BAIK PUNYA CILOK

(I'm helping out to get the word around actually here, at least to my small circle of readers. After all, plagiarism is a serious offense. Thanks Chech for bringing this matter to my attention)

But first things first - what do I think of Natasha Hudson prior to this furore? Well frankly, just like milo skilos, I was a little enthralled by her actually (I DO have a soft spot for models, don't I, Lin, especially if they're more than just pretty faces).

Model, actress, veejay, poet-author, well-spoken, posh demeanor, a young Datin and a soon-to-be-mommy to boot - she's in my good books. Never mind the goss about her marriages, her sob story of being a child of a failed marriage and the hovering doubt of her actual writing talent, I thought she's doing pretty good in the rocky business of entertainment.

I've skimmed through her books at MPH once, but honestly, though I found the overall appearance of the books pretty impressive (they have this whimsical, fairy-tale, dreamy look about them which is very fetching indeed) I wouldn't buy them coz, for the lack of better words, they're really not that good.

Anyway, kasi chancelah, it's not easy to get published, kan? The problem is, isn't it pretty disturbing if not one, not two, but three of her so-called Malay poems have uncanny resemblances to famous (and not to mention, published) English works? As first revealed by blogger Jannah, her poem "Kek Coklat" is a direct translation from Roger McGough's poem titled "Cake".

I have to say, the phrase "kita tidak dapat makan kek coklat, jadi kita makan sesama sendiri" is not only hilarious, it doesn't have any artistic meaning at all in Malay!

Ms Nat herself is vehemently denying the allegations (including declaring ignorance of the original author), preferring the beat around the bush about how her book is not meant to be educational in one way or another.

You know, if you're penning poetry about chocolate cakes, favourite tea-time snacks and turtles, even if you're a small child at the time, the thoughts must have come up from somewhere, or something. Simple things or events that evoke that special spark in your mind (a lightbulb, maybe) that we all call inspiration, whether you were in despair, in joy or in love - we can all recall that one moment in time, even for someone who has a memory of a hamster like myself. So if I've written a poem called chocolate cake as a kid, I'd surely remember it, and I'll set the record straight.

So, a word of advice for Ms Hudson, from a poet wannabe (and a closet plagiarist, if I might add!) if these poems you claim as yours were conjured from distant memories of your childhood, at least offer some valid explanation. If you can't, just own up then, it'll be much less painful.

But things don't look so bad for her exactly. It is true, a bad publicity is still publicity. The last I heard, her books are flying off the racks, and they're not being recalled ;p

Hmm, any chance this issue's gonna be on Melodi?

Anyway, to wrap up for the weekend, let's do do do the Hudson as suggested by Liyana with one of Nunu's favourite rhyme.

"Jack dan Jill naik atas bukit
Nak ambil sebaldi air
Jack jatuh dulu dah pecahkan mahkota
Dan Jill jatuh tergolek selepas dia"

I know! Hahaha, it's horrendous!

Other reads:

An article from the Star about Ms Nat and her works
Da Cookie
Sharon Bakar
re-arrange
A fine balance