Scary.

Or in my case, ALMOST losing my blog. By luck, I migrated host a few months ago so still have the database zip file from sometime last May in my temporary Download folder somewhere in my laptop. By luck, I haven’t been updating much at all since May, so I only needed to manually search google cache for six pages and copy pasted them manually (the comments I only copy pasted in one big chunk so you will see them all in one comment per post).

Not so cocky now, aren’t I? You always think these things would never happen to you. But even the most careful squirrel falls from the tree!

Now that I’m posting though, I should probably talk a bit more about Bookie Mee.

Since year 2000 when I first entered University I have always had a personal space on the Internet to express myself. But like my self in real life, my personal space moves around too. Some last longer than the others, some have very short life. As I remember it, Bookie Mee is possibly the longest spot I have ever stayed on. It’s been over four years now since August 2007.

But now I’ve decided that I’m going to step back from the whole book blogging world (or I probably already am). Not that I stop reading, but I would most probably stop reviewing. There’s much give and take in this community, and as much fun as that is, I’ve decided that it’s time to channel my time and energy somewhere else.

What does it mean for Bookie Mee? I will keep it here. I might be back once in a while still to talk about books I’m excited about, but no promises.

What does it mean for you? You all stay on my reader which I still check once in a while whenever I’m in need to be in touch with the book world. All of your resources combined are so invaluable. I will lurk a lot on your sites, but may not leave as much footprint. Hope that’s okay, and hope you would still recognize me if I pop up once in a while. (though don’t ever feel obligated to reciprocate)

Even though this blog will continue to exist, it feels good to have some kind of closure. To announce that I’m stepping out of the inner circle and retiring. Consider me as a bystander now if you will.

Thank you all, it’s been a blast! :)

I hate birthdays (and I mean mine!). There’s so much pressure to be happy and social and get confirmations of love from people around you. And often the birthdays fall on work days, people ask whether you’d do anything special so you feel like you really have to even though you may not feel to do anything after a long day at work. On top of that you get older another year, forcing you to think whether you have used your years on earth in the best way possible. The clock is ticking, you get less time and more things to do in life.

In other words, birthday is exhausting! So exhausting that I often get sick on my birthdays (oh heat of the pressure!). And worse than the rest of my other birthdays, this year I hit the big 30. I have spent almost the entire year of my last 2, thinking that this is it, this is the last twenties. Have I done everything I wanted to do before I turn 30? Where is my checklist? What do I need to prepare to be 30 and beyond?

Actually I’m not sure why I even write this post. Half of me really just wanted to close my eyes hoping the day goes by quickly and to emerge on the other side of the decade totally indifferent and unscathed. But the other half of me want to acknowledge that yes no matter how you think about it, it is a pretty big milestone (though completely arbitrary in the big scheme of things), so a bit of reflection is called for. I mean, really, 30 is a big deal. You jump to a different age bracket! Even visa and residency rules are getting harder when you turn three-zero (important for me who is citizen of the world).

Going back to the checklist. Honestly, it wasn’t carved on stone. In fact it was never written on paper. I’m guessing everybody has this mental list about things they want to do before they reach certain age. Some you manage to do some you don’t, and I guess the part of growing up is to accept that life is what happens when you’re planning to do something else. Looking back I do tick all the major points that I want to do by the time I’m 30, some I never thought I could do but happened anyway (love the surprises of life!). I have lived in 7 different cities in 4 different continents, married my high school sweetheart, taken a mortgage, done a month of backpacking trip, credited for 3 video games and 1 animated movie, published a piece in a magazine, and gone for lots and lots of traveling and road trips. Sure I have not jumped out of a plane or been to Japan, but they’re easily achievable within a year or two. I have not had a dog (not since I was a kid)–that’s probably one of the hardest to achieve with my nomaden style of living. Some things I thought I wanted to do, I no longer do. That’s the great thing about the list. It’s fluid and it’s changing all the time as the wheel of life goes on.

But if I was to learn anything in my 30 years of living, it’s that friendship and relationship is the hardest of them all. Probably especially for me who in the past 13 years never stays in one place longer than 3 years continuously. Despite my (sometimes their) best effort to keep in touch, physical distance does make a big difference. Friendships fade away. If I used to believe that the best of friends would always be there for you though you may not hold hands all the time, I learned it the hard way that it’s not true. That you do need to hold hands, keep in touch, nourish the friendship, and if you don’t the day you need them the most you’ll turn back and find they’re no longer there. So yes as you can tell, though I make new friends every time I go to a new place, I lose friends too. I lost a couple of important ones for reasons I cannot fathom. I don’t regret it as such because I guess part of growing up is to accept that people do grow in different directions and to let things go. If anything it does make me appreciate those who do stay and those who might come into my life in the future.

Here’s to another decade of life and surprises!

No I didn’t get sick this year. And had a lovely day too :). Like I said, I survived!

Well, at least the list nudged me to write this little post, right? I’m not staying long now, but I do have a couple of books I want to talk about so I’ll come back soon. In news of reading, you might have noticed on my sidebar that I started to read Jane Eyre months ago. Well I’ve been neglecting it a lot (all books really) and so far I’ve only got to around page 150ish, just when Jane meets Mr Rochester on the street when he falls from his horse. Now yesterday I was watching my foodie hero Jamie Oliver on the web, when somehow the newest Jane Eyre movie ads just showed up again and again (the movie was out months ago but I think the DVD is coming up soon hence the ads), and I was panicking everytime the ad showed up, because I hate spoilers! So imagine me frantically trying to mute the ad on my laptop and not see the clip at the same time (MUTE! MUTE! I don’t wanna hear what Mr Rochester is saying to Jane! I don’t want to see them kissing! Aarrgghh!). On a hindsight I probably should’ve just pressed the mute button on my laptop keyboard instead of trying to click the mute button on the small web video window with eyes half closed. Anyway, all that made me start to read the book again today as I want to find out what happens next.

Be back soon!

Claire of kiss a cloud for The Complete Maus!

Congratulations Claire!

Wish I could send you all a book because you’re all my favorite bloggers and people *

* including the ones that did not enter the giveaway but left nice comments :)

I’ve been quite frantic in keeping up with all the new things going on every single day, so my reading (and blog reading) has not gone back to its usual activity. But with work started just last week, I hope to start settling into routines of some sort soon-ish, reading or otherwise.

Also, I’ve been on tumblr a bit, trying it out. So I’m sharing Mee’s Adventures in Wonderland, in case you’re interested photography, traveling, London (for now), and the walking-with-camera side of me. It’d be mostly photos with short captions and quotes. One of my favorite so far:

Piccadilly Circus tube station (don’t you just love the name?)

On another note, I met Jo and Jackie on a Friday morning last week in Bracknell, a lovely little town, about an hour train trip from London, with awesome secondhand bookshops! Thanks to these two who dragged me from one shop to another, I came back with a good loot and started filling my bookshelf. What is a home with empty bookshelf, right? I can’t remember why we didn’t take picture of us. I wish we did!

Lastly, happy long weekend to those in UK! It baffled me that you can have a public holiday for no reason at all. Just “bank holiday”. One bank holiday at the beginning of May, and then one more at the end. That’s it. No reason. Well, I’m all for random public holiday! I was thinking to go to the Hay festival and stay for a night but it seems all cold and rainy for the weekend and I don’t feel like spending too much time outside. Maybe next weekend? Is any of you going or have gone before?

Yes, as of yesterday the 10th of May 2011, I am officially a London based blogger. Surprise!

A little bit of a flashback. I started to look around for new job opportunities in January/February. Adventurer at heart, it’s only natural that I looked overseas. All you UK bloggers always made me green with envy with your cool bookshops and literary events and the whole Europe at your doorstep, so I decided that I WANT TO LIVE THERE.

And by struck of luck it is actually happening. I mean UK is not the easiest place to get into right now, what with the change of coalition government and stricter visa rules and allowance. My job title is on the shortage occupation list however so my new company was able to sponsor me.

It didn’t happen overnight of course, so there were weeks of thinking and considering and fretting. First, my husband would not come with me, not at first anyway. He was just settling in in Australia and started a pretty good job, so we think it’s best for him to stay there a bit more and see how things go. Then early on, around the same time as the London company replied to my application, out of the blue I was contacted by a game company in Kyoto to see if I was interested in their Japan based position, adding complications to the mix. So at one point after interviewing and negotiating process, I had two job offers, for two different job roles, from two completely different countries, both of which I have always wanted to go to or live in.

I was completely torn. UK or Japan? London or Kyoto? Film or game? Which one? Which one? Whichever that I picked would have a big impact to the rest of my path. I would do different things. I would meet different people. Both opportunities may only come just once. So I tossed and turned and lost sleep for many nights.

But you know the end of my dilemma. I picked London. Hubby and I think that this is the better move for my career path, and the salary gap could not justify the Kyoto position. I don’t say goodbye to Japan for sure, just “not now” :). (I found this website to be quite accurate for broad comparison between two countries: ifitweremyhome.com. For example, if Japan were my home instead of the UK, I would make 7.39% less money and work 9.4% more hours each year. If Indonesia were my home instead of Australia, I would die 10.67 years sooner and make 89.96% less money. The 10 years gap of life expectancy is so true. Most old people/relatives I know in Indonesia including my grandparents died in their 70s while Australians generally look and feel younger in their 60s, 70s, and 80s. Uum I’m going on a tangent here… Let’s go back.)

So. That’s a long way to explain why I only put up like 2 posts per month for the last 3 months…

Admittedly I am in a pretty bad book slump too. Feel like I haven’t read properly for ages. Maybe it’s the stress of waiting and the anticipation of moving. I’ll just have to wait it out until the mojo comes back.

Meanwhile, in the spirit of my tradition, I’m having a giveaway! New job, book giveaway. Makes perfect sense, no? Here’s the list of all English books that I have read since 2003 by author. To enter, let me know what book you would want from the list if you win the giveaway. If no title catches your interest, you can pick another title that I haven’t read by any of the authors in that list. And while you’re here, can you also tell me what is your favorite book either by a British author or set in UK? If you don’t have any, just a favorite book will do, or book that you think I should read immediately! I’m hoping that some recommendations from book bloggers will take me out of my book slump. Help!

Giveaway opens internationally for 2 weeks. Will close on 26 May 2011. I look forward to your comments! :)

I have since started on a new novel, so I may have passed that unusual phase. But really, I have all the intention to get to them in near future. My libraries don’t stock any of this books, which is one requirement I imposed on myself for book buying. The books above:

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks
Eva’s Assembling My Atheneum series on Oliver Sacks intrigued me enough to convince me to get a copy. It’s a collection of essays about fascinating neurological case studies, which I promise would seem a lot more interesting if you can see the table of content.

Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach
First heard of Bonk from Jackie, but later on read more about Mary Roach and her other books from other bloggers. Funny non-fiction? I’m on it! I got it second in good condition from Better World Books.

Little Princes by Conor Grennan
Subtitled One Man’s Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal, I was offered this book by Harper Collins (US) and could not resist. Nepal is a country and culture I’d love to know more about and a couple of reviews confirmed that I’m in for a good read ahead. Also, what an stunning cover, don’t you think? It’s in hardcover too! (see below)

Starting Point 1979-1996 by Hayao Miyazaki
Another hardcover but I have no one to blame for this one. Starting Point came to my notice when I read Sydney Japanese Foundation new catalogue. It is a collection of essays, interviews, memoirs that go back to Miyazaki’s childhood roots, animation theories, and the founding of Studio Ghibli, covering the first half of Miyazaki’s legendary career. Squee! It seems to be the quintessential book for Ghibli and animated film fans. I cannot wait to dig into this. Currently waiting for a good time in which I can dedicate my whole self to the book. There said to be the sequel Turning Point 1997-2008 yet to be translated to English and I’m already looking forward to that.

This last book is not on my physical pile as it just came to my attention last week, thanks to my good friend (who happened to fly to Tokyo for holiday only hours after the tsunami happened. What a bad timing to visit Japan. It’s very sad to see the massive disaster that happened. Hope things will get better and they will be able to rebuild soon.)

Tokyo Vice by Jake Adelstein is written by the first gaijin to work for a Japanese newspaper as Japanese crime reporter. He spent 12 years covering vice and organized crimes. Tokyo Vice is about his years in Japan and Japan underworld. Sounds fantastic!

Have you read any of these books? Read any great non-fiction lately?

Oscar Live @ Fox Studios

This afternoon we had the 83rd Academy Awards shown live at Fox Studios Australia. Simple lunch was provided, along with drinks, tables, chairs, couches, and picnic rugs. My colleagues and I strolled along and spent extended lunch watching the show.

Imagine my delight when I heard Shaun Tan has won the Best Animated Short Film! There was definitely some shouting and throwing hands in the air! You might have followed when I mentioned his short film for the first time, when I reviewed the picture book, and again when it was nominated for 2011 Oscar. Ooh how I love it when I get to love something/someone far before everybody makes fuss.

“Our film is about a creature that doesn’t get any attention so this is quite ironic.” Tan said on stage.

This is an interesting article from ABC about the inception of The Lost Thing.

Apart from that, The King’s Speech won Best Picture and Best Direction, Colin Firth for Best Actor (The King’s Speech) and Natalie Portman for Best Actress (Black Swan). Both supporting actor and actress were for The Fighter which I haven’t watched (Christian Bale and Melissa Leo). Best Original Screenplay: The King’s Speech, Best Adapted Screenplay: Social Network. Best Art Direction and Best Costume: Alice in Wonderland. Best Animated Feature Film: Toy Story 3. Best VFX and Sound: Inception. Just the ones on top of my head.

A rather predictable, but quite satisfying year!

This year it fell on Monday, which was not ideal. Weekdays are always tiring for us. We only had a few hours between me arriving home and hubby’s sleeping time (he had to wake up at 3am for work the next day). But we managed to go to a Korean BBQ buffet and had amazing food. Smelled of smoke from head to toe after dinner, but we were full and happy!

Love Korean food!

I got these presents which I think are too pretty to let slip by :)

A big heart box and a chocolate rose!

Inside is a nightie, bracelet, necklace, soft bear, candle, chocolate, and movie voucher.

Lovey dovey. Thanks baby!

His present? Starlight cinema.

You know how I have a thing for Shaun Tan. So you can imagine how happy I am to find that The Lost Thing (which I posted about mid last year) has been nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the 83rd Academy Awards! Granted it is competing with Pixar’s Day & Night (if you saw Toy Story 3 in the cinema, the short would’ve been screened just before) which I think might be one of the best short animated ever, so it’s a toughie. But I’m happy nonetheless!

Moving on to my favorite category: Best Animated Feature Film. Pixar movies have been nominated, and more often won, every single year since the award category was started in 2001, so it’s no surprise that Toy Story 3 is there. In fact, I’ll be surprised if it doesn’t win. Toy Story and Toy Story 2 were out prior to 2001, so they never had a chance to win an Oscar. The series deserve to get one, don’t you think? Also Toy Story 3 is nominated for Best Picture this year, one of only three animated movies ever to be nominated for Best Picture (first was Beauty and the Beast in 1991 and Up in 2009). The Illusionist (French, from the guys who brought you The Triplets of Belleville) is a nice inclusion. How To Train Your Dragon is said to be the best DreamWorks to date, so that’s no surprise too (no Shrek 4!).

On a side note, I watched Tangled yesterday and enjoyed it immensely. It has everything you want or expect from a Disney movie: the songs, the happy ending. With Disney you know it’s going to be safe, everybody is gonna be happy at the end, which is not a bad thing! I do wish they go back to making awesome 2D style films like they used to. With the highly acclaimed Tangled, does it mean Disney is making a comeback? I surely hope so. The omission at the award kinda bugged me a bit.

Now on to Best Picture. There are ten nominees:

• Black Swan
• The Fighter
• Inception
• The Kids Are All Right
• The King’s Speech
• 127 Hours
• The Social Network
• Toy Story 3
• True Grit
• Winter’s Bone

What a great list. Just watched Black Swan last weekend so it’s super fresh in my mind. A disturbing psychological thriller with ballet as center stage. What a great combination. Go Natalie Portman. Watched the advanced screening of The Kids Are All Right on free tickets many moons ago, before all the critics’ acclaims and the buzz. The film was nice. I love it when you go with no expectation at all and be pleasantly surprised. Because of some bad timing I missed Inception and The Social Network at the cinema, but I’m dying to see those. The King’s Speech was just out in Australia, so I haven’t got a chance to catch that. Would really like to see 127 Hours too after seeing the awesome trailer and knowing James Franco is playing (not yet out in Australia).

For Best Actor and Actress in Leading and Supporting Role, Michelle Williams nomination for Blue Valentine made me desperate to see the film. Saw the trailer and bits and I’m curious, especially that she’s playing with co-star Ryan Gosling. Love those two folks, can’t wait to see them together.

Another one I should note is Jacki Weaver for her role in Animal Kingdom, a true blue Aussie movie. Jacki’s nomination signifies the first time in 14 years that an Australian actor has been nominated for playing an Australian character in an Australian film that’s set in Australia. (Last time it was Geoffrey Rush, who won the Oscar for his work in Shine.) (from popsugar) So that’s a biggie. Animal Kingdom received very high acclaims here. I don’t however have urgent need to see it as it deals with Australian underground life. Not exactly my type of movie. Can you blame me? For mafia movies, I just make exception for Godfather.

The Academy Awards will take place on Sunday 27 February with Anne Hathaway and James Franco (nominated as Best Actor himself for 127 Hours) as youngest Oscar hosts. Take a deep breath everyone.

1) Cloud Atlas (book by David Mitchell)

There isn’t much information on this one yet apart from rumours of impressive cast. Imdb says it’s out in 2011, but knowing how imdb works, don’t really count on it.

2) Jane Eyre (book by Charlotte Bronte)

First knew from Claire. Mia Wasikowska is playing! After watching her in The Kids Are All Right and Alice in Wonderland I can’t wait to see more of her performance. Check out the trailer.

3) The Invention of Hugo Cabret (book by Brian Selznick)

Martin Scorsese seems like an odd choice to direct this film based on children book, but we never know. I have flipped through the book before and the charcoal illustrations in it were astounding. Can’t wait to see how they would visualize it in a movie.

4) The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (book by Georges Rémi)

Actually I don’t know if there’s a Tintin book based on this particular story. I read Tintin books when I was small and lost track which one is which. The film is worked on by our neighbouring studio in New Zealand, the same studio who did Avatar with James Cameron (who happened to visit OUR studio last week, just saying… yes, THE Cameron). Directed by Steven Spielberg, using the same mocap technology with Avatar, I’m intrigued.

And now for the most exciting one of all!

5) Winnie the Pooh (book by A.A. Milne)

With Australian bad luck we might get the movie played here in 2012, but no matter, I’m going to wait. Did you get teary too watching the trailer? Did you? The 2D traditional animation is so perfect (I’m gonna scream if another person compares it with Yogi Bear). And the music! So true!

Oh simple thing, where have you gone? Why don’t we go somewhere only we know?

You will get more Pooh from me this year!

Did I miss any movie I should know about? Let me know!