::Full Steam Ahead::

Life thus far...

noreply@blogger.com (indigo) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:20:00 +0000

Goodness! This is the end of June with just 6 months left till the end of December. The year has zipped by so fast that I'm reeling from the rush. I have a feeling that the new year will appear before I can blink twice! Anyone feeling this way?

Work, life, work, and more work has consumed my June. Yes there were doses of pleasant moments like high teas, dinners, punnets of sweet US strawberries (eaten as is, or cut up and mixed with Cointreau and OJ), movies and a new international client for my freelance business. Woohoo! But I've had my nail-biting moments too (yes, D...they're all shredded again!).

I'm looking forward to a saner July but you know how these things can change just like that. I'm off on a company trip this coming weekend to Malacca in Malaysia. A chance to relax, enjoy some really good food and do a tiny spot of shopping as I'm saving for my US trip. I've got a shopping list and as of now, it includes 2 handbags, 2 to 3 pairs of shoes, re-stock my Bare Minerals makeup, underwear, and as many clothes as my limited budget allows. All subject to change depending on what I see at the shops.

And this is the 2nd issue of lol, aimed at the students of SIM.

Hope everyone's been well and is having a good summer, wherever you are. What have you been up to? If you're out in the sun, don't forget your sunscreen.

Welcome nephew...

noreply@blogger.com (indigo) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 07:08:00 +0000

Anthony Gerald, born Saturday, 21 June at 4pm-ish in Memphis, TN to my sister and her husband. All are doing well.
Uh...correction. Anthony is well but his parents are exhausted!

My parents couldn't make it up there as Mom had a minor operation on her back, and is recovering. They'll be going in early July. I'll be there in mid-August, I think...Or whenever the baptism is suppose to be.

Update: It's been an unreal 2 weeks at work with everything coming to a head on Friday when the corporate book I was project managing for that government client got rejected. No thanks to the printer who delivered 2500 copies with ink smudges and roller marks. I could shoot them! Of course everything will be re-printed at no cost to the client or us but now, the client is taking this opportunity to change the color on the cover! The circus continues on Monday.

Calling AoGG fans!

noreply@blogger.com (indigo) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 13:27:00 +0000

I stumbled on a treasure trove of Anne of Green Gables videos on YouTube. Here you can catch the entire series, all 3 of them in 10 minute segments, starting with Anne of Green Gables (20 segments), Anne of Green Gables - The Sequel (23 segments) and Anne of Green Gables - The Continuing Story (15 segments).

Dig a little deeper and you'll find BBC gems: The Vicar of Dibley, Keeping Up Appearances, Fawlty Towers and Monty Python!! Woohoo!!

On my bookshelf

noreply@blogger.com (indigo) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:19:00 +0000

An Alphabetical Life :: Wendy Werris
292 pages, Carol & Graf 2006, Paperback

This is an ode to the long-ignored, underappreciated bookseller. A profession Wendy Werris stumbled into when she was hired at the legendary Pickwick Bookstore in LA on September 2, 1970. It traces her journey from a lowly sales person to publishers' sales rep with snippets of her family along the way.

Wendy was selling books in an era when indie bookstores still dotted the US landscape, providing personal service and in-depth knowledge of their products, before they were engulfed by the mega stores we see today. These small bookstores had a personality and larger-than-life, generous book buyers who became her friends. Many remained close even as their bookstores folded or were bought over by the corporate giants.

There's a hilarious moment at a Microsoft Press sales conference. Mac-user Wendy, determined to show up a presenter, inserted foot-in-mouth by asking, "So tell me - will Microsoft be launching a Macintosh version of this Windows software upgrade?"

A thoroughly enjoyable book that well deserves its place on the bookshelf of all bibliophiles.

Now reading: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Reading: Books on Books

noreply@blogger.com (indigo) — Tue, 27 May 2008 14:42:00 +0000

I have unintentionally started a reading challenge. Looking at some of the books I have in my TBR pile and the ones I'm reading now, I see that I have the beginnings of a Books on Books challenge.

So far, the books are:
* An Alphabetical Alphabet by Wendy Werris (current)
* The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Safon (current)
* Leave Me Alone I'm Reading by Mauren Corrigan
* The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers
* Sixpence House by Paul Collins (Thank you Alibris.com!)
* A Passion For Books by Harold Rabinowitz and Rob Kaplan
* King's English by Betsy Burton
* The Secret of Lost Things by Sheridan Hay
* The Complete Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby

I'll keep adding to this list as I discover more. If you'd like to join in or even add to this list, please drop me a comment.

Another Hell Week

noreply@blogger.com (indigo) — Sun, 25 May 2008 08:34:00 +0000

My boss asked me to take on an additional responsibility this week - to manage a new government project, a corporate book for the Public Service Division with a rather intense deadline. All must be designed, printed and delivered by June 16th, in time for a major international convention here in Singapore. My stomach is doing back flips as I'm thinking about it. ACK! Besides that, I've got another issue of lol to rush out with a deadline of June 23. Double ACK! Plus I've got several interviews set up for next week.

Anyone know a good cloning specialist?

Finally, a favourite book is now a movie!

noreply@blogger.com (indigo) — Wed, 14 May 2008 06:30:00 +0000

At long last, Evelyn Waugh's book Brideshead Revisted has been adapted for the big screen. And it's about time too. E.M. Forster and Jane Austen have all found new audiences through film but poor Evelyn has languished, forgotten.

No big names here except for Emma Thompson as Lady Marchmain. Taking a cue from the BBC TV series back in 1981, Brideshead is filmed at the famous Castle Howard in Yorkshire. Look out for the TV series, now available on Amazon, which stars a very young Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews.

And oh! another forgotten author is also due for fame soon. I just read online that filming will soon start on Wuthering Heights. Natalie Portman who was suppose to star as Catherine as dropped out. No news yet on a replacement but Heathcliffe will be played by Michael Fassbender (Stelios in 300). This could be interesting.

Now who would you like to play Catherine opposite him, eh?

I just decided on my Catherine: Kate Beckinsale - dark-haired, beautiful, tomboy. Now to find my Heathcliffe.

Roll over Moleskines...

noreply@blogger.com (indigo) — Mon, 05 May 2008 09:14:00 +0000

Moleskines are getting ridiculously expensive here (no thanks to inflation). A large notebook is currently retailing for S$37 or approx US$25. I'm finding it increasingly difficult to justify the price when I'm using my notebook for just that: notes, and lists, and thoughts, and stuff. I've got one for when I travel, and the NYC Moleskine.

Thanks to a good friend who hoards these beauties, I've found an alternative - Monologues. The sketchbook version has 100gsm acid-free cream sketch paper that can take washes but has no pocket on the inside back of a flexible black cover. It takes the ink of my Pilot G2s very well, with no smudges or bleed thrus.

The ruled version however has a pocket a la Moleskine and a stiffer cover that comes in several colours. They both have wrap-around elastic holders and a ribbon bookmark. And better yet - they retail for under S$15 (USD$10)! I can buy two for the price of one Moleskine!

If you're in Singapore, Monologues are available at Kinokuniya at Takashimaya, and at Popular bookstores. Sorry Moleskine...

On my bookshelf

noreply@blogger.com (indigo) — Sat, 03 May 2008 16:31:00 +0000

Special Topics In Calamity Physics :: Marisha Pessl
668 pages, Penguin Books, 2006, Paperback

I was NOT going to let this book get the better of me. I hung on for dear life, carting this heavyweight around in my bags for nearly 2 months. I endured some rather rotten characters in the first 434 pages to only have those characters nearly disappear in the remaining pages. So much for getting attached to some people I had grown to really dislike.

I kept asking myself as I turned each page, "What's the point in all this?" And after just finishing the book a scant 10 minutes ago, I have to say, "Nothing." Except for a couple of incidents that happen in the first two-thirds that shed some light on the last few chapters, everything is expendable. Pessl's freshman effort could use with some drastic editing, if not for the book's benefit, than at least for the sake of her readers. The last 200 pages zipped along with a couple of twists I rather enjoyed though you can see them coming as the plot slowly unravels. But goodness! Getting to that point where you can actually start enjoying it, is SO tedious.

Go to Amazon to read a synopsis, I'm too fed-up with this book to write more than this: Girl and father move to a new town, to a new school, girl makes unlikely new friends, girl finds body of her teacher, loses friends, then uncovers an underground, near-legendary revolutionary group with links close to home.

Recommended only if you're going to be marooned on a desert island.

Now gratefully reading: An Alphabetical Life by Wendy Werris.

Books and Gas

noreply@blogger.com (indigo) — Sat, 03 May 2008 07:27:00 +0000

At the Exxon gas station near my house, in a barely populated book rack near the door, you can find some rather good books for a pittance. Like this baby here by one of my favourite authors - a first edition hardcover of Edith Wharton's The Cruise of the Vanadis, for only $10 (about US$7)!

My first magazine

noreply@blogger.com (indigo) — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:13:00 +0000

This is the cover of my first magazine - lol or Living Out Loud. This 20-page issue is currently only available at Lasalle - College of the Arts. The next issue due out at the end of June, on the SIM campus.

You can read an interview I did of a Singapore illustrator here. Thanks OIC!

New books

noreply@blogger.com (indigo) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:55:00 +0000

The books I ordered from Amazon.com arrived today, two weekends since I ordered. Not bad for standard shipping.

1. The Reagan Diaries, edited by Douglas Brinkley
2. The Copyeditor's Handbook by Amy Einsohn
3. The Life of Elizabeth 1 by Alison Weir
4. A Passion for Books by Rob Kaplan
5. An Alphabetical Life by Wendy Werris
6. Leave Me Alone I'm Reading by Maureen Corrigan

The Reagan Diaries was something I should have bought when I was at my sister's last summer - it was only $18.90 at Sam's. It's retailing at Border's here for S$60 or about USS35!! ACK!!!

The Handbook is something for work especially now that I'm doing more corporate communications writing. The rest - well, because they've been on my Amazon wishlist for so long and I've not been able to find them here!

And that's it for now. No more new books for the next... oh! 3 months?? Really!

I'm so looking forward to this weekend. It's Labour Day tomorrow here in Singapore, and I'm taking Friday off. So that's a long 4-day weekend for me. And oh! I'm off to the ShangriLa for English tea tomorrow with some friends. A small treat to myself after the last 2 crazy months.

Well, I never...

noreply@blogger.com (indigo) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 13:18:00 +0000

Had a client reject all 3 concepts for an annual report design because they were 'too creative'. Can you believe that? Too creative?! He tossed out everything, changed the theme again, and said he wanted something more conventional. This translates to safe, boring and one that his secretary could probably do in Microsoft Word.

Didn't know whether to laugh or cry. And they weren't anything too avant-garde or 'unconventional' either. One involved the use of different textures, one had interesting packaging and one was quite conventional but with a clever title to positively introduce their past year's efforts.

Note: Re-did them, re-presented the new idea and client loved it. Sigh!

Hello world!

noreply@blogger.com (indigo) — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 11:59:00 +0000

Two crazy weeks of work and deadline are over. For now. I'm currently in the eye of a hurricane, and how long this little breather will last, I'm not sure but I'm taking full advantage of this period of lesser work.

My magazine is finally O U T! Titled lol or Living Out Loud, it's a small 20-page issue about creative people, the creative business, events and the school of the moment, all targeted at students. For the first year, we'll be publishing it as a bimonthly of 2500 copies per issue. Next year, we'll see... So far, it's gotten good response, and my boss is happy. So whew!

I haven't had much time to read for pleasure. So far, I've had my nose buried in and my head crammed with corporate and government stuff for work. I've had Special Topics of Calamity Physics riding around in my bag for the last few weeks, reading a page or two whenever I have a short break. And recently I found and bought The Cloudspotter's Guide. Didn't think I'd ever find it here but there it was, on the bottom shelf at a bookstore I hardly ever visit.

I've added to my book larder - stocking up for a rainy day. This evening, I went shopping at Amazon and Alibris, and bought some books, including Sixpence House which has disappeared from bookshelves here AND in Wales (Ems tried to find it when she was home there over Christmas and nothing. Imagine that, especially as she lives very near Hay-on-Wye, the location of the book!) At last, I got to use my $20 Amazon gift voucher from Tanabata. Woohoo!

And finally, last weekend, my parents celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary. I couldn't help much in the preparations cause of work but it was great party - good food, family and friends we haven't seen in an age. At first I wasn't too sure about celebrating 45, but as our priest said, 'why not?' And he's right. There was much to celebrate - just wish my sister and brother-in-law could have been there too.

I've just been vegging this Saturday and will again tomorrow; blogging, surfing, watching TV and doing some reading. How about you? What are you up to this weekend? And if we haven't chatted in a while, how have you been?

Steaming ahead...

noreply@blogger.com (indigo) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 16:04:00 +0000

I'm utterly pathetic and deserve to be flogged.

Bear with me as I try to live up to the name of this blog in real life. Two weeks of non-stop copy-writing projects and I'm near worn out. I've got another hectic week ahead after which I think I can safely draw breath. And I'm giving birth soon too. To that magazine I mentioned earlier. Publishing pains seem almost as bad as baby-popping ones. Only there are no drugs to ease this pain.

Speaking of which, there's this nagging pain in my left heel. I only noticed it after my summer in the US last year. I usually go barefoot at home but now, I HAVE to wear bedroom slippers with a cushioned heel otherwise it hurts to walk! I really need to get it seen to soon. Oh, and I notice that wearing my Birkies make it worse.

Anyways, if you're a new guest or a returning old friend, forgive my tardiness, lack of visits and non-appearance. Famous last words but...I'll be back!

UPDATE: Bear with me folks, I'm having some publishing problems with Blogger. Silly thing won't publish FTP.

The Word from Jobs is...

noreply@blogger.com (indigo) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:36:00 +0000

The iPhone is finally coming here. In September. And a 3G version too.

*faints*

Mosaic Music Festival 2008

noreply@blogger.com (indigo) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 05:23:00 +0000

How the week has flown! March is proving to be an incredibly crazy month! Not only do I have the usual stuff at work, but now I'm editor of an upcoming creative magazine. More news on that when it's published. After all this time, I'm finally getting my shot at doing something I've always dreamed of - getting published, and in a magazine I'm running!

With barely enough time and energy in the past week(s) to blog, I however did find time to enjoy some music at the Mosaic Music Festival 2008. It had a stellar lineup of headline artists like Harry Connick Jr, The Roots, Raul Midon and Kurt Elling as well as indie bands like Iceland's Mum, Norway's Sondre Lerche and USA's The Bird and The Bee.

I caught the last 2 mentioned bands, and have since kicked myself for missing Raul Midon who played to rave reviews including Flee's. The Bird and the Bee played fluffy, electronica pop lead by the rather excellent vocals of Inara George. I enjoyed the chill-out session but was blown away by Sondre Lerche and The Faces Down. What a songwriter! Many have heard him on the Dan In Real Life soundtrack but his other works are far better! Jazz, pop, swing, reggae-tinged rock...Sondre played them all. I think he and his band were blown away with the reception they got at their Singapore concert: screaming, whooping fans who sang along to every song.

Now it's back to work Monday. I'm just counting the days till the end of the month. So far, they're looking hellish and April is still a blur. May and June is too far away to even register on my radar.

Weekend Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (indigo) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 08:30:00 +0000

A few days ago, I added this post about some clever library ideas. Thanks to Aloi, I found this perfect addition to my some day perfect library - perfect for curling up with a good book

Jim Rosenau creates functional art from old, discarded books. And he's got some really cool shelves for sale on his site. I love how he creates themes from book titles.

On the book front, I posted this about Joanne Harris' follow-up to Chocolat in April last year. However, that was for the UK edition. The US edition will be out in April 2008 and under a different name.

No news yet when Susan Hill's The Man in the Mask will finally appear on US shores and if it will have the same title. It's still absent from bookstores here.

Jodhaa Akbar

noreply@blogger.com (indigo) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:41:00 +0000

No, this is not another Hollywood blockbuster but a Bollywood epic already showing or opening in theatres in many parts of the US (D, check out if it's showing near you in Memphis), and nearly all of Asia. Jodhaa Akbar stars the gorgeous Hrithik Roshan and green-eyed Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. It's a love story set against the backdrop of the Moghul empire, between a Hindu princess and a Muslim emperor. It's in Urdu with English subtitles.

I've heard good reviews about this movie despite it's nearly 4 hour length! If it's still around this weekend, I'm going to watch it.

Honestly!!

noreply@blogger.com (indigo) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:05:00 +0000

Would you believe it...I just got a call from someone asking if I can help his friend in the US, write a paper (6 or 7 pages, double-spaced, thank you) on classical music and how much would that be.

What? I'm NOT going to help some twit get a grade on a paper I write. What on earth was he thinking? This is not the first time - I was asked by a friend a long while back to help him write a paper for his final year thesis. I told him directly, 'No!' and he was quite miffed.

This time, I said I'm a copywriter and write for corporate, retail and commercial clients. I don't write 'papers'. I sooo wanted to tell him that I won't help his friend cheat, but I bit my tongue instead.

Dream libraries

noreply@blogger.com (indigo) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 10:48:00 +0000

These are some of the cleverest bookshelves I've seen. The first one in a Tokyo apartment wraps around and provides privacy for the bedroom. Falling asleep and waking up to books...Nice!

This other one is a bookshelf built into a staircase that ascends to a loft. I so so want this. But I think I'll need a loft and a second floor first.

On my bookshelf

noreply@blogger.com (indigo) — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 08:37:00 +0000

Lost & Found :: Jacqueline Sheehan

This was one unexpected book buy. I've never been a big fan of modern 'relationship' books; of people working through personal problems, relationships, loss and love even if there is a happy ending. If there is a twist like a murder or involves some of my favourite elements like animals and books, I'll consider but I usually give such books a miss - well, mostly. Until the cover jumps out at me, which this one did. Who can resist that adorable doggy face?

A rather straight-forward story: woman loses husband, flees to an island, rescues injured dog which she nurses back to health, tries to solve the mystery of its injury and ownership, meets other island residents and an archery instructor who sends her pulse racing. I particularly enjoyed the chapters with the doggy's point of view. Overall, a rather heartwarming, poignant tale, easily read over a long weekend.

Currently reading: Marisha Pessl's Special Topics in Calamity Physics, a Borders' book bought with a 40% +10% discount.

Surviving Valentine's Day II

noreply@blogger.com (indigo) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:59:00 +0000

(I'm off to dinner and a movie tonight with some friends. Here's the original post from a Valentine past, though slightly edited and added to.)

It's that most dreaded day of the year. The one singletons try to forget exists, only to have it shoved in their faces through incessant ads on tv, newspapers and radio hawking everything guaranteed to bring on rapturous cries of joy from the female half. Jewellery, lingerie and candlelight dinners, they're all there. Not to mention bouquets of roses sprouting everywhere there is a corner. With even hotels proffering romantic (read as 'clandestine' for some) weekend getaways. Since many takers of these packages will be unwed couples lured by promises of champagne, a petal-strewn bed and late checkouts, I'm surprised that in ultra-conservative Singapore, it has not raised a tattooed eyebrow or two especially from the moral brigade. And trust me, they are a sizable force here.

But I'm cool...I'm fine. As Bridget Jones would say, if I wanted roses dammit, I'd buy them myself! And on any other day when they don't cost $140 for a dozen!! In fact, while being one half of a couple is a good thing any day of the year, not being that one half on this most commercial of days, is a drag.

So my suggestions to survive the day if you're un-coupled are:
1. Go rent a bunch of DVDs - I like action-packed, no brainer, testosterone-loaded blockbusters like Spaceship Troopers, Independence Day and the Alien series. Stay away from any TV, radio and newspapers.
2. Cook. Bake, roast, knead, fry or saute yourself a meal/dessert to enjoy while watching those DVDs. If all else fails, microwave some popcorn and drizzle honey over the hot pile. Yum!
3. Gather good singleton girlfriends for a dinner date at your favourite restaurant and order bottles and bottles of vino for a rollicking good time. If still walking in a straight line after that, catch a live band or head to your favourite dance hall.
4. Splurge on a box of Godiva/Royce or any expensive chocolates, and enjoy them with your favourite author of the moment at home.
5. Buy yourself something special - jewellery, a BOSE stereo set, an iPod... anything! Year before last, I splurged on a gorgeous wood and steel wind chime. It hangs outside my bedroom window now.
6. Prep yourself with a high octane power workout at the gym or relax with a yoga session. Either way, you'll release a bunch of happy hormones to float you through the night.

And for those still aching over a breakup and mad as hell at that ass who dumped you...
7. Make a dinner reservation at an expensive restaurant that charges for no-shows and use your ex-boyfriend's name and credit card number. Say you're his secretary. Pfft!

By the way, let me know how you spent today. I'm curious to see if any celebrate this Hallmark of holidays, or ignore it altogether.

Oh happy day!

noreply@blogger.com (indigo) — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 05:34:00 +0000

Wonderful news came from Tanabata the other day. I've won a US$20 Amazon voucher in a contest she held to celebrate her 2nd blogiversary. Woohoo! I've never won anything online and now an AMAZON VOUCHER? How great is that? Arigato Nat-san.

You KNOW I'm going to buy a book or two (or three) with this. *Tapping finger to lip* Hmmm...which ones will it be?

Feeling super crappy...

noreply@blogger.com (indigo) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 06:33:00 +0000

It's Chinese New Year eve (and Super Tuesday - we're getting coverage here too!) and I'm sick! Within the span of 12 hours on Monday evening, I went from an annoying raspy sore throat to gastric flu. I barely ate yesterday (tastebuds went on strike!) but drank loads of liquids. This morning, my head feels like a water-logged football and both my ears are blocked! AND NO! I'M NOT SHOUTING - I just can't hear myself talk!

Thank goodness the office is closed, and I don't return to work till Monday but still...getting sick during the holidays, sucks! I'm passing on a dinner tonight at my aunt's who is having her usual steamboat-BBQ dinner (she's part Chinese) - I don't think people would appreciate sniffing, wheezing me to be dipping into the communal pot. But I'm off to a Pancake Party at Ems' tomorrow. I hope I have my tastebuds back by then.

In about an hour (it's now 3-ish pm) nearly all shops, offices and businesses around the island will close as people return home to prepare for the reunion dinner. Those new to Singapore, will be surprised to find a very deserted Orchard Road (the shopping district) this evening with barely any traffic on the roads there. Most shops will be closed tomorrow too.

Hope you like this image I found of the Singapore financial district skyline at night (click on it for a larger view).