tapas with students

Had a very nice weekend.

Early Friday night I attended the Sarawak Chamber of Commerce and Industry dinner at the Hilton which highlight - it was otherwise drab - was sharing the table flanked by witty Greg and Fadzli making remarks about the Kitaro songs.

“I can’t get it out of my head now” I said.

And Greg, “I thought it had left me after thirty years, now its back!”

After the dinner, my students waited for me across the street as we had planned a nite out together. They were so cute, as we decided to drive to Jambu for late nite tapas and drinks – ice chocolate with ice cream.







We had a nice time. It was fun semester with a lot of teaching and learning happening I hope.

I went to Chong Choon on Saturday morning, for Laksa and after, I drove to Bing! padungan for quiet time alone to read. They were already playing christmas songs and hanging green ornaments indoors.

I got a text from Chris about an article on our exhibition along with a photo of us in one of the local papers.

After a jog at the park in the afternoon, I decided to go to Starbucks, Jalan Song, for their Christmas drinks, Tofee Nut Latte and some stamps to collect to get their 2010 planner.

This too shall pass

After several nights of staying at home, I finally finished reading Collector of the Worlds by Illiya Troyanov.



A fictional biography narrated through the account of others - complete with agenda and personality - the story takes us along 19th century British traveler, Sir Richard Burton’s journeys.

The story began in India with Burton as a young officer with the British army, as told by by his illiterate Indian servant who is paying a lahiya (a professional letter writer) to write a letter of recommendation of him. Here Burton learns to be like the natives and also the relationship he has with his mistress.

Then it was on to his pilgrimage to Mecca in disguise as a Persian dervish doctor, told through the Ottoman officials discussing among themselves and interrogating others on the motives of Burton’s journey.

In East Africa on a journey to find the source of the Nile we were treated with how the usually by his own Burton go through a character clash with trigger happy fellow traveller John Henning Speke.

Although the journey takes the reader to dramatic setting and characters, it is Burton that most capture the imagination. His thirst for knowledge, need to record his experience and courage is inspiring.

It made me think how much courage is relative with learning, life and love.

"Fear has never saved anyone from death"

The scars and his temper in the story although not developed does enough to act as nuance to present Burton as enigmatic, difficult but nonetheless as humanly flawed just like any one of us.

It's a nice read, the different narrators require the reader to hold on tight to keep to story in tact but it is well paced, expressive, with a casual use of the local terms makes it ever so engrossing.

sappy songs and road side stall

i love november as it rains.

the fact that i now need glasses - and accepted it - is like telling myself that i actually haven't been seeing things as clear as i thought.


kiera wearing glasses for illustration purposes only

i have been too engrossed with "plans" that i have not - cue cringes - for instance let myself drift listening to sappy songs or be at a road side stalls with friends - and yes, on a class night.

i used to tell myself the right answer is always simple.

superlative city

i was in bangkok the last 5 days for their design festival 2009. it's my first trip to the city and if i had stayed any longer i would have exhausted my superlatives.

it's almost needless to say that the city has unbelievable food - especially their street food. papaya with dried shrimp salad, mushroom and onion salad, seafood tomyum, seafood with glass noodles, fritters in the morning, sticky rice- i should stop here before i have to wipe my desk.

went to the well thought of siam museum that was meant to be a pilot for a series of national thai discovery museums. the museum have visitors understand about thailand rich history and culture, through learn by playing watching short films and interacting with the exhibition created by story inc. new zealand and partner designlab and pico.



another venue place that made quite an impression on me was, tcdc - short for thailand creative and design center. it has over 25,000 design books and a material library. i spent half a day -feeling quite at home - reading on sagmeister.



the trip along the chao phraya river was nice, that led to the inevitable "you can't visit bangkok without going to the temple!" conclusion.



the last morning i had a nice monday stroll at the beautiful lumpini park with its huge lake, wide pathways, public sculptures and a panaromic view of the city.

khobkunkrub

not quite investiture

I finished – finally – reading Into the Heart of Borneo by Redmon O’Hanlon. It is a slow read, as the fluidity is disrupted by informative textbook narration on Darwin’s evolution theory or the likes just as the action builds up.

Having said that, the characters the two English scientists and the three local natives make for a very funny read.

I attended my second graduation ceremony yesterday since taking this teaching job. It hasn’t got the same thrill as the first time but I think wearing costumes, having processions, graduation music and the speeches, and reading a program book that has people with ridiculously long suffix to their names is fun for a change.

polysyllabic spree

thanks for coming although i haven't posted anything for a while.

what have i been up to?

we'll i've finished the first part of my graduate studies that is the post graduate certificate of arts in writing. i didn't so as well as i did the previous semester. but i did so well last semester and no rest so maybe it's fatigue. the comments has been positive like how it is enjoyable to read on how i address the topic, i'm encouraging towards others although late with my contributions. i love the tutorial group discussion.

it's a nice feeling finishing something after losing my weekends writing at the public library.



books? i finished reading polysyllabic spree by nick hornby a book in such a good condition from a used books section of a small neighborhood bookshop. even the shopkeeper thought it was new at first.

it is really enjoyable especially as i miss the weekly discussion on literature with my tutorial group.

it's hornby at his best, funny and silly and also honest and almost clever which makes him so accessible. for a collection of book reviews there's continuity from the start that holds them together as a book like a piece to be read together with regards to his battle with the 40 odd robe wearing "spree" and his relation with his son, sister, brother-in-law and friends that pops up irregularly.

i wanted to follow polysyllabic spree format with bought and books read monthly for this blog but that would mean not a lot of updates in between and books is what holds this blog together. maybe it could work if i have other things going on for me but i don't seem to do much of other things apart from teaching.



at the moment, i am reading into the heart of borneo by redmond o'hanlon. i bought it because it is set in sarawak and i haven't read any fiction that is based on my hometown. it is well research as far to the page that i've read and it's interesting to learn about the behavior of the birds species, local history and it's funny too.

A moment's indulgence

It’s the first week of class for me. I had four classes and I think with a thought that I’m not the most organized person, which I hope to make up for with passion, it went quite well. Nice perhaps.

Still I have some assignments to do for my postgrad and I should really do it soon. Thank God i’ve done the major assignments but the smaller weekly ones matter as well.



I am almost done with Lonely Hearts Club by Raul Nunez. It’s a quick surreal read, slightly on the amusing side. A story of a man that looks like Sinatra, whose wife left him for a black man and ends up joining a club where lonely people sent out letters to one another.

I had that moment, where my soul feels like its peacefully sleeping, while I was out alone reading at midnight at McDonalds.

A Moment’s Indulgence by Tagore

I ask for a moment’s indulgence to sit by thy side. The works
that I have in hand I will finish afterwards.

Away from the sight of thy face my heart knows no rest nor respite,
and my work becomes an endless toil in a shoreless sea of toil.

Today the summer has come at my window with its sighs and murmurs; and
the bees are plying their minstrelsy at the court of the flowering grove.

Now it is time to sit quite, face to face with thee, and to sing
dedication of life in this silent and overflowing leisure.