I like to think of myself as a simple guy - others usually beg to differ. I enjoy a quiet walk by the riverside or a shopping spree whenever I can afford it. I like my solitary moments, yet at times I crave attention and to be around the people I love it suffocates them (sorry guys >.<) I like food, but I almost always feel guilty after eating - I've been steadily gaining weight lately. What is, is is to me - what was, was was - but what is to be is up to me to change. I guess in the lease amount of words I can describe myself is I'm a bundle of contradiction. 

In any case, of late I find myself collecting memories, reflecting on them, and re-living them one after another. I longed to be the person I used to be - I don't know who I am anymore. Thus to help me remember, I fashioned myself a simple Wall of Very Important Things. Mostly I hung key-chains on it, some were given by an important friend, some was given from a family member, some from my ex-girlfriends (dudes, chill. I've moved on since). A birthday card - something I haven't received since god knows when. Tickets of parks and rides with a dear friend - I hope to see you in Sabah next year. 

Still I feel a huge chunk of my heart is missing. Perhaps I've been looking in the wrong places. 

I've been stalking bookstores and stocking up on my reading list - so I thought to myself why not make a review of the books I've already read? And why not make it a periodical thing? Well I can't promise that I'd be able to finish a book every week - which would translate to about 52 books a year! That's an astounding feat! Hahaha! Well I'll make it a Sunday thing, ok? So every few Sundays, do expect a new book review from me! 

The latest book I've read was The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. A little bit about the author - He is one of the most read and beloved novelist in the world, with more than ten million copies of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns (the next novel I'm gonna read) sold in the US, and more than thirty-eight million copies sold worldwide in more than seventy countries! (WOW!!) He is also a Goodwill Envoy to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Refugee Agency and the founter of Khaled Hosseini Foundation, a nonprofit that provides humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan. 

The Kite Runner is indeed a powerful novel - Khaled Hosseini's first - telling the story bond and friendship between Amir and Hassan, the former a Sunni Muslim and the later a Shi'a Muslim. Amir and Hassan grew up together, feeding from the same breast which makes them breastfeeding brothers, but Amir was born a Pashtun while Hassan a Hazara. The social caste in Afghanistan scorned such friendship, Hassan and Amir being constantly bullied by their Pashtun peers, with Hassan always stepping up to defend Amir in every single conflict. 

Some of the important events in the beginning of the novel was that they young friends would always find themselves climbing to the top of the hill and sat under a pomegranate tree where Amir would read to Hassan. Sometimes Amir would tease Hassan of his illiteracy and began making up the stories and pretending to still read from the book. It was then that Hassan commented that that was the best story he had ever heard. Amir also composed himself a short story, to which Hassan was very delighted to hear but to Amir's dismay, his father or Baba would not have an ear for. It was also on the bark of that pomegranate tree that Amir carved the words "Amir and Hassan, Sultans of Kabul" signifying the strong kinship between the two. 

The next chapters revealed how Amir craved for his Baba's affection, blaming himself for not being able to live up to his Baba's expectation. He was not the soccer player his Baba expected him to be. Everytime they went for a road trip, his Baba would be ashamed of him because he gets car sick and would throw up. It was in Rahim Khan, his Baba's best friend that he found a father figure, but underneath that he was always craving for his father's affection. 

That moment came at last at the Kite Flying tournament held annually in Kabul, where hundreds of kite flyers fight to cut each other's strings and become the last kite still in the sky. Amir, along with Hassan holding the spool, came out victorious, and it was the first time Amir felt like his Baba's son. In the kite flying competition, when a kite's string was cut, the kite runners would seek to capture the kite to claim for his own - and the most prized kite was the last kite that was cut  last. After Amir successfully cut the last kite, Hassan dutifully cried "for you, a thousand times over" as he raced along the streets to collect that last fallen kite. 

After the kite flying tournament ended, however, Hassan did not come home. Amir went out looking, and found Hassan being cornered by Assef and another two of their peers, and that was when Amir witnessed the most cruel deed Assef did to Hassan. Instead of standing up to Assef the was Hassan would, Amir hid himself in a aleey like a coward. It was then that their kinship took a different turn. 

The novel went on about the time when Afghanistan was in turmoil, from the fall of Afghanistan's monarchy through the Soviet military intervention, the exodus of refugee to Pakistan and the United States, and the rise of the Taliban regime. Amir and his Baba was not spared, enduring the journey and migration and finally ending up in San Francisco, where they made a living - his Baba working at the local gas station and amir himself went to school and studied to become a writer. 

Like a bad penny, the past always has it's ways of coming back to haunt us. Amir found himself, over two decades later, caught between living the life of hidden lies and dishonor swept quietly under the rug, or putting his current, happy life into jeopardy in trying to make things right again between him and Hassan. Had the beginning be captivating, the middle and towards the end will grip you like a vice and tear your heart apart word after word, sentence after sentence. The journey that Amir endeavored to atone for his past sin to Hassan was told straigh-forward and in absolute details. 

The Washington Post Book World reviewed the book as 

"powerful.. no frills, no nonsense, just hard, spare prose.. an intimate account of family and friendship, betrayal and salvation that requires no atlas or translation to engage and enlighten us. Parts of The Kite Runner are raw and excruciating to read, yet the book in its entirety is lovingly written."

I couldn't agree more. 

It has been four decades since the legendary P. Ramlee left us - but his legacy still lives on. Much of the fan I am, I admit I know next to nothing about the life of this icon in our performance industry, and this is but one and maybe the only time I have to learn a little bit out the journey that P. Ramlee traveled to become legendary as he is today. Having sat next to a bunch of veteran fans who interjected mildly with comments, I felt a little envious to the fact that they are true fans of P. Ramlee, elaborating the representation and re-enactment of P. Ramlee's life events that could not be shown on stage. On some scenes, I saw some of them probably half-in-tears, their crushed handkerchief in their palms - totally absorbed in the performance. Afterall, we've seen his movies - but to be witnessing the representation of his life's journey is a totally new experience, and for them that is as close as they can ever be to their idol. 

The stars : (from left) Tiara Jacquelina, Tony Eusoff,
Elly Mazlein and Nadia Aqilah Baiduri.

P. Ramlee : The Musical, now in it's forth run, was shown at the Borneo Convention Center Kuching for two nights - September 9 and 10. The new cast line-up featured Sarawak's very own Tony Eusoff as P. Ramlee, Nadia Aqilah Baiduri as first wife Junaidah and Elly Mazlein as third wife Saloma. Datin Sri Tiara Jacquelina herself, as the executive producer also plays the role of the second wife, Norizan. The musical itself is part of a five day tribute to P. Ramlee, also in conjunction with the celebration of Sarawak's 50th Independance Day Celebration, and includes a concert by Indonesia's violin maestro Idris Sardi.

Highlights in the programme book

The musical portrays the life of P. Ramlee particularly how he began in the art and performing industry in Penang. He was first offered a role as a clapper boy and background singer in Jalan Ampas, Singapore by BS Rahjans for Shaw Brothers. His migration from Penang to Singapore opens up a whole new opportunity in the industry. 

 His climb towards fortune and fame in Singapore was due to his incredible ability to not only sing and act, but also in writing lyrics, composing melodies, script writing and directing. His natural talent led to his success and was well known as an entertainer and an exceptional artist throughout Asia. 

No journey come without pain and sacrifice. His first marriage with Junaidah did not last. The marriage failed because fame and fortune was too much for Junaidah to handle as she would rather have her husband and a simple life than the lifestyle of artists with the media always scrutinizing their life. After that came Norizan, the second wife whom embraced the life of fame and fortune - but P. Ramlee was far too absorbed with work  and Norizan socializing with her friends caused rumors affairs, lies and deceit. 

The stars, ticket and banner

The third and last marriage with Saloma was portrayed as hitting the balance between work and family, and was probably the cheekiest most clever bit of the whole musical! As Tony Eusoff and Elly Mazlein acted their wooing scenes on stage, the audience went "ooooohh" and "aaaaahhh" and "yeerrrrr.. ingga ku nangga!" (all in good humour - you HAVE to know Sarawak dialect to understand the last bit there). Even the makcik (aunts) sitting around me had their melatah (hyperstartle response? I can't find the English translation for this word and hyperstartle response is the closest that I can get) moments at the cheeky scenes playing on stage. I would like to know if P. Ramlee and Saloma did call each other Remy and Sally respectively, or is it just icing on the cake for the musical. Still, very cheeky and clever indeed!!

Some of the exhibitions and part of the musical

What touched my heart most was at the end when the montaj tribute to P. Ramlee was rolling, I could hear the faint sobbing of the aunts and grandmas to my left, dabbing tears away from their eyes with their crumpled hanky or tissue. The loss of such a great artist, even if it was forty years ago, must've been heartfelt to them. 

To me, Tony Eusoff played an awesome role as P. Ramlee (althought I have nothing to compare it against). It was a great show, well deserved for a huge icon that is P. Ramlee. I never knew he (Tony) can sing that well, but as he sang Hujan di Tengah Hari, Engkau Laksana Bulan and Getaran Jiwa, I felt goosebumps! Datin Sri Tiara Jacquelina and Elly Mazlein was just as powerful - singing the musical original A Marriage Falls Apart and the evergreen Di Mana Kan Ku cari Ganti. 

The set was also AH-MAY-ZING!!! Being my first musical, I thought the stage was small while the side stage too big, but as the sets and props rolled in I was all open-jawed at much of the effort and details that went into the design. It was nothing short of amazing!


Credits :

• To Mina and Anthony for giving me a ticket in the first place! Sorry I did not sit with you guys cuz I had my brothers with me.  
• To friends Naydee and Lydia for sharing some of the pictures you guys took. 
• To brothers T-man and Lupi, for being a great company! And Faizin and Bang Fitri too during the first half of the musical! 
• The makcik and grandmas sitting around me for sharing the anecdotes of P. Ramlee's life - truly you all are real fans!

So my blog recently got featured in Sarawak bloggers for the month of September. In a mood for celebration I headed to the Sarawak Regatta Fair. I’ll have another entry for that later, but right now I am fully content with my own company having a bite of Steak Beef Pie at John’s Pie. I’ve heard of John’s Pie from someone, I don’t recall whom though. Also came across the name while covering for the Rainforest World Music Festival 2013.

The entrance

I gotta there was a small misunderstanding about John’s Pie. Though the name was familiar, I was never able to find it. Instead, I came across John’s Place. Boy they are worlds apart. Where John’s Pie serves pie and pastries (as the name implies), John’s Place is a kopitiam which also offers a bed & breakfast on the first floor. I have a feeling that they are related - perhaps of the same business owners. If you know dow put it into the comments below! Thanks!

Inside - rather cozy albeit small

John’s Pie is a small quaint little cafe on the street of Song Thian Cheok. Common landmark is the 360’s Hotel, Liwah Hotel and Wisma Pheonix across Secret Recipe Padungan. I have to say after spending a whole day at the Regatta Festival with a bunch of awesome friends (a couple of which I just met) this quiet little place with its mellow jazz music in the background is all I needed while my other half is doing her own thing, if I may be to bold to point out.

Well anyways I I tried the Steak Beef Pie and boy was I pleasantly surprised. It was delish. The crust was thin but not too thin –it simply crumbles away revealing the scrumptious fillings inside. I have to point out that this is not a good place if you have large numbers in your party. Solo coffee time, couple’s date, that’s just the right number. Three, four or more would be a crowd. As it stands, I will definitely bring my better half here.

The receipt - not expensive at all!

John’s Pie also serve Shepherd’s Pie among other things ~ for those who fancy juices with their pies, there is bottled orange juice, but I like my pie with a cup of plain old coffee. They also serve a few types of quiches - a type of baked flan or tart with savory filling thickened with eggs (or to me it's a much larger version of egg tart - except instead of just egg, you get chicken or meat on it as well >.<) 

There is also a new pie on their menu - a locally inspired Laksa Pie! I might head over there to try it out soon! Who's coming with me?   \(^_^)/

Laksa Pie

Though I'm proud to say that I like to read, that given the choice to be paid to read I would probably become a millionaire very very quickly, I'd like to clarify that I don't remember too much of what I read. More than "not being able to remember", I'd say I "don't want to remember because I tend to live inside the novel and get caught in my vivid imagination". Sounds crazy, I know, but trust me, I have been know to drive myself crazy. 

The Yellow Birds is such a book that would drive me insane. Written by Kevin Powers, a veteran of war himself who enlisted with the army and joined the Iraq war serving as a machine gunner, The Yellow Birds was something like a memorabilia of his experience of war. Set in the northern city of Al Tafar in the eyes of Private John Bartle, the book tells a story of a brotherhood of men in the army, of a broken promise and of betrayal. 

21-years-old Private Bartle together with 18-years-old Private Daniel Murphy enlisted into the army and was placed under the command of Sergeant Sterling - a decorated war veteran. The sergeant, worn and battle-scarred, would punch them in the face one moment and clap them in the back the next, as they together with the rest of their platoon endured basic training. 

Before their deployment, Private Bartle made a promise to the mother of Private Murphy that he would take care of his son. It was revealed that the promise would be broken in the early chapters of the book, and it was Sergeant Sterling who stressed that such promises should never have been made in the first place. 

The book was non-lineally structured - jumping between the years of which Private Bartle and Private Murphy fought in the war to when Private Bartle returned home, without private Murphy with him thus breaking the promise he made, to the brief time they had spent in Germany for their post-battle health evaluation, and finally when Private Bartle was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Division for the crime he and Sergeant Sterling committed regarding the death of Private Murphy. 

The climax of the book, in my opinion is when Private Bartle returned home to his mother. and began reflecting on the things he did back in Iraq. He felt like he did not fit into the society - whom was very grateful for his service but to him he was wrong for returning home unharmed while some of his army-men never had the chance to return at all. As he drank and slept his days away, counting the second when the CID would finally catch him, he reflected on the promise that he made to Private Murphy's mother, how he should've seen how Privatee Murphy began to lose himself to the war, and how he felt responsible for not setting Private Murphy straight. 

This is my first book with army and war theme in background, but more than that the inner-thoughts that made up for chase scene made up of words and phrases, like music that crescendos into fast paced allegro vivace to a melancholy adagio, it carries me to a different world - an slight and if only made-up understanding of the state of a soldier returning from war. I find myself worrying about our own men coming back home from war, and I hope they don't go through what Kevin Powers describe it to be in this book.