:: ceaseless dreamer ::

Book review: Ptolemy's Gate (Bartimaeus Trilogy, #3)

2009-12-17T11:15:00.002+07:00

Ptolemy's Gate: Gerbang Ptolemy by Jonathan Stroud

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Inilah buku terakhir kisah Bartimaeus, Nathaniel dan Kitty. Setelah lama diperbudak masternya, Nathaniel, kekuatan si jin Bartimaeus yang dahulu mumpuni kini makin berkurang. Nathaniel sendiri perlahan-lahan muak dengan lingkungan penyihir pemerintahan di sekelilingnya dan mulai merindukan perasaan keberanian murni dan polos seperti yang sempat ia miliki di masa kecil. Sementara itu Kitty diam-diam mempelajari seluk beluk kepenyihiran dan makhluk halus demi tujuan tertentu. Ketiga tokoh tersebut akhirnya harus bekerjasama untuk menghadapi pemberontakan penyihir dan demon berkekuatan luar biasa, dan hubungan di antara ketiganya pun tidak akan pernah sama lagi. Sekali lagi salut untuk Jonathan Stroud yang berhasil menciptakan dunia magis yang unik berisi berbagai jin, penyihir dan manusia di dalamnya, serta menguntai cerita yang seru, lucu sekaligus menegangkan mengenai arti sesungguhnya keberanian, ambisi, persahabatan dan kesetaraan.

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Book review: The Golem's Eye (Bartimaeus Trilogy, #2)

2009-12-17T11:11:00.003+07:00

The Golem's Eye: Mata Golem by Jonathan Stroud

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Petualangan jin berlidah tajam Bartimaeus dan majikan mudanya Nathaniel berlanjut di buku ini. Selain bertutur lewat sudut pandang kedua tokoh tersebut seperti di buku pertamanya, sekuel ini mengikutsertakan sudut pandang Kitty, anggota kelompok Resistance yang berseberangan dengan pemerintahan penyihir. Sekali lagi saya kagum akan konsep dunia yang dibuat Stroud. Para penyihir yang berkuasa tidak punya kekuatan sendiri dan hanya mengandalkan demon sebagai alat – mereka bahkan tidak bisa melihat makhluk halus tanpa bantuan lensa kontak khusus. Sedangkan beberapa di antara commoner (non-penyihir) justru memiliki kekuatan tertentu, seperti melihat demon atau benda sihir, atau kekebalan dari serangan sihir. Paradoks yang sungguh cerdas.

Buku ini masih seseru dan selucu prekuelnya, tapi seringkali saya berusaha membaca lebih cepat bab-bab yang menggunakan sudut pandang Kitty karena saya lebih ingin mengetahui apa yang terjadi pada Bartimaeus dan Nathaniel. Tapi ada satu bagian yang cukup membuat merinding yaitu saat Kitty dan rekan-rekannya dari kelompok Resistance merampok makam dan menemukan 'sesuatu' di bawah sana. Atau mungkin itu pengaruh membaca buku ini sampai pukul satu dini hari? Menurut Bartimaeus, jam-jam tengah malam adalah waktu di mana ketujuh plane (tingkat keberadaan) berada paling dekat satu sama lain, memungkinkan orang melihat hal-hal yang biasanya tak dapat dilihatnya......

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Book review: The Amulet of Samarkand (Bartimaeus Trilogy, #1)

2009-10-15T11:10:00.002+07:00

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tiga kata untuk kisah ini: Seru, seru dan seru. Sang pengarang menciptakan dunia baru yang unik di mana pemerintahan Inggris dikuasai oleh penyihir, namun mereka tidak memiliki kekuatan sendiri melainkan memanfaatkan makhluk halus atau demon untuk melaksanakan keinginannya. Nathaniel, anak muda yang berhasrat menjadi penyihir hebat, memanggil jin berusia 5,000 tahun, Bartimaeus, untuk menjalankan misi tertentu yang secara tak terduga berakibat fatal dan menyebabkan mereka terjebak dalam intrik dunia sihir.

Jika jalan cerita di atas terkesan gelap dan penuh ketegangan, itu memang benar. Tapi buku ini punya tokoh unik yang memeriahkan suasana yaitu Bartimaeus – salah satu tokoh literer paling menarik yang saya temui akhir-akhir ini. Jin narsis yang satu ini doyan bersilat lidah dan selalu menambahkan pendapatnya sendiri lewat catatan kaki. Hubungan antara Bartimaeus dan majikannya, Nathaniel juga amat menarik untuk disimak – antara suka dan tidak suka, butuh tapi tidak butuh. Hal lain yang unik adalah para penyihir di sini bukanlah orang-orang pemberani berkekuatan besar seperti dalam kisah fantasi pada umumnya. Secara garis besar mereka digambarkan sebagai makhluk ambisius, culas dan haus kekuasaan. Pendeknya, saya tersihir oleh pesona kisah ini dan tak sabar membaca kelanjutannya.

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Haiku breeze #3

2009-10-07T16:26:00.002+07:00

memorable lines
with easy-listening tune
Michael Learns To Rock

(I was riding a cab when the driver played cheesy old songs on his stereo. A Shoulder to Cry On by Tommy Page, anyone? How the guy ended up in a recording studio is beyond me. Then the next song was one from Michael Learns to Rock (where are they from anyway – Denmark? Sweden?). Ah, those cheesy, sappy love songs from my adolescence. Keep on learning, guys. "Love is one big illusion/ I should try to forget/ But there is something left in my head/ (All together now!) Iiiiii won't forget...")

Batik is all around

2009-10-05T16:27:00.003+07:00

With co-workers. I've never felt so proud of our heritage as I did that day!

Book review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

2009-10-05T16:21:00.001+07:00

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Like many Indonesians perhaps, the only thing that comes to my mind when I hear the word Guernsey is that it is the place where Tommy Suharto keeps his money. This book reveals a lot more about the small British Channel island, occupied by the Germans in WW II. A group of islanders gather to form the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and an unexpected connection drew them to the attention of Juliet Ashton, a London author researching for a new book. Told in letters between the characters, the book is sweet and funny but also harrowing in parts where the islanders tell their experience during Nazi occupation. It may not be a literary masterpiece but this "book about books" sends an uplifting message about the power of literature and will be cherished by bibliophiles. Also, don't miss an appearance from one of the most well-known Victorian authors.

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Separated at birth?

2009-09-14T16:47:00.012+07:00

This might make more sense for those who are familiar with both Taiwanese and Japanese entertainment. When I first saw Yabu Kota of Hey! Say! JUMP I thought I've seen him somewhere before... well, compare these two pictures.

Ella

(S.H.E.)

Taiwan

Yabu Kota

(Hey! Say! JUMP)

Japan

The funny thing is, Yabu is a boy band member managed by Johnny's Entertainment, so naturally he looks like a girl. Ella, on the other hand, is the tomboy one with boyish voice from girl band S.H.E. So the boy and the girl look alike because the boy is girly and the girl is boyish. Strange world, eh?

(P.S. I think Yabu is kind of a cutie though.)

Haiku breeze #2

2009-09-08T15:21:00.002+07:00

a woman's singing
floats through the window at night
my next door neighbor

(Last week I was trying to sleep when I faintly heard a woman's singing voice from the house next door. I gotta admit it felt a little creepy at first, hearing someone singing amid all the silence of the night. But her voice wasn't so bad, the melody listenable. Then I noticed she was singing in English. A few minutes later I realized she was singing Jason Mraz's You and I Both. Neighbor, you have good taste.)

Which Gossip Girl Character Are You?

2009-09-03T13:23:00.002+07:00

Apparently I'm Queen B ;D

Created by BuddyTV

Haiku breeze #1

2009-09-02T17:31:00.004+07:00

an earthquake today
shook us from our musings
feet back on the ground

(Gempa Berkekuatan 7,3 SR Berpusat di Tasikmalaya, Berpotensi Tsunami)

Book review: The Children

2009-09-01T12:58:00.002+07:00

The Children by Edith Wharton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**SPOILER ALERT**

"He was caught body and soul--that was it; and real loving was not the delicate distraction, the food for dreams... it was this perpetual obsession, this clinging nearness, this breaking on the rack of every bone, and tearing apart of every fibre. And his apprenticeship to it was just beginning..."

The Children, one of Edith Wharton's lesser known works, turned out to be a bit different than I expected it to be. It was better. It is the story of a 46-year-old bachelor, Martin Boyne, who finds himself tangled in the business of the seven children of the Wheater family, stepbrothers and stepsisters trying to stay together in the middle of the storm of their parents' numerous divorces and remarriages. Enchanted by the raucously endearing children, Boyne becomes their confidante and guardian and strives to help their cause.

According to the book's back cover, Martin's heart was "captured" by the eldest Wheater, 15-year-old Judith, who is the mother hen of the pack. I first thought the feeling would be platonic, but even in the beginning of the book there were hints that it was not going to be the case. And indeed, Martin slowly finds himself in love with a girl 30 years his junior. I was ready to dislike the whole business, but surprisingly I couldn't. Just like in The Age of Innocence, Wharton makes the reader understand the feelings of a man who loves someone while knowing there is no way he could ever be with her. To complicate the matter, Martin has been attached to a woman for years; a woman who couldn't be with him because she was already married (this one reminds me of my first Wharton, the novella Souls Belated). She has just become a widow and is finally free to be together with Martin, but just at that time Martin begins to develop feelings for Judith that he himself was too afraid to admit.

The little Wheater children provides comic relief in the story but otherwise it is quite a sad novel. After finishing it I am once again in awe of Wharton's consummate skill in making the reader feel what the characters feel. It makes one wonder whether she herself has gone through the same heartbreaks, the same predicaments as her characters. I highly recommend this book for the heartfelt drama and beautiful prose. Thank you Ayu for lending it to me!

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A magical, special, once-a-year moment

2009-09-01T12:43:00.002+07:00

Some notes on the wonderful things about Ramadhan:

- Saving money from not having lunches (and totally wasting it at the end of the day on lavish fast-breaking meals).

- That feeling of serenity that falls upon you during the quiet moments between sahur and Subuh.

- Meeting up with friends for fast-breaking. So far I had two, one on Thursday with college friends in Duren Tiga and another on Sunday with Goodreaders during a talkshow on astronomy in Rawamangun.

- Busway attendants telling you when it's time to break the fast, even though you can't hear adzan from inside the bus.

- The general feeling of warmth, togetherness and tolerance shared among Muslims and between Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Forget those FPI people. They're just stupid.

- Office hour ends early! Whoohoooo!!

And also... the not-so-wonderful things about this particular month:

- Firecrackers. Seriously, people.

- Sleeping hours always lessen due to sahur. Hence:

- You feel so sleepy all the time. And lazy. Well, okay, I do.

- Gastric problems. Apparently I'm like Cinta Laura, who has "gastrouw" or known by regular people as maag (what language is it from again -- Dutch?). I'm now using certain pills advertised by a certain actor named Pak Haji Deddy Mizwar. I mean to slowly wean myself from them though, because the label said continual usage for more than two weeks may cause dependency. Yikes.

Last but not least, random fangirl note:

NEWS just finished their 24 hour TV special. Well done, boys. Now if only the company will release a new single or DVD for you, or even your very own TV show. *fingers crossed*

Book review: Mansfield Park

2009-08-14T17:26:00.003+07:00

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As the last Austen novel I read, Mansfield Park made me officially become Austen-literate (well, if you don't count her short, unfinished stories). As always I cannot applaud her more on the beautiful, exquisitely crafted language, but the plot and diverse characters are also exceptional. Fanny Price and Edmund Bertram is probably the cutest Austen couple ever. Although Edmund's change of feelings leave much to be desired, he is still one of Austen's most goodhearted, upstanding hero and does not leave me disappointed like, say, Sense and Sensibility's wavering, dishonest Edward Ferrars. Fanny, on the other hand, draws my sympathy through her steady affections and strong principles – she is not Emma Woodhouse or Elizabeth Bennett in that she knows who her heart belongs to all along, only she is too afraid to admit it. There is also interesting character studies in the figures of Henry and Mary Crawford. I might need a re-read of all Austen novels as to more justly compare them, but for now Mansfield Park holds the elusive title of my favorite among the novels.

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"Kimi no happy ba-su-day"

2009-07-23T16:01:00.002+07:00

Turning 25 today. Is it time for that quarter-life crisis to start?! Heh.

Anyway, thanks to everybody who congratulated, texted, wrote in my Facebook wall and generally sent an abundance of good wishes. Sending positive thoughts back!

Listening to: Happy Birthday – NEWS (I can't help it, really.)
Reading: Vanity Fair – WM Thackeray; Cecilia & Malaikat Ariel – Jostein Gaarder.
Watching: Papa to Musume no Nanokakan (Father and Daughter's Seven Days). A 7-episode Japanese dorama with a Freaky Friday-like concept, only with father and daughter. Of course I'm only watching because Shige is in it (as a guy the daughter has a crush on), but it really is quite hilarious. Watch it online here: http://www.mysoju.com/papa-to-musume-no-nanokakan

Words are all I have to take your heart away

2009-07-14T16:45:00.003+07:00

From Ayu's LJ. Reply to this meme by yelling "Words!" and I will give you five words that remind me of you. Then post them in your journal and explain what they mean to you.

Ah, Ayu, you know me well! I figured Austen would come up ;D

glasses
I've been wearing glasses since, what, third grade? Maybe because I read a lot and often in improper positions or poorly lighted places, LOL. Sometimes it's tiring to wear glasses, and they leave a mark on the bridge of my nose, but I think they've also become sort of my signature look (What's with the fashion talk, huh?).

Jane Austen
Believe it or not I only read my first Austen (Northanger Abbey) about two years ago. Before that I've only read an abridged version of Pride and Prejudice, and watched some adaptations (Clueless, anyone?). But now I can boast that I've read all of her books, except the three short unfinished stories – Lady Susan, The Watsons, Sanditon. I love Austen's wit and beautiful language.

manga
My first manga was either Pop Corn (Seito Shokun) or Miss Modern (Haikara-san ga toru). From only reading I got interested in drawing manga. Back in elementary school I had a friend who loves to draw. I wanted to draw like her, so I started imitating manga pictures. My favorite theme was inspired by the Mari-chan manga series on ballet, so my childhood works consist of a lot of pretty girls dancing in their ballet shoes. Later on my little sister caught the drawing bug from me and now she draws even better than me, while I've hardly picked up a pencil in years.

Asian artist
This overlaps with Jay Chou, so I'm putting it first. My interest on Asian artists must have started with those 90s Hong Kong action movies on TV (Jet Li please, not Jackie Chan). They spilled out to TV series (especially Taiwanese and Japanese) and music (mostly Taiwanese, with bits of Japanese and a drop of Korean). It inspired me to want to learn Mandarin – which is still a distant goal for me. Unlike many other people, though, I don't like F4. As I wrote in a previous post, I'm currently infatuated with one member of a certain Japanese boyband.

Jay Chou
When I first knew about Jay, he had already become a kind of 'prince' in the Mandarin music industry. And then he became king. His first song that I heard was probably Jian Dan Ai (Simple Love) – literally a simple, laid-back, mid-tempo love song. After I listened to around seven albums from him, I find he tends to repeat his formula a bit so sometimes it gets boring. But I still like his upbeat songs that mix R&B, rock, rap and traditional Chinese music. Hey, I even wrote an essay about him in college. Aside from Jay, two other Mandarin music 'kings' that I like are David Tao and Wang Leehom, both also songwriters and producers like him.

Miraculous!

2009-07-07T16:12:00.002+07:00

My family was registered for the presidential election after all. All five of us weren't listed for the legislative polls in April, but we received the invitation for tomorrow's election yesterday. We didn't even re-registered back in May (well I sort of did, but the poll officer only wrote down my name since I forgot to bring a copy of my ID). I wonder who I should thank for this?

On a side note, I went to Pesta Buku Jakarta 2009 on Sunday. Got a free book during a discussion (Olenka), bought three translated ones on discount (Breakfast at Tiffany's, Anne of Green Gables, Cecilia dan Malaikat Ariel) and borrowed two English ones (Oryx & Crake, Good Omens). If not for the wonderful souls of Goodreads friends I would never have been able to borrow books at a book fair, LOL.

Anyway, happy voting for everyone who's voting.

Life. Oh life. Dudududu.

2009-07-02T17:01:00.003+07:00

Phooey. Another month has passed. I've hardly written anything in June. So here's anything.

Several celebrities died. David Carradine. Weird circumstances, but I'll always remember growing up watching Kung-Fu: The Legend Continues. ("I am Caine. I will help you.") Michael Jackson passed too. It's like the end of an era.

Election's coming up again next week. Not sure if I'm voting, cause in the legislative election I found I wasn't registered. Boo.

Read about four books in June. Surely I'm capable of better.

I've lately discovered a Philippine acoustic band called MYMP (Make Your Momma Proud). First heard their song at a record store. It was Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue's oldies hit, Especially for You. The band actually made the song sound cool. So I bought their CD, only to find that listening to 20+ slow, acoustic songs in a row is kind of boring. Still, I liked their renditions of Eternal Flame, Crazy for You, and Tell Me Where It Hurts ("I'll love all of the hurt away". Oh my).

Another new interest, or should I say guilty pleasure, of mine is a Japanese boy band called NEWS. I've already mentioned in this blog that I'm partial towards East Asian music and entertainment, but the Japanese has long been my sister's turf (she draws manga, listens to J-music and got a scholarship to study in Japan for a year). Now she has successfully poisoned me by using songs and DVDs and before I knew it I was addicted to those dance-y tunes unique to J-Pop. NEWS is a six-member group and one caught my eye early and became my favorite since – Shigeaki Kato. Funny guy, not afraid to make fun of himself. Not the best singer or dancer, but did I mention he's crazily funny? And smart? Shige, as he is usually called, writes monthly articles for a magazine about everyday topics that made me think, hey, you can write regularly about any topic if you want to. Somehow inspired me to write this entry. Boy band members are capable of doing that to you sometimes.

Good old Shige

Am going to a friend's wedding this weekend. And then Pesta Buku Jakarta 2009. The following week, Goodreads 2nd anniversary gathering. Busy, busy.

Book review: The Thirteenth Tale

2009-06-06T11:48:00.003+07:00

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Literate Good Citizen
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Fad Reader
Book Snob
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

:: ceaseless dreamer ::

Book review: Ptolemy's Gate (Bartimaeus Trilogy, #3)

Book review: The Golem's Eye (Bartimaeus Trilogy, #2)

Book review: The Amulet of Samarkand (Bartimaeus Trilogy, #1)

Haiku breeze #3

Batik is all around

Book review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Separated at birth?

Haiku breeze #2

Which Gossip Girl Character Are You?

Haiku breeze #1

Book review: The Children

A magical, special, once-a-year moment

Book review: Mansfield Park

"Kimi no happy ba-su-day"

Words are all I have to take your heart away

Miraculous!

Life. Oh life. Dudududu.

Book review: The Thirteenth Tale

My review

Book review: Norwegian Wood

My review

Hello, gorgeous.

Books and friends make lively combination

Which Austen heroine are you?

Book review: Middlesex

My review

Which Girl Singer Are You?

With great power comes great responsibility

Book review: Honeymoon with My Brother

My review

Book review: Brideshead Revisited

My review

Random music meme

We sing, we dance, we scream things

Slumdog night out

Writing exercise from Sindrow

Book review: The Book of Lost Things

My review

Book review: Q & A

My review

The lady and the cats

Book review: Coraline

My review

Benjamin Button the movie

I'm a kayak, hear me roar

Book review: Anak Lelaki Berpiama Garis-Garis (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas)

My review

Book review: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

My review

Come to the dark side

Book review: Perpustakaan Ajaib Bibbi Bokken

My review

Book review: Neverwhere

My review

Book review: The Secret Life of Bees

My review

RAN for the New Year

Excuse me ma'am, are you pregnant?

I've got a thing for you

Book review: Into the Wild

My review

Ember of the golden flower in twilight

Book review: Love Walked In

My review

Book review: The Time Traveler's Wife

My review

Book review: The Catcher in the Rye

My review

He said, she said

Dreams from my lecturer

Book review: Anak Lelaki yang Menelan Bintang-Bintang (The Boy Who Ate Stars)

My review

Book review: Dracula

My review

Because Ayu asked me to

Which Heroes Character Are You?

David Tao Jakarta Concert 2008

Shuffle your life

Going to a concert tomorrow!