Chet’s Chatter

This one’s for you, Marita

Posted on 30 November 2004 @ 23:55 in Pictures, Stress Busters

Giant panda cub Mei Sheng’s 1st birthday web page

Enjoy!

Comic Relief

Posted on 30 November 2004 @ 15:17 in Pictures

After the rather scary picture in the previous post (no offence to Maxine Hong Kingston), I thought I’d re-post a series of pictures from giant panda cub Mei Sheng’s first birthday celebrations back in August. They were first posted on my v2 site.

Mei Sheng took a tumble on his birthday, but zoo
keepers said not to worry.

The keepers said the bears are built to take such falls.

Ouch …

It did not take Bai Yun long to notice.

Images and Captions from NBC 4 - Irresistible Headlines.

When I grow up …

Posted on 29 November 2004 @ 23:19 in People

… I want to look like this.

This is Maxine Hong Kingston, the first Asian American writer I ever read. Her book, The Woman Warrior, was my first taste of Asian American literature.

The next book I bought of hers was China Men. Around that time, I remember she came to Kuala Lumpur for a book signing tour. Unfortunately, I missed seeing her cuz I was working that day.

After that, there was a lull of almost 10 years before her next book, Tripmaster Monkey. I’d waited so long for something new from Hong Kingston that I didn’t mind spending almost 30 quid (I was studying in England at the time) for a hardcover version soon after the book was released in the market. Unfortunately, I didn’t understand the book at all, and still don’t to this day.

Awhile back, I was in MPH MidValley when I saw she had a new book out. So did Toni Morrison. I’m going to get both for Christmas.

Actually, “awhile back” turned out to be almost a year ago. I just checked my offline journal and it was 6 December 2003 that I wrote about being surprised by Hong Kingston’s new book at the bookstore. Now, almost a year later, I’m going to get it, together with the Morrison book, for Christmas. The paperback versions should be available by now.

Some NaNo thoughts

Posted on 29 November 2004 @ 21:54 in Writing

What NaNoWriMo has given me

Friends (no, not the TV series)

Ok, let me clarify …

Writing friends

^_^ (meiteoh’s influence)

Restored belief in myself

Perseverance

A little more self-discipline now than at the beginning of this month

Friends, writing friends!

**********

I showed Leah’s article to my niece, telling her where to start reading, and asking her, “eh, who are they talking about there?” Her reply? “You, lah!”

*beam*

**********

I was talking to a friend about NaNo. She asked what’s there to stop her from writing the word “la” 50,000 times and submitting that as her NaNovel.

Absolutely nothing.

It’s up to each of us, to treat NaNoWriMo and ourselves seriously, or to be flippant about it. I choose the former.