tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65249563725815169292024-03-13T15:13:44.401-07:00BETEL, BANYAN, BASIL & BAMBOOA little space on the World Wide Web which allows me to share my interest in books, folklore, sacred plants and flowers, legendary creatures, with the occasional foray into pop culture. tutuduttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467259443677618351noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6524956372581516929.post-60389548247898893362022-10-27T09:58:00.001-07:002022-10-27T09:58:39.145-07:00Asian Anthology New Writing Vol 1 Edited by Ivy Ngeow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1McpHLnFSg_-hOlO0VbqCczwE3sglHZh0hq1PEte29uuJZOAk2Md-RXgfOkCT6Sg2E3TNeYxdhM6zfGYGz31Wh88at61HDqNy9rEXd8oTTut8iD12CXpAT2IWauVq7udunAOuEbyhSW7e13ULcCPPeiZvXfmKBJcdEyVHU8eSuIweIgQ1QceiZ8xO/s3991/20221022_213359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3991" data-original-width="3060" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1McpHLnFSg_-hOlO0VbqCczwE3sglHZh0hq1PEte29uuJZOAk2Md-RXgfOkCT6Sg2E3TNeYxdhM6zfGYGz31Wh88at61HDqNy9rEXd8oTTut8iD12CXpAT2IWauVq7udunAOuEbyhSW7e13ULcCPPeiZvXfmKBJcdEyVHU8eSuIweIgQ1QceiZ8xO/w490-h640/20221022_213359.jpg" width="490" /></a></div><br /><div><div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Asian Anthology - </span><span style="font-size: 15px;"> Twenty-four short stories edited by the multitasking and multitalented, </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1qq9wsj xo1l8bm" href="https://www.facebook.com/ivy.ngeow?__cft__[0]=AZX7aq2qtgF_cM0lybNzOrERLZyFnTwbSVWBWmb9xP-F_U9_MwWI1jrB4t6W6OM2eVlVx0qaLUTkigp6z6U5c3oj5ulA3_ds3f0B96K7e434Xw2qRNV2Wh0b7v6a-wL0qUvlLGb_MLsmj0N1n_t_ZDJ0WqvzxC0XRBoljfMxEStJZQ&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="xt0psk2" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">Ivy Ngeow</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 15px;">. Published by Leopard Print Publishing and sold at Silverfish books and Amazon. </span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">The anthology gives us a slice of life across several countries in Asia - from Japan to India, covering the time period from the 1970's to the first decade of the 21st Century.</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Since it's quite daunting to tackle 24 stories, I'm only critiquing the few which caught my fancy here; however I will do <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>a more comprehensive review on my blog.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Female protagonists featured in many of the stories and a few focused on the emotional pain faced by women who are still single, despite being successful career women. EP Chiew's Her Fluttering Womb is a well crafted and stylish story set in Singapore, featuring a protagonist who seemed to have an adolescent-like obsession over her own body who eventually gains agency over herself; and A Sparkle of Fireflies by Doc a Krinberg, featured a successful, self-assured woman from Kyoto who is nevertheless devastated at being objectified by the man she initially admired. One can't help feeling gutted that in the 21st century, otherwise independent women seemed to be defined by their relationship with men. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">However, in Day of Silence by Yvonne Lyon, the woman had the upper hand in the relationship. In this atmospheric story, she had an epiphany during Nyepi, the 24 hour period of silence and isolation, observed on the island of Bali. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The significance of food in Asian society is a recurring theme. Spring Onions by Yang Ming is a touching story of a mother and daughter in conflict. The mother is desperate for her daughter to do well in her school exams, a route out of poverty in the fiercely competitive Singapore society. The mother comes vividly to life in this story, however I sometimes got confused by which mother the writer is referring to since the grandmother is also appears in the story. Laksa</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Uncle, by Jenny Hor made me want to eat laksa</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div><div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="😁" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/ta8/1.5/16/1f601.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span>; while the tongue in cheek, Mee Mamak by VS Lai has a feisty female main character who is desperate for the perfect plate of mee mamak to forget a hard day at the office. In Riding the Killer Fish by Sylvia Petter, the female protagonist takes a huge gamble as a show of faith and to win the approval of a man. <span style="font-family: inherit;">Cheung Louie's Winter Solstice (a boy who is part of the underground freedom movement in Hong Kong) is about a family in conflict, due to the choices made by their strong-willed offspring. In both Winter Solstice and Spring Onion, food helps to bring the family together.</span></div></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">However, these were my favourites: </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Night of the Seventh Moon by Winston Lim. This is about a group of British ghost hunters who decided to spend their holiday in a haunted hotel in Penang during the Hungry Ghost Festival. The story, comical in parts, reminded me of an Agatha Christie novel. Unfortunately, the story is written almost entirely in the 'Tell' style, and would have been a lot more gripping with a bit more 'Show!' The other reason I'm drawn to this story is because I'm familiar with the folktale/urban legend it refers to...</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I quite enjoyed The Brooches by Krishnaveni Panikker which seemed to feature an unreliable narrator. I think she could have pushed this POV further and fleshed out her main character(s) by being more ruthless with them. The story also leaves two issues unresolved - who ransacked the room on that fateful night and why was that particular brooch taken? </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The Dog Walker by Ivy Ngeow is also delightful. I found myself being invested in the fate of this unattractive, middle aged, financially challenged protagonist and his oversized dog, which is always a good thing. However, the rich spoilt niece could have played a bigger role in the story... and can a 60+ year old dig a grave by himself?</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">And Buaya Tembaga, Bujang Senang by Mason Croft does not seem to have a death or even a crocodile although there could be one lurking in the shadows... But it does gives us an insight into life in Tioman island and this very famous legend from Sarawak. I happen to know something about this legend not mentioned in the story - Bujang Senang only attacked people on the lower reaches of the Baram river, where the clans who killed him when he was a man, lived. He did not attack his own tribe, who lived in the upper reaches of the river.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Overall, four doggo stars <span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="🐶" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tce/2/16/1f436.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span><span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="🐶" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tce/2/16/1f436.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span><span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="🐶" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tce/2/16/1f436.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span><span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="🐶" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tce/2/16/1f436.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>tutuduttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467259443677618351noreply@blogger.com0Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia3.1569486 101.712303-25.153285236178846 66.556053 31.467182436178845 136.86855300000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6524956372581516929.post-4740943770102300482022-09-23T07:17:00.001-07:002022-09-23T07:20:50.493-07:00A Writer's Journey Through Folklore<p> For those of you who missed my talk, I would like to share with you some of the slides taken from my presentation (the first few slides were mostly rants, which I'm going to omit, because rants can be boring!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Vj44haljszFvyUNOmZ2SAiS59rzgpWokUNDBsTRe8vhpC1nnb6Xtr77BPXV0EwnH42YKPg8xnw5p8_qgVaS3hF0jRkOKz-GUzMDXtZ3mO6BTytJY4DZaPGGgozW6nPLX6NvwBzh8PmmM76G6yToKLapBm3yRYEWTfWXLfkkL2vIbl5_-owUr0p1k/s1899/Screenshot_20220921-224436.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1899" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Vj44haljszFvyUNOmZ2SAiS59rzgpWokUNDBsTRe8vhpC1nnb6Xtr77BPXV0EwnH42YKPg8xnw5p8_qgVaS3hF0jRkOKz-GUzMDXtZ3mO6BTytJY4DZaPGGgozW6nPLX6NvwBzh8PmmM76G6yToKLapBm3yRYEWTfWXLfkkL2vIbl5_-owUr0p1k/w640-h364/Screenshot_20220921-224436.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>I rekindled my interest in children's literature when my daughter was born...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjX_zTURJZjQgtYyrDAU-hNhRcSGoUAWE3eSaeFDQ6nkDwvPijtdUwmECTfmjiwe0UvLoWdlF04lVEV9PUO-u7k2XAK7POfoLFdxSOYjCUhxbDvbXjs7enxTLZHE0GCrse_nK4V_wVLUPxSjW7IZu6TKuLX9zO_waoHEprO1DyO8JEci1dV_ztW75T/s1796/Screenshot_20220923-000139.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1047" data-original-width="1796" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjX_zTURJZjQgtYyrDAU-hNhRcSGoUAWE3eSaeFDQ6nkDwvPijtdUwmECTfmjiwe0UvLoWdlF04lVEV9PUO-u7k2XAK7POfoLFdxSOYjCUhxbDvbXjs7enxTLZHE0GCrse_nK4V_wVLUPxSjW7IZu6TKuLX9zO_waoHEprO1DyO8JEci1dV_ztW75T/w640-h374/Screenshot_20220923-000139.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8RvadCDaqgsywOW_DrhzMAgkQfAbqRj7uI6CXkgBdFfpr3qmqcPYi2ULjyThwN7ktPU-q8BzOa6a6CIKAD_eaAgk1AZYDQWZSO3qn8S3oYUYnvSjr9_caRdh32u47gfnazpZYYtH0-x8hpRlnJOmocDE3XYgIa5oXgdWUO0ueuB02paANRGtf0Ewd/s1811/Screenshot_20220923-000203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="978" data-original-width="1811" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8RvadCDaqgsywOW_DrhzMAgkQfAbqRj7uI6CXkgBdFfpr3qmqcPYi2ULjyThwN7ktPU-q8BzOa6a6CIKAD_eaAgk1AZYDQWZSO3qn8S3oYUYnvSjr9_caRdh32u47gfnazpZYYtH0-x8hpRlnJOmocDE3XYgIa5oXgdWUO0ueuB02paANRGtf0Ewd/w640-h346/Screenshot_20220923-000203.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>But good quality children's books published in Malaysia (in English and even Malay,) seemed lacking...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qJ9q1HpSg-KvoTykT78kqt4uxJzNh_uBurxqHL_f8JviHCEmF_T4s_hQzumenGJSdgHhT39tm-mHcyF5vBqEtwV9naeFz8vVGPsWYHZgAzOHvSlKtFt_xvJU92plp3e1yE-lEtcZacRpBxxlyZoKmNasm5oegMU0AlSPoOueZSvewW32etcb4Vw6/s1785/Screenshot_20220923-000210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1038" data-original-width="1785" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qJ9q1HpSg-KvoTykT78kqt4uxJzNh_uBurxqHL_f8JviHCEmF_T4s_hQzumenGJSdgHhT39tm-mHcyF5vBqEtwV9naeFz8vVGPsWYHZgAzOHvSlKtFt_xvJU92plp3e1yE-lEtcZacRpBxxlyZoKmNasm5oegMU0AlSPoOueZSvewW32etcb4Vw6/w675-h392/Screenshot_20220923-000210.jpg" width="675" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Published writers also felt a lack of support from bookstores...<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41X4NMFBeIprsKs_kC9ZbgTLJwp3hOAoZCy-7HZbI60luCjI2UIXjHDnbAUAYLyTt_PS2TTdIIxk9SQNnGIr2k5XW7X2fwfzf2dXEgxxggrU4Ctce5T5bnsresizH3JhIHyMGisbXRT8hc35uw0cwczQKWjZJjiEnU72ETwvV1XKAJ2FItB0rQHtq/s1751/Screenshot_20220923-000217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1009" data-original-width="1751" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41X4NMFBeIprsKs_kC9ZbgTLJwp3hOAoZCy-7HZbI60luCjI2UIXjHDnbAUAYLyTt_PS2TTdIIxk9SQNnGIr2k5XW7X2fwfzf2dXEgxxggrU4Ctce5T5bnsresizH3JhIHyMGisbXRT8hc35uw0cwczQKWjZJjiEnU72ETwvV1XKAJ2FItB0rQHtq/w668-h385/Screenshot_20220923-000217.jpg" width="668" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirr-eTVI_cDL6oUXSW7gPLo84ONjk3kPCci8yhk9-zBQEXtaQASzPH95mXyBktvG9B6tTmdFh0DdszbNlLgS-AreN1p7QFQZGZOL9dN-p1mfb1LX0PUJb1U1CvpSk0cStyBRj3RoP2CYaJPCJqNQd9HK0jBUiOJf3tgix-rMVZGYakYoQx95oKY0z3/s1715/Screenshot_20220923-000225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="993" data-original-width="1715" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirr-eTVI_cDL6oUXSW7gPLo84ONjk3kPCci8yhk9-zBQEXtaQASzPH95mXyBktvG9B6tTmdFh0DdszbNlLgS-AreN1p7QFQZGZOL9dN-p1mfb1LX0PUJb1U1CvpSk0cStyBRj3RoP2CYaJPCJqNQd9HK0jBUiOJf3tgix-rMVZGYakYoQx95oKY0z3/w663-h383/Screenshot_20220923-000225.jpg" width="663" /></a></div><p>Since this was in the future, I decided bravely and optimistically to become a writer...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYcjukaQgvvRojWFl7ONaflj7cEQBmts8QAOSK7gkLl-8ZykrwC4SsQHEXMAOQEptYPPXo7L71xveROyhNzG9WfXIUgNlsAozGIe4gD-T824adlv5S1dcs9hxVZfTo3-MPVh2bjnJJLSsi7mOaVdztm5CI2lfwIe77yCNeG6dhSN77v3Uv9x9IHMp/s1808/Screenshot_20220921-224512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1808" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYcjukaQgvvRojWFl7ONaflj7cEQBmts8QAOSK7gkLl-8ZykrwC4SsQHEXMAOQEptYPPXo7L71xveROyhNzG9WfXIUgNlsAozGIe4gD-T824adlv5S1dcs9hxVZfTo3-MPVh2bjnJJLSsi7mOaVdztm5CI2lfwIe77yCNeG6dhSN77v3Uv9x9IHMp/w640-h368/Screenshot_20220921-224512.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6AFzBmrpnC2sVa4wPCikm7Hs-J0bXzvq5NR1b14syVMhKTap-cveBQ7FL6NGQ4UiT9ZVj9OfZDGgo3ayeBLIc0b6bYGMMAPo-2jyNDtGxyBiWHTu7T_lEJDY5Ln3dfJ8VgLOKueJTizmKNsPw-D1sCHNKoLCLSTq4ehzvH6ugzs5ZzNvADBpKV2F/s1849/Screenshot_20220921-224524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />tutuduttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467259443677618351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6524956372581516929.post-49495670114447305462022-09-20T07:47:00.010-07:002022-09-22T07:11:26.863-07:00IBBY 38th International Congress at Putrajaya, Malaysia<p> IBBY 2022</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1A0EReBlm27nGW0toGf3FwSfKMF30fjL_T_wWq8VspksE1MBugX6vAChweWPdoXv5E1c9_FkEhZuX6Ofxsjx-1xK7uIit6uTOXK1ateX9nU2wZF6XtNXXzzBPi-ZIcB4qWMdZZ09IkdJzNBPNiLrshQN2wfWR1UB6X7jI4p_viftWSIfb3XlNw3v8/s1440/304998230_367762892234042_7419391978877831632_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1A0EReBlm27nGW0toGf3FwSfKMF30fjL_T_wWq8VspksE1MBugX6vAChweWPdoXv5E1c9_FkEhZuX6Ofxsjx-1xK7uIit6uTOXK1ateX9nU2wZF6XtNXXzzBPi-ZIcB4qWMdZZ09IkdJzNBPNiLrshQN2wfWR1UB6X7jI4p_viftWSIfb3XlNw3v8/w640-h480/304998230_367762892234042_7419391978877831632_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I had the privilege of being invited as a guest Plenary Speaker at the IBBY 38th International Congress at Putrajaya yesterday on 5 Sept 2022 with Sharifah Osman and Heidi Shamsuddin. </span></p><p><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course, there were at least 50 other speakers and delegates from 40 countries from around the world, including the winners of the Hans Christian Anderson Award.</span></p><p><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was quite nervous before my talk 'A Writers Journey Through Asian Folklore' and wondered if I had the energy to talk for 20 minutes... and then found that I didn't have enough time! Will post a more detailed write-up of my presentation on the next blogpost. </span></p><span class="fxk3tzhb b2rh1bv3 gh55jysx m8h3af8h ewco64xe kjdc1dyq ms56khn7 bq6c9xl4 eohcrkr5 akh3l2rg" face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; display: inline-flex; font-size: 15px; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 16px;"><img alt="😁" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/ta8/1.5/16/1f601.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Met some interesting people - book sellers (who want to sell my books!), members of IBBY Korea, literary agents, an academic from the US who recommends books...</span><div><span face="Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span face="Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><div><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJHl1Z8tDQ8hov-1Jzb3CNkZCXaVmXcltbLqO67GsK-ps5OKWiqq6ESiihHWTOnmnldg5ApF2E8QGzP8yM4B_Sc7vXSHrqqlbX3fdxUnhoRGP5WPASgIbA21Fc70zb0bIBUTqyCRazaieTww6MhAXC2XMR-Kpm-B1qc4zeYUG0SBCLrkrxb1UXjaLP/s866/302068112_10160278776613844_2251320504299764741_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="866" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJHl1Z8tDQ8hov-1Jzb3CNkZCXaVmXcltbLqO67GsK-ps5OKWiqq6ESiihHWTOnmnldg5ApF2E8QGzP8yM4B_Sc7vXSHrqqlbX3fdxUnhoRGP5WPASgIbA21Fc70zb0bIBUTqyCRazaieTww6MhAXC2XMR-Kpm-B1qc4zeYUG0SBCLrkrxb1UXjaLP/w640-h386/302068112_10160278776613844_2251320504299764741_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>The winners of the Hans Christian Anderson Award: Marie Aude Mural from France and Suzy Lee from South Korea.</span></div><div><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The highlight of IBBY2022 38th Congress was the announcement of the Hans Christian Anderson Award - this award is given for a body of work rather than one single book. This year, the Writers Award went Marie-Aude Murail from France and the Illustrator's Award went to Suzy Lee from South Korea. Marie-Aude, who addressed the issue of censorship said one of the challenges she faced was the dwindling readership in French worldwide and also her inability to get her book published by a mainstream publisher, due to it's controversial content. She was a brilliant speaker, prowling the stage with her huge personality and confidence. </span></div><div><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_kKVE9VqgGjLbstsz6oa6ZChKjWomTSMManbB_n7uVOUQqxS3tCik2ViVC7xgFiV2p5rA42-0uoaj5kwxOd5zylrxv--QA6cEFYyiA3mKjE-S0OFngnC6m9TEtlhn91JI1jdJDMfsQ15SNQozEvMiVCNE3GesCuibTReyDQLq1p1Z8gcMHoqAncG/s960/306004281_10160278776678844_981003611959558465_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_kKVE9VqgGjLbstsz6oa6ZChKjWomTSMManbB_n7uVOUQqxS3tCik2ViVC7xgFiV2p5rA42-0uoaj5kwxOd5zylrxv--QA6cEFYyiA3mKjE-S0OFngnC6m9TEtlhn91JI1jdJDMfsQ15SNQozEvMiVCNE3GesCuibTReyDQLq1p1Z8gcMHoqAncG/w640-h480/306004281_10160278776678844_981003611959558465_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Her most celebrated book appears to be Miss Charity, which was translated into various languages.</span></div><div><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMt05ft-MYceFlESgCqG9uwwrl06jvqXdE7hY77LP7czyrzDzgJJ800w3cAlL6ae_vt2YjRk4BVhhHwvmMf0DqSEHsSFsh5jv_rCVKBFf6E4IwXC27eDKVrghh0YvNAozSjtII4Rqs9ov2Dr4LqM99yKFuhV6d7hkX65WUd0iTgl7YI9VV_4Vvg6k/s3270/exe_misscharity_couv.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3270" data-original-width="2497" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMt05ft-MYceFlESgCqG9uwwrl06jvqXdE7hY77LP7czyrzDzgJJ800w3cAlL6ae_vt2YjRk4BVhhHwvmMf0DqSEHsSFsh5jv_rCVKBFf6E4IwXC27eDKVrghh0YvNAozSjtII4Rqs9ov2Dr4LqM99yKFuhV6d7hkX65WUd0iTgl7YI9VV_4Vvg6k/w305-h400/exe_misscharity_couv.jpg" width="305" /></a></div><br /><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Suzy Lee, who described </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">herself as a picturebook artist, creates wordless picturebooks almost exclusively - she sees the book, the paper and its folds and her illustrations as a seamless work of art. She won a publishing contract with Corraini Edizioni based on her student project, entitled Alice in Wonderland. </span></div><div><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzd413FS9zh3cPCcWd0A9lxM8uhDxI-OAEiSnbN9DRtxcqnbzyRrhaKvry70gn3s1jln-KXUnbVR3lPA9L_B7cSNM4me6jscP42rP9t_PHFJbzqTH9sup7n9cDIv7R0GyyIkMjRBceNCEbnKmGRCbbTPfWlaEZOZwqB1XCmzu9zgG9cfiaJGQqvgmP/s1080/305768944_10160278776848844_4004565588840434505_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzd413FS9zh3cPCcWd0A9lxM8uhDxI-OAEiSnbN9DRtxcqnbzyRrhaKvry70gn3s1jln-KXUnbVR3lPA9L_B7cSNM4me6jscP42rP9t_PHFJbzqTH9sup7n9cDIv7R0GyyIkMjRBceNCEbnKmGRCbbTPfWlaEZOZwqB1XCmzu9zgG9cfiaJGQqvgmP/w640-h480/305768944_10160278776848844_4004565588840434505_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Suzy Lee, with the cover of her first book, Alice in Wonderland</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the most notable winner of the Hans Christian Anderson Award was Astrid Lindgren from Sweden, the creator of Pippi Longstocking. She won the coveted prize in 1958 and went on to found the even more notable Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for children's literature. </span></div><div><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many thanks to Prof Muhammad Sidin Ishak and Dato Ahmad Redza, President of MBBY for this honour. Also delighted to meet Dr Jamilah Mustafa and Mr Mingzhou Zhang, former President of IBBY. It was amazing to meet another speaker from Malaysia, Nor Azhar Ishak, who won the IBBY Country award for illustrators and Swati Raje from Pune, India, who is passionate about preserving regional/indigenous languages from India, through her organisation, Baasha. I also had the pleasure of meeting Evelyn Sue Wong from Singapore, who was there on behalf of the Singapore Book Council and to publicize the Asian Festival of Children's Content 2023, which is going to be a live event, after going online for three years.</span></div><div><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUsSbQL6bHrpAz27D6N0P26i83WTMdx0kAPe27Vj0kLicyxLTwbKGx-u8L17BcsjZKzmG0X8qPEL00--4NAShUMG0paz9QcAL72PVgOvIb11QpPmud9hB-5FfE6GIyCICRMXUeG-jtqAilNWEJHNME2XfZuRNqGPWFKIZlphH4UojnepcO8n9haOO/s1024/9GP8Dy6+S6SPgus2gurFtA_thumb_17f75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUsSbQL6bHrpAz27D6N0P26i83WTMdx0kAPe27Vj0kLicyxLTwbKGx-u8L17BcsjZKzmG0X8qPEL00--4NAShUMG0paz9QcAL72PVgOvIb11QpPmud9hB-5FfE6GIyCICRMXUeG-jtqAilNWEJHNME2XfZuRNqGPWFKIZlphH4UojnepcO8n9haOO/w400-h400/9GP8Dy6+S6SPgus2gurFtA_thumb_17f75.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Evelyn Sue Wong is the author of the Mynah trilogy - three multilingual picture books about a talkative Javan mynah!<br /><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pictures credit to </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a class="qi72231t nu7423ey n3hqoq4p r86q59rh b3qcqh3k fq87ekyn bdao358l fsf7x5fv rse6dlih s5oniofx m8h3af8h l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk srn514ro oxkhqvkx rl78xhln nch0832m cr00lzj9 rn8ck1ys s3jn8y49 icdlwmnq cxfqmxzd d1w2l3lo tes86rjd" href="https://www.facebook.com/brigitte.rozario?__cft__[0]=AZUgNq9Ov31BxpBS7Z_71vtOTGZkl7dpRurv1WwhwsAt6kc0-tru2xnHe4-OzdLYv3g5VNNdn56UKQb9MEBfNzJ67vOnUFSw8pdl4S1bMwWILojJp83BZUS1pXY1mAGeJnufsQFuSERfhUGmYntaN8osHkw6pnj706Hr_mH3naqFAA&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; 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background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0">#malaysiareads</a></span></div></div>tutuduttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467259443677618351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6524956372581516929.post-53477683098996804542021-04-01T10:19:00.006-07:002021-04-02T08:14:29.537-07:00Reconstructing the Tale of The Princess of Mount Ledang <p><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The story of the Princess of Mount Ledang holds an enduring fascination among Malaysian writers and there have been a number of retellings and reimaginings of her story i</span>n the last decade or so. Writers who have published stories about the Princess of Mount Ledang, each added their own perspective. </p><div class="gs" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 20px; width: 803.532px;"><div class="ii gt" id=":1gi" style="direction: ltr; margin: 8px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="a3s aiL" id=":19m" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; overflow: hidden;"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default"><span style="background-color: transparent;">From the single tale about the attempt by the Sultan of Malacca to woo her, we now have a </span></div><div class="gmail_default"><span style="background-color: transparent;">plethora of sources to </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">reconstruct the story of her life, beginning with her parents (and even </span></div><div class="gmail_default"><span style="background-color: transparent;">her grandfather) and </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">that of the only man she </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">ever loved, Nakhoda Ragam. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";">This is not surprising</span></div><div class="gmail_default"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";">because w</span>hen it comes to Malaysian folklore, the most celebrated love story revolves around </div><div class="gmail_default">the Fairy Princess of Mount Ledang. </div><div class="gmail_default"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><br /></span></div><div class="gmail_default"><div class="gmail_default">Readers might want to explore the subject further by revisiting the following short stories: </div><div class="gmail_default">The Princess of Mount Ledang by Leela Chakrabarty and Girl on the Mountain by </div><div class="gmail_default">Preeta Samarasan, both stories appeared in <i>The Principal Girl</i>, Edited by Sharifah Aishah </div><div class="gmail_default">Osman and Tutu Dutta; and also Princess, by Daphne Lee which appeared in her collection </div><div class="gmail_default">of short stories, <i>Bright Landscapes.</i></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><table style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(211, 212, 222);"><tbody><tr><td style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding-top: 13px; width: 55px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></td><td style="color: #41424e; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 12px; width: 470px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;">1. <b>The Principal Girl </b>- </i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;">Edited by Sharifah A Osman and Tutu Dutta</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></h3></div></div></div></div></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpaj4f5bg8DvnP5Op7wPKjgiMDqV_uIpuD3LLjinA5eI8A2DJYKQXjHtbUgdx0Nylns7BUrir8Jj5ad_sfnI5EdZoWZrAuYI5YW42vVHyfrINQ0DNfR1CkxiH_prQ9cuV5KNfRdud1slg/s462/The+Principal+Girl.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="318" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpaj4f5bg8DvnP5Op7wPKjgiMDqV_uIpuD3LLjinA5eI8A2DJYKQXjHtbUgdx0Nylns7BUrir8Jj5ad_sfnI5EdZoWZrAuYI5YW42vVHyfrINQ0DNfR1CkxiH_prQ9cuV5KNfRdud1slg/w275-h400/The+Principal+Girl.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><div><br /></div><i>The Principal Girl</i> is an anthology of mostly folklore based tales written by Malaysian and Singaporean writers. We learn about the origin of this mysterious princess in Leela Chakraborty's story, entitled, The Princess of Mount Ledang. Told in straightforward old school style, it appears that her mother is the daughter of a hunter-gatherer who lived in Mount Ledang. an accident brought them to the attention of a clan of were-tigers (harimau jadian) who lived in a hidden vale on the mystical mountain. The daughter of the hunter was given in marriage to the prince of the clan of were-tigers and their only child was Puteri Embong, who later became known as the Princess of Mount Ledang.<div><br /></div><div>A second story in the collection, Girl on a Mountain, by Preeta Samarasan draws a very different picture of the Princess from what we imagine her to be, from folklore. Instead of a mysterious magical princess living in a rarefied world, Samarasan depicts her as a fiercely independent wild child; a young woman who holds sway over people by the force of her personality (and not by magic) and her power over nature (which is of course, magical, even if the narrator claims otherwise.) The story proved to be one of the most popular in the anthology. In a way, Samarasan's story tally with Chakraborty's story of a wild carefree princess raised by a clan a shapeshifting weretigers.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">2. Bright Landscapes </i>by Daphne Lee</h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5p3QQbUeUVI_6Zuu7f0UYVLrDIvLe1mCP4h4x0i9c9-OwZZrYw9w39ok59AbzinWBHf4ic4N068gVddmnuShVTcSa4cU8KsnvAaejd8yt-eoptleIx6IOiIEQGNdGWQocsLc7bz2r7SU/s809/Bright+Landscapes.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="809" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5p3QQbUeUVI_6Zuu7f0UYVLrDIvLe1mCP4h4x0i9c9-OwZZrYw9w39ok59AbzinWBHf4ic4N068gVddmnuShVTcSa4cU8KsnvAaejd8yt-eoptleIx6IOiIEQGNdGWQocsLc7bz2r7SU/w400-h296/Bright+Landscapes.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After her childhood, is a coming of age story. According to legend, the Princess met the love of her life as a young woman, on her first trip downriver on a magical skiff which carried her to the sea. The eagle-eyed Nakhoda Ragam spotted her from his perahu and fell in love with her. They were married soon after and spent their honeymoon sailing on the Straits of Melaka. But tragedy struck, the Princess accidentally stabbed him with her golden needle and he died in her arms. She had not known, he was cursed to die from the prick of a needle...</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Daphne Lee's collection of folklore based tales has two stories about the Princess of Mount Ledang. the first one, <span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Princess, is an overwhelmingly sensuous reimagining of the story with a shocking ending, </span>told in the style of a folktale crossed with a steamy romance novel. Although I was shocked at the fate which befell Nakhoda Ragam, my favourite character in all of Malay folklore, the story was intriguing and seemed to be another piece of the puzzle in the story of the legendary Princess of Mount Ledang. In fact, in this tale the narative acknowledged and expanded on the Princess' link with the clan of weretigers in Chakraborty's story.</div></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">3. Eight Jewels of the Phoenix </i><span style="font-weight: normal;">retold by Tutu Dutta</span></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZXIjIui-0CWX3lFBBVuk65iKDC8ZRJ3yfInQhjDq9_oVU08aWHGSzSrVHyTPeGEI74sHiMi_BuX846hGoVFQx5urT-OvmpyuvtHcv8SLUiL1KPArQqQXX0RAkTaS3MbGpv8vbq3P_II/s1226/Eight+Jewels+of+the+Phoenix.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1226" data-original-width="792" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZXIjIui-0CWX3lFBBVuk65iKDC8ZRJ3yfInQhjDq9_oVU08aWHGSzSrVHyTPeGEI74sHiMi_BuX846hGoVFQx5urT-OvmpyuvtHcv8SLUiL1KPArQqQXX0RAkTaS3MbGpv8vbq3P_II/w259-h400/Eight+Jewels+of+the+Phoenix.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The final chapter in the saga of the Princess of Mount Ledang is retold in <i>Eight Jewels of the Phoenix</i>. This story is based on the famous legend, where the Sultan of Malacca, tries to win her hand in marriage in order to acquire "a wife who would outshine all the wives of the princes of the world" took place centuries after the death of Nakhoda Ragam. We all know that the Sultan failed miserably to win over the morose beauty. <div><br />As for the princess, according to legend, "To this day, the princess is said to reside in a magical cave in Gunung Ledang, where she transforms from a beautiful young girl in the morning to an old hag at night." (parts in quotation came from an article by Joane le Roux, <i>In pursuit of a were-tiger</i>, which appeared in the Nov 2, 2014 issue of the New Sunday Times.)<br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><i><b> </b></i></h3><div><br /></div></div>tutuduttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467259443677618351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6524956372581516929.post-69656153921303827422020-11-27T01:32:00.152-08:002021-05-15T06:43:08.835-07:00Bright Landscapes by Daphne Lee - A Commentary<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQa9M-NhGptf-rj2Bqch7nOUeNkh0b9p7dNMyw0V8HQkp9d_g-9I0N72w3KfkmBsZZ7P753e_VGMKvKai0VFU2kMy-8Bnl891TeHXegZqlZ8ep-tN-He6SgguTBDtmd0cHayxD46-Kzc/s4128/20201107_180126.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4128" data-original-width="3096" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQa9M-NhGptf-rj2Bqch7nOUeNkh0b9p7dNMyw0V8HQkp9d_g-9I0N72w3KfkmBsZZ7P753e_VGMKvKai0VFU2kMy-8Bnl891TeHXegZqlZ8ep-tN-He6SgguTBDtmd0cHayxD46-Kzc/w300-h400/20201107_180126.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>(This is a commentary and not a review because I'm analysing the stories as a writer as well as a reader.)<br /><p></p><p><i>Bright Landscapes</i> by Daphne Lee. This is a collection of short stories by the celebrated former columnist for The Star. Lee is widely regarded as an authority on Children's Literature in English in the region; however this collection is adult fiction. Although Lee has published two other books as an Editor, this is her first book as an author. This slim volume of 150 pages contain 10 dark tales, most of which were entertaining but a few not quite fleshed out. What she succeeded in doing was to create contemporary stories with the hybrid/fusion of culture and folklore which is Malaysia. </p><p>I've noticed that Malaysian writers who write stories set in Malaysia tend to stick to their own cultural milieu, i.e. Chinese Malaysian writers tend to write stories set within Chinese community and culture, Malay Malaysians write about characters in their own community, Indian Malaysian writers write stories based on Indian culture, with Sri Lankans narrowing this down even further and so forth. When characters of different races appear in the stories, they tend to be token representations. Well Lee has actually broken this mold - her contemporary stories feature characters from the diverse communities which make up our country who take on the cultural tropes from different cultural traditions to produce their own unique hybrid culture.</p><p>Common threads which run through these stories include children and family, marriage, births and deaths, and oddly enough tigers.</p><p>My favourites were: After The Funeral, All Was Still and On Jugra Hill. After The Funeral is a chilling tale of abuse and abandonment perpetuated by the patriarch of a traditional Chinese family, told from the point of view of the teenaged granddaughter. The supernatural entity, created by the grandfather, who 'gave away' a severely handicapped child, is from Malay folklore. After the death of the grandfather, the creature is set lose and starts to haunt the family. The granddaughter searches for a way to put the creature ton rest and finds it in her own Chinese traditions. It should be noted that the story is so indirect and subtle, one has to connect the dots. But this is a matter of style.</p><p>All Was Still is an evocative and haunting tale, again featuring a female protagonist from a Chinese family (I think;) however the story draws on Malay folklore. It features at least three tiger spirits, and I felt grief and outrage at the acts of human cruelty which created them. It is beautifully written and I love the descriptions of the little girl in the story. As with After The Funeral, one has to connect the dots to piece the narrative together; the story also has an ambiguous ending which nevertheless will leave you feeling bereft. </p><p>On Jugra Hill is a hair-raising black comedy which has the potential to be developed into a lock door murder mystery. Fans of detective fiction will recognise the setting - a group of people stranded in a posh house in the middle of nowhere with a storm brewing in the horizon - although there is no dead body in this story. The characters have oddly familiar names of people in real life; I only wish they were more likeable. As for the plot, for some reason, I completely missed the clues the writer dropped and had a 'what just happened here?' jaw dropping moment! Still the story will carry you along on a wild ride and was hair raising fun!</p><p>The stories which didn't work for me were: Orang Minyak - can a woman be more lacking in agency and commonsense? I would have expected her maternal or survival instinct to kick in if only to save herself. Perhaps She is another story which I failed to understand, it seemed to be about a woman who abandoned her family and life in general, and had nightmares of being buried or being reborn by the earth. The third story called The Dead, was a woman who presumably died during childbirth and could not accept her fate; which was understandable enough. </p><p>The stories which could have done with a bit of tweaking were: The Pontianak, Princess, and The Tiger Bridegroom. In Pontianak, the narrator tells her two dinner guests the story of her uncle who married a pontianak. One gathers that the uncle had an affair with a bar maid, who may have died in childbirth. Two things bothered me about the story - one is the fact that the dinner guests, a gay couple, were so unlikeable but more importantly did not seem to serve any real purpose in the story. In settings like this, usually one or both guests knew something the narrator wanted to unearth, or trap them into admitting. </p><p>The second thing which bothered me were the errors in folklore. In the story, the uncle trapped the pontianak with a needle and red thread, in the purple heart of a banana tree. In traditional folklore, the pontianak is associated with the sundal harum malam (possibly the champaca or the pala tree) and not the banana grove; it is the orang minyak who haunts the banana grove. Also, traditionally, the pontianak does not feed on the body parts of men, she looks for the placenta of the newborn and also the fresh blood spilled during childbirth. The story would have been a lot more suspenseful, with more 'showing' and less 'telling.' </p><p>Princess is told in the style of a folktale crossed with a steamy romance novel. Although I was shocked at the fate which befell Nakhoda Ragam, my favourite character in all of Malay folklore, the story was intriguing and seemed to be another piece of the puzzle in the story of the legendary Princess of Mount Ledang. If you are interested in following the journey of the Princess, <i>The Principal Girl</i> has two tales relating to her: Girl on a Mountain by Preeta Samarasan and The Princess of Mount Ledang by Leela Chakrabarty. You can follow the trials and tribulation of Nakhoda Ragam in these three books of mine: <i>Eight Treasures of the Dragon, Eight Fortunes of the Qilin </i>and<i> Eight Jewels of the Phoenix.</i></p><p>The Tiger Bridegroom is also told in the style of a folktale, and is quite an amusing and entertaining story. My only complaint is that the characters appeared to be caricatures, but that is a matter of personal preference. </p><p>The last story, Endless Night, is a story I've read before. And it is still as powerful and evocative as ever, on rereading. </p>tutuduttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467259443677618351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6524956372581516929.post-67722552966165650412020-04-30T09:06:00.045-07:002021-05-22T02:11:36.308-07:00The Blood Prince of Langkasuka - Background and Synopsis<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Maiandra GD", sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
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<div style="text-indent: 0px;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-size: x-small;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I'm super excited to announce the publication of my 10th book </b></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-size: x-small;"><i><b>The Blood Prince of Langkasuka,</b> </i><b>by Penguin RandomHouse SEA! This</b> </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-size: x-small;">is a reimagining of the Raja Bersiong (the Fanged King) legend from Malaysia. Buy the book from</span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Prince-Langkasuka-Tutu-Dutta/dp/9814882925">https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Prince-Langkasuka-Tutu-Dutta/dp/9814882925</a></span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-size: x-small;">Raja Ong Maha Perita Deria was a historical personage from 12th Century Kedah, who could have been the world’s first vampire. His</span><span face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> story first appeared in the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikayat_Merong_Mahawangsa" style="background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" title="Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa">Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa</a><span face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;">, </span><span face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;">also known as the </span><span face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><b>Kedah Annals. </b>This</span><span face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> is a Malay literary work recounting the founding, history and fantastical tales of Kedah, a state in north of the Malay Peninsula.</span><span face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 11.2px; white-space: nowrap;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;">The work thought to have been written in the late 18th century or early 19th century, contained details of the Kedah royal geneology. Interestingly, it mentioned that Raja Perita Deria was also known as Raja Bersiong</span><span face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;">. </span><br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: x-small; text-indent: 24px;">The story is based on the Bujang Valley civilisation, which recent studies indicate could be the oldest archeological site in Southeast Asia. The setting is the Kingdom of Langkasuka, which was under the suzerainty of the Sri Vijayan Empire. Historians speculated on the existence of Sri Vijaya for a long time, but could not pin down its exact location. This was because Sri Vijaya was </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: x-small; text-indent: 24px;">a thalassocracy - an empire at sea, and it was difficult to ascertain where its capital was. </span><br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: x-small; text-indent: 24px;">However, by 1993, historian, Pierre-Yves Manguin had proven that the epicentre of Sri Vijaya was along the banks of the Musi River, in what is now Palembang on the island of Sumatra. Between late 7th Century to early 11th Century, Sri Vijaya rose to become a hegemonic maritime power in Southeast Asia. They had a fleet of perahu, probably manned by the Orang Laut - Sea Gypsies who exist till today. In a sensational discovery by National Geographic, it has been proven that these people are able to stay under water for up to 15 minutes due to genetic mutation. </span><br />
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Apart from the Wikipedia, The History Channel and National Geographic, my other source of information include eavesdropping on speculative posts among history buffs in groups such as the Malaysian Heritage and History Club on Facebook. The choice of Langkasuka for the setting of this story was based on their recommendation, although Tambralinga was also mentioned as a possibility. One of the tantalising information which emerged was the Vidyadhara Torana of Sri Vijaya (Faerie Gate of Sri Vijaya) - a legendary gateway to the city made of solid gold.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7F2_9VDojgksIPnnTdIRIjA__FdXQ8424DuoVWSNMIt5ErAI71ZipuAY54x34cO2KbUw00f9l_4152dDrFbvNEVZcEi-h9A-26WxML3F09hgNmAkRVOigxMmEFJMTwQmEiveXOB_vCOA/s1600/f2416a42c56ba3192e8abdab981cf396.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="736" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7F2_9VDojgksIPnnTdIRIjA__FdXQ8424DuoVWSNMIt5ErAI71ZipuAY54x34cO2KbUw00f9l_4152dDrFbvNEVZcEi-h9A-26WxML3F09hgNmAkRVOigxMmEFJMTwQmEiveXOB_vCOA/s400/f2416a42c56ba3192e8abdab981cf396.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Sri Vijayan perahu depicted on the walls of Borobudur. Source: Wikipedia</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8IOYCpgpwCrqhOkb2VXHuJ6kwx_PQ-gAhRgY_W_miAJJDmTs_4bjs78QjeBGfxCH2LIUQjKvtAqBT_CY7ecUTJOrU_P-c38PLtQosrY9MZM62vsJg17BsrszjT-VWb75xUTkjJNl4c0/s1600/e940d7fd4fbcf1093a26bab791d6d3bb.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1173" data-original-width="735" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8IOYCpgpwCrqhOkb2VXHuJ6kwx_PQ-gAhRgY_W_miAJJDmTs_4bjs78QjeBGfxCH2LIUQjKvtAqBT_CY7ecUTJOrU_P-c38PLtQosrY9MZM62vsJg17BsrszjT-VWb75xUTkjJNl4c0/s640/e940d7fd4fbcf1093a26bab791d6d3bb.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map showing location of Sri Vijaya and Langkasuka. Source: Wikipedia</td></tr>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><b><i>The Blood Prince of Langkasuka</i></b> is Young Adult fiction. It is a dark fantasy/folklore coming of age story, featuring a protagonist who is a vampire, wrapped in a murder mystery.</span></span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-indent: 24px;">This book would make an interesting addition to books written as part of the diverse storytelling movement and the right of young people to see themselves (and their culture) in books. Being a folklore-based fantasy, with cultural and supernatural elements from Malay, Orang Asli, Chinese and Indian sources, </span><i style="text-indent: 24px;">The <span class="il">Blood</span> <span class="il">Prince</span></i><span style="text-indent: 24px;"> is also in line with current YA trends. There is interest in this part of the world and Malaysian folklore is seen as new/unexplored territory as opposed to so many books which have been written, based on Western folklore. I also incorporate elements from the local folklore of flowers and plants, in the story. </span></span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-indent: 24px;">As the story is based on a historical personage, Raja Bersiong, widely known in Malay folklore, the book should generate interest in Malaysia and Singapore, especially among readers who favour dark tales. T</span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small; text-indent: 24px;">he fact that it incorporates ancient Langkasuka myths and fierce supernatural entities from Indian and Orang Asli folklore, including a Queen who is half Yakshi (faerie-like being from Indian folklore,) should also generate interest in other English-speaking countries - India, the UK, US, Canada and Australia. I have also researched the subject of vampires in folklore and literature in some detail, so there are many fascinating things to write and talk about. </span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 24px;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">The two Beta Readers (one is a young adult in her twenties, while the other is an anonymous Editor) who read the manuscript have described it as 'quite chilling,' but 'well paced and plotted, with well developed characters... and written with near native speaker fluency;' and 'the writer has breathed life into the story and given it an original twist.' </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-sSujseXYRDYsmYTJriEkfViC_rLrEsovmP70sOhXcOBBARRJnXN91I6iLT4zxkA0s3hqoLi7CykxeoCR3ruj325bNhX2TuAJisBcZbODZp1D99rOyuY9sQXKEf_tEOFCVS22TRS4xg/s1600/Sri+Vijayan+Dancers.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="659" data-original-width="501" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-sSujseXYRDYsmYTJriEkfViC_rLrEsovmP70sOhXcOBBARRJnXN91I6iLT4zxkA0s3hqoLi7CykxeoCR3ruj325bNhX2TuAJisBcZbODZp1D99rOyuY9sQXKEf_tEOFCVS22TRS4xg/s400/Sri+Vijayan+Dancers.jpg" width="302" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dancers from the period could have dressed like this. Illustration from Pinterest.</td></tr>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Raja Perita Deria, is a carefree and arrogant seventeen-year-old; and his story begins with a seemingly ordinary night out with his close friends - Chula, Yala and Satra - three highborn young noblemen, a close knit group of friends who were fiercely loyal to the prince. That night they dined at an elegant Chinese tea house on the outskirts of Kota Aur, the royal city of Langkasuka. However, later in the night, a chance encounter with a dark beauty in an abandoned temple, almost ends Raja Perita's life and changes him irrevocably. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2yp54H55S9Lf7c27BUi40zOi7YZG_hyphenhyphenxWmqM0CKnp57z6Jl-VdSZ2bG4RrapVsCY64Yg9dxTkjgeYAViufrIp0sLrUc1uulRaPVzXcgmqASf9Neve7BIwBkxD7vHau6euGg3JLii8deY/s1600/44988c852e423d8a6ba15fecd3cc653d.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="736" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2yp54H55S9Lf7c27BUi40zOi7YZG_hyphenhyphenxWmqM0CKnp57z6Jl-VdSZ2bG4RrapVsCY64Yg9dxTkjgeYAViufrIp0sLrUc1uulRaPVzXcgmqASf9Neve7BIwBkxD7vHau6euGg3JLii8deY/s400/44988c852e423d8a6ba15fecd3cc653d.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruins of temples such as this, are found all over the Bujang Valley and also in Sumatra. Source: Wikipedia</td></tr>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><span style="text-indent: 36pt;">The prince is carried back to the palace by his friends but remains close to death for a long time. After an incident involving the cook and a dish of <i>bayam</i> tainted with </span><span class="il" style="text-indent: 36pt;">blood</span><span style="text-indent: 36pt;">, which was served to the prince, his mother the Queen, discovered that he needed </span><span class="il" style="text-indent: 36pt;">blood</span><span style="text-indent: 36pt;"> to heal and for sustenance. This is the most well known incident in the Raja Bersiong folklore, but it should be noted that the famous </span><i style="text-indent: 36pt;">gulai bayam</i><span style="text-indent: 36pt;"> incident is only a single chapter in the book. If you are unfamiliar with the story, you can read it here: </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/HISTORYasia/posts/10158141121693754" style="text-indent: 36pt;">https://www.facebook.com/HISTORYasia/posts/10158141121693754</a></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-US">As heir to the throne of Langkasuka, the <span class="il">prince</span> is also caught in the larger political struggle surrounding the kingdom which is being watched by the two powers of 12<sup>th</sup> Century Southeast Asia – the Sri Vijayan Empire and the Khmer Kingdom. To show its loyalty, Langkasuka sends Sri Vijaya a fabulous flowering plant made of beaten gold. And in a surprising turn of event, Sri Vijaya courts Langkasuka by offering the <span class="il">prince</span> the hand of a Sri Vijayan princess, while the Khmer Empire seems curiously aloof. To everyone’s surprise, Raja Perita, who previously had not seem particularly interested in women, is drawn to Princess Chaya of Sri Vijaya. However, a spate of violent deaths in the palace of Langkasuka implicated the <span class="il">prince</span> and his close friends,who watched helplessly as Raja Perita is slowly driven over the edge. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwe2L7JoVt80j2Rvdo83PPKiwd3aB1mThZzF0L7oakK-SzZift_4o1X5hXlqpKX4n9UApR_9NROvRGq8Qi0zAvlN4YJ4trdLP2jFSQToz8aRLnCsgkpq-CQxHhKewD6iPPj26yJ-jsx0U/s1600/Malay+princess.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="354" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwe2L7JoVt80j2Rvdo83PPKiwd3aB1mThZzF0L7oakK-SzZift_4o1X5hXlqpKX4n9UApR_9NROvRGq8Qi0zAvlN4YJ4trdLP2jFSQToz8aRLnCsgkpq-CQxHhKewD6iPPj26yJ-jsx0U/s400/Malay+princess.jpg" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Sri Vijayan Princess could have dressed like this. Pin from Pinterest.</td></tr>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><br /></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Despite the fact that the cook and Raja Perita's friends have been sworn to secrecy by his mother, news of the prince's strange appetite slowly leaks into the countryside and create mistrust among the people towards the palace. </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="text-indent: 36pt;">Could the killer be one of the </span><span class="il" face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="text-indent: 36pt;">prince</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="text-indent: 36pt;">’s beloved friends or perhaps Raja Perita himself?</span></div>
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tutuduttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467259443677618351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6524956372581516929.post-79778132222694495602020-04-17T06:47:00.017-07:002020-11-07T20:44:17.148-08:00The Blood Prince of Langkasuka<div><span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHV1zm9Ys2PYTORphu_DQFxJnTjmcjq-VeL98ZuNNeBG7M7y-1LZRnm6zzEHZ5GB5Kt4666rdzzjIbpcIhdBFGijSqe96oTpwzgoDLbCC7IpjuL4yATYx5WKtzfbf-7lFJcaae1atEJLs/s1228/Blood+Prince+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1228" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHV1zm9Ys2PYTORphu_DQFxJnTjmcjq-VeL98ZuNNeBG7M7y-1LZRnm6zzEHZ5GB5Kt4666rdzzjIbpcIhdBFGijSqe96oTpwzgoDLbCC7IpjuL4yATYx5WKtzfbf-7lFJcaae1atEJLs/w261-h400/Blood+Prince+Cover.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><br /><span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;"><div><span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><br /></span>
<span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;">A manuscript I started researching while in Zagreb, Croatia in 2013 may have found a home at last. Huge sigh of relief after a writing journey which involved six revisions and five rejections </span><span class="_5mfr" face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 1px;"><span class="_6qdm" color="transparent" style="background-image: url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tdd/2/16/1f62b.png"); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: contain; display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; text-shadow: none; vertical-align: text-bottom; width: 16px;">😫</span></span><span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;"> There is even an advance! </span><span class="_5mfr" face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 1px;"><span class="_6qdm" color="transparent" style="background-image: url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tbf/2/16/1f61c.png"); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: contain; display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; text-shadow: none; vertical-align: text-bottom; width: 16px;">😜</span></span><span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;">I'm so grateful the manuscript will now be a published book </span><span class="_5mfr" face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 1px;"><span class="_6qdm" color="transparent" style="background-image: url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t1e/2/16/1f60a.png"); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: contain; display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; text-shadow: none; vertical-align: text-bottom; width: 16px;">😊 </span></span><br />
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The story was first written for the Calistro Prize, when I came across the call for submissions on the Malaysian Writers Community page on Facebook. Living in Croatia, a central European country where vampire myths are rife (Rumania is just a few hundred kilometers away) I decided to write a story based on the legend of Raja Bersiong, Malaysia's very own vampire.<br />
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As the rules were fairly vague, asking for manuscripts which were 6,000+ words, I submitted a 12,000 words manuscript. Sadly, it was not even shortlisted. I later revised it and added another 20,000 words and submitted this to MPH Publishing and Hachette India, but this was also rejected. Another round of revision and an additional 5,000 words later, a submission to Gerakbudaya resulted in a positive preliminary review! I was under the impression that they would publish the manuscript but the trial went cold... But still the review assured me that I was not barking up the wrong tree, so another round of revision followed. I understand the reluctance of Gerakbudaya to publish this book since they are known mainly for non-fiction and I am grateful to them and to the anonymous Editor who did the preliminary review, otherwise I might have abandoned the manuscript at that stage. It should be apparent by now, that I'm a short story writer and my novellas are usually short stories which have been stretched a lot, with sub-plots added!<br />
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After the last revision, I made a submission to Tor.com, the publisher famous for all things Science Fiction & Fantasy. Sadly (in hindsight, fortunately) <i>The Blood Prince of Langkasuka</i> was rejected. I wasn't all that devastated because they usually publish digital books and I still prefer physical books. I mean, you can't show people a Kindle and proclaim, 'This is my new book!' Meanwhile, <i>Nights of the Dark Moon, </i>a collection of dark folktales from Asia and Africa<i>, </i>was published by Marshall Cavendish in November 2017. And in 2019, Gerakbudaya published <i>The Principal Girl,</i> an anthology of feminist tales from Asia, edited by Sharifah Aishah Osman and I. We were delighted that <i>The Principal Girl </i>turned out to be quite a hit with Malaysians readers.<br />
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In 2018, there was a lot of publicity around Penguin Random House setting up an office in Southeast Asia and the fact that they were looking for manuscripts. So, it seemed logical to make a submission in 2019. It took eight months for them to reply, but I'm delighted! Many thanks to Nora Abu Bakar, the Associate Publisher, for picking up the manuscript.<br />
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<span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;">Nov 2019 Reimagining the legendary Raja Bersiong (the Fanged King) - as an angst ridden 12th Century Sri Vijayan prince. Perhaps the first vampire in recorded history, as the name is mentioned in ancient Kedah genealogy. The Blood Prince of Langkasuka is dark folklore fantasy and a chilling crime story... and yes, I'm writing as the 'other' </span><span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/asianvampires?source=feed_text&epa=HASHTAG" style="background-color: white; color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="font-family: inherit;">asianvampires</span></span></a><span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/asianfolklore?source=feed_text&epa=HASHTAG" style="background-color: white; color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="font-family: inherit;">asianfolklore</span></span></a><span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/thebloodprince?source=feed_text&epa=HASHTAG" style="background-color: white; color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="font-family: inherit;">thebloodprince</span></span></a><span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span class="_5afx" style="background-color: white; color: #385898; cursor: pointer; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px;"><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/vampires?source=feed_text&epa=HASHTAG" style="background-color: white; color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="font-family: inherit;">vampires</span></a></span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;">Cracking the emoticon code: The Blood Prince of Langkasuka will be published by Penguin Random House SEA. For me, an achievement unlocked </span><span class="_5mfr" face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 1px;"><span class="_6qdm" color="transparent" style="background-image: url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tf2/2/16/1f605.png"); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: contain; display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; text-shadow: none; vertical-align: text-bottom; width: 16px;">😅</span></span><span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;">. Many thanks to the publisher for accepting the manuscript and to Singapore children's writer, </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=568793062&extragetparams=%7B%22__tn__%22%3A%22%2CdK-R-R%22%2C%22eid%22%3A%22ARCY0itzau1deAc_llAlbYlGUCmPfLAgwLAkAxwjnjPK8b2v1VjNx0uCP8-2VEidRA8otgZeyZDnCLeu%22%2C%22fref%22%3A%22mentions%22%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/thisisdonbosco?__tn__=%2CdK-R-R&eid=ARCY0itzau1deAc_llAlbYlGUCmPfLAgwLAkAxwjnjPK8b2v1VjNx0uCP8-2VEidRA8otgZeyZDnCLeu&fref=mentions" style="background-color: white; color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Don Bosco">Don Bosco</a><span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;">, for pointing us in the right direction. </span><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/asianvampires?source=feed_text&epa=HASHTAG" style="background-color: white; color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="font-family: inherit;">asianvampires</span></span></a><span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/asianfolklore?source=feed_text&epa=HASHTAG" style="background-color: white; color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="font-family: inherit;">asianfolklore</span></span></a><span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/vampires?source=feed_text&epa=HASHTAG" style="background-color: white; color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="font-family: inherit;">vampires</span></span></a><span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/thebloodprince?source=feed_text&epa=HASHTAG" style="background-color: white; color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="font-family: inherit;">thebloodprince</span></span></a><span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh1zvDPPyA3aUopMhewjA7mBrfCMbsfOsyPVG2UsbETLNFJbInB6VL41FAVNzwJAlkU-jZQgfwG42a2oXzKkHLUeTh5vTf_eEOKFa4K690IVeEFLWaOh6FITNhAIhV-Ro8vhUpwJ6GGEM/s1600/20200417_044936.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="720" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh1zvDPPyA3aUopMhewjA7mBrfCMbsfOsyPVG2UsbETLNFJbInB6VL41FAVNzwJAlkU-jZQgfwG42a2oXzKkHLUeTh5vTf_eEOKFa4K690IVeEFLWaOh6FITNhAIhV-Ro8vhUpwJ6GGEM/s640/20200417_044936.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;">Someone on Twitter asked for the reason behind the title of our books. So the reasons for choosing this particularly long winded title were:</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;">1. Refers to the term Prince du Sang/Prince of the Blood - a person legitimately descended in dynastic line from a realm's hereditary rulers. The term has a slightly different meaning in French, but I'm using it as meaning 'a prince from a royal bloodline.'</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;">2. The 'Blood Prince' also implies that the Prince in the story is a vampire. </span><br />
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<img alt="Image may contain: possible text that says '1st round of revisions completed after Editors' (Development) feedback re: The Blood Prince of Langkasuka'" src="https://scontent.fkul2-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/83735181_10158045895388844_324848545762902016_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&_nc_sid=dd7718&_nc_ohc=LxVDi3Gfp5cAX9jqYR4&_nc_ht=scontent.fkul2-2.fna&oh=23a035aabc692097ec4b5f5e45fb659f&oe=5EB9A958" /><br />
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<span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;">Apologies to a few old friends for cancelling lunch and failing to follow up. Revisions were completed at 6pm on 30 Jan 2020 and emailed on the same day. </span><br />
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<img alt="Image may contain: possible text that says 'Update on Blood Prince of Langkasuka: Development Editor has handed over mss to Copy Editor mpss'" src="https://scontent.fkul2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/85017111_10158094219503844_3588193469249617920_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&_nc_sid=dd7718&_nc_ohc=51UV7jOsHDgAX-8Mzi4&_nc_ht=scontent.fkul2-1.fna&oh=8257d97df3190e245f10e6c04c4e2809&oe=5EB75085" /><br />
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<span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;">Feb 2020 Update: The Blood Prince of Langkasuka. The manuscript went through two revisions with the Development Editor - including expansion of critical moments in the story i.e. slowing down the pace to create more tension; restructuring one chapter and an entirely new ending! I probably added another 4,000 words to the manuscript; now in the hands of the Copy Editor who will look at grammar and syntax </span><span class="_5mfr" face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 1px;"><span class="_6qdm" color="transparent" style="background-image: url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t8d/1.5/16/1f914.png"); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: contain; display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; text-shadow: none; vertical-align: text-bottom; width: 16px;">🤔</span></span><span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/bloodprince?epa=HASHTAG" style="background-color: white; color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;">#bloodprince</a><span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/bloodprinceoflangkasuka?epa=HASHTAG" style="background-color: white; color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;">#bloodprinceoflangkasuka</a><span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/asianvampires?epa=HASHTAG" style="background-color: white; color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;">#asianvampires</a><span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/asianfolklore?epa=HASHTAG" style="background-color: white; color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;">#asianfolklore</a><span face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/langkasuka?epa=HASHTAG" style="background-color: white; color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;">#langkasuka</a><br />
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<img alt="Image may contain: possible text that says 'Blood Prince of Langkasuka Copy Editing completed March 2020. Penguin SEA uses single inverted commas' not "double inverted commas."'" src="https://scontent.fkul2-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/91734215_10158278512783844_246741464518754304_n.jpg?_nc_cat=101&_nc_sid=dd7718&_nc_ohc=ZrCqcjqyuZsAX8esVHq&_nc_ht=scontent.fkul2-2.fna&oh=c2dd673b7414deff82e590d19c16106b&oe=5EB90EE5" /><br />
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<span aria-live="polite" class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: none; width: auto;" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption" style="font-family: inherit;">The secong stage, Copy Editing, was completed in March 2020. Apart from fixing a minor plot hole, most of the changes at this stage involved getting the manuscript publishing ready in the <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/penguinsea?epa=HASHTAG" style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">#penguinsea</a> house style. Apparently, Penguin uses single inverted commas and not double inverted commas, which I thought was the standard. however, according to Editor/writers such as Martin Bradley and Leon Wing (find them on Facebook!), single inverted commas are actually the British standard. </span></span><br />
<span aria-live="polite" class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: none; width: auto;" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span aria-live="polite" class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: none; width: auto;" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption" style="font-family: inherit;">I was also impressed by the fact that both the Development Editor and the Copy Editor were unfazed by the many Malay words such as <i>gulai bayam</i> and <i>Tok Batin,</i> and a sprinkling of Sanskrit words used in the manuscript. In fact, the Copy Editor corrected the spelling of Vidhyadhara Torana, which I hadn't realised was misspelt</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px;">!</span><br />
<span aria-live="polite" class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: none; width: auto;" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span aria-live="polite" class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: none; width: auto;" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption" style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/bloodprinceoflangkasuka?epa=HASHTAG" style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">#bloodprinceoflangkasuka</a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/bloodprince?epa=HASHTAG" style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">#bloodprince</a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/asianvampires?epa=HASHTAG" style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">#asianvampires</a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/asianfolklore?epa=HASHTAG" style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">#asianfolklore</a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/malayfolklore?epa=HASHTAG" style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">#malayfolklore</a></span></span><span class="fbPhotoTagList" face=""helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" id="fbPhotoSnowliftTagList" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="fcg" style="color: #90949c; font-family: inherit;"> — in <span class="fbPhotoTagListTag withTagItem tagItem" style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="taggee" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=106031246101831" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kuala-Lumpur-Malaysia/106031246101831" style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia</a></span>.</span></span><br />
<br />tutuduttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467259443677618351noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6524956372581516929.post-53237746641452861712019-11-15T19:23:00.042-08:002020-11-07T21:00:03.160-08:00Folktale Prompt: The Craving<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6BsFrRmVMsgRdrNW8mVw_EnK_gPXt6FzQkUN7AyJtiImnLQsLl2BVZMo0kb7939rQZ3k5ErNfLtLZlD4-6uchNVEmmEog8Z6RR76lGIh4ccRNKRQ8_GZN2y0GPoaj2qCbhSjoM7go-c/s1207/Cover+Rigih.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1207" data-original-width="858" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6BsFrRmVMsgRdrNW8mVw_EnK_gPXt6FzQkUN7AyJtiImnLQsLl2BVZMo0kb7939rQZ3k5ErNfLtLZlD4-6uchNVEmmEog8Z6RR76lGIh4ccRNKRQ8_GZN2y0GPoaj2qCbhSjoM7go-c/w285-h400/Cover+Rigih.JPG" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover illustration by Tan Vay Fern, showing <br />a Bobohizan called Dayang Sulong aka the <br />Witch of Moon Lake.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>
I've been asked by Bijit Sinha to provide a prompt for a story, based on myth. Since I'm more familiar with folklore, I chose a story from Kadazan-Dusun folklore. This is the majority ethnic group from the state of Sabah, in Malaysian Borneo.<br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 36pt;">The Craving<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 22pt;">By Tutu Dutta<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span face=""helvetica" , sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="background: white;">A retelling of a dark
folktale from Kadazan-Dusun folklore.</span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 36pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Tears pooled in her dark eyes. Her heart ached
with the disappointment. Then she clenched her hands over the black fabric of
her <i>tapi</i> and twisted the material, knuckles
protruding against her tanned skin. How could he do that to her? He had no
right! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The events of that afternoon played out in her
mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">He had summoned her to the family hall. As the
chief, he was entitled to the largest and most ornate living quarter in the
longhouse, a large, vacant space partitioned off from the rest of their
quarters by woven wall tapestries. Her soft-spoken, doting, middle-aged widowed
aunt, who had raised her in her late mother’s stead, was sitting beside him,
face lowered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The chief cleared his throat. “My daughter,
we have wonderful news! We have received an offer for your hand in marriage and
I have agreed to it. The young man in question is most suitable.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Kinambura’s face lit up. Her full, soft
lips curved into a smile. But she suppressed it; it was inappropriate to show
too much happiness at a wedding proposal. She assumed modesty. “I’m happy if
you and Aunt are happy with this proposal, father.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“Indeed, we are! The young man concerned is
well-mannered, wealthy and has blood ties with us, as well.” he said, a look of
satisfaction on his face. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Surprised, Kinambara smiled wider. “I
didn’t know that Montuk was related to us.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“Montuk? Why do you mention his name?” A
deep frown took over the pleased look on her father’s face. Her aunt looked up
sharply and scrutinized Kinambura’s face. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Kinambura remained silent, her heart
sinking while her father continued, “I’m referring to Tingoran, of course.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Kinambura gasped, turning ashen. What possessed
them to think that she would ever be interested in marrying Tingoran? While it
was true that they had known each other since childhood, she regarded the other
more as a brother than anything else. In fact, they were distantly related. She
said, warily at first, “I thought it would be Montuk.” Then, she tilted her chin
up. “I’m in love with him, Father.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Her aunt entreated, “Kinambura, please be
reasonable. Tingoran is the son of a wealthy chieftain and is known to be good
natured and kind. Montuk is not a good match for you. He is known to be harsh
man and there are rumours about him practicing dark magic.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“Aunt, you can’t believe what people say! They
are jealous of him! Montuk is a wonderful man. And he loves me!” Her dark eyes
flashed, and her lips thinned with indignation. “You can’t force me to marry
Tingoran! I will not spend the rest of my life with such a boring person!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Her father dropped all semblance of patience
and snapped, “Please return to your bed and calm down! You are not to leave the
longhouse to see Montuk ever again. Do you understand, Kinambura?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Before he could say more, she jumped to her
feet, ran out of the room and climbed up the ladder that led to her bed, high
above in the loft, just below the thatched roof of the longhouse. She pretended
to fall asleep.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The afternoon warmed. When the sun set and
enveloped the peaceful valley in a warm glow, her aunt brought her a plate of
food: rice with chicken roasted with bamboo shoot. As the heat of the day gave
way to cool evening air, she heard members of the longhouse gather in the long
open space along the verandah to sing and tell each other tales and jokes. It
was a convivial time enjoyed by all—except Kinambura. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">When their quarters were finally empty, she
tossed aside her blanket. She climbed down the ladder to the main room below,
and crept to the back door of the longhouse. Once her feet touched the bare
earth, she ran through the tapioca and melon farm to the edge of the luxuriant
bamboo grove behind the longhouse. As night descended, the air cooled and a
slight breeze blew through the bamboo leaves. She waited impatiently. Then her heart missed a beat. Montuk appeared a few
feet away, looking more wickedly handsome than usual in the dim light. She ran
to him and they embraced. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">She laid her head on his shoulder, tears
running down her cheeks. “They’ve arranged for me to marry Tingoran!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">“Who? What are you talking about?” He held
her by the shoulders. His eyes bore into her. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">“My father has arranged for me to marry
Tingoran! He will be coming with his men in a few weeks’ time. They will be
bringing the bridal gifts and we will be married on the same day!” Kinambura’s finely
etched eyebrows drew together in anxiety. “What am I going to do?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">“Tell me more about this. Exactly when are
they expected to arrive and which route will Tingoran and his men be taking?” His
rough voice surprised her. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">“I don’t know. I suppose if they start in
the morning, they will arrive before sunset. I think my aunt and the maids are
preparing to cook a feast for their arrival.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">“There are a few routes from the village of
Tambunan to here. Which route are they most likely to take?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">She frowned, then laughed. “Of course Tingoran
will probably take the route through the hill side. He always did hate to get
his feet wet. He will have to wade through the stream in the route through the
valley. Why?” She teased, “Are you planning to scare him away?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">“I will give him the scare of his
life.” He laughed, twisting his lips.
She saw a strange expression as he said, “Tingoran will never ask you to marry
him again!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">He pulled her to him and looked closely
into her eyes. His dark eyes gleamed with resolve. “You are mine, Kinambura!
You will always be mine, no one can take you away from me.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Kinambura felt dizzy with excitement at being
so close to him. What was it about him that set her heart racing? Was it the
musky smell or the smooth handsome features which look like they had been
carved out of wood and polished to perfection? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Kinambura sighed and pulled away from
Montuk. The night was wearing on, and she had to sneak back into the longhouse.
She could not risk being seen by anyone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In the weeks that ensued, Kinambura willingly
participated in her wedding preparations. She kept her face from showing her
relief that this affair was not never going to come to fruition. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">On the day of the wedding, her father and
relatives waited expectantly, but Tingoran and the wedding party from Tambunan
never showed up. Kinambura felt relieved but, at the same time, a strange sense
of apprehension crept over her. Her father’s and Aunt’s increasing
consternation as time passed almost made her regret ever scheming with Montuk. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It was dark when members of bride’s
entourage who had been tasked to greet the groom appeared. Their shocked expression
and pale faces told everyone it was going to be dreadful news. The leader said
in a shaken voice, “They’re dead, they are all dead! We dare not even… their
heads were hacked off… and Tingoran… his head is missing!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Kinambura felt a wave of nausea. She
blinked. Tingoran’s disembodied head materialized, inches from her face, blood
oozing from its severed neck. The apparition looked at her with anguished,
accusing eyes. She heard a piercing shriek. She realized, shocked, that it came
from her own mouth. Her knees gave away and she collapsed onto the bamboo floor.
When she woke up, she was resting on a mat on the floor, covered with a
blanket. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Her aunt gazed at her anxiously, wiped her
brow with a damp cloth and whispered, “Don’t take it too hard. We know you are
devastated but these things happen. According to Montuk, it was a group of
headhunters from across the mountains. There has been bad blood between them
and the village of Tambunan for a long time.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Kinambura turned her head. She didn’t want
her aunt to see the look of anguish and fear in her eyes. It was Montuk, of course.
She knew that with certainty. He had tricked her into giving him the
information about the wedding entourage, and had lied to her. Tears sprang into
her eyes. She had never meant any harm to come to Tingoran. She had not wanted
to marry him, but had never wished this gruesome death upon him. She knew a missing
head meant that his spirit would never be at peace, not without a Bobohizan to
calm and tame his restless spirit. Montuk was just supposed to scare him away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Weeks passed and Kinambura lived in
seclusion. She only left the longhouse in the company of her aunt and a few of
the other ladies. She was careful to avoid Montuk, who tried in vain to see
her. She told her aunt that she was devastated by her fiancé’s death. Everyone
had no doubt that she was unwell; she had grown thin and wan. Gone were her
flashing eyes, uninhibited laughter, and most of all the vitality which had
previously attracted so many admirers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">When she finally recovered, her father asked
to see her again. “I cannot bear to see you suffering like this. Montuk has
asked for your hand in marriage and I have agreed, in spite of my reservations.
I remember that you expressed your love for him, some months ago.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Her aunt nodded and smiled at Kinambura, but
Kinambura felt all the blood drain from her face, and she thought that she
would faint. How could she tell her father that she no longer wanted to marry a
cold blooded murderer, without implicating herself? When she finally found her
voice, she said, “Of course, father. If you really think this is for the best.
Maybe this is what I deserve.” She tried her best but she could not stop her
voice from wavering slightly. Her aunt look at her in surprise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">There was nothing she could do; they were
married within weeks. On the wedding night, she had a hysterical fit and had to
be taken to her father’s quarters again. During which time, Kinambura developed
a strange, inexplicable craving which could not be assuaged by either food or
drink. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Her aunt attended to her. “Only a few
months ago, you wanted to marry Montuk more than anything in the world. So what
has changed?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Kinambura was silent for a long time. She could
not face her aunt when she said, haltingly, “It was my fault… that Tingoran is
dead. I told Montuk when the wedding party was coming.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">“What? But we all know that Tingoran was
killed by headhunters from across the mountains. It would be impossible for Montuk to kill
seven men all by himself,” she said, disbelief in her eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">“I know it was Montuk. He asked me a lot of
questions about Tingoran’s route to our village and the day he was expected to
arrive. And I have no doubt he can kill seven men by himself. He once he told
me that he could make himself invisible,” Kinabura’s voice trailed off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Her aunt looked disturbed but she tried to
calm her niece down. “You are upsetting yourself for no reason, Kinambura. A
few other people knew about Tingoran’s route.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">“But they were all a part of the marriage
party… and… and I know where Tingoran’s head is hidden.” Her voice dropped to a
fearful whisper. “His spirit spoke to me and told me where Montuk had hidden
his head.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Her aunt turned pale and was too shocked to
speak.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">“I can’t return to him, and you can’t tell
anyone what I told you, otherwise we will both die!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Her aunt believed her. She told everyone
that a strange wasting illness had gripped her niece and she had to be confined
to her father’s quarters. This was quite true because Kinambura felt ill all the
time, the insatiable craving only intensifying. Her father grew worried about
her steadily deteriorating health. The chief told his sister-in-law, “I fear
for my daughter’s life. Please save her because she is all I have.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">She nodded but decided not to tell him what
Kinambura had confided to her about Montuk. Instead she said, “Kinambura craves
the rare mushrooms which only grows on the other side of the mountain. Perhaps
you could ask Montuk to collect some for her? I can make her a special dish
which might cure her hunger.” </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The chief instructed Montuk to gather those
mushrooms as soon as possible. Early the next morning, after Montuk had set out
on his errand, Kinambura and her aunt surreptitiously entered his quarters.
Kinambura climbed up to the loft and located the rattan basket where he kept
Tingoran’s head preserved in layers of dried leaves. She carefully lowered it to her aunt, and the
two of them quietly left the longhouse, unnoticed by anyone. With both women
bearing the weight of the basket and its macabre contents, the two walked the
entire day until they finally came to the Tambunan longhouse, the deceased’s
family home. They were greeted by the chieftain and the Bobohizan of Tambunan.
Kinambura sorrowfully handed them Tingoran’s head, and the old chieftain wept
over his dead son. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The two women were given a room at the farthest
end of the longhouse. Before everyone retired for the night, the Bobohizan walked
around the longhouse and placed a protective spell over the place. Kinambura
was exhausted and retreated into a recess in the room to rest for the night.
She slept on a thick mat on the floor while her aunt took the loft. Before
going to sleep, she lighted the hearth and placed a pot of water over it and
added some rice to the pot. The night would get chilly and it would be nice to
have food ready in the morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In the middle of the night, Kinambura was
roused by a soft, scuttling sound. She opened her eyes and sat up soundlessly.
There was a large rat on the floor, sniffing around unawares. Kinambura sank
silently to the floor and crawled forwards on all fours, like a giant reptilian
feline, her black eyes fixed on the rat. When the rat finally sensed her
presence, it was riveted to the spot, unable to move in sheer terror. Kinambura
caught the rat in her clawed fingers and ate it greedily, leaving behind only
hair, nails and bones. Sated at last, the young woman then crawled backed to
her bed and fell into a deep and dreamless sleep. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The next morning she was awakened by her
aunt and the</span> Bobohizan. Her aunt said, "It's late morning and we overslept! Did anything happen last night? I had a strange dream but I just could not wake up."<br />
<br />
Kinambura shook her head, she could not remember anything. Her aunt went to prepare the morning meal and called out to the Bobohizan, "Look, elder sister! There are animal bones in the fireplace."<br />
<br />
The Bobohizan walked towards her looking puzzled. She stretched out her hands; the aunt placed the bits of fur and bones in her hands. She gasped out loud and almost dropped the bones, her face had turned pale. The Bobohizan called out, “Kinambura come here! Did you eat anything, last night?"<br />
<br />
She showed Kinambura the remains. Kinambura gasped and then blushed with embarrassment, "I was so hungry last night that I may have eaten something!"<br />
<br />
The Bobohizan remained silent. She searched through the dust and carefully collecting every tiny bit of bone and fur that she could find, she heaved a sigh of relief when she found the tiny head. She said under her breath, "He turned himself into a tiny animal to bypass my spell and enter this bilik.”<br />
<br />
The aunt said, "What? Who are you talking about? I don't see anyone here."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The Bobohizan replied grimly, “These bones in my hands, I think it is Montuk.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US">The aunt gasped and Kinambura turned pale but she was not surprised; it was almost as if she knew this at the back of her mind. </span>The memory of what happened last night came
back to her. She felt sick and wanted to throw up; but her illness and nameless craving were gone. She said, "Yes, I think it's him. But I couldn't help it, he meant to harm me. Montuk is not a man; he is a shaman, an evil shaman." </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">She also remembered what Montuk had told
her on their wedding night. “You have no idea how much I wanted to marry you. It’s
not just because of your beauty but you have magic in your veins. I sensed it
the first time I met you. I just couldn’t let any other man marry you… ever. We
belong together, I need you!”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US">Later that day, the three women buried the remains of the rat in a tiny grave beside that of Tingoran.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Tutu Dutta has a B. Sc from Universiti
Putra Malaysia and an M.Phil from the University of Malaya. She is the author
of nine books, ranging from the picture book, Phoenix Song, published by UK-based
Lantana Publishing; to a collection of dark folktales, Nights of the Dark Moon,
published by Singapore-based Marshall Cavendish Editions. She draws inspiration
from Asian folklore, for her books.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhl8Dqba1yXySfYMPwNkcmVI7Nw6MErpIizgiuQrrT8fpLr6OEsILoNSsoDImzXXRJ6CZVJml9mVpY2VqbPgqstdVQAx40Vst253-dTxt2CdWP14twt8MgBzQw1T2f9zH5JBHYIBzAbao/s1644/rigih+COVER+16.4.2013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="1644" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhl8Dqba1yXySfYMPwNkcmVI7Nw6MErpIizgiuQrrT8fpLr6OEsILoNSsoDImzXXRJ6CZVJml9mVpY2VqbPgqstdVQAx40Vst253-dTxt2CdWP14twt8MgBzQw1T2f9zH5JBHYIBzAbao/w640-h474/rigih+COVER+16.4.2013.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i class="_4-k1 img sp_A5xgVemSHVm sx_92231b" style="background-color: white; background-image: url("https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/yM/r/PobfUeW5-O9.png"); background-position: -85px -394px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; color: #141823; display: inline-block; font-family: helvetica, arial, "lucida grande", tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; height: 16px; line-height: 19.32px; vertical-align: -3px; width: 16px;"><u style="left: -999999px; position: absolute;">smile emoticon</u></i><br />
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<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />tutuduttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467259443677618351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6524956372581516929.post-43104009755638805772019-11-14T09:46:00.002-08:002020-04-17T06:57:15.508-07:00The Malaysian Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Goose Girl<div class="_5pbx userContent _3576" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-testid="post_message" id="js_4z7" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 6px;">
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Just finished reading Bidasari and the Djinn by <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=691868333&extragetparams=%7B%22__tn__%22%3A%22%2CdK-R-R%22%2C%22eid%22%3A%22ARDX-OudoWgpxakLSnFXKjRZovs1p1dfISpASfu4mxp7s11ZEWf3QKqodqOR0pA5KtpbZ0u9HZjeUq1v%22%2C%22fref%22%3A%22mentions%22%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/ninotaziz?__tn__=%2CdK-R-R&eid=ARDX-OudoWgpxakLSnFXKjRZovs1p1dfISpASfu4mxp7s11ZEWf3QKqodqOR0pA5KtpbZ0u9HZjeUq1v&fref=mentions" style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Ninot Aziz">Ninot Aziz</a>; a retelling of the classic Malay epic. Hikayat Badasari is not a folktale, it is an epic poem, authored by someone from the past, but it may have been based on a Malay folktale.<br />
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Anyway, according to the blurb, Bidasari is the Malay 'Sleeping Beauty.' I was suitably impressed, I need to know more about the Malay Sleeping Beauty. However, after reading the story, I realised that clearly Bidasari is the Malay 'Snow White.' The theme of the jealous Queen (older woman) hell bent on destroying a fairer and younger woman, is too obvious. Thanks to the Queen, who is also skilled in arcane magic, Bidasari goes into a deathlike sleep during the day and wakes up at night. Snow White for sure...<br />
<br />
For good measure, I decided to read the original translation of Bidasari as well (all in one afternoon!) I liked Ninot's version better, at least it explains the creation of the Horcrux (yes, Potterheads, Bidasari has a Horcrux!) This beautifully illustrated book is a must have for collectors of fairy tales. Both books are available at SilverfishBooks. <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/malaysianchildrenbooks?source=feed_text&epa=HASHTAG" style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="font-family: inherit;">MalaysianChildrenBooks</span></span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/bidasari?source=feed_text&epa=HASHTAG" style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="font-family: inherit;">Bidasari</span></span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/horcrux?source=feed_text&epa=HASHTAG" style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="font-family: inherit;">Horcrux</span></span></a> <span class="_5afx" style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/snowwhite?source=feed_text&epa=HASHTAG" style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;">SnowWhite</span></a></span><br />
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So who is the Malaysian Sleeping Beauty? There is a candidate - Puteri Tupai or The Tree Shrew Princess. This story is retold as The Unnamed Princess, in <i>Timeless Tales of Malaysia </i>(unfortunately, out of print)<i> </i>and also <i>The Magic Urn and Other Timeless Tales of Malaysia. </i>Here the innocent princess is cursed by a Nenek Kebayan (a Baba Yaga like old crone with shamanic powers i.e. a witch) during her naming ceremony, which is a coming-of-age rite. The princess is cursed, all because of the fact that her parents had offended Nenek Kebayan, probably betrayed the witch, as we see what happened in Maleficient. In this case, the princess does not sleep for a 100 years, she is turned into an animal. But this animal-like state is a form of sleep, in the sense that she lost self-awareness and was lived outside of human society. To break the spell, someone has to say her true name out loud; by someone who loves her...<br />
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And yes, I know. Princess Tupai is also the Malay Beauty and the Beast...<br />
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So who is the Malay Goose Girl? In the Grimm's fairytale, The Goose Girl is the unfortunate young princess, on her way to meet her prince. She must be very poor indeed because she is only accompanied by a maid, who takes over her place and pretends to be the princess when they reach the palace. The princess ends up caring for the geese in the royal keep. In the story of Princess Trailing Hairknot, also from <i>The Magic Urn and Other Timeless Tales of Malaysia</i>, a princess loses her station in life and her inheritance when her parents pass away suddenly. Although she is regarded as plain, her hair is extraordinarily long, thick and unruly. She ends up living in a cottage in the forest and having to fend for herself. One day she had to journey upriver to escape a menacing man, and she lends a helping hand to a young woman who ends up accompanying her. They are eventually stopped by soldiers and brought to the palace of a neighbouring kingdom, because the prince had a dream about about a princess with long hair. However, as in the case of the Goose Girl, the maid claims to be the princess and the real princess has to work as a bird chaser in the royal rice fields...<br />
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Read these stories and more in The Magic Urn!<br />
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The Magic Urn can be ordered from Kinokuniya Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.</div>
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And also from these links:<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Urn-Other-Timeless-Malaysia/dp/9814771163">https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Urn-Other-Timeless-Malaysia/dp/9814771163</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.in/Magic-Other-Timeless-Tales-Malaysia-ebook/dp/B01N97CEFM">https://www.amazon.in/Magic-Other-Timeless-Tales-Malaysia-ebook/dp/B01N97CEFM</a><br />
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tutuduttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467259443677618351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6524956372581516929.post-69861648961157715222019-11-14T09:34:00.003-08:002019-11-15T19:43:04.774-08:00Malaysia's National Flower - Bunga Raya or Bunga Tanjung?<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://external.fkul2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/safe_image.php?d=AQAvdYIBsZWa4itM&w=540&h=282&url=https%3A%2F%2Flive.staticflickr.com%2F109%2F257290531_2f6ae25703_z.jpg&cfs=1&upscale=1&fallback=news_d_placeholder_publisher&_nc_hash=AQAO_z9xtudKh8PU" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://external.fkul2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/safe_image.php?d=AQAvdYIBsZWa4itM&w=540&h=282&url=https%3A%2F%2Flive.staticflickr.com%2F109%2F257290531_2f6ae25703_z.jpg&cfs=1&upscale=1&fallback=news_d_placeholder_publisher&_nc_hash=AQAO_z9xtudKh8PU" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hibiscus elatus, the magnificent flower of the mahoe tree</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Image result for bunga tanjung"" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/4158x617QtL._SX425_.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tiny but fragrant Bunga Tanjung is native to Malaysia</td></tr>
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<a href="https://external.fkul2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/safe_image.php?d=AQAvdYIBsZWa4itM&w=540&h=282&url=https%3A%2F%2Flive.staticflickr.com%2F109%2F257290531_2f6ae25703_z.jpg&cfs=1&upscale=1&fallback=news_d_placeholder_publisher&_nc_hash=AQAO_z9xtudKh8PU" imageanchor="1"><span style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #1c1e21; float: left; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Having lived in Cuba for three years, (2009 - 2011) I realised that the hibiscus (Bunga Raya) should not be the national flower of Malaysia (gasp!) But I have good reasons for stating this - the Hibiscus is native to the Caribbean - the mahagua/mahoe (Hibiscus elatus) is the national flower of Jamaica and Cuba. In the Caribbean, the hibiscus is a mighty tree, not the puny shrub we think it is. The hibiscus common in Malaysia gardens, is an import; unable to achieve it's full potential in alien soil. This in itself should tell us something - that it is not native to Malaysia. There are no hibiscus plants or trees growing in the wild in Malaysia or Asia.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #1c1e21; float: left; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">So what should be our national flower? I believe it should be the Bunga Tanjung. This flower is mentioned in Malay folklore and there are songs about the Bunga Tanjung. In fact, there is a charming fairytale in <i>Timeless Tales of Malaysia (</i>republished as<i> The Magic Urn and Other Timeless Tales of Malaysia</i>,) called The Tanjung Blossom Fairy. As far as I know, there are no stories about the Bunga Raya in folklore; only hantu raya! </span><span style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #1c1e21; float: left; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #1c1e21; float: left; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #1c1e21; float: left; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">The Magic Urn is available in Kinokuniya Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, and also from Gerakbudaya Bookstores in Petaling Jaya and Penang.</span><span style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #1c1e21; float: left; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">You can also order the book from these links</span><span style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #1c1e21; float: left; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://www.amazon.in/Magic-Other-Timeless-Tales-Malaysia-ebook/dp/B01N97CEFM" style="background-color: transparent;">https://www.amazon.in/Magic-Other-Timeless-Tales-Malaysia-ebook/dp/B01N97CEFM</a><a href="https://external.fkul2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/safe_image.php?d=AQAvdYIBsZWa4itM&w=540&h=282&url=https%3A%2F%2Flive.staticflickr.com%2F109%2F257290531_2f6ae25703_z.jpg&cfs=1&upscale=1&fallback=news_d_placeholder_publisher&_nc_hash=AQAO_z9xtudKh8PU" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="clear: left; 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<a href="https://external.fkul2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/safe_image.php?d=AQAvdYIBsZWa4itM&w=540&h=282&url=https%3A%2F%2Flive.staticflickr.com%2F109%2F257290531_2f6ae25703_z.jpg&cfs=1&upscale=1&fallback=news_d_placeholder_publisher&_nc_hash=AQAO_z9xtudKh8PU" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://external.fkul2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/safe_image.php?d=AQAvdYIBsZWa4itM&w=540&h=282&url=https%3A%2F%2Flive.staticflickr.com%2F109%2F257290531_2f6ae25703_z.jpg&cfs=1&upscale=1&fallback=news_d_placeholder_publisher&_nc_hash=AQAO_z9xtudKh8PU" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://external.fkul2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/safe_image.php?d=AQAvdYIBsZWa4itM&w=540&h=282&url=https%3A%2F%2Flive.staticflickr.com%2F109%2F257290531_2f6ae25703_z.jpg&cfs=1&upscale=1&fallback=news_d_placeholder_publisher&_nc_hash=AQAO_z9xtudKh8PU" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>tutuduttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467259443677618351noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6524956372581516929.post-13138303688833159332019-03-15T18:29:00.001-07:002019-03-15T18:29:32.352-07:00Featured in the New Straits Times - 16 March 2019https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/pulse/2019/03/469718/wife-former-diplomat-looks-horror-inspire-childrentutuduttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467259443677618351noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6524956372581516929.post-13641234425759978112018-11-12T07:46:00.000-08:002018-12-02T08:57:49.992-08:00Farewell Draco!<div class="_5pbx userContent _3576" data-ad-preview="message" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="js_x" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 6px;">
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<b>Farewell, Draco (January 2006 - 12 November 2018.) </b></div>
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Our eldest doggo (beloved of <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=621452455&extragetparams=%7B%22__tn__%22%3A%22%2CdK-RH-R-R%22%2C%22eid%22%3A%22ARCabox9YhTjZ610d3mdVD4MK9WL8r1GlELgf6oi5_qTf6zzWljJ220D4G6Ik5it6o0tsyPqMaeQ67Bx%22%2C%22fref%22%3A%22mentions%22%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/shona.yean?__tn__=%2CdK-RH-R-R&eid=ARCabox9YhTjZ610d3mdVD4MK9WL8r1GlELgf6oi5_qTf6zzWljJ220D4G6Ik5it6o0tsyPqMaeQ67Bx&fref=mentions" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">Shona Yean</a>,) passed away this afternoon. It was not unexpected. He lost the ability to walk a few months after his brother, Choji, passed away in December, 2017. Draco was born with severe hip dysplasia and somehow, forced himself to walk, to keep up with Choji, until he was twelve years old. He showed incredible endurance for a dog, being able to walk for so long, when less handicapped Golden Retrievers would have given up. </div>
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Draco and Choji, were both born in Malaysia. They followed us to two countries in succession - Havana, Cuba and Zagreb, Croatia. Life was tough in Cuba for Choji, the weather was hot and humid and good dog food was scarce. But Draco had a fairly productive life as a guard dog at the Havana Residence in Siboney. I think he enjoyed his role there. However, they both enjoyed Zagreb and getting to experience snow for the first time in their lives! There was an apple tree in the backyard, and Draco loved munching apples in the autumn.</div>
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We have been caring for Draco for the past nine months. But he was diagnosed with cancer, six months ago and had a stroke last Wednesday. The end was inevitable. Still, I felt 'empty' entering our home without being greeted by a dog. </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Nevertheless, he was a gorgeous dog. When a puppy, he had the usual golden colour. This colour deepened and in his youth,</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Draco had flaming red-gold fur</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. The colour mellowed to a warm gold as he matured but he never faded into grey</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. He was the most stubborn, intelligent, irrepressible and high-spirited dog, we've ever known.</span><br />
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Vale old friend. You are no longer in pain. Seek your brother, Choji, on the other side of the rainbow bridge. May you two have great adventures together chasing squirrels and guinea pigs!<br />
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tutuduttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467259443677618351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6524956372581516929.post-25578154216416477962018-11-11T04:44:00.000-08:002018-11-11T04:58:35.503-08:00CATS IN FOLKLORE<b>Cats play a significant role in folklore from around the world and so, I've decided to assemble some of the stories here:</b><br />
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1. <b>Il Gato Mammone: The Italian Tale of the Cat King</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">Source: https://folklorethursday.com/</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Once upon a time, there was a woman. She had two daughters, one incredibly ugly and the other one astonishingly beautiful. In a rather surprising twist, the woman loved her ugly daughter more than anything, including the beautiful one, whose beauty drew their jealousy and ire. One day, filled to the brim with envy, they decide to send her to ask the fairies for a sieve, the fair folk being known for their trickery and curses.</span></div>
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<span style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">On her way to the castle of the fairies she meets an old man whose adherence to folk tale rules would make Vladimir Propp proud. He tells her exactly how to behave, with a strict and perhaps nonsensical etiquette, that if followed would help her find the object she sought after.</span></div>
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<span style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Most important of all, she must help the cats in the castle do their housework. The Gatto Mammone, who lives in the castle, is thankful and gives her what she asked for, along with a warning: on her way back home, she must not turn at the call of the donkey, but only when she hears a rooster. As she does so, a beautiful star is magically embedded in her forehead.</span></div>
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<span style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You can easily imagine the rest of the story: her sister goes through the same ordeal, but her pride gets the best of her and she’s shunned away by the cats. On her way back, she turns at the bray of the ass, and a donkey’s tail is magically embedded in her forehead.</span></div>
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<b>2. Bayun Cat</b></div>
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<img alt="Bajun.jpg" height="640" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Bajun.jpg" width="424" /></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: inherit;">Cat Baiyun/Bayun Cat. </span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: inherit;">Illustration by K. Kuznetsov from the collection “Russian folk tales” </span></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Bayun Cat is a fascinating character of Russian </span><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%BA%D0%B0#%D0%92%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%88%D0%B5%D0%B1%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%BA%D0%B0" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Fairy tale">fairy tales</a>.<span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> It is a huge man-eater with a magical voice. When he spins his magical tales,</span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> travelers are lulled into complacency or even sleep by his hypnotic voice. Those of them who do not have enough strength to resist his magic or who are not prepared to battle with him, will be ruthlessly killed by the cat-sorcerer. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">But those who can capture a Bayun cat will find salvation from all diseases and illnesses - the tales of Bayun are healing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Word </span><i>Bayun</i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> means "talker narrator talker" from the verb </span><i>bayat</i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> - "tell talk" (cf. also verbs. </span><i>Cradle</i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> , </span><i>lull</i><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> in "put to sleep" value) </span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%BE%D1%82_%D0%91%D0%B0%D1%8E%D0%BD#cite_note-1" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[1] </span></span></a></sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-NKJ201805_2-0" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%BE%D1%82_%D0%91%D0%B0%D1%8E%D0%BD#cite_note-NKJ201805-2" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[2]</span></span></a></sup><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">In fairy tales it is said that Bayun sits on a high, usually iron pillar. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">The cat lives in distant lands in the thirtieth kingdom </span></span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%BE%D1%82_%D0%91%D0%B0%D1%8E%D0%BD#cite_note-3" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[3]</span></span></a></sup><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> or in a lifeless dead forest, where there are no birds or animals </span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%BE%D1%82_%D0%91%D0%B0%D1%8E%D0%BD#cite_note-4" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[4]</span></span></a></sup><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> . </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">In one of the fairy tales about Vasilis the Beautiful, the Bayun cat lives with </span></span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%B0%D0%B1%D0%B0-%D0%AF%D0%B3%D0%B0" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Baba Yaga">Baba Yaga</a><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> .</span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">There are a large number of such fairy tales, where the main character is given the task of catching a Bayun Cat; </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">as a rule, such tasks were given in order to destroy a good young man. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Meeting with this fabulous monster means inevitable death. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">To capture the magic cat, </span></span><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD-%D1%86%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Ivan Tsarevich">Ivan Tsarevich</a><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> puts on an iron cap and iron mittens. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">Winning and catching the animal, Ivan Tsarevich delivers him to the palace to his father. </span><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">There, the defeated cat begins to serve the king - telling fairy tales to heal the king with lulling words </span></span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%BE%D1%82_%D0%91%D0%B0%D1%8E%D0%BD#cite_note-5" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: inherit;">[5]</span></span></a></sup><span style="vertical-align: inherit;"> .</span></div>
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3. <b>Cats of Witchcraft</b><br />
<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "segoe ui" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 27px; letter-spacing: 0.27px; white-space: pre-wrap;">In ancient</span><span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "segoe ui" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 27px; letter-spacing: 0.27px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Scotland, it was believed that witches could shapeshift into </span><a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cats?src=hash" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1b95e0; font-family: "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 27px; letter-spacing: 0.27px; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;">#cats</a><span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "segoe ui" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 27px; letter-spacing: 0.27px; white-space: pre-wrap;">. However they had to be careful, as once they had shifted for the ninth time they could not shift back.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; color: #14171a; font-family: "segoe ui" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">In ancient times on the festival of Samhain/Halloween, dishes of milk were left outside houses for a witch who could change into cat form; she’d bless each house in return. But if you didn’t leave an offering of milk, you’d be cursed and your cows’ milk would dry up.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; color: #14171a; font-family: "segoe ui" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Wales, the cat was thought to be a capital weather glass. If she stood or lay with her face towards the fire, it was a sign of frost or snow; if she became frisky, bad weather was near. If the cat washed her face and ears, then rain was sure to come."</span><br />
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tutuduttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467259443677618351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6524956372581516929.post-18533742883845225782018-10-16T11:19:00.001-07:002018-11-11T14:34:57.877-08:00Casa del Rio in Malacca<b>Casa del Rio </b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Saturday, 13 Oct 2018. On a day trip to Malacca, we had lunch at the Casa del Rio, a vintage boutique hotel in Malacca, located by the Malacca River.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">This is the only place in Malaysia which reminds me of the grand old mansions in Havana, Cuba. The food was mediocre, though. It's only worth going for the tiffin lunch on weekdays.</span><br />
<br />tutuduttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467259443677618351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6524956372581516929.post-33259888651348236702018-10-16T11:13:00.001-07:002018-11-11T14:38:08.771-08:00Book Launch in Malacca<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.87); font-family: "roboto" , "robotodraft" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Book Launch of <i>Stories of One Malaccan Family. </i></span></b></span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "roboto" , "robotodraft" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">On Saturday, 13 October 2018, we attended a book launch at the Baba and Nyonya Heritage Museum in Malacca. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> The museum is located at Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Loke (Heeren Street), a part of the historic </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">inner city which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. An immersive experience in the Peranakan culture- a hybrid of Chinese and Malay. Enjoyed the beautiful museum, the performance and the food. Met </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=782822585&extragetparams=%7B%22__tn__%22%3A%22%2CdK-R-R%22%2C%22eid%22%3A%22ARAyeYAS40QooTX-MEMx7wisD5M3CgNAq1-vwvLnjrvNQDyTekX2GInW5aT8kTaV8NKcSWgJyq26Kssz%22%2C%22fref%22%3A%22mentions%22%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/lee.s.kim?__tn__=%2CdK-R-R&eid=ARAyeYAS40QooTX-MEMx7wisD5M3CgNAq1-vwvLnjrvNQDyTekX2GInW5aT8kTaV8NKcSWgJyq26Kssz&fref=mentions" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;">Lee Su Kim</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">, the author of the Nyonya Trilogy; and </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=737499177&extragetparams=%7B%22__tn__%22%3A%22%2CdK-R-R%22%2C%22eid%22%3A%22ARDcJ_hKTkjN1TpOG7Ta0C_Ui19JMSVKzDccb3nqv620bPI7Pkunq_b998VuFwaZfH3V6VrxgVWDaTM3%22%2C%22fref%22%3A%22mentions%22%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/freebert.malacca?__tn__=%2CdK-R-R&eid=ARDcJ_hKTkjN1TpOG7Ta0C_Ui19JMSVKzDccb3nqv620bPI7Pkunq_b998VuFwaZfH3V6VrxgVWDaTM3&fref=mentions" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;">Bert Tan</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">, the founder of the Malaysian Heritage & History Club. And the book, Stories of One Malaccan Family, by </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=773330346&extragetparams=%7B%22__tn__%22%3A%22%2CdK-R-R%22%2C%22eid%22%3A%22ARCUTZc4CtvKsvu3zH3hPIx1d7MXxQwkuHS8W5dhHKnoXnbe0JZ-pQMnbQlopuXRC3VTNlSCQ_Dn2Cjq%22%2C%22fref%22%3A%22mentions%22%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/melchica28?__tn__=%2CdK-R-R&eid=ARCUTZc4CtvKsvu3zH3hPIx1d7MXxQwkuHS8W5dhHKnoXnbe0JZ-pQMnbQlopuXRC3VTNlSCQ_Dn2Cjq&fref=mentions" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;">Melissa Chan</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> and Preethi Nair is a treasure!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melissa Chan is the author of the book.<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "roboto" , "robotodraft" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Chans are Peranakan - a hybrid culture combining Chinese and Malay elements and this is reflected in their beautiful traditional costumes. The top, known as a kebaya is hand-embroidered traditionally (but machine embroidered now), while the sarong is made from batik.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "roboto" , "robotodraft" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Entitled, Stories of One Malaccan Family, it is about the Chan family and their remarkable ancestral home. Being an outstanding example of the Straits Settlement Shophouse architecture located in a historic part of the city, the clan decided to turn it into a museum. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG7uFuFPR_iCxJAf_bQZi3xHsmvl-CkSaELCPTWfcdToOMGOSSVZLfIEJSGYTPQU812dnVjVP6HY4m-B43WcGyGgar_MfC3Z6w0sOqCHO4gbZ86C5SLNr4nxrg0fifeQSYWerT9bzR8_8/s1600/Melissa+Chan+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="661" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG7uFuFPR_iCxJAf_bQZi3xHsmvl-CkSaELCPTWfcdToOMGOSSVZLfIEJSGYTPQU812dnVjVP6HY4m-B43WcGyGgar_MfC3Z6w0sOqCHO4gbZ86C5SLNr4nxrg0fifeQSYWerT9bzR8_8/s320/Melissa+Chan+2.jpg" width="296" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkfdspighVlNh87Zvk4gJXAcQhYI0UXz4Kkovj4YHJ-Uhp0D0_FeEkF-TOajSDt8n8MHDtHm8ZsxmqoBI5zKWo1niwwSgIwniVkHWZMi6M0v1UCJc-B5N8LYXoz2WVWjxbcxBB6fOzUg/s1600/Preethi+Nair+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkfdspighVlNh87Zvk4gJXAcQhYI0UXz4Kkovj4YHJ-Uhp0D0_FeEkF-TOajSDt8n8MHDtHm8ZsxmqoBI5zKWo1niwwSgIwniVkHWZMi6M0v1UCJc-B5N8LYXoz2WVWjxbcxBB6fOzUg/s320/Preethi+Nair+1.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preethi Nair is the illustrator</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeKNNNPQJ13TeiHpivarzQkC2rJ1faNNsfba6r3o0EU-Q_FTyIh4DN2Fz7YznPSOHSdQG0D6JEZrtNicFHtupnLJADa2AH7ikRyHjkgLFFLyL9t-pUIn27Ecv1t4ivoLf-zc5rYF8a4Ik/s1600/Yean+%2526+Henry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeKNNNPQJ13TeiHpivarzQkC2rJ1faNNsfba6r3o0EU-Q_FTyIh4DN2Fz7YznPSOHSdQG0D6JEZrtNicFHtupnLJADa2AH7ikRyHjkgLFFLyL9t-pUIn27Ecv1t4ivoLf-zc5rYF8a4Ik/s320/Yean+%2526+Henry.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yean and Henry Chan at the book launch<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0c8f4CtKOI_vgtILcct_lqB8r-0u5SYDLQ5hHJDBQLnU3EcJh639g_V0TTIFNTEHVpugjUV0UkmZPQ72hcuZlHQiurybAHheaooUZLwRW3gywXGdAvI7F4-Urporn3NIVs7Srodq7jfk/s1600/Malacca+house+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="703" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0c8f4CtKOI_vgtILcct_lqB8r-0u5SYDLQ5hHJDBQLnU3EcJh639g_V0TTIFNTEHVpugjUV0UkmZPQ72hcuZlHQiurybAHheaooUZLwRW3gywXGdAvI7F4-Urporn3NIVs7Srodq7jfk/s320/Malacca+house+1.jpg" width="315" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Chan family's ancestral home is now the <br />
Baba and Nyonya Heritage Museum</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi538WER8RlxqueOLOXXAvLS07MYuABcYzZT95WoDuhzakH3sygXO6XzeS1YDQ7fuIJQmJOXQAji3R6X2I0ZwKi0O5fSFqpdO7DVQVXBvhIUFFm6a2MGpilb9T3BV-4I8GX5TOq4v39Z40/s1600/Malacca+House+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi538WER8RlxqueOLOXXAvLS07MYuABcYzZT95WoDuhzakH3sygXO6XzeS1YDQ7fuIJQmJOXQAji3R6X2I0ZwKi0O5fSFqpdO7DVQVXBvhIUFFm6a2MGpilb9T3BV-4I8GX5TOq4v39Z40/s320/Malacca+House+2.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guests were served an array of <br />
Nyonya delicacies at the launch.<br />
The pastries are pineapple tarts, a Nyonya invention?</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br />The lavishly illustrated book, Stories of One Malaccan Family is by </span><a aria-describedby="u_10_1" aria-owns="js_uv" class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=773330346&extragetparams=%7B%22__tn__%22%3A%22%2CdK-R-R%22%2C%22eid%22%3A%22ARAtDdc1KC8IaBua4o3Kh7FnYaQoW3oj-rvvSKyob5AMNgZQcvWW0e02QD763cL_IySBcQhDUqSF4_3h%22%2C%22fref%22%3A%22mentions%22%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/melchica28?__tn__=%2CdK-R-R&eid=ARAtDdc1KC8IaBua4o3Kh7FnYaQoW3oj-rvvSKyob5AMNgZQcvWW0e02QD763cL_IySBcQhDUqSF4_3h&fref=mentions" id="js_ux" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; outline: none;">Melissa Chan</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> with her father, Henry Chan, and illustrated by Preethi Nair. It took Melissa and Preethi five years to complete this gorgeous book, which was written in honour of the Chan family, and their remarkable home. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "roboto" , "robotodraft" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> collection of stories about the Chan family covers four generations - before the Second World War, during the war and after. While the First World War had little impact on this part of the world, the Second World War had a huge impact. The country, then Malaya, and almost the whole of Southeast Asia was occupied by the Japanese Imperial Army. The Chinese who have settled in this part of the world were especially adversely affected. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVaTA4c0KxsgadambmUY1G7v7Ix2Ce34Ki4ZmidSFDKokrErBlIonZdS1AYaaP8LiAzLanX-mdVE7zBkNYJPPNZ2i7EEIp-afG51iBu3H1cQHTJPjSJ1cS8Z76QeI_NgyoEFSY6hMuCA/s1600/Book+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1099" data-original-width="1600" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVaTA4c0KxsgadambmUY1G7v7Ix2Ce34Ki4ZmidSFDKokrErBlIonZdS1AYaaP8LiAzLanX-mdVE7zBkNYJPPNZ2i7EEIp-afG51iBu3H1cQHTJPjSJ1cS8Z76QeI_NgyoEFSY6hMuCA/s320/Book+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The book, entitled Stories of One Malaccan Family<br />
is a collectible Malaysiana</td></tr>
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tutuduttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467259443677618351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6524956372581516929.post-38024887656981535282018-05-20T23:40:00.000-07:002018-12-20T07:18:14.341-08:00Malay Magic And Divination<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Malay Magic and Divination</span></b></div>
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The long awaited talk on Malay Magic and Divination by Dr Farouk Yahya from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), of the University of London and the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford University finally took place this afternoon (16 July 2017) at the Ilham Gallery, Kuala Lumpur. The hall was packed, and I recognised several friends from the writing community: <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=675568325&extragetparams=%7B%22fref%22%3A%22mentions%22%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharifahosman?fref=mentions" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">Sharifah A. Osman</a>, <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=691868333&extragetparams=%7B%22fref%22%3A%22mentions%22%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/ninotaziz?fref=mentions" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">Ninot Aziz</a>, <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=792679341&extragetparams=%7B%22fref%22%3A%22mentions%22%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/RJAbrahamRJA?fref=mentions" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">RJ Es RJ Ibrahim</a>, <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=704768554&extragetparams=%7B%22fref%22%3A%22mentions%22%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/squaremean?fref=mentions" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">SquareMean Burhan</a>, Lokman Hakim, Heidi Shamsudin and Amir Mohammad (publisher and film producer.)</div>
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Dr Farouk's talk was based on his research for his PhD. He studied over one hundred illustrated manuscripts from this region (all written by men<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;"> for sure because most women were probably illiterate at that time.) Many of these manuscripts are found in the SOAS Library, the Ashmolean Museum and also thankfully, the National Library of Malaysia. </span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">He explained the differences between manuscripts - which were text written on loose leaf paper, and a codex, when they are bound in book form. There are also folding books and scrolls. Malay manuscripts were usually written in Arabic and most originated in the 18th and 19th Centuries.</span></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">Many of them were about magic. Farouk Yahya defined magic as an act that seeks to alter the course of events - usually by calling on supernatural forces. Magic usually involved incantations and spells. He mentioned the Hikayat Hang Tuah, found in Malacca in 1882 but thought to be composed in Johor between 1680 - 1710. According to Farouk Yahya, although the story did not contain any love spells, it mentioned a spell used by Hang Tuah to make Tun Teja hate him!</span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">He showed us a Divination Diagramme called a Rajamuka Diagramme, by Haji San Lundang which originated from Singapore in 1907. It explains divination through breathing - the right nostrils or the left nostrils. I failed to grasp this completely. </span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">There were also methods to bind and harm people by using effigies. E.g. one could draw an image on the ground and squat on the shoulders and defecate and urinate into what is the mouth! This should be done seven days in a row. Or one could draw an effigy and use the heel of the shoe to twist into the heart; this needs to be done three days in a row. </span></div>
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I can't help feeling a tad disappointed though. Oddly enough because it was too 'high brow' - a study of hand written and illustrated manuscripts based on Indian and Arab knowledge available at that time. No doubt the educated intelligentsia of that time regarded folk magic/knowledge as too low brow to be included in the manuscripts. Therefore, No rituals, no jampi (spells and incantations), no love potions (although there was a mention of a hate potion) and no descriptions of djins/demons. Most disappointing of all (Sharifah and I agreed on this), no mention of Nenek Kebayan, the healers and shamans/witches of the Malay world.<br />
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However we did learn a rather unpleasant curse and the ancient Indian and Malay divination method of choosing an auspicious house based on measurements of the width of the house and the land area, the right colours for the house (?) and the best time to see the king etc He also explained the significance of house number - 1 = Standard/naga, 2 = smoke/cloud/cat, 3 = tiger/lion, 4 = dog, 5 = bull/serpent/naga, 6 = rat/donkey, 7 = elephant/eagle and 8 = hare/crow. Basically, odd numbers are more auspicious than even numbers.<br />
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And there were some interesting information about Nagas. Dr Farouk showed a slide of a stone with inscriptions on it dating from the Sri Vijayan period with seven nagas surrounding it. The Naga stone originated from the 7th Century in Palembang, Sumatra. The inscriptions were written in an Indic language.<br />
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There was also the concept of the Rotating Naga. The naga guarding the land is thought to rotate every three months - North, East, South and West.</div>
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tutuduttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467259443677618351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6524956372581516929.post-21068463874472421922017-08-18T10:45:00.001-07:002017-08-18T10:56:10.591-07:00Commentary on Nights of the Dark Moon by Zozan Abrams<b><span style="font-size: large;">Commentary on Nights of the Dark Moon by Zozan Abrams</span></b><br />
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Zozan Abrams (real name Susan Abraham) wrote a commentary on of my book, Nights of the Dark Moon. I call it a commentary because she said it was not a review. But it is intriguing and gives a different perspective of the book.<br />
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Zozan is an avid reader and extremely <i>au fait</i> with the literature of the Arab speaking world. She is also an author and a poet, having published two volumes: <i>Call the Ships of Dar-es-Salaam</i> and <i>The Weather Peddler.</i> You can visit her blog at:<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">https://sausanreads.com/</span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijxgncxAWyLNLxJGpu2ye0wYEBOpLKNb6cENTisZ_m56kBW3yviBD413SI6QD3E4NzdCWaNIhfjrJQSzQOj0jR0EpDR9TgJXbdbGTJB8BjBXaUm7NwCUf8zlJBneswf6q5xzvDcdwb4F0/s1600/nights+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1147" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijxgncxAWyLNLxJGpu2ye0wYEBOpLKNb6cENTisZ_m56kBW3yviBD413SI6QD3E4NzdCWaNIhfjrJQSzQOj0jR0EpDR9TgJXbdbGTJB8BjBXaUm7NwCUf8zlJBneswf6q5xzvDcdwb4F0/s320/nights+cover.jpg" width="229" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The book is available at<br />
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nights-Dark-Moon-Tutu-Dutta/dp/9814771996<br />
https://www.amazon.com/dp/9814771996<br />
https://localbooks.sg/product/nights-dark-moon/</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
https://books.telegraph.co.uk/Product/Tuttu-Dutta/Nights-of-the-Dark-Moon--Gothic-Folktales-from-Asia-and-Africa/20756352<br />
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<article class="post-3253 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-uncategorized tag-gothic-folktales tag-marshall-cavendish-editions tag-nights-of-the-dark-moon tag-tutu-dutta tag-young-adult" id="post-3253" style="border: 0px; clear: both; color: #302b24; font-family: Kameron, Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 0px 35px; outline: 0px; padding: 40px 0px 25px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="article-liner" style="background: url("/wp-content/themes/premium/a-simpler-time/images/hentry-border.png") repeat-y rgb(248, 246, 241); border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 15px 40px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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Not any kind of review but just some thoughts on a young adult storybook, I read recently. I had placed this post on my Facebook Timeline and I thought that it would serve as a kind of incentive… a motivating factor to get me blogging about books again. This would be a one-off as my love of books lie in serious fiction that focus on relationships. I am not a fan of horror or supernatural elements. I do love talking about my favourite books. I just need to recall the discipline:</div>
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‘I ferried Malaysian writer, Tutu Dutta’s newest storybook called Nights of the Dark Moon, published by Marshall Cavendish Editions in Singapore, to Dublin, a few days ago. It will prove an enthralling addition to my library. It is a beautiful looking book comprising 13 gothic Asian folktales. These also include two from Africa. I feel like a child again.. ready to cherish the glossy cover, thick cream pages & illuminating b/w sketches that enfold the start of every tale. These are from Dutta’s own talented hand.</div>
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At just RM49.90 (Malaysian Ringgit), Nights of the Dark Moon is no less, a great gift for an older child. After having read it all, I would term the collection as grim fairy- tales; some even signifying high mystery and adventure. All stay riveting, captivating and gripping in their context. Each tale offers stimulating wisdom for a lifetime. Tutu Dutta narrates her stories with an engaging vocabulary, a great lov<img alt="" class="alignright size-full wp-image-3255" data-attachment-id="3255" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="tutupng" data-large-file="https://sausanreads1.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/tutupng.png?w=590&h=332?w=590" data-medium-file="https://sausanreads1.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/tutupng.png?w=590&h=332?w=300" data-orig-file="https://sausanreads1.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/tutupng.png?w=590&h=332" data-orig-size="1006,566" data-permalink="https://sausanreads.com/2017/08/07/nights-of-the-dark-moon-by-tutu-dutta/tutupng/#main" height="332" sizes="(max-width: 590px) 100vw, 590px" src="https://sausanreads1.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/tutupng.png?w=590&h=332" srcset="https://sausanreads1.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/tutupng.png?w=590&h=332 590w, https://sausanreads1.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/tutupng.png?w=150&h=84 150w, https://sausanreads1.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/tutupng.png?w=300&h=169 300w, https://sausanreads1.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/tutupng.png?w=768&h=432 768w, https://sausanreads1.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/tutupng.png 1006w" style="border: 0px; display: block; float: right; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: auto; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 0px 20px 20px; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="590" />e for thoughtful storytelling and also, with painstaking affection.</div>
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Just think of the few ugly demons that pop up as more of witches & wizards bent on their missions of hell.</div>
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My favourite stays the first one, The Haunted Bridge of Agi. Possibly because, an older Malay friend with great knowledge of Malay culture, told me two years ago, about a true and eerie ghost tale… this very kind of bridge is said to exist somewhere in Perak state of the Malaysian Peninsula. There are said to be night ghosts on the bridge and the only ones that they will not harm – that are allowed to make a return crossing safely – are those holding a royal Perakian bloodline. Otherwise, you will be faced with a devil in front of you at some point, and your wily, frightening escape, will then depend on how bravely you handle the shock.</div>
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Although the tales in the book are ancient Asian folklore in retrospect but they appear to hold a distinct European flavour in parts, especially with the dramatic but tragic love story gone wrong in India’s The Weeping Lady. It was so romantic, I even forgot it was a ghost story and supposed to raise the hairs on my neck.</div>
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Then, I found another Indian tale, King Vikram and Betaal the Vampire to be truly ticklish. I mean, when you think about it, these days, we live in such an evil world that even the Vampire here, appears a real gem. It knows how to hold a civil dialogue with an irate King and unlike many today, practices its own serious moral code of ethics and integrity.</div>
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The stories although nicely arranged, proved a rather tame read but then, that is understandable as I am now an older adult and have already devoured hundreds and hundreds of similar tales like these, as a child. It would be a natural effect. Hang Nadim – the legend of old Singapore’s swordfish battles, was narrated to me in the classroom at nine; by our Primary School teacher, who loved oral storytelling. She was called Cikgu Norsiah. When I first heard it, I was held enraptured to my little, wooden chair in Standard 3.</div>
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I also know of the Yoruba tale, The Curse of the Iroko Tree, that originated possibly from Ibadan. I don’t know if I had read this from some African literature in my library or picked up the tale of a child found in a tree and had to be returned to it as an adult, from some Yoruba classic film which I would have watched. A lot of Yoruba films rely on proverbs and oral-storytelling of old but I can’t remember the source, now.</div>
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Still, another two elements I strongly feel, that might have removed any possibility of a chilling fear could also have been the following: One: With the exception of the illustration, heralding The Shapeshifter of Co Lao – a clearly ghostly drawing, all the rest of the sketches were pleasant and pleasing. Maybe in future, Tutu Dutta could challenge herself to create more frightening images. That would help the ‘ghostly flavour’ of the book by leaps and bounds.</div>
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Also, in real life, I’ve found with a few good supernatural encounters of my own – incidents that defy logic – that fear pops up suddenly from sideways or behind a person, without warning. It’s almost lawless, there’s never a perfect timing or order. In the Nights of the Dark Moon, where the moon becomes the motivating element for a ghost to appear, after a while, there this a strong chance that this may appear predictable and formulaic with its tidy and orderly protocol.</div>
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The child might know what to expect in advance, further down the pages and so, both excitement and anticipation, could be sadly curbed.</div>
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I think that Nights of the Dark Moon would be a wonderful meditation even as parents or grandparents choose to read to a child or to have chats with then, either a 10, 11 or 12 year old. Not as a bedtime read of course, but as something far more ruminative. Where the child could absorb good judgement ie. foresight and understanding, about people in the real world today – both good and bad. Some evil can be eliminated, some others like bullies or thugs – well… it’s best to keep a careful distance.</div>
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Perhaps, more importantly also, on how not to be naive or to trust just any stranger too easily and also, to recognise that time is probably the best teacher in the aspect of studying human characterisation. Also, many other lifelong and necessary ethics that may be drawn upon, to make the child rise as a fabulous thinker turning it eventually, into an adult reader, holding profound intuition.’</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Further Reading</em></span>:</div>
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<a href="https://tutudutta.blogspot.ie/%22" style="border: 0px; color: #a3251d; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Tutu Dutta’s Blog</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.mphonline.com/books/nsearchdetails.aspx?&pcode=9789814771993" style="border: 0px; color: #a3251d; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How to Purchase Nights of the Dark Moon from Malaysia</a><br />
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Note</span>: Speaking from my own experience, MPH Bookstores in Malaysia are excellent with international courier deliveries and I have received my book parcels here in Europe in the past, in record time.</div>
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</article>tutuduttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467259443677618351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6524956372581516929.post-75603233468423026082017-05-23T11:26:00.001-07:002017-06-13T06:19:19.201-07:00Asian Festival of Children's Content (AFCC 2017)<h3>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">AFCC 2017 Singapore</span></b></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWS205QjQl3eEUKBBhxQj7FAywkI9-SS9tcGq2gUhTiT4dGL-OxujBVAX2-fBk8JBCWs1rWQ2yGLyq6yWtacM0xgdWX7vR1tPn1PWPDzcYX1dwS-6zUMCZEirDx0DaJ2IPkJHJI9xcnk/s1600/AFCC+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWS205QjQl3eEUKBBhxQj7FAywkI9-SS9tcGq2gUhTiT4dGL-OxujBVAX2-fBk8JBCWs1rWQ2yGLyq6yWtacM0xgdWX7vR1tPn1PWPDzcYX1dwS-6zUMCZEirDx0DaJ2IPkJHJI9xcnk/s640/AFCC+Poster.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The country of focus this year was Indonesia and events at the National Library of Singapore was as multifarious as this amazing archipelago.<br />
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The guest of honour, however, was the distinguished PJ Lynch, the na nOg or Children's Laureate of Ireland. In his keynote address, he made the point that a small country like Ireland found a way to stand out in the world through literature... and also thanks to the rock band, U2.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_uNT7TpRL1GCVSIS8N0tqXrsx_Fsu6VRPyxViEzhV6k1i2xeZSsKbNO18svBzxDgre9_XUk5p0RQp4GKFxFKjWgjyZuP8MY-qe2RV00kujzu_Qudvr_GEDKyAd6AdQCi28cGmIrXD_gw/s1600/PJLynch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_uNT7TpRL1GCVSIS8N0tqXrsx_Fsu6VRPyxViEzhV6k1i2xeZSsKbNO18svBzxDgre9_XUk5p0RQp4GKFxFKjWgjyZuP8MY-qe2RV00kujzu_Qudvr_GEDKyAd6AdQCi28cGmIrXD_gw/s400/PJLynch.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">In The Presence Of Greatness: P.J. Lynch, Multi-Award Winning Illustrator and </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Ireland's 4th Laureate for Children's Literature</span><br />
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Enchanted by P.J. Lynch's illust<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">rations during his Children's Literature Lecture tonight. He has won many awards including Hans Christian Andersen Award, Mother Goose Award and the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal on two occasions, amongst others. Text and montage from AFCC 2017</span></div>
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Also present was the noted illustrator, James Mayhew (I honestly thought he was related to Jonathon Mayhew, the YA writer from UK) who came as a speaker and participated in the dueling artist event as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4pcIem2yM-FwzVomioXNXq-HfK0a8WXZARuUnG5QkRsT9kw-haaVxhClPOAo4Gt9eP-uHR5hqoYRBykVL6HjHc3eIF1-FAzNSB9O8b_RTplo91ii7UATtXRh9MpnoumvsDr6De9jsUJI/s1600/JamesMayhew4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4pcIem2yM-FwzVomioXNXq-HfK0a8WXZARuUnG5QkRsT9kw-haaVxhClPOAo4Gt9eP-uHR5hqoYRBykVL6HjHc3eIF1-FAzNSB9O8b_RTplo91ii7UATtXRh9MpnoumvsDr6De9jsUJI/s640/JamesMayhew4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Mayhew illustrates the story as recounted by Rosemarie Somaiah, to the accompaniment of Gamelan music.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhmOeZpKO7BwOi7f0mPp4uvImp3L4H0LHGgsk9FnG42FgOuz3rlkDMRJyFpsZ7h0jBiwdspveXVbiQAJSQtYx_GDVoddFbBwoPpEnyNE6ssMdVL8O2QhrLFLzUU654ks_yR_lwR53jgY/s1600/Rosemarie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhmOeZpKO7BwOi7f0mPp4uvImp3L4H0LHGgsk9FnG42FgOuz3rlkDMRJyFpsZ7h0jBiwdspveXVbiQAJSQtYx_GDVoddFbBwoPpEnyNE6ssMdVL8O2QhrLFLzUU654ks_yR_lwR53jgY/s400/Rosemarie.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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I can't deny that AFCC 2017 has been a momentous event for me, not least because I presented two papers, Folklore Finesse and Hidden Elements, which I will talk about later.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFdJ9Bh04BfXgtjwJwpWRZS-_dcOA4Hef7uFJZzlmedX_8Aiv-aZtouPdoQVPMY0EeEmtiLlq1mg7b7e2A1jeZeeCsiILCoqa_8Ai4b4uC_5vhPS6Gd6_5qYVWaBtbeWqS3CBX6kQ9Z0I/s1600/JamesMayhew3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFdJ9Bh04BfXgtjwJwpWRZS-_dcOA4Hef7uFJZzlmedX_8Aiv-aZtouPdoQVPMY0EeEmtiLlq1mg7b7e2A1jeZeeCsiILCoqa_8Ai4b4uC_5vhPS6Gd6_5qYVWaBtbeWqS3CBX6kQ9Z0I/s320/JamesMayhew3.jpg" width="176" /></a>First and foremost it was a great opportunity to network. Among the people who were there: Heidi Shamsuddin and Teoh Choon Ean, two prominent children's writers from Malaysia. Heidi was there as a speaker and also to launch her new books, published by her fledgling company, Paper Moon; while Choon Ean was there to launch her latest books.<br />
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Another surprise was bumping into Quah Sze Mei, General Manager and Lilian Ng, Marketing Executive, both from MPH Publishing (Malaysia). Interesting bit of news from Sze Mei was the fact that MPH Malaysia has bought over MPH Singapore. The year before, we heard that MPH also bought over Pelanduk, one of the oldest publishing houses in Malaysia.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhRCsgvkL9XMqbpVvv7xTOVJDDtiT2cSStcvVnPh3XZoazxw_PwzU4YdySq1-ywt4hifwozjbL4-pekZofGDxfj4NTArAQfUn3ZBrL3IfxTgJLv6286qFSDWN2J3X53CiPqgoS-op5yI/s1600/HeidiShamsuddin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhRCsgvkL9XMqbpVvv7xTOVJDDtiT2cSStcvVnPh3XZoazxw_PwzU4YdySq1-ywt4hifwozjbL4-pekZofGDxfj4NTArAQfUn3ZBrL3IfxTgJLv6286qFSDWN2J3X53CiPqgoS-op5yI/s320/HeidiShamsuddin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I also met Emila Yusof on the first night. Her gorgeous picture book, <i>How Rooster Became the Zodiac Animal</i> was shortlisted for the Scholastic Asia Picture Book Prize. The prize however, went to a book called, <i>The Little Durian Tree</i>, written and illustrated by a group of Singaporean college students, much to everyone's surprise.<br />
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Tan Vay Fern and I also made a submission, entitled, <i>Meng the Tiger</i>, but alas we were not even shortlisted. Apparently, there were around 130 entries this year and competition was really stiff.<br />
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Among the Singaporeans, were Kenneth Quek, Festival Director and his mother, Susannah Goho, a noted Malaysian children's writer and illustrator. Also the talented storyteller/writer Rosemarie Somiah, the moderator for Folklore Finesse and Darel Seow, the moderator for Hidden Elements.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit267mcT6Z9QLKSS_9RNwDijEfq80m5z7Jd2hmxkwVaP29SnXkhkxYu8_O8Q6fMpO0IIVyB4JD1WyMBD518hcHcgwL_8cXXyFLPV-Qb76iiKdk3W05JV7C5bsrYjbV2aFDMw492o5R-OY/s1600/DaveLiew3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit267mcT6Z9QLKSS_9RNwDijEfq80m5z7Jd2hmxkwVaP29SnXkhkxYu8_O8Q6fMpO0IIVyB4JD1WyMBD518hcHcgwL_8cXXyFLPV-Qb76iiKdk3W05JV7C5bsrYjbV2aFDMw492o5R-OY/s400/DaveLiew3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dave Liew and James Mayhew</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxOXCknwaRt2b7hZ3pG096dnYa50Q4fs53mw8SefwqLx2KphZ1toQB5q7pjKNsdH9SNw7K966yoi8LWPPJvNcii8F5d0SVw8TTcX6ZY9Udai5LI8Y1vLv_d8onFYr5WGFYPk6KzucWJEA/s1600/DaveLiew2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="814" data-original-width="960" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxOXCknwaRt2b7hZ3pG096dnYa50Q4fs53mw8SefwqLx2KphZ1toQB5q7pjKNsdH9SNw7K966yoi8LWPPJvNcii8F5d0SVw8TTcX6ZY9Udai5LI8Y1vLv_d8onFYr5WGFYPk6KzucWJEA/s400/DaveLiew2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dave Liew's masterpiece. These illustrations will be worth a lot at some future time!</td></tr>
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Not forgetting Alycia Teo, the super efficient Festival Manager and the affable and talented Dave Liew, one of the speakers from Singapore. Dave was also one of five Festival Artist. This year, he did not participate in the Duelling Illustrators event - that stage was held by Briony Stewert and Festival Artist, Stephanie Raphaela Ho. I vaguely remember, they had to illustrate a story being read aloud about a lonely steam bun who was befriended by a cockroach. It ended with them walking into the sunset to live happily ever after... of course someone in the audience had to mention, 'Until the cockroach eats the steam bun...'<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5aYj6Psz3E9pcKx_iKlCJgte_rUwYl70cHGDQtIIbbOVITk2LBR4qhDL2p-iQw-aWFczfGOYlc2C8LquWZo2BkkSH8_8fbi4FBUWYRnR2GIvrw20ubei4pFKC5xWdInsU-D6EeASROI/s1600/KennethHeidiDave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5aYj6Psz3E9pcKx_iKlCJgte_rUwYl70cHGDQtIIbbOVITk2LBR4qhDL2p-iQw-aWFczfGOYlc2C8LquWZo2BkkSH8_8fbi4FBUWYRnR2GIvrw20ubei4pFKC5xWdInsU-D6EeASROI/s400/KennethHeidiDave.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kenneth Quek, Heidi Shamsuddin and Dave Liew. Picture stolen from Heidi's FB page...</td></tr>
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Heidi had a very interesting discussion/debate about "Who Gets to Write Asian Stories?" She brought up the point that writers should 'Decolonise' our writings, which was an idea the speakers and audience picked up. This sketch by Favian Ee, summarises the debate:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6JIGsSlDJEyTgiGtCSSl2jwLO079KrzH0TIkjJoaCR_1RUrpnrHSgYndOx0aD1zRzP1dt5pwIA3tXkGW6tPr_FV_dTD0ZtMsIOS8Hv7fXRIC11PE2eCNcJceEtIGODVfyHVy_A__b0SY/s1600/18664134_10156105751811124_6417421317557432326_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="459" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6JIGsSlDJEyTgiGtCSSl2jwLO079KrzH0TIkjJoaCR_1RUrpnrHSgYndOx0aD1zRzP1dt5pwIA3tXkGW6tPr_FV_dTD0ZtMsIOS8Hv7fXRIC11PE2eCNcJceEtIGODVfyHVy_A__b0SY/s640/18664134_10156105751811124_6417421317557432326_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great advice from everyone! Picture by Wanda Nazri - procured via Heidi Shamsuddin</td></tr>
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Incidentally, Irwan Junaidy, from The R&D Studio, an outfit specialising in VFX and animation also attended AFCC 2017. Apparently, R&D Studio is now a sister company of PaperMoon and they are pitching to Nickelodeon. Wow! Wish them luck. Fantastic if they pull it off.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIcBZfp7QUD8uLQoBQw0uNBSlX7hciPeVgw2ynpd27mSQ8o8nALCoXccpVJIjEupRMKGcN-KwD8KRU7Svyti6gvkyiLTFJ6H0GntAo1tvDsN7nlWyBm6r6vlIf7aoY7rnPmpvIuRuZNs/s1600/Favian+drawing+JamesMayhew.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIcBZfp7QUD8uLQoBQw0uNBSlX7hciPeVgw2ynpd27mSQ8o8nALCoXccpVJIjEupRMKGcN-KwD8KRU7Svyti6gvkyiLTFJ6H0GntAo1tvDsN7nlWyBm6r6vlIf7aoY7rnPmpvIuRuZNs/s400/Favian+drawing+JamesMayhew.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illustration by Favian Ee, one of five illustrators assigned to<br />
capture the scenes at AFCC 2017. </td></tr>
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I also said farewell to Emma Nicholson, a writer/illustrator, whom I first met at the Bookaroo Children's Literature Festival in Kuching in 2016. Emma is returning to the UK in July.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEher-jsyC_eJMDMdPi11gEXdG5fEYwG3JL1BGjM4PJFp8vjGYfe0zL6U_fWOqjb7ZabTf0W1jD_N2hlmZnvSymjetw062pNrBANQZFXHhjytDcpGQg5QpPnwSQswYFA9RRYq4h1mLoaEzA/s1600/EmmaNicholson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEher-jsyC_eJMDMdPi11gEXdG5fEYwG3JL1BGjM4PJFp8vjGYfe0zL6U_fWOqjb7ZabTf0W1jD_N2hlmZnvSymjetw062pNrBANQZFXHhjytDcpGQg5QpPnwSQswYFA9RRYq4h1mLoaEzA/s400/EmmaNicholson.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma reading from her book, Princess Petunia's Dragon at the official bookstore -<br />
Closetful of Books<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbomW7Twk9VozWrtsvBuYKGR4rdXC17hVmTKGtE_uokJm5sRx2DwJICMy9eLQI3XoMeILrkVi7VKvKwhsBkqJQCsVP84-MFuXVccOkgb4VWTAf9VEPQpcOB5mmEuoDtA1-PCqTYpFn2tU/s1600/EmmaNicholson2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbomW7Twk9VozWrtsvBuYKGR4rdXC17hVmTKGtE_uokJm5sRx2DwJICMy9eLQI3XoMeILrkVi7VKvKwhsBkqJQCsVP84-MFuXVccOkgb4VWTAf9VEPQpcOB5mmEuoDtA1-PCqTYpFn2tU/s400/EmmaNicholson2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
Singapore author Don Bosco had a book launch for his latest books: The Blade Quest Series, which promises to be a huge hit!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWDD0FmjbpaD_JpBQ0PZMwxBP5GLZkvtcQrdRhwBrZHd_z_GNpWivdfZuNZX4dZV2rUtlk0WYQXzGNNs7yO4u-YQ0x-1q9W2y52pIoNtWFM0N7FTEVG1ZpE0GV3KgaTat6SocP3kaLQeA/s1600/DonBosco1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWDD0FmjbpaD_JpBQ0PZMwxBP5GLZkvtcQrdRhwBrZHd_z_GNpWivdfZuNZX4dZV2rUtlk0WYQXzGNNs7yO4u-YQ0x-1q9W2y52pIoNtWFM0N7FTEVG1ZpE0GV3KgaTat6SocP3kaLQeA/s400/DonBosco1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don Bosco signing books at his publisher's booth at AFCC 2017</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Teoh Choon Ean had a book launch as well:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUV1inLP1WhoBU2Lx5jPfJKe_a6FgF0-PXdCh171p1zmxJgqx0PFA8kGimHVuIQ1TGY6VvyumyupUixlN3DGWlVmPUxGDOX930IdYdBEV_CslIZLIHmkGSdqqs5U6c47PALjlkIzf1LeA/s1600/ChoonEan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUV1inLP1WhoBU2Lx5jPfJKe_a6FgF0-PXdCh171p1zmxJgqx0PFA8kGimHVuIQ1TGY6VvyumyupUixlN3DGWlVmPUxGDOX930IdYdBEV_CslIZLIHmkGSdqqs5U6c47PALjlkIzf1LeA/s320/ChoonEan.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB-9s4-Q2vXU-1xJIqiASpJ3nn_W6WYRmGhDff3cnnfxIuogbEbyReBehyF4-y7j_UtiXO5dgDH9YzjPvbTusZrijcXhhGoTuXLrG2AxyRg3lhDIjah_veYVkVwnpJREYVHJUXe2yws2Q/s1600/ChoonEan1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB-9s4-Q2vXU-1xJIqiASpJ3nn_W6WYRmGhDff3cnnfxIuogbEbyReBehyF4-y7j_UtiXO5dgDH9YzjPvbTusZrijcXhhGoTuXLrG2AxyRg3lhDIjah_veYVkVwnpJREYVHJUXe2yws2Q/s400/ChoonEan1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><br /></b>
Last but not least, I managed to have a chat with Sayoni Basu, Publisher at Duckbill Books, someone I first met all the way back at AFCC 2012 (my very first AFCC.) I think she had just started her publishing company with Anushka Ravishankar then. Anyway, I've watched with amazement as Duckbill grew into a leading publisher of children's books in India.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLEFklwH-gl559m32yQXMvBEK_ZUb8o6OQy2Py7my6sKd7lHMRSSWVnYvryfl21WW0iMML37rbt12xMhZd2n0HUCsw8TSWvYhdG7f6aq9Daijemmn1lHTYTtslKKYw48jyUDBsC0UiDCY/s1600/Duckbill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLEFklwH-gl559m32yQXMvBEK_ZUb8o6OQy2Py7my6sKd7lHMRSSWVnYvryfl21WW0iMML37rbt12xMhZd2n0HUCsw8TSWvYhdG7f6aq9Daijemmn1lHTYTtslKKYw48jyUDBsC0UiDCY/s640/Duckbill.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The eye-catching books published by Duckbill. They were on sale at Closetful of Books as well.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Among the participants who introduced themselves to me were: Sierra Mae Paraan, an Education Specialist, Author and Children Storybook Researcher from the Philippines; Srividya Venkat, a Children's Writer, Storyteller and Blogger from India & Singapore, Fanny Santoso, an illustrator from Indonesia; Amelia Jaishree, a Lecturer from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore; and Afiyon Kristiyan and Veronica Indrayati from Sekolah Terpadu Pahoa from Indonesia.<br />
<br />
<b>Now back to my papers:</b><br />
<b>Folklore Finesse:</b><span style="font-size: 29.3333px;"> </span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;">Retelling
and Synthesis of a Contemporary or an Original Story based on folktale(s).</span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "cambria" , serif;">Or </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "cambria" , serif;">How to incorporate folklore into the plot of your
original story? Or use a storyline from an ancient folktale and turn it into a
contemporary story?</span></div>
<br />
This paper was not all that difficult to put together because it was more or less based on a paper I had presented much earlier in 2013. I just had to update and refine it. In fact, the distance afforded by time gave me a clearer picture of what I had wanted to bring across.<br />
<br />
The session was moderated by Rosemarie Somaiah, who brought her own insights into the discussions.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vD7tP4zUcASuBsHvwYwJSiKzsSEa-uI5v_3SXMLfQN-FiT5VlVoEt2_hyphenhyphenTFSXffXQZumv3IyggzCBkRx1n_lV_h6Qy54Yp7iDLXXZXYoeOXZD2J6CGgdbVTv3goPIaPnMHYv0-taec8/s1600/Tutu%2526Rosemarie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vD7tP4zUcASuBsHvwYwJSiKzsSEa-uI5v_3SXMLfQN-FiT5VlVoEt2_hyphenhyphenTFSXffXQZumv3IyggzCBkRx1n_lV_h6Qy54Yp7iDLXXZXYoeOXZD2J6CGgdbVTv3goPIaPnMHYv0-taec8/s400/Tutu%2526Rosemarie.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosemarie Somaiah and I</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b>Hidden Elements:</b><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "cambria" , serif;">Hide-and-Seek: </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "cambria" , serif; text-align: center;">Hidden Elements from Asian Folklore in </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "cambria" , serif; text-align: center;">Children’s Literature a</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "cambria" , serif; text-align: center;">nd </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "cambria" , serif; text-align: center;">Popular Culture. In this paper, I talked about Dragons, Pheonii, Nagas and Fox Demons! </span><span style="text-align: center;">This paper required somewhat more research but then I've done quite a bit of it in the past as background research for my books on folktales.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">This session was moderated by Darel Seow, who was brought his interest in animals into the discussion.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTF4XQVrEpPAzvNywLZc9K3R-LcPCjd-91QocaCevAjWqj9wYjyJg-XDMVeJWSRXgqPsUDZvBSaUhrjJ9QS6Xdk8rrvOnkBK6b08BDcNn7xdpsutEKChRGjcXIrvNu_uRmZNCXUdXAGs/s1600/TutuDutta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTF4XQVrEpPAzvNywLZc9K3R-LcPCjd-91QocaCevAjWqj9wYjyJg-XDMVeJWSRXgqPsUDZvBSaUhrjJ9QS6Xdk8rrvOnkBK6b08BDcNn7xdpsutEKChRGjcXIrvNu_uRmZNCXUdXAGs/s400/TutuDutta.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Posing with my books at Closetful of Books</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO5WolFNESUpxEWyifIorcxU8xTWqWkq297qCoGmQPElxEfaelPtm4rGYoFK0Iyx-BzdDzgBHx1c0uJFItB6YvauAPXR5HDGXp8FpzrURN6dRIbtekeGROtJKSFxKbzznckxce7bIGcOY/s1600/TD%2527sBooks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO5WolFNESUpxEWyifIorcxU8xTWqWkq297qCoGmQPElxEfaelPtm4rGYoFK0Iyx-BzdDzgBHx1c0uJFItB6YvauAPXR5HDGXp8FpzrURN6dRIbtekeGROtJKSFxKbzznckxce7bIGcOY/s400/TD%2527sBooks.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Incredible! Seven of my books were on sale at Closetful of Books!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And of course, I must not forget to mention, Denise from Closetful of Books, who is the most amazing bookseller I've ever met.<br />
<br />
Finally, many thanks to the Singapore Book Council for inviting me as a speaker at AFCC 2017!<br />
<h3>
</h3>
tutuduttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467259443677618351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6524956372581516929.post-31887010640574915762017-04-02T06:50:00.000-07:002017-04-04T08:47:39.350-07:00Don Bosco: The Author Entrepreneur<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 22.0pt;">Don Bosco: Author and Publisher Extraordinaire,
and Founder of Super Cool Books <o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 22.0pt;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73enssgsFmSr94KMD9TQANtI2n9E5Rc7rwxm422j4kxPWxioeMB8bZNG1_qlhX_3QoROe9e9mkqNPUCoDqY50TBgfbhIxMxe92wNwsJyq1P_vB1FyCywgoplaCuNI9Qd7BrRKMRirbaA/s1600/Don+Bosco+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73enssgsFmSr94KMD9TQANtI2n9E5Rc7rwxm422j4kxPWxioeMB8bZNG1_qlhX_3QoROe9e9mkqNPUCoDqY50TBgfbhIxMxe92wNwsJyq1P_vB1FyCywgoplaCuNI9Qd7BrRKMRirbaA/s320/Don+Bosco+1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 22.0pt;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Don Bosco is
a rarity, at least in our part of the world. The children’s book author from
Singapore is a full time writer and Indie publisher. He started Super Cool
Books in 2011, to self-publish his books and to date his company has produced
16 books, in collaboration with established publishers, and 30 ebooks and
paperbacks. Even more astonishing, Super Cool Books is basically a one-man
outfit, with some assistance from his two young sons. He accomplishes this by
outsourcing some of his work through an international network, in a Herculean
feat of organization and multi-tasking. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">He also does
not fit the traditional profile of the author as a solitary person, driven to
perfect his craft and appears to be more of a businessman, albeit a creative
one. Well we’ve heard of the Hybrid Author, now meet the Author Entrepreneur. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Find out how
he did it…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="background: #F1F0F0; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">1<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> Q1.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">. </span></span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Tell us about yourself: when you first
started writing, why and if you have a day job etc<br />
<br />
Hello! My name is Don Bosco. I write and publish adventure and mystery books
for children. These are mostly inspired by Asian legends and pop culture. I
have a small publishing company for this, it's called Super Cool Books. This is
basically a virtual team of occasional consultants and assistants around the
world who help to put my books together, produce online posts, connect with
distributors, etc. </span><span style="color: #365899; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="background: #F1F0F0;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="background: #F1F0F0;">
<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I started this in 2011 as a project to help my kids
appreciate books better, and since then we have produced around 30 ebooks and
paperbacks under our Super Cool Books imprint, plus 16 or so titles in
collaboration with bigger publishers, and also launched our own iPad ebookstore
with exclusive digital editions. As you might expect, this takes up all my
time, so it's become my day job. </span><span style="color: #365899; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="background: #F1F0F0;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="background: #F1F0F0; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">2.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Are
you the only one behind Super Cool Books or do you have other partners?</span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F1F0F0;">
<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> Super Cool Books started as a
publishing project with my two sons. We have partners for each book series, and
for <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F1F0F0;">
<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> individual projects, but not at
the SCB level.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F1F0F0;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="background: #F1F0F0; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">3.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> I'm guessing the consultants are paid on a
project basis?</span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="background: #F1F0F0;">
<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br />
Yes, and more often on a task basis. There are lots of freelancer websites you
could use for this. Sometimes you might need an expert to fix one small thing
in order to have the whole production proceed smoothly. I do feel like I should
mention this, because sometimes people say, "I thought you published this
yourself, but actually you had so much outside help." I used to feature
our editorial and creative freelancers and consultants on our blog in the
earlier days, but not so much the marketing and business people. <br />
<br />
Here are some:<br />
<br />
— John Rickards, UK, EDITOR, read about how I found him<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="http://www.supercoolbooks.com/2014/03/meet-nameless-horror-that-saved-our-day.html" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-MY" style="color: #365899; text-decoration: none;">http://www.supercoolbooks.com/2014/03/meet-nameless-horror-that-saved-our-day.html</span></a></span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br />
<br />
— Faye Stacey, UK, illustrator, there's an interview with her inside the PDF
comic (free download)<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="http://www.supercoolbooks.com/2014/05/new-download-free-mini-comic-secret.html" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-MY" style="color: #365899; text-decoration: none;">http://www.supercoolbooks.com/2014/05/new-download-free-mini-comic-secret.html</span></a></span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br />
<br />
— Milan Misic, Serbia, illustrator, incredible talent<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="http://www.supercoolbooks.com/2014/03/why-my-blade-quest-now-looks-like.html" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-MY" style="color: #365899; text-decoration: none;">http://www.supercoolbooks.com/2014/03/why-my-blade-quest-now-looks-like.html</span></a></span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br />
<br />
— Natalie Baker, US, designer, great sense of product making<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="http://www.supercoolbooks.com/2014/02/interview-meet-designer-behind-our.html" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-MY" style="color: #365899; text-decoration: none;">http://www.supercoolbooks.com/2014/02/interview-meet-designer-behind-our.html</span></a></span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br />
<br />
— Tusitala, SG, app development team, they made our iPad app ebookstore<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="http://www.supercoolbooks.com/2013/10/meet-our-app-development-team.html" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-MY" style="color: #365899; text-decoration: none;">http://www.supercoolbooks.com/2013/10/meet-our-app-development-team.html</span></a></span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br />
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<!--[endif]--></span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">4.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> Tell
us about your books. Also, when did Marshall-Cavendish acquire the rights to
your books and how this came about.</span><br />
<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span>
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<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6JcmZHcRIZJJ_uLAEJ69_cPCbIvgTUgfDO1n8EC3XN7wb_ZihwXwNJMBRnQ6FEJNS7xKj1idWj9Nz4H4cSQhBCGMjywae_ng4qmtqV4TRQDTJo7eVk4LxEHm4JiGhhYP_ODGUe-Auguw/s1600/Don+Bosco+Nightingale.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6JcmZHcRIZJJ_uLAEJ69_cPCbIvgTUgfDO1n8EC3XN7wb_ZihwXwNJMBRnQ6FEJNS7xKj1idWj9Nz4H4cSQhBCGMjywae_ng4qmtqV4TRQDTJo7eVk4LxEHm4JiGhhYP_ODGUe-Auguw/s400/Don+Bosco+Nightingale.jpeg" width="256" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> We launched Super Cool Books in the second half of 2011, with a time travel
adventure series called The Time Talisman. This was an ebook published by
Select Books. With their generous help and advice, I slowly learnt about the
children’s book publishing business, from printing to distribution to
international sales to handling bookstore returns. The next year, we started to
print our own books and sell these through the commercial channels. The main
title we promoted was our Sherlock Hong series, which is about a young Chinese
detective in colonial Singapore, back in the year 1891. As a small self-funded
startup, you can imagine, we didn't have the staff or marketing resources to
compete with bigger publishers. But the response was always enthusiastic, and
there was potential to take this series further. </span><br />
<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span>
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<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX3DFSdRlLlWhNRN0rl6gVlkUYr3_5VNkxq2iMTCQL3aCQGyqSMPsT_-4HuUQNRNIZtzLuzaAfH8CbAokIJUi9oSu9pCK10LzMpg1ndzpWz3o1ILnrsRt_UYR0288QNckK5TGG6Y2JA44/s1600/Don+Bosco%2527s+Books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX3DFSdRlLlWhNRN0rl6gVlkUYr3_5VNkxq2iMTCQL3aCQGyqSMPsT_-4HuUQNRNIZtzLuzaAfH8CbAokIJUi9oSu9pCK10LzMpg1ndzpWz3o1ILnrsRt_UYR0288QNckK5TGG6Y2JA44/s400/Don+Bosco%2527s+Books.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="background: #F1F0F0;">
<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In 2015 we had a chance to expand the series
through Marshall Cavendish. We have been doing a lot more books with them, from
our Lion City Adventures series, to the new Superkicks series, as well as the
YA thriller Magicienne, which I co-authored with celebrity magician Ning Cai,
and also the non-fiction book, Imagine All This: How to Write Your Own Stories.
Another series that I started in those early years, called My Blade Quest, has
been recently picked up by Armour Publishing, and we're launching the first two
books at this year's AFCC.<br />
<br />
This article very nicely explains our publishing development process:<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="https://medium.com/@StoryCodeSG/the-sherlock-startup-784503cd5511" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-MY" style="color: #365899; text-decoration: none;">https://medium.com/@StoryCodeSG/the-sherlock-startup-784503cd5511</span></a></span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">5.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">And
the publishers you team up with get a percentage of royalty?</span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F1F0F0; margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> Every situation is different. <br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">6.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Why did you set Sherlock Hong 100 years in
the past? Did this create problems in some of the storylines/plot?<br />
How much research do you do for your books? Where do you get your materials
from?<br />
<br />
I had spent many years in school studying Singapore history, and world history,
and so I was quite familiar with the landscape, cultural background, political
situation, economy, and so on. As the decades go by, people here tend to play
down Singapore's colonial past more and more. I thought it would be fun to use
this story to help my kids imagine what life was like back then, and think
about how it is that we have English as our main language.</span><br />
<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span>
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<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwx72SvwjSK-pfXUFGjVsi09robsCT1ZOENpDaIdQ2Su0ZOd7EEM_e8Tgh80ozYwKXgNiNQ4twrMVgpw1teWLOFUXdzEczqeCSdvN9UWN9meVufVLK4Dtu-_hx2LiujfSgRtoh-xsKuc/s1600/Don+Bosco+Princess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwx72SvwjSK-pfXUFGjVsi09robsCT1ZOENpDaIdQ2Su0ZOd7EEM_e8Tgh80ozYwKXgNiNQ4twrMVgpw1teWLOFUXdzEczqeCSdvN9UWN9meVufVLK4Dtu-_hx2LiujfSgRtoh-xsKuc/s400/Don+Bosco+Princess.jpg" width="260" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Here's a funny incident: after Book 2, The
Peranakan Princess, came out, I met a friend for dinner and I passed him the
book. He read the first line and then his eyes glazed over. He stared over my
shoulder for a long time. I was worried. I waited and waited. "What's
wrong? Is the book bad?" I finally asked him. "No," he replied
impatiently, "the first line says 'The year is 1891', and so I want to
picture Singapore in that era before I continue." To have one short
sentence like that inspire five minutes of active imagination. That's the kind
of vivid reading experience I really want to create for children. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">7.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Do
ebooks do better than physical printed books?</span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br />
Depends on the genre, age group, and most importantly, the sales territory. My
best results for my own fiction ebooks, so far, seems to be crime thrillers for
older female readers (retirees) in the UK. I wrote and self published these books under pseudonyms.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">For
children's books in Singapore/Malaysia, ebooks are not worth considering.
Thanks to internet analytics, we can now experiment and get accurate
information for ourselves, instead of relying on opinions from industry
experts. I encourage all writers to learn more about setting up their own
analytics tests. Just a few simple ones will do. You'll get some authentic
insights about your sales potential. Don't rely on opinions, whether good or
bad. Test.<br />
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<!--[endif]--></span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">8.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Has the AFCC had an impact on your writing
career?<br />
<br />
I first attended the AFCC three years ago, to talk about how I used digital
publishing resources to develop and promote my books. Many of the people in the
audience ended up chatting with me afterwards, and I've ended up working with
them, or being interviewed by them, and I've also featured their books on my
website. It was also at AFCC that I learnt about the Society of Children's Book
Writers and Illustrators, and so of course I had to join that group. Now I have
a nice network of creative friends who are fun, have diverse interests, and
really enjoy engaging and entertaining kids through stories. </span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In short, the answer is "yes”, it has had an
impact on me. At </span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">AFCC 2015 I met a young comics publisher from
KL, named Irfan Foner, and he ended up translating a few of my blog posts about
writing stories, so that young comics writers in Malaysia could benefit from
the tips.<br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="http://www.supercoolbooks.com/2015/06/friends-of-super-cool-books-irfan-foner.html" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-MY" style="color: #365899; text-decoration: none;">http://www.supercoolbooks.com/2015/06/friends-of-super-cool-books-irfan-foner.html</span></a></span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="http://www.hafiziazmi.com/2015/06/3-tips-bagaimana-memancing-pembaca.html" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-MY" style="color: #365899; text-decoration: none;">http://www.hafiziazmi.com/2015/06/3-tips-bagaimana-memancing-pembaca.html</span></a></span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="https://comichatstroke.wordpress.com/2015/06/24/3-tips-mencipta-karakter-untuk-cerita-anda/" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-MY" style="color: #365899; text-decoration: none;">https://comichatstroke.wordpress.com/2015/06/24/3-tips-mencipta-karakter-untuk-cerita-anda/</span></a></span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br />
<br />
<br />
And thanks also to Linda Tan Lingard of Oyez!Books, who sells some of our
paperbacks, and also introduced me to Heidi Shamsuddin for this interview on
the Super Cool Books website:<br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span lang="EN-MY" style="color: #365899; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.supercoolbooks.com/2016/04/100-writers-heres-writing-advice-from.html" target="_blank">http://www.supercoolbooks.com/2016/04/100-writers-heres-writing-advice-from.html</a></span></span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixRErO26QcphKAI31vl4eS1wRmSxbExU-XnVp3rS3fYiRHzoGTMBcXefcIX5Mjo205XsL7Pd4rWTBoKjVZ1zdMZoUzqkBsbtlViHb5I0tDc3aPPwHwxY1CSNahBX73hRJPLAj-SgUQKEM/s1600/Don+Bosco+MyBladeQuest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixRErO26QcphKAI31vl4eS1wRmSxbExU-XnVp3rS3fYiRHzoGTMBcXefcIX5Mjo205XsL7Pd4rWTBoKjVZ1zdMZoUzqkBsbtlViHb5I0tDc3aPPwHwxY1CSNahBX73hRJPLAj-SgUQKEM/s400/Don+Bosco+MyBladeQuest.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="background: #F1F0F0; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">9.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">What do you think of the Singapore children's
publishing scene? Has it changed through the years?<br />
<br />
I think for children's books, Singapore has a very strong and innovative
library culture, but the publishing side is still modest and cautious. This is
slowly growing, of course. Hopefully I can do something to help with the development.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="background: #F1F0F0; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">10.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> Question - one of the biggest challenge facing
Malaysian writers is getting Malaysian readers to purchase/support our books.
How did you manage to overcome this in Singapore?</span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="background: #F1F0F0;">
<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The internet!
Through my blog and other social media activities, I've been lucky to connect
with supporters and readers in Singapore, Malaysia and around the world. Also,
you should give yourself time. Super Cool Books started in 2011, and it was
only last year that I felt the results were encouraging. In contrast, I know of
some writers who only try for a few months, or one or two years, and then give
up. So my recommended formula is: Internet + longer time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br />
For the benefit of the Malaysian Writers FB page<br />
<br />
I really appreciate the interaction and support from the Malaysian books
community so far, since Super Cool Books started. Some examples: <br />
<br />
When we started self-publishing paperbacks for the first time, in 2012, I
contacted a few websites in Malaysia about sending them review copies. Brigitte
Rozario was running ParenThots back then, and she actually replied. She gave us
our first proper review. I was so thrilled. And later on she featured my books
in The Star too. Here's that first review:<br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="http://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/family/reviews/books/2012/08/20/sherlock-hong-offers-a-compelling-read/" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-MY" style="color: #365899; text-decoration: none;">http://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/family/reviews/books/2012/08/20/sherlock-hong-offers-a-compelling-read/</span></a></span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br />
<br />
In 2013 I received a surprise email from a producer at The Breakfast Show, on
ntv7. She invited me down to the studio for a live interview about my second
Sherlock Hong book, The Peranakan Princess. Again, I was so excited. I wasn't
able to travel then, but we did give away some of my Sherlock Hong books on the
show that week. I watched the show every day on their website, just to see the
giveaway segment. I became a big fan, heh.<br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="http://www.supercoolbooks.com/2013/01/malaysia-sherlock-hong-on-breakfast-show.html" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-MY" style="color: #365899; text-decoration: none;">http://www.supercoolbooks.com/2013/01/malaysia-sherlock-hong-on-breakfast-show.html</span></a></span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br />
<br />
We have an education partner in KL, Brain Bytes, who promotes our paperbacks
and sells them online. Thanks to them, in 2014, my Diary of Young Justice Bao
book was used as the main text for an extended literacy programme at CLiC
(Creative Learning and IT Centre, Level 2, UTC Sentul in Sentul Perdana) @
Sentul Raya. This space used to be an old neighbourhood library, and it's been
upgraded with Chromebook laptops, internet stations and lots of new books.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br />
Guests at the launch included YB Senator Dato' Dr. Loga Bala Mohan; Secretary
General, Ministry of Education Tan Sri Dr. Madinah Mohamad; Chairman of Sentul
Raya Sdn Bhd Y.Bhg Dato’ Suleiman Abdul Manan; Executive Director of YTL
Foundation, Y.Bhg Datin Kathleen Yeoh; and FrogAsia’s Managing Director, Yeoh
Pei Lou.<br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="http://www.supercoolbooks.com/2014/08/clic-sentul-raya-kl-hosted-diary-of.html" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-MY" style="color: #365899; text-decoration: none;">http://www.supercoolbooks.com/2014/08/clic-sentul-raya-kl-hosted-diary-of.html</span></a></span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="display: none; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 8.0pt;">Top of Form</span><span style="font-family: "inherit" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">My
links:<br />
<br />
Website:<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="http://www.supercoolbooks.com/" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-MY" style="color: #365899; text-decoration: none;">http://www.supercoolbooks.com</span></a></span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br />
<br />
Instagram:<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/supercoolbooks/" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-MY" style="color: #365899; text-decoration: none;">https://www.instagram.com/supercoolbooks/</span></a></span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br />
<br />
Medium:<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span lang="EN-MY" style="color: #365899; text-decoration: none;"><a href="https://medium.com/@SuperCoolBooks" target="_blank">https://medium.com/@SuperCoolBooks</a></span></span><span style="color: #4b4f56; font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-MY; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Plus, Two FREE E-Books from Don Bosco:</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><b>KEEP CALM AND UPLOAD E-BOOKS</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><b>THE 100 WRITERS STORY WORKBOOK</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">A creative writing framework for fleshing out your story concept, based on the basics of dramatic structure and creative journalling. Also a free PDF. Get it here.</span></span></div>
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tutuduttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467259443677618351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6524956372581516929.post-54314510887391108062017-03-30T09:33:00.001-07:002017-05-26T06:54:15.125-07:00Nights of the Dark Moon<h2>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I'm thrilled to announce the publication of my 9th book: <b><i>Nights of the Dark Moon,</i></b> published by Marshall Cavendish Editions. Edited by She-Reen Wong (Editor) and designed by Bernard Go (Creative Manager), who also designed the cover and digitally put together the illustrations. The Associate Publisher involved in the project was Lee Mei Lin.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Photographic elements incorporated into the back cover and some of the illustrations were used with the kind permission of an old friend from Universiti Putra Malaysia, </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=100004771983237" href="https://www.facebook.com/cheekeong.choy.3" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none;">Chee Keong Choy</a>, a passionate traveller, photographer and foodie, who divides his time between Portland, Oregon; Bali, Indonesia and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> It will be sold in major bookstores towards the end of April 2017, in both Malaysia and Singapore, and can be ordered online from: </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nights-Dark-Moon-Tutu-Dutta/dp/9814771996">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nights-Dark-Moon-Tutu-Dutta/dp/9814771996</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/9814771996">https://www.amazon.com/dp/9814771996</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQI8GGO9-gzy63U-PdmfoFeya1p3regvL9_AWUgE6smFhREussaK67jNJgs4BkGE7mkUG2sVI2p2gYGxKxss-y1rQBpNPd_hS4CfX_V8Kxpvx2QXyN2nRGqt9rBiVwTwla1IYyhCE_ga4/s1600/nights+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQI8GGO9-gzy63U-PdmfoFeya1p3regvL9_AWUgE6smFhREussaK67jNJgs4BkGE7mkUG2sVI2p2gYGxKxss-y1rQBpNPd_hS4CfX_V8Kxpvx2QXyN2nRGqt9rBiVwTwla1IYyhCE_ga4/s400/nights+cover.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Nights of the Dark Moon</i></b> took a really long time to see the light of day - the first story to be written was probably King Vikram and Betaal the Vampire (classic folktale from India) in 2005 and the last to be written was The Strange Tale of Chief Naam (an obscure shocker from Negeri Sembilan,) in 2015. </div>
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It went through many<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;"> rejections - first by Marshall Cavendish Malaysia in 2011, then Jacaranda Literary agency, Hachette India (they were interested at first), MPH Publishing, Oyez!Books (almost gave me a contract but a disagreement over the illustrator blew it - reminder to self, don't argue with the publisher) and Scholastic Asia (through Daphne Lee). </span></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">Linda Tan Lingard from Oyez was still interested in the manuscript and passed a copy to Raman from SilverfishBooks. However, they took too long to reply, by then the contract with Marshall Cavendish Asia had already been signed. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was back to square one as Marshall-Cavendish was my first publisher, they were the people who published <b style="font-style: italic;">Timeless Tales of Malaysia. </b>Many thanks to Christine Chong and Manjula Aryadura for this.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHCcdQgiHUYio4jWsVjA1EGqkdY8rHMpA6FG6BV2S1dwHtX8AJ2JSwUV2YAEblCAQfwhNRZ4sS_EwWBvh_5XgA9e6MMzC3acmcaut0f6rqLW4Df9NAEEqjRDRm9BUmCTY8gw-mHgN36ds/s1600/nights+back+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHCcdQgiHUYio4jWsVjA1EGqkdY8rHMpA6FG6BV2S1dwHtX8AJ2JSwUV2YAEblCAQfwhNRZ4sS_EwWBvh_5XgA9e6MMzC3acmcaut0f6rqLW4Df9NAEEqjRDRm9BUmCTY8gw-mHgN36ds/s640/nights+back+cover.jpg" width="443" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Over the years, all the stories had gone through major revisions so this version of the manuscript is quite different from the original submissions. In fact, I was making revisions to the text at two weeks before printing...</span></div>
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Some of the comments I've received: 'dark and disturbing, but I can't stop thinking about the book,' 'stories are good but written in a childlike style... ' and 'The stories are horrific but the marketing team likes it so we will publish it!'</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE14qwMgjhKQskxwahtmbELc1YDhlDrwlzRtCvgvw21cpJ3Kjsu9Ydg2x8YzDJVz2SOxJs2VmcTcekkcvjDNvQF35McYN-VkoTje86mHEDgkAVhdU5LPf68WIRBq5rerfVD0PzwhbbBEw/s1600/nights+of+the+dark+moon_Final+%2528dragged%2529-page-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE14qwMgjhKQskxwahtmbELc1YDhlDrwlzRtCvgvw21cpJ3Kjsu9Ydg2x8YzDJVz2SOxJs2VmcTcekkcvjDNvQF35McYN-VkoTje86mHEDgkAVhdU5LPf68WIRBq5rerfVD0PzwhbbBEw/s640/nights+of+the+dark+moon_Final+%2528dragged%2529-page-001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The tiny figure holding a lamp on the book cover is this mysterious creature. The creepy effect is enhanced by the ghostly plants in the background - taken from a photograph of grass flowers glowing in the winter sun by <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=100004771983237" href="https://www.facebook.com/cheekeong.choy.3" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;">Chee Keong Choy</a>. MC's design studio turned the cheerful scene into an eldritch one...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6CJVuw8W9ampobAsL5GgEvobzamW0AmEdA6FogqhFCQHJRqIiRIpOI2iUfwGDd_cbkT1gJYQgkD9eigtqo_uGWFZ2KzaiwbfIU3bkZrqYAUHQGNRoOnRaHMv876OfEwPCU9ASdumf2GI/s1600/nights+of+the+dark+moon_Final+%2528dragged%2529+1-page-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6CJVuw8W9ampobAsL5GgEvobzamW0AmEdA6FogqhFCQHJRqIiRIpOI2iUfwGDd_cbkT1gJYQgkD9eigtqo_uGWFZ2KzaiwbfIU3bkZrqYAUHQGNRoOnRaHMv876OfEwPCU9ASdumf2GI/s640/nights+of+the+dark+moon_Final+%2528dragged%2529+1-page-001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>The Curse of Miryang</b> was one of the most difficult story to write in the collection. The story went through several revisions through the years as I uncovered more facts about this Korean legend, mainly from Internet sources. Even the illustration was fraught with difficulties and went through a several revisions. The final image appeared somewhat stiff but it was the best I could do, short of tearing the whole thing up (which happened a few times) and starting all over again. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDM2CzqFrHauwHxsh5F7IVD3NrVVYOiyVIhb6Dn4BogBQookFPX048Bvf0be0KwkByNAuoGlnO72T7Sjq_QEyaIJLizvgHMioCQJ8FfVZvXOGI412EU8dkUbWITg_DsE1BNu7UpraTbM4/s1600/nights+of+the+dark+moon_Final+%2528dragged%2529+2-page-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDM2CzqFrHauwHxsh5F7IVD3NrVVYOiyVIhb6Dn4BogBQookFPX048Bvf0be0KwkByNAuoGlnO72T7Sjq_QEyaIJLizvgHMioCQJ8FfVZvXOGI412EU8dkUbWITg_DsE1BNu7UpraTbM4/s640/nights+of+the+dark+moon_Final+%2528dragged%2529+2-page-001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>The Tiger of Flower Hill </b>is dark and funny. A group of young scholars have a penchant for picnics on a picturesque hill, where they amuse themselves by composing (bad) poems. Unbeknownst to them, a tiger (with a fine sense of poetry) is lurking in the shadows...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5JlOAHAeUQ5EMsPuqwpb-6ZeuLBHTtwsCkU4KR5Od9k17k5I_kaJV5r_kJFur_COEg8s-ye8LesAnHoTtMuXDZsYph7r5q0KzhpSjy1RN1K7RhHhyjApYDl78wleo62tMFhxjkaPhO8/s1600/nights+of+the+dark+moon_Final+%2528dragged%2529+3-page-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5JlOAHAeUQ5EMsPuqwpb-6ZeuLBHTtwsCkU4KR5Od9k17k5I_kaJV5r_kJFur_COEg8s-ye8LesAnHoTtMuXDZsYph7r5q0KzhpSjy1RN1K7RhHhyjApYDl78wleo62tMFhxjkaPhO8/s640/nights+of+the+dark+moon_Final+%2528dragged%2529+3-page-001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>The Seven Princesses of Ulek Mayang -</b> the story was inspired by the song,<i> Ulek Mayang,</i> from the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia (I've blogged about this before - The Mystery of Ulek Mayang) and based loosely on a story I read on the Internet.<br />
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One of the folktales in the collection, <i>Princess of the Bamboo</i>, has been published before in Nin Harris'Truancy: http://www.delinquentspice.com/?p=607</div>
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tutuduttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467259443677618351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6524956372581516929.post-34212717140841224042017-01-27T07:58:00.000-08:002018-06-27T08:12:23.536-07:00TRUANCY Vol 3 : 26 December 2016<br />
TRUANCY Vol 3 is out!<br />
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Truancy is a microzine, helmed by Nin Harris. Check out my story, Princess of the Bamboo, described by Nin as 'a gorgeous revision of the Malay folktale and an Indian folktale.'<br />
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<a href="http://www.truancymag.dreamhosters.com/2016/12/26/issue-three-december-2016-of-truancy/">http://www.truancymag.dreamhosters.com/2016/12/26/issue-three-december-2016-of-truancy/</a><br />
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Issue Three, December 2016 of Truancy</h1>
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<span class="posted-on" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 1.3335em 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">POSTED ON <a href="http://www.truancymag.dreamhosters.com/2016/12/26/issue-three-december-2016-of-truancy/" rel="bookmark" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #999999; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">DECEMBER 26, 2016</a></span><span class="byline" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 1.3335em 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">BY <span class="author vcard" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="url fn n" href="http://www.truancymag.dreamhosters.com/author/e-i-c/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #999999; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">NIN HARRIS</a></span></span><span class="cat-links" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 1.3335em 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">POSTED IN <a href="http://www.truancymag.dreamhosters.com/category/truancy-three-december-2016/" rel="category tag" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #999999; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">TRUANCY THREE, DECEMBER 2016</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.truancymag.dreamhosters.com/2016/12/26/editorial-issue-three-of-truancy-december-2016/" style="border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 2px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #999999; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Editorial</em></a> by Nin Harris</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Fiction</strong></div>
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<a href="http://www.truancymag.dreamhosters.com/2016/12/26/the-two-princes-by-maizura-abas/" style="border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 2px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #999999; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Two Princes</em></a> by Maizura Abas<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><a href="http://www.truancymag.dreamhosters.com/2016/12/26/princess-of-the-bamboo-by-tutu-dutta/" style="border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 2px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #999999; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Princess of the Bamboo </em></a>by Tutu Dutta<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><a href="http://www.truancymag.dreamhosters.com/2016/12/26/the-huntsmen-part-two-by-mari-ness/" style="border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 2px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #999999; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Huntsmen, Part Two</em></a> by Mari Ness<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><a href="http://www.truancymag.dreamhosters.com/2016/12/26/blood-red-and-raven-black-by-shannon-phillips/" style="border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 2px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #999999; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Blood Red and Raven Black</em></a> by Shannon Phillips<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><a href="http://www.truancymag.dreamhosters.com/2016/12/26/daughter-of-the-sea-by-george-nikolopoulos/" style="border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 2px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #999999; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Daughter of the Sea </em></a>by George Nikolopoulos<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><a href="http://www.truancymag.dreamhosters.com/2016/12/26/love-your-wolpertinger-by-dantzel-cherry/" style="border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 2px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #999999; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Love, Your Wolpertinger </em></a>by Dantzel Cherry</div>
<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.7778em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Non-Fiction</strong></div>
<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.7778em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <a href="http://www.truancymag.dreamhosters.com/2016/12/26/indrapramit-dass-the-devourers-reviewed-by-arun-jiwa/" style="border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 2px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #999999; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Indrapramit Das’s The Devourers</a></em> reviewed by Arun Jiwa<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.truancymag.dreamhosters.com/2016/12/26/stephani-soejonos-tale-of-the-bidadari-reviewed-by-nin-harris/" style="border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 2px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #999999; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Stephani Soejono’s Tale of the Bidadari</a></em> reviewed by Nin Harris</div>
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The cover art is a reprint of the Malaysian artist Karen Nunis’s <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Love in Erebus</em>.</div>
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<br />tutuduttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467259443677618351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6524956372581516929.post-59111764556404345942016-11-02T23:08:00.000-07:002017-04-04T08:46:49.712-07:00Rigih and the Witch of Moon Lake<div class="imgctr" style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5cAQ0kTIX0-cZsiMhaXJCnqUWy4lonF4OKLFnTmVT_q3du_T0XAR-ta_7tgoQSyAuzwlvm94u9d3VTtGTXFdvgj3q7SixgD4KcbctaYIpuy2HtXcQRYgAbL6DKPFpeY170jw6jsKixYzY/s1600/witchMoonLake02s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #990033; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5cAQ0kTIX0-cZsiMhaXJCnqUWy4lonF4OKLFnTmVT_q3du_T0XAR-ta_7tgoQSyAuzwlvm94u9d3VTtGTXFdvgj3q7SixgD4KcbctaYIpuy2HtXcQRYgAbL6DKPFpeY170jw6jsKixYzY/s380/witchMoonLake02s.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></a><br />
<div class="fnote" style="color: #999999; margin-top: 0.5em;">
I've seen this kind of face before. Where, I wonder?</div>
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The content below are from the archives of Alan Wong's blog:<br />
http://bpbites.blogspot.my/2013_05_01_archive.html<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">The long-awaited release of the second volume of </span><i style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">The Jugra Chronicles</i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;"> begins three years after Miyah and village outcast Rigih </span><a href="http://bpbites.blogspot.com/2011/05/hantu-witch-and-sampan.html" style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #990033; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px; text-decoration: none;">rescue the former's younger brother</a><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;"> from the clutches of a forest demon. Miyah, however, is seized by the demon instead and suffers a cruel curse.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;" />
<span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">Three years later, the denizens of Miyah's village, Tapoh, have largely moved on from the incident, though Rigih and Miyah's brother Bongsu remain the most affected by her disappearance. Especially the latter, who has been plagued by dreams and memories of things he doesn't remember experiencing.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMhB8nn3j5qlSp5VvUCjDjkGNk5YXab8vVlbt3QQqltYhB1JQsYBg8csNKIuoSuUnKXOxnQTLJjGuHeBAG4vQTQwxquxn8tJPuoNz9gkqXIloYNfftmDpVwkJHXBMO_M6KIHmVw6RRPn4J/s1600/witchMoonLake03s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #990033; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMhB8nn3j5qlSp5VvUCjDjkGNk5YXab8vVlbt3QQqltYhB1JQsYBg8csNKIuoSuUnKXOxnQTLJjGuHeBAG4vQTQwxquxn8tJPuoNz9gkqXIloYNfftmDpVwkJHXBMO_M6KIHmVw6RRPn4J/s380/witchMoonLake03s.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></a><br />
<div class="fnote" style="color: #999999; margin-top: 0.5em;">
An illustration from the book</div>
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<br style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;" />
<span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">One day, Malidi, younger daughter of the village chieftain and one of Miyah's friends, finds a bracelet of glass beads in the jungle. The item horrifies her sister and mother; they now believe that she, by picking it up, is under the spell of the </span><i style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">penyamun</i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">, dreaded marauders who use black magic to ensnare their victims.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;" />
<span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">She is placed in confinement while a way to break the spell is devised. Like Miyah before her, she defies the wisdom of her elders and escapes, taking the beads with her. Then, she vanishes. Her disappearance leaves a cloud hanging over Tapoh, on top of rumours of a strange man-beast prowling the jungle with the </span><i style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">penyamun</i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">s.</span><br />
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The Jugra Chronicles</div>
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Rigih and the Witch of Moon Lake<br />
<br />
Story by Tutu Dutta-Yean<br />
Illustrated by Tan Vay Fern<br />
<br />
MPH Group Publishing (2013)<br />
148 pages<br />
Fiction<br />
ISBN: 978-967-415-085-3<br />
<br />
RM19.90 | Buy from <a href="http://www.mphonline.com/books/nsearchdetails.aspx?&pcode=9789674150853" style="color: #990033; text-decoration: none;">MPHOnline.com</a></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">More potential trouble comes in the form of the Dutch and their interest in the natural resources of Borneo - a worry for the royal house of Tanjungputra.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">Meanwhile, Bongsu's visions intensify, even as he struggles to forget his abduction and imprisonment by the forest demon. Heeding the advice of Nenek Kebaya, he seeks out Rigih, convinced that the time has come to find his sister and put the demon to rest. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;" />
<span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">It's not long before Rigih and Bongsu are joined by the young warrior Temaga and the headstrong Suru on their quest, which will take them to a hidden valley where the secrets of the man-beast, the dreaded forest demon and the Jugra bloodline, and the truth behind the </span><i style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">penyamun</i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;"> will be revealed.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;" />
<span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">Who is Jugra, the legendary shaman and what are his connections with Rigih, Miyah, Bongsu, Nenek Kebayan, the demon, and the mysterious woman with the tattooed arms? Will they overcome the jungle's mortal and supernatural threats to find and rescue Miyah?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">The second volume in </span><i style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">The Jugra Chronicles</i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">, </span><i style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">Rigih and the Witch of Moon Lake</i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">, will soon be available at all major bookstores.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;" />
<span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">Material for this series is by Tutu Dutta-Yean, whose repertoire includes fairy tale collections such as </span><i style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">Timeless Tales of Malaysia</i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">, </span><i style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">Eight Jewels of the Phoenix</i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">, </span><i style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">Eight Fortunes of the Qilin</i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">, and </span><a href="http://bpbites.blogspot.com/2011/05/eight-treasures-of-dragon.html" style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #990033; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px; text-decoration: none;"><i>Eight Treasures of the Dragon</i></a><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;" />
<span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">Art for this book is by prolific children's book illustrator Tan Vay Fern, whose vast body of work includes </span><i style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">Hayley's Vegemania Garden</i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;"> and </span><i style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">Hayley's Fruitastic Garden</i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;"> by Mohana Gill; </span><i style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">The Zany Zebra</i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">, </span><i style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">The Ugly Green Umbrella</i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;"> and </span><i style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">The Xenophobic Xylophone</i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;"> by Wong Ching Hsia; and Dutta-Yean's </span><i style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">Eight Treasures of the Dragon</i><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">. Also, the cover for Wee Su May's </span><a href="http://bpbites.blogspot.com/2011/05/wees-wee-people.html" style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #990033; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px; text-decoration: none;"><i>Nine Little People Who Lived in a Chest</i></a><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.89px;">.</span>tutuduttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467259443677618351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6524956372581516929.post-41381133316438840452016-07-29T09:03:00.001-07:002016-08-03T21:01:00.734-07:00Crescent Moon and the Lunar Race<br />
<h3>
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Crescent Moon - a manga series about the Lunar Race which may be based on the Hindu Myth of the Chandravansha. Plus the fascinating story of King Ila, the progenitor of the Chandravansha and a brief look at Fruits Basket, another manga series. </span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; clear: left; color: #3e454c; float: left; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.36px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img src="http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/crescent_moon_tt_6886.jpg" /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.36px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I revisited the manga series 'Crescent Moon' by Haruko Iida, which I first read many years ago. The shojo manga series was published in the year 2000 under the title Mikan no Suki (literally An Incomplete Moon).</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.36px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I thought the story line and concept was brilliant - successfully combining the modern everyday world with a mystical world of myth and folklore. In fact, it was comparable to Fruits Basket, another shojo manga series published around the same time. </span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.36px; white-space: pre-wrap;">But Crescent Moon didn't do so well on the market. Only 6 issues were released compared to 24 issues for Fruits Baskets (overdone much). I think it was because of the confusing layout and poor editing - even I found it quite difficult to read. Which was a pity because the premise is fascinating. </span></h4>
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;">A girl called Mahiru Shiraishi, who seems quite ordinary apart from a talent for bestowing good luck on whoever she touches, encounters a group of remarkable looking boys. Surprisingly, two of the boys start shadowing her and eventually she finds out that they think she is the one they had been looking - a descendant of a mythical princess. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img src="http://z.mhcdn.net/store/manga/360/05-000.0/compressed/crescent_moon_v5p0003.jpg?v=11204509484" height="475" width="640" /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The boys themselves are more than meets the eye - much more. They are members of the Lunar Race, shape-shifting reincarnations of legendary creatures : a vampire (Nozomu), a werewolf (Akira), a tengu (Mitsuru) and a kitsune (Misoka). They called themselves the 'Moonlight Bandits' because they are team of cat burglars - breaking into museums in search of an ancient gem called 'Teardrops of the Moon.' The boys appear to be orphans and live on their own in the penthouse of an expansive looking condominium in Tokyo. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/crescentmoon/images/0/07/Ccm9.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120427075116" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mahiru is in the centre. Clockwise: the werewolf, the kitsune, the vampire and the tengu.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.36px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Moonlight Bandits can only transform into their powerful demonic or fae forms during the full moon i.e. about 3-4 nights in a month. However, physical contact with Mahiru - even a touch is enough - enabled them to shape shift at will, even when the moon is waning. Mahiru forms a bond with the boys and decides to help them to recover the Teardrops of the Moon, the true source of their power which they hope will restore the dying Lunar Race.</span><span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; clear: right; color: #3e454c; float: right; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.36px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img src="http://static.zerochan.net/Crescent.Moon.(Series).full.579657.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Moonlight Bandits are not alone, they have an organisation behind them called The Moonshine Cafe. This is a wildly popular Cafe by day and a nightclub by night, right in the heart of Tokyo. Just like Trick McCorrigan's inn in Lost Girl, the Moonshine cafe is a front and it exists in two different worlds and could be a portal to the Fae world. The cafe is run by someone called Oboro, who appears to be one of the royalty of the Lunar Race.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The story does not make it clear why no attempt was made to recover the Teardrops of the Moon before but it's possible that the reincarnations of the Lunar Race never managed to meet up with a true descendant of the princess, until Mahiru came along. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the story, Mahiru falls for one of the Moonlight Bandits - Mitsuru, the tengu. This is surprising, as Mitsuru was against her joining the group in the first place. He is also the least likable among the four, having been brought up by humans who 'betrayed' him, he hates the human race. Mahiru, follows the classic trope of a girl falling for the 'poor broken boy' whom she hopes to heal through 'true love.' </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="line-height: 15.36px;">The enormously popular Fruits Basket follows an almost similar plot. Tohru Honda, an orphaned and very ordinary but warm and kind-hearted girl decides to be housekeeper for a family of extremely wealthy boys (and girls) in exchange for food and shelter. But the children of the Sohma family are cursed, they are reincarnations of the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac. The curse on the Sohmas make them unable to have physical contact with members of the opposite sex (normal humans), if this happens, they turn into their zodiac animal forms. This can be either laughable or traumatic.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fruits Basket follows the same trope as Crescent Moon, the plain but hardworking and lovable Tohru Honda, falls for the 13th member of the Sohma family, the outcast Cat (who did not make it into the 12 year Chinese Zodiac).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://anime4everr.weebly.com/uploads/7/0/9/4/7094995/2508977_orig.jpg" height="480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yuki Sohma (the Rat) and Kio Sohma (the Cat) have a crush on lovable Tohru Honda, in the Fruits Basket manga.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilltI3mG1njhU8yt9Qyok1PnopT_B3AV-NDhtmoj9TykN_cqdu7tC-snspkmQaHao6g_CvJh5t1hom_h3n4Mdk8qLNEWdVb_EePtuwb3ZWksDHRO84582UVhptofR19nIs9RHlkiIQ32U/s1600/16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilltI3mG1njhU8yt9Qyok1PnopT_B3AV-NDhtmoj9TykN_cqdu7tC-snspkmQaHao6g_CvJh5t1hom_h3n4Mdk8qLNEWdVb_EePtuwb3ZWksDHRO84582UVhptofR19nIs9RHlkiIQ32U/s1600/16.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The story of the mythical princess in Crescent Moon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Back to Crescent Moon: The story behind the princess.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;">A long time ago, a young fae prince (the manga calls him a demon prince but I think fae is more appropriate) became trapped/lost in a palace. A young princess heard him crying and helped him to escape. Before he left, they made a pact that they would marry when they came of age. The princess grew up but forgot about her promise to the fae prince, or rather she thought that it had all been a dream. But on the day of her marriage, she was abducted and carried away to the Fae Kingdom by members of the Lunar Race. The princess was reunited briefly with the fae prince but she was deeply chagrined by the fact that she had broken her promise to him. Meanwhile, her father and the other lords of the land, raised an army and invaded the Fae Kingdom and killed many of its inhabitants, including presumably the fae prince. The humans also steal the Teardrops of the Moon from the Fae. Eventually, the princess was 'rescued' and reunited with her groom.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
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<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img src="http://static.zerochan.net/Crescent.Moon.(Series).full.1356459.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the interesting characters in Crescent Moon, is a transgender called Katsura Shion, the resident singer/pianist at Moonshine Cafe. His/her fans believe that Katsura are twins, one taking over when the other is indisposed. In fact they are one and the same person, changing genders according to the cycles of the moon. (Bear in mind that a woman's monthly cycle are supposed to follow the waxing and waning of the moon...) Katsura is also known as the 'mirror demon' - no idea why. However, the story does not delve into Katsura's background and the character is not fully integrated into the plot, which is a pity. I can imagine that someone who literally changes from male to female would be very useful to the Moonlight Bandits. The female Katsura could work as the entertainer while the male Katsura could be one of the Bandits or vice versa - it would be an unbreakable alibi.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;">While researching this series, I was quite surprised to discover that some of the ideas in Crescent Moon may have originated from the Hindu myth of the Chandravansha. Yes, Chandravansha can be translated to Lunar Race or Lunar Dynasty. And best of all, this is not the only noble house in ancient India: There are also the Suryavansha (Solar Race), the Agnivansha (Fire Race) and the Nagavansha (Dragon Race). It might be quite interesting to write a fantasy fiction based on these Houses/Dynasties, a sort of Asian Game of Thrones.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
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<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Katsura Shion, the singer who changes gender every month is probably based on the story of King Ila (Eela), the originator of the Chandravansha. While hunting a deer, one fine day, the young King Ila accidently barged into the sacred/forbidden grove of Sharavana, belonging to the goddess Parvati. He did not know that a curse had been placed on the grove - any male entity (even plants) which enters the grove will be changed into a female. Thus, King Ila found that he had been changed into a woman.
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<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpxPlUvXTXs-D9CkfMBWLJdCQ8P8cvXB8mAMdUOP0oAEDT-W0mBgsdAYcbQZYsl_0u39K8Bux4h2Qzg0sCilV4a32rHjJ8-qNX7T_YYqnQuebZOFhfgahPtxg5kfda8cdCkstffSyyp0I/s1600/000-cover+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpxPlUvXTXs-D9CkfMBWLJdCQ8P8cvXB8mAMdUOP0oAEDT-W0mBgsdAYcbQZYsl_0u39K8Bux4h2Qzg0sCilV4a32rHjJ8-qNX7T_YYqnQuebZOFhfgahPtxg5kfda8cdCkstffSyyp0I/s1600/000-cover+(1).jpg" width="213" /></a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrlYCZ_WaExoG5HlyA90AHmE7zNtkEkUeQYF_uXE0lk-MRs3NyaYJxyLX6DtaN0PNJw7vhUs9FPIQATIYAzSnsm2HZbQc6KPI5j91HcoCVkGC7jFWxGnbbBinSdN_z1GCq0MVtvAnp4ws/s1600/000-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrlYCZ_WaExoG5HlyA90AHmE7zNtkEkUeQYF_uXE0lk-MRs3NyaYJxyLX6DtaN0PNJw7vhUs9FPIQATIYAzSnsm2HZbQc6KPI5j91HcoCVkGC7jFWxGnbbBinSdN_z1GCq0MVtvAnp4ws/s1600/000-cover.jpg" width="213" /></a><br />
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<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpxPlUvXTXs-D9CkfMBWLJdCQ8P8cvXB8mAMdUOP0oAEDT-W0mBgsdAYcbQZYsl_0u39K8Bux4h2Qzg0sCilV4a32rHjJ8-qNX7T_YYqnQuebZOFhfgahPtxg5kfda8cdCkstffSyyp0I/s1600/000-cover+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.36px; white-space: pre-wrap;">He begged for help and Parvati allowed him to be male one month and female on alternating months. But the male and female form could not remember what happened to the other. Anyway, the female King Ila met Budha (this is the son of the moon god, Chandra), married, conceived a child and gave birth to a son called Puruvaras. Puruvaras is traditionally credited as being the progenitor of the Lunar Dynasty. However, I don't quite agree with this, obviously the progenitor of the Chandravansha is King Ila himself.</span></a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.36px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpxPlUvXTXs-D9CkfMBWLJdCQ8P8cvXB8mAMdUOP0oAEDT-W0mBgsdAYcbQZYsl_0u39K8Bux4h2Qzg0sCilV4a32rHjJ8-qNX7T_YYqnQuebZOFhfgahPtxg5kfda8cdCkstffSyyp0I/s1600/000-cover+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><span style="clear: left; color: #3e454c; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.36px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: pre-wrap;">With Budha's help, Ila then made a horse sacrifice to Lord Shiva,</span><span class="emoticon emoticon_tongue" style="background-image: url("https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/yR/r/e_o94TChQjQ.png"); background-position: -153px -946px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; clear: left; color: #3e454c; display: inline-block; font-size: 12px; height: 16px; line-height: 15.36px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; vertical-align: middle; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 16px;" title=":p"></span></a></span><span style="background-color: #dbedfe; color: #3e454c; font-family: helvetica, arial, "lucida grande", tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.36px; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">In ancient India, the horse sacrifice is the ultimate sacrifice, not surprisingly considering how noble and valuable a horse is. Lord Shiva accepted his sacrifice and granted him his wish to </span><span style="color: #3e454c; font-family: helvetica, arial, "lucida grande", tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.36px; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">become male permanently.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibbIKNN73nZcQw7D7cdCz4kTbZLdQWfyQeFpgzAtbvwpPIAL_wT7kJOsqW_hxTV0S2M85MI3u0dnNNf8yCgCxnJa8AGfWRm5sSh_OW0HgODcD3Bn-oWjNIa0PCONDiSsU4FsOCBqT4VWk/s400/fruits.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Akito held sway over all the zodiac characters... note that Kio Sohma (the Cat) is not in this diagramme.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.36px; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is also a character of ambiguous gender in Fruits Basket. This is Akito Sohma, a person we all assumed was a controlling, cold-hearted and cruel young man. Akito held sway over all twelve/thirteen zodiac characters and Tohru tried hard to find out Akito's zodiac sign in order to break his hold on the Sohmas. However, several issues later, we learn that Akito is actually a young woman. Not only does she have a male name, her hair is cut short and she always dresses in male clothes. Apparently she was raised as a boy in order to head the wealthy and powerful Sohma clan. Akito's character devolved in the series, from a powerful enigmatic figure into a jealous, possessive and spiteful person. She was possessive of some of the male Zodiac members and spiteful towards the others, often resorting to violence. She was particularly vicious towards Kio Sohma (Kio is an anomaly; the outcaste Cat who should not exist and Akito intended to lock him up forever) and the beautiful and high-spirited, Isuzu Sohma, whom she probably saw as a rival. Isuzu desperately wanted to break away from the family and like, Tohru, wanted to find a way to break the Sohma curse. I somehow feel Akito's later behaviour is out-of-character and the writer should have maintained the aura and mystery until the end. If character is plot than the plot is flawed.</span><br />
<span style="color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.36px; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #3e454c; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.36px; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anyway, despite it's huge cast of characters, Fruits Basket manages to fully fleshed out most of its characters while Crescent Moon is epic in scope but poorly executed, probably due to flagging fan support. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Akito Sohma is in the centre of the plot in the manga.</td></tr>
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<br />tutuduttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467259443677618351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6524956372581516929.post-37392157373668047012016-07-18T09:29:00.000-07:002016-08-09T09:21:45.295-07:00Who Is Jon Snow?<h3>
Game of Thrones: </h3>
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Speculation on the true identity of Jon Snow... Jon Stark, Jon Targaryan or Jon Baratheon?</h4>
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<img src="http://i.imgur.com/xr3n6hW.jpg" height="236" width="640" /><br />
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Apparently, millions of people watched the <span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 18.2px;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18.2px;">Battle of the Bastards,"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 18.2px;"> the finale of the sixth season of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 59th episode overall. According to Wikipedia, with some editing:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/game-thrones-season-6-battle-bastards-jon.jpg" height="360" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jon Snow almost dies in the Battle of the Bastards by ignoring Sansa's advice. He displays the odd mixture of naivety and arrogance that got Eddard Stark killed at Westeros.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">In the North, the armies of Jon Snow</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> and Ramsay Bolton (formerly Ramsey Snow</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">) face off in an epic battle for control of Winterfell. In an appaling display of arrogance and naivety (ignoring Sansa's advice not to allow Ramsay to manipulate his emotions and to accept that Rikon's fate is sealed), Jon Snow attempted to save Rikon, who is mortally wounded by an arrow, shot by Ramsay. Jon is alone in the middle of the battle field and in an attempt to save him, Jon's army, largely made up of Wildlings, rushed into battle prematurely and is crushed by the Bolton army. Jon Snow, himself, almost died in this battle.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.jornadageek.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Battle-of-the-bastards-not2.jpg" height="360" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sansa Stark and her step-brother/cousin Jon Stark of Winterfell</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">However, Sansa Stark</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> arrived in the nick of time, along with Petyr Baelish </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">and the Knights of the Vale, and they manage to defeat the Bolton army. Ramsay retreated to Winterfell, where Jon beat him into the mud and locked him up in the dungeons. Sansa demanded to know where Ramsay is being kept and in a horrifying scene, released his own hounds on him. Apparently, Ramsay had been starving them for almost a week... and the hounds had developed an appetite for human flesh, thanks to the egregious Ramsey, himself.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">In Meereen, Daenerys Targaryen</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> refused to surrender to the Masters. She summoned Drogon, her firstborn dragon, and proceeded to burn the Masters' fleet, forcing them to surrender. Yara</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> and Theon Greyjoy</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> arrived in Meereen offering their ships to Daenerys, and swearing loyalty to help her take the Iron Throne and the Seven Kingdoms.</span><br />
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<img src="http://highlighthollywood.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/got-bastard-17.png" /></div>
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However, the question which has dominated social media after the show was: Who is Jon Snow? Or more accurately, who was Jon Snow's father? </div>
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We now know that he is not Eddard (Ned) Stark's son as we were led to believe in 58 episodes of the series. Jon Snow is in fact, Ned's nephew, the son of his beloved sister, Lyanna Stark. Well, at least we now know that he is not the son of a common peasant woman and is in fact a Stark on his mother's side. We learn all this through Bran's eyes.<br />
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So the popular hypothesis now is that Jon Snow is not Jon Stark but Jon Targaryan, son of Rhaegar Targaryan. I've noticed that in almost every single episode of GOT Season 6, someone mentioning that Lyanna was abducted and 'raped' (aargh, I hate this word) by Rhaegar. A red herring, surely.<br />
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<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">According to the 'Jon is a Targaryan' hypothesis, Lyanna Stark, fell in love with Rhaegar Targaryan, who was apparently the most beautiful man alive</span><b style="color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">. </b><span style="color: #404040; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">As she</span><b style="color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"> </b><span style="color: #404040; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">was promised to Robert Baratheon,</span><span style="color: #404040; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"> </span><span style="color: #404040; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Lyanna eloped with Rhagaer to the Tower of Joy. After the birth of her son, she made Ned promise her that he would take him as his own bastard, to make sure Robert did not find out he was a Targaryan. She knew that Robert had vowed to destroy every single Targaryan in the Seven Kingdom</span><b style="color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">.</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://gameofthronestheories.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Rhaegar-targaryen-robert-baratheon-1200x800-600x400.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beautiful Rhaegar Targaryan and the profligate Robert Baratheon. <br />
However, Robert must have been good looking in his youth as Cercie Lannister was in love with him. </td></tr>
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<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Beautiful of course, except for the fact that Jon Stark does not resemble a Targaryan at all. Also, plots are never that symmetrical and neat in GOT. I think that Jon Snow is in fact the son of Robert Baratheon. Apart from the dark swarthy looks, there is the ambivalent attitude that Ned has towards him. As in the previous scenario, Lyanna was promised to Robert, but she was secretly in love with Rhaegar. What if it was Robert who forced himself on Lyanna, who later fled with Rhaegar to escape having to marry him? </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Carice van Houten as Melisandre in Game of Thrones" src="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/tv/2016/04/25/melisandre-xlarge_trans++utubNGxeqbD0m2XylzINLiOoem_3qpp9C-iKHR23jxY.jpg" height="400" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melisandre is so powerful, she is impervious to cold. She was convinced that Stannis Baratheon would defeat Ramsay Bolton and become Lord of Winterfell. She also perpetrated an unspeakable atrocity by convincing Stannis to sacrifice his own daughter, Shireen, by fire - an act which doomed him in the end.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">I admit that the 'Jon is a Baratheon' hypothesis is based mainly on the Red Priestess Melisandre's visions and actions. First of all, why was she so convinced that Stannis Baratheon would sit on the Iron Throne? Why ally herself with him when there were many other potential kings to chose from? Did she know secretly that a Baratheon would sit on the Iron Throne, after Robert's death? </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">In the last season, she was convinced that Stannis Baratheon would defeat Ramsay Bolton and take over as Lord of Winterfell because she saw the Baratheon banner hanging in Winterfell in one of her visions. But we all know that Stannis and his army were routed by the Bolton forces and he was ultimately executed by Brienne of Tarth. However, if Jon Snow/Stark is in fact Jon Baratheon, her vision would make sense. A Baratheon did become Lord of Winterfell...</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">And a second reason for thinking that Jon Snow is in fact Jon Baratheon is our impression that A Song of Ice and Fire refers to the union of the House of Stark and the House of Targaryan. There is Lyanna and Rhaegar of course, but they were ill-fated. Perhaps the Song actually refers to the union of Jon and Deanarys? This will bring together three great Houses - Baratheon, Stark and Targaryan (assuming Jon is a Baratheon).</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">The shortfall of this theory is this: Why did Ned Stark conceal Jon's identity from Robert Baratheon? Was it to protect Jon from the Lannisters? Or perhaps, his sister did not want her son to be raised by a man she despised? Hmm... a disturbing thought just arose... what if Jon is the son of Stannis Baratheon?</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">However, the more pressing question is, was there a terrible mistake in the casting of Yara Greyjoy? Apparently, this is how the producers of Game of Thrones see Yara Greyjoy...</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gemma Whelan plays Yara Greyjoy in Game of Thrones</td></tr>
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And this is how viewers imagine Yara Greyjoy should look like...Muah hah hah. Incidentaly, my esteem for Theon Greyjoy, whom I used to dismiss each time he appeared on screen, has risen considerably after what he went through at the hands of the monstrous Ramsay Bolton. Theon is a true Ironborn and a greater man than his father or uncle.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://host2post.com/server13/photos/xc5SpVf_0h4TiM~/lost-girl-anna-silk-kris-holden-ried-ksenia-solo-stop.jpg" height="360" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna Silk plays Bo Denis in the SciFi series Lost Girl</td></tr>
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tutuduttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467259443677618351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6524956372581516929.post-85893315344581920512016-07-17T09:12:00.000-07:002016-07-19T11:31:53.618-07:00Asian Festival of Children's Content 2016!<br />
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Country of focus: Japan!</h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Hot on the heels of Pustaka Bookaroo 2016 came the Asian Festival of Children's Content 2016 in May. This time, the country of focus was Japan. I travelled to Singapore alone by bus - a surprisingly comfortable experience except for having to go through the immigration and custom's checkpoint. </span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">I had a pleasant surprise at this year's AFCC. I knew that Teoh Choon Ean, Heidi Shamsuddin, David Liew and Emma Nicholson would be there, but I did not expect Eric C. Forbes, Senior Editor from MPH Publishing to turn up as well! I found out that his middle name, always represented by a C. is actually Clifford. Anyway, MPH books did well at AFCC 2016 and managed to garner a few awards... as we shall see. Another surprise was meeting Hong Kong-based Nuri Vittachi in person after all those posts about him on Facebook. I'm begining to understand his celebrity. </span><br />
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The country of focus being Japan, Naomi Kojima was of course one of the main movers behind the scene. She worked tirelessly to put together this amazing exhibition:<br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><img height="640" src="https://japan.scbwi.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/42/files/2016/06/The-History-of-Japanese-Picture-Books-booklet-713x1024.jpeg" width="444" /></span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">So why did I decide to attend AFCC 2016? Apart from attending the line-up of talks, I had something to do - a double book launch. <i>Phoenix Song </i>by Lantana Publishing and the Malay translation, <i>Lagu Cenderawasih, </i>by Oyez! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKlPD5Q4f4q1Px90BdoX1YXGnHFcmFQ5EZE-zp0jKJmx2GTOW8I1zIX-ITbPZ4FW0SfcOnEtY0vtixfEY5VV1T65V78oa5e2ZgqXVA7W1vIC38rmHNdi-zYtAxbc-L1ZLJ6hw6BaV5R88/s1600/lagu+cenderawasih+cvr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKlPD5Q4f4q1Px90BdoX1YXGnHFcmFQ5EZE-zp0jKJmx2GTOW8I1zIX-ITbPZ4FW0SfcOnEtY0vtixfEY5VV1T65V78oa5e2ZgqXVA7W1vIC38rmHNdi-zYtAxbc-L1ZLJ6hw6BaV5R88/s320/lagu+cenderawasih+cvr.jpg" width="315" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buy book at www.oyezbookstore.com <br />
www.silverfishbooks.com</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkGxalVBqU5VWUW5gcWkGB-3jhbugXeQ6Do9mA8pHaZVlLi-7Pqqy4CwA68_6W2xZIm-MGF2hzXguvNgXZiOSUYdOeyjwmn1zVwCM2pUMthf4wvSA1P5ONJ1UFw4cn5AfAQ5QkRQdyPs/s1600/Phoenix+Song+Cover+Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkGxalVBqU5VWUW5gcWkGB-3jhbugXeQ6Do9mA8pHaZVlLi-7Pqqy4CwA68_6W2xZIm-MGF2hzXguvNgXZiOSUYdOeyjwmn1zVwCM2pUMthf4wvSA1P5ONJ1UFw4cn5AfAQ5QkRQdyPs/s320/Phoenix+Song+Cover+Image.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.lantanapublishing.com/shop/books/phoenix-song/</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">The book launch of<i> Phoenix Song</i> and <i>Lagu Cenderawasih</i> took place on 26 May at the Exhibition Room of the National Library of Singapore. Attendance was rather disappointing but Singapore friends, Chow Peng, Soon Kuan and Kim Wah turned up.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"><img height="400" src="https://scontent-kul1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13335857_10154206823898844_4112194140290745413_n.jpg?oh=978f5bf46a0dfe547bf93617e701ed6c&oe=57F554AE" width="300" /></span>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">We paid a visit to Closetful of Books, the official bookseller where Chow Pang and Soon Kuan bought copies of <i>Phoenix Song</i>. I was heartened to hear from Denise Tan, that <i>Lagu Cenderawasih</i> was selling surprisingly well. Denise had brought in all the Lantana books, including Joyce Chng's <i>Dragon Dancer</i>. Earlier on Joyce and I bought each other's books and got them signed. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">This was followed by lunch with </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1352375609" href="https://www.facebook.com/chen.s.kuan.9" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; text-decoration: none;">Chen Soon Kuan</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">, Ho Chow Peng and Kim Wah at Saveur Restaurant on Purvis Street. Lunch was not disappointing and the Duck Confit is highly recommended.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"><img height="300" src="https://scontent-kul1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13319897_10154206826203844_4068056598786555130_n.jpg?oh=800b3bbe504ec87b1fd11f4fe7d02244&oe=582F1937" width="400" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">Despite the lacklustre book launches, several friends won book awards and lucrative cash prizes. These include: Melanie Lee and David Liew's Squirky the Alien #3, <i>Who Is The Red Commander? </i>which won the Crystal Kite Award. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="400" src="https://scontent-kul1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13267835_10154203493648844_9051424233256207376_n.jpg?oh=c47158fa63fc3c738b1bc6b18b87d56b&oe=57EE0F77" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.mphonline.com/books/</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">Melanie and Dave also won the Samsung Kid's Time Award for Squirky the Alien #4 </span><i style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">Where Is My Mama? </i><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">The</span><i style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"> Squirky the Alien </i><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">book series is published by MPH Publishing in Malaysia, even though both Melanie and Dave are from Singapore. The books' main theme is actually about being an adopted child. </span><i style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"> </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="399" src="https://scontent-kul1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13240676_10154203502458844_1725761084436517603_n.jpg?oh=e0acd5cd707d3edc11aef8dc05dec513&oe=5834F869" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.mphonline.com/books/</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">Old friend, Teoh Choon Ean won two Samsung Kid's Time Award for the following books: </span><i style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">Keong Mas</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">, an Indonesian folktale. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="225" src="https://scontent-kul1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/13308665_10154203504443844_7908339939233388118_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.mphonline.com/books/</td></tr>
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">Old is Gold</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">, a Malaysian folktale. I think I've read this story before... as a Chinese folktale. Both </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">Keong Mas </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">and </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">Old is Gold</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"> are published by MPH.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="225" src="https://scontent-kul1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/13316878_10154203497068844_4958678056655078643_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.mphonline.com/books/</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">The big winner was probably Emila Yusof, who won prizes for several of her books, including the best selling </span><i style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">Legendary Princesses of Malaysia, </i><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">published by Oyez!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="400" src="https://scontent-kul1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13307350_10154203525298844_3651394199295636942_n.jpg?oh=642667225eca9814ccdcda7cbea78944&oe=57F103C1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="292" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">www.oyezbookstore.com<br />
www.silverfishbooks.com</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">I had another surprise at AFCC 2016 - a meeting with the people from Marshall Cavendish Asia. She-Reen Wong (Editor) and Lee Mei Lin (Associate Publisher) expressed an interest in republishing my very first book,</span><i style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"> Timeless Tales of Malaysia! </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">The idea is to re-position the book as a middle-grade crossover YA book, with illustrations in black and white. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLVUQOSrDGDOZqI3SpsQT08va3d_jDHVqEZY3NqRyxS1pZ6VcVJpFO73YHO8rjUXl3XvaeD0APooZ1K4a8BIV8iffTwLuDUzAgK1-XKW-kA6NH6jR7J_aryVN-6npKuj2m2RtOLXM41kc/s1600/Timeless+Tales+of+Malaysia.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLVUQOSrDGDOZqI3SpsQT08va3d_jDHVqEZY3NqRyxS1pZ6VcVJpFO73YHO8rjUXl3XvaeD0APooZ1K4a8BIV8iffTwLuDUzAgK1-XKW-kA6NH6jR7J_aryVN-6npKuj2m2RtOLXM41kc/s400/Timeless+Tales+of+Malaysia.gif" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To be re-positioned as a middle-grade reader?<br />
www.silverfishbooks.com</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">To round up, both Swati Roy and Venkatesh from the Bookaroo Trust turned up on the third day! And thus this picture:</span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"><img height="425" src="https://scontent-kul1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/13329585_1118041704904921_5889161304278852649_o.jpg" width="640" /></span></span><br />
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