How Would You Move Mount Fuji? : How The World's Smartest Companies Select The Most Creative Thinkers by William Poundstone

How Would You Move Mount Fuji? : Microsoft Cult Of The Puzzle - How The World's Smartest Companies Select The Most Creative Thinkers by William Poundstone

I have started reading this book today. The first few pages are quite interesting. I will most probably finish reading it within the next 1 - 2 weeks. By then, I will come back with a review and my opinions of the book.

cheers
Matt Kirkchill

Here Comes Everybody : How Change Happens When People Come Together by Clay Shirky

Here Comes Everybody : How Change Happens When People Come Together by Clay Shirky



I have started reading this book today. I will most probably finish reading it within the next 1 - 2 weeks. By then, I will come back with a review and my opinions of the book.

cheers
Matt Kirkchill

The Logic Of Life by Tim Harford

The Logic Of Life by Tim Harford

I have started reading this book today. I have read Tim's first book "The Undercover Economist" and enjoyed it tremendously. I am looking forward to another good read with this new book and so far so good ... the first few pages are very interesting. I will most probably finish reading it within the next 1 - 2 weeks. By then, I will come back with a review and my opinions of the book.

cheers
Matt Kirkchill

A New Earth : Awakening to Your Life's Purpose by Eckhart Tolle

A New Earth : Awakening to Your Life's Purpose by Eckhart Tolle

I have started reading this book today. I will most probably finish reading it within the next 1 - 2 weeks. By then, I will come back with a review and my opinions of the book.

cheers
Matt Kirkchill

The Power of Now : A Guide To Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle

The Power of Now : A Guide To Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle

I have started reading this book today. I have heard many people recommending and talking about this book positively. I will most probably finish reading it within the next 1 month. By then, I will come back with a review and my opinions of the book.

cheers
Matt Kirkchill

Who Moved My Cheese by Dr. Spencer Johnson

Who Moved My Cheese? : An Amazing Way To Deal With Change In Your Work And In Your Life by Dr. Spencer Johnson


I first read this book many years ago (back in 2000). It was very inspiring and I have benefitted from it tremendously. I have re-read it a couple of times. I am doing it again now.

cheers
Matt Kirkchill

Hahaha ... So Glad I Bought "Big Book of Insults"

Hahaha ... So glad I bought the book: "Big Book of Insults" by Nancy Mcphee.



I almost didn't buy it. Why?

Well, 3 days ago I went to the new Popular Bookstore (one of the bookstores I like most in Malaysia and Singapore) at BDC in Kuching. After buying a couple hundred bucks of books in English, Bahasa Malaysia (Malay) and Chinese, I came across the "Big Book of Insults" (which was on special promotion). I didn't actually want to buy it because the book was wrapped up and there is no way I could peruse the content. I was struggling inside whether I should buy it or not since I already bought so many books and I was holding one last book: "10001 positions of the Karma Sutra."

Anyway, I finally decided that I could do without the "positions" but I actually need to learn how to insult people. (just joking!)

Haha, and one of the reasons I actually finalised on getting this book was this little comment by Groucho Marx:



Hahaha, and boy am I glad that I actually bought the book. It is sooooooo funny :)

I was just through the first 23 pages and I already "tak boleh tahan" (in Malay language means "can't stand it anymore" or "can't hold back anymore") and have to blog about it!!! Hahaha ... :)

Among the things I have learnt from the hilarious book are:

1. You don't need to be crude or use profanity to insult a person.

"Why don't you get a haircut? You look like a chrysanthemum." - P.G. Wodehouse (1881-1975)

2. You can insult and amaze at the same time.

"Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?" - Mark Twaine (1835-1910)

3. You can insult and impress at the same time.

"If only he'd wash his neck, I'd wring it!" - John Sparrow

4. You can insult and be truthful at the same time.

"Your manuscript is both good and original; but the part that is good is not original, and the part that is original is not good." - Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)

5. And of course the very famous Arab curse:

"May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits."

Hahaha ... wicked isn't it? ROTFLMAO with MsLUITA ... hehe hahahaha :)

Anyway, somehow, I have a dejavu feeling about the book. Where have I read it before? Where have I seen it before? Have I dreamt about it before?????

Wait!!! Now I know. The book reminds me so much of one of my favourite bloggers: MichaelOoi.Net!!!!

cheers
matakecil

The Best Criticism I Ever Received

Here's a nice little I would like to share with you. I first came across the story in the Reader's Digest in 1986. Enjoy ...

THE BEST CRITICISM I EVER RECEIVED
by Richard Wolkomir
From Sep 1986 Reader's Digest (Pages 94-96)

[I was brimming over with self-congratulation when I met the theater manager. His words, simple as they were, hit me like a harpoon.]


AFTER MY SOPHOMORE YEAR in college, I worked for the summer as a sub reporter at my hometown newspaper. I saw it as a step toward becoming a "literary" person. I was cloudy abou what literary meant, but I was sure it involved being a "sophisticate." I was as vague about the meaning of sophisticate as I was about literary, except that I was sure it had a lot to do with being like our newspaper's editor.

He was a genuine literary person, a poet with longish hair, a doleful mustache and a sharp blue eyes. His verse appeared in esteemed magazines, and he always had wry, witty comments to make. I wished that I, too, might develop a sharp, superior eye for other's foibles and failings. That summer's big event was the arrival of an acting troupe, whose young members enthusiastically began transforming a sagging store in a nearby resort hamlet in the Catskill Mountains into a theater. The manager visited our newspaper
and explained that the actors were learning four different plays, which they would present alternately. "It's a lot for these kids to get ready," he said worriedly.

Sometimes the editor and I drove over to watch rehearsals. As we slouched in the rear row, he would whisper amusing comments, for the performers were still floundering and flubbing. To me, it all seemed delightfully urbane.

Then we would leave the magic of the theater, and I would go back to my real work. It consisted of writing stories on the order of "New Pumper for Volunteer Fire Company." As a blossoming literary person, I yearned to try more colorful material. I wanted to write something that would win the editor's applause. But our village had no chic set whose glittery doings I could report on, only people working hard to pay their rent and buy groceries. Yet we did have the new theater.

A regular reporter would be reviewing the play. I decided to attend opening night even so, and write a review just for the editor to see. Possibly, if my article had sufficient verve and bite, he would run it. But his simple approval would be reward enough.

On opening night the theater was almost full. The people sitting next to me commented on how plucky it was for the troupe to learn four plays and build the theater at the same time.

I waved to our newspaper's official critic. She was a tall, kindly widow who I was sure would write a cheery review. I would fill my review with wry observations and mordantly turned phrases.

Most of the actors were only a bit older than my own 19 years. I sensed that the pretty, dark-haired female lead had the jitters about tonight's performance. It was painful for me as she flubbed her first line. I thought the editor would find it amusing, however, so I made a note.

I also jotted down when the male lead entered the stage from the wrong place. He deftly ad-libbed a few lines that eased the other actors out of their confusion. But I made no note of that, as it would not lend itself to trenchant prose.

On my way out after the play was over and the standing ovation had died away, I met the regular reviewer. "Isn't it wonderful, a theater like this, right here?" she said. "And the actors are so enthusiastic." I agreed absent-mindedly, preoccupied with the ironic, barbed sentences I was going to write.

I worked late that night, polishing my article. The next day the regular critic's review came out. As I had expected, it was enthusiastic, and she found something to praise in each actor's performance. Finally I handed in what I'd written.

From my desk, I watched the editor glancing over my manuscript. He grinned, leaned back in his chair, put his feet up on the desk and gave it his undivided attention. He laughed out loud and then laughed again, more heartily. I felt flushed with excitement, almost giddy.

"This is funny - it has a sharp edge," the editor told me. 'I'm going to run this review too."

When it appeared the next afternoon, I read through five times and felt myself filling with the helium of success. I saw a brilliant career ahead of me as a critic, my favor courted, my printed words avidly read.

In that intoxicated state I met the theater manager in front of the five-and-dime. "Well," I said, brimming over with self-congratulation, "how did you like my review?"

I'm not sure what I expected him to say. I was young, unsure of myself, and - just now - drunk on praise. Surely, he also would be amused by my carefully crafted phrases. The theater manager's words, simple as they were, hit me like a harpoon. He said, "You hurt a lot of people."

The balloon of my self-satisfaction burst. To win the praise for which I hungered, I had blinded myself to how my waspish criticisms would make those actors feel. Standing there on Main Street, I felt a little sick.

I braced myself for his anger. Instead, he spoke softly. "You write so well. But you know, all work is difficult, and life is too," he said. "Instead of using whatever abilities we have to tear down, just so we'll look clever and sophisticated, shouldn't we be trying to help one another be excellent?"

That was nearly 25 years ago, but I still see that theater manager whenever I have the urge to criticize somebody else's efforts, whether it is work in an office or the arrangements for a meeting or the decoration of a house. And I think of the review by the newspaper's regular reporter, which gently suggested where the actors might improve, while focusing on what they did well and urging them on the excellence. Perhaps that kindly widow was the true sophisticate.

Not long ago, a man stopped me on the street. "I read your writings from time to time, and I enjoy your positive outlook - you never seem to knock anyone," he said. Smiling, he added, "I bet that's the best criticism you've ever received."

I thought again of the theater manager. To the man who had just complimented me, I said, "You don't know how much I appreciated that. But no, actually it's the second-best."

Well, I hope you have found the above story thought-provoking or inspiring. In fact, it is one of my all-time favourite story and it has been with me for the last 20 years ... everywhere I went. And of course I have shared it with many many people too. :)

regards,
matakecil

"Follow Your Heart : Finding Purpose in Your Life and Work" by Andrew Matthews

If there is one book that I would classify as "must-read" (for people who truly want to be happy and live their life to the maximum), this is the one: "Follow Your Heart : Finding Purpose in Your Life and Work" by Andrew Matthews.


Yep. In fact, the book is so good, I actually bought both the English and Chinese versions. And I have also bought many extra copies to give away to my friends. I have sent a few copies of the Chinese edition to my friends in China and Taiwan and ALL of them loved the book as much as I do. hehe :)

Btw, here's my "workbook" copy:


Hehe ... whenever I like a book very much, I will have it photocopied into a "workbook" so that I can highlight the necessary information I find useful or inspiring. I can also write whatever remarks or make some footnotes on the said pages. Sometime I can even draw even draw my own illustrations to make the point clearer ... on top of those already can be found in the book. :)

Ok, so what is the book, "Follow Your Heart" about? It is about how to understand ourself and the people around us. It is about how to understand why things happen in a certain way. It is about why some people are luckier than the rest. And most important of all, it is about why some people are really happy and some people are not.!!!

"A road map for your own happiness. A 'must read' book."
- Jerry G. Jampolsky, MD., author of "Love Is Letting Go Of Fear"

Andrew Matthews also tell you what to do about it and how. :)

"Sensible, readable and immediately implementable. Great job!"
- Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, author of "Your Erroneous Zones" and "Real Magic"

It is about: Understanding. Acceptance. Moving forward. Making a different. Be in control of our life. Live our dreams. Be happy.

It is about: "... if it is gonna be, it is up to me ..."

It is about living the kind of life you really want and make the best of it.

Assume

Yep, assumption can be very dangerous. If you are not sure about something, ask! Even what you hear, see or witness for yourself personally might not be what you think!

Hehe, recently a friend of mine, Diana, came to my house to use my computer to finish a report she was working on. While doing her thing, she suddenly saw a book on my table and she was flabbergasted:


Why?
Because she thought that I am so cheap-skate as to photocopy the book instead of buying the original ... :) hehe

Then I showed her:


Hehe ... now she "tak boleh tahan" (cannot stand) already. She was about to scold me when I showed her something else:


Hehe ... now she is wordless :)
Yep ... she was shocked and surprised that I actually bought the 3 books:

• The Richest Man In Babylon by George S. Clason


• Who Moved My Cheese by Dr Spencer Johnson


• How To Develop Self-Confidence And Influence People By Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie

See? Another danger of assuming. Without asking me, Diana has assumed that I had photocopied those books instead of buying them. When she found out the truth ... she was very embarrassed :) hehe

So, why then did i photocopy those books when I already have the originals?

Hehe ... actually, those books were very good but unfortunately the original text was too small. I noticed that when I read the book for a long time ... I tend to get tired easily. So, I decided to photocopy (and enlarge) them so that I can read them for as long as I want to :) hehe

I can also do some highlighting of the information I found useful:



The highlighted information can be a reminder to me of some important points and for future reference :)

I can also jump back to these infos very fast when I have to :)

The Smallest Book I Ever Own

Not very often do I come across books that are really small but yet useful. Have a look at the book below. This is a very small Chinese book for learning the meaning and pronunciation of 1000 English words:

So small eh? It can even fit nicely into my palm. Despite being so small, it can actually contain 1000 English words and their meanings in Chinese!!!

Ok, could this be the smallest book I ever have? Haha ... the answer is NO. Here's the smallest book:

Much smaller eh? Yep, this IS definitely the SMALLEST book I ever owned. Look at the size. It is so small, it could actually fit nicely on my "MPH Bookstore" or "Popular Bookstore" membership card:

So small indeed!!! This is also an English phrase book and the irony of it all is that despite being much smaller than the first book above, it can actually fit in the meaning and pronunciation of 1200 English words!!!

How to read? No problem. The words are neatly laid out and are not that small. :)

"Chicken Soup For The Writer's Soul : Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit of Writers" by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Bud Gardner

"Chicken Soup For The Writer's Soul : Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit of Writers" by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Bud Gardner

Anyone who wants to become a writer (or already on the way to becoming one), should read this book! You can find many inspiring stories of how some of the most established writers in the world started their very fruitful journey of writing and publishing their books. On the other hand, if you are already a writer or author, you will find this book heart-warming too, because you can read about the struggles and triumphs of other fellow travellers on the same path as you :)

Hehe, actually, I bought my FIRST copy of this book back in the year 2000 when it was just published. I brought it with me everywhere I went. Towards the end of 2000, when I was working at the Keelung Port in Northern Taiwan, a friend of mine, Dr. Tihn Linh (from Myanmar) liked the book very much, so I gave it to him as a gift :)


After I came back to Malaysia, I bought my SECOND copy in 2001. Ever since then, I have read this book many many times, and every time I read it, I am inspired by the stories inside. Btw, you can see here that my book is very dog-earred! LOL ... haha :)


This book is more than just about writers. It is a book about the strengths and perseverance of people who believed in their dreams. It is about faith in the path we have chosen regardless of how hard a time we are going through. It is about the strengths and courage of men and women who write some of the most beautiful stories to share with us ... stories that will touch your heart and mine :)

Hehe ... if you are planning to read this book, be ready to be inspired :)

cheers,
MateKecil

Excerpts on the introduction on the backcover:

Stories To Inspire Your Writing: Being a writer can be a lonely and frustrating experience. These stories - by a wide range of professional writers, novelists, journalists, freelancers, poets, screenwriters and celebrity authors - will help you become the writer you have always wanted to be.

The mission of this book is to turn you and the world on to the value of writing. You will learn how to:

• Live your dream
• Discover your writing voice
• Write to conquer your fears
• Overcome obstacles
• Write your way through college
• Handle rejection
• Write from the heart
• Remake a world
  

And here's the Amazon.Com's review of this book:

"Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul anthologizes 80 stories of heartwarming writerly success. As is the trademark of the Chicken Soup series, these are feel-good stories about unforgettable relatives, encouraging teachers, serendipitous encounters, memorable experiences, positive outlooks, and, yes, seemingly unbearable adversity. But even the most tragic stories here are written to inspire. In fact, the success of many of the contributors seems a direct result of their overwhelming misfortune: Christine Clifford parlayed her battle with breast cancer into a book of cancer-related cartoons (Not Now ... I'm Having a No Hair Day!). After his son, Nicholas, was shot by highway robbers in Italy and Nicholas's organs were donated to seven ailing Italian children, Reg Green chronicled the experience in The Nicholas Effect. More than a decade after a professor squelched her pen by telling her that her writing "stinks," Catherine Lanigan rebounded and went on to write Romancing the Stone). And Barbara Jeanne Fisher managed to write Stolen Moments, a romance, despite having five kids before embarking on a college degree, then being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and lupus.

Consuming the whole tureen's worth at once might be a bit much, but a spoonful here and there will help any struggling writer remember that they are part of a whole community of struggling writers. With contributions from Ernest J. Gaines, Terry McMillan, Sue Grafton, Steve Allen, George Plimpton, and Ray Bradbury."
-- Jane Steinberg

In the book, you can find many authors and writers telling us about the joys and pains of writing and publishing their book/s. Among them are:
Judith A. Chance, Ernest J. Gaines, Ruben Navarrette Jr., Gordon Burgett, Cheewa James, Josie Willis, Bud Gardner (on Alex Haley), Larry Wilde, Terry McMillan, Lawrence Block, Barnaby Conrad, Christine Clifford, Kate M. Brausen, Gene Perret, Gregory Poirier, Frank Harvey, Noel Phillip Rodriguez, Naida West, Cookie Potter, Nora Profit, Dierdre W. Honnold, Michele Bazan Reed, Catharine Bramkamp, Elizabeth Engstrom, Sue Grafton, Howard Fast, Dan Millman, Irving Wallace, Marilyn Pribus, John Tullius, Ed Robertson, Steve Allen, Connie Shelton, Pat Gallant, Art Linkletter, Dottie Walters, Jennifer Martin, Reg Green, Richard Paul Evans, Claire Braz-Valentine, Barnaby Conrad, Edmund Hansen, Barbara Jeanne Fisher, Catherine Lanigan, Chet Cunningham, Frances Halpern, Hal Zina Bennett, Lois Duncan, Erik Olesen, Kris Mackay, Garry K. Marshall, George Plimpton, Marvin J. Wolf, Marcia Preston, Penny Porter, Susanne Peppers, Ethel Bangert, Valerie Hutchins, Kerry Arquette, Judith A. Chance, Amy B. Harris, Clive Cussler, Bryce Courtenay, Dianna Booher, Terri Fields, Dan Poynter, Gail Rosenblum, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Meg Hill, Dame Barbara Cartland, Phyllis Taylor Pianka, Hugh Prather, Philip Barry Osborne, Patricia Lorenz, Garri Garripoli, Gregg Levoy, Jeff Arch, Ray Bradbury, etc.

There is also mention of the Maui Writers Conference.

My Top 10 All-Time Favorite Books

Hehe ... as someone who loves to read, I have read hundreds of books. I read all sorts of topics and classifications, so naturally the books I like also very different. Here are my all-time 10 favorite books (not in any particular order):

1. Think & Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill


2. The Celestine Prophecy - James Redfield


3. How To Win Friends & Influence People - Dale Carnegie


4. Thick Face, Black Heart - Chu Chin-Ning


5. Happiness In A Nutshell - Andrew Matthews


6. The Art of Worldly Wisdom - Baltasar Gracian (Christopher Maurer translated)


7. Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus - John Gray


8. The Edgar Cayce Handbook for Creating Your Future - Dr. Mark Thurston & Christopher Fazel


9. Tides of Fortune - Chang Yung Fa


10. Up Your Service - Ron Kaufman

Hehe ... of course there are many more such as "The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber", "Edgar Cayce on Soul Mates: Unlocking the Dynamics of Soul Attraction by Kevin J. Todeschi", "So What If You Don't Have A Degree by Han Kok Kwang", "The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown", etc. ... but the above 10 are my all-time favourites :)

What about you? Which are the books you like most? No need to list out 10, maybe 3 or 5 will do ... hehe, or maybe your 1 all-time favourite :)

Welcome to ILuvBookss - Books Enrich My Life

Welcome to ILuvBookss - Books Enrich My Life :)

I love to read books. I have read hundreds of books all my life. I read books in 3 languages: English, Bahasa Malaysia ("Malay") and Chinese.

Among my favourite book categories are:

• Self-improvement
• Management
• Language
  
• Things Chinese or related to China such as language, history, culture and traditions, literature, etc.
• Martial Arts and all sorts of self-defence arts.
• Religion & Spiritual, Metaphysical
  
• War strategies and tactics
• Philosophy and thoughts of great minds from all over the world
• History
• Human relationships, communication and psychology
• Health and fitness
• Dictionaries and encyclopedias
  

Whenever I have the time, I would also read some good novels too. On top of reading such big variety of books, I also love to read one very nice magazine: Reader's Digest :)

In this blog of mine, I would share with you my thoughts and opinions on some of the good books I have read and enjoyed very much over the years. I am not a professional reviewer ... just a very enthusiastic reader who has something to say.

Oh, btw, I would also blog about things related to writing and book publishing (& marketing, printing, distribution, etc.). Haha, I have never actually published any book myself, but have been doing some research on this for some time though :)

regards,
MataKecil

ps. here's a nice quote on what is a good book :)
ps. and here's what Sir Francis Bacon had said about reading and writing