Unconfined to a single theme, this new collection of twenty short stories by Halim offers five distinct worlds – the paranormal mysteries from ‘The occult world’, with its dark settings reveal supernatural existences in the characteristic Halim style. ‘Fragmented Minds’ open doors to the tales of the horrors of some twisted human minds driven by madness. Without the theme of supernatural, these instances of the human rationality falling apart evoke fear of a different nature. The third set of horrors is a reflection of our vulnerability, with its tales of how the technology can be destructive at times. ‘Graveyard Voices’ makes you align your thoughts with the author who wonders who all are watching is when we walk by a graveyard and what thrilling rides they could take us on. The final set unearths stories that are influenced by the richness of Malay myths and legends, dark beliefs that may go back hundreds if not thousands of years ago into primeval past.
Some are fastpaced, roller-coaster like even. Some are more leisurely. Some maybe scary like a haunted house ride while others less so, but in all the five different themes, you are guaranteed to Scream to the Shadows!
Archives: Books
Tap: Unlocking the Mobile Economy
How the smartphone can become a personal concierge (not a stalker) in the mobile marketing revolution of
smarter companies, value-seeking consumers, and curated offers.
Consumers create a data trail by tapping their phones; businesses can tap into this trail to harness the power
of the more than three trillion dollar mobile economy. According to Anindya Ghose, a global authority on the
mobile economy, this two-way exchange can benefit both customers and businesses. In Tap, Ghose welcomes us
to the mobile economy of smartphones, smarter companies, and value-seeking consumers.
Drawing on his extensive research in the United States, Europe, and Asia, and on a variety of real-world
examples from companies including Alibaba, China Mobile, Coke, Facebook, SK Telecom, Telefonica, and
Travelocity, Ghose describes some intriguingly contradictory consumer behavior: people seek spontaneity, but
they are predictable; they find advertising annoying, but they fear missing out; they value their privacy, but they
increasingly use personal data as currency. When mobile advertising is done well, Ghose argues, the smartphone
plays the role of a personal concierge–a butler, not a stalker.
Crying Mountain
A moving tale of courage and love, set against the Zamboanga crisis in the Southern Philippines in the
1970s.
In Below the Crying Mountain, the Moro Rebellion that broke out in the Sulu archipelago in the 1970s, and that continues to wound the nation, is seen vividly through the lives of the mestiza Rosy Wright, the Tausug girl Nahla, the rebel leader Prof. Hassan, the soldier Capt. Rodolfo as well as in the quest of the book’s narrator. The personal is political as war fuels the clash of emotions, histories and cultures. The story traces the lives of Jolo residents Rosy France Wright, a half-American girl who elopes with a Muslim professor from Christian Zamboanga to Muslim Jolo, leaving behind her husband-without-ceremony, Omar Hassan, her best friend, Nahla, a Tausug girl and Jolo local, Captain Rodolfo, who becomes Nahla’s lover. The events take place against the backdrop of the escalation of communal and other tensions during the 70’s and 80’s. Through the eyes of the narrator the reader is able to follow the transformation of Jolo—from its former glory days of prestigious parties to the ushering in of a new era of more zealous religious observance.
The Great Flowing River: A Memoir of China, from Manchuria to Taiwan
Heralded as a literary masterpiece and a bestseller in the Chinese-speaking world, The Great Flowing River is a personal account of the history of modern China and Taiwan unlike any other. In this eloquent autobiography, the scholar, writer, and teacher Chi Pang-yuan recounts her youth in mainland China and adulthood in Taiwan. Chi’s remarkable life, told in rich and striking detail, humanizes the eventful and turbulent times in which she lived.
The Great Flowing River begins as a coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of China’s war with Japan. Chi depicts her childhood in pre-occupation Manchuria and gives an eyewitness account of life in China during the war with Japan. The book describes the deepening political divide in China. Chi details her growth as an educator, scholar, and promoter of Chinese literature in translation and her realization that despite her roots in China, she has found a home in Taiwan, giving an immersive account of the postwar history of Taiwan from a mainlander’s perspective. A novelistic, epoch-defining narrative, The Great Flowing River unites the personal and intimate with the grand sweep of history.
The Adventures of Mowgli
Rudyard Kipling’s eternal classics, The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book, are most loved for the stories of Mowgli, the boy who grew up in a wolf pack. This book brings together all the stories of
Mowgli. It begins with Father Wolf rescuing an abandoned baby boy from the tiger Shere Khan, terror of the jungle. The child grows up among the animals, befriending Bagheera the Panther, Baloo the Bear, and making mortal enemies with Shere Khan the Tiger. He is kidnapped by monkeys, exiled by the wolf pack, disowned by humans, till he finally vanquishes Shere Khan and returns to the forest. But the call of his own kind grows stronger, and he eventually finds his own, tenuous place among men and animals.
Kipling’s creations from the two Jungle Books-human and animal-have remained alive in literature and celluloid for nearly a century. They have mesmerized, entertained and educated generations of children. In this special edition, Mowgli comes alive once more, through an affectionate, heartwarming introduction by another favourite children’s writer, Ruskin Bond.
Summer Blast: Getting Ready for Grade Kindergarten
No summer learning loss for your child! Keep important skills learned during the recently completed school year fresh in your child’s mind as he or she practices skills from preschool and is introduced to new skills coming up in kindergarten. The fun and challenging activities include independent practice as well as games for the whole family to enjoy!
This book includes practice with the following skills:
• grammar
• reading comprehension
• writing
• math facts
• word problems
• critical thinking
• creative thinking
• collaboration
Summer Blast: Getting Ready for Grade 1
No summer learning loss for your child! Keep important skills learned during the recently completed school year fresh in your child’s mind as he or she practices skills from preschool and is introduced to new skills coming up in kindergarten. The fun and challenging activities include independent practice as well as games for the whole family to enjoy!
This book includes practice with the following skills:
• grammar
• reading comprehension
• writing
• math facts
• word problems
• critical thinking
• creative thinking
• collaboration
Summer Blast: Getting Ready for Grade 2
No summer learning loss for your child! Keep important skills learned during the recently completed school year fresh in your child’s mind as he or she practices skills from preschool and is introduced to new skills coming up in kindergarten. The fun and challenging activities include independent practice as well as games for the whole family to enjoy!
This book includes practice with the following skills:
• grammar
• reading comprehension
• writing
• math facts
• word problems
• critical thinking
• creative thinking
• collaboration
The Inversion Factor: How to Thrive in the IoT Economy
In the past, companies found success with a product-first orientation; they made a thing that did a thing. The Inversion Factor explains why the companies of today and tomorrow will have to abandon the product-first orientation. Rather than asking “How do the products we make meet customer needs?” companies should ask “How can technology help us reimagine and fill a need?” Zipcar, for example, instead of developing another vehicle for moving people from point A to point B, reimagined how people interacted with vehicles. Zipcar inverted the traditional car company mission.
The authors explain how the introduction of “smart” objects connected by the Internet of Things signals fundamental changes for business. The IoT, where real and digital coexist, is powering new ways to meet human needs. Companies that know this include giants like Amazon, Airbnb, Uber, Google, Tesla, and Apple, as well as less famous companies like Tile, Visenti, and Augury. The Inversion Factor offers a roadmap for businesses that want to follow in their footsteps. The authors chart the evolution of three IoTs- the Internet of Things (devices connected to the Internet), the intelligence of Things (devices that host software applications), and the Innovation of Things (devices that become experiences). Finally, they offer a blueprint for businesses making the transition to inversion and interviews with leaders of major companies and game-changing startup.
A Dozen Lessons for Entrepreneurs
A Dozen Lessons for Entrepreneurs shows how the insights of leading venture capitalists can teach readers to create a unique approach to building a successful business. Through profiles and interviews of figures such as Bill Gurley of Benchmark Capital, Marc Andreesen and Ben Horowitz of Andreesen Horowitz, and Jenny Lee of GGV Capital, Tren Griffin draws out the fundamental lessons from their ideas and experiences.
While there are best practices, there is no single recipe they should follow. By better understanding the views and experiences of a wide range of successful venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, readers can discern which of many possible paths will lead to success. With insight and verve, Griffin argues that innovation and best practices are discovered by the experimentation of entrepreneurs as they establish the evolutionary fitness of their business. Griffin shows that listening to what the best venture capitalists have to say is invaluable for entrepreneurs. Their experiences, if studied carefully, teach bedrock methods and guiding principles for approaching business