Gifts for the Bookish

It’s very difficult, choosing a book-present.

The last time I did, it was six months ago for a colleague who was going through a rough patch. I spent about an hour at Kinokuniya agonising over which book to get her, but she barely glanced at the cover and gave only a perfunctory thank you.

Books are not gifts you can give to just anybody, and selecting the right kind of book is always a challenge. It becomes even more of a challenge when the recipient is someone important to you – then, every facet of a book, from the cover to the content, becomes a variable to be decided on. Would she find the cover too risque? Would he read something into the title? Does she read British authors? Wouldn’t he be bored with a travelogue?

And, of course, the most important question, “What if he/she has read this book already?”

If you know your friend well (and get to visit her bookshelf often), you’d know which authors she likes, which books she’s longing to read, what genres to get her, what titles she already has. But for someone a little more distant, whose bookshelf you don’t get to visit, it’s much tougher to determine appropriate titles. This is why I stay away from books as gifts in general, although, if you ask me, books are what I’d like to give to people I like. There’s nothing like a carefully selected title to let a friend know that a lot of thought and care went into his gift. (And speaking of thought and care, don’t you wish you can bottle up that - heart expansion – you feel inside when you are choosing a present for someone dear and package it along with your physical gift?)

Amazon’s Wish List helps matters, I suppose. Bookaholics can list their Want Reads and all a friend has to do is to select one of the items and have it gift-wrapped and sent. But, I don’t know, it rather takes the fun and surprise out of the book-giving and getting. On the other hand, it is better to get what you want than to receive a second-rate horror title on a Mummy’s curse that you are forced to read to appease the (well-intentioned but misguided, non-bibliophile) giver.

There should be guidelines and tips on buying books as gifts. There are guides as to which books you should get but no basic principles as to how to select a great book for a good friend, at least none that I could find.

This is probably why some people get tempted to take an alternative route and get reading or writing accompaniments for their text-loving friends.

(It’s not such a bad idea - and in fact, I’ve just spent a couple of hours drooling over browsing Levenger’s website.) But - yes - getting these items is less personal, and easier, than getting a book for someone.

So, can someone please concoct a questionnaire or checklist that one can go through to select  the perfect bookgift?

Note: This post was inspired by my hours of giftbook browsing today.

Useful: Holiday gift guide for book lovers. (Black Issues Book Review, Nov-Dec, 2002)

Filed under: At the Stores, Books, Personal Note

A Journalling Piece

No, not mine. His.

Journal or diary? My own somewhat antiquated idea was that journalling and diarist are synonymous. Doug and innowen quickly disabused me of this notion. They tell me a journal is nothing more than a collection of random thoughts that at the time of writing concern or intrigue one, they need not be a chronology of events.

Tools of the trade. Ask any old time newshound, writing is a trade. As such tools have evolved to make it faster and more profitable rather than enjoyable. I eschewed the ‘blog’ as some heinous form of word processor. I chose the semi-rigid nib of a Pelikan fountain pen; my Nuthung, and 28lb Bond (100gm) off-white premium grade paper, smooth and hard. My golden nib glides across it like a skater on ice.So what holds all this together? My beloved Filofax. In a way, it is a reflection of myself. Old and wise, rough and manly.

A life in Snippets. “What are you scribbling at now?” How often we hear that. Odd thoughts, sayings, questions and answers, vignettes of life all contained in a small leather binder.
(My First Reflections: On Personal Journalling)

No, I haven’t started journalling. Blogging, websurfing, studying, assignments and family matters get in the way, not to mention the odd work or personal crises that crop up. Am I making excuses?

Maybe. Maybe, too, I need a cool journalling tool to get me writing…..this one, as reviewed on the source website of the above message, looks pretty nifty, don’t you think?

Filed under: At the Stores, Collectibles, Work & Productivity

Raya Musing 2: Kids Going Retro

At the in-laws’ place during Eid, I was amazed to find that my kids, especially the younger six year old, are adept at playing Congkak, a traditional Malay board game for two players using a board which has several storehouses. It’s usually a women’s game, but as with all other things, it’s gone unisex.

I had played when I was a kid before but could never understand the game and didn’t quite take to it. So I was very surprised to find that my two boys – who usually would spend hours and hours during holidays with Crazy Frog or Sonic the Hedgehog on the PS2 - were not only good at the game but also enjoyed it. Here’s a pic of a gameplay in session.

The aim of the game is to place as many marbles into the storehouses on the player’s side.

Filed under: Malaysiana, Personal Note

Notice: The WISE Initiative

I received this via e-mail today:

WISE: Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equity
On November 17-19 at the Westin in Times Square, New York City, WISE will convene over 100 distinguished Muslim women leaders from academia, civil society, art, politics, and religion to network, strategize, and share best practices around the joint mission of advancing the rights of Muslim women.

WISE is a first-of-its-kind global Muslim women leaders’ initiative, as its goals extend beyond simply furthering mutual awareness of ongoing advancements and building a shared experience and affinity. WISE’s underlying aim is to create a legitimate and coherent movement that empowers Muslim women and leverages the strong future network we are building. Toward this end, while pursuing our mandate of educating others and increasing awareness, we will also work within an Islamic legal framework to advocate for greater rights.

This conference is organised by the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA), whose founder, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, is doing active work here in Malaysia as well.
First of all, just getting these female leaders together is a great idea. As Dina’s article stresses, it is high time that Muslim women themselves address the issues that affect them, the larger Muslim community, and the societies in which they serve.

The organisers of WISE have two criteria for the “leaders” they pick, that these women have “a nuanced understanding of the issues faced by Muslim women in specific locales, and a demonstrated commitment to working toward change.” I am informed that “Islamic feminist” Zainah Anwar of Sisters in Islam will be there. While I do not agree with all of her interpretations of our religion, it’s good to know there will be a Malaysian voice at the Forum.

I am also relieved to know that they have clear objectives for the get-together:

• The launching of an International Shura (advisory) council of Muslim women leaders to put out recommendations to political and religious leaders on global issues of relevance and concern to Muslim women, but also for specific cases that become publicized.
• The debut of a theater production entitled 7WOMEN, 7HEAVENS, Portraits of Muslim Women, a play by internationally recognized playwright, Kayhan Irani that juxtaposes stories of seven Muslim women in abrasive, funny, and soothing dialogue with themselves around personal struggles with faith, community, and relationships.
• The publishing of an illustrated book to showcase participants’ profiles and their personal and organizational work in improving the lives of Muslim women.
• The establishment of an endowment to provide scholarships for 10 Muslim women to become Muftia’s (one licensed to render religious judgments or fatawa within an Islamic legal framework) around the globe.

The first and last objectives are especially important, given that there are distorted interpretations and prejudiced understanding (misunderstanding, rather) of Islam, that have given rise to anti-women restrictions and laws.

I sincerely hope that the conference will be successful at achieving its objectives. The ball that gets started rolling at this conference should not stop once the conference ends.

On a last note, I take the anti-Bush/anti-Republican/pro-Dems vote at the US mid-term elections to mean that Americans themselves think America’s foreign policy and handling of international affairs suck and that it’s time for a change. It’s about time, I would say. Dare we hope for better relations between this giant nation that has unfortunately taken a strong anti-Islam stance, and the Muslim world?

Filed under: Islam, Newsprint, Women

Journal Writing

I have been pretty lax with the daily writing Sharon recommended ever since classes ended. Last night, at the writing get-together, I was reminded how easy it is to “rust” when you haven’t written regularly. I was also inspired by one of the stories read out by the group members, which centred on the discovery of her grandmother’s journal. I very much wish my Grandparents, my Great-Grandparents, and especially my Great-Great Grandparents kept a journal!

By coincidence, I received an email today on journal writing. As inspiration, I thought to post an excerpt of that e-mail:

KEEPING A JOURNAL – ONE OF THE THREE TREASURES TO LEAVE BEHIND

Keeping a journal is so important. I call it one of the three treasures to leave behind for the next generation. In fact, future generations will find these three treasures far more valuable than your furniture.

The first treasure is your pictures. Take a lot of pictures. Don’t be lazy in capturing the event. How long does it take to capture the event? A fraction of a second. How long does it take to miss the event? A fraction of a second. So don’t miss the pictures. When you’re gone, they’ll keep the memories alive.

The second treasure is your library. This is the library that taught you, that instructed you, that helped you defend your ideals. It helped you develop a philosophy. It helped you become wealthy, powerful, healthy, sophisticated, and unique. It may have helped you conquer some disease. It may have helped you conquer poverty. It may have caused you to walk away from the ghetto. Your library; the books that instructed you, fed your mind and fed your soul, is one of the greatest gifts you can leave behind.

The third treasure is your journals: the ideas that you picked up, the information that you meticulously gathered. But of the three, journal writing is one of the greatest indications that you’re a serious student. Taking pictures, that is pretty easy. Buying a book at a book store, that’s pretty easy. It is a little more challenging to be a student of your own life, your own future, your own destiny. Take the time to keep notes and to keep a journal. You’ll be so glad you did. What a treasure to leave behind when you go.
Jim Rohn

And if I were to journal about today, I’d write about human kindness and how precious it is, a listening ear and how comforting that can be, and I’d write about finding courage and dreaming of rainbows.

Filed under: Collectibles, Personal Note, Writing

Dina’s Article & The Veil

Finally, just when I had given up, Dina Zaman, of Malaysiakini’s now-defunct I Am Muslim column, resurfaces with another lob for Muslim women, this time from the forecourt of the mainstream media. In her latest, “Please Look Behind the Veil“, Dina laments the stereotypes attached to the Muslim Woman.

I was privileged to have been invited to the Ubud Writers Festival last month. After four days of interviews, being viewed as a “prototype” of Muslim feminism and being probed, I veered between two extremes – there were times when I felt like a recently launched laundry detergent and moments when I felt like an alien. Heavens! Is the Muslim woman such an anomaly to the rest of the world?
Dina Zaman, The Star, 30 October 2006

The reason for the stereotypes, she says, is that there’s so little information being disseminated that is contrary to what is popularly portrayed in the media:

The general and deeply founded belief in the non-Muslim world is that we burqa-clad women are docile and get beaten 24 hours a day by chauvinistic Muslim men who treat us worse than slaves. It is a perception that needs to be abolished.

 

She goes on to exhort that apart from clarifying Islam’s stand on women (there is ample protection of women’s rights in the religion, for instance), Muslim women should themselves be more proactive of their portrayal to the world and tackle the issues facing the community head-on.

The thread I would like to pick up is that of the veil. Dina mentioned it, of the negative perception that veiled Muslim women attract, and I myself am constantly amazed at the emotions that the head covering can evoke. The usual reaction, of course, is that veiled Muslim women are backward, forced to veil themselves, unaware of their rights, subjugated, ashamed of their bodies, and all other sorts of negative connotations. No doubt, there are Muslim women who veil themselves for the wrong reasons, but these are the women who do not understand the concept of the veil: modesty.

Filed under: Islam, Malaysiana, Personal Note, Women

Tech Interlude: This is The One

Okay, I was enamoured by this black beauty, but I’ve just read of this upcoming one, and it has Wi-Fi!

The Dopod has integrated Wi-Fi (a feature the Q and i320N lack), Bluetooth 2.0, and push e-mail capabilities right out of the box. Plus, it delivers on performance with snappy response time, excellent call quality, and long battery life, according to CNET (pic also from CNET).

What more can a girl want?

Oh wait, how thin is it?

At 111.5 x 62.5 x 12.8mm and 130g, the C720W is thinner and lighter than the 8700g (69.5 x 19.5 x 110mm; 134g) and shorter than the Q (116 x 64 x 12 mm; 115g). More importantly, it feels good in the hand. The C720W has a nice contour shape and curved edges that make it a little more comfortable to hold and use as a phone than the blockier Moto Q. In addition, the C720W features soft-touch covering that gives the unit a rubberlike texture, so it’s easy to grip and use one-handed.

I am sold. This must be the Smartphone I’m looking for (for the next month, at least).

Now, to get the $$$.

ps: These tech posts are included because I am still searching for the perfect combo devices to track productivity. At the moment, I am using Google Calendar, Outlook, and this wonderful Emergent Task Planner which I print and staple into my office notebook. I am intrigued by Pak Adib’s calendar and to-do moleskines, though I would only use a moleskine as a journal and not as a productivity tool. They’re too – lovely – for such workhorse objectives!

Filed under: At the Stores, Personal Note, Tech, Work & Productivity