From The Library Of ...

This picture is from Kino's page

As a self-proclaimed book lover, I am very slow at discovering "Ex-Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader." Yeah sure I've heard about it, but I've never made an effort to find out about it. Even a first time encounter on the special display table in Kinokuniya Suria KLCC didn't spark my curiosity. I merely fondled it and put it back where it was.

Then during the second last week of July, I finished "Sarah's Key" by Tatiana de Rosnay and was desperate for a new book to read. I was a little stingy this month but Friday was pay-day and I still have about RM 65 in my bank account. Thus I decided to splurge, probably on a Malay book or two; DBP published a few new interesting titles but thanks to Dawama's reputation, they're not yet available at Kino, my favorite bookstore just because it's very convenient to pop in and out during lunch break.

Didn't find any of interest thus I walked into the English Literature section. I saw a tall middle-aged Caucasian man grabbing a copy of Ex-Libris and was quickly reminded about it. Hence I reached for one as well. The man was halfway away from the table but he turned back and upon seeing me trying to decipher the synopsis on the back cover, he quickly said, "That is one amazing book. I've given away probably a dozen copies to my friends."

Not only that, he also pointed out the continuation of the book, "At Large and At Small" also by Anne Fadiman. "If you like books and reading, you would like this. But I definitely started with that (Ex Libris)."

I was immediately sold. I have found a book to read for the week. Or so I thought.

Ex Libris is very thin, I could have finished it in a course of an afternoon but I decided to stop whenever I felt like I was rush-reading.

A few days back I read an article in The Guardian about slow-reading. Apparently the cyber era has changed the general reading style - we skim and scan instead of reading the whole text. That reduces our attention span and some would say, makes us stupider.

I am guilty of all accusations. It took me a whole day to read about half of the article and I had to finish it at home after work because I forced myself to read every single word a few times whenever I felt like my focus was wavering.

Anyway, Ex Libris was a joy to read. It encompassed Fadiman's fascination and addiction with books, and how they are integrated in her life as a child growing up in a family of bibliophiles, being a writer, a wife to a writer then a mother to two young children.

I experienced a pang of envy as Fadiman and her husband married off their libraries and only then considered themselves truly "married." I wished for a husband such as hers as he took her on a secret trip to a used-bookstore and bought 19 pounds of dusty used books on her 42nd birthday. And I hope I would be as patient and interested in my future children early education as Fadiman and her husband read to theirs every night.

Fadiman also talked about how reading and books defined her relationships with her parents and younger brother. Her dad turned blind and she read to him as he read to her when she was little. She mentioned about plagiarism, and how it had hurt her mother (who was plagiarized by her editor at Time magazine). Fadiman also kept mentioning how her kid brother was smarter than she was.

My personal favorite is her essay on a missed pronunciation of "Ms." during a job interview. It was hilarious at first but then Fadiman went deep at dissecting gender issues. It was a revelation to learn at how women were considered as the lesser gender during those days (it doesn't stop yet, does it?).

What an experience to savor such a delicious book. It reminds me of the joy of (slow) reading again. To continue, I'm determined to concentrate on classics for a while; just got a copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Penguin) and The Complete Novels and Stories of Sherlock Holmes (Bantam) - I just realized I bought the second volume, dang now I have slow down on Alice and go get the Volume I first! Oh well.



Trivia: Ex Libris is Latin for "From the library of" - back in the days when people used to have bookplates.

Kimono Ungu dari Kaca Mata Pembaca II

"Rebecca Ilham's Kimono Ungu Bersulam Bunga: 15 Cerita Gadis Perantau definitely delivers the needed dose of female perspective. The 15 short stories in this collection explores many themes: feminism, interfaith relations, gender issues and international affairs. Rebecca's female characters are mostly steel willed, savvy and can hold their own against the odds. You won't find them lounging by the pool in some tropical island resort or in a retail therapy session at Harrod's."


Baca ulasan lanjut R.O.L the Introspector di sini.

That Spicy Artsy Thing In Town

This spicy image is from here

The thing about arts is - it changes according to the eyes of the beholder.

I went to the latest exhibitions at Galeri PETRONAS on its auguration day - July 13th (no, it wasn't a Friday). I was on my way down the escalator from Level 4 after an after-work book therapy in Kinokuniya, determined to head straight to the train station since I had only 20 mins left to make the journey to Wangsa Maju station if I want to catch the next bus home. But my eyes caught the re-opening of the gallery and knowing that I might miss it if I postponed a visit, I steered from the planned course.

The new exhibitions are Seniman Muda Malaysia: Ba(nta)han Baru [Young Malaysian Artists: New Object(ions)] and Perkataan + Gambar = Buku [Words + Pictures = Book].

The former includes displays of works by 40 young Malaysian artists using different media and form, representing themes of their individual choice while the latter is a process exhibition featuring contemporary picture book illustrations by renown artists that include Pak Yusof Gajah, Emila Yusof and Azalan Hussain.

I didn't take notes because time was on my conscience; it was nearly dusk and I wanted to rush home for before Maghrib prayer time ended. I picked up the spice-ciously designed "brochure" for the first exhibit, tacked it up on my locker at work and didn't think much about it. I've paid my due (PETRONAS makes the gallery free for the public as a part of their CSR so I feel guilty for not utilizing such an opportunity), fulfilled my "art" quota for the month thus I'm done. Or so I thought.

This morning I went to the gallery again to kill time before heading to an art talk at another gallery. And before I knew it, I was scrambling for something to write on as I walked through the gallery once again. I realized that I wanted to record, to remember - if not the paintings and artworks on display, at least I refused to forget my thoughts.

I am not trained as an art critic but I do enjoy arts - any kind of it thus even if my "interpretations" have zero values to others, they are invaluable to me.

So here goes, my take on what I like and do not really like at Seniman Muda Malaysia: Ba(nta)han Baru.

My favorite is Metallic Bath by Hamidi Hadi. It is an abstract piece of painting of dull, dark color of grey and black, finished by a random but extensive splash of metallic paint. With the latest 'developments' in the country in the past several days, I look at the painting as a self-check portrait.

This is what's happening - the country is rotten but it could all be hidden with a coat of metal that is supposed to represent an image of industrialization, which incorrectly means, progress. To be honest, I didn't even look at it this way a few days ago.

Festival, a huge three panel acrylic painting on canvas byAli Nurazmal is cynically titled. You'll understand when you see it - the image is of a man whose lips are sewn shut and hands moved my an invisible puppeteer. Yes, he is a puppet. A local one at that, since he is clad in a white pagoda t-shirt and a kopiah-like headgear.

Anther artwork conveying a similar (never the same) message is Playing with Inte"geli"ty by Muhd Sarip Abd Rahman. The painting is of a trooper from Star Wars, with x-es on his unseen eyes and lips.

And talking about irony - I have to mention the only floor display on exhibit. I didn't catch the title or the name of the artist but it is a slab of stone sculpture of a "King" poker card with a phrase engraved on it: "Mencari Yang Halal Itu Fardhu Bagi Umat Islam." Oh, I should translate, I know but the humor might be lost in translation!

The Wounded Healer (I forgot to scribbled down the artist, shame on me!) and The Man, The Environment and Himself (shame on me twice!) are more self-introspective, or that is what I understand from them. They pose questions on how have I been upholding the responsibilies bestowed upon me as a khalifah in this world, especially when my heart is not pure and my thoughts not clear.

Iqra' by Azharudin Mappon is an interesting piece of work. I like the Rukun Islam, Rukun Iman, Adab Dalam Keluarga (didn't remember it exactly) and Adab Hidup Berjiran written in Jawi. I was such a geek that I read them all, painfully slow I must add since I was never very fluent in Jawi. And the recording of Quran recitation by children while instructed by a tok guru reminded me of the Quranic lessons after school in the musolla by a graveyard during my childhood years in Kelantan.

Take Heed by Rini Fauzan Mohd Zuhair blends technology (video displays) and graffiti arts of disturbing things people scratched on walls in public places. Hence the caution "Take Heed", do you where your daughter is right now?

I didn't really buy (read: like, this is a slang) Deyanna Derahman's two paintings entitled The Tree House and A Trail Is Laid, Which Leaves The Tell-Tale Guide Behind. They are too fairy-tale like, almost foreign in my untrained eyes and has no Malaysian flavors. The women in the paintings look Caucasian as well.

I have a few more from my notes but I don't think I want to share them all. Go see the exhibits for yourself. Don't be afraid if what you see is different from mine - that's what arts is; it changes according to the eyes of the beholder.

Kimono Ungu dari Kaca Mata Pembaca

"Terdapat 15 cerpen semuanya. Dan, daripada 15 cerpen-cerpen itu, yang jelas pada saya mengangkat 4 disiplin ilmu: Sains Politik dan Sejarah - dua bidang yang sangat mesra pada saya - dan dua yang tidak – Kejuruteraan dan Seni bina. Namun, yang mengujakan saya, jalinan keempat-empat bidang ini membuatkan saya yang tidak terdidik dengan ilmu kejuruteraan dan seni bina sedikit sebanyak boleh faham apa yang dimaksudkan penulis – terutamanya pada cerpen Mencari Tuhan di Celahan Cambrian dan Protokol Cinta serta Perca-Perca Cinta untuk Palestina. Malah, cerpen Mencari Tuhan di Celahan Cambrian memberi saya tambahan kefahaman kepada teori Darwin mengenai the origin of species itu. Dan, sekali lagi saya menyimpul rasa geram dan cemburu kerana Rebecca mampu memaham banyak fenomena sejarah dan politik dan menulisnya secara effortless! (hehehe, whatever does it means!)."


Baca ulasan penuh Sdr Fisha di sini.

Naskhah 15 Cerita Gadis Perantau: Kimono Ungu Bersulam Bunga boleh didapati di MPH Bookstore.

Kopitiam Ghadir: Unconvinced but Hungry for More

I left Muzium Telekom with a burning dissatisfaction. Thus some heated discussions ensued on the way back to Afni's place, much to Aliya's chagrin - poor girl, she had to yell over our loud voices in order to get directions!

Our party of six went to Muzium Telekom to see Kopitiam Ghadir, a play written and directed by Haji Faisal Tehrani. This was actually its second staging but I missed it last year. The main premise of KG was a discourse over ridges in Islamic sects in a coffee shop called, what else, Kopitiam Ghadir in Taman Ahlul Bait Jaya. The namesake of the coffee shop was a place called Ghadir Khum, which was mentioned in a hadith as a place where Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) declared Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor.

I won't go in depth into the so called Sunni-Shiite disagreement as I have no expertise in the matter. I went expecting a good discussion (and entertainment) but was deeply disappointed. The play was written almost as a propaganda - the arguments were heavily one-sided, and the 'villain' was portrayed as incompetent. It tried so hard to convince the audience to pick a side, and at one time directly contradicted its own message of Islamic unity.

With one and a quarter hour time limit with several songs performed, I understood the lack of depth in the substance brought forward. However, I still couldn't 'forgive' the approach; it's tasteless, almost.

But I have to applaud the efforts of the production. We need more such a brainertainment!