Bumped off the top by the late 'casino king'

MPH Non-Fiction Best-Seller List
for the week ending 28 October

1. My Story
Author : Lim Goh Tong

2. Malaysian Politicians Say the Darndest Things (Vol. 1)
Author : Amir Muhammad

3. The Unmaking of Malaysia: Insider's Reminiscenes of UMNO, Razak and Mahathir
Author : Ahmad Mustapha Hassan

4. In Good Faith: Articles, Essays and Interviews
Author : Zaid Ibrahim

5. As I Was Passing
Author : Adibah Amin

6. The AirAsia Story: How a Young Airline Made It Possible for Everyone to Fly and Become a Runaway Success
Author : Sen Ze; Jayne Ng

7. Gravedigger's Kiss
Author : Tunku Halim

8. Makan Gaji Tetapi Kaya
Author : Shamsuddin Abdul Kadir

9. Ada Bagus Bagusss
Author : Dr HM Tuah Iskandar Al-Haj

10. Growing Up in Trengganu
Author : Awang Goneng

My, erm, first solo show!

I don't wanna say too much about this, let it be a surprise! (Mostly because I am still writing it...) But it's a One Night Only deal, so miss it and weep.


You can also confirm attendance on Facebook.

Poster by Saharil Hasrin Sanin. He not only draws and dresses well, he's one of the writers in the upcoming New Malaysian Essays 1.

The lost communist

Later that night, after the wrap of Punggok Rindukan Bulan, the director and I celebrated by watching 1957 Hati Malaya.

There are some fascinating moments in there (especially a shot involving a book sponsor) but I couldn't help noticing that the Chin Peng scene had been deleted. I know such a scene existed because I know the actor who played him, and the line he had to say.

So as it is, this 2 hour-plus movie of events leading up to our proclamation of Independence has literally no mention of the Baling Talks. But it manages to include our current Prime Minister's father (played by Rahim Razali) and Kavita Kaur shouting "Hidup Melayu!"

Was the scene deleted by the filmmakers or the censors? I don't know if this counts as major news, but perhaps an intrepid journo from Malaysiakini can find out.

It's a wrap!

Azharr Rudin's movie Punggok Rindukan Bulan (whose English title is This Longing) wrapped its 10-day shoot yesterday, 6:30am, just as dawn was breaking over our final location, Senibong Beach, where the lights of Singapore seem very close. Despite some challenges, we were on budget and on schedule.

Our 13-year old lead actor Saeful Nazhif Satria is a star! He is seen here behind the Assistant Director Hairul Askor Salleh, as they look to our main location, the imposing Bukit Cagar Flats:


More photos and production info will be added soon at Da Huang Pictures.

Meanwhile, if you have not seen any of Azharr Rudin's previous work, you might wanna check out his DVD The Amber Sexalogy.

#1 in MPH for the third week in a row :-)

For the week ending 23 October :


1. Malaysian Politicians Say the Darndest Things (Vol. 1)
Author : Amir Muhammad

2. Confessions of an Old Boy: The Dato' Hamid Adventures
Author : Kam Raslan

3. In Good Faith: Articles, Essays and Interviews
Author : Zaid Ibrahim

4. As I Was Passing
Author : Adibah Amin

5. Eh! Wat Yu Talking?: Chronicles of Malay Humor
Author : Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas

6. The AirAsia Story: How a Young Airline Made It Possible for Everyone to Fly and Become a Runaway Success
Author : Sen Ze; Jayne Ng

7. Gravedigger's Kiss
Author : Tunku Halim

8. Makan Gaji Tetapi Kaya
Author : Shamsuddin Abdul Kadir

9. Menjejaki Jutawan Senyap
Author : Dr.Rusly B.Abdullah

10. 44 Cemetery Road: The Best of Tunku Halim
Author : Tunku Halim

Hmmm. I think I am beginning to understand how this 'Local Non-Fiction' best-seller list works. It is for all local books except Malay fiction (which has a separate list). So that is why it includes three fiction titles in English.

Singapore launch party

The shoot actually wrapped early today! So I have time to blog this:

A few years ago I was appointed something called Associate Artist of The Substation. This means, I suppose, that I can get events like this! Since it would be boring (for me) to launch just one book, I asked three other Malaysians along, so we can have a makan and minum party.



Do come if you happen to be in Singapore. Dina can't make it but will be represented (or impersonated?) by teacher/performer Charlene Rajendran, which should entail a whole different barrel of fun.

Poster by SN.

Off to JB

Very early tomorrow, almost a dozen of us will be going down to Johor Bahru for two weeks.

This is for the shoot of the movie Punggok Rindukan Bulan, which is written and directed by Azharr Rudin. Most of the story takes place in the Bukit Cagar Flats that are about to be torn down. We have to keep the cast list a secret until we finish shoot.

I should be back around the 29th. Internet use will be intermittent before then, since the budget does not allow for a hotel with WiFi. Dang.

Selamat Hari Raya

The nationwide search for our first astronaut made me instantly think of Diffan Sina's Wanita Cosmos, my favourite Malaysian short. (If I ever make something as good as his 4-minute piece, I will be quite, quite content).

And lo! Here is Diffan's Hari Raya card:

Screening in Taiwan

A bunch of Malaysian students in Taiwan organised a screening of several films to promote discussion, and one of them was Lelaki Komunis Terakhir. The audience of around 75 then had a lively and wide-ranging discussion. If you wanna know what was discussed, go here. (Erm, it would help if you can read Chinese).

I personally think this sort of thing is far more worthwhile than all those prestigious international film festivals that our press releases (including those written by me!) always bang on about.

Art photo

The only time my mug has been featured in an art gallery (as far as I know) is in this large photo taken and Photoshopped by Yee I-Lann:


The scrawled text is my written script to my short Friday, which is part of (ahem!) my 6horts DVD.

And the air bandung is CGI.

#1 in MPH !

What a wonderful Raya present! Thank you very much for your support. I am also happy that Where Monsoons Meet, a significant book, has entered the best-seller list without the benefit of any promotion.

Local Non-Fiction Best-sellers
For the week ending 7 October 2007

1. Malaysian Politicians Say the Darndest Things (Vol. 1)
Author : Amir Muhammad

2. In Good Faith: Articles, Essays and Interviews
Author : Zaid Ibrahim

3. I am Muslim
Author : Dina Zaman

4. Confessions of an Old Boy: The Dato' Hamid Adventures
Author : Kam Raslan

5. Eh! Wat Yu Talking?: Chronicles of Malay Humor
Author : Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas

6. Where Monsoons Meet: A People's History of Malaya
Author : Musimgrafik

7. As I Was Passing
Author : Adibah Amin

8. Secrets of Millionaire Investors: How You Can Build a Million-Dollar Net Worth by Investing in the Stock Markets
Author : Adam Khoo; Conrad Alvin Lim

9. The AirAsia Story: How a Young Airline Made It Possible for Everyone to Fly and Become a Runaway Success
Author : Sen Ze; Jayne Ng

10. I Love Stocks: Your Guide to Profitable Trading (Third Edition)
Author : Pauline Yong

New photo

My new profile photo was taken during the No Black Tie Merdeka Day reading this year. It's by Vignes Balasingam , who is such a talented photographer that he has succeeded in making me look not too fat. As Sam Fuller said in Win Wenders' The State of Things: "I like colour just fine, but black & white is more realistic."

PS. I enjoyed the session at No Black Tie so much (I am always wittier when the audience has had a drink or three) that I have decided to return for, erm, a solo! Jangan ke mana-mana.

Corporate responsibility

A certain mobile telecommunications giant has purchased 100 copies of the book to give to its employees. And I am even invited to give a talk there in early November.

This is such good news that I will consider switching to its service ... as soon as it improves its coverage.

Details of the next book

Title: New Malaysian Essays 1

Publisher: Matahari Books

Length: 250-300 pages

Dimensions: 17.8cm X 21.5cm

Writers:
Brian Yap
Amir Muhammad
Burhan Baki
Aminuddin Mahmud
Saharil Hasrin Sanin
Sonia Randhawa

Description:
The first part of a planned annual series, this book features new work by 6 Malaysian writers. Each writer gets at least 30 pages to explore a non-fiction topic of his or her choice. They can be in the genre of polemic, ode, lament, journalism, memoir, travelogue, rant ... anything that rocks their boat. Published as a large-format rather than conventional paperback, with a funky design scheme, there are also pictures, drawings and advertisements galore!

Launch date: 16 February 2008.

#2 in MPH !

MPH Local Non-Fiction Bestseller List
For the week ending 30th September 2007:

1. In Good Faith: Articles, Essays and Interviews
Author : Zaid Ibrahim.
RM 30.00

2. Malaysian Politicians Say the Darndest Things (Vol. 1)
Author : Amir Muhammad
RM 30.00

3. Confessions of an Old Boy: The Dato' Hamid Adventures
Author : Kam Raslan
RM 32.00

4. Eh! Wat Yu Talking?: Chronicles of Malay Humor
Author : Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas
RM 12.90

5. As I Was Passing
Author : Adibah Amin
RM 32.90

6. I am Muslim
Author : Dina Zaman
RM 30.00

7. The Unmaking of Malaysia: Insider's Reminiscenes of UMNO, Razak and Mahathir
Author : Ahmad Mustapha Hassan
RM 38.00

8. The AirAsia Story: How a Young Airline Made It Possible for Everyone to Fly and Become a Runaway Success
Author : Sen Ze; Jayne Ng
RM 31.92

9. Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires
Author : Adam Khoo
RM 49.90

10. The Certain Way to Life's Riches
Author : Peter Yee; Alexandra Ng
Our Price : RM 31.92


Random observations:

1. I am kept off the top post by an actual Malaysian politician!

2. The book at #3 is a word of fiction lah. Hello?

3. One way to become a self-made millionaire is to write a book on the topic and charge almost 50 bucks.

4. I wonder why the authors in the top 7 all seem to share the same religion.

5. The authors in the bottom 3 all want to help you get rich.

It's nice to know that my old friend Faisal Tehrani is #2 on the Fiction list, too. I will not read his novel soon because I am only reading fiction by dead authors at the mo.

Moves up 2 notches

I just realised that the Kinibooks best-seller list actually lists the accumulated total rather than the total of the past week. So it's the 5th best-selling item that Kinibooks has ever sold.

First bookstore event

Poster by the folks at the store!

RIP Silverfish New Writing series

In the global or even local scheme of things, the fact that an annual literally anthology will have no further editions is hardly in the same league as worries about whether the Chief Justice of a country might be a corrupt bugger.

Still, the shock announcement that the Silverfish New Writing series will soon release its final (7th) edition is an impoverishing one.

Imbas kembali:



Perhaps the sales figures no longer justified such an enterprise?

No one's asking for my opinion, but I will give it anyway. I feel the series should have stayed as a focus on Malaysian and Singaporean writers. It could have then become a reference point for writers and readers interested in this area. From the third issue on, it started to lack a distinctive character when too many foreigners started pouring in. (Does this make me sound xenophobic? But no one complains when, say, The Booker Prize restricts itself to only writers from Britain and 'the Commonwealth').

It shall be missed.

In search of Father Albert

At our Amcorp Mall flea-market booth yesterday, a kindly priest named Father Albert bought a copy of the book, had it autographed, paid for it, and then forgot to take the book with him! (Or perhaps we forgot to pack it together with the purchases by his friend Tony, who bought an amazing 8 copies). So Father Albert, if you are reading this, let me know how I can get the personalised copy to you. After all, it has your name on it and my scrawled message "Let us pray" that I don't think will be apt to give to others. My email is matahari.books [at] gmail.com .