How about Prophecy of the Most Beautiful by Diantha Jones?

Have you read Omar by Craig Thompson

Book Spotlight: Between Boyfriends by Sarka-Jonae Miller

So being the naturally *ahem* outgoing and friendly person I am online, I met the lovely Sarka-Jonae Miller via Goodreads, which led to Facebook, (doesn't everything?) and one thing led to another, and what do you know, I'm hosting Sárka over here at my blog for a book spotlight on her chick-lit novel, Between Boyfriends.

Just a little bit about the book to whet your appetite:

Jan Weston is boy crazy, emphasis on crazy, but when "the one" breaks her heart she vows to change. Jan quits dating and takes a hard look at herself, discovering that she does not like the flawed, spoiled individual she sees in the mirror.

Her progress toward positive change is derailed when her mother discovers she dropped out of San Diego State University to attend massage therapy school. Furious at being lied to, Mrs. Weston cuts Jan off. Now Jan is without a guy, her American Express card, and a way to pay for school. She has to do something so despicable, so vile, so cruel, she almost cannot imagine it: Jan has to get a job.

But maybe that is exactly what she needs? Jan is forced to change how she treats people and to reconsider her values. Through a "comedy of errors" and with the support of her real friends (plus the hottie from massage school) Jan is able to survive, barely. But can she really change or is she just between boyfriends?

Right, so this doesn't exactly sound like my usual reading fare, as KK will attest, but why not? So before I get down to reading it, a few things to give you the heads up on:

• The blog tour giveaway - Sárka is hosting a blog tour giveaway (this is one of the stops!), with an autographed copy of Janet Evanovich's Motor Mouth or a signed picture of Lauren Alaina up for grabs. (Deadline: Nov 4)
• Win an iPod shuffle - Write a short review of the book and stand the chance to win an iPod shuffle. (Deadline: Nov 15, US only)
• She also helpfully points out that the book will be free on November 2, if you're taking notes...

Where to buy:

Amazon (US): Between Boyfriends (Boyfriends Series)

Amazon (UK): Between Boyfriends 

About Sárka:

Sárka-Jonae is a novelist and freelance health writer. Before writing full-time, Sárka worked as a personal fitness trainer and massage therapist. She attended both the International Professional School of Bodywork and the Natural Healing Institute, where she studied Thai massage. Sárka drew from her experience as a massage student and massage therapist when writing Between Boyfriends.

Sárka is an avid traveler, martial artist, yoga enthusiast, and animal lover. She traveled to Thailand twice to research the sequel to Between Boyfriends. She has also been to Costa Rica, Canada, England, Mexico, France, and Paradise Island. Sárka lives in San Diego with a menagerie, including two cats, two dogs, and a horse.

Author Website

Facebook

Twitter

Between Boyfriends Blog

Goodreads

The Worship Songwriter: A Step By Step Guide To Crafting Your Best Songs

So I've been following this David Santistevan's blog for a while and when he issued out a call for a launch team for his upcoming book, The Worship Songwriter, I thought... why not?

He sent the launch team a review copy and I read it on the back of our church's worship retreat, where Aunty Lucy was basically encouraging us to start writing worship songs, and you guessed it - The Worship Songwriter was basically giving tips to not just get started, but to hone and refine your songs.

There are great tips in this book if you'll take the time to sit down and work through them. I promise I will, some day.


What Is “The Worship Songwriter?”
The Worship Songwriter is an eBook designed to help you write your best songs. Whether you are a seasoned writer who needs some fresh inspiration or you have a brand new interest in writing worship songs, this is the book for you.

From idea conception to editing to finishing, The Worship Songwriter will guide you on a step by step process to finishing your song.


Bonuses!
For a limited time, David is offering two special bonuses along with the book:

• The Worship Songwriter Audiobook - grow as a songwriter as you work out, drive, travel, or go for a walk.
• The Worship Songwriter Journal - An eJournal to get you started writing TODAY! Includes concepts and quotes from the book, as well as Scripture verses to inspire you.

What are you waiting for? 

Where to buy
David's site
The Worship Songwriter site
Direct buy link

About the author
David Santistevan is a worship leader, blogger, music teacher, and pastor. He works at Allison Park Church as the Creative Arts Pastor, investing in the next generation of musicians and worship leaders.

He married his wife, Emily in 2009 and their son, Tyler was born in July of 2012.

David’s blog, davidsantistevan.com is a popular blog for worship leaders. It has won the Reader’s Choice award at Worship Leader Magazine for two consecutive years as a top resource.

David, Emily, & Tyler currently live in Pittsburgh, PA.

Stories From A Place To Call Home: stats for the month

I'm not sure what I expected when I first put it out on the interwebs, but well, this feels pretty good!

If you haven't yet picked it up, here's the link again: 

If you have the time, put up a review:

Smashwords

Goodreads

Thanks!

Blast from the past: We All Fall Apart

Every once in a while, I revisit the stuff that I wrote a long time ago. On Sunday, my brother asked if I had any samples of "romance" stuff to help him in some story he's writing. I wandered back to my fictionpress site and stumbled upon this old thing.

We All Fall Apart was written for Script Frenzy in 2007. Uploading it to fictionpress killed part of the formatting, but it's still readable. It's corny. And blatantly immature teen flick. And definitely still playing on that theme I had of jazz bands and surprise parties. I still love the ending though, corny as it is.

ALEXIS: 

Oh James. You're just too sweet, you know that Mez?

            (She reaches up and touches his face.)

Shh… don't say anything. Just let me talk. There was a time, when you were so distant, and Cedric was just too real and all there. I wondered then – what if? What if he was really the one? What if you didn't care about me anymore? What if you really had found your happiness with Heather, and just didn't know how to tell me? Would I just try to hang on and be cast aside? Or should I strike off on my own and make my own happiness?

Shh… wait. Then there came your letter. It blew up my whole world. I couldn't believe that my worst nightmare was coming true. I was so bitter I thought I would rather just break it off on my own rather than wait for you to drop the bombshell that I obviously wasn't meant to know about yet. It was devastating for me. I guess for you too. But I didn't want to care I didn't want to feel.

And then I learnt the truth about who Heather really was later on. I was still wondering, though. I was still bitter. And then Ceddy said something that really hit me on the head.

I asked him that question – the one about true love. He said it's about making a commitment and sticking to it. It's a promise – of being faithful to each other. And I came to a conclusion.

JAMES

What was that?

ALEXIS

A while ago, I made a commitment, and a promise. I don't want to go back on that. I think that being faithful isn't that you're never tempted, or that you're some kind of person with angelic thoughts and motives. Being faithful doesn't mean that you're a super hero and will never ever think of liking anyone else ever again. I feel that being faithful, is really choosing to ignore all the other distractions that come your way, even whilst acknowledging that those distractions are real. But it's a primarily a choice. It's a difficult choice. I'm not saying it's not. And truthfully, I do have to admit that in some ways, Ceddy is just… I don't know how to put it. He's one of those guys that's always there for you. And he really cares. He listens. In a way, I do like him. But in so many other ways, I do believe that you're the one for me. Even though I know things aren't great now. Things are in real fact, falling apart.

But! Listen to the but - I choose to honour that promise I made you a long time ago.

As long as I breathe…

JAMES

As long as I live…

ALEXIS

You're mine.

JAMES

You're beautiful.

He puts his arms around her.

JAMES (V.O.)

Love is nothing to the world

A hug and kiss means nothing much

But when I kiss you

I want to kiss you forever

They get up and walk to the car, holding hands. The sprinklers turn on and they laugh, chasing each other through the falling water.

JAMES (V.O.)

When I touch you

I want to touch you forever

When I know you

I want to know you forever

INT. ALEXIS' ROOM – CONTINUOUS

She takes out her diary and lies on her stomach on the bed. She bits the end of her pencil, taps it on her chin and then starts writing.

JAMES (V.O.)

Time comes and goes

Friendships live and die

But when I love you

I want to love you forever

INT. JAMES ROOM – CONTINUOUS

He lies on his bed, with his hands behind his head, with a smile on his face. He picks up his hand phone and dials her number. He talks for a while.

JAMES

Only you.

INT. ALEXIS' ROOM – CONTINUOUS

She puts down the phone and then keeps the diary. As she passes by her table, she stops to look at the photo frame on her table that holds his picture and smiles widely. She switches off the light.

(Ok, I admit the monologue-y stuff needs work).

P/S: Bali pictures are up on facebook. I will (maybe) blog about it soon.

How integrated is your faith?

One of the things that really struck us, or me at least, in Bali was the way the Hindu faith is so intertwined in the lives of the people that it is difficult to separate the cultural from the spiritual.

For example, what do you think that building above was? Some sort of temple or religious building?
Would you guess that it’s actually the local Starbucks?

Here’s the picture from the front. But you wouldn’t have been able to tell without the sign, would you?

I received an e-mail forward recently which said something like this:

"You have offered us Christianity in a Western cup... Give it to us in an Eastern bowl and we will drink of it," is a famous statement by Singh, who converted from Sikh to Christianity after his personal experience with Jesus, who appeared in his room on one morning in the year 1905, when he was just fifteen years old. 

Stanley Jones once asked Gandhi:
“How can we make Christianity naturalized in India, not a foreign thing, identified with a foreign government and a foreign people, but a part of the national life of India and contributing its power to India’s uplift?"
Gandhi responded with great clarity, "First, I would suggest that all Christians, missionaries begin to live more like Jesus Christ. Second, practice it without adulterating it or toning it down. Third, emphasize love and make it your working force, for love is central in Christianity. Fourth, study the non–Christian religions more sympathetically to find the good that is within them, in order to have a more sympathetic approach to the people." 

Sometimes it feels that our faith is nothing more than something to dress ourselves up with every once in a while. Something to occupy our time and make us feel busy and wanted and needed. Church is something you do on weekends. Or on certain nights of the week.

But it really shouldn’t be that way. It should be so integral to our very being that we’d know instantly when God is missing, rather than going down a long road and realising that somewhere along the way something has changed. God should be so integral to how you live and breathe and work that people can see Him in you. In the way you speak. In the things you do.

I don’t think integrated is really the right word after all. Integrated implies two separate functions or cycles being combined. Instead, integral means “ necessary to make complete; essential or fundamental”.

So how integral is your faith to you?

#Fridayflash: Generation songs

She sang the songs of her generation and they loved her for it. They smiled at her as she walked by and she wondered if they saw past her smile to the wariness of her eyes.
“We love your songs,” someone said, “They speak to us, to our souls. Thank you for singing them. We can’t even begin to describe what they mean to us.”
“I’m glad they’ve touched you,” she replied, hoping not to sound awkward but feeling it anyway. She turned to go hurriedly, pretending that she had many things to do. After all, she was supposed to be famous.

She sang the songs of her generation and he loved her. There was adoration in his eyes as he came up to her, a package in his hand.
“What’s this?” she asked, looking at the swirly blue patterns and the little silver ribbon.
“Just a little present,” he said, putting his hands in his pockets and pretending to be non-chalant about it.
“Thank you,” she said, neatly peeling at the cellophane tape. She sucked her breath in at the pretty crystal rose, fighting back tears as he said rather shyly, “do you think we could go out?”
“Why would you want me?” she whispered.

She sang the songs of her generation, but she was empty. There was raw power in her words and her voice, but there was nothing left inside her, as if her songs had drained her, leaving her as an empty husk.
“What do you mean you won’t sing anymore?” her manager asked. “Are you trying to ask for more money? We can revise the contract.”
“No, I don’t mean that,” she said quietly. “I just won’t sing.”
“What’s wrong? Have you strained your voice? You could take a break, and we’ll start the new tour next year.”
She shook her head. “I can’t, Bob. There’s nothing left for me to sing out of.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I don’t expect you to.”
She sang the songs of her generation once. Once upon a time, a long time ago.

Give me the songs of this generation
Sing over me its mighty anthems
Sing me the songs for this generation
Give me the words from Your heart

#bookreview: Number 10 by William Clark

This was another of those cheap reads I picked up at a book sale (can't remember which, but probably the one in Kota Kinabalu). I'd been picking up more political-type books, and thought this might be an interesting read (even though it's fiction) about the British political system, off which Malaysia's scene is supposed to be based.

Number 10 by William Clark
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Number 10 is an interesting look at the (supposed) happenings in 10 Downing Street during a political crisis. It's an old British book, so it's not half as exciting as modern American thrillers but steadily plods along with crisp language and pretty words.



View all my reviews
(Sorry, no book cover. It's apparently not read enough to have an entry on goodreads so I added it myself.)

I do like the concept of some dissension within a political party/sitting Cabinet, because it does mean that the politicians/ministers involved are actually thinking and working out things for the best of their constituents, rather than the Yes Man scenario we apparently have at the moment. This quote from chapter 16 puts it in an interesting light:

Everyone rather enjoys a row in Parliament because it gives substance to the supposed deep divisions between the two sides of the House; everyone hates a row in Cabinet because it means a struggle between supposedly united and friendly colleagues. It is usually carried on in polite terms, which make the dagger thrusts seem more malicious and treacherous than is the case when the atmosphere is lightened by the good clean fun of parliamentary abuse.

The thing is, the way it is, it's not even a proper row. It's more of a childish squabble.

To NaNo or not to NaNo, that is the question

So it's 9 days into October and that means that NaNoWriMo is just around the corner. I've logged in and activated my profile, so if you want to buddy up, do by all means.

The problem now is I DON'T HAVE A NOVEL IDEA YET! Then again, I hardly ever do until the end of October (or sometimes the beginning of November) anyway, so I'm not quite sure if I'm really going to do it this year. Besides, I have 3 years' worth of NaNo-novels to finish editing and whipping into shape, as well as another half-finished novel that I want to finish sometime in the future.
And I have that Coursera course on Greek and Roman Mythology that I'm midway through...
And the EAGC website I need to look at prep articles for...
And the short story book I'm working on...
And Christmas is coming...

Then again, it's November. And NaNoWriMo. It's this time of the year that you really get a lot of people urging you on, plus a legitimate reason to hide yourself in a hole and write because "I really want to win that cert".

What do you think? Should I, or should I not?

Burning question: why ATSP?

Hey Anna, what's with the teaspoon? 

Well, there's a simple reason for that. It just so happens to be my initials.

How can that be? Your name is Anna Tan, isn't it?

Yes, but there's more to it.
In a normal Western culture, the order of a name would be [first name] [middle name, if any] [last name/surname], e.g. Orson Scott Card. (Because his book is right in front of me)
In a normal Chinese culture, the order of a name would be [surname] [name character 1] [name character 2], e.g. Lim Mei Ling (because these are really common names). Now, contrary to western practice, Mei isn't a first name and Ling isn't a middle name, so you wouldn't just call her Mei, or Ling. (Though these might end up as nicknames). What you would call her would be Mei Ling, (sometimes hyphenated) just as you would call someone Orson. Instead of Or, or Son.
A quirky Malaysian (and I think Singaporean) culture when parents want to give their children both English (or western) and Chinese names, would be to put it like this [first name] [surname] [chinese names].

Oh... so what's YOUR name?

My name, in full, is Anna Tan Shuh Ping, hence ATSP.

p/s edited. Because the editor is doing some funny html stuff.

S+S Musical, in brief

Just some brief notes before I fly off tomorrow, since poor Alvin will not be able to catch his own show.

1. HAH! - Started off okay, ended up crass. I mean, cat fight? Not much story to it.
2. Detention - High school. Touched on lesbianism, a bit of a story to it, but rather crude and... Well, high school.
3. The quest (something like that) - rather nicely done, prince in search of Cinderella theme, but the cast's voices were rather weak.
4. Background music - rather sweet, single man in search of a wife goes for a date auction for charity. An awkward bit of twist at the end, and we kinda expected a little more cabaret style dance/moves from their get up.
5. Disorder in the court (?) - very witty. Loved it. The lawyers all break out into song and dance. The cast was overall very good.
6. The geongxi is a vamp - HILARIOUS! Traditional Chinese vampire story meets twilight. Very well done! The acting was good and the singing... Ooolala!

I'd say the serious contention is between the last two.

Welcome to the Book Launch And Birthday Bash!

http://www.gifs-paradise.com

Welcome to the BLAB Bash!

I'm uber excited that you're here - this means that we can start our party! What do you need? Nothing much. Just make yourself comfortable, pick up your drink of choice (mmm, a lovely strawberry tea for me!) and prepare to get a little chatty.

First of all, the book launch!

I'm proud to unveil Stories from A Place To Call Home!

Orphaned at twelve, Daniel has often prayed for God to grant him a new family. Two years later, his prayer is miraculously answered: Emily Lee, grieving over the untimely loss of her son Matthew, has persuaded her husband to let her adopt a boy to fill the void in her heart.

But being adopted wasn't as simple or wondrous as Daniel hoped it would be. Matthew's friends resent his intrusion into their lives, getting him into trouble. Edmund Lee, a self-made man, ridicules his faith, telling him frankly that he doesn't believe Daniel would ever amount to anything.

And just when Daniel begins to feel comfortable and secure enough in his new family, he tears it apart again by disagreeing with his adoptive father's business principles.
Will they ever accept him for who he is? Will Daniel ever find a place to call home?

This e-book compiles the character development pieces written to define the main characters in the musical "A Place To Call Home", as well as other flash fiction written in an effort to work through snarly areas of the plot line.

So... if you watched the musical last month and you loved it, or even if you couldn't catch it because you're far away from Penang and only know me through the interwebs, here's your chance to find out more about the people who have been hounding my brain since last year.
The e-book is now available (for free!) on Smashwords in like a gazillion formats (epub, kindle, PDF, online viewing, and more) as well as Goodreads (online viewing or epub).

P/S I've got my first review here! Thanks, KK!

And now, to the Birthday Bash!

You see, the BLAB acronym actually has a purpose.

blab [blæb]
vb blabs, blabbing, blabbed
1. to divulge (secrets) indiscreetly
2. (intr) to chatter thoughtlessly; prattle

I'd like to give you, my readers, a chance to know more about me, as well as for me to learn more about you. Since I'm turning 28, I'm going to blab 28 random facts about myself and in turn, you can post facts about yourself, either here in the comments, or on your own blog (link back here so I can visit you!) - how many, that's up to you!

Here it goes:

1. When I was a kid, I really really really wanted to have blond hair. I thought it was really pretty. I still think it's pretty, but I love my hair as it is now.
2. There was a time... when I was about 7, maybe... when I thought it would be an easy life to be a gardener. For a few days. Until I realised... it involved worms. And sun. And sweat. And hard work. *silly kid*
3. Almost every time I hear really good worship music, I see in my mind this lovely dancer covering the altar with ribbons, flags and interpretive dance.
4. I really wish I could dance. And be that dancer.
5. I'm actually really shy. *blush*
6. I used to eat Hokkien Mee (prawn noodles) every single day in school from 1995 - 2001, except when they weren't open. 
7. Since I left school, I hardly ever eat Hokkien Mee anymore. 
8. I'm technically allergic to prawns. Except I don't really care. :)
9. I actually prefer C.S. Lewis' Narnia and Robin Hobb to LOTR. (shh... don't tell the die-hard Tolkien fans).
10. Sometimes I smile and wave, and talk to people, and go back thinking - who on earth were they? Where/when did I meet them before? 
11. I hate auditions.
12. That's why I write my own scripts and act in them.
13. I finished NaNoWriMo at least 3 times. I'm still trying to make something out of those drafts.
14. I go just a little crazy at book fairs. Well, maybe more than a little. It's like when a woman sees shoes....... (or a guy sees gadgets)
15. I decided not to be a journalist because I don't like talking to people. 
16. And then I found out that as an auditor, I need to talk to a lot of people :(
17. On weekends when my parents aren't around, I sometimes don't talk for the whole day.
18. I have another ten random facts to go and I'm about ready to kill myself, or at least bash myself in the head of thinking of such an idea. HAHAHA.
19. The reason why I really hate games is because I hate losing. 
20. I don't really know what my favourite colour is. I mean, I like pinkish and reddish stuff. And purple. But somehow I always seem to buy things in blue. 
21. I often need help colour coordinating my clothes (and no, I'm not colour blind).
22. British accents. Mmm. British accents, all the way.
23. "I'll stop at the end of the chapter" usually means "I'll stop when I realise it's three a.m. and I have work tomorrow".
24. I meet a lot of random people ALL THE TIME. And sometimes, how I meet them is a convoluted story in itself. 
25. I love driving long distance. 
26. Sometimes, the only reason I'm up-to-date on current news is because of Twitter. 
27. I fail at being Chinese. I still can't differentiate between Mandarin and Hokkien and I really don't understand any other dialects. 
28. Despite that, some of my spoken English takes on distinctively Chinese grammar usage. I suppose I don't live in a vacuum. 

There. Finally done. That actually took me all of 2.5 hours. 

Over to you! 

#fireplace: on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month...

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Haggai%202:18-23&version=NASB

I first read this passage a long, long time ago, and reading it, immediately thought 'hey, twenty-fourth day of the ninth month - that's my birthday!' I've learnt since then that the Jewish calendar isn't the same as our current Gregorian calendar, so doesn't exactly refer to 24 Sept, but all the same, there's this feeling that hey, this is for me.

The book of Haggai begins rather dismally. The people of Judah have sown much, but reaped little. They've tried hard to get things going, to get things done, but nothing much is coming to fruition. Then God asks this: Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house [the House of the Lord] lies desolate?

It's a tricky question, but one which I still think is relevant today. Of course, we don't have to build a church building. We have more than enough. We have humongous buildings, even. But the question remains, what are we doing to build the House of God even while we are busy building our own careers/lives/families/empires?

It may sound like it's going to fall back on what man can do for God, but if you read Haggai, it's a series of progressions, of how God leads the people.

The first call, the first question above, comes on the first day of the sixth month. When Zerubbabel and the people of Judah obey and reverence God, God in turn commissions them. And so on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, He stirs up their spirits to work on the House of the Lord. 

On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, God encourages them again, saying: "Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land. I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory. The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine. The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former, and in this place I will give peace."

(On an aside, strangely enough, this resonates with me at this time. As we celebrated Malaysia Day last week, I wrote about wishing peace over Malaysia. While I was worship leading that weekend, I also recall declaring over the church that the latter will be greater. Coincidence? I don't know.)

Then on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, God spoke twice through Haggai. Once, to declare his blessing over Judah, and the second time, declaring his promise over Zerubbabel - and I believe that promise is for me too.

I think in my heart I've wandered far and wide, at times. But the calling is still strong and sure; that as you turn your face towards God, as you set your heart upon Him, and you affirm His Word over your life, He will do great things with you.

Be blessed.

The book launch to-do list

Lots of stuff to do by Monday!

Anything I've missed out?

Cover reveal: Stories from a place to call home!

Just got this from my friend Daniel:

Some tweaking is yet to come... but it's almost there!

Tentative launch date: 24 September 2012

Malaysia: we wish you peace

Sabah, 2009

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

And we wish you this peace, Malaysia. I wish you this peace. This peace that surpasses all understanding; that in the midst of troubled and troubling times, your people will still stand firm in faith and belief. Faith and belief in what? Not in a person, not in a man, not in a party, not even in God really, because that has and will always be a dividing point in this nation, but faith and belief in Malaysia itself, as a nation.

It sometimes seems to me that we, as a nation, are in a state of collapse. As peaceful as we may seem on the outside, we are a nation at war. We are a nation at war with ourselves. We are a nation struggling to define who we are as a nation. Malaysia goes beyond the simple categorisations of race, language, or religion. There is no easy way to define what is truly Malaysian or what is not. And that’s the beauty of it, as well as our downfall.

There are so many things that can unite us. Our common interest in food. Our love for all things cheap. Our multilinguistic capabilities. Strangely enough for this non-sports person, our badminton. So many little things, and so many great things, make us one. And when we are away from home, we allow these things to unite us. We identify with our fellow Malaysian more than those of our own race. Why? Because we are Malaysian. Because we are not simply Chinese and Indian and Malay and Iban and Dayak and Orang Asli and Kadazan and what-have-you anymore. Our cultures have changed. Our mindsets have changed. We are Malaysian first by culture and upbringing.

And yet, we allow these very things to divide us. We allow the sneaky thought in our heads that because you are of a different race, you are lesser than me. Because you do not speak my language, you are lesser than me. Because you do things differently than I do, I do not need to accept your ways. Oh, it’s easy to lay the blame on one race and one religion and say that this divisiveness stems from them. It’s easy to allow that to divide us, as we have always done.

But as a nation we need to grow up. We need to realise that this is not about them and what they’re doing. It should not be. There should never be an “us” and “them” in our nation. There should only be us, the all-inclusive kita. This is about where we want to go and grow as a nation, as a country. This is about claiming Malaysia as our own. Not as our own for our race. Not as our own for our religion. But as our own, to belong together.

And I wish you this peace; that whatever may come, you will live knowing that Malaysia is more than a concept in our heads, or something to be grasped for our profit, but Malaysia is who we are in our hearts.

Happy Malaysia Day.

Selamat Hari Malaysia.

#review: Short + Sweet Theatre Penang

I managed to catch Short + Sweet Theatre Penang on Thursday night and found it very sweet, but hardly short. Well, with 11 short plays of around 10 minutes, total run time was around 110 minutes. Adding in the opening intro to Short + Sweet as well as introduction of cast, directors and playwrights after the show, the whole production took slightly more than two hours.

Rather reluctant at the moment to give it an grading in terms of overall production, but I would say that on a whole, I liked it a whole lot more than Indicinelive IV.

A rundown of the plays (more or less in sequence):

1. Echo (Toby Teh)
The play centres around a blind girl auditioning for an acting role. The thing that irked me from the start was the awkward speaking style of the actress. I initially thought that she had a speech disability or some mental deficiency before I realised she was blind (dark glasses might have worked better than closing her eyes all the time?). I don't know if that was the way she really talks or it was an assumed accent, but I think the play would have been more solid if it was more evident that she was perfect for the role and the only reason she's not being considered was because she was blind.

2. Away from     , away from      . (Ankoku)
This monologue plays on the politics and hardships between three generations of one family. I saw the original play acted by the playwright himself during the Short + Sweet Workshops in April, and all I can say is the actor did not quite flesh out the passions and raw emotions inherent in the script. I think it was difficult for Rio to play all three characters (the shifts in characters were not obvious enough), so maybe having three separate actors for the three generations instead of one playing all three might have worked better.

3. Smart Phones Stupid People (Jackie Ashkin)
The awesome Jackie Ashkin (whom I worked with in Broadway Penang) wrote this one, about an iPhone, a dangerous wild animal, and two crazy friends out in the Sahara. Okay, so I read this script during the Short + Sweet Workshops in April and I must say I was pretty disappointed with the final product. Sorry. I blame it all on the director, though. In my opinion, keeping it simple and subtle would have enhanced the story. As it was, the fancy costumes, blatant attempts to sexualise it, and the over-the-top acting, as well as that strange ending with the Vote sign just made me... confused? (Also, too much panting and shivering involved. There are other ways to show fear than shaking.)

4. My Home (Wong Lay Chin)
I am having difficulty coming up with a blurb on this because I don't read the Chinese characters in the programme. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it, even though I didn't really understand the song they were singing. It was stunningly well acted.

5. Love is a Four Letter Word (How Han Ming)
The blurb says: Nice Guy and Jerk engage in a battle of jokes and pickup lines to win over Nice Girl. Um. This was one of those plays where they break the walls and speak to the audience. Plus point was that they were intentional about it right from the start. Minus point was that the whole play was pretty pointless.

6. We Were Made Fools (Yasmin Bathamanathan)
This was a very real, very gritty play about how migrant workers ended up in Malaysia. The acting was solid, with the actors putting realistic accents that fit with the scene. Loved it, despite not getting the point of the dance in the beginning of the play.

7. The Martyr (John Harris)
The play was about two people discussing life at the funeral of their abuser and I liked it up to the point where the two actors suddenly broke the scene by talking about missing lines and doing it with the script, and arguing. After that, I was just plain confused. Again, what was with the weird chicken costume? However, I did feel that the actors were more fluent when they broke the scene and spoke in Malay.

8. Confessions of Perfection (Yvette Chan)
Great performance by Gowri, and a good script by Yvette. (Blurb confused me by saying "two teenagers confess..." when there was only one.) The part I didn't get were the awkward motions in between staging. Was that supposed to mean/represent something?

9. Small Talk Really Stinks (Terence Toh)
This was good from the beginning until the end, and I think drew the most response from the crowd. Wouldn't be surprised if this got the Audience Choice Awards. We could identify with both characters right from the start and it was very Malaysian, very local and very funny. The only problem I had with this script was HOW COULD YOU TEAR A PAGE OUT OF A BOOK?!?! SACRILEGE!!! My heart stopped. Poor book. *tears*

10. Somnus (Catherine Ooi)
In this one, Danny takes his insomniac wife on a trip to the countryside in the hopes that she will finally get some sleep. It seems like she doesn't. A rather dark little play, but pretty well done.

11. Drive All Night (Mark Sasse)
Two major thoughts emerged from this play. One, the kid is cute, and two, the actors were too young for the script. This very teenage cast wasn't quite believable in a play about a guy who drives all night after a quarrel with his wife and is confronted by various radio programming which forces him to rethink his marriage. Also, I do believe from his motions that his driver's seat is on the left of the car. I'm guessing that he (and the director) either doesn't drive, or at the least, they don't drive in Malaysia.

So that wasn't a rather short and sweet review of the Short + Sweet Theatre.

There are two more runs at Stage 2, Penangpac (Straits Quay) at 8.30pm on Friday (14/9) and Saturday (15/9). Tickets are RM28 for adults and RM23 for students, TAS and senior privilege card holders.

Call 8991722 if you want to book tickets! (Especially for Saturday).

fireplace: How do I know that I love God when I don’t feel anything?

It was a question that came up during our last Headstart meeting. Or well, something like it, anyway. It’s probably been paraphrased quite differently through the many days it’s been running through my head.

For some reason, I remembered the song “Do you love me?” from Fiddler on the Roof.

(Golde) Do I love him? For twenty-five years I've lived with him, fought him, starved with him. Twenty-five years my bed is his. If that's not love, what is?
(Tevye) Then you love me?
(Golde) I suppose I do
(Tevye) And I suppose I love you too

The thing is, we’re so full of Hollywood stories, where love is nothing more than chemistry, sex and emotions that we don’t know how whether we love when we don’t feel the emotions. It’s great to have emotions. But sometimes, you don’t. Sometimes you’re so numb that you don’t feel anything anymore. And you wonder; does that mean that you’ve given up loving? Does it mean that what you’ve experienced isn’t real? Does it mean that there is nothing there anymore? Does it mean you’ve lost your faith?

And I said something that I’ve been believing for a long time now, as trite as it may seem, that your actions prove your love. What keeps you serving in church when you don’t know why you stay? What keeps you hoping and wishing and worrying when the easiest thing is to just give up and go home? Or really, why do you worry that you don’t love God unless you really do?

It may not be the best answer.

I don’t know if we were made with the capacity to keep loving when all feeling is gone. I don’t know if it’s alright to not have any feelings anymore.

But on the other hand, that is what keeping faith is.

Holding on through the broken times.

hitRECord.org - an interesting collaborative site

Yuin recently introduced me to this cool collaborative site: hitRECord.org.
It's probably been around for ages. Hah. But well, better late than never.

What it is:
Baaaasically, people post random artsy stuff, whether it's a video, picture, drawing, writing, etc... and then other people get inspired and post other random artsy stuff, citing their resources (i.e. the prompt or collaboration or or post or other stuff on the site that inspired them) and this makes other people get inspired and post other random artsy stuff, citing their resources and... well, you get the drift.

So, I'm there with the handle annatan but I'm still figuring things out. (This might take a while). And it's currently being buggy enough that it tells me that I have no records when I have two. Or maybe I did something wrong. =(

BUT because I get all excited and tweet stuff, I HAVE THE LINK to tell you that this week's #fridayflash is up here. Cos I was trying it out and cos I well, I wanted to do a dialogue tale. Hehe. =)

Most flashes will resume here soon.