Every Book Its Reader

SMOKE ARTS

2012-02-11T17:19:00.006+08:00

Italian digital artist Stefano Bonazzi have produced these gaspingly beautiful SMOKE artworks with a unique combination use of techniques from charcoal drawing, photo editing, and digital photography. I am in awe, and I wish i can do the same.

Kama Sutra

2012-02-10T17:25:00.006+08:00

OMG! These tremendous designs by Malika Favre for a new Penguin edition of the Kama Sutra are damn sexy & erotic.

I wanna buy the book !!!

A Quick Note

2012-02-03T09:07:00.031+08:00

Read Deborah Harkness's A Discovery of Witches and Karin Slaughter's Broken during my vacation in Dubai. I started the first book about 2 weeks before the trip, but only finished it a few days ago. Now I am anticipating for book Two, Shadow of Night to come out.

I have tried the quiz to discover what are my hidden traits, and proved that I am nevertheless a human. Good lord !

Humans are rational, sensitive beings who thrive in the company of others. They show talent in many different ways, ranging from academic interests to more practical endeavours. The humans in A Discovery of Witches are aware that their interactions with creatures are unusual but they often turn a blind eye to the peculiar activity of the 'others' in their midst.

Excerpt from Broken which grasped me in the first place :

Allison Spooner wanted to leave town for the holiday, but there was nowhere to go. There was no reason to stay here, either, but at least it was cheaper. At least she had a roof over her head. At least the heat in her crappy apartment occasionally worked. At least she could eat a hot meal at work. At least, at least, at least ... Why was her life always about the least of things ? When was there going to come a time when it started being about the most?

I had similar moody feelings till the very day of my flight, due to some miserable, shitty things happened at home. But at least I could afford for an overseas holiday to get away from the shits, at least I could enjoy some quiet moments reading, at least I could spend some quality time with my incredible, at least, at least, at least ...... Wahaha!

Discovery Dubai Part II

2012-02-01T02:27:00.012+08:00

Thanks to my colleague, I managed to book a room at this cosy, quaint Japanese-operated hotel apartment. The room came with all the necessary electrical appliances, kitchenwares, a traditional alarm clock, and amazingly an extension cord with multiple plugs which fully satisfied my needs. On top of that, you would find lots of drawers scattered around the room, 2 'assumingly-hidden' vertical drawers at the back panel behind the bed and a chest box storage under the bed. Though I didn't make use any of them for fear I might forget something when checking-out.

When the night fell, we're lazy to go out for dinner. So we contented ourselves with simple foods, like cheese-flavor instant noodle with eggs and nuts, Japanese vege salad, sushi, local-delicacy Shawarma, etc. The last night we had a more sumptuous meal - scrambled egg, prawns, chicken and beef.

I were very happy that my incredible loved the meals. He kept on saying cheap and yummy. Wahaha!

Memento from Dubai

2012-02-01T01:09:00.007+08:00

This walking stick is really cool. Love at the first sight ! Me and incredible simply couldn't resist and bought it, despite the difficulty in bringing it back to Singapore.

It proved me right. The security at the airport spent a whole full minute to inspect it head to toe for fear I might have hidden something inside. Then it costed me 15 Dirham to shrink-wrap it. Haha!

I also bought a crystal table lamp.

Dubai (23 - 28 Jan 2012)

2012-01-30T12:06:00.031+08:00

Time really flies. My Dubai trip was over. Touched down Singapore at 5am yesterday.

My impression of Dubai is that there is a lot of towering buildings in many different, amazing shapes and designs, many many luxury cars on the roads, the shopping malls are huge with a much wider selection of designer brands and products, numerous cafes, restaurants, entertainment centers, blah blah blah. Cost wise, though not cheap, I should say.

The weather is ok. It is a bit hot in the middle of the day but fine, or even cold at times, in the morning and evening. My only complain is that the dryness makes my lips chapped, which always the case when I travelled to colder places, no matter how frequent I apply the goddamn lip palm. So painful ;-(

Me and my incredible moved like these :

24 Jan - Ibn Battuta -> Dubai Mall -> Burj Klalifa -> Mall of Emirates.
More pictures here.

25 Jan - Ibn Battuta Stn -> Khalid Bin Al Waleed Stn -> Al Fahidi Stn -> A day tour around Al Souq Al Kabeer, Old Town of Dubai and crossed over to Deira by boat.
More pictures here.

26 Jan - Hot Air Balloon, Sand Bashing & Safari BBQ Dinner.
The most tiring day. We woke up at 4am, reached the pick-up point at Kempinski Hotel @ Mall of Emirates before 5am, and returned to hotel after lunch around 1.30pm. Rested for a while, then started our next program at 3 pm till 10 pm. Whoosh ! Super !
More pictures here and here.

27 Jan - Shopping Day at Ibn Battuta, a huge mall which split into 6 main courts - China, India, Persia, Egypt, tunisia and Andalusia. Watched 3D Journey 2:The Mysterious Island. Price per pax is 45 AED plus 3 AED for the 3D glass.

28 Jan - Home Sweet Home. Around 9 am in the morning, there was a sandstorm just a block away from my hotel.

What Gives Us Our Names

2012-01-23T00:00:00.002+08:00

Extract from the back cover from What Gives Us Our Names by local writer, Alvin Pang.

The Use of Front Endpaper

2012-01-14T02:03:00.004+08:00

This is an extract from A Pound of Paper by John Baxter, a book which i had finally read through few weeks ago.

Many People, it seems, are convinced that the front endpaper - the blank page at the beginning of a book - exists to be written on. Ladies and gentlemen, the free endpaper is not there to scribble on, or otherwise, as it used to say on computer cards when computers used cards, 'tear, fold, spindle or mutilate'. The endpaper has the same significance in a book as the silences in a Pinter play, the gaps between movement in a Beethoven quartet or the unpainted canvas of one of Bacon's screaming popes. Between the gaudiness of the dust wrapper and the solemnity of the text, it provides a beat.

18 Dec 2011

2012-01-02T10:34:00.010+08:00

On this special day to remember ........

At Tanglin Shopping Ctr

Kiehl @ plaza Singapore

Miki

2011-12-04T04:09:00.003+08:00

He hardly poses, I mean stay still, for shoot. These are rare. :)

In The Ladies .......

2011-12-04T04:02:00.003+08:00

Found in the cubicle in the Ladies at 4th floor, Nex Serangoon.

Micro

2011-12-04T02:53:00.008+08:00

Finished this entertaining, engaging fast-paced techno-thriller by the late Michael Crichton in a mere 3 days period. I didn't know that the author died of throat cancer on November 4,2008 till I read the last page about the Authors. It mentioned that Crichton was well into the writing of this novel at the time of his death, and Richard Preston was selected to complete it.

The back cover blurb:

In a locked Honolulu office building, three men are found dead with no sign of struggle except for the ultrafine, razor-sharp cuts covering their bodies. The only clue left behind is a tiny bladed robot, nearly invisible to the human eye.

In the lush forests of Oahu, groundbreaking technology has ushered in a revolutionary era of biological prospecting. Trillions of microorganisms, tens of thousands of bacteria species, are being discovered; they are feeding a search for priceless drugs and applications on a scale beyond anything previously imagined.

In Cambridge, Massachusetts, seven graduate students at the forefront of their fields are recruited by a pioneering microbiology start-up. Nanigen MicroTechnologies dispatches the group to a mysterious lab in Hawaii, where they are promised access to tools that will open a whole new scientific frontier.

But once in the Oahu rain forest, the scientists are thrust into a hostile wilderness that reveals profound and surprising dangers at every turn. Armed only with their knowledge of the natural world, they find themselves prey to a technology of radical and unbridled power. To survive, they must harness the inherent forces of nature itself.

The stories is about one of the nanotech companies, The Nanigen MicroTechnologies corporation has developed revolutionary shrinking technology based on tensor fields, an extremely high-intensity magnetic fields. Not only can they reduce machines and robots, they can reduce living human beings and then decompress them to full size. Once they become a threat to the evil Nanigen's president, the seven graduate students and an unlucky Nanigen employee are shrank into half an inch tall micro humans, who manage to escape into Hawaii's forest before they are killed. Here starts the quest to barely survive the hostile surroundings (inserts, warps, spiders, poisons & venoms, and chemical defenses of plants, all deadly to micro humans) and to find their ways back to full size before they would suffer internal Hemorrhage with a prolonged stay extending out to only a few more days in the micro-world.

I've 'learned' quite a bit about inserts' behaviour. Though I swear not wanting to experience it personally.

@ Hard Rock

2011-12-01T02:56:00.017+08:00

A night at Hard Rock Sentosa with my brother, sister, brother-in-law and the kids on last Mon.

Sinful place Candylicious, largest candy store in Singapore.

Woods In The Books No2

2011-11-27T04:45:00.016+08:00

Because of Affordable Art Fair, and because of heavy downpour out there, I get stuck at Millenia Walk, a place that I hardly go on last Sunday. So me and my incredible decided to explore the shopping mall to kill time. To my astonishment, Woods In The Books, an indie bookshop specialises in picture books has open a second outlet there. Nice.

Though I had refrained myself to buy those truly lovely picture books for now ;-( (space, space, space!!! Doesn't all humble booklovers like me always face this problem?) , I still purchased two small books as a consolation.

These are the books.

alter.sg is is an independent travel guide showcasing alternative lifestyle in Singapore. What Gives Us Our Names, is one of Babette's Feast titles published by MATH PAPER PRESS during Singapore Writers Festival 2011. MATH PAPER PRESS is a small press publishing by BOOKSACTUALLY that deals with short experimental novellas, poetry and essays. I really salute Kenny & Karen, the lovely and friendly booksellers, who dedicate wholeheartedly in supporting local authors, and making the reading scenes in Singapore more interesting.

.....

2011-11-27T04:43:00.003+08:00

Meticulous Art II

2011-11-02T12:10:00.005+08:00

Joe Fenton's artworks not only detail and gorgeous, but also make you feel fantasy, as there are lots of interesting creatures in his works.

Meticulous Art

2011-11-02T11:54:00.006+08:00

Discover these incredibly detailed artworks using dip pen and Indian ink by Latvian artist Aleksejs Konahins. Phew !

Future Science

2011-11-01T13:21:00.018+08:00

Very fascinating ! This is indeed a more 'accessible' and readable summary of the latest thinking/theories and discoveries by eighteen bright and innovative young researchers. At least, for general audiences like most of us, except Anthony Aguirre's essay about infinity which really made me cracked my head and to no where far. ;-(

I personally favor Daniela Kaufer and Darlene Francis's "Nurture, Nature, and the Stress That Is Life" and Laurie R. Santos's "To Err Is Primate".

People are different—from other animals and, perhaps more interestingly, from one another. One important way we differ from one another is in how we respond to stress. Why is it that when faced with the same challenges, some of us crumble, some of us survive, and some of us even thrive? How we react to stress matters; it is intimately tied not just to our vulnerability to disease states and pathologies but to our general health and well-being.~ "Nurture, Nature, and the Stress That Is Life"

Why do house sellers, professional golfers, experienced investors, and the rest of us succumb to strategies that make us systematically go wrong? ~ "To Err Is Primate"

Go and read the book. Definitely open your horizon.

Bibliomania

2011-10-02T02:59:00.012+08:00

An extract from Phantoms On The Bookshelves by Jacques Bonnet.

After that, a strange relationship becomes established between the bibliomaniac and his (or her) thousands of books. The same relation as between a gardener and an invasive climbing plant : the plant grows all by itself, in a manner invisible to the naked eye, but at a rate of progress that is measurable after a few weeks. The gardener, unless he is willing to chop it down, can only indicate the direction he wants it to take. In just the same way, prolific libraries take on an independent existence, and become living things. ("To build up a library is to create a life. Is is never merely a random collection of books" - The Paper House.) We may have chosen its themes, and the general pathways along which it will develop, but we can only stand and watch as it invades all the walls of the room, climbs to the ceiling, annexes the other rooms one by one, expelling anything that gets in the way. It eliminates pictures hanging on the walls, or ornaments that obstruct its afvance; it moves on with its necessary but cumbersome acolytes - stools and ladders - and forces its owner into constant reorganization, since its progress is not linear and calls for ever new kinds of division. At the same time, it is undeniably the reflection, the twin image of its master. To anyone with the insight to decode it, the fundamental character of the librarian will emerge as one's eye travels along the bookshelves. Indeed no library of any size is like another, none has the same personality.

Hi me. ^^

Another book that I've read recently is The Book of Paper, which features a series of essays written by artists, architects and scientists, all of whom have unique approaches to paper. I especially like 'Beneath the Surface' by Miri Golan, a pro origami artist who has taught at a school for students who have been temporarily withdrawn from mainstream education due to emotional and behavioural problems.

The paper, mostly square, cut accurately, of the right size and flexibility, is suited to my purpose. When I look at the paper on my table, it is blank. Every fold reduces the area of the paper, but it acquires more layers. When a student comes to my room, we first fold without talking. Every fold releases more emotion and pressure, until the student is able to relax. Then we start to talk and expose more layers of feeling. In the process of the folding, the paper changes shape. Every time, it appears to be something else, such as a kite or a rabbit ... but it is not. Eventually it will become exactly what we want it to become. When a student folds they release their emotions; their eyes seem to suggest what they are going through. I then raise other points, which enable the student to slowly turn anger and confusion to options and possibilities, from which they can grow.

The paper is used as an important surface for learning. In the process of folding, we discover different angles and polygons. Take a student who has trouble coping with traditional classroom teaching: they can explore geometry in the paper they are folding, learning to calculate angles and identify polygons. This knowledge can later re-emerge in the student's regular geometry class, strengthening their confidence, self-image and ability to learn.

Truly amazing !

MIKI

2011-10-02T02:51:00.006+08:00

These are the most recent shots I took using Canon EOS 60D. The textures, or technically resolution, are damn good. Love it ! Pretty much tempted to buy one myself.

Beautiful Monday

2011-09-05T18:56:00.006+08:00

These lovely photos by Brazilian photographer Marcelo Gomes have definitely brightened up my Monday.

Who says images must be sharp sharp ? Often out of focus and off centered, his subjects are captured with remarkable vibrancy and colorful hues.

During train ride .....

2011-08-15T13:51:00.002+08:00

During my train ride this rainy morning, there is a lady reading The Mephisto Club sitting next to me.

I've captured these 2 lines from the book. Yeah! I got nothing better to do with my eyes. :)

'There is a butler here ?'
'Oh yeah. We're talking about this kind of money.'

Make any sense ? Not to me. Haha!

The Book of Illusions

2011-07-23T19:39:00.016+08:00

The back-cover blurb :

Six months after losing his wife and two young sons, Vermont professor David Zimmer spends his waking hours mired in a blur of alcoholic grief and self-pity. One night, he stumbles upon a clip from a lost film by silent comedian Hector Mann. His interest is piqued, and he soon finds himself embarking on a journey around the world to research a book on this mysterious figure who vanished from sight in 1929. When the book is published the following year, a letter turns up in Zimmer's mailbox, bearing a return address from a small town in New Mexico, inviting him to meet Hector, Zimmer hesitates, until one night a strange woman appears on his doorstep and makes the decision for him, changing his life forever.

This is indeed an engaging book, and believe it or not, this is also my first read of Auster's novel. Though I've heard quite a bit of his early works, especially The New York Trilogy.

Auster paints such a vivid picture of the silent-era movie star and his life that it makes you wonder if this is fiction at all. It simply very believable. A check on the Internet confirmed my curious. No. He didn't exist. Instead, Duke Special, a songwriter and performer based in Belfast, had released an album, The Silent World of Hector Mann (same title as David Zimmer's book), featuring 12 songs inspired by this fictional character.

Some passages I noted down :

At this moment in history, everything withers in a day; whoever lives too long dies alive. As we move through life, we leave behind three or four images of ourselves, each one different from the others; we see them through the fog of the past, like portraits of our different ages.

What matters is not how well you can avoid trouble, but how you cope with trouble when it comes.

When a man has nothing to look forward to, he might as well be dead.

If i had it in me to laugh, then that meant i wasn't entirely numb.

ABSOLUT

2011-07-18T11:59:00.003+08:00

I'm a fan of Absolut Vodka. Not the liquor itself, but the distinctive bottle shape. Have been collecting the bottles in the past few years. This is one of my favorites.

Love their advertising campaigns as well.

Recent Purchases

2011-07-16T01:57:00.014+08:00

Here are my newly acquired companions :

L’Étranger | Erika Altosaar
Published: April 2011
Edition: 29/500
Details: Newsprint portfolio; 12 pages; lose binding; 11.25" x 15". Printed in the USA.
ISBN: 978-0-9830081-1-8

Dog Ear | Erica Baum
Published: 2011
Details: Perfect-bound. 72 pp, 7.25 x 8.5 in.
ISBN: 978-1-933254-71-5

The Doodle Notebook: How to Waste Time in the Office | Claire Fay
Publisher: Thames & Hudson (25 Feb 2008)
ISBN-13: 978-0-500-28739-2

Indie : Littered with Books

2011-07-16T00:51:00.011+08:00

With some luck tonite, I was able to knock off earlier and visit the newest indie bookstore @ Duxton Road which is a mere 15 minutes walks from my workplace.

Littered with Books is a independent bookstore housed in a conservation shophouse with an interesting range of carefully selected literary, popular fiction, non-fiction, crime and thrillers, sci-fi, fantasy, travel narratives and childrens books. I am totally in love with this charming and quaint place. So much better if there is café.

To my surprise, I've found quite a good choice of books on books, my favourite genre. \^_^/

These are what I've bought :
- Phantoms On The Bookshelves by Jacques Bonnet
- Rereadings edited by Anne Fadiman
- The Book of Illusions by Paul Auster
- The doodle Notebook : how to waste time in the office (Yes! That's right!) by Claire Fay

Adding four more books is no such a big deal since my room is already littered with books. Haha!

Find Your Book

2011-07-04T18:18:00.005+08:00

Found these 3 ads for Gandhi Bookstores at Mexico.

Advertising Agency: Ogilvy & Mather, México 
Chief Creative Officer: José Montalvo 
Chief Creative Officer: José Montalvo 
Executive Creative Director: Miguel Angel Ruiz 
Creative Director: Agustín Vélez 
Art Directors: Gabriel Martínez, Demian Nájera, Iván Carrasco 
Copywriters: Gabriel Martínez, Demian Nájera, Agustín Vélez, José Montalvo 
Illustrator: Ricardo Salamanca 
Photographer: Iván Belaustegui / NT producciones

I like the Cockroach one. :)

Book Design

2011-07-01T19:10:00.018+08:00

These beautiful books have won this year D&AD awards. I couldn't resist to get a copy, except Irma Boom : Biography in Books which costs a hefty USD300.00 for a new copy. OMG!

Irma Boom : Biography in Books

Courtesy to Steven de Joode

Designer : Irma Boom Sonja Heller
Publisher : Alwin van Steijn Garrelt Verhoeven
Illustrator : Rem Koolhaas
Publishing Company : Grafische Cultuurstichting

The Book of Paper

Art Director : Oliver Helfrich
Designer : Irma Boom Sonja Heller
Publisher : Nina Post
Photographer : Antje Peters
Copywriter : Steven Bateman
Editor :Oliver Helfrich

Tree of Codes by Jonathan Safran Foer

Designer : Sara De Bondt
Cover Designer : Jon Gray
Publishers :Visual Editions

For book lovers, please watch 'The making of Tree of Codes' for the last three months of production. Love it.

Block Type

2011-06-30T13:19:00.008+08:00

Designed and photographed by Marc Böttler, these alphabets are actually illusions of perspective, viewable only from the photographed angle, with certain blocks stacked high while others layered far into the background. Nice.

Holidaying ......

2011-06-25T18:07:00.039+08:00

At last, have spent two days of staycation with my incredible. We went to Universal Studio at Sentosa on Wed (22 Jun) and ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands the next day. Bought a cute Triceratop dinosaur plush toy, 1 gallon bucket of popcorns at a somewhat unreasonably expensive price - 50 bucks (can u imagine!) and tried 2 packs of freeze-dried astranaut foods. Yah! I spent quite a bit but who cares. Most importantly, we have lots of fun.

UNIVERSAL STUDIO @ SENTOSA

My incredible enjoyed the ride inside this pyramid the most.

Anyway, he didn't dare to try this one. Haha!

I had 'Round The World' & 'Bloody Mary' cocktails at this nice restaurant. Felt not enough, but was banned from ordering more by my incredible loh. He said mummy's face red ored.

This is the 50 bucks popcorn.

ARTSCIENCE MUSEUM @ MARINA BAY SANDS

Currently on exhibition : Dalí: Mind of a Genius (14 May - 30 October 2011), Van Gogh Alive (16 April - 6 November 2011) and Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds (19 February - 31 July 2011).

This is my favourite piece of MBS' Art Path. The Wind Arbor @ Exterior of Hotel Atrium. The sculpture consists of 260,000 aluminum metal “flappers” which are mounted on hinges and hung from steel cable so they are free to move independently in reaction to the wind, thus create a shimmering wave.

Pity that I don't have a DSLR with wide angle lens to capture the structures. All shots shown were taken with my phone camera.

At 4th floor, is the permanent exhibition, ArtScience: A Journey Through Creativity.

An installation at Dalí: Mind of a Genius.

The Museum at 7pm.

SPAM SPAM SPAM

2011-06-18T16:15:00.008+08:00

Haha! What can i say ? Received this piece from METROPOLITAN POLICE (Oops!) recently and feel like sharing with all netizens out there. Though I had received hell lots of other such mails on and off.

From: METROPOLITAN POLICE
Reply-To: metropolitanpoliceantidept@gmail.com
Subject: METROPOLITAN POLICE

METROPOLITAN POLICE
15 Elizabeth Avenue London, EA2H United Kingdom
Web Account: [metropolitanpoliceantidept@gmail.com]
DIRECT TEL: +44-702-407-1481

According to the ethics of an office, introduction is always very important on a first contact like this.

I am Mr.Rico Smith, the Head of the Anti-Crime Unit of the Metropolitan Police London-Uk.

This Official Memorandum is to inform you that we discovered that some officials whom work under the Nigerian Government have attempted to divert your Funds (US$10,500,000) through a back-door channel. We actually discovered this today, through our Secret Agents under the Disciplinary Unit of the Metropolitan Police after we apprehended (Mr. Ali Aeraby) a terrorist suspect.

The mentioned suspect was apprehended at the Heathrow Air-Port early this morning, as he attempted to carry the enormous cash value of US$10,500,000 outside the shores of England. In respect to the money laundering decree of Great Britain such amount of money can not be moved in cash outside England because such attempt is a criminal offense and is punishable under the money laundering act of 1982 of Great Britain. This decree is a globalize law applicable in most developed countries inother to check-mate terrorism and money laundering.

From our gathered information here in this Unit, we discovered that the said Funds in question actually belongs to you (Mrs. xxxxxxxxxxxxx) but it had been purposely delayed because the Nigerian officials in charge of your Payment are into some sort of irregularities which is totally against the ethics of any Payment institution.

Presently, this said Funds valued US$10,500,000 is under the custody of the Paying Bank (HSBC Bank Plc London-Uk) and I can assure you that your Funds will be released to you without a hitch provided that you are sincere to us in this matter. Also, we require your positive co-operation at every level because we are closely monitoring this very transaction inother to avert the bad eggs in our society of today.

Today dated 11th June 2011 we have instructed the Executive management of HSBC Bank Plc London-Uk to Release the said Funds to (Mrs. xxxxxxxxxxxxx) as the certified Beneficiary in question because we have valuable information/records to authentify that the said Funds truely belongs to you.

Be that as it may, you are required to provide us with below listed information (for official verification) via Email: [metropolitanpoliceantidept@gmail.com]

1. First Name, Middle Name and Last Name.
2. Age.
3. Occupation.
4. Marital Status.
5. Direct Telephone/Fax Number.
6. Residential address.

We await your immediate compliance to this official obligation, so that you can be Paid by HSBC Bank Plc London-Uk.

Officially Sealed.

Mr.Rico Smith
Anti-Crime Unit
Metropolitan Police London-Uk.
Tel: +44-702-407-1481

Well, I don't even know that I own such a big fund in the first place. I also don't know that METROPOLITAN POLICE prefers to use a gmail account. ^_^ !

God knows why someone with a little bit of common sense still falls into such boring and scamful trap.

Shop Next Door

2011-06-10T18:01:00.006+08:00

Well, I have been extremely lax about posting for quite a while. Haven't read much too due to my hectic working hours, especially for the past few weeks. Only manage to finish another fiction Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs. Phew! I really need to take a few days off just to replenish myself.

Have to. Must! Need to spend some quality time with my incredible during this mid-year school holidays.

Teeny Weeny Update

2011-04-26T10:12:00.007+08:00

The past few weeks had seen me reading two Kathy Reichs' crime fictions, Monday Mourning and 206 Bones. Finished the second book last night, and i intend to borrow some more from the library.

I like Chapter 1 of 206 bones. Here are the excerpt :

Cold.

Numb.

Confused.

I opened my eyes.

To dark. Black as arctic winter.

Am I dead?

Obeying some limbic command, i inhaled deeply.

Smells registered in my brain.

Mold. Musty earth. Something organic, hinting at the passage of time.

Was this hell? A tomb?

I listened.

Silence. Impenetrable.

But no. There were sounds. Air moving through my nostrils. Blood pounding in my ears.

Corpses don't breathe. Dead hearts don't beat.

Other sensations intruded. Hardness below me. Burning on the right side of my face.

I raised my head.

Bitter bile flooded my mouth.

I shifted my hips to relieve pressure on my twisted neck.

Pain exploded up my left leg.

A groan shattered the stillness.

Instinctively, my body went fetal.. The pounding gained volume.

I lay curled, listening to the rhythm of my fear.

Then, recognition. The sound had come from my own throat.

I feel pain. I react. I am alive.

But where?

Spitting bile, I tried reaching out. Felt resistance. Realized my wrists were bound.

I flexed a knee toward my chest, testing. My feet rose as one. My wrists dropped.

I tried a second time, harder. Neurons again fired up my leg.

Stifling another cry, I struggled to force order onto my addled thinking.

I'd been bound, hands to feet, and abandoned. Where? When? By whom? Why?

A memory search for recent events came up empty. No. The void in recollection was longer than that.

I remembered picnicking with my daughter, Katy. But that was summer. The frigid temperature now suggested that it must be winter.

Sadness. A last farewell to Andrew Ryan. That was October. Had I seen him again?

A bright red sweater at Christmas. This Christmas? I had no idea.

Disoriented, I groped for any detail from the past few days. Nothing stayed in focus.

Vague impressions lacking rational form or sequence appeared and faded. A figure emerging from shadow. Man or woman? Anger. Shouting. About what? At whom?

Melting snow. Light winking off glass. The dark maw of a cracked door.

Dilated vessels pounded inside my skull. Hard as I tried, I could not evoke recollection from my semiconscious mind.

Had I been drugged? Suffered a blow to the head?

How bad was my leg? If I managed to free myself, could I walk? Crawl?

My hands were numb, my fingers useless. I tried tugging my wrists outward. Felt no give in my bindings.

Tears of frustration burned the backs of my lids.

No crying?

Clamping my jaw, I rolled to my back, raised my feet, and jerked my ankles apart. Flames roared up my left lower limb.

Then I knew nothing.

I awoke. Moment later? Hours? No way to tell. My mouth felt drier, my lips more parched. The pain in my leg had receded to a dull ache.

Though I gave my pupils time, they took in nothing. How could they adjust? The dense blackness offered not a sliver of light.

The same questions flooded back. Where? Why? Who?

Melting Rainbows

2011-04-25T17:36:00.002+08:00

These beautiful rainbows by Japanese Artist Taisuke Koyama小山泰介 will simply melted your monday blues away.

LIFE

2011-04-18T22:16:00.004+08:00

Something for you to think over........

via: I like it here.

If you are looking for the love of your life, stop; They will be waiting for you when you start doing things you love.
Travel often; Getting lost will help you find yourself.

007

2011-04-15T22:41:00.009+08:00

A wander on google searching for something 'exotic' (don't ask me why), have yielded these fabulous and sexy penguin covers for Ian Fleming’s Bond novels. The series, total 14 books, was published in year 2008. The fabulous arts are by illustrator Michael Gillette. Oh La La.

They are bloody irresistible.

The Work of Keiichi Tanaami 田名網敬一

2011-04-07T12:14:00.003+08:00

His abstract, colorful works will just blow your mind away.

UFO-inspired Artworks

2011-04-04T12:01:00.007+08:00

Love these fantastic arts by Uruguayan artist Alexandro Garcia (born 1970). I've archived quite a few of his works in my hdd for quite a while. Thanks to Will for the lead.

A little reading update

2011-03-05T17:13:00.004+08:00

Actually, during my holiday at Cambodia, I had read two books as well. They are The Reader by Bernhard Schlink and Prey by Michael Crichton.

The Reader is about the story of Michael Berg, a German lawyer who as a 15-year-old teenager in 1958 had an affair with an older woman (36-year-old), Hanna Schmitz, who then disappeared only to resurface years later as one of the defendants in a war crimes trial stemming from her actions as a guard at a Nazi concentration camp. Michael realizes that Hanna is keeping a personal secret she believes is worse than her Nazi past—a secret which, if revealed, could actually help her at the trial, even in the face of a life sentence. Her secret : she is illiterate and has concealed it her whole life. That's why she made Michael read her literary works he was studying after having sex in her apartment. The ending is sad. Hanna hanged herself the very day of her release, with Michael waiting for her at the prison with flowers.

If you ask me, Prey is indeed a very fascinating read. The novel is based on a nano-robotic threat to human-kind. In short, it is about the 'worrisome' developments in science and technology; which in this case, nanotechnology, genetic engineering and artificial intelligence.

I came across this book quite accidentally. I was idling and resting at the lobby area one evening after a tiresome tour for the whole day. Thought of flipping through something light, so i went to explore the little bookshelf nearby for magazines in mind. Saw this book, picked it up, glanced through a few pages, and get hooked immediately. No turning back since that moment. Oops!

MALL's illustrations

2011-03-05T16:58:00.007+08:00

An illustrator from Philippines, May Ann Licudine's lovely, sweet illustrations always remind me of fairy tales or children's stories.

I especially like her soothing B&W artworks.

Hansel & Gretel, & others

2011-02-18T00:48:00.013+08:00

I bought this picture book (in French) at Monument Books in Cambodia. I was simply stunned by the beautiful black & white brush illustrations by Lorenzo Mattotti.

Lovely, aren't they ?

I also get these few :
- Looking At Angkor

- Buddha's Parami with paintings by Cambodian painter Chhim Sothy.
- Fire + Iron by Bill Burke
- Star Fish (Publisher : www.comics-arts.com)
- Life is just a chair of bowlies by Mari Engelbreit (used)
- The Literate Cat : A Photographic Celebration (used)
- Ansel Adam : Yosemite & the Range of Light (used)

Discovery Cambodia Part VI : Street 240

2011-02-13T15:53:00.019+08:00

Street 240 is a must go. There are a unique collection of quality boutiques and souvenir shops (waterLily Boutique, Couleurs D'Asie, Elsewhere, Mekong Quilts, Mekong Creations & others) as well as few restaurants, bars, wine shops, and most importantly, bookstores.

Located at Norodom Blvd, just off street 240, Monument Books is the largest new book store in Phnom Penh. There is a Blue Pumpkin outlet, which offer freshly baked breads and pastries at the 2nd level and Monument Toys at 3rd level. I just dumped my incredible there so i could take my own sweet time to slowly browse the shelves at ground floor.

Boston Book Company is my favorite used bookstore in Phnom Penh. Providing affordable books, internet access, and coffee, this is a sure hangout for me. At least, I had visited the bookstore twice.

Bargain Books selling at USD1/2 at outdoor area with a small water fountain in the centre.

Indoor ground floor .....

stair to 2nd level

Another used bookstore along street 240 is D's Books, offering reasonably priced and comprehensively stocked of English fiction, non-fiction and children's books.

'This world is a book people who dont travel only get to read one page.' How true!

Open Book is an NGO-run public library with a mission to promote the pleasure of reading. Though the primary audience is local, Open Book also welcome people of all nationalities. Life-time membership is usd15.00 and can be passed down to your offspring. The library opens 7 days a week, 10am-5pm.

Discovery Cambodia Part V : Accommodation

2011-02-13T15:06:00.010+08:00

Amazingly, we have a chance to stay at all the three places of the same hotel group in Phnom Penh and Seam Reap. They are Frangipani 60's, Frangipani 90's and Frangipani Villa.

The balcony of our suite room No. 117 at Frangipani 90's.

Our suite room No. 11 at Frangipani 60's.

Breakfast at Frangipani 60's.

Breakfast order form.

Here is it.

Breakfast at Frangipani Villa, Seam Reap.

The hotels are centrally located, so fairly easy and fast to go places with tuk-tuk. Rooms are clean, nice smelling. Staffs are friendly and very helpful. Basically, my bus tickets to and fro Phnom Penh/Seam Reap, pick-ups at stations and last minute reservations were arranged by them. Thank you. Besides breakfast, each guest is entitled to a free laundry of one trouser/skirt and shirt per day. Save me a lot of trouble. :)

Discovery Cambodia Part IV : On the street & beyond

2011-02-12T14:48:00.011+08:00

Believe it or not, I had bought a pack (usd1.00 plus) of mixed deep-fried insects as titbit during my ride to Seam Reap. Oh. Sedap! Even the other passengers, a young couples from London and a germany guy, dared to give it a try.

I kind of like to explore the back lanes that are hidden behind those hip, pricey boutiques on the main streets, where the locals live.

This bowl of instant noodle costs 2500 riel (abt 60 cents in usd). Nice & cheap.

This definitely not for me. I don't even want to try. Looks yucky & slimy.
This is my favourite store for a plate of MeeHar (Mee as in mee siam, Har as in cantonese 蝦)- fried noodle with veges & pork/beef. Yummy yummy!!! Costs only 6000 riel (usd1.50) per plate, and with free wheat tea.

Discovery Cambodia Part III : Phnom Penh City Tour

2011-02-12T14:04:00.016+08:00

Places covered : Choeung Ek Memorial, Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, Independence Monument, National Museum, Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and Wat Phnom.

Choeung Ek Memorial aka the killing field, is the site of the brutal executions of more than 17,000 men, women and children, most of whom had suffered thru interrogation, tortune and deprivation in the S-21 Prison.

Previously a high school, Toul Sleng was converted into S-21 prison & interrogation facility when the Khmer Rouge came to power in 1975. Inmates held in the compound were systematically tortuned, and brutally executed at the killing field.

Independence Monument

Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda

Discovery Cambodia Part II : Angkor Wat, Seam Reap

2011-02-12T12:51:00.019+08:00

The Victory Gate at Angkor Thom.

The unfinished reclining Buddha on the west side of the Baphuon Temple.

Bayon Temple, where you'll see massive stone faces on the towers, whereas the outer walls features a series of interesting bas-reliefs depicting historical events and scenes from the everyday life of the Angkorian Khmer.

Ta Prohm (The Jungle Temple)

Root of Bayan Tree on the Ta Prohm Temple

Discovery Cambodia Part I : Angkor Wat, Seam Reap

2011-02-12T12:05:00.012+08:00

Hi to all, just return from Cambodia yesterday. First to show are photos of my 1 Day tour to the renowned Angkor Wat, a huge temple complex built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. One need at least 2 days to cover most of the sites. Pity that I only had a day to spare, so i just went to the few main structures - Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm Temple. Bayon Temple and Baphuon Temple.

Water Sculptures

2011-01-29T02:01:00.006+08:00

I'm in awe when i saw Japanese photographer Shinichi Maruyama’s high-speed shots of water. It is already pretty hard to photograph the motion of water in air, let alone making such a refined and beautiful Zen flow.

Thanks to Johncoulthart for the lead.

White's Pocket Classics

2011-01-18T12:37:00.005+08:00

Found these attractive new Pocket Classics from White's Books last Saturday at Kinokuniya. They are white hardcover books, nicely done with cover illustrations by Joe McLaren, printed on paper cases and embossed to give them a letterpress look. They’ve got head and tail bands, and ribbon bookmarks. Prices are reasonable as well, less than SGD20.00 per copy, i mean, for hardcover.

White's books is apparently a project run under the art direction of David Pearson, an ex-Penguin designer who worked on projects like the Great Ideas series, and the cheap green Popular Classics. You can find a number of lovely cover designs at his site.

Chen Shui-bian's $$$

2011-01-17T00:15:00.005+08:00

This is down right ridiculous. I've received this spam mail from a Mr. David Wai few days ago asking me to help the former president of Taiwan, Mr. Chen Shui-bian, to relocate certain sums of money out of Industrial & Commercial Bank of China. Who am i to do so ? Wahahaha .....

That a look and have a good laugh.

Dear Prospective Partner,

I am writing to you on behalf of Mr. Chen Shui-bian. My name is Mr.David Wai, and I am a top management executive here at the Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (London) Limited. Our bank website is http://www.icbcasia.com

My friend Mr. Chen Shui-bian has presented a subtle offer which will need the help of a partner like you to complete successfully. Mr. Chen Shui-bian is in a difficult situation and he must immediately relocate certain sums of money out of Industrial & Commercial Bank of China. More so, this must be done in such a way that it must not be tied to Mr. Chen. The sum is currently deposited in the name of an existing legal entity. Your role will be to:

[1]. Act as the original beneficiary of the funds.
[2]. Receive the funds into a business/private bank account.
[3]. Invest/Manage the funds outside of China.
[4]. Value of funds: $40 Million US Dollars.

Everything will be done legally to ensure the rights to the funds are transferred to you. If you agree to partner with Mr. Chen, he will compensate you with 25% of the total sum. Should you prefer I re-contact you with more express facts, you can send me your:

[1] Full Names:
[2] Personal profile:
[3] Daytime Telephone No:

For Mr. Chen Shui-bian's current profile visit this site:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8250099.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8233342.stm

You can email me at mrdavwai@aol.com or call me for further details, for terms and agreement.
Sincerely,
Mr. David Wai
ICBC (London) Limited
36 King Street London EC2V 8BB
United Kingdom.
Email: mrdavwai@aol.com

Only idiot believes him.

Search For Happiness

2011-01-01T15:47:00.005+08:00

"Once upon a time there was a young psychiatrist called Hector who was not very satisfied with himself ..... And so he decided to take a trip around the world, and everywhere he went he would try to understand what made people happy or unhappy."

This is a simply yet charming story and with some sarcastic bits in between. Eg. That part of the plane is called business class, just to make it seem as if the people sitting there are travelling on business and not for the pleasure of having a nice comfortable seat, champagne and their own private TV screen. :-)

Here are what Hector learnt :
Lesson No. 1 : Making comparisons can spoil your happiness.
Lesson No. 2 : Happiness often comes when least expected.
Lesson No. 3 : Many people see happiness only in their future.
Lesson No. 4 : Many people think that happiness comes from having more power or more money.
Lesson No. 5 : Sometimes happiness is not knowing the whole story.
Lesson No. 6 : Happiness is a long walk in beautiful, unfamiliar mountains.
Lesson No. 7 : It's a mistake to think that happiness is the goal.
Lesson No. 8 : Happiness is being with the people you love.
Lesson No. 8b : Unhappiness is being separated from the people you love.
Lesson No. 9 : Happiness is knowing your family lacks form nothing.
Lesson No. 10 : Happiness is doing a job you love.
Lesson No. 11 : Happiness is having a home and a garden of your own.
Lesson No. 12 : It's harder to be happy in a country run by bad people.
Lesson No. 13 : Happiness is feeling useful to others.
Lesson No. 14 : Happiness is to be loved for exactly who you are.
Lesson No. 15 : Happiness comes when you feel truly alive.
Lesson No. 16 : Happiness is knowing how to celebrate.
Lesson No. 17 : Happiness is caring about the happiness of those you love.
Lesson No. 18 : Happiness is not attaching too much importance to what other people think.
Lesson No. 19 : The sun and the sea make everybody happy.
Lesson No. 20 : Happiness is a certain way of seeing things.
Lesson No. 21 : Rivalry poisons happiness.
Lesson No. 22 : Women care more than man about making others happy.
Lesson No. 23 : Happiness means making sure that those around you are happy ?

Going through the lessons, i would say that i'm considerably a happy person. I have no money or health problems (though i definitely not rich), i have my friends and family, a son i love dearly, a job i like, and i can go for a little stroll from time to time, i can travel at least once a year, ..... Yah, I should be contented. Though a little greedy, i wish i could meet someone who will love me for who i am.

Cute Death Note Nendoroid Petit

2010-12-30T12:17:00.003+08:00

My favorite Shinigami 死神, Ryuk

Light and L

Cute girl Misa Misa

Xmas Deco @ My Workplace

2010-12-29T22:42:00.003+08:00

Pro-Bar Unplug

Christmas Party 2010

2010-12-29T03:30:00.005+08:00

Here are some photos of the Xmas party held last Thursday at my company's premise. It was full of fun, craziness and surprises. Me and my colleagues really enjoyed the night. Everyone was happy. \^_^/ Hooray !!!

Hey, I won the best dress award for my cosplay costume - Lolita Punk Gothic kimono. Haha !

Book Burger

2010-12-28T17:11:00.002+08:00

I like this poster ad by McDonald's. Burger for bookish ?!

On Reading

2010-12-14T13:53:00.004+08:00

Finish reading Raffles Place Ragtime by Philip Jeyaretnam. The plot centred around Vincent, an ambitious, rising corporate star who was engaged to a rich girl Connie mainly for the advantages of allying himself with someone from an influential background. but eventually the relationship failed because of his affair with secretary Veronica. Since then, everything went downhill for Vincent till he finally realised ......

The question is : Why we get into an endless kiasu rat race to one-up each other when life is so much more meaningful otherwise ? Have you ever asked yourself, what you really want ?

Touched By An Angel

2010-12-07T12:56:00.003+08:00

This is a beautiful restaurant at Plaza Singapura. Besides good foods, one is surrounded by all these cute, charming angels.

Foods for Thought

2010-11-22T08:32:00.002+08:00

Roast Kurobuta Pork @ DoubleBay Restaurant & Bar, Raffles City

Sinfully delicious cupcakes from Dessert.Cup

Who can say no to all these yummy-looking foods ? If I put on weight bcoz of these irresistible indulgences, I'll definitely put my blame on my fellow colleague K who brought me there in the first place. Wahahaha :-)

Coffee Time

2010-11-19T01:47:00.008+08:00

Love the ambient and atmosphere of this café house at Level 2, Palais Shopping Centre. And the mouth-watering foods, oh mind, the portion are relatively generous. I was attracted to the array of yummy looking cakes and tarts displayed near the entrance.

coconut bakewell tart

brunch burger

Breadfast Stack

My saliva starts dripping simply thinking about the foods. haha .....

AnimeFestival

2010-11-18T03:59:00.011+08:00

Went to Anime Festival Asia with my incredible and colleague last Sunday (14 Nov). No concert for us though, as we're not familiar with the anisongs, plus the ticket wasn't cheap. Besides the main program - Cosplay Championship, the thing that really catched my eyes are those fantastic illustrations displayed around.

By Wanchana Intrasombat from Thailand

By Jessada Sutthi from Thailand

The works of artist Skan Srisuwan, also from Thailand, are as good. Pity that I got no photo to show.

One more artist worth mentioning is KiDChan from Malaysia, a small build and very shy girl. Her works are gorgeous, and 'lustful'. I bought her black and white rough ilustration book Pallidity Monolity which includes Naruto doujinshi. Imagine Sasake and Naruto are lovers ...... gosh.

The other highlight for me is the figma figurines from popular manga Fate/Stay Night. My most favorite character is Saber. She is a loyal, independent and powerful warrior who serves Emiya Shirou 衛宮士郎.

I also found 2 nicely crafted figurines of Clare from Claymore, another favorite character of mine. "Number 47 in the organization, Clare, successor of Teresa flesh and blood, bearer of Irene's right arm and the one who carries Ophelia's hopes and soul to hunt the awakened being Priscilla." Isn't she cool ?

Pity that I didn't buy any of the figurines. I simply don't have space to display them. Alas.

On Reading

2010-11-18T03:30:00.008+08:00

My recent read is The Bookseller of Kabul, a non-fiction book written by Norwegian journalist Åsne Seierstad, about a bookseller, Shah Muhammad Rais (aka Sultan Khan), and his family in Kabul, Afghanistan. Not so much on the book trade itself, the book is more on the daily issues the characters face. Besides giving the historical account of events in Afghanistan, she also focuses on the conditions of Afghan women who still live very much under the domination of men, which sucks. Anyway, I still got one-third to go.

I've bought 2 new books from Popular few days ago. They are :

Title : Raffles Place Ragtime
Author : Philip Jeyaretnam
Imprint : Marshall Cavendish Business
Publication Date : Apr 2010

Title : Hector and the Search for Happiness
Author : Francois Lelord
Imprint : Penguin (Non-Classics)
Publication Date : August 2010

Will start the first book pretty soon.

Kuching, The Cat City

2010-10-24T22:06:00.019+08:00

Photos of our 6 days 5 nights rest and relax trip to Kuching, Sarawak are now ready for viewing.

I didn't really plan my itinerary in advance this round, with only a vague impression that I should visit the famed Kuching Waterfront. So I had chosen Batik Boutique Hotel bcoz of its location, and the room looks cozy from the website. It turned out worthwhile. The staffs were friendly and helpful, the room was nice and comfy, the breadfast was fine as well.

First day was spent along Jalan Main Bazaar where you would find local handicrafts - beads, batik clothes, accessories, T-shirts, souvenirs, and local delicacies such as Kuih Lapis, Tebaloi (soga snack), Tuak (rice wine), freshly roasted coffee, pepper sweets, etc etc. I bought quite a bit to taste before I could decide what to bring back for my hunger-striven dear colleagues. Wahaha .....

2nd day - half day at Sarawak Culture Village
3rd day - Kuching Waterfront, Courthouse, Carpenter Street (aka Atap Street), Cruise. Watched Movie 'Legend of the Fist - The Return of Chen Zhen'
4th day - Sunday Market, Cat Museum, The Spring- the latest and biggest shopping mall in Kuching, and watched another Movie 'Reign of Assassins'
5th day - shopping day. Bought Kuih Lapis, Tebaloi, and 5 kgs of Kolo Mee.
6th day - home sweet home

Room 204, two single beds suite facing courtyard, inlcuding ipod docking station, a mini bar (FOC) and breadfast.

Kuih Lapis. Most of them are poisonously colorful. To me, the yellow one at the right hand side tastes the best.

Sake

Kolo Mee

Sarawak Culture Village

As you can see, the staircase of these ethnic houses is actually carved out from tree trunk. Quite scary in a way. My incredible didn't dare to climb this one.

My favourite cafe at the Old Courthouse complex. The decor reminds me of the kopitiam at our very own Raffles Hotel.

Little Lebanon is another restaurant at the Old Courthouse.
This turkish coffee is the worst ever coffee i had thus far. It was damn salty. A sip already made me want to puke. Oh gosh! What kind of coffee is this ?
Directly opposite Little Lebanon is carpenter street (aka Atap Street). Lots of goldsmiths and pawn shops along the street. I ordered my handmade kolo mee from a friendly stall owner, Mr Lim here.

Sunday Market, highly recommended by the hotel's staffs. Basically, you can buy all sorts of fresh veges, fruits, groceries, flowers, plants, pets, clothings, and many others at this market, which open only on Sunday from early till about 1pm.

That's about it.

Foot Massage

2010-10-11T16:14:00.002+08:00

These was fun. S$18 for 15 mins at 313@Somerset. Worth a try.

Tattoo

2010-10-11T16:09:00.003+08:00

This is my new tattoo - a mortified biohazard sign. DOB is 18.09.2010. :-P

I'm planning to have a big one on my back. Though still have yet to decide on the design. Let's wait and see.

On Reading

2010-10-11T15:41:00.006+08:00

Just a little update on what i've read, or flipped through, during these few absent weeks.

Finishing, left a few chapters, is Mortification: Writers' Stories of Their Public Shame.

Completed during one long weekends is Postcard Killers, by James Patterson and Liza Marklund. Perhaps of its short sentences in short paragraphs in short chapters. An easy read.

Other than these, have digested quite a number of manga. :)

Paper Scupture

2010-08-19T20:59:00.007+08:00

Can you tell that all these stunning art pieces are made of paper ? They look more like crafted from marble or some kind of foam, something other than 'just' paper. They are created by Los Angeles-born artist Jeff Nishinaka. The clever play of light and shadow definitely make his works even more appealing.

I love the series of paper sculpture set for the Barbie Fashion Model Collection by fashion designer Robert Best. Gorgeous !!!

The Lost Symbol

2010-08-02T02:48:00.006+08:00

I've finally finished reading Dan Brown's latest Robert Langdon story 'The Lost Symbol'. Thrilling and entertaining. Very much like his previous books ‘The Da Vinci Code’ and ‘Angels and Demons’, it too points out that Christianity is not as most people view it.

Putting asides all the breathless chases and fascinating codes deciphering, the idea of the book is that men ourselves are divine, we simply no longer possess the knowledge of this. Through cleansing ourselves of certain things, we could once again remember this. Rather than think of our lives as ‘Waiting for God’, think of it as God waiting for us to reach enlightenment. "Know ye not that ye are gods?"

Some passages from the book :

The Buddha said, "You are God yourself."

Jesus taught that "the kingdom of God is within you."

The first antipope - Hippolytus of Rome - quoted, "Abandon the search of God.....instead, take yourself as the starting place."

'We are creators, and yet we naively play the role of "the created." We see ourselves as helpless sheep buffeted around by the God who made us. We kneel like frightened children, begging for help, for forgiveness, for good luck. But once we realize that we are truly created in the Creator's image, we will start to understand that we, too, must be Creators. When we understand the fact, the doors will burst wide open for human potential.'

“Knowledge is a tool, and like all tools, its impact is in the hands of the user.” ~ Trish Dunne

“To live in the world without becoming aware of the meaning of the world is like wondering about in a great library without touching the books.” ~The Secret Teachings of all Ages

“From the crusades to the inquisition to American politics, the name Jesus has been hijacked as an ally in all sorts of power struggles. Since the beginning of time, the ignorant had always screamed the loudest, herding the unsuspecting masses and forcing them to do their bidding. They defended their worldly desires by citing scripture they did not understand. They celebrated their intolerance as proof of their convictions.” ~ Father Dean Galloway

“If the infinite had not desired man to be wise, he would not have bestowed upon him the faculty of knowing.” ~ philosopher Manly P. Hall

"If thoughts affect the world, then we must be careful how we think. Destructive thoughts have influence, too, and we all know it's far easier to destroy than it is to create."

"Nothing is hidden that will not be made known; nothing is secret that will not come to light."

"We all had the Creator. We used different names, different faces, and different prayers, but God was the universal constant of man. God was the symbol we all shared ..... the symbol of all the mysteries of life that we could not understand. The ancients had praised God as a symbol of our limitless human potential, but the ancient symbol had been lost over time. Until now."

Library Book Sale 2010

2010-07-30T17:39:00.026+08:00

For an update, the following are the discarded picture books that I'd bought 3 weeks ago at the Library Book Sale at incredible dirt-cheap price of S$2 each.

If You're Afraid of the Dark
Add One More Star to the Night [Hardcover]
Words & drawings by Cooper Edens
ISBN-10: 0811835375
Publisher : Chronicle Books

Toot & Puddle: Charming Opal [Hardcover]
by Holly Hobbie
ISBN-10: 0316366331
Publisher : Little, Brown & Co.

The Graves Family [Hardcover]
by Patricia Polacco
ISBN-10: 0399240349
Publisher: Philomel; 1st Edition (2003)

If You Want to See a Caribou [Hardcover]
Phyllis Root (Author), Jim Meyer (Illustrator
ISBN-10: 0618393145
Publisher : Houghton Mifflin (2004)

Night Visitors [Hardcover]
by Ed Young
ISBN-10: 0399227318
Publisher: Philomel; 1st ed edition (1995)

Puss in Boots [Hardcover]
Hans Fischer (Illustrator)
ISBN-10: 1-55858-642-3
Publisher : North South Books Inc

The Very Hungry Lion [Hardcover]
Gita Wolf (Author), Indrapramit Roy (Illustrator)
ISBN-10: 8186211020
Publisher : Tara Books (2006)

The Letter Home [Hardcover]
Timothy Decker (Author)
ISBN-10: 1932425500
Publisher : Front Street; First Edition. states edition (2005)

The Prince Child [Hardcover]**
Maranke Rinck (Author) Martijn van der Linden
ISBN-10: 1932425152
Publisher : Front Street 8 Lemniscaat; 1st ed. US ed (2004)

Wisdom Tooth Extraction

2010-07-27T01:54:00.004+08:00

I got my wisdom tooth extracted on last Saturday. Before the extraction, I was already worried like hell, especially hearing a number of friends' not-so-good experiences.

At first, the dentist gave me 3 shots of local anesthesia before he use a surgical knife to cut open my gum. But, you know what? I still felt the pain so my body jerked a little, eventually the dentist gave me another shot of anesthesia. Oh mind! It reminds me what my superior once told me - one of his alcoholic friend also needed extra doses because his blood was insensitive to anesthesia due to drinking. But I'm not a drinker, am I ?

During my extraction, I was horrified. My heart was trembling so fast as if it would burst out any time. The process was like first sawing a huge tree trunk (I could smell a burning odor) and then plucking the roots from a hard ground. Full of forces. Terrible feeling, i could say. After the ordeal, my whole body was shaking uncontrollably.

Amazing that I still managed to send messages to my 愛人, 情人 and friends on my status with my fingers trembling, before the anesthesia wore off, or before the pain started.

Now, the pain is not as bad as what I've imagined. However my wound is swollen as if I have stuffed an egg inside my mouth, and accompanied by a mild fever. Luckily, the bleeding stopped pretty fast.

I can't go out, can't eat much, can't talk much. I'm bored to death already. Hopefully, I will recover soon enough so that I can at least attend my colleague's big day this coming Saturday.

First of all, I want to ask, "Do you miss me ?"

Paraboles 2.0

2010-07-19T02:32:00.006+08:00

A collaboration between Singapore video artist Victric Thng and Compagnie Off from France, Paraboles 2.0 is the much anticipated outdoor performance during the Night Festival 2010.

Six giant satellite dishes spring from the urban ground right in front of the National Museum of Singapore. Stretching out to the sky, they remain still, ignoring all activities on Earth. At the core of the satellite dishes, stroboscopic light flashes quietly, signalling activity. They are looking at the stars, downloading cosmic data, absorbing the sound of space. Under each satellite, we hear faint abstract sounds. It is the music of the stars, solar winds, and radio waves, all mixed together in a surreal, random composition.

Interesting!

My BooksActually

2010-07-14T17:24:00.006+08:00

Upon a visit on Monday's night with my colleague Hoche, I've re-entered my beloved indie bookstore today with my Ai Ren with the very intention to take some photos. Since then, they have shifted and changed the layouts of the store quite a bit. Here are their most recent looks. Always cozy and lovely.

Besides, there is a new bookstore, Woods In The Books, barely a few stone throw away. This bookstore specializes in picture books, exactly my genre. ^_^

My humble study cum bed room

2010-07-14T04:26:00.007+08:00

See the green circuit board mounted on the door ? It was demolished from my previous wacom tablet, which became malfunction for no reason barely a year of use. Alas!

My workstation. One Mac one pc.

My collection of minitoons on the window ledge.

Other collections

How you find my corner ? This is where I read, work and sleep. Messy, may be. Nevertheless, it reflects my personality. You are what you read, and what you collect as well. ^_^!

Bannecker

2010-07-13T16:12:00.005+08:00

Discovered these wonderful illustrations by Andrew Bannecker today. Have a look on his lovely website, his blog — andrewbannecker.com and of course his shop, where you can purchase prints of his work.

I like the series he did for Children's Defense Fund too. Simple yet effective.

Chinese Opera Masks

2010-06-15T10:52:00.004+08:00

These are cigarette cards featuring Chinese opera masks, via NYPL Digital. Lovely!

Can view the whole set here.

Pattern Transformations

2010-06-06T13:29:00.005+08:00

I got to admit, it is simply unthinkable, how much time and effort the artist, Bruce Pollock, spent to yield such a wonderful works. Look at the long scroll piece. Could you count how many circles, rectangles, boxes, honeycombs are there ?

Cameron Highlands

2010-05-31T04:53:00.020+08:00

Here are the photos of our 3 days 3 nights trip to Cameron Highlands, a highland region in Pahang, Malaysia during the recent long weekend. We visited the tea plantation, strawberry farm, vege farm, bee farm and more farms. Overall, it was quite relaxing. There was not much to do in the evenings except shopping at the nearby pasar malam, so we kept ourselves entertained by watching tv. One thing that I couldn't stand is the coach's aircon. The coach is brand new, so it was pretty cold even at the lowest setting. Oh Gosh! Another thing that eventually made me and my incredible sick to our stomach were the foods. Not because they tasted bad. Imagine having at least a 7-course meal like those normally served at wedding dinners twice per day, continuously for 3 days, you will likely feel nauseous by just looking at them!

OK. That's about all.

There are many more interesting and tempting foods offered at the pasar malam. Fresh/dried strawberry, handmade ice-cream, fried mushrooms and veges, barbecued jagung (sweet corn), bubble teas, murtabak ayam, chocolates, burgers, etc etc. This charcoal grilled whole chicken only costs 22 ringgit. If not we will be having dinner very soon, I'd definitely give it a try.

There are a lot of funny shaped cactus at Cactus Valley. Here are only few of the varieties.

Flowers.

Cameron Bharat Tea Plantations.

For city kids who never ever see live chicken and turkey, now you know how they look like.

Found this rustic car near a wet market when we stopover for breadfast in the first morning.

4D, anybody ?

Alvar Aalto Iconic Stools

2010-05-17T04:18:00.005+08:00

Came across this fascinating works by 136 NUS first year architecture students at the Asian Civillisation Museum. The students were tasked to reconfigure stools, donated by the Finnish Embassy, into new and inventive structures keeping with Aalto’s original design intents of synthesis and humanism.

Love the works. More photos here.

More Books

2010-05-02T02:10:00.004+08:00

OK. I know, i know. I am short of time for reading and yet I simply couldn't stop my habit of buying more books especially when they are on bargain price. Regardless of hardcover or paperback, buy 1 for $8.00, buy 5 for $35.00. How can one resist such a good offer ?

So, that was it. I bought 5 books for myself, and 2 for my incredible. The five are :

The Hour I First Believed: A Novel (Hardcover)
Author : Willy Lamb
Publisher: Harper; Stated First Edition edition (November 11, 2008)
ISBN-13: 978-0060393496
(A pretty thick book that I can use to knock someone down.)

The Anthologist: A Novel (Hardcover)
Author : Nicholson Baker
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; First Edition edition (September 8, 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-1416572442

To Terra...Volume 1,2,3(Paperback)
by Manga Artist, Keiko Takemiya
Publisher: Vertical (2007)

This is my first time buying manga in English language. I know about this manga quite a while ago. Unfortunately, there is no Chinese translation for it. I'm lucky to have found the books. My next target will be her second manga, also in English, Andromeda Stories.

The plot of To Terra : After seeing how uncontrolled humanity wrecked Earth, survivors form the Superior Domination and decide to move to other planets and improve on nature: henceforth, all children will be computer-designed for rationality, then purged of all memories at puberty so they can be supervised by a "mother" machine. Sometimes, however, testing discovers that the child is a Mu, a hyperemotional and uncontrollable telepath, who are driven underground by the S.D. Having been raised as a normal boy, 14-year-old Jomy desperately resists contact by the Mu, especially the news that he is an exceptionally powerful latent telepath who is destined to lead the Mu back to Terra. Meanwhile, cold-blooded Keith is rising in the ranks of the military forces designed to keep a rejuvenated Earth clean of Mu contamination. So their journey begins.