Review : TheBookDepository to Malaysia *Updated 2023*

NOTE: Book Depository closed down in 2023, so Amazon bought it, then decided to close it down - perhaps to remove one of its biggest competitors. I hate you, Amazon. TheBookDepository, there is nothing like you T^T

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Hey guys,

I think I need to update this post, it's been 8 years since I wrote this original post about The Book Depository review and people keep coming to this particular post when they are having problems with TBD or thinking about buying books there + worried about the shipping all the way to Malaysia.  

• I first started to buy books from TBD in 2011
• I ordered >30 books from them (18 orders)
• 1 parcel was missing and I got a full refund (in 2011)
• Other books arrived safe and sound
• I also ordered a book during Covid19 pandemic in Sept 2020 and got the book a month later in Oct 2020
• I ordered again during the pandemic on the 23rd of April 2021, and I received the books on the 25th of May 2021. This time the postman left it right in front of my apartment door (anyone can actually take it - but thankfully another postman was sending another parcel and we noticed the parcel). I ordered 3 books by Beatrice Blue from the same publisher, they were bigger than A4 size but quite thin, so they were packed together in 1 parcel.
• I ordered the last Carlos Ruiz Zafon book on the 30th Jan 2022 and received my book on the 15th of Feb (around 2 weeks later)
• I preordered Hanya Yanagihara's To Paradise in Nov '22, it was released and posted on the 1st of Jan 2023 and arrived in my letterbox less than 3 weeks later.

These are some of the books that I bought from TBD in 2 different orders :

So let me update this posts : 

• Shipping: Yes, they are still sending books without any shipping fees. From what I can see, whenever I bought 3 books, 3 different individual parcels would arrive, they were never packed into one parcel. I think that's how they manage to send parcels for free (I'm assuming). So don't worry about the postman can't send your parcel safely when you are not at home. As long as you have a 'locked mailbox', those parcels will be safe. Pos Malaysia will deliver it to your home.
• It is safe to send it to your uni/office? : Reminder, anyone can take your parcels. No one will have to sign anything, so if you trust your co-workers or people from your mailing centre, please do so. But you can't blame anyone when it goes missing. 
• Book quality: They are all new books, I don't think they are selling second-hand books. 
• Tax: No tax fees. You just have to pay for the book.
• How long it will take? : I once received a book 2 weeks after I bought it, and I once received a book 2 months after I bought it. So it depends on the shipping situation I guess.  
• How to pay for the books: Credit/debit card (default) + Paypal (You can change to Paypal payment after you set the currency setting to USD$ )
• Lost/missing parcels: Please write to their support centre after 2 months of the order. I'm not sure how they deal with this problem nowadays. In the older day (several years ago), I once lost one order and I asked the support centre. They gave me a full refund. I double-checked my address and my mailbox was locked, so I genuinely didn't receive any parcels. No lost parcels afterwards.

For me, TBD is still the best place to buy books online.

They are way cheaper (with sales) and have free shipping. Cheaper than books sold in bookstores in Malaysia. Plus, you can find books that are not sold here / hard to find locally (especially graphic novels and visual books). I don't mind waiting longer ❤

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The old post was written on the 23rd of March 2012 :

Yay! 2 weeks ago I ordered this book from Depositorybooks and it arrived last weekend from the UK.

With :
1. Free shipping
2. Fast delivery
3. Discount

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This is my second attempt with The Book Depository. I've been searching for online websites that sell books and offer free shipping, and this caught my eye. Several months ago, I ordered 2 discounted graphic books from the web but they never arrived. After 2 months of waiting, I reported to them about my books and got a full refund in a week. Pretty neat. No fuss.

Email I received :

Dear Azreen,
I am very sorry to hear that your order has not yet arrived; As this is clearly overdue we are happy to offer you a refund or a replacement whichever you prefer? 

Kind Regards,
Customer Advisor

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2 weeks ago, I decided to try it again. I was not convinced that their management is bad because I've read several good reviews about this website *and they offer free shipping! Who would refuse that? So I ordered again anyway.  I was willing to give a second chance to answer my curiosity! :E

The payment was made via PayPal and credited to maybank2u, which was super easy. 

Postage fees = free. Ordered, confirmed and waited. It arrived home after 2 weeks. Satisfied :)

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Anyhow, I did read some bad comments on Depositorybooks. So, it depends on your luck! Just be patient, they offer a full refund, you won't lose anything and you'll gain experience. Try to take from the good side of everything :)

Work Related : 634 days with LGM & TRP team - Part 1

I received another great offer from a local start-up company about a month ago. It has been 6 months since they approached and offered me a job but that was the time when I was too busy with the Hello Kitty Cafe project so I had to decline. 

Surprisingly, they approached me again and after a week of consideration I think it's time for me to go and spread my wings to new challenges and skills. It is hard to leave, but they had a better offer, new scopes that I wanted to learn and I've been wanting to work with a startup company for awhile. T^T

To make it official, it was a great 634 days with the team. 

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Here is what I learned from LGM & TRP team :

1. Always be aware of your weaknesses. 

My boss mentioned that my weaknesses are : Colour combo, style variations, and basic designing rules/terms. I wasn't majored in design, I was majored in IT so I didn't know a LOT especially basic theories. I asked her what I was bad at, and I gave myself space to learn from my colleagues. They critiqued my works as I critiqued theirs. We have a very healthy working environment.

I also keep links to my references : Colourlovers , Flat UI Colors

Knowing your weaknesses is supposed to help you improve. 

Always refer from any resources and create a moodboard before you start on a project. 

For example, this is the colour combo I originally chose for Hello Kitty Cafe and that was the mood/style I was looking for : brush/watercolour/soft style :-

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2. Keep a huge collection of inspirations + researches

I'm using Pinterest, Behance and Dribbble for my personal library. They are my ultimate teachers. If you think learning from other people is low beneath you, then you will never reach anywhere - *because you are being arrogant. The important thing in teaching ourselves how to be good in something is by learning from our surrounding. Just like how you learn when you grew up as a baby, it was really fast, isn't it?

I have a Pinterest folder of everything from : Magazine, Poster, Packaging, Website, Infographic, Uniform, DIY, Branding to other little things like : Machine, Girls, Little Apartments and stuffs.

I also have my own book where I keep every moodboards I ever printed on projects :

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3. Learn the right way to imitate

Not everyone is born with a good talent in designing and own a 4-year graphic degree, as I said before some people like me needs extra effort and time to learn the skills & techniques. Learning shouldn't be intimidating. It should be fun, exciting and challenging to the point that one day, you will find you, in every one.  

So I learned a lot by :

1. Imitate the pros,

2. Learn their techniques,

3. Pour everything you learned in a bowl,

4. And bake your own cookie and do magic !

As Steve Jobs said :  " Creativity is just connecting things ". 

So you just have to learn from the pros. 

Note : Imitate and copycat (plagiarism) are 2 different things though.

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4. Adapt fast

I realized that every art director/clients have their own favorite and style. My task as a senior graphic designer is to adapt to their likings fast and time-efficiently, but not to forget my own style completely. It is important to be flexible and accept things requested with an open-mind. 

As a designer, I know it is hard for you to put limitation on certain things because you have your own way of doing things but; work is work. You can always do freelance or personal jobs using your own styles and strokes, but at work you need to adapt to what is needed and requested.

Lower down your ego, follow your art director or supervisor. 

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5. Keep all the rejected works

I have tons of rejected works in the past 2 years. All because of my try-and-error artworks and having a perfectionist art director. Sometimes it is quite frustrating to have things rejected for weeks, but those things can always be used for other projects or personal portfolios.

So it is not a waste of time & effort.

See all these rejected icons for various projects that I did since last years.

Other illustration from rejected project : The Wise Bear

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This Week's Findings 02

1) Mnmlist : live more, need less , being OK with things as they are.
I know every people has opinion on how they want to live, but this works for me.

2) Paulo Coelho : Renouncing or working hard -

Either we feel that we are renouncing life too much because of God, or else we feel that we are renouncing God too much because of life. 

This apparent double law is a fantasy : God is in life, and life is in God.

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3) You need to own a journal/scheduled diary

Moleskine is ridiculously expensive, so I wouldn't recommend you to buy one except if you are obsessed with brand or want to splurge on man-made leathery items. *because although I always claimed myself as a person who don't spend much on things, I do have an obsession on hand-made leathery items.

3) A Writer's Guide to Keeping Sane 

Read this fun fun writing for writers. Or better, follow Medium.

4) Online resource for student designers & young creatives looking for insider's insight, honest answer & solid solution to help you create your portfolio and apply works properly ! : The Secret Handshake. This is so interestingly resourceful.

5) CafeHop KL - interactive map for coffee addict around KL.

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6) 8tracks radio - Online playlist curated by awesome people. You can choose your type of music or mood, and listen to the whole playlist. It's even faster than grooveshark.

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7) Easy funny blog to read for pleasure - MatLutfi

8) Place to make an easy online infographic - Piktochart , their editor is very easy to use, just drag-and-drop, key-in data and such. It's a local start-up company based in Penang.

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9) Police mugshots in the 1920s

Previous related post : This week's finding 01

Writing : 750words

750words is a website I used to practise my writing skill. Basically the idea is to write 3 pages long post on anything that pops into your head every morning. The unfiltered, spontaneous, daily private post on anything. It is to make writing be a daily habit. 

The idea is if you start your day with 3 long pages , it can help you clear your mind and keep the ideas flow all day long. Like morning exercise to keep you stay fresh the whole day, same concept.

It is not blogging. It is just a free style writing on anything. No particular rules. And it is private, only for you, by you.

3 pages = 750 words. 

I've tried it, and it was not as easy as I thought it would be. It needs a bit effort to keep on ideas flowing. Somehow I need to connect with my subconscious thoughts and it was always interesting to read later afterwards. More like a journal I guess, easy to say. 

For people who love numbers, you can also check out a statistic of your daily writing. For example, this is my statistic on today's post :

I even challenged myself in writing daily for November. Try it.

It was created by this guy.

Other :
Read what other people's thought on 750words.

App : Runkeeper

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Hello !

A mobile application that I love to use during my exercise : Runkeeper.
There is also a web-based edition for Runkeeper.
Click here for iPhone version and here for Android version.

Features that I love :

1. Easy to use and straight forward

When I go out jogging, I will click open the application, choose an activity : running or walking, and click on the "Start Activity" button right away. It will then automatically track my location, how far, time, map, and such. 

Why it helps? It is a very convenient application to use. Click "Start" and off you go !

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2. Achieving your Goal
I am aiming for 50 km running and 30 km of walking in 3 months.
Runkeeper gives you a platform to keep track your goals.
Why it helps ? Tracking how far you've achieved and how much farther you need will keep you on your track. Well, at least it helps me. 3 km more to go before aiming for 100 km run ! :D

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3. Save your Activities 

How far, when, map, time taken to complete it, how much calories burned and such.

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4. Share and tweet.

Why it helps? Everything is about social network nowadays! Share it with your friends, compete, drag them along. 

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The web based can 

- list down events that you can join near you

- find street team

- save your routes & share

- make training plans

- give you visual statistic like this :

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I work as a conceptual designer for mobile application and during my free time, I explore the beautiful wonder of arts in current digital medium mainly in tablets and smart phones. I'll share my finding here from time to time. Enjoy the geeky side of me ! :D - azreenchan

How to Set Up Reading Challenge ?

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Hello !

I've been using Goodreads for a couple of years. By far, it is the largest social media related with reading tracking website I know. It is widely known, linked to facebook and twitter, has easy-to-use mobile application on iPhone and Android. 

Features that I like :

You can find a wide ranges of book database. I even found Fadhli's Conteng-conteng book listed in there. 

You can view huge list of quotations and can share it with your friends.

Some authors even have their own fan page, and I followed some like Paulo Coelho.

You can keep track of all your books.

You can read book reviews, or forums.

You can set up a reading challenge.

This is the easiest way to set up a reading challenge :

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Being a fulltime worker, I found myself struggling to find extra time to read. So I choose specific time to do my reading : on my way to work. Usually I will take around 1 and a 1/2 hour to arrive to work. That is by far around 100 pages on average. 

For readers out there :

• Set up an accout on goodreads.
• Make your achievable reading goal.
• Find specific time to read daily.
• Read.
• Keep track !

Good luck! :D

What you Should Know About Blood Donation ?

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Hello !

There will be a blood drive donation this Saturday at Jusco AEON. I'll try to be there and donate blood if I am qualified. It will be my 7th time ! It is held by Pusat Darah Negara (PDN).

For anyone interested to donate blood, but actually terrified by the idea of it, you should not worry ! I've done it many times, and it is not as terrible as you thought it will be. 

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Before :

Sleep more than 5 hours the night before.

Drink a lot of water or fruit juices before the day. Drink around 4 glasses of water to keep your blood pressure up, 3 hours before the donation. 

Avoid drinking caffeinated drinks - it causes your body to expel water.

Eat 3 hours before the donation, avoid coming on empty stomach.

Donating blood is a safe process, each donor's blood is collected by using new, steriled needle and then it is discarded right away. Read myth on blood donation, here.

On donation day :

For the first timer, you will be given a little red book to record your details.

You will be asked to fill-in a 4 pages form : short information and tickable questions to ask about your health and important notes, and sign the form.

You will be weighed : you should be more than 45kg , they will take your blood to check your blood type, haemoglobin level, blood pressure and record it in the little book, you will be questioned :

• Did you sleep more than 5 hours last night ?
• Did you eat before coming ?
• Are you on antibiotic or any medicine? 
• Do you have fever, cough, flu, stomach ache? 
• And other basic questions.

You will be asked to lay down and let the nurse do the work. It won't be painful, just look away if you are not that confident. But seeing the huge needle inserted is really something - I would recommend it if you are just as curious as I am. 

It is not painful - I think I can pinch you much painful than this.

After :

You will be asked to rest for 10-20 minutes to avoid light-headedness.

Usually they will give you something hot to drink and cookies and probably vitamin B.

Avoid doing heavy activities right away.

If you are feeling lightheaded, it's normal for some people - just rest !

Your body will reproduce new blood cells in 4-8 weeks, healthy new blood!

Who will benefits from your donation?

Accident and burns victims.

Cancer patients

Patients on surgery

Patients with bleeding disorders, immune system disorders, etc

Anyone, fighting for their lives.

Imagine you need blood - not in Edward Cullen's way and there is no one out there to help you. Imagine your family needed blood. This probably the least way to help others, indirectly.

Facts :

It will lower down the risk of having a heart attack by 88% and lower any cardiovascular attack like strokes by 33 %. Why? By research, it will prevent blood from thickening too much - read more.

Decrease cancer risk : lung, colon, liver, throat and stomach cancers - by research.

Blood can't be manufactured - it can only come from very thoughtful people. 

Oh, basic woman's question : Can you donate blood while on period?
The nurse will check your haemoglobin counts before the donation, if you are below the level - you can't donate your blood. So yes, if you are feeling healthy on 'the' day, you can go and check your haemoglobin level. See how it goes. 

Read more :

Facts you should know about Blood Donation.

8 Strong Reasons Why you Should Donate Blood.

Pirated Software Issue

I've been meaning to write this. It's another topic on morality.
The use of pirated softwares for users, especially designers.

For me, using pirated software is the same as taking something without permission also as known as stealing. Dear designers and illustrators, it is wrong to make money using pirated software. I purposely emphasize on the making money part, although it is almost the same for any pirated softwares user. It is almost the same concept of stealing. So, for Muslim, you can't use money from stealing - basic concept.

When I was a student, I bought Adobe Creative Suite CS3 for students. If you are a student, you can apply for student edition, it is just for RM 400, you can get Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash and Indesign. Almost 80% off for students. You need to be a student, send in your student ID copy, transcript and proof of enrolment. There are some basic rules in buying this product, for example the basic student licensees said:

• It must be used on private computers.
• The software cannot be transferred or sold.
• Students can only buy one copy.
• The software can be used after you graduate.
• The software can be used commercially - images can be sold by student before or after the student graduate but with limited usage.

If you are a student, you should buy student edition from Mac City or Sapura Marketing. If you are a professional freelancer, you should pay for the lisence. You can refer the pricing here. Roughly around RM 2600 for Photoshop CS6 - online price. 

I know it is quite pricy, but it goes to your moral beliefs later on.

If you still need to use these softwares for free, you can use the open source software :

Open source photo editor softwares :

GIMP - for Mac & Windows

GimpShop - for Mac & Windows , mirror image of Photoshop

Paint.net - for Windows

Open source vector graphic editor :

Inkscape - for Mac & Windows

DrawPlus - only for Windows

Xara Xtreme - only for Linux

Skencil - only for Linux

PS : I am still using my CS3 version at my Mac at home to improve my skills. I also use GIMP and CS6 at the lab while working. The thing about using open-source softwares is you need to make an extra effort to learn it. Be ready to ask Google a lot and have extra patients in learning it. 

You can refer a list of tutorials for GIMP, here.

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Doodle : How to Help You Boost Your Energy

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When you need to focus for long hours at work, school or university, you need energy to stay productive. Sometimes I take a fastest way out and drink a tin of coffee to stay focus on a job - I'm not proud of this, so I did some reading on how to help me find other ways to recharge my energy at work. Here are some tips on boosting your energy I collected over several blogs and articles :

Stay awake, earthlings! :D

Little Thing 35 : How to Stop Being Easily Offended

Sometimes people get hints from interesting encounters. 

Lately I've been feeling offended by many little things. No, I am actually easily offended by everything, I called myself "an overly sensitive soul". I usually begged for people around me to not disturb me in any ways possible because I took things too seriously. I tried to change several times, but I failed, I was born like this. In simplest way, I just hoped that people would understand and keep a safe distant around me. I seriously won't disturb people with no reason, I'm super serious. I don't know why some people enjoy disturbing others.

I can have a decent conversation with people, of course I can. But I just can't really handle jokes on wrong timing, racism jokes, sexism jokes, annoying jokes, many other jokes that I failed to register, sarcasm, moodism, and those little things people take so lightly. My eyes used to water when my friend jokingly said "I hate him because he is Indian, I hate Indian" and I horridly said "That is racist!", slowly realising that people make jokes like that on regular basis. 

Easily said, I don't have sense of humour and I take things seriously.

I discussed with Mr.S yesterday on this. About being easily offended and irritated, how to handle this? It is not healthy, and this is what I received in my bloglovin' roll, it is like a huge hint to help me!

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How to Stop Being Offended ?

1. You need to acknowledge this.

Say this : I get offended easily. This is to tell yourself, as a reminder. We usually get offended when we are picked on, talked about, ignored, teased, see someone throw rubbish on the road, or when someone cuts you on the road, maybe almost everything. 

If you know this problem, you can make room to overcome this.

2. Don't be offended by things that you can't change.

If the car behind you put on high beam, let them pass. If people make bad jokes you can't handle, ignore them, learn to tune off instead of trying to give sarcastic comments or worse; try to argue with them. 

3. Give yourself time to think.

Find a time to process things, and focus : is it worth it?

4. Don't take it personally

Ha, this is quite tough. When you believe in your value, it is hard to not take it personally, because you usually hold on to those things that is dear to your heart. If it matters to you, try to share your thoughts with people, and if they don't take on the same flow, remind yourself to not take it too personally. 

5. Give others the space to be themselves

Respect others, give them as much space as they want. If it hurts you, tell them to respect your opinion too, if they are still hurting you, walk away. Agree to disagree and walk out of argument. Tune off. 

I have a friend that love to irritates me, with no reason. So I tune off and ignore those remarks, completely. It does not work all the time, but eventually they will understand. 

6. Avoidance
Just avoid it.
Some people are born to be bullies.
And some people are born to be victims. Ha.

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Read article by others :

10 Ways You Can Stop Being So Easily Offended

How Do You Get Over Being Offended? by Sharon Gibson

PS :
I doubt I can fight this.
But I'll try.

How to Find More Time ?

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I did a short reading on finding more time last week, and came up with several points taken from here and there. Short doodles were made as a soft reminder for myself and others :

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PS :

Last weekend was one of my productive days. I managed to doodle 2 sets of digital painted stickers. I will need to design another 3 more sets before going to the next phase. Are you ready? :D

Food : Home Made Tutti-Frutti Yogurt

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Hello!

I've been a fan of Tutti-Frutti and Moo for awhile now. Maybe I've tried 5 times now, knowing they are quite overpriced for my liking. So I've decided to try to make my own iced yogurt *using natural flavored yogurt .

1 small bowl of natural yogurt

2 spoon of sugar

Minced yellow watermelon

Minced chocolate

Put it in the fridge *the ice-box for over an hour.

My own critiques :

I've decided to dislike the taste of minced chocolate in this. It would probably tasted better if I put another spoon of sugar and blend it with ice. Should probably try other fruits next time. 

This is much much much cheaper than those frozen yogurt. 

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I am full.

❤

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Second attempt :

1 small bowl of natural yogurt

2 spoon of sugar

Minced red watermelon

This time, I didn't put any minced chocolate and I changed it to red watermelon, which tasted super delicious. But I put it in the ice-box for 2 hours, resulted the yogurt to be truly frozen and I had to wait before I can eat it. 

Why I didn't use blender? Because I have none and I am trying to experiment with things that are simple and reachable in my kitchen. 

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Why Writers Write?

I found this interesting article on writers, taken from brainpickings. It was written by George Orwell, the famous writer of Animal Farm & 1984.

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Why I Write :

They exist in different degrees in every writer, and in any one writer the proportions will vary from time to time, according to the atmosphere in which he is living. They are:


1. Sheer egoism. 

Desire to seem clever, to be talked about, to be remembered after death, to get your own back on the grown-ups who snubbed you in childhood, etc., etc. It is humbug to pretend this is not a motive, and a strong one. Writers share this characteristic with scientists, artists, politicians, lawyers, soldiers, successful businessmen – in short, with the whole top crust of humanity. The great mass of human beings are not acutely selfish. After the age of about thirty they almost abandon the sense of being individuals at all – and live chiefly for others, or are simply smothered under drudgery. But there is also the minority of gifted, willful people who are determined to live their own lives to the end, and writers belong in this class. Serious writers, I should say, are on the whole more vain and self-centered than journalists, though less interested in money.


2. Aesthetic enthusiasm.

Perception of beauty in the external world, or, on the other hand, in words and their right arrangement. Pleasure in the impact of one sound on another, in the firmness of good prose or the rhythm of a good story. Desire to share an experience which one feels is valuable and ought not to be missed. The aesthetic motive is very feeble in a lot of writers, but even a pamphleteer or writer of textbooks will have pet words and phrases which appeal to him for non-utilitarian reasons; or he may feel strongly about typography, width of margins, etc. Above the level of a railway guide, no book is quite free from aesthetic considerations.


3. Historical impulse.

Desire to see things as they are, to find out true facts and store them up for the use of posterity.


4. Political purpose. 

Using the word 'political' in the widest possible sense. Desire to push the world in a certain direction, to alter other peoples' idea of the kind of society that they should strive after. Once again, no book is genuinely free from political bias. The opinion that art should have nothing to do with politics is itself a political attitude.

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A friend once told me, the Westerners love to categorize. They are eager to learn, analyze and categorize every single thing in this world. Why can't they just let certain things be? For example introvert and extroverts, types of writers, leaders and followers, left brain and right brain, and many other things!

But apparently, as much as I saw what he said was somewhat true, I still love to learn and categorize things. I've tried to explain to him on how certain people just want to learn and understand better. I told him how interesting human can be, most of the time. So what the Westerners are doing, helped a person like me as long as I just put those knowledge as mere reminder. 

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I am in category : Aesthetic enthusiasm. As far as I am concern, my love for literary is quite high. I can see and appreciate written words like one can appreciate great painting or good music. How about you? 

Apps : Young Kids & Mobile Apps

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Although I don't quite agree with kids under 12 to be engaged with game consoles and other devices, I am very much interested in how kids interact with those devices.

I got curious over how their brain processes it, how they familiarize certain patterns and steps, how they explore it. The fact that they can interact with those games even though they can't read, always fascinates me. 

Good mobile applications for kids don't even need instructions to explain the flow, because most kids don't read at a very young age and it is hard for them to focus on reading when they are too excited to play the game right away. *I remember skipping the conversation parts between players when I played Pokemon Red - teenage years. I bet that goes to everyone else too, except for curious-avid reader I suppose. 

I don't have a chance to be around young kids that much, so I suppose my finding's accuracy will be highly downgraded. At the lab, I usually watch Fayyadh explores my iPhone. I watch him trying games after games to meet his interest. Most of game apps are strategy or puzzle based so they are not quite suitable for a 5 year old. 

This writing is based on one of the good application I found interesting enough for young kids : Toca Doctor by TocaBoca & my humble observation. What I have in mind is a simple set of mini games to be completed that kids can relate to. I bought the app just because I was curious on how the full version will be, and how different each mini games will be - there is a lite version you can try, just type in "Toca Doctor Lite".

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Mobile Applications for Young Kids :

1. Interface.

Kids are attracted to simple, colourful interface.  I love the simplicity of it. It kind of reminds me of activity books I used to have when I was very young, back when there is no such thing as mobile application of course. 

2. Mini games

Kids are easily distracted, so a set of mini games might help them focus on each small task. In Toca Doctor, a player is required to examine a patient and solve simple fun puzzle. I played the whole set, it was super easy for me, but quite engaging. There are 21mini games to be completed.

eg : Broken bones need to be connected and bandaged or brush your teeth to kill the germs, clean up  wound and put a plaster and those simple stuffs. 

3. No instructions

The game is straight forward and simple. They point to each point that need to be inspected, and kids can solve it right away. I didn't even need to explain anything to him. 

4. Relate to real life

In this game, they ask you to be a doctor. In another game by tocaboca, called Toca House that let the player help 5 friends do chores at home : cleaning up, doing dishes, ironing, mowing the lawn in 19 mini games. It's easier for them to understand simple tasks when they can relate to it and much easier for us to explain.

eg : Why we need to clean the wound?
Because we need to avoid infection. 

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Ps :
Parents need to be aware of the type of games they let children play. Children are a bit like white canvas, parents are the artist with paints and brushes in their hand.

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It's amazing how technology is taking over the world.

I work as a conceptual designer for mobile application and during my free time, I explore the beautiful wonder of arts in current digital medium mainly in tablets and smart phones. One of my favorite topic is children's application. I'll share my finding here from time to time. Enjoy the geeky side of me ! :D - azreenchan

Travel : Cameron Highlands 3

Things that I love while I was visiting Cameron Highlands :

1. Moss and trails = Mossy Forest

I love trails, in the jungle, those silence, those smells of damp trees, cold sweats, little excitements over odd new findings. I love those little mosses along the road, on the tree trunks, being so tiny and damp with various of textures and gradients of green colours. I got excited over them all. Some of them looked like tiny soldiers, standing so straight!

One of my favorite place there was Mossy Forest. It was closed when we arrived at the entrance *for renovation. But luckily we got the permission to enter the forest because of our works! 

We hiked up and down half-done wooden stairs, still wet with cements until the end of the trail. How joyful. 

Extra tips : Do bring a bottle of water, it's a quite a long journey. And preferably wear shoes !  

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2. Gardens

There were rows of flowers in various colours, cactuses, and fruits. I don't know how they maintain such place because it was remarkable and peaceful. I should probably try to plant some trees at my house as a self-theraphy. Although having dear Awan should probably be enough for now. 

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3. Morning walk and light breakfast

We walked briefly to the nearest rows of shops next to our hotel. There is something about silent morning, and hot drinks that give me such serene feeling. 

❤

Travel : Cameron Highland 2

Advises to Share from this Journey :

1. Bring a lot of socks if you plan to walk a LOT. 
You should change your socks daily. One pair of socks = One day. And extra another one pair of socks for nightwear when you go to sleep because it can be a little cold up there.  

2. Bring a bottle of water while trekking
Especially when you go to Mossy Forest or walk up to the top of Brinchang Mountain. We cheated, we took a car ride up to the top of the mountain :D

3. Bring thick sweater
For small person like me, my fats weren't enough to keep me warm at night because it was so cold! But it is quite warm in daylight.

4. Some farms are closed on Tuesday
And some farms are closed on any random days except on weekend :(

5. Must go places :
Mossy Forest
Strawberry Farm
Rose Centre
Boh Plantation

6. Wear shoes
If you plan to walk a lot, then wear shoes or at least comfortable sandals. Slippers is not recommended *for no specific reason, I don't really like slippers.

7. Robinson Waterfalls is literally dead
Although it is still listed in the Cameron Highlands map as one of the place to visit, I think it is not really a place to enjoy anymore.

8. Get ready for hours of dizzy road ride
I didn't enjoy those time while we were going up and down the hill. I was a little dizzy and tired *even though I was only a passenger, imagine being the one who drives the car.

9. Plan Ahead
You should buy the map they sell at the hotel or any farms. I think it is RM 4.90, if I was not mistaken. You can get the whole list, contacts of the places to visit. Useful item.

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Lesson 3 : Search for Happiness

< Continuation from previous post >

I'm currently reading Hector and the Search for Happiness by Francois Lelord.

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Taken points from his book, I'm going to share his findings :

Lesson 3 :

Many people see happiness only in their future.

This is a lesson I need to learn. I always, always, always, think I can be happy when I achieve my dreams, so I am working hard for my future. Instead of living in my current life, I am working for my cloudy future. 

Well almost everyone does that, aren't we all? We spend of daily life, weekly life, monthly life, yearly life, to have a better future. Money for marriage, money for new house, new car, future children, their education, travel expenses, more entertainments, etc. You drag your feet every day to work, doing jobs that you are not even interested in. For things you want in the future.

I guess putting my happiness in future Paris was a mistake. I should live my life, today. Not tomorrow, not the week after, not in next June. 

*So, I should pack my bag and go to Paris exactly right now! 

Aha. I wish I have the guts to be that reckless.

*Back to work*

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Lesson 2 : Search for Happiness

< Continuation from previous post >

I'm currently reading Hector and the Search for Happiness by Francois Lelord.

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Taken points from his book, I'm going to share his findings :

Lesson 2 :

Happiness often comes when least expected

People love surprises. I used to think that I dislike surprises, because I've never really experience it so I chose to assume it doesn't feel that good. But it feels reaaaaally good, I can assure you.

Imagine, you walk in a store for window shopping like you normally do, and then someone drag you to the counter and say : " Congratulation, you are our 100th visitor for today, you will receive a RM 100 voucher to spend on anything in the store. Have fun! ". *That is the most random thing I can possibly think of right now, and it is super cliche'. But there you, a possibility of having something unexpected. It can lighten up your day!

When we are least expecting something to happen, and it happened, "Boom!", adrenaline flows fast, your heart races, you will blush/laugh/smile/cry, those are the FUN part.

PS : But gimmick, for me, is a mood spoiler. I hate gimmicks.

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Review : Stumble Everyday.

I'm using this interesting website called Stumbleupon.

This is how you use it.

1. You register for an account, just use your Facebook account, easy.

2. Choose topics that you are interested in. 

For me, I chose travel, arts, crafts, language, behance.net, self growth, design etc.

3. And there you go. 

Click on the 'Stumble' icon on the upper left corner & you will stumble on interesting websites randomly.

4. You can 'like' it and share it with people too.

How this website can help you?

When I do research, I can just choose a specific topic and stumble it.

It will show me some interesting websites from all over the world. 

I don't know how they chose the websites, but yes, all the websites are interesting.

Easier than using Google, where you have to check each website from their listings. Some are even obsolete, that will just waste our precious time.

Hope this can help you find new things!

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I love stumbling to some random arts & crafts websites.

Such an inspiration.

:)