the personal blog of C.K.Koay
Irrelevant and self-serving snippets of my personal life.
My eldest daughter dropped a musical bombshell: she wanted to see a band called Cigarettes After Sex in concert. For a girl who prefers staying in her room, proactively wanting to venture out into a sea of people is like a siput babi willingly leaving its shell.
Continue reading “Cigarettes After Sex X’s Tour in Kuala Lumpur”
There’s something magical about streaming television. Like a modern-day Alice tumbling down a 75” rabbit hole, I sometimes disappear into a streaming void, emerging hours later with a vague recollection of sunlight, several empty snack wrappers and the unsettling realization that I’ve just watched an entire Japanese reality dating show for seniors looking for their last attempt at love.
Continue reading “Binge watching Squid Games Season 2”
My eldest daughter is having her mock IGCSE exams for the next few weeks. I’ve taken on the role of her personal chauffeur to ensure she arrives on time. Sure, having a personal driver might sound posh, but trust me, I don’t envy her—especially seeing how stressed out she is.
Let me confess something: I’m that person who still hoards books while everyone else has evolved into podcast-consuming sophisticates. Don’t get me wrong – I too consume podcasts during my morning exercises (or what I optimistically label as ‘exercise’), but there’s something about the printed word that refuses to let go of my soul. As I read non-fiction books to keep up professionally, I make it a point to add good literary fiction into the mix to have a have holistic view of the human condition.
Continue reading “Understanding the Human Condition Through Fiction”
I’ve recently devoured 1Q84, the gargantuan tome from Haruki Murakami, in less than a week. Apart from the surrealistic and fantasy elements of the book, it was a very straightforward book that propels the reader forward as it shifts from the main characters’ points of view for each succeeding chapters. Overall, an interesting read that keeps you enthralled and invested right until the very end.
Continue reading “1Q84: Murakami’s Twisted Tale of Two Moons and Timeless Love”
It was 1994. I remember it clearly because I was standing in front of a CD rack when I saw her—this red-headed woman with a half-smile, staring right at me. Her right hand was resting on her heart, and everything about her, from her bright hair to her pale face, popped against this moody, dark background. The name “Sarah McLachlan” was scrawled on the side, right next to the album title: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. Mysterious, alluring—it had me hooked before I even knew who she was. I didn’t have a clue what she sounded like, but I was the type of person who bought records based on a gut feeling and the cover art. So, naturally, I grabbed it.
Continue reading “Rediscovering Sarah McLachlan: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy 30 Years On”