To Seek, Hold and Let Go

This dead tree publication is a compilation of various online posts from the same name Chinese (Cantonese) blog by famed blogger Charcoal who is a self-proclaimed nihilist with the good look of Daniel Wu. Charcoal, when not blogging, runs a small business in Jordan, arguably the biggest cesspool in Hong Kong.

Of course, the above can all be prefaced with the word "alleged," as I can neither verify nor debunk those claims except "famed blogger" which is my own assessment that I believe most people share. Charcoal has been pretty successful not to reveal his identity. Most if not all bloggers do not know his real world identity, myself included. But that's not important. What's important is his blog identity, that is, what and how he writes. Why he blogs is the least interesting part. He did say he uses blogging to alleviate tension from work. Or whatever. It boils down to because the guy can and do it much better than most people. About seven months ago, Sina did a similar compilation from Sina's own bloggers and gave the book a title "Why We Blog?" or "Why Weblog?" Anyway, I never bother to check it out, as I am least interested in why when it comes to writings. I am much interested in what people write and even more importantly how people write. Or I am simply turned off by the title.

What Charcoal writes Charcoal knows. He writes about his work, his team of staff past or present, his life, his musings on things happened around him. In short, everyday stuff that in lesser hands, can and will become extremely pedestrian and boring. I am not sure if he is a nihilist, but from his posts, I can sense he is an humanitarian. All his characters, real or imagined are ordinary people. Ordinary as in people can be found in nightclubs, in small offices, on the streets, the mentally challenged, unprivileged and underprivileged in the urban jungle that is known as Hong Kong. Charcoal, through his writings, give ordinary people a voice, a character in an otherwise mundane if not totally cruel and meaningless life. Charcoal reveals and praises humanity in his most ordinary characters. Some of his more distinguished blog posts are actually novellas written yet in another voice, like a Beer Girl or an Office Assistant. Charcoal is a blogger-cum-novelist. Personally I think how is more important than what one writes. Charcoal, like I said earlier, writes everyday life. But he always manages to find an angle, a voice, an opinion, a connection that he can make his own and makes things interesting. Now that is what I call talent or past hard work manifested as talent.

As to the dead tree publication, the comments are gone, so commenters don't expect to find your witty comments on the book. Like I said, the book is a compilation of blog posts from the past, so you can find all the contents online except for the book preface. The preface is typical Charcoal, well written, self deprecating, gives credits to people and fellow bloggers who have either inspired or helped him along the way. And finally he gracefully apologizes to Charlie Cho Cha-Lei for appropriating his picture as his online avatar and praises Mr. Cho's contribution to the Hong Kong cinema.

"To Seek, Hold and Let Go", like Charcoal's online avatar Cho is decidedly lowbrow in the best sense of the word, very assessable and enjoyable. If you are to read between the lines or bytes, you can definitely appreciate the humanity and dignity of his characters that are shared among human kinds in an otherwise meaningless and sometimes cruel existence.

"To Seek, Hold and Let Go" is the most important publication of this summer because I say so.

Bottom line: You don't have to get the book if you are already an avid reader of his blog. But then again, if you read his blog regularly and religiously you would like to get a hardcopy so you can read it anytime and anywhere online or offline. If you have been living under a rock or don't believe in blogging (I am truly surprised you are reading this then) you owe yourself to get copy of this exemplary Cantonese writing at its very best.

Disclosure: Yours truly got a signed copy with an accompanying note waiting for me when I checked in my hotel in the mildly dangerous and pleasantly decadent Jordan neighborhood, the same can be said about Mr. Charcoal's blog, mildly dangerous and pleasantly decadent.