501 Amazing Facts About Malaysia

Do you know that there are 878 islands in Malaysia with the state of Sabah leading the way with 394? Like Sir Richard Branson who owns Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands, some of these Malaysians islands are privately owned too like Pulau Gemia and Pulau Rawa in Johor as well as Pulau Padanan in Sabah.

Can someone please tell me how to purchase one of these lovely islands and how much it would cost? ;-)

Now let's move on to an interesting fact about the island of Pulau Pinang or Penang, which is famous for its colonial buildings, delicious hawker grub and relaxing beaches. Do you know that there are another 2 islands in Malaysia by the same name? One is situated off the east coast of Johor and another in the Redang archipelago in Terengganu. Rest assured, when you say you're going to Penang, people would know you're going to the Pearl of the Orient, the one with the UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

These interesting facts about Malaysia can be found in the book, 501 Amazing Facts About Malaysia by Venkat Hari.

"It's amazing there are so many little known facts about Malaysia that we Malaysians are unaware. I am hoping to disseminate this information so that Malaysians will realise the beauty and gem of our country and it can help boost domestic tourism," says Venkat who spent hours researching and verifying the facts in this book. He has carefully divided the facts into chapters like Amazing Sights, History Titbits and Mysterious Facts.

If you're amazed with the facts in this book and are planning a road trip throughout Peninsular Malaysia, don't expect to make a pit stop for a Happy Meal in Perlis cause the state does not have any McDonald's restaurant! That is indeed another interesting fact about Malaysia!

Note: 501 Amazing Facts About Malaysia is sold in these bookshops at RM9.90 per copy. You may also contact Venkat Hari at +6 013 320 7981 to get a copy. The facts in this book are so interesting that the first edition has been sold out and is into its second edition. 

Journeys of a Lifetime

The quote, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" has always been one of my favourite travel quotes. Some websites attribute it to Confucius and some to Lao Tzu; just goes to show that nothing on the net should be taken as the Gospel truth.

Another quote I like is, "Success is a journey not a destination" by writer Arthur Robert Ashe Jr.

Lea Salonga also sang about The Journey which I've listened to death at church camps when I was much younger.

The world is laden with quotes and songs about journeys. And that is precisely why I bought this book at the recent Popular Bookfest held at the KL Convention Centre:

The book's by National Geographic which makes it credible. And being priced at RM29.90 doesn't hurt either, especially when it's hardcover and printed on glossy paper.

This book has 500 trips which I'm gonna use to plan my travels. Some of these places I haven't even heard off before, which makes it even more exciting!

So let the journeys begin!

What I Bought at Popular BookFest 2010

As I mentioned in my previous entry, I was at the Popular BookFest last Saturday and I went crazy looking at all the books on bargain. Here's what I bought:

For my love of history and travel:

Cathedrals and Castles: Building in the Middle Ages - RM10.32

The Forbidden City: Center of Imperial China - RM10.32

For my desire to become a cultured person:

A Brief History of Art - RM15.92

Great Painters - RM15.90

Van Gogh - RM15.92

For my new hobby that's growing in a small apartment balcony:

Practical Small Gardens - RM15.92 

Because I loved Dan Brown's previous novels I bought his latest work. And because an Asian writer, i.e. Aravind Adiga could win the Man Booker Prize award, I wanted to see what it's all about:

The Lost Symbol - RM25.90

The White Tiger - RM24.67

For the woman that I am:

 Eat, Pray, Love - RM25.90

And finally to complete my Malcolm Gladwell collection:

What the Dog Saw - RM23.90

Total damage was RM184.65, which I think is cheap considering the first 6 books at the top of this entry are all printed on glossy thick paper with extremely colourful pictures. Now I'll have lots to read during my trip to Syria and Jordan.

Irritating Adverts in Female Magazine

When I bought the July issue of Female to my dismay there was this irritating advert sticking out from its sides (again!).

These adverts makes it difficult to hold the mag and difficult to turn the pages, especially if you're reading the mag while holding it up and not spread on a table. It's an advertising faux pas in the truest sense.

So this is what I did:

Without the irritating adverts my beloved mag is more reader friendly now :-)

Message to Female team: Adverts that stick out the sides of magazines makes it difficult for the reader. Please drop it.

The Inspiration Behind Tolkien's Gates of Moria

I received a comment from a reader pointing out that the tree trunks at St Edward's looked more like the Gates of Moria instead of the Gates of Mordor.

When I compared Tolkien's drawings of the Gates of Moria with the tree trunks, it looked like she was right.

Well, maybe the tour guide made a mistake or I heard wrongly. Anyway, here's an updated version of the entry. Sorry for the mistake, folks!

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Do you want to know what inspired JRR Tolkien's Gates of Mordor Moria in the Lord of the Rings trilogy?

Apparently Tolkien conceived the idea for those famous gates from a pair of tree trunks in the Church of St Edward in Stow-on-the-Wold.

Church of St Edward

Stow-on-the-Wold is a little town situated in the Cotswolds, a range of hills in west-central England famous for its gentle hillsides, sleepy villages and for being so 'typically English'.

Wanna see how the tree trunks look like? Scroll downwards ...

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Here they are ... the trees that inspired Tolkien's Gates of Mordor Moria

And here is an artist impression a drawing by Tolkien himself of the gates:

Similar, right?

My Travel Bookshelf

As an avid reader I have 2 bookcase in my apartment to house half of the 250 odd books in my collection. The other half is at my mum's place.

I've arranged the books on my bookcase according the topics like Autobiography, Classics, Relationships, Self-Help and my fav - Travel.

In fact, I've got so many books on travel that they take up an entire shelf like this:

My travel bookshelf

I've also placed travel souvenirs on my travel shelf to give it that "travel" feel. I've got an Eiffel Tower, Leaning Tower of Pisa and combination of a few of Europe's famous landmarks - all given by my friends from their travels overseas.

Whenever I need to do research for my travels, I just go to my travel shelf and everything's there. There's no need to look high and low for something. I like to be organised!

I wonder whether there'll come a time when I have enough travel books to fill up an entire bookcase.

Dinner Today ...

Oranges and vegetable soup ... I experimented by sprinkling some oregano leaves into the soup. It tasted different, quite good I must say.

Gonna spend the rest of the evening reading Bill Bryson's Neither here Nor there ...

Must finish this book before I start on No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. This book was made into a movie and I heard it's a good one.

What I Bought at the MPH Distributors Warehouse Sale

I was so happy when I heard that the MPH Distributors Warehouse Sale was on.

Thanks to the slow economy, I decided to zoom in on the books I wanted instead of going on a buying frenzy like before.

I've heard and read so much about Terry Pratchett and the Discworld series. So I decided to buy 2 copies (RM20 each). So happy managed to get the first book in the series - The Colour of Magic because it's quite hard to find this book in bookstores.

Lately I've become a fan of Neil Gaiman because the fella's work is damn brilliant. So I specifically went there to hunt for his books and managed to get Interworld for RM30.

And of course being an avid traveller, I got a few Lonely Planet guides and also Bill Bryson's Neither here Nor there (RM30) because I heard he's a fantastic travel writer.

(LP England: RM66.00, LP Scandinavian Europe: RM75.00)

Grand Total Damage: RM241.00

Now I so must get a bigger bookshelf.

Times the Bookshop & Income Tax

Last weekend I was rummaging through my book receipts, other receipts and insurance statements - it's the usual last minute rush to get my income tax done.

And amongst the pile of mail that was waiting to be opened, I discovered that Times the Bookshop has sent me a statement on all the purchases I've made in 2008.

The statement is approved by the Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (Inland Revenue Board) for tax submission. How initiative is that!

Previously I was a member of Popular Bookstore for a couple of years and they never sent me any statement. I don't know about MPH and Kinokuniya, though.

I became a member of Times in mid-2008 because the bookshop is only a 10-minute walk from my office. This is convenient for me since I can take a short walk there during lunch to get my favourite magazine or to buy books.

Since becoming a member of Times, I've enjoy many privileges like receiving vouchers and buying books and magazines at 10% and 5% discount respectively. Popular members don't get magazines at 5% discount.

And now that Times have surprised me with this customer service initiative of theirs, I hope to remain a member for many years to come. Kudos to Times!

My First French Storybook

I received my first French storybook - Le Petit Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery last week. (Note: Le Petit Prince means The Little Prince).

Why Le Petit Prince? Cause my French teacher recommended it. Apparently the French version is better than the English translation (for those who are bilingual in both languages). Moreover it's not difficult to read for beginners.

I had placed an order for this book with the Times Bookstore in Pavilion. A wait that was supposed to take bout 2 months took 5 months instead. After enquiring numerous times at the bookstore only to receive stupid excuses like there was a delay in shipment, wrong version was sent, etc. I finally received it.

The feeling of owning my first French storybook is unusual after owning English books all this while. Le Petit Prince would look odd sitting on my bookshelf with its other 'English speaking friends'. But I'm planning to buy more French storybooks soon. Then Le Petit Prince won't be so lonely anymore.

MPH Warehouse Sale

Books are one of my weakness, and I succumbed to my weakness at the MPH Warehouse Sale in Petaling Jaya today.

In August I bought enough books at the Times Warehouse Books Clearance for the RM1,000 income tax rebate, and told myself that I won't buy books any more till next year.

But when I stepped into the MPH Warehouse Sale today and saw the marked down prices and offers, I went berserk!

This sale is even better than the Times Warehouse Books Clearance.

So I succumbed to my weakness and this is what I bought:

• Collins Essential English Dictionary (I needed a dictionary in the office and it costs only RM10 for a hardcover)


• Merde Happens by Stephen Clarke (Clarke's writing is witty and down to earth. I'm currently reading Talk to the Snail and it's hilarious!)


• Morocco by Lonely Planet (Wanna go there some day, and the book costs only RM10. Imagine a Lonely Planet for RM10!)


• Temples, Tombs & Hieroglyphs: A Popular History of Ancient Egypt by Barbara Mertz (Egyptology is one of my interests)


• The Art of War by Sun Tzu (Always wanted to learn military strategy)


• The New PR: An Insider’s Guide to Changing the Face of Public Relations by Phil Hall (Related to my profession)


• The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin (Wanted to see what's the Darwin hype all about)


• The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho (Read The Alchemist and didn't see why it's such a big deal. So wanna give Coelho another chance)

Total damage: RM116

Slow Read ...

I started reading the book above many weeks ago till I can't remember when I started. Today I’m only at page 251; that’s 262 pages more to go. I wonder why I’m dragging my feet to read this book.

Usually I can finish a book in about a week, because I read everywhere - while waiting for the bus, in queues, while waiting for a friend, at home in my free time, etc. There is always a book in my bag wherever I go.

I remember reading The Da Vinci Code and Thorn Birds. Could not put ‘em down. Finished each book in 3 days. This time it’s different.

Times Warehouse Books Clearance

I went to the Times Warehouse Books Clearance Sale last Saturday at the Hartamas Shopping Centre. I'm a Times Bookstore member and will make an effort to go for all its warehouse clearance sale because books are cheaper there compared to buying at the outlets.

Times used to have their warehouse clearance sale in Wisma Hamodal in Section 14, Petaling Jaya but I guess they must be relocating due to various reasons.

Like all Times warehouse sale, there was a wide variety of books, including bestsellers that were going at 30% off. I had a field day browsing and choosing the books in my wishlist.

Despite shortlisting my wishlist, I didn't realise I had spent RM330! This is what I got for that kind of money:

• The Alchemist - By Paulo Coelho
• Awaken the Giant Within - By Anthony Robbins
• The Free Mind: A Lateral Thinking Approach - By Edward de Bono
• French Verbs for Dummies - By Zoe Erotopoulos, PhD
• Almost French: A New Life in Paris - By Sarah Turnbull
• Talk to the Snail: Ten Commandments for Understanding the French - By Stephen Clarke
• The Marine Corps Way: Using Maneuver Warfare to Lead a Winning Organisation - By Jason A. Santamaria, et al
• Sex Signals - By Judi James
• Australia - Lonely Planet
• The Goodbye Summer - By Patricia Gaffney

Shoppers who spend minimum RM300 will receive a free gift of either a RM5 voucher or a Times notebook. I chose the notebook because the voucher only had a life span of 1 week and I didn't want to spend more money on books after blowing RM330.

So, mission accomplished - I've fulfilled my RM1,000 quota of books for income tax purposes. No more spending on books till next year. And I've added some superb books to my collection.

197 Books

That is the number of books in my book collection.

I've been collecting books ever since I could read and 197 is a miserable number. Although I didn't add my encylopedias and reference books to the list, I would have expected it to reach 300 by now.

I discovered this figure after listing down every book I own. I used an Excel spreadsheet to list down the author, year the book was published and publisher, and it came to 197.

I have two libraries in my homes - one in my family house which is already overflowing, and a mini library in my apartment. Since my apartment has more space, I plan to get a bigger bookcase to place my 'babies'. I was planning to get a Billy bookcase from Ikea, but since the stock has ran out (refer to my blog entry 'Disappointed with Ikea'), I might want to get a teak bookcase. Teak furniture are expensive and requires lots of TLC, but I think it would be a worthwhile investment.

My dream would be to allocate an entire room in my apartment as a library. The library would have built-in bookshelves from ceiling to floor. And the shelves would have to be white in colour so that my books can stand out.

Now onwards to building my collection.