Understanding Iraq

William R. Polk
Non-fiction

Understanding Iraq is an elaborate history of the country from ancient times through the advent of Islam up to what Polk describes as “American Iraq” today. The writer details how Britain tried and failed to establish an effective Iraqi state; how British-approved Iraqi monarchs tried and failed to establish an effective Iraqi state; and finally how Saddam Hussein succeeded briefly in doing so albeit brutal and authoritarian means.

theCICAK.com

The piece I wrote a month back about how SEA countries needed to buck up has been published by theCICAK.

I've made a number of changes to it, mostly injecting more of my personal opinions.

Check it out here.

FYI, they've organised a writing competition and if you win your work gets published in The Sun. So check that out too.

Tao and Nancy

Stef and Peter

...at said Thai place. I think its called Basil.

Mom's Birthday

We went to have dinner at this Thai place in Bangsar Village to celebrate my mom's birthday.

I've seen some really nice food pictures on blogs I've visited. One reason why this blog will NEVER be a food blog is because we're all usually too hungry by the time the food arrives to take silly aesthetic artistic looking pictures of green curry.

It's horrible...you end up with pictures of empty plates or in my case, a plate of uneaten rice and some leftover gravy.