So, graphic novels. The last few books I’ve read were all funny books. Expect the reviews over the next week or so to be focused on that area. Yeah, it’s hard for me to say much without spoiling this, but then again, I don’t think there are many surprises in this book, and it’s been out for ages (since June 2007), so I’m going to just go ahead and talk about it. Well: this is a horror comic that was published by Virgin Comics, one that, according to a tiny note on the cover, is “Suggested for Mature Readers.” The …
Category: PERSONAL
I’d Rather Die Than Give a Speech!: The Comprehensive Guide for Public Speaking by Michael M. Klepper
This is a book I picked up in a used book section in Depok, a small suburb of Jakarta. I was amazed to find, upon leafing through it, that it covers a lot of the same issues I cover in my undergraduate Public Speaking course. What’s more, since it is written for the average businessperson — it was, indeed, an Alternate Selection of the Executive Program, says the dustjacket — it’s basically at an appropriate reading level for my English Language & Culture major students, as well as many of the non-majors who seem to want to take the class. …
I’m Teaching What?
Update (a few months later): Well, surprisingly this turned out to be one of the better classes of the semester, and in fact I rather enjoyed it. We read Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener,” excerpts from Ha-Joon Chang’s Bad Samaritans, organized crime, and the massive documentary film The Corporation; not that it was a massive propaganda session, of course: I just played devil’s advocate, presenting materials that challenged a lot of the more common beliefs and attitudes among students. We had plenty of thoughtful discussions about cultural and economic imperialism, the relationships between government, the press, businesses, …
The Cleanest Race by B.R. Myers
I include the title of this book here for record-keeping only. I am writing a review of the book for The Kyoto Journal, so I will not be posting a review here. I will, however, note that it is quite an interesting book, and despite its shortcomings, I do think it’s worth your while to read it if you would like to know more about the mythic components of the North Korean ideology. Once it sees print, I’ll announce it here.
On a Bunch of 2009 SF films
I’ve been sorting through random files on my netbook, and just discovered a half-written post on District 9, which I never finished and never posted. (The post sucked, so it’s good I didn’t get around to putting it online, but still…) Having just seen Avatar a few weeks ago, and The Box just a few days ago, and Moon and the Korean vampire flick Thirst a long time ago, I thought I’d put up my opinion on all of them (and a few more that come to mind), as they’re the last few SF films I’ve seen (aside from the …
Sightseeing by Rattawut Lapcharoensap
(Still working on my review of Ian McDonald’s Cyberabad Days, so instead of rush-posting it before I’m happy with it, I’m posting this review.) I am writing this review without access to the Internet, so I may not have a chance to search for links before posting it. However, since I have a little free time, I am eager to write up this book while it is fresh in my mind. I’ll keep my review simple: this book is a fascinating, deft exploration of Thailand from the inside, by a young writer who I envy like mad. Lapcharoensap’s writing is …
Micro-update
Connectivity is severely reduced for a few days, maybe more. If you’ve emailed me, or are trying to contact me, please be patient. Yes, it sucks. Makes me koo-koo, reduces my productivity. Working on it. Working also on a book review for Kyoto Journal (of a book on North Korea) and on reviews of several other books I’ve read for this here blog. Next review will be on Cyberabad Days by Ian McDonald, which was wonderful but which is proving thorny in terms of writing a fair, critical, and incisive review. Reading? Um… yeah, I’m working on it. And fiction-writing? …
Loud Coffee?
I posted it on Facebook, but I’m wondering enough to ask it here. I’m in a Starbucks by a bookshop that Miss Jiwaku decided we should go to, because she knows how I am with bookshops, and because we needed coffee, and the cinemas nearby are showing crap. (Incidentally, as with a number of places in Asia, the movie cinema industry is not quite a monopoly, butit’s heavily dominated by a few big companies, meaning your selection is often quite limited. Given a choice between the new Travolta film and the new Mel Gibson, we decided to give moviegoing a …
You Know You’re in the Tropics When…
… you see a lizard on the bathroom wall and it doesn’t particularly surprise or alarm you. The driver who was sent to pick me up didn’t quite get the explanation he should have, so he drove to Depok, on the wrong side of town So I’m now waiting for a taxi. Hmm… another day in Jakarta.
The Polo Shirt of Religious Art
Today consisted of a an attempt to visit some older sites and monuments in Jakarta. We managed to visit what is claimed to be the biggest masjid in Southeast Asia, the Mesjid Istiqlal, as well as the “Catholic Cathedral” across the street from it, and a chunk of old Batavia, where the Dutch ran Indonesia for a long time. Batavia was polluted, loud, and full of people; if the air had been closer to breatheable, we might have enjoyed the microcircus we saw performing a little more. The Masjid is what one expects of a masjid: big open spaces, not …