Voice In The Wilderness

Dear Friends,

Or to anyone who wandered in through the use of search words. I have decided to create a blog just as an outlet for my thoughts. I have been asked to do in the past but have never felt the urge. Now I do. I thought I will do one where I share my thoughts on music but now have decided to make it ever widening. Let it be all encompassing.

I used the profile title Steam Kodok because that was a title I gave to a cd made in Holland. A reissue label was doing a cd of Singapore bands and asked me to write the sleevenotes. Then I was asked to give a title. The label owner asked for something along the lines of Cambodia Rocks. I told him that title does not suggest anything. I said I will think of something and he said let him have it quick.

I played around with words and thought of local phrases that will identify that this was from either Singapore or Malaysia. Then it hit me. Steam Kodok. This phrase was popular among Malays during the late Sixties into the Seventies and meant a good feeling. Not related to music but in general. I told the Dutchman and for him the phrase was alien but he agreed to it. The CD came out in 2002.

I chose it for my blog because a lot of words I have thought of have been used and it was difficult to come up with a blog title. Fortunately this phrase had not been taken. Now that I have set up the blog I can begin. I have no intention of getting people to come to my blog to read it and leave comments or make references to it. If by chance someone stumbles on it and finds something of interest so be it. Otherwise no skin of my back. Having said that let me end here and continue on another day.

I am back. Day two of my blog. This is a new experience for me. Writing. That is ironic. I have been a trade journalist for eighteen years now. However that is different because we are writing to parameters. In this case this is creative writing because we are writing according to our individual muse. That is harder I guess.

What shall I write about today (December 15). I have a book to be published next year (2009). I have a publisher and now am finishing the book for I have to hand in the script to the publisher by end January 2009. I have finished the bulk of the writing. The hard part here is checking facts, writing and re-writing and then deciding what needs to be chopped and what needs to be refined. It is indeed hard work.

Two years ago I attended a talk given by writer Paul Theroux. He has written many travel books and was lecturing at the then University of Singapore. He wrote a book based on Singapore titled Saint Jack. What impressed me most about his talk was his revelation that he writes every day for eight hours. He said I am a writer. That is my craft. Like others going in to the office and working at their jobs for eight hours that is what I do.

He said he sits at his writing desk from nine am in the morning and works steadily until he takes a break for lunch. Then back to his table to write till evening. That impressed me. We think of writers writing when the mood takes them or when they get inspired. Here is Paul Theroux writing in a workmanlike manner and still getting his books out on a regular basis.

I have written one book or compiled a book of interviews that I had done in the Nineties. That book came out in November 1999. This second book is more narrative. Still it is hard work writing. More next time.