Li Jin was one of our ardent i-asianwomen.com contributors.
When she started, she was just trying out her writing skills.
Ten years on, Li Jin has made writing her career (power to you woman!). She's written for major magazines and newspapers and it is now her bread-and-butter. I still keep in touch with her (we've been friends since she started contributing her heartwarming stories to i-asianwomen).
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It all started out as an innocent invitation posted in the Barter Exchange Forum in the 'Communities' channel of i-asianwomen (iaw) that said - 'I have a large collection of books, mostly romance....would like to exchange with anyone who's interested.'
Was it the word 'books' that had the ears of some of the members pricked - or did the word 'romance' play a bigger part?
Whatever it was, it sure grabbed the attention of many of i-asianwomen members who responded to that initial message, saying that they, too, had many books that they wouldn't mind trading with others.
After all, not many people read their books more than once and are often at a loss at what to do with their books after it had been read. Soon the editor came up with the brilliant idea of having some sort of a 'Book Exchange' where people could meet and well, exchange their paperbacks or hard covers.
The idea festered for some time, and like all great ideas, withstood the threat of being snubbed out by bigger brighter ideas, until Poh Lin, an iaw member, took the initiative to get the ball rolling. Sweetly she persuaded her boss, Lisa, another avid reader, to allow the iaw members to use The Little Cafe at Damansara Uptown for the Book Meet. With that move, everything else fell into place as she planned the date and Krista went on an advertising campaign to highlight the event in the weekly ezine, Choice Offerings, and anywhere else they could.
The responses started trickling in; there were people asking every question imaginable - from how many books could they borrow, how were they to ensure that the books borrowed out would be returned in its original condition, what kind of books were allowed, and whether men were allowed in the Meet.
A tense period followed as Poh Lin and the editor agonised over the number of people who would confirm their attendance. As an incentive, Poh Lin even went to the extent of getting e-vouchers from an online bookstore, Acmabooks.com, where voucher holders would be entitled to a RM10 discount once they registered with Acmabooks.
The 7th of July finally dawned and was greeted with anxious anticipation by the organisers. Could people find the way there? What kind of people would attend a gathering like that? What kind of food and how much should they prepare? What if no one turned up? Should they put a signboard on the front door to make it easier for anyone who got lost or side-tracked among the numerous eateries along the main road?
As the ladies started streaming in, their worries soon dissipated into thin air as the room began to fill with raucous laughter. Some of the ladies brought a few books, some didn't - obviously many wanted to test the waters before they carted their prized paperbacks there - but the air was already thick with camaraderie.
There was lots of 'ooh-ing' and 'aah-ing' as we looked over what books were available. Soon it wasn't just books that we were talking about but everything under the sun.
Easing our excited selves unto chairs, we sat down to throw ideas across the room, like work-at-home options, future sessions where we could invite people to give talks on self-defense, finance management, handicraft making, drop-in centres for busy mothers with children and more. It didn't take any prompting to get our tongues wagging - the cosy cafe with us 7 ladies raised a ruckus comparable to a market place!
Soon Lisa and Poh Lin disappeared into the kitchen, only to return with platefuls of food which we all gratefully tucked into. Rina added to the day's menu with an excellent apple pie she bought from a German cafe at Jalan Ampang. Who'd have known how energy-consuming all that brain-storming would be, but it was far from over. The conversation carried over to movies, insurance, yoga, massage, rental of overhead projectors, even future trips that iaw members can organise.
Before we knew it, a good four hours had passed and we had to get down to business - the books that had brought us together in the first place.
I pounced on a couple of Calvin and Hobbes cartoons (what gems!) while the others went around looking at the kind of books available and giving each other lightning-quick reviews on the ones they had read.
Jana, a non-member who swore she would sign up as soon as she could get her hands on a PC, grabbed one book and promptly told us NOT to read it as the author painted such a demoralising picture of women in it. Choong Yee daintily picked at the books while telling us (or herself!) that she shouldn't be reading too much romance and should read more self-improvement stuff. Krista, the editor, chose three books and promised that she would lug some of hers along for the next exchange even if she had to break her back carrying it all the way from Penang.
So was it just a gathering of a group of boring bespectacled bookworms who had nothing better to do on a Saturday afternoon? Far from it! We got our books, e-vouchers, new friends, fresh ideas on life and living, a great new club ( iaw book club) and rejuvenated ourselves in our various roles as women in the 21st century.
Sometimes it's good to be reminded that the best things in life are free. Aaaah...
by Chan Li Jin
11th July 2001
Hailing from Johore but now firmly rooted in Tmn Sri Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, Chan Li Jin, a bubbly, infectious modern mum of three kids - "kids who trail me everywhere" - is a regular contributor to i-asianwomen.com. She's the number one supporter of work-at-home mummies and if plans work at the rate of her enthusiasm, i-asianwomen.com members can look forward to plenty of exciting plans in the near future!
It all started out as an innocent invitation posted in the Barter Exchange Forum in the 'Communities' channel of i-asianwomen (iaw) that said - 'I have a large collection of books, mostly romance....would like to exchange with anyone who's interested.'
Was it the word 'books' that had the ears of some of the members pricked - or did the word 'romance' play a bigger part?
Whatever it was, it sure grabbed the attention of many of i-asianwomen members who responded to that initial message, saying that they, too, had many books that they wouldn't mind trading with others.
After all, not many people read their books more than once and are often at a loss at what to do with their books after it had been read. Soon the editor came up with the brilliant idea of having some sort of a 'Book Exchange' where people could meet and well, exchange their paperbacks or hard covers.
The idea festered for some time, and like all great ideas, withstood the threat of being snubbed out by bigger brighter ideas, until Poh Lin, an iaw member, took the initiative to get the ball rolling. Sweetly she persuaded her boss, Lisa, another avid reader, to allow the iaw members to use The Little Cafe at Damansara Uptown for the Book Meet. With that move, everything else fell into place as she planned the date and Krista went on an advertising campaign to highlight the event in the weekly ezine, Choice Offerings, and anywhere else they could.
The responses started trickling in; there were people asking every question imaginable - from how many books could they borrow, how were they to ensure that the books borrowed out would be returned in its original condition, what kind of books were allowed, and whether men were allowed in the Meet.
A tense period followed as Poh Lin and the editor agonised over the number of people who would confirm their attendance. As an incentive, Poh Lin even went to the extent of getting e-vouchers from an online bookstore, Acmabooks.com, where voucher holders would be entitled to a RM10 discount once they registered with Acmabooks.
The 7th of July finally dawned and was greeted with anxious anticipation by the organisers. Could people find the way there? What kind of people would attend a gathering like that? What kind of food and how much should they prepare? What if no one turned up? Should they put a signboard on the front door to make it easier for anyone who got lost or side-tracked among the numerous eateries along the main road?
As the ladies started streaming in, their worries soon dissipated into thin air as the room began to fill with raucous laughter. Some of the ladies brought a few books, some didn't - obviously many wanted to test the waters before they carted their prized paperbacks there - but the air was already thick with camaraderie.
There was lots of 'ooh-ing' and 'aah-ing' as we looked over what books were available. Soon it wasn't just books that we were talking about but everything under the sun.
Easing our excited selves unto chairs, we sat down to throw ideas across the room, like work-at-home options, future sessions where we could invite people to give talks on self-defense, finance management, handicraft making, drop-in centres for busy mothers with children and more. It didn't take any prompting to get our tongues wagging - the cosy cafe with us 7 ladies raised a ruckus comparable to a market place!
Soon Lisa and Poh Lin disappeared into the kitchen, only to return with platefuls of food which we all gratefully tucked into. Rina added to the day's menu with an excellent apple pie she bought from a German cafe at Jalan Ampang. Who'd have known how energy-consuming all that brain-storming would be, but it was far from over. The conversation carried over to movies, insurance, yoga, massage, rental of overhead projectors, even future trips that iaw members can organise.
Before we knew it, a good four hours had passed and we had to get down to business - the books that had brought us together in the first place.
I pounced on a couple of Calvin and Hobbes cartoons (what gems!) while the others went around looking at the kind of books available and giving each other lightning-quick reviews on the ones they had read.
Jana, a non-member who swore she would sign up as soon as she could get her hands on a PC, grabbed one book and promptly told us NOT to read it as the author painted such a demoralising picture of women in it. Choong Yee daintily picked at the books while telling us (or herself!) that she shouldn't be reading too much romance and should read more self-improvement stuff. Krista, the editor, chose three books and promised that she would lug some of hers along for the next exchange even if she had to break her back carrying it all the way from Penang.
So was it just a gathering of a group of boring bespectacled bookworms who had nothing better to do on a Saturday afternoon? Far from it! We got our books, e-vouchers, new friends, fresh ideas on life and living, a great new club ( iaw book club) and rejuvenated ourselves in our various roles as women in the 21st century.
Sometimes it's good to be reminded that the best things in life are free. Aaaah...
by Chan Li Jin
11th July 2001
Hailing from Johore but now firmly rooted in Tmn Sri Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, Chan Li Jin, a bubbly, infectious modern mum of three kids - "kids who trail me everywhere" - is a regular contributor to i-asianwomen.com. She's the number one supporter of work-at-home mummies and if plans work at the rate of her enthusiasm, i-asianwomen.com members can look forward to plenty of exciting plans in the near future!
