Remembering Anthony Bourdain

Like many around the world, I am saddened and join them in mourning the passing of one of my most beloved celebrity chefs, Anthony Bourdain.  Though I do not know him personally, yet I feel keenly for the loss of this talented man. :'(

From the first moment I 'met' him (on TV) through his first food series, A Cook's Tour in 2002, I was hooked.  I watched diligently every episode of A Cook's Tour, No Reservations and The Layover.  I also watched him (as a judge) on Top Chef, Top Chef All-Stars and The Taste.  The only series I didn't follow was his latest award-winning show, CNN's Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, and that's because it's shown on CNN and not the other usual food and travel channels.

Since news of his death broke, I've been reading article after article written about him....and also watching some heart-wrenching, touching tributes of those who knew him.  I've been so preoccupied with this (+ I wasn't in the mood either) to write any blogposts this week...but I felt the need to write this as a tribute in memory of him.

Quoting his mom, "He's absolutely the last person in the world I would have ever dreamed would do something like this."  I thought so too.  I guess everyone saw the happy side of him on the outside so much so that even his closest friends did not know the demons he was battling inside.

We will always wonder why...why he did what he did.

But we'll probably never know why....only he did.

I was looking forward to his future 'projects' (whatever they might have been)....and then this tragedy happened.  That means we'll never get to read his autobiography or memoirs (something I was hoping to read some day).  I remain forever a fan of him...and his 'works'.  Right now, I only have two (graphic) novels which he co-wrote....Get Jiro!


...and Get Jiro: Blood & Sushi)...to remind me of him (perhaps now's the time to have his other books grace my bookshelves).  I'd want to watch re-runs of his shows (and probably include Parts Unknown this time round) to remind myself just how brilliant a storyteller, Emmy-winning travel host, bestselling author and gifted chef, with a larger-than-life personality, he was.  

I hope he's finally at peace.....and on board a never-ending 'happy train' to where he wants to be amid all his favourite food that he has tasted from all his travels.

I (along with many people in the world) will miss him dearly.
Good night.....and sweet dreams! T_T

Get Jiro! by Anthony Bourdain

Apart from Jamie Oliver, Anthony Bourdain has been one of the earlier celebrity chefs who made an impression on me.  It was his TV series, A Cook's Tour, that first endeared me to this American chef, author and TV personality.

From his first food and travel show, Food Network's A Cook's Tour, Anthony Bourdain has gone on to host other culinary shows like Travel Channel's No Reservations & The Layover and finally CNN's Parts Unknown (for which he has won a few Emmys).  I diligently followed his first three series.

He has also written countless of books, some of which made it to the New York Times bestselling books, but none of which I own....until his graphic novel, Get Jiro!, which he co-wrote in 2012.

Get Jiro! is the most expensive graphic novel I've bought (not that I've bought many).  It's RM63.71 and it's not even hardcover! :'(  That's quite a lot to pay for a book that's just a fictional story in comic-strip format but published as a book.  Essentially, it's just a book with comics content or a manga-like book (a very fast read which you can finish in less than an hour)!

The book is comically violent....but a fun read.  Warning: It's also gory...people die or get dismembered or decapitated (so fun! :D)....and with lots of profanities too! >.<

I had a really good LOL moment where Jiro decapitated a patron for not knowing the etiquette for eating sushi (fish side down, don't dunk your wasabi into the soy sauce and sushi is as much about the rice as it is the fish)...haha! ;D

Another LOL moment was when he chided another customer who had the audacity to ask for a California Roll! :D

Look at how detailed the drawing of the sushi is :)

Mmmm....lots of seafood depicted here

The artwork is truly outstanding and I loved, loved, loved the extremely detailed, intricately-drawn images and stunning visuals of the delicious food.

If you're a foodie (like me), you'll definitely enjoy those parts that make reference to food....like this one!

Or this!

And this!

I think those who know what Anthony Bourdain is all about and his tongue-in-cheek wit (if you follow his shows) will be able to relate better and might enjoy this a bit more than others...I certainly did! ^o^

And now I need to go get his follow-up book (a prequel actually) to his New York Times bestseller Get Jiro! ^_*

When I was a kid 4.....

When I was a kid 4, the latest in the "When I was a kid" series of graphic novels by Cheeming Boey hit the stores in July 2016.  

His fourth book in the series took longer to publish this time, about 1 1/2 years compared to the one year gap of his previous two books.  I won't write at length about this Malaysian author and his books, you can read my previous blog post if you wish to find out more.

I got my copy of his latest book about a week later (from MPH store @ RM36.90, a negligible increase of RM2 from his previous books) to join the growing family...one big happy family....hehe! :D

Unlike the other three books, I didn't attend his book signing event this time...a combination of "not free" and "too shy".  The first was due to the fact that his book signing was held in significantly less places (only two bookstores) compared to last year's 'Very Danger Tour' (maybe, due to his growing popularity, he has to make more stops in other cities besides KL).  The second was I noticed that his fans were getting younger and younger! >.<  These young kids, tweens and teens are such loyal and dedicated fans that they would even go to great lengths to get him gifts and snacks (some even baked cupcakes and cookies for him).  I feel I've passed the age of waiting in line and getting all googly over him like all his young, sometimes screaming, fans...wakakakaka! XD  So, no signed copy for me this time.

Like Boey said....it's the book of everything...except kissing (coz that's gross...but that's only because he was a kid then!).

Overall, the book is still a light and entertaining read and some of my favourite 'chapters' from his fourth book were these.....of course I had to highlight my special fondness of those chapters pertaining to food! :D

hot pot - you draw the cutest prawn

macaroni - you'll make a cute macaroni (and I can see myself eating that macaroni shape) ;D

otak - I love the 'zero dishes to do' concept too but I'm not so sure about it going well with nasi lemak though

oysters - yeah, kids usually don't know how to enjoy the good stuff though I've not come across oysters in a can nor put them into my soup other than dried oysters (ho si) ^_*

serving spoons - yup, my family does that too now at the dinner table

But there were other 'non-food' chapters that I enjoyed too....like these ones......

double confirm - yay, just like what we see assassins do in movies

dad nose best - I see mothers doing this all the time...even now

common sense - I chose B too (great minds think alike, eh?)...until I read it again

ghost itch - I think it was just an excuse to touch yourself

idea diarrhea - yea, shit happens ^.^

...and some stories that pulled at my heartstrings.....

jiu jiu loves mui mui

like the grim reaper - let's just hope when our time comes, we won't need that chair

onions - awww T_T

braised duck :'(

spirit animal - now I know what that golden turtle is for and what it means to you

Like in all of Boey's previous three books, some of the stories he tells are the same stories of our childhood...and it's great to relive those memories again.

Finally, knowing Boey's mom (at least from what he writes about her), I'm surprised she didn't ask him to name his fourth book.....When I was a kid 3A!  Kekeke!! :D

In my previous blog post about his books, I ended by 'guessing' that the cover of his fourth book would be Grandma....and I was right, ta-da! ;)  I think I deserve a prize for 'guessing' correctly (Senpai, if you're reading this) ^_*

Now, what'll be the cover of his fifth book....hmmm...featuring another member of his family would be too obvious a choice + it'll be boring? >.<  He could feature his dog, River, but that wasn't the dog when he was a kid! :P  How about a pic of his house in JB growing up with all the bird cages? ;)

You've got a 'winning' formula, so keep doing what you're doing....I'm still a fan...but I'll just be a fan watching you from afar (wait, that sounded a bit creepy)...let me rephrase that....I'll just be a fan from a distance! ^o^

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 and 'Once Upon a Miao' makes for fun and light reading....just not as entertaining (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).
 

When I was a kid.....

THIS IS NOT A FOOD POST

For those of you thinking you'd be getting some childhood stories from me when you saw my post title, I'm sorry but that's not going to happen....although there will still be childhood stories, only not mine but the childhood stories of Cheeming Boey.

For those of you who don't know him (yet), Boey is a Malaysian artist best known for his cup art on polystyrene (or styrofoam) cups, his (almost) daily webcomic "I am Boey" and his autobiographical graphic novel "When I was a kid".  But I know him best as the author of his "When I was a kid" book series.

I didn't know of his existence (sorry, Boey) or his books at first.  My first encounter with him was purely accidental.  Sometime last year (24 November 2013 according to the photos in my phone), I was in Pavilion KL 'babysitting' my friend's daughter while she went about with her 'beauty regime' for an hour.  So, how do you keep a little one preoccupied for 1 hour?  I can only think of 3 things...food, toys or books.  I couldn't go with the 1st option as we just ate and the 2nd was a no-no coz I can't have a kid running loose in a toy store.  The 3rd option was my best (and only) option....so, off to Times Bookstore we went.

I took her to the children's book section and let her browse through the books to her heart's content while keeping an eye on her all the time.  After a while, I noticed a guy giving some kind of a talk (that was what I thought initially) at the small café inside the bookstore.  At first, I didn't pay much attention but the closer I got, I saw that he was easy on the eyes.  So, I inched myself nearer and saw that it was actually a book signing event.  By then, the hour was up and I had to leave to go back to the beauty place my friend was at.  I then told her about this somewhat good looking guy doing a book signing at Times and we decided to return to check it out.

It was then that I 'met' (loosely defined as 'saw') Boey.  He was at the book signing event of his second book "When I was a kid 2".  We immediately went to check out the book (just a few pages of it) and found it highly amusing.  I bought "When I was a kid 2" while my friend picked up his first book "When I was a kid".  We then waited in line to get the book signed (it wasn't a long queue coz it was already at the tail end of the event or maybe he didn't have that many fans then..keke!).

This is my signed copy of "When I was a kid 2" from his book signing tour in 2013...the only one with a personalised short message ;)  I finished reading the book very quickly and enjoyed it so much that I went out (within the same week) to get my hands on his other book.  My friend did the exact same thing.

When my friend highlighted to me that his third book "When I was a kid 3" was due out soon, I immediately checked his Facebook page and got the dates for his 'Very Danger Tour' in KL.  His first available date (at a shopping mall) was 6 Dec 2014 at Mid Valley....and, so, in the words of Michael Jackson...I'll be there!

I had a sneak peek in Kinokuniya Bookstore in KLCC a few days earlier while I was doing some shopping there.

I had to summon all my strength not to succumb to temptation to buy the book first as I had already made plans (with a friend) to be at his first scheduled book signing date in KL.

We made our way to MPH Mid Valley on a Saturday afternoon on 6 December 2014.  Finding a parking spot was a nightmare and we only succeeded after about half an hour.  When we got to MPH, we saw that there was already a crowd there listening attentively to his talk.

While listening to him talk, I couldn't help but notice (and loved) the awesome looking standee at the bookstore (of him with a cute "tung tiew", aka Chinese feather duster, also commonly known as the device used to discipline us when we were young)...now, who among us have not "makan" tung tiew before!! XD

We quickly purchased his latest book, and his 2015 Calendar as well, and caught a bit of his talk, and waited patiently for the book signing session to begin.

This is him signing my copy of his third book "When I was a kid 3".....and he drew the tung tiew for me...I'm over the moon!  He didn't have time to write a message this time because there seems to be more people at his book signings now that he's more famous! =D

Of course, not forgetting to get him to 'personalise' my 2015 Calendar also!  

Let me give you a sneak preview of the inside....it's an awesome calendar!

This is a 'keeper' for sure...even after 2015 is over.

Even his Sharpie pens are a collection...keke!!  We managed to get the very last green Sharpie pen (before it ran out) and my friend was so nice to let me have it...thanks dear.

I also brought along his first book in the hope that he wouldn't mind signing it as well...and he didn't.

Here's my signed copy of "When I was a kid"...I'm still happy even if it's just a simple drawing!!

So, what is "When I was a kid" all about?  It's a collection of stories of him growing up on a bird farm in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.  The back page of "When I was a kid" says it all.  It's a prequel to his day-to-day blog, iamboey.com.

He published his first book in 2012 "When I was a kid" and it shot to the top ten on the local non-fiction bestseller's list here in just 3 weeks.  He followed this up with his second book "When I was a kid 2" in 2013 which was another resounding success.  And now, in 2014, he has published his third book "When I was a kid 3".  I can see why his books resonate with so many people (especially Malaysians)...it's because we can all relate to his stories of growing up in Malaysia (god knows we've done some of those very things he's done too).  His books appeal to both the young and the old (as evidenced by the people who came for his book signing) but I do believe that the older you are, the more you will enjoy and appreciate his books.  Why....because they're childhood stories...and the further along we are in our lives....the more we reminisce what these memories mean to us!

Why do I like his books so much?  Let me see...my top ten reasons will have to be.....

...it's endearing =)

...it's funny

...it's entertaining

...it brings a smile to my face :)

...it's relatable

...it makes me laugh out loud :D

...he's so good at storytelling

...his drawings are simple and cute, yet enough to bring the story to life :-)

...and he's also very charming in person ;)
...but, most of all, it makes me happy as it takes us all on a trip down memory lane to our own childhood memories too.

"When I was a kid 3" is just as funny and entertaining as his two previous books but his first book will always be dear to my heart as it was the one that introduced him (and all his lovable antics) to me.  I'm forever a fan!!!

You can visit his Facebook page or check him out on his blog @ iamboey.com and if you find that you like reading his journal (which he started writing in 2007 at age 29), you'd definitely enjoy his books too.

Get your hands on his "When I was a kid" series....and I guarantee that you'll enjoy it as much as I did (take my word for it)!! :D :D :D

A good read (like good food) is supposed to be savoured.....slowly...yumssss!!  And when the food is good (and I need seconds or even thirds), I'll read books 1 & 2 again (which I've done many times before)...keke!!

At the book signing session, I asked him if there will there be a "When I was a kid 4"?  I certainly hope so...I'll be waiting with bated breath!  I don't think I got an answer to my question though....maybe he just derives immense gratification from seeing us grovel and beg...kekeke!!  I'm already wondering what the cover of book 4 might look like (since he has already featured his mom, dad and sis in the first three books)...could it be grandma?  I'm rooting for grandma coz the stories featuring her are so heart wrenching.

As with all 'creative minds', writers sometimes need to embark on a different (and more challenging) journey....and I support that....but maybe after "When I was a kid 10"...muahahaha...you know the saying, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" ;-)

I'm eager to see what he has in store for us next!

A shout out to Boey (in case he drops by):

All the best to your (so adorable) Mom (who have to take all your shit)...your (strict looking) Dad (who really loves you very much)....your (lovely) sis (whom you bully all the time)...and you (the ever so naughty one)!

Don't stop writing........or drawing, Boey.....ever!!!

P/S:  I know you don't like reading l...o..n...n..g...g...g blogs.....but that's how I write, call me maybe "cheong hei" (long winded)...I don't care, I love it!