don't be a coconut

Books unread, books unfinished, books abandoned

noreply@blogger.com (mieza) — Tue, 10 Dec 2013 01:19:00 +0000

“All the books we own, both read and unread, are the fullest expression of self we have at our disposal. ... But with each passing year, and with each whimsical purchase, our libraries become more and more able to articulate who we are, whether we read the books or not.”
― Nick Hornby, The Polysyllabic Spree

Having recently received Nick Hornby's "Ten Years in the Tub" in the mail (and subsequently burying my nose in it), I realized how much books I have lying around unread, unfinished and abandoned. To give you the complete idea, here is a list I've compiled of books I am currently reading:

On the iPhone:

Stephen King's 'On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft'
Francois Truffaut's 'The Films in My Life'

On the Nook E-Reader

Ellen DeGeneres' 'Seriously...I'm Kidding'
Rob Sheffield's 'Talking to Girls About Duran Duran'

Physical Books

Nick Hornby's 'Ten Years in the Tub'
Donald Spoto's Elizabeth Taylor

Magazines

Monocle Issue 67 (I still have a pretty big stack of magazines to go through. Call it researching the market if you will)

Will I ever finish any of the books? Have I subconsciously abandoned some of them? I rarely abandon books that I've started reading, no matter how bad it is. But now that we're all a little older, (and our hearts a little bolder) it feels like there's so much less idle time for indulging in the pleasures of reading. In hindsight, it may seem like the time is in abundant, yet somehow it's always difficult to reach a state of mental calmness; the kind that reassures you that you are completely at peace with your life. I guess sometimes it's not about the time at hand, it's about the thoughts that consume your mind with that time at hand.

Postcards from Istanbul #5

noreply@blogger.com (mieza) — Sat, 12 Oct 2013 01:01:00 +0000

Photos taken with iPhone and edited using VSCO Film.
. . . .

This marks the final instalment for the 'Postcard from Istanbul' series. For all previous series, click through here: series #1, series #2, series #3, and series #4.

On the table

noreply@blogger.com (mieza) — Wed, 09 Oct 2013 01:57:00 +0000

Above are photos of not-so-recent food that were carefully assembled for both consumption and gratuitous recording purposes.

Lately, I've been laughing a lot to these, been feeling pretty excited for this new tune, and really enjoying the music from this wonderful podcast series.

Postcards from Istanbul #4

noreply@blogger.com (mieza) — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 17:30:00 +0000

Photos taken with iPhone and edited using VSCO Film.
. . . .

October 1

noreply@blogger.com (mieza) — Mon, 30 Sep 2013 17:40:00 +0000

I love the coincidental similarity that the two pair of photos above are displaying.

On another note, here are a few recent things to take note:
+ The fantastic, Welcome to Night Vale podcast.
+ The heart-warming reality show, The Fried Chicken Shop.
+ The email subscription compilation curated by Miranda July called, We think alone.

Postcards from Istanbul #3

noreply@blogger.com (mieza) — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 23:27:00 +0000

Photos taken with iPhone and edited using VSCO Film.
. . . .

September 26

noreply@blogger.com (mieza) — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 00:59:00 +0000

One thing seem to have stuck with me while listening to this talk by Irish photographer, Linda Brownlee. That in the beginning of her career, she was advised to continue taking photographs, possibly thousands and thousands, before she could build her own style, and for it to develop naturally. It was going to take a while, and eventually it paid off, evident in her photographs nowadays.

I like to think sooner or later, my photography style would eventually surface and emerge as well. It's definitely going to take a while, possibly after thousands and thousands of images, but it will definitely pay off. I'm secretly optimistic.

Postcards from Istanbul #2

noreply@blogger.com (mieza) — Sat, 21 Sep 2013 17:30:00 +0000

Photos taken with iPhone and edited using VSCO Film.
. . . .

September 21

noreply@blogger.com (mieza) — Fri, 20 Sep 2013 18:15:00 +0000

Air Terjun Sungai Gabai, Hulu Langat, Selangor.
. . . .

Two films that I have on my 'To-Watch' list,
+ Wadjda
+ Black Fish

And also books I have on my 'To-Buy' list,
+ Nick Hornby's Shakespeare Wrote for Money
+ Nick Hornby's More Baths Less Talking
+ Stephen King's On Writing
+ Carl Wilson's Celine Dion's Let's Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste (33 1/3)

Postcards from Istanbul #1

noreply@blogger.com (mieza) — Fri, 13 Sep 2013 00:30:00 +0000

Photos taken with iPhone and edited using VSCO Film.
. . . .

Thoughts on Istanbul

noreply@blogger.com (mieza) — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 01:30:00 +0000

The Istanbul trip is still fresh in my mind. Looking back at photos (and other people's photos), I am swept by a sense of yearning for the exuberant Turkish city. The 6 day visit to Istanbul was the most fun I've had compared to any other major European cities I've visited in the past.

For one, there weren't any unsettling feeling that you were being watched, judged, or disapproved of. People were always friendly and seemed more than willing to help, and not once did I feel awkwardly out of place. Although Istanbul is not as polished, or as glossy, it is still reminiscent of a typical European city, especially with its small streets littered with charming little shops and cafes. And despite the hustle and bustle, and lively energy exuded by the city dwellers, there's a quiet, muted calmness felt from the melancholic waves of the Bosphorus waters.

If you sit along the Bosphorus coastline on a clear sunny day, the majestic view can sometimes be overwhelmingly gorgeous, but yet it doesn't feel boastful, or untouchable. The scenery feels accessible and it welcomes anyone to come and enjoy it.

Perhaps it's true. Maybe the beauty isn't much to brag about compared to the shores of Italy, Greece, or the French Riviera. But beauty alone is not enough. It's the people that makes you want to come back (as oppose to locals who look at tourists with bitter resentment), and the view that makes you want to stay.

Postcards from Germany #9

noreply@blogger.com (mieza) — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 01:00:00 +0000

This marks the end of the Postcards from Germany series (for now!). Look out for Postcards from Istanbul coming very soon.

Medianeras

noreply@blogger.com (mieza) — Tue, 27 Aug 2013 04:21:00 +0000

Above are pictures of my friend Nazwa at Mata Air, Perlis, 2011.
. . . .

The previous weekend felt like the longest weekend I've ever had in quite awhile. Left work at 5am, went on a 7.10am flight to Alor Setar, Kedah and by night I was wiped out. It's interesting that when you fully utilize a whole stretch of a day from early morning to night, it can make 3 days feel like an entire week. I rarely utilize days like that anymore. Plus, time seems to go by so slowly when you do that.

I stumbled across this wonderful Argentinian film that I can't stop thinking about. Medianeras or Sidewalls is is your basic love story of boy meets girl but it's a story that feels so in tune to the 21st century. It's been a while since I came across a film that I thoroughly enjoyed. Sidewalls had all the exact qualities I would look for in a film. It had quotes that resonated deeply with my life, it spun small quiet moments that feels cozy enough to crawl into, and had just the right amount of cheesy dosage. I could watch this again and never feel tired of it.

Tonight I depart for Istanbul, another planned vacation that I had reserved from earlier this year. The strain of planning and packing that goes into vacation preparation is starting to get to me. Maybe it's time to take a vacation from a vacation?

Postcards from Germany #8

noreply@blogger.com (mieza) — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 10:30:00 +0000

Nothing Beats a Good Stack

noreply@blogger.com (mieza) — Mon, 19 Aug 2013 10:30:00 +0000

Alor Setar, Kedah, December 2011.
. . . .

I cannot emphasize enough how much I've enjoyed reading again lately. Not necessarily books, but magazines for the most part. I've been listening to this podcast a lot, and it dawned on me how print may be reduced to extinction by the emergence of epubs and epdfs that feels so much more convenient and lightweight. I can't say I disagree with this sentiment, but I do believe that print has carved its own very special place in the market. It has become apparent that reading tangible, physical books, or rather the act of leafing through actual pages has become somewhat of a luxury.

I would love to start to become a devoted follower of a magazine again. And with the recent appearance of a handful of beautifully produced magazines, I am really spoilt for choice. But even then, some of the most gorgeous publications fail to satisfy. Magazines like Cereal mag and Kinfolk always leaves me wanting more. The photography is impeccable but nothing else goes beyond that. It always feels too delicate, too graceful for me to keep leafing through the pages.

But that said, I do have two top choices that so far has yet to dissapoint. I am very much enamoured with the raw visual style in Apartamento. The pages almost has a newspaper feel to it, durable and sturdy, I feel so at ease just flipping through the magazine over and over again. And although Monocle has a lot to improve in terms of fact checking, and accuracy of their content, I do have a soft spot for the magazine. I love that it breaks down barriers between countries and continents, and highlights different aspects of that nation, giving you a fresh perspective in replace of all previous negative reservations. I love how it makes the term global not ignite the connotations of foreign, or a wide separated distance, but instead makes it feel accessible, welcoming, and borderless.

Postcards from Germany #7

noreply@blogger.com (mieza) — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 23:30:00 +0000

August 13

noreply@blogger.com (mieza) — Mon, 12 Aug 2013 23:40:00 +0000

Grand Millenium Hotel, Bukit Bintang, November 2011.
. . . .

I haven't been listening to much music lately. The only thing that I have on heavy rotation at the moment, are podcast. They only serve as white background noise while I work or when I fall asleep, but when I do tune in to some of the conversations, they can be quite riveting and very engaging. My recent favourites are the Dinner Party Download, which I absolutely swear by, and Moncocle 24: The Stack, a show that discusses the necessity and significance of the printed pages (magazine publications mostly).

p/s: Dear readers, I understand that it's very risky to abandon the very foundation of what the blog was initially built on. But to keep writing about music (that I hardly listen to anymore) seems too forced on my part.

I hope you're all enjoying the beginning of your working week.

Postcards from Germany #6

noreply@blogger.com (mieza) — Sun, 04 Aug 2013 00:42:00 +0000

July 26

noreply@blogger.com (mieza) — Thu, 25 Jul 2013 18:20:00 +0000

I can not get enough of this site. There's really something magnetic and wonderful about the photos taken by Mr Brian Ferry. So much clarity and such warm but vivid tones. I can't explain it, his photos just keep getting better. If I had any choice, I would choose to live in the world so delicately portrayed in his photos.

And then there's this song by London Grammar (yet again). 'Hey Now' sounds like a more accessible, approachable XX.

» London Grammar's 'Hey Now'

Wasting My Young Years

noreply@blogger.com (mieza) — Wed, 17 Jul 2013 13:07:00 +0000

The 'Postcards from Germany' series is still ongoing, there's still so much photos to share from the trip. Rather than having it lay to waste, piling dust, might as well put it to good use, no?

I'm currently re-watching the 'Before Midnight' film, kind of regretting I was half-asleep when I first watched it in Munich. It's definitely one of those films that even if you fall asleep for five minutes you might lose a huge chunk of the story, and by story I mean the dialogue. There's very little action going on, because it's very heavily driven with scripts and dialogue, and it's wonderful to watch as if you are an observer to the whole event.

This London Grammar song is on heavy rotation in my head. I keep getting back to it without ever knowing why. I do feel though that this song is shaping up to become the sound of 2013.

» Listen to London Grammar's 'Wasting My Young Years'

Postcards from Germany #5

noreply@blogger.com (mieza) — Tue, 16 Jul 2013 12:54:00 +0000

Postcards from Germany #4

noreply@blogger.com (mieza) — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 01:08:00 +0000

Postcards from Germany #3

noreply@blogger.com (mieza) — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 13:37:00 +0000

Postcards from Germany #2

noreply@blogger.com (mieza) — Fri, 05 Jul 2013 00:04:00 +0000

Postcards from Germany #1

noreply@blogger.com (mieza) — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 04:35:00 +0000