Peeking at Potter

Good things come to those who wait.

A friend gave me the latest copy of Harry Potter this weekend (thank you JE!). So I gleefully read the book without the hassle of pre-ordering, queueing and fending off hordes of Potter-crazed teens. Ironically, the only other book in the series that I've never purchased is the 6th (Half-Blood Prince) which I read in bits and pieces at different airport bookstores during my travelling consultant days.

Though sorely tempted, I also avoided all those online copies, did NOT flip to the end of the book and even ignored threatened the hubby who was making spoilery remarks all weekend. It's interesting why I was so adamant on being spoiler-free when I'm usually the first to scour the web for spoilers on almost everything else entertainment related.... no using the wand to spy the future for me! culturebox provides one take on this in Peeking at Potter: Is it wrong to skip to the end of a book? (Thanks P, for the link).

When a few media outlets published early reviews of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this week, author J.K. Rowling protested that the articles contained spoilers. She declared herself "staggered that American newspapers have decided to ... [ignore] the wishes of literally millions of readers, particularly children, who wanted to reach Harry's final destination by themselves, in their own time." Presumably, Rowling assumes that half the pleasure of reading a fat, event-filled tome lays in our uncertainty about how it will end. But not every boy-wizard devotee thrives on guesswork and anticipation. According to a poll of 500 children taken for the British bookstore chain Waterstone's, nearly one-fifth of Harry Potter fans will skip straight to the end of the final book in the series. Is there something wrong with sussing out an ending in advance?"

Our not so typical women's college

Following on the heels of my "Bright-eyed, bushy tailed days" post, I gleefully read this Malaysian student's account of her time at Smith in Malaysiakini. Thanks, Ian and Juliane, for the scoop!

In sharing a snapshot of her life at Smith, the author reminded me of those first times when we broke away to embrace new experiences, to find "freedom" and openness. This was a time when "by going somewhere unknown you might discover who you were, or could be," as this recent IHT article puts it.

WHEN my editor asked me to share my experiences of studying in the US, I had two options - the typical student life in a typical college in New England where alcohol, drugs, parties and sex rule the campus or the not-so-typical student life in a not-so-typical college. I chose the latter.

New England conjures up an image of old elite institutions set in picturesque fall and gloomy winter. The colourful fall foliage on my campus could also be the postcard-perfect portrayal of a typical New England college - but underneath the façade of the breathtaking spectacle, my school is far from being typical.

The founding purpose of the college was to provide the best possible college education for women during a time when most leading universities only admitted men. The original idea may seem irrelevant today after all of these universities started admitting women in the 1970s but fundamentally, the school is still carrying the legacy of promoting the rights of the disadvantaged of all social classes, ethnicity, religions and sexual orientations.

The author is currently interning at Malaysiakini this summer. It'll be interesting if and how her POV evolves as an alumnae. You see, I too reveled in Smith's feminist, activist and occasional eccentric spirit ("outrageous" goes in cycles, evidently). However, what matter's most for me today are: (1) the lasting friendships forged between women who are passionate about their family, careers and causes; and (2) the realisation that while tolerance promotes awareness and understanding, there still is value in wisdom and faith to discern what is RIGHT - even while we acknowledge that our world is changing, along with its fair share of grey.

A damper Live Earth in Singapore

On July 7, 2007, Live Earth kicked off its global warming SOS campaign through an eco-friendly 24-hour concert series in 7 continents - which included two Asian cities, Tokyo and Shanghai. The concerts were shared around the world via films, television, radio, Internet, books, wireless and others - to move people to Answer the Call and take action to combat the climate crisis. Concert schedules and replays are available at the MSN Live Earth site.

The reception and awareness in Singapore was more ... lukewarm, especially for an island nation where ~20% of the land is reclaimed, particularly for key commercial, administrative and residential sites. An Earth-Fest 7/7/07 event was held this weekend but the amount of support - in terms of publicity, sponsorship, events and ultimately, attendance - was rather disappointing.

Quite a few folks also expressed their cynicism over the promotional method (be it the SOS campaign concerts, Al Gore's involvement, MediaCorp's ads), adding further fuel (no pun intended) to the controversy and criticism that's already been expressed worldwide. I tend to agree with this blogger who urges the skeptics to not let the messenger diminish the importance of the message. Alternately, don't lose sight of the forest for the trees!

That said, the crowd that showed up - though small, was spirited. A small stage was set up at One Fullerton for several live bands:


Boards like these were scattered throughout for folks to sign pledges: