Official Announcement: Ainul Accepted The Challenge Made by Faidhi Yusoff

The Chukai Insider would like to announce that the official challenge of reading all of Ainul Mardhiah's summer booklist has been accepted by Ainul Mardhiah herself. The agreement includes a series of reviews of the books that Ainul have read from the summer booklist as a proof of reading on The Chukai Insider. As a return, Faidhi will give her a new set of sofa to her as a gift when she gets married. If she does not able to finish all of the 28 books in 23 days, she will get an OFFICIAL HUMILIATION.  

The Chukai Insider has been told that Faidhi Yusoff is extremely excited about this and a little bit scared at first. Then, he thought what a life mean to Ainul without challenges? Mind you that Ainul is a fast reader and that is a very doable challenge. To the readers of The Chukai Insider, you will be the witnesses of The Great Chukai Insider Challenge 2011. This is part of The Chukai Insider first anniversary celebration. The Official Acceptance by Ainul Mardhiah may be found HERE and HERE.

The Chukai Insider acts as the official media for this event. Vertical Carousel is the official media partner. Others are welcomed to join this great challenge. 

Thank you.

The Chukai Insider Great Challenge 2011

OK Faidhi, let's make it official.

Challenge Accepted!

The challenge: I have to finish all the books I listed in my summer book list by the 23rd of September, 11.59pm. 

As proof, I have to write reviews of all the books on The Chukai Insider. 

If I don't finish the challenge, I get HUMILIATION! And you get to gloat.

If I win, you get HUMILIATION and as a gift, you will buy me a sofa set of MY CHOICE when (and if) I get married. 

The List:

Lord Sunday by Garth Nix
Percy Jackson & The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
Can You Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella
Benny & Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti
Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Solar by Ian McEwan
War of The Worlds by H.G. Wells
War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Twelve by Nick Mcdonell
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
The Remains of The Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton
The Assassination of Jesse James by Ron Hansen
Big Fish by Daniel Wallace
Stieg Larsson's Millenium Trilogy
Orchard on Fire by Shena Mackay
The Rainmaker by John Grisham
Muhammad by Karen Armstrong
The Tyrant's Novel by Thomas Keneally
Holes by Louis Sachar
The Memory of Running by Ron Mclarty
Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
Skellig by David Almond
A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle 

Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively
The Hot Kid by Elmore Leonard
Staggerford by Jon Hassler
July's People by Nadine Gordimer
Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf


The catch: NO CATCH

'Till the 23rd~

The Chukai Insider

Ainul talks about Enigma and the stories behind it

Enigma is a novel written by two Form Two students when they were studying at Sultan Ismail II. If you were in the class, you should remember how Chen and Ainul kept arguing on how to keep the story alive. Karen was in the fight as well. For those who would like to read the novel, there is an online version of it. Click here to read the full version. 

This is my e-mail interview with one of the authors, Ainul Mardhiah. Currently, she is studying Medicine in Poland. The interview with another author, Chen Kim Soong will be on this blog soon. He is very busy now, I guess. For the Si2,the novel became part of our history. For the rest, remember the novel is Kemaman-made product!

What is Enigma about?
Supposedly,we were trying to write an adventure with a historically correct background. It's about the last direct descendant of the Tsars of Russia and how the enemies of the royal line are trying to eliminate them once and for all. So the whole story is on how they try to survive.

Why did you write Enigma?
As a challenge actually. We were really into Dan Brown books, The Da Vinci Code had just come out, and we liked the idea and concept. It was a good way to spend our carefree form 2 year.

Have you ever imagined yourself as Aurora? If yes, how? If no, why?
Never. I wrote Aurora as a pretty weak person and Chen emphasized even more on her pathetic-ness. So I never really liked her as a protagonist. I don't know how it happened and I'm really sorry for her character but throughout the development of the story she became more and more weak inside. So I put a lot more good characteristics in Dmitri.

What was your memorable experience in writing Enigma?
Chen's drilling. Every time we had extra time in between classes,he would drill me (and sometimes Karen and Ji Lee) to finish writing our chapters. He of course finished them on time always.

How do you feel working with your co-author, Mr Chen? (any crush?)