Stories about Backstreet Boys, a sea witch who seeks to break her own spell, corny love poems, Freddy and his 3-horned, 8-legged monster of a cow, the anguish of waiting for a love that never comes and the story of a wild boar piglet called Pumba reared in suburban Kuching - these and more were the creative expressions of a bunch of Kuchingites who shared on a Sunday afternoon at Bing, a coffee place in the heart of Kuching’s Chinatown (also known as Padungan).

It was vibrant! It was funny! It was also quite an afternoon of jitters and nervous laughter initially.

As everyone warmed up, the mood was set for more writings from the heart.

Nic and I were there to support and accompany Robert who was reading one of his short stories and promoting his new book, a new and revised edition of Lovers and Strangers Revisited (which was published by MPH this time - the older edition of the same title was published by Silverfish Books).

I didn’t expect Gette the organiser of Words-Worth (the afternoon of poetry and prose had a name) to drop my name into a plastic jug of names. These names were folks who had volunteered to read something that afternoon.

They came prepared.

I came with nothing! Aaargggh!

Except my Asus Eee PC which until then Nic was using to check his email while we were waiting for Words-Worth to begin.

Luckily Robert gave me an idea (thanks, Robert). He said,”Read something from your blog!”

Now that was a good idea though I hadn’t any really recent entries except one dated 28 July. But what the heck. This is a no-holds barred, read-what-you-want-to-read event where people clapped and cheered, to support each other’s poetic and prose efforts.

I was the high tech one that afternoon as my name was called. I didn’t mean for it to be this way but everyone else came prepared with a notebook or slips of A4 paper. I was truly hamming it. I was reading from my blog…..which was surreal because most of what I wrote was about this event at Bing! Ha. Cue Twilight Zone music…..

Did I enjoy it? Yes, amazingly I did.

I loved hearing each story as they reflected a raw honesty in terms of perspective and subject matter. I got a glimpse of these Sarawak writers/poets valued; what they enjoyed doing even though it was nerve-wrecking for many (they were truthful about it but they went on sharing their poems and stories in their own ways…call it true dedication to the God of Words).

What a supportive way to keep the craft of writing alive - gather a bunch of people from all walks of life, lecturers, students, musicians, journalists, etc interested in words and asking them to help us discover how words can be arranged to inspire, provoke and tickle us in various ways.

It also made me aware of the many ways one can read and one can Read. Maggie’s piece about Backstreet Boys made me laugh because she read with such energy that everyone ’saw’ in their mind’s eyes the two teenage girls in their convertible in the middle of Nevada trying to bring their own fantasy of Backstreet Boys to life, wishing a bus-load of the boys would suddenly spring out of nowhere and cart them off to more summer time fun!

Gette’s sea witch story got me thinking of Ariel in The Little Mermaid. I could see voluptuous Ursula and her bad intentions, which were now tempered with a little empathy.

Aaron’s t-shirt “Tonight I am Single” got my attention as well as his black nail polish but his poems showed a tenderness, a kind of love in its first flush which any girl would want her doting guy to serenade her with. Never judge the t-shirt wearer by the t-shirt he wears!

Now why don’t we have such things in Penang? (Someone would say, start it la….but I think it takes a group of excited people to start and sustain it. I think starting something is easy but sustaining it…well, that’s where it gets interesting).

It would be fun and highly motivating to spur each other on to produce material which will be read out loud. It would give meaning to our work and relieve us of self consciousness. It would allow closet writers and poets to honour their lifework and have an appreciative audience to write for.

It would give us validation. That’s what writers want sometimes. A little push that says, my work is worthy!

Thanks, Gette, for the brilliant idea of Words-Worth which is a great way for writers and poets to network and spend a Sunday afternoon, sipping coffee and listening to prose and poetry.

I was an absolute newbie at readings but after today, I am super-excited to say I attended, yay, I am no longer a reading virgin.

For those who live in Kuching and are interested, Words-Worth is on Facebook (as with most people who attended the event). You can find out more from Gette’s blog too.

Catch the photos of this event from Gette’s Facebook page.

First I was in Langkawi for 3 days and when I got back, I was whisked away by my 2 girlfriends for a girls’ only weekend getaway (it happened right here in Penang la, I didn’t go anywhere exotic but just had an overnight in Evergreen Laurel) and now that I am catching my breath a bit, I will be packing again to go off to Kuching for a week.

And when I get back after that, I will be going off for the gala dinner in KL (remember the MWW Awards thingy?)

It culminates in a posh dinner in The Westin and an audience with the Tengku Puan Pahang, Tunku Hajjah Azizah).Actually I met the Tunku about 2 years ago when she launched a fertility website we designed for a client but that’s another story for another rainy day.

A scheduled luncheon meet with Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen was also in order about two days after the gala dinner but I declined. I decided that I would really need a rest after such frenzy and though meeting Datuk Dr Ng would be a treat, I think too many things leave me too breathless.

My sis had sms-ed me that my face was in the MWW magazine this month but I had hardly any chance to pop into a bookstore to grab a copy (what with me going about Georgetown like a typical tourist).

Luckily my staff bought a copy and was raring to show it to me when I got into the office this afternoon. If you could, do SMS and vote for yours truly. I would be deeply grateful and honoured if I do win any of the awards on 15 August (when the gala dinner is scheduled and the winners announced). My 15 minutes’ claim to fame, so to speak!

I will be in Kuching for a bit of R&R but all my so-called R&R’s are often fun and productive for business too. This time, I will be meeting two friends of mine when I am in Cat City. We’re going for a reading at BING, one of the local cafes next Sunday.

Well, Robert will be doing a reading since he is the published author (his new book is out now so here is a shameless plug for a dear friend and client *smile*) but it seems he intends to drag me there so I can help him do a reading! Let’s see what happens.

I hope to blog more once I am in Kuching. Work in the office often leaves me with very little time to blog which is a delicious irony because most of my work revolves around writing! Such is the case for most people anyway. The paying work gets done first before anything else. Ouch.

Hope to write about a tonne of stuff I did over the past week and my girly-girl weekend which was slightly marred (imagine sitting between 2 arguing women and both are my good pals from uni!). Errgh!

But I got mad and I turned from friendly fish to grumpy shark two days ago.

Because of some people’s impertinence.

Sigh.

Most of you who know me know I am the last person to explode and short-circuit. So it had better be something truly freaking mad to get my knickers all knotted up.

I can tolerate lots of stuff - from disorganization to messiness to unpunctuality, but if there’s one thing that throws me off tangent is rudeness. High and mighty rudeness gets me ruffled.

I won’t go into the specifics but it’s enough to say that it came from a potential client.

Over the years I’ve learnt that I will not promise what I cannot deliver. Far from getting excited over a new project, longterm though it may be, I told myself I ought to look deeper at the ramifications of this deal before I say yes and ‘burn’ myself. I tend too put too much effort into clients’ business to my own detriment. Yes, I can safely say I often want to help out a lot BUT often, I end up doing all the work and most people just piggyback and pretend not to see what’s happening.

So I learn my life lessons well (this of course comes from experience but I shall pay homage to Miss Oprah herself - her recent episodes on Astro’s Hallmark channel have been highly motivating for me) and I count to 10 before I say anything to the other party (usually clients lah), no matter how interesting, fun, fabulous the upcoming project might be.

I don’t want to start what I cannot finish or promise to do. That’s my motto these days. I have only 24 hours to give and I must first give to myself BEFORE I can freaking give to others. Call me selfish. But in the long run, being selfish gives me space to grow.

Coming back to the issue at hand, yes, it was rude. I was tempted, oh boy was I sorely tempted to email off a scathing reply. But I remember, one must be classy even if one’s in a row or fisticuffs. I let the email sit for a day before I craft my reply. I can be damn icy if I want to be.

My point is, I don’t care if you come from a famous organisation or big business. I don’t give a damn. I’ve seen enough corporate asses in my days of working in a big organisation. I don’t need that crap. And don’t hide behind your organisation or job title. I could care less. What I care for is that one should be polite in emails. Politeness costs nothing but gives you everything. Politeness raises your profile in the other person’s eyes. Rudeness on the other hand gives a bad impression. I brook no rudeness, not from my 4 year old nephew and never from a corporate person. Ever.

Which brings me to another email from a client’s advertiser. He was interminably rude. Some companies think they run the world.

You know what I did? I replied. Of course I did. There are ways you can reply and let every word seethe frost and deliberate kindness. That’s why one has a vocab. And not just reply - remember to CC the people involved. I do not usually go tit for tat unless I get totally angry. That’s the other side of the Piscean.

So what can you learn from these 2 mad episodes? It pays to be kind and gentle and polite. Being polite is one’s best tool, yes, even if one is being sarcastic. You can sarcastic and polite and still be a lady.

This was the real Balik Pulau experience as we did drive all the way to the other side of Penang island. We almost missed the place as there was no signboard. Yes, that’s the signature style of Penang eateries sometimes. The good stuff don’t have signboards. You just follow your nose or secret trail.

The 9 of us anticipated a good feasting of durians….the place we ended up looked like a regular Chinese house in a messy sort of way. The orchard sloped behind the brick house, dropping far below and all around us we spied durian trees, beside other fruit trees like dokong, rambutan, papaya, bananas and mangosteen.

The giveaway was the netting strung across trees in the orchard; it showed durians were in season (end of the second season, says Cecilia who I believe is a durian-nutter like me) and durians were probably tumbling down every now and then. We heard and saw 2 durians falling with loud thumps while we meandered down the orchard trail. Dangerous stuff, to be strolling in a durian orchard. One must wear a helmet, I think.

The durian owner was of course Cecilia’s contact and his fruits were superbly good. Bitter durian, sweet durian of all shades and hues of yellow, each one got us raving about “This is good, try this, try this!”. Every durian tasted better than the previous one. For a few moments, we were all quiet, each absorbed in tasting the lusciously soft and aromatic fruit.

Heaven was a fleshy, custardy and bittersweet durian.

But we were far from finished.

Even as we washed our sticky, smelly hands, Cecilia whispered that we had to go to another place for durians. She ordered durians at yet another place, thinking that another 10 or so people would turn up (which of course, they didn’t). The ordered durians were waiting for us so go we had to. (It wasn’t like we had to be forced to go…it was really easy to tell that we were eager for another batch.)

Everyone cheered up in a sleepy sort of way. The next durian stop was a nondescript terrace house, the last one on a narrow strip of road called Jalan Chai (Balik Pulau). Following our nose, we met with the durian seller, a friendly Hakka woman called Ah Lan Che, who had saved us some 30 durians from her orchard not far away up the hill. Another one of Cecilia’s prized durian contacts to be sure.

This round of feasting was equally lipsmacking. We feasted on durian and rambutan and later Ah Lan Che brought out utterly brainfoggingly sweet cempedak. She even gave us some of her homemade dodol!

All in all, we paid RM240 for 30 durians - we didn’t eat all (really did you think we were that piggish?). We all carted home nearly 3/4 of the durian. Her durians are good and cheap at around RM8 a fruit but it was a long and winding road to her terrace home which doubled up as a godown for her freshly tumbled down durian.

I couldn’t have done justice to the king of fruit if I didn’t show you the photos. Take a look at the sow’s nipples, ‘hiah’ (now someone please tell me what it is in English?) and the whole Balik Pulau experience with the Mensa Penang gang.

Disclaimer: Nic’s in the committee of Mensa Penang so I get to join whenever there are Mensa Penang activities (which usually centres around food, bowling and mind-bending games and hunts).

If you want something easier (no need to drive so far around to the other end of Penang), try Mr Low’s durians. This post will clue you in on how you can get your hands on his durian.

Robert used to be my creative writing teacher when I was in USM. He read one of my soppiest stories ever. That piece still makes me cringe if I re-read it.

And now he is our client. What a strange way fate brings people together.

We’ve now become firm friends and pop by to visit him and his family whenever we get to Kuching, Nic’s hometown.

Anyway, don’t fret if you can’t make it for Robert’s KL reading. He will be here in Penang, at the Penang Street Market on 31 August to sign books and read from his new book (pssst.. this is how his new book looks like).

Check out Eric Forbes’ blog for more info on Robert’s book launch and more. (Eric is a book editor by the way.)

Nic and I have stopped using plastic bags for some time now because it’s truly bad for the environment. You see, I think we aren’t idiots but sometimes people need to realize that plastic bags are firstly harmful to the environment before they get going. I have seen perfectly smart people doing dumb things when they don’t realize it.

So yes, a kick in the butt is in order. But a gentle kick because like all things Tao, there’s no pressure like gentle pressure.

I got this in my email today since I am an MNS member. Read on and spread the word!

And say no to plastic bags!

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Join celebrities Harith Iskandar, Stephanie Chai, Joanna Bessey and many more at “The No Plastic Bag Concert”, an event to promote green living.

Date : 17 July 2008
Time : 7.00pm - 10.30pm
Venue : Ballroom, Eastin Hotel - light refreshments

Admission by donation : Minimum RM 50

There will be fashion shows, musical performances, green kiosks and an MNS booth.

Appearances and performances by Atilia, Chelsia Ng, Dennis Lau, Harith Iskandar, Ida Mariana, Janet Lee, Joanna Bassey, Miss Malaysia Universe 2008, Levi Li, Mia Palencia, Nell Ng, Peter Ong, Stephanie Chai, TP Lim, Tria, Sharizan Borhan, Xandria Ooi, Yang Wei Han, and many more!

This fundraising concert is jointly organised by Yayasan Nanyang Foundation & The Recyclists and supported by LiuLiGongFang.

Get your tickets at the MNS office or call MNS [ 03 - 2287 9422 ] for details.

This concert is part of Project Daily Million, a project to enlist 1 million people to make a daily pledge to reduce, reuse and recycle 1 plastic bag a day.

Visit http://www.projectdailymillion.com

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You would think that writing is easy as I’ve been writing for so long.

I can tell you, it isn’t easy. Writing takes a lot of time, even though friends think I can spew words out like a fire hydrant. You know this thing about the Muse? When the Muse isn’t there, the Muse isn’t there. I struggle for words, sometimes I struggle to think of a topic. I can stare at the screen and not a single idea swishes by.

That’s why constant, disciplined practice is needed. Like karate, writing is a skill that can be improved. I challenge myself all the time. That’s why I keep myself reminded of the writing mode by starting a blog in 2002 although I was in a job that needed me to write every single day (yes, as the editor of the now defunct women’s web portal, i-asianwomen.com I still needed to write, besides editing and going through contributors’ pieces).

I admire people who write daily. I have a friend who does just that. He logs his writing hours faithfully. He makes no excuses about time. He sticks to his schedule and he shuts himself in his study to write and write and write some more. I love his loyalty to his Muse.

I am a procrastinating writer. I write, then stop, then start again. And I need constant reminders to write. So I do the next best thing - I blog, I journal, and then I read what other writers’ write! It keeps me shamed enough to constantly make time for writing.

I want to write a book about autism. I want to write a book about mentoring young women, how to chase their dreams. I want to write a book on Cantonese soup recipes. I want to write prose that simmers with lushness you can devour such as the one by Malaysian writer, Preeta Samarasan (who wrote Evening is the Whole Day - I read the first page and went, “Oh damn”. Finally a Malaysian writer who I really want to luxuriate in!)

How to write every day?

I read this piece today and want to share it with you, if you’re a writer or want-to-be-a-writer-writer like me. I suggest you sign up for their blog posts too because I think we all need constant reminders to get us back to what we ought to be doing (despite rejection… my entry for Silverfish Writing Competition was not good enough so it’s really back to the drawing board). But I carry that rejection with more hope than ever. Rejection only means the only way to go is UP. And to get UP there, one must re-examine what went wrong.

Go ahead, go read How to Write Everyday and Why You Should.

I’m waiting to get my copy of Preeta’s book and totally indulge!

Click here to get my Flickr photos

We took our staff out for lunch 2 days ago to this place we were raving about since we got to know about it. A client took us there and it was so secretive, so weird that we had to bring our staff there, if only to marvel at what good marketing is about!

Now of course I am sworn to secrecy - I cannot tell you where the place is - BUT, before you shoot me down and call me names (which of course you wouldn’t right? You’re a sweet friend!) if you come to Penang, want to have a bit of a culinary adventure that’s probably the highlight of your Penang trip and want some kickass homestyle Teochew cooking, then give me a ring. I will escort you there.

Wah.

So act-sy one.

Actually it’s not that I’m selfish or greedy about this place, so much so that I cannot reveal the exact location. Even if I told you the address, you’d think I was joking and pulling your leg.

Also, the other reason is, this place is always fully booked and packed (due to the space constraints of this makan place, ok, ok it is a restaurant right in the heart of Georgetown, if you REALLY want to know) and walking in WITHOUT a reservation gets you the evil eye. You can be shooed off the premises if you didn’t call to book in advance. And this isn’t even E&O we’re talking about.

If you are late, the restaurant CALLS you to ask if you are arriving or not (now which 5-star restaurant does that? Most times, you make a reservation and if you don’t arrive on time, who cares? The maitre d’ doesn’t give a rat’s ass). At this place, the rules are kind of skewed, good skewed by the way because you don’t dictate what time you want to eat there; the staff tells you that the ‘boss/chef’ finishes cooking at 1pm…so it means, get your butt here by 1pm or else there’s no food for you. Reminds me of those days when I used to dine at my grandma’s. She’ll get my aunt to call me if I didn’t turn up for dinner.

This place has no menu and each time we’ve been there, you can’t choose your food. You bloody eat what is cooked for the day. I am SO NOT KIDDING. The strange thing is, everyone (meekly) complies! The drink of the day is also fixed so you can either choose a hot drink or a cold one. No teh si peng ais or whatever have you.

This brings me back to the ‘choice’ paradigm in marketing. People always believe they want choices. The more choices, the better, right? I suppose if one were a supermarket, that holds true. In this restaurant, it doesn’t matter. You don’t have a choice. You get 3 dishes and 1 soup. Everyone eats this. You can’t choose. You look at the other customers at the other tables and you see the same dishes too!

It’s like a canteen but even canteens have choices. The menu of the day is decided by the owner-chef whose motto is aptly described as ’simple ingredients, passionate cooking’.

Whatever he buys from the market is whatever he’s cooking for the day (he also sits down with his family to eat the same dishes). There’s a limited supply (hence reservations highly needed).

On Tuesday, we had one of the best, most tenderly braised Teochew duck, in addition to stirfried yam leaves with bean paste, sharkfin melon soup with scallops and pork bones, and stirfried shark meat in a beautiful gravy. For drinks, we had homebrewed chrysanthemum tea. For the 4 of us, with 2 extra helpings of rice and 4 drinks plus the dishes came up to RM48.80. Which is not bad considering the portion and authenticity of the dishes.

It seems that everyone is happy NOT divulging about this place because the more people know about it, the more difficult it would be getting a seat here. When you walk into the restaurant, the patrons do stare at you, if only to wonder, “How the hell did these people know about this place?” It’s like walking into a triad meeting room where you know you all share the same dirty secret! In this case, one gets a bit of superiority complex coz “I know this place too, hah!” when one looks around the small restaurant.

But that’s classic marketing you know. Plus you have no choice, just eat whatever is cooked for the day and you still get droves of people! Of course, the dishes must taste equally good.

Its other attraction is nostalgia and no frills food. I suppose many people hanker for some old style Teochew cooking, the kind one’s grandma used to concoct in the kitchen. It is a trip of supreme nostalgia for many Teochew cuisine fans. Sometimes, no matter how many times we’ve dined at 5-star restaurants, it’s about culture and tradition and simplicity at the end of the day. One prefers simple no-frill cooking, the kind we grew up with, over Wagyu beef and Alaskan king cod.

It is about relishing a secret too… the kind Penangites are damn proud of.

We hold food secrets and food hideaways like nuggets of gold to our hearts, only to be revealed to those we consider cuisine appreciators!

I am so proud of you Jana! This woman has been my best pal since I was 10. I’m still amazed how long our friendship has endured. Jana by herself is a powerhouse - she’s a lecturer, she is doing her Masters in Theatre (this gal does great on the stage), she is an activist fighting for the local community of Sungai Sedu (in Kuala Langat) and now she’s a councillor.

I caught up with her when I was back in Selangor last week. To everyone who’s in KL and whom I did not manage to meet up with, do forgive me. It was a sudden trip and one which left me quite breathless.

Sudden because I was nominated for the Malaysian Women’s Weekly Great Women of Our Time Awards. Sudden because I had to fly in for a photo shoot (by the veritable photographer extraordinaire, Jen Siow) and interview for print and a video taping session last Thursday at The Westin KL.

I said, nomination la. I will need to attend the gala dinner in August where the winners will be announced.

If you want to see how I look like, get the August issue of the magazine. Haha, I don’t think I look like me but then again, that’s what it is if you put your face and hair in the hands of the stylist and makeup artist!

No complaints whatsoever because I truly enjoyed the session. So that’s how it felt to be a model, all glammed up. That’s how it felt to be a superstar. I suppose it’s far more exciting for me because this is so different from what I do in my everyday business.

This made me feel all humbled inside too. Imagine that a friend actually thought I deserved to win the award.

The big plus of this trip was meeting up with friends I hadn’t seen and making it a whirlwind catching up session. I loved that. I loved meeting them and finding out that they’re doing great with their lives too.

Vern asked me about the photos - I promised I would put some up… if only for you to gawp and say,”Hey, that doesn’t look like her!”

Watch this space…. the photos will be up.