Monday, June 28, 2010

Copy editing @ Asia Travel Visa

I don't just write, in fact I do a spot of proofreading and copy editing too. My latest project is Asia Travel Visa's Facebook page, courtesy of Pin, founder of 1.com.my and a4trip.com. If you're travelling in Asia, you have got to check it out!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Angelina Ballerina & The Cat's Meow @ Venusbuzz.com

There's an adorable new show on Playhouse Disney called Angelina Ballerina, it's based on a collection of children's books about a fictional dancing mouse by author Katharine Holabird and illustrator Helen Craig. I tried it out on my son, and he hates it, of course! But if you have a little girl, I'm sure she'll love it!


And... Malaysia crowns its very first 'tiger ambassador.' Let's watch her next move at Tx2.

Best man

Ever wondered where the term 'best man' at weddings came from? Wonder no more...

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang

I loved the first Nanny McPhee movie, and the second one was pretty bloody fantastic as well. Loved Emma Thompson. Loved Maggie Gyllenhaal. Loved Maggie Smith. Loved the kids. Loved the sets. Loved the magic. Loved Ewan McGregor (all five minutes of him). Simply loved it. Made me cry! Will watch it over, over and over again. Such a great movie to watch for Father's Day, although the dad in this story only appears right at the end. 

The A-Team

I went to see the A-Team movie yesterday with pretty high expectations. Growing up in the 80s, it was pretty much my favourite TV show (I'm sure you 30 and 40 somethings out there can relate) and believe it or not, I had a crush on Captain Murdoch as a little girl.

The first 15 minutes of the movie was really promising, and I enjoyed it a lot, but things kind of went downhill from there. Don't get me wrong, I think the actors did a good job. Bradley Cooper is the perfect pretty boy to play Face, and Quinton Jackson did okay as B.A. Baracus. As for my beloved Captain Murdoch, I found Sharlto Copley (who for a while there I believed to be the lost Wilson brother i.e. Owen, Luke and Andrew..) to be pretty entertaining, and Liam Neeson can't do wrong in my eyes, so yeah, I liked his Hannibal. I thought Patrick Wilson made a great baddie, and though I have nothing against Jessica Biel, I felt she didn't bring much to the movie other than her voluptuous lips.

I realise now that the original show was rather tacky and sexist, and though I'm a big supporter of girl power, somehow I felt like they should have kept it that way. As Dirk Benedict, the original Face once described it, the A-Team was the sort to "kiss the girls and make them cry." It's like listening to Def Leppard's Hysteria album, it's all very masculine, and there's nothing wrong with that I think. Biel's pout notwithstanding, the real fault of the movie was probably the storyline. I didn't care too much about it. So someone's going to print illegal US currency... big deal, as if they're not already flooding the market with it themselves. Hello inflation!

But, back to the movie... the action was thrilling at times, but kind of 'meh' in others. I don't regret watching it though, I still love the A-Team. I just hope they do a better job with the story next time.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Sweet Cupcakes!

I recently ordered some custom-made cupcakes from Yatt's Lil Kitchen for my husband's acquaintance who helped us get our car to the workshop. The cupcakes say 'Thank you" with a couple of cute cars alongside. Aren't they sweet? The second batch of cupcakes, which featured adorable pink flowers, were shared with friends and family. If you need custom-made cakes or cupcakes, do check out Yatt's Lil Kitchen's fabulous creations!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

My nasi lemak article on GoEatOut.com.my!

 
I was recently commissioned by the good people at Go Eat Out to write five articles on favourite Malaysian foods. The first thing that came to my mind was - nasi lemak! Here's the article for your reading pleasure.
 
George of Go Eat Out very kindly gave feedback on my first article for his website, saying, "Had a quick glance at the article, very well written :-)"

Thanks so much for the encouragement George, and I'm so glad you like the article! I love websites and blogs about food, as I love to eat, and I think Go Eat Out is pure genius! Do check it out!

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

In Memory of Rachel Corrie - Fearless

Like most Malaysians, I prayed for the safety of the crew on MV Rachel Corrie. Thank God they've arrived home safely. I wrote a piece for Venusbuzz in memory of the real Rachel Corrie, who I can only describe as 'fearless.' May she rest in peace.


Support Palestine. Visit: The International Solidarity Movement and Free Gaza.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Keyword assigment

A few weeks ago, a client of a client hired me for a rather strange assignment. It involved writing articles of around 400 words on keywords such as 'dream concert' and 'bed.'  I requested information on what would happen to the articles, but then a few weeks later my husband found them online on rather drab-looking websites. Check out...

My article on Princess Beds:


My articles on dream concerts by Queen, U2 and Glee.




To be honest, I'm rather disappointed that my articles have been relegated to these uninspiring websites, and that the client of my client didn't feel the need to clue me in on where the articles would end up, how they'd be used or if the websites would be improved in the future. As with anything involving creativity or a bit of brain power, I put in considerable effort into these articles, so it would have been nice if they acknowledged that in some way.

I feel it's very important for website content writers to know where their articles will go, since once they're online, they'll be there for posterity. So if you're planning to take up content writing for websites, do consider where your articles will end up. As they say, "The Internet never forgets!" The thing you'll have to accept, however, is that we writers usually have little or no control over how our articles are used once they've been 'sold.'

Still, I think of this assignment as a wonderful new challenge for me, and I did have fun writing these articles. I wrote several more articles for them, actually, under different pseudonyms. I may have no say over where the articles are being used, as it's theirs now, but the beautiful thing about writing is that there are bound to be more words coming out of my head, so it's not like I've run out!

Oh, in case you're wondering about the tagline "All you reads for better concert experience" on the Dream Concert website, please rest assured that I had nothing to do with that! I wrote to my client explaining why his client should fix that; hopefully they will.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park

Isn't this just a Potterhead's dream come true?! Take a sneak peak with Emma Watson and her cast mates as they tour the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park at Universal Orlando Resort which will be opening soon :) Forget Disneyland, gimme Potter world baby!



Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Igraine the Brave


I finished reading Cornelia Funke's Igraine the Brave recently and felt that I simply must share my love for this book. It's a story about a 12-year old girl named Igraine who lives in a castle with her family of magicians, but she, herself, would rather be a knight.

Lamenting the fact that she'll be turning twelve soon, but has never had a proper adventure, Igraine soon gets her wish when something unexpected happens to her parents and she has to help make things right. Along the way, she meets creatures and characters that add interesting dimensions to this charming tale.

At its essence, this book contains the underlying morals you'd expect from a children's story, like: never giving up on your dreams, believing in yourself and being brave. Of course, being a tale about a girl who wants to be a knight, it also blends in the empowering message that girls should go ahead and do whatever it is they like, and that they can do them just as well (or even better than) boys.

In between the pages, some decorated with Funke's own lively line drawings, Igraine learns the valuable lesson that being brave and being stubborn aren't the same things. She also learns to curb her enthusiasm and anger, and most importantly perhaps, when to summon courage and ingenuity when they are needed most. This story also weaves in a tale about redeeming oneself when all seems to be lost.

I love these line drawings!

As a grown up, I enjoyed the story immensely. After a while, you start feeling like you're an adult companion coming along on Igraine's adventure, and you're looking out for this courageous, if rather impetuous, girl. I think parents will enjoy reading it to their children, as it teaches children that they should really try listening to grown ups now and again!

The story also bears  few lessons for parents, reminding us that we should allow our children (daughters in particular) to express themselves and their interests, and that we must learn to let go of them, trust them, and allow them spread their wings. Otherwise, how else will they fly high?

I truly hope that boys will read this story too, as it's not just for girls. There's a caring and clever, if rather slightly annoying big brother in there, but I believe boys will be able to identify with Igraine's struggles all the same. Both boys and girls will also appreciate depictions of magic spells, a knight's honour and battle scenes, as they are captured in vivid detail in this book.

Igraine in her suit of armour with her cat Sissyphus.


This review as it appears on Venusbuzz.com:

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