Money Matters

So you spend it.

Here’s the loot report for yesterday, or in other words, the books joining my little library:

1. Seeing by José Saramago
2. All-Star Superman Vol. 2 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
3. The Odyssey by Homer (Translated by Robert Fitzgerald)
4. The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger
5. Pandora In The Congo by Albert Sanchez Piñol (Translated by Mara Faye Lethem)
6. The 4 Major Plays by Anton Chekhov (Translated by Curt Columbus)
7. Last Evenings On Earth by Roberto Bolaño (Translated by Chris Andrews)

Not quite the mix I was expecting, with a shortage of science and poetry. I think I’ll pop by for another book tomorrow if I happen to be passing by, though that’ll likely be a recent novel than anything else. In fact, it might even be in Chinese.

I’m happiest about my Pandora In The Congo buy, actually, because it’s not something I would normally read, and I’ve only heard good things about it.

I had a bunch of other books I was intending to get, including the new Kazuo Ishiguro Nocturnes and In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin, but I suspect I’m going pocket paperback for those, if they ever appear. Otherwise I’ll just get them as they are. There was also a science book that’s in a gigantic hardcover and I was at first slightly tempted, but what the hey, I’m a poor student without a job.

I’m sure there’ll be another before school reopens, since there’s the Great Singapore Sale somewhere along these couple of months, so there’s certainly ample time to stock up on my new semester reading.

Today…

I think I’ll be working on a query for The River. I just want some space from Bukit Merah for now, in case I burn out prematurely. I figure that if I can’t tell how long it’s going to be (since I am making it up as I go along), then I run the risk of either writing it too short (rushing it) or too long (dragging it). Some distance, temporal or otherwise, from it might help, so I reckon I won’t be back at it until Monday, depending on how the weekend works out.

Hmm.

Results in a week. Wonder what I’ll see. There’s something nerve-wracking about getting your results reported to you by your computer. A click of the mouse and poof it’s there. And as if it wants to mess with your head a bit more, it doesn’t appear instantly. No, it just lags a bit and hangs around and tries its best to surprise you. Then it shows up like a magic trick, and you’re struggling to contain the dread in the first couple of seconds as you try to make sense of it all.

Then it makes sense. And it’s like dust, taking ages to settle.

Next week. Friday, I think.

2.8

The WordPress 2.8 beta has got up and going. [via WordPress.org]

TRICO

Team ICO’s next project has an alleged trailer. [via Kotaku]

Looks great. I like the giant beast.

9

New trailer for 9. [via YouTube]

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New Days And Singaporean Writers

All Over Again

So begins the new semester in a flurry of activity that involves all the usual elements of timetable messes, tutorial balloting, textbook fencing and the dread that usually comes with the acknowledgement that it will bring with it the tests, tutorials, projects and examinations.

I see it as a good thing in the sense that apart from all the school work, I’ll no doubt be compelled to be fulfulling all my other obligations, like that query letter sitting alone in the dark right now. There’s this strange illness where at some point during the holidays you accept that you just can’t do all of these duties anymore and you have to wait till the work (from school) piles up and you are somehow motivated to make your life miserable by piling on the extra commitments. I don’t think it can be treated. However, it does imply that I can finally get some of that work done.

Looking ahead, it looks like a difficult semester, but I’m relatively unfazed. The subjects are definitely not to my tastes, but sometimes you do what you want to and sometimes you do what you must. (I think that came off Sandman. I just finished the Absolute run.) I think I can eke out some okay results. On the other hand, there is quite a bit of uncertainty with the writing, but I’ll get that sorted out. I have no doubt that it’ll make some sort of progress during the term so I’m not entirely concerned.

Oh and friends. Yes, got to sort some things out. Though it’ll mostly be work for these three months, and the three months after that, and then it’ll be the next term!

I would sigh hear but you wouldn’t be able to hear me.

Prizes

I saw a report in the Sunday Times yesterday about how Singaporeans are still waiting on their writers to win a first international prize. If memory serves, it seemed to refer to our recent Olympic heroics. To me, it seems to miss the point because it puts an unhealthy emphasis on prestige and glory when art cannot thrive on those things. And art is nothing like competitive sports, and that reference was poor. That the article was published in our main English paper makes it all the more sad because it shifts the attention of the public away from art and onto the prizes.

You know, the bathroom singer might be a less successful artist than a lit prize winner, but he is no less an artist, and he might even be a more capable one.

Handy Links

Lovely Doctor Who figurines. [via Forbidden Planet] I think there are fifteen of them. (Click around.) You should get them. I shouldn’t because I have neither money nor space for them. Though I want to. So very much.

New SDXC cards to go up to 2TB in storage. [via The Online Photographer] I read this as good news not because I’m going to be using them but because it means that the prices of my camera cards should be going down.

Useful links to sites that deal with books. [via Mashable] Speaking of which, the Web Walrus sent me a link to Reading Trails [via Reading Trails], which looks intriguing. It’s a social site of sorts, as far as I can tell. I was supposed to read more about it and try it out but I haven’t got to it.

Handy WordPress things. [via Smashing Magazine]

And onwards to the new semester.

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Working Methods

Almost There

I’m pretty sure I’ll be up to my third draft soon, and then I’ll have to figure out how things work around here (meaning the local publishing industry). I say that because this draft appears to be good enough to see the light of day. I probably won’t be worrying about getting a big deal or anything, especially since this is a book about Singapore and I suppose we’ll start here.

Long Days

And this is how I’ve been working: I wake up at about 9am, check some news, head to the shower, get breakfast, and maybe play a bit of Half-Life 2.  By the time I stop, it’s 11am and I get cracking. I work all the way up to lunch, which is a 15-minute break or so, and then I’m back again at it until a little past 5. Then I have some tea, shower again, and it’ll probably be about 6pm. Depending on my mood, I’ll either get back to work or I’ll play a up to dinner, which is just before 8pm. I start work again at 9pm, and work up to 1am. Then I hit the sheets and it’s the same routine the next day.

It’s actually quite similar to how I work when I’m writing, except maybe my hours are slightly shorter and my breaks slightly longer.

2.7!

Much thanks to the Web Walrus for pushing this up to 2.7.

Interesting

I found this The Year In Reading article on B&N fairly interesting. [via Barnes & Noble]

Photograph Of Jesus

Also, this video tells of the rather silly photograph requests received by the Hulton Archive.

[via The Online Photographer]

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Monday Links (And Then Some)

Happy Deepavali

Which explains why I’m home.

Hawking

Stephen Hawking has stepped down from his post as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge. [via PhysOrg] Some of the other notables who’ve sat on the chair of the Lucasian Professor include (of course) Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Babbage, Sir George Stokes and Paul Dirac.

I am sure he will continue to make scientific investigations, but this in some way marks the end of an era, and I can’t help but say, job well done, Dr. Hawking.

2.7

WordPress 2.7 is coming soon. [via WordPress.com]

My Eyes!

This is the official website of Mocmoc and Mermer. [via mocmoc & mermer] I never thought I would see the official site and I have to say that a long time ago when someone introduced them to me, I was for some reason rather creeped out. I still am.

Yay

A nice Cyanide and Happiness strip. [via Explosm.net]

Writing

I’ve been writing this Chinese music paper (in English). It has been rather challenging.

And in the meantime, I could do with some sleep. As always.

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