going after Scribd over copyrighted material published on the site. In response to the article, the Scribd team fought back on their blog, saying that the Times’ article was misleading and included factual errors.

Tammy Nam, a spokeswoman for Scribd, says that they've always been mindful of copyright concerns. They operate what's called a “notice and takedown system”, where it will remove books from its website if publishers demand it, usually within 24 hours. This, The Times reports, is compliant with the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which means the site can't be held liable for actions of its users of which it is not aware. Of course, there are people out there who don't think this is good enough.

I think Scribd is great, but I can understand why some authors and publishers are pissed. Fair use shouldn't equal fair game. Perhaps now publishers will have to do what record companies have been doing on YouTube, like demanding that user-created videos or pirated official videos be muted or removed. Or, maybe, they could set up their own 'channels' and start using Scribd as a promotional platform. I mean, if they really have 55 million readers...