Book: Stephen King On Writing

"If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others; read a lot and write a lot. There's no way around these two things that I'm aware of, no shortcut."

Yes, Mr. King, I hear you. This is one advice that I'll always remember.

Science-Fiction, Fantasy and Horror are not my favourite genre; which is why I have never read any of his books. But this book does not fall into any of those genres. Part autobiography and part writing guide, it gives readers a glimpses into his childhood and his creative process. 
This is no rigid, formal literary book on writing. Kings shares his experiences, and I found it very inspiring, useful and relevant. 

The writing is simple and direct, a style that he advocates. There are many good 'tips' that he shares such as 'toolbox' (vocabulary, grammar, etc) that writers need and one that I remembered particularly - the usage of adverb and passive voice. 

I plan to reread this book again.

Highly recommend for anyone who is interested in writing. 

Sutera Harbour Resort Sabah

We stayed at The Pacific Sutera Harbour on the last night of my failed mission in Sabah. While the decor of the hotel was a little bit dated, the service and the surrounding view was great. As I was the only one who arrived first among my group, I went for a walk along the marina. 

At night, while my friends opt for an early night because of the tiredness, I went for another stroll on my own. It was quiet and peaceful, and I love the serenity. 

I'm not sure which type of room we stayed in because everything was pre-booked and it was a large group. Everyone is twin-sharing. My room faced the golf course, has a king-sized bed and a large bathroom with a little window that open up to the bed area. 

                       

One thing I will always remember is just how comfy the bed was! My friend, who successfully made the climb to Mount Kinabalu, just do not want to get out of it once she lies down on it. 

Crabtree and Evelyn for toiletries. 

The buffet breakfast was also good to my surprise because most of the hotel's food I had tried tend to be bland. I also try something new - black bean Dhall and I love it!

About Sutera Harbour Resort

The 384-acre of resort consists of 2 5-star hotels (The Mangellan Sutera Resort and The Pacific Sutera Harbour), a 27-hole golf course (Sutera Harbour Golf and Country Club), a marina (Sutera Harbour Marina & Country Club) and a spa (Mandara Spa).

From Mountain to the Sea

Mission fails before it started!

I went to Sabah in July with the mission to climb Mount Kinabalu. But I couldn't do it at all as I fell sick. I was not feeling well the days before the trip but once I reach Kota Kinabalu, it became worse. On the way to Ranau (where the mountain is located) I lost my voice. The low temperature of the highland did not help and made me feel worse.

This trip was organised by a group of climbers to raise money for charity. All we need to do was just paid a fees that will covers all accommodation and transportation, except the flight tickets. Accommodations included a stay in Kinabalu Park and Sutera Harbour on the last day of the trip.

We stayed at Kinabalu Park on the night before the climb. My group climbed on the next day while I moved into another resort with some of the people in the group who didn't climb.

Our chalets at Kinabalu Park

Fire to warm the room at night

I only felt better once I reached Sutera Harbour Resort. Standing at the beach, I realise I like sea more than mountain. I don't like the cold when we were in Ranau. Maybe I was sick.

When I first agreed to the trip, I was keen to take on the challenge and to get myself to exercise. But now, even though I fail in the mission, I don't feel like I want to try to climb again.

Maybe I'll change my mind one day.

Book: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

“I'm often asked what I think about as I run. Usually the people who ask this have never run long distances themselves. I always ponder the question. What exactly do I think about when I'm running? I don't have a clue.” 

In this book, Haruki Murakami reminiscences of how he started running, his career as a novelist and how, for him, writing and running are similar.

The most interesting part for me was the solo account on the marathon from Athens to the town of Marathon, on a very hot summer day; the distance - 26 miles!

He is my favourite author ever since I read Norwegian Wood.

In this book, he talks quite a bit about himself and what goes into his head. As I read, I can relate to what he's saying; at times I feel the same way as he did.

When talking about running as a solo sport:

“I’m the kind of person who likes to be by himself. To put a finer point on it, I’m the type of person who doesn’t find it painful to be alone. I find spending an hour or two every day running alone, not speaking to anyone, as well as four or five hours alone at my desk, to be neither difficult nor boring. I’ve had this tendency ever since I was young, when, given a choice, I much preferred reading books on my own or concentrating on listening to music over being with someone else. I could always think of things to do by myself.” 

Yes, I can relate to that.

Gilles Peterson & Thom Yorke in BBC Radio 1

Thom Yorke was the special guest in Gilles Peterson's weekly show in BBC Radio 1 on 21 September 2011.

Just listened to the 2-hour show online. Love it!

The playlist
Yann Tomita — We Travel The Space Ways (Sony Japan)
BLO — Chant To Mother Earth (EMI Nigeria)
Radiohead — Little By Little (Caribou Remix) (XL)
Virgo Four — It’s A Crime (Caribou Remix) (Rush Hour)
Lukid — Dragon Stout (Glum)
Kode 9 — Neon Red Sun (Hyperdub)
Jai Paul — Btstu (XL)
Frank Minion — Flamenco Sketches (Bethlehem)
Duke Ellington — Skin Deep Live At Newport 1956 (Legacy)
Emanative — Lions of Judah (Kieran Hebden Re-edit) (Unreleased)
Anstam — Baldwin (50 Weapons)
Modeselektor — White Flash (feat. Thom Yorke) (BPitch Control)
Modeselektor — Hasir (BPitch Control)
Radiohead — Bloom (Mark Pritchard Remix) (XL)
Africa Hitech — Out In The Streets (Warp)
DJ Slugo — Juke Me From The Back Low (Subterranean Playhouse)
Barry Miles — Magic Theatre (London Records)
Radiohead — Ferral (Radiohead)
Radiohead — Ferral (Lone Remix) (XL)
Radiohead — Bloom (Radiohead)
Julio Bashmore — Chazm (Ten Thousand Yen)
William Basinski — The Disintegration Loops (2062)
Thom Yorke — The Eraser (XL)
Baden Powell & Vinicius de Moraes — Canto De Ossanha (Jag)
Sérgio Ricardo — Conversação De Paz (Equipe)
Thundercat — Daylight (Brainfeeder)
Flying Lotus — Gng Bng (Warp)
Flying Lotus — …And The World Laughs With You (feat. Thom Yorke) (Brainfeeder)
Thom Yorke, Burial & Four Tet — Ego (Text)
Massive Attack — Five Man Army (Virgin)
Radiohead — Bloom (Jamie xx Remix) (XL)
Radiohead — Give Up The Ghost (Thriller Houseghost Actress Mix) (XL)

Gruff Rhys live in Malaysia

Wicked gig. Brilliant performer. A true artist. 

Gruff Rhys - Hotel Shampoo

Gruff Rhys LIVE in KL!

Yes, Gruff Rhys, well-known from the Super Furry Animal is in town! And I'll be there for his gig!

He has been doing doing his own solo stuff for a while and has just recently come up with a new album Hotel Shampoo.

LOVE the album's cover! 

He is going to perform in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow at Black Box MAP @ Publika, Solaris Dutamas. This is Gruff Rhys's first trip to KL. The gig is presented by 33rpm on BFM, the business radio. 33rprm is all about indie music and is presented by Zack Yusoff.

gruffrhys.com
bfm.my/33rpmvox

Picture - Gruff Rhys live in KL

Sri Aman, Sarawak

A Trip to Sri Aman, Sarawak 

I was there two weeks ago for my cousin's wedding. 

The distance between Kuching and Sri Aman is about 190+ km but it took us almost three hours to reach the town from airport, mainly due to travelling on trunk road and an old Toyota Crown as our taxi.

It is a peaceful town and one that carry its name well - Aman meant peace in Malay language. The pace of life here is much, much slower than in KL and even Kuching; the shops actually close around 3pm! 

                        

There are a lot of swift birds in the town. At night, they gathered at the electrical wires like above and sleep! Swift birds are famous for producing the bird's nest soup but according to the locals, those found in the town are not the type that produces this delicacy.

The Present

Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow; a mystery,
and today is a gift, that's why we call it
the present.

~ Joan Rivers

Arcade Fire - Wake Up

Arcade Fire won the 2011 Grammy Award for Album of the Year for their third studio album - The Suburbs. The Grammy winner is an indie rock band based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

I was searching for their songs in YouTube when I stumbled upon the video above. What drawn me in was the amazing performance, the energy of the band and the variety of instruments they played. Check out how some of them switch instruments in between the song! The song was from their first studio album, Funeral.

Google Jules Verne doodle

I love the Google logo today!

The letters in the logo today are shaped like the window on a submarine. But what's cool is the red lever on the right hand site!

"Using CSS3 (and with help from our resident tech wizards Marcin Wichary and Kris Hom), the doodle enables anyone to navigate the Nautilus down (nearly) 20,000 leagues with the simple pull of a lever," Google doodler Jennifer Horn wrote in a blog post.

The doodle was in honour of Jules Verne, who was born on this day, February 8, 1928. He is one of the pioneers of the science fiction literary genre and is best known for classic books such as Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, A Journey to the Center of the Earth and Around the World in Eighty Days. When Jules Verne wrote these stories, most of the transport mode described in the books were not even invented - it's amazing how he managed to came up with those storie

CNY Food - Yee Sang

Eating Yee Sang is a tradition during Chinese New Year in Malaysia  It is basically a raw fish salad (usually come in slices of salmon). Vegetarian version is also available to catered to those who follow a vegan diet.

The fun of eating Yee Sang is tossing all the ingredient together as seen in the photo. Chinese loves symbolism. Yee meant fish in Chinese and it sounds like 'abundance', hence the higher you tossed, the better as the act of tossing (lou sang) symbolises increased prosperity. 

As far as I know, this dish is invented in Malaysia, but then Wikipedia said it's from Singapore, so I can't confirm on that. Yee Sang and Lou Sang are popular among the Chinese from South East Asia. 

Yee Sang is my favourite dish during Chinese New Year. The photo above was taken at a dinner with my cousins. It's the fifth lou sang I have for this year - 3 Yee Sang few days before the Chinese New Year and 1 during the reunion dinner. I'm sure there will be more to come because Chinese New Year officially lasted for 15 days. 

Wishing everyone prosperity, happiness and good health always! Happy Rabbit Year!

Travis - Closer

Song of the moment - Closer by Travis

This song was first released in 2007 but somehow I'm smitten by it now. Fran Healy's voice is lovely.

By the way, the music video featured a cameo from Ben Stiller - it's hilarious! (I was not able to share the video here, so go check it out at Youtube!)

The Boy With No Name is the band fifth album.

Lyric

I've had enough

Of this parade

I'm thinking of

The words to say

We open up

Unfinished parts

Broken up

It's so mellow

*And when I see you then I know it will be next to me

And when I need you then I know you will be there with me

I'll never leave you

Just need to get closer, closer

Lean on me now

Lean on me now

Closer, closer

Lean on me now

Lean on me now*

Keep waking up

Without you here

Another day

Another year

I seek the truth

We set apart

Thinking of

A second chance

Repeat *

Closer, closer

Closer, closer

CNY Food - Lap Ngap

You know it's Chinese New Year time when you see lap ngap (waxed duck)! It is a delicacy available and eaten during the Lunar New Year. Made by preserving a flattened, deboned duck in salt, spices and fat, it's extremely salty and leathery.

Lap ngap pei (wax duck's thigh) is the one on the right. On the left is lap cheong (chinese sausage) which is available all year round.

These meats are usually cook by steaming. But before that, soak the lap cheong in hot water to loosen the skin so that it's easy to peel it off.

In Lap mei fan, the meats are cook together with the rice in the cooker. The oil/fat from the meats give flavour to the rice. It's oily and definitely not healthy but taste so good!

Invite Ian Wright

* photo from his Facebook Fanpage

Yes, the 'lady' in pink is Ian Wright! The famous travel host was transformed to a Drag Queen in his show, Invite Mr. Wright. This episode was filmed in Malaysia and featured Joanne Kam Po Po.

I just watched this last episode of the show at TLC in Astro. Ian Wright is my favourite TV host! He has my dream job (he travels almost to everywhere in the world in the name of work), he is also a very funny and witty guy. It's always entertaining to watch him. 

While searching for a suitably photo to put here, I came across a bit of news about him and Kechara Soup Kitchen. Apparently, he volunteered with the Kechara Soup Kitchen to distribute food to the homeless, but it was not shown in the episode. Emm, I wonder why it was edited out?

More info on the show @

invitemrwright.com

Book: Rich Dad Poor Dad

I seldom read non-fiction book, the least of all, self-help book. This one grabbed my attention because it's well-known book that I have heard so much about. 

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki is more of a self-help book than a financial one. The writing is easy to understand without hard-to-grasp financial concept. Basically, this book talked about financial intelligence and the importance of it for us to master it, rather than actually teaching you how to be rich/how to be a millionaire/how to make money.

At times, the author seems to be repeating himself again and again about certain points. Is this how self-help book is? Anyway, I find some of the points useful. Also, the repetitious style may indirectly drumming those points into my head, helping me to remember it.

Some of the points make sense to me. For example, Kiyosaki pointed out that when we earned more, we tend to spend more but not on things that can help generate income for us. We buy things that become liability to us (car, gadget) and not assets (property, shares) that help generate more income for us. Those liabilities ended up sucking more money out of us. This is why we are stuck in a never-ending life cycle of a salaried worker. No matter how hard or how much salary increased, money always seem not enough, true isn't it? It seems simple but think, how many of us, when upon receiving extra money, start to buy new phone/computer/car etc?