Thursday, June 11, 2009

Temporary : Click to Save

As mentioned in my other blog, this blog is the only one I will update and that too, with news on my writing. But occasionally, a need may arise for me to blog about other things. I think the best way for me to do that is to create a temporary post to be removed at a suitable time so that this blog continues to stay focused.

A friend, Joshua Chong, has asked that I blog about Digi's Love to Save campaign. It's a worthy cause that's easy to support. All it takes is one click to donate RM5 to the charity of your choice. The target is RM150,000 to be 'collected' over 30 days. This means that 30,000 clicks need to be executed. As of now, with 20 days left, the total donation stands at RM71,980. This translates to 48% of the target and they're only 10 days into the campaign. Not bad. If you want to do your bit, click away and spread the news.

P/S : This post will be removed when the campaign is over.

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Honk! @ MPH Jimat Campaign



MPH Jimat Campaign is in BBT One, Klang (just in front of Tesco Bukit Tinggi). Though prices aren't rock bottom, you can get new books at a good discount. For instance, Honk! If You're Malaysian is going at RM20, which is 35% off its retail price. I found 5 autographed copies in the RM2-RM20 bin along with 2 copies of Life's Like That - Scenes from Malaysian Life (original cover). Though the latter is tagged at its original price of RM29.90, I think it's going for RM20 too. Klangites, this is a good time to get my books if you haven't. The sale concludes this Sunday, 14 June 2009.

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Read Malaysia 2009

I was one of the speakers at the inaugural Read Malaysia fair held at MIECC, Mines Resort City. Though the journey was smooth sailing from Klang, once we hit Seri Kembangan, traffic was horrendous. It took us almost an hour to get through the final two kilometres leading to MIECC. The road leading into Mines was jammed up and since I was running late, I got out and walked the final lap of 300 metres. Luckily, a friend had kindly consented to drive me there or I would've been stuck for another fifteen minutes.

My topic was 50 Ways with Words - How to improve your English and have fun, too.



It was nice to have Theresa Lam (in white) in the audience. She was one of those whom I keep looking at during the talk. When speaking in public, it's helpful to establish eye contact with a couple of friendly faces in the audience and she couldn't have been more encouraging with her smiling countenance. She hosts the Reading Corner at Chan Fong's internet radio. (Chan Fong is a popular Chinese DJ. I've heard him on radio and seen some of his dramas. He's a natural.) Hop over to have a listen, Theresa's voice is beautiful and melodic.



Jenna Chan and her two boys came specially for my talk. Her eldest son, Jian Sheng (brown shirt), had a question on how to get a book published. He's only 11 and he's already writing a story book with four other friends. Way to go, boy! Who knows he might just be Malaysia's Christopher Paolini (of Eragon fame).



The crowd wasn't fantastic. Azizi Ali who came after me had all the chairs filled up. It must be the times. People are more interested in how to stay rich than improving their English. I listened to him for more than thirty minutes, then before my body could explode into a gooey green mess, I removed myself from the audience and stalked off to find my two kids who were roaming the hall for a good buy and some free reads (comic books).

Astro U-Wartawan

Tuesday, 26 May 2009

I was invited as a guest for U-Wartawan (Astro Awani, channel 501) The topic was rude Malaysians. You can listen to the interview here. Didn't think I did a good job, it's been too long since I was a guest on a Malay program.

This program is interactive. They get the man-on-the-street to give their opinions on Facebook and they choose the best inputs for airing. The session which is aired live is recorded in a corner of the Astro Awani office in Menara Maybank, KL. You can see the cameraman holding a hand-held camera in the second picture. The camera is strapped onto the waist but you still need a pair of strong hands to keep the contraption steady.

Did you know that Astro provides transport for interview guests who can't make their way to the studio on their own? Usually I drive myself to the tv stations but since this interview was at night and I wasn't sure of the way, Astro sent a driver to pick me from my house. Cool!




With Nazri Kahar, the talk show host, and my son

Monday, June 01, 2009

Stretching your Dollar$ and $ense


Title: Stretching your Dollar$ and $ense - More than 300 money-saving tips for anyone and everyone
ISBN: 9789673035625
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Business
Publish Date: 1 June 2009
Price: RM19.90

If you do not fancy moonlighting to earn extra cash, the best way to weather the tough economic climate is to practise prudence and save as much money as you can.
Stretching your Dollar$ and $ense contains more than 300 tips on how to save your hard-earned cash, ranging from common and sensible ideas to suggestions that could save you thousands of dollars.
Lydia Teh infuses practical pointers with a gentle touch of humour to make these tips more palatable, so that you can smile all the way to the bank.