Once Upon a Miao.....

Noooooo......this is not another post about my cat!  It's a post of another cat!!  P/S: Hope my cat is not jealous! :D  I came across a recent newspaper article about this lovable, adorable, cute looking cat......

........created by a local author by the name of Jian Goh who hails from Kuching, Sarawak.  I must admit, I've never heard of him just like I've never heard of Boey, author of the 'When I was a kid' series, initially too.

 

This is a snapshot of him from the newspapers.  Who is he?  Well, he's the creator of the Miao&WafuPafu comic strip blog at www.akiraceo.com.

 

I was suprised to find out that he studied engineering, graduated and worked as an engineer for 4 years before giving it all up to pursue (or shall I say continue with) his passion as a comic blogger and finally realising his dream of publishing his comic blog book.  You can read all about the man behind Miao&WafuPafu in an interview by theborneopost or visit his Facebook Page.

 

He has just launched his new book, 'Once Upon a Miao', also a graphic novel along the same lines as 'When I was a kid'.  As a cat lover myself, the book title resonated with me....and no, the book is not about a cat. 

I got my copy from MPH @ RM34.90 (similarly priced as 'When I was a kid' series).  The book is also about the same length as Boey's books, slightly less than 200 pages, but with a better paper quality and in colour.

 

Main characters from his book

 

The similarities don't stop there!  'Once Upon a Miao' showcases stories of his childhood memories growing up in Kuching, Sarawak and his dreams as a child much like Boey's stories of his childhood growing up in Johor Bahru, Johor.  Again, these are stories we can easily relate to because we went through some of them ourselves.

 

Heck, the author even references Kolok Mee, Tomato Mee and Sarawak Laksa in some of his stories, a testimony of his roots. 

 

More characters from his book

 

I love to read comic blog books as it makes for fun and light reading and I did enjoy reading 'Once Upon a Miao'....just not as much (or as amusing) as Boey's 'When I was a kid' series...but still endearing and appealing.  I just find Jian's stories a bit more 'kiddy' in nature.  But then, his book can be 'safely' read by people (especially children) of all ages as the humour is 'very clean' unlike Boey's comic books where some parts need 'censoring' as they're not that suitable for young children! ;)

For those who want to get their copy of the book autographed, there's a possibility that he may be having a meet and greet session in October in KL (probably 17th @ Mid Valley), so check his Facebook page for further updates.

 

RM34.90 is a small sum to pay to support our local authors.  So, if you like reading childhood stories, go and get this comic book (for yourself or your children) from a bookstore near you. 

It may be a bit kiddie-like....but there's a child in all us.....so, happy reading, boys and girls!!

Update:  For those of you who want to get your book autographed or attend the meet-up session, Jian Goh's "Kanjiong Booktalk" will be held in MPH Mid Valley, KL on 17 Oct 2015 (3.30 - 4.30pm) and MPH The Spring, Kuching on 21 Nov 2015 (3 - 4 pm).