Little Things 122 : Books & Reading

I am currently reading Steve Jobs's biography, the one my colleague brought for the promised book exchange. I took two weeks to start reading it because of the size and thickness *imagine I have to bring it to and fro everyday. This would be my third biography. 

As I get older I realized that I'm getting fussier in choosing books. It might be because of the time limitation and I avoid reading something time-consuming and bad. Or it might be because of the amount of books I've read sums up the experience so I don't want to read the same thing/story - I want a new feeling each time. It's getting challenging to keep feeling refreshed and interested in finishing one book nowadays.

So this year I've tried poems, classics and biographies. I also bought several magazines and promised myself that I'll read word-by-word in the articles instead of looking at all those distracting images. I'll also probably read award-winning books and some motivational/spiritual books - if I could find good ones. 

I secretly bought graphic novels online and keep saying I'm not buying any new books. Ha. 

2nd realization : I don't buy anything else for myself other than books. No new clothes or shoes or bags or anything - at all. This is even after almost 4 months working with TRP and I'm way ahead passing the era of cheese biscuits + twiggies for lunch. 

Even with enough money, I'm spending it with buying more books. When I was 15 I once asked myself that with the amount of books I was reading *at that time* will I ever be bored with reading? And 12 years later, I'm asking myself almost the same thing again, with the amount of books I can buy and read, will I ever be bored with reading ?

Books : April List

13. Re : Tangerin & Nikotin by Mimi Morticia 

I didn't really like the theme. Poetic or not. Things she made into public is simply unacceptable for me. Some things are better left hidden in an old box under the bed.

I'm reselling this brand-new-once-read-plastic-wrapped book for RM 10.
Text me if you are interested.

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14. Puisi Jalanan by Fynn Jamal

I borrowed this book.
Decent, entertaining short 'cerpen', things she wrote years back when she was an angry soul wanting to be listened. I met her once years back at Rantai, if I'm not mistaken. She read her poems with her strong voice, angry fists, I can't remember what she was saying, but I remember thinking "that is surely a big strong soul came from such a petite small lady". 

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15. Warrior's Life : Paulo Coelho's biography by Fernando Morais

I never thought I can read the whole 446 pages of biography. The thick hard cover book I bought during last 2 year's Big Bad Wolf for RM 12. I thought I'll give up after 1-2 chapters, I was wrong. It took me almost 2 weeks to finish it up. After I read Murakami's running journal I thought I give myself a try on biography and the book has been laying on my shelf for years.

A good read, unpredicted story.  

The dry tone that assembled his past life into words. A tale that I never thought came from one of my inspirational writer. His past life is full with dramas. From education to alcohol and drugs, hospitalized by his parents for mental problem, the hippies movement and rebellious life, his extraordinary strong will to be a writer - and nothing else, his pact with cults and odd rituals, his journeys, list of women, and a long list of things that I found surprising. 

The only thing that I found inspiring is his strong will to achieve his dream. To be a well-known international writer. It took more than half of his life, to finally be one. Odd or not, he is one of the world's successful writer. 

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16. 1984 by George Orwell

I don't know why I took this long to convince myself to read this book. Maybe because I am not quite fond of classic literature, or maybe because I thought the book revolved around politics and the world. I was wrong.

If you ever watched 'Equilibrium', you might see the resemblance in both of the stories. Controlled by the 'high-levelled society', creating the 'perfect' human, avoiding chaos by putting ridiculous rules, the political agenda, the bigger story, etc. One individual wants to break the system. The book was written in the simplest way - I didn't even have to worry about defining political jargons.

“Being in a minority, even in a minority of one, did not make you mad. There was truth and there was untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you were not mad.” ― George Orwell, 1984

Random thoughts :
1. We thought we want total freedom in our life, because we keep on thinking that these limitations are stopping us from being happy. The society is wrong. Some people need to be tell, some people need to be controlled, some people need directions. Total freedom is for strong souls, because if everything is so easy in life, you will be lost in invisible repeating loops. There's nothing worth fighting for, there's no meaning. If you manage to get total freedom, peaceful mind, the status 'zen', you will eventually start back at ground zero. And that's only for the 'yodas'.

2. I'm glad I read the book. In a way, it  gave me a silent 'brain-washing' experience on how to see the political world. It gave me a glimpse of how the world's system works - or what it capable of. I've never been interested with politic or the power it revolves with, so reading a big topic in a fiction is a much easier for me. It was thought-provoking.

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17. Menuju Nafas Terakhir by Petak Daud

I didn't have any books to read, so I borrowed my brother's book. 

I felt like I was reading my short stories I wrote in my high-school years.

A typical, simple, light story. Nothing thought-provoking, maybe it was meant for much younger audience. I might like the simplicity of it when I was a teenager. The writer managed to write in a naiveté tone used by the narrator in the book. 

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Kadang-kadang ada satu tahap busy tu mengalahkan presiden. Stress level meningkat, boleh jadi depresi tapi tiada masa nak melayan perasaan pun. Lari, makin laju lari. Tengok dunia banyak mana nak uji. Tengok kita mampu lari pecut atau tidak.

Doodle : Notebook Weekend

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I've been too busy with works, I had no time for my doodle therapy. So I bought empty notebooks from Muji, Moleskine and GoPalm and started doodling since last week. A great weekend escape. Preparing for any upcoming events next month.

Got tired of my playlist and slow internet connection. So I downloaded Spotify to my Mac and played 'Coffeehouse Playlist' - oh remarkable technology. I can listen to 6 hours non-stop playlist of good musics without having to choose every once in a while and my slow connection doesn't even bother the playlist.

And I found a sticker-plastic wrappers for these books, so the pencilled illustrations won't smear. I remember my dad used to wrap things using these wrappers when I was small and I bought it to try it on my books. Great stuffs. 

Doodle : The Sleepyheads Wallet by Dynomighty

Good news, 

Dynomighty just launched their Artist Collective several days ago. 

>> You can now get your Sleepyheads Wallet straight from New York City <<

About :

+ 2 large pockets for cash and receipts.
+ 2 credit card pockets that expand to hold lots of cards.
+ 2 quick access business card pockets.
+ 4 writable Tyvek® business cards included.
open - 8 w x 3.25 h x .125 d

The Mighty Wallet® is tear-resistant, water-resistant, expandable and recyclable. 

Made from Tyvek® (think express mail envelopes), these cool wallets resist tearing because of thousands of interlocking plastic fibers spun in random patterns, giving them incredible strength.

The ingenious origami construction was and is the original folded Tyvek® wallet designed by Terrence Kelleman. The stitch less design reinforces the materials own strength and allows these very slim wallets to instantly expand and adapt to your own personal storage needs.

The Mighty Wallet® will expand right before your eyes. Because of the slim, lightweight and water resistant features, you can take these cool wallets anywhere. They make great "night out" wallets for a slender silhouette and the writable surface conveniently acts as a quick note pad on the go. In time, the Mighty Wallet® will gradually soften and patina but, even after years of wear, it will still offer surprise and solicit intrigue.

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Too bad they don't do wholesales, or I'll probably buy a bunch of them and resell it here, reducing the international postage fees. You can buy it from here, for $25, international postage $15.

PS - I'm using the wallet myself since last month, yeap, kertas tak koyak wei :D

Little Things 121 : Daily

Every month I post an update on books that I've read and short reviews about those books. 4 months = 16 books not including short stories written by writers all over the world. I am deeply touched by the variety of our minds, accumulating imagination and experience into something so deep and beautiful. 

I love us, writers of the world. Putting your faithful thoughts into patient words, shouting feelings into beautiful paragraphs. I love us, introverts of the world. Letting harsh unspoken thoughts sleep inside, becoming lessons for our soul. I love us, silent rebels of the world. Watching those dark rotten hearts and whispering silent prayers for us, for them. 

Be still, soul.

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I am working at a news portal company and I read current news on daily basis. I love the environment, I love the people, I love the work, I love the pay. What I'm worried about is daily feeds I am receiving.

Ditto social network. 

I am actively using my fake office's Facebook for research & knowledge sharing so I don't have to see never-ending shares in my real Facebook. The world is just too loud these days. 

Excerpt 06 : Karma

Sebagaimana kita melayan orang yang sayang kita, begitulah juga kita akan dilayan oleh orang yang kita sayang. Setimpal dan seadilnya untuk setiapnya kita. 

Cuma ada kala kita akan dapat dua kali timpal dari itu. Mungkin lagi sakit, atau lebih bahagia. - Adi Wafi

Little Things 120 : Loud

I turned off the light so I can be in total darkness. My head ached for the whole day, I had to rest and even sleep during daylight. By 11pm, I tried to close my eyes and forced myself to sleep. Restless, the body wasn't that tired to rest early than intended on my day off. 

I woke up between dreams, felt my head thumping hard, and lost in another dream. 

By the early morning mist, I woke up with a mild headache. 

My neck was sore from last night's battle, but thank you. Thank you for another day.  

Excerpt 05 : My Father's Suitcase

The question we writers are asked most often, the favorite question, is: Why do you write? I write because I have an innate need to write. I write because I can’t do normal work as other people do. I write because I want to read books like the ones I write. I write because I am angry at everyone. I write because I love sitting in a room all day writing. I write because I can partake of real life only by changing it. I write because I want others, the whole world, to know what sort of life we lived, and continue to live, in Istanbul, in Turkey. I write because I love the smell of paper, pen, and ink. I write because I believe in literature, in the art of the novel, more than I believe in anything else. I write because it is a habit, a passion. I write because I am afraid of being forgotten. I write because I like the glory and interest that writing brings. I write to be alone. Perhaps I write because I hope to understand why I am so very, very angry at everyone. I write because I like to be read. I write because once I have begun a novel, an essay, a page I want to finish it. I write because everyone expects me to write. I write because I have a childish belief in the immortality of libraries, and in the way my books sit on the shelf. I write because it is exciting to turn all life’s beauties and riches into words. I write not to tell a story but to compose a story. I write because I wish to escape from the foreboding that there is a place I must go but—as in a dream—can’t quite get to. I write because I have never managed to be happy. I write to be happy. - My Father's Suitcase by Orphan Pamuk

After Murakami, I am definitely going to try Orphan Pamuk's writing.

Movie : The Grand Budapest Hotel

Dear Wes Anderson's fans,

You can now watch his latest movie : 

The Grand Budapest Hotel at MidValley, Pavilion or One Utama. 

A special international movie that rarely picked in here, less publicity and advertisement, you can watch it for RM 10 in the smallest movie theater in Midvalley. 

For 1 hour and 40 minutes, you will be entertained with interesting story in story, familiar faces, whimsical songs, beautiful backdrops, and little delightful things for you to find. It is definitely a fairy-tale for adult. 

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I went to watch it on the first show last Thursday, surprised by the RM 10 fees and the smallest movie theater in Midvalley. I enjoyed the whole time. Simply put, he produced a perfect story for me. I felt intrigued to watch it again and again like I did for Darjeeling Limited and Moonrise Kingdom, because watching his movie is like playing 'Where's Wally?" - there will be new things for you to discover each and every time! :D

Most people might not agree with me. After all, I am his fan, things I say about him will definitely be lopsided :D But then, after the movie, I went to watch Captain America *this is after 3 months of no movies, I just think I should do a movie marathon on my day off. It was not half as exciting as watching The Grand Budapest Hotel. Maybe I am bored with the whole super-hero thing, or never-ending destruction or special effects.

Maybe I just need something simple.

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