Hang Drum - That "musical alien ship" that sat in our home for a few months.

Our friend, Gotty was kind enough to let us bring this giant "musical alien ship" home with us and have fun, make music with it when we chilled at their place months ago .

Now this ship is back in their motherland, making beautiful, celestial music to their newborn, Benjamin. I find this a great instrument for the baby's ear. Most of the sound put together that comes out from a hang drum sounds like music but if you are great enough, you can play like this:

AKI-RA sunrise: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hajtPFhTeck

Rest in peace

7th. This particular december morning, I went back to this neighbourhood I used to be so familiar with when I was 19. It was surreal, it being a morning of more than 10 years later, me being in that area for the wake of this father of a very dear person in my life. I like his father a lot, so much it even surprises me. So much, it surprised me how much it affected me when I got the news of his passing.

He was this tall, quiet father who almost always finishes his conversation with me with an adorable clumsy laugh or a grin. I always told his son he's gonna grow up like his father, always smiling, always grinning while scratching his head, not really knowing how to respond except "Please eat", "Please drink" with kindness. This tall, gentle giant.

I remembered him coming home with bean curd almost every night after his shift work for his children (and me) if I'm around. I know this was his way of showing his love for his children, him being a single father trying to hold a family up. I'm this outsider who happened to be around to witness during that period of my life, seeing all those tiny little things he does for his children quietly then and it warmed me inside to see this big man's routine.

I cried so hard at his wake that morning I don't know why. Perhaps, I thought he just wasn't meant to pass on so early in his life or perhaps, I thought he was meant to enjoy the fruit of his labour more, have more time to enjoy life. Or perhaps, it's the pain I know his children will feel from his passing. I know his son loves his father a lot but he's never really talked about it and it's gonna break his heart so much. At least I know his children were there for him during the last few months of his life. I know I can't be there for his final walk with his family but I was there in spirit. I hope he has a good life. I know he has. He has wonderful children who grew up to be good unique individuals.

May he rest in peace.

Movie Review: Eat, Pray, Love...more like Eat, Whine, Travel

Watched the movie version of Eat, Pray Love last night and I really did not like it. In fact, I am near hating it. Yuya thought it was an ultra girly movie with whining and women yakking and he fell asleep. I agreed and thought all the whining escalated when the movie reaches it's India part. In my head, I can list out so many things I do not like about the movie...

1.

Most of the things I've liked about the book were excluded from the movie. In fact, the movie consists of everything I hate about the book put together...the whining, the complaining and the narcissism of the character to the MAX.

2.

The entire movie is like an extremely superficial skeleton of the book's essence and what it had wanted to tell. Totally devoid of the emotional and spiritual aspect, the storyline is so shallow. I do not feel any bit of pity for Julia Robert's self-absorbed character at all. I find the ex-husband and the ex-boyfriend so much more sincere.

3.

I do not feel there is any growth in Liz's character AT ALL . I felt her character is so full of bad and negative energy throughout the entire movie. She just felt so pessimistic and selfish up until the end of the whole movie. The only thing that helps fan off a bit of her negativity is Julia Robert's bright wide smile planted randomly throughout the movie. Most of the time, she was just a miserable, whiny person.

4.

It does not AT ALL feels like a journey of discovery, it feels like she was just another typical tourist having another holiday trip where she meets a bunch of random people. Nothing of a journey of any sort of discovery.

5.

There was absolutely no chemistry or any special bonds she was supposed to has with some of the characters. The ex-boyfriend, the medicine man, the Balinese healer, Felipe etc... Felipe felt more like a one night stand in contrast to the book.

6.

The medicine man is way too young. He speaks English too well. He was supposed to be older with a more Gandhi-like physique to be able to pass off as 60 something or 100 and something years old.

7.

I super hate the whole Bali part of the whole movie especially. Even the medicine man looks commercialised.

There are more but there is just too many things I do not like about the movie.

What I like:

1. Nice scenery

2. I like most of the main casts. It's nice to see who's cast as the character I read in the book.

3. The beginning of the movie when it's narrated by Julia Robert.

4. The Italy part is ok...funny at certain parts. not as bad. and the food.

5. Jame Franco's smile. He smiles with his eyes.

6. Some of Julia Robert's outfits although it seems like she brought a wardrobe full of clothes to India.

7. Julia Robert's smile

Well, at least I get to play my game of reading the book, imagining the character and then watch the movie. :)

Weekend Beaded Hemp Anklet

Weaved this anklet last night at 2am with Yuya guiding me through the steps coz we were trying to find something to do and he suggested bringing out the hemps and make something new. Did the remaining finishing this morning. Super super love it!

I'm gonna name this love. :)

My Beaded Hemp Anklet :

Name: Ra

Date of Birth: 23 October 2010, 10 am

Star sign: Libra

Materials: Hemp String, Colorful Wooden Beads, Joy

Book, Mind, Film • Eat, Pray, Love

Been reading the book "Eat, Pray, Love" slowly, a little before I sleep one some nights and a little before work some mornings, a few chapters every other day. It is one of those overhyped books that is advertised at every single corner on earth and then made into a jump-onto-the-profit-wagon-movie, like " The Da Vinci Code ". I love The Da Vinci Code book a lot, hate the maroon cover design though. Don't remember much about the movie.

There is this book/film game that I love playing once a while. I shall name it lamely as "Book, Mind, Film" (after "Eat, Pray, Love")! I have a kick out of watching a film based on a book I have read. I will read the book first, imagine how all the characters look and sound like and then watch the film and see if the characters, the settings I have built in my head and the ones the director has were similar in any ways. Also, seeing all those words on paperback transforming into visuals. For better or worse, it's still an incredible experience for me. It's like looking at an object from different angles or knowing the actual lyrics of a song for the very first time after knowing the song and melody for years. You look at it from a fresh new point of view.

Have watched a bunch of mediocre book/film combination like "The Kite Runner" (I love the book so much but the film felt like a haste summary with some characters miscasted), "Perfume" (My favorite book of all time so it's really too hard to make a film up to my dream expectation.)

The best book/film combination I have came upon is Shawshank Redemption. It was a great journey of "Book, Mind, Film". Both the book and the movie were so good I had goosebumps reading and watching them. The characters were so perfect I only see Tim Robbins as that particular brilliant character in any other movies I seen him in after that. Morgan Freeman is an even better Red than the Red I have created in my head.

Shawshank Redemption • The Kite Runner • The Da Vinci Code • Perfume • Eat, Pray, Love

read the book > imagine the characters and settings > watch the film :)

I am in the Bali chapters of "Eat, Pray, Love" now, the Love section. This book is part funny, part whiny and super duper girly. I love her humor a lot but I can't stand the whiny part about relationships but I guess it was an essential and relevant part of her discovery and it was meant to be this way to show progression as well. Till this moment, I have to say although it's overly hyped, I know why it's a great read because there are so many parts of it a lot of people and I can relate to. Almost done with the reading but I don't want to rush through it. There's more than enough time before my plan to watch the film version this weekend if time permits.

Yay..finally it's over!

No more putting it off till the next year to do it,

No more writing on my new year's resolutions every year to do it,

No more waking up at 5.45am for session one,

No more taking an hour's bus ride to class, then, to work before fun.

Y A A Y Y ... F I N A L L Y I T S O V E R .

Finally, I managed to get my driving license at age 30.

Well, it's a little late but better late than never.

Finally off my chest. :)

Karinding

Got this little musical instrument from an Indonesian friend, Bintang when he flew in to Singapore for the Mamady Djembe Workshop. Simple, fascinating and reminds me of a slightly similar one I bought years ago from Vietnam but made with metal.

KARINDING:

This is a traditional music instrument made from bamboo from Sunda - West Java, Indonesia.

When it's played, it sounds like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FImv6ahLtGg

Find this one on youtube. :)

Yugo in Singapore.

Had a guest, Yugo, from Japan over the Hari Raya weekend and we did a "crash course" of All Things Singapore over the whole of the long weekend. Gobbled down one week's worth of local food in less than 3 days and it really takes bringing a guest around to be reminded again of the wide variety of great food we have in this tiny island. Makes me fall in love with food all over again. Walked what felt like a thousand miles all over the island. Makes me miss strolling about as well. Something I love to do but haven't been doing a lot for the past few months, only brief strolls during full moon each month with Yuya.

Our All Things Singapura "Crash Course" Touring around.

Geylang Serai Hari Raya Night Market > Geylang > Beancurd > Durian and Tropical Fruits > Red Light Area > Tanjong Rhu Bao > Nasi Lemak and Otah > Soursop > Sugarcane juice > Bus Rides > Esplanade > Singapore River > Merlion > Chinatown > Indian Temple > Chicken Rice > Rojak > Leg Massage and Doctor Fish > Mango Sago > Little India > Hindu Cuisine > Little lanes across through the muslim cemetery > Arab street > Katong > egg and kaya toast breakfast > Beach Road > Char Quey Tiew > Goreng Pisang > Singapore National Museum > Ice Kachang > Orchard Road > Laksa > Prata > Herbal Chicken > Tu Tu Kueh > Blujaz > Teh Terik ( and so much more)

Super animated Yugo VS The Food

I was most impressed with the Singapore National Museum. I would usually go during the free admission of some gallery and this was the first time for me to do the permanent Singapore history exhibition. With an electronic audio guide companion throughout the tour, I think I can easily spend a couple of full days in that space going through each of the story in detail. 3 hours was not enough! I so, so love history and story telling of all kind and this space is exploding with it.

Singapore Living Galleries - Food

rule my world

You set yourself above

Better off forgiving God

You claim that you believe in

Your kind is gonna fall

Your ship is sinking fast

And all your able men are leaving

Only someone who's morally

Superior can possibly

And honestly deserve

To rule my world

I talk before I think

You shoot before you know

Who's in your line of fire

So somehow we're the same

We're causing people pain

But I stand and take the blame

You scramble to the night

Only someone who's morally

Superior can possibly

And honestly deserve

To rule my world

Explain me one more time

When they kill it's a crime

When you kill it is justice

Written by: Eirik Glambek Bøe, Erlend Øye

Kings of Convenience

Declaration of Dependence

Love this.

48 hours of Sunday, red, white, the moon and the stars.

Merry National day. :)

Love..LOVE long weekends. Always great for a rejuvenation, for replenishing my spirit from 5 days work routine.

Had my first drumming performance with the ensemble this weekend for National day. Great chilled day with morning sewings followed by happy drumming..perfect way to spend a day. :)

Finally did the long overdue waist pouch he requested for months last week - A little each morning for a week and a bit, before heading for work. He peeped each day to see the progress when he came home from work. Love the super satisfied grin on his face when its all finally done up.

Bought more new materials within this '48 hours of Sunday' as well. Its way better highs than shopping for anything else when you know you gonna see these materials bloom eventually into the visual you create in your head. Cant wait…!

Continuing now with my batch of happy bags! All the colors really help to start my mornings right. :)

11 July 2010

11th July 2010 was a huge day for the world in ways. It was crazily into the World Cup Finale and the total solar eclipse occurred on the same day. Somewhere in Borneo, the Rainforest World Music Festival 2010 was happening as well.

That day, the world embraced in all kinds of circles. :)

Rainforest World Music Festival 2010

We were there on the first and second day and flown back home on the third day. Love the workshops and the energy of some but the weather was crazily warm during daytime and raining heavily on the first night during the first set. The patch of green field right in the front of the main stage became complete mud on the second day and it felt like we people, always came along with some form of destructive nature somehow. That was the only downside that kept me from feeling totally glad about being there.

On performances, I love this iranian ensemble with a father and son duet in it - Shanbehzabehs Ensemble. Saied, the father, is a passionate man of music and dance. I had briefly watched them years back in WOMAD Singapore 2007 when the boy, Neghib, was so much younger and it's amazing watching them again - a trio this time for the festival. Also, Layatharanga(India) - Love their joyous music! So many more other musical super talents but right here, I remembered really enjoying these two sets.

End of the world cup month and life goes on.

Our morning masterpiece of daily world cup result scribbles. For the past one month, I stared at these updated scribbles every other moment and analyzed like some super soccer expert. Well, usually I don't get them right but analyzing is such a fun game. ;) ... And now, it's all over. Well, Spain, that is! Back to normal life... : j

the electronic box of green with a black & white ball.

There are the true blue fans whose buttons are permanently switched on until the day they die. There are the ones without the button in them who do not give a damn and then, there are those among the population whose buttons are switched on high once every 4 years.

For that once every 4 years, within a huge random number of people among the entire world population, a certain button will be switched on high. For a couple of weeks, the activated population will be enchanted by the world of green with black and white ball, joining the true blue fans, singing the same tune, running the same fever of world cup.

I love it. I love how for these couple of weeks, the world speaks the same language, cheers for the same joy, tears for the same lose.

There is just something really beautiful about a huge combination of spirits add together. Felt a similar combination of great spirits at the djembe jam session this evening too. Such grand energy.

It's been a great weekend of football and drumming and I'd love to keep this kind of energy for a long time. :)

last day of my 20s and the first day of my 30s.

woke early . had coffee . did some sewing . made a bag . had my favorite breakfast . had a swim . watched a movie . lots of strolling . to the museum . had a great japanese course dinner . a drive to a farm . evening nap . watched the world cup . with pizza . with the greatest companion .

merry 30th birthday!

an old fortune cookie.

Found this old piece of passage from years back tucked somewhere in my accumulated mess one night. I remembered liking what i read then so i kept that piece of paper.

"The universe has a funny way of delivering gifts in the most unexpected wrapping paper. This crisis turns out to be a blessing in disguise so do not be quick to jump to conclusions."

Its an amazing and strange feeling to read it years later by chance. How so much things have change in the most unexpected ways.

eva

The first baby ( yes, i mean tiny human of about 50 cm long ) ever in my life to spend more than half hour laying in my lap completely asleep. Eva is the very beautiful baby of mama bex and papa ibo. :)

A Fire Garden Installation

Singapore Art Festival Opening by Compagnie Carabosse (France):

really lovely idea of the shirt lanterns and tiny fire pots surrounding the singular white canopy containing the solo musician, mesmerizing the crowd. such an amazing sight. :)

kimono fabrics from mika. :)

love this package of miscellaneous kimono fabrics i received from mika days back. She asked me what i wanted from japan but i had no idea and she ended up getting me the most perfect thing. Have always love a few couple of random things put together as a gift. Makes it feels like there's alot to discover..like a treasure box of plentiful eye candy buffet. :)

It briefly reminds me of a birthday gift i got from jim years ago - an old tin with a picture of a little blonde girl imprinted on it, containing buttons and some sewing miscellaneous.

From a flea store, Jim wanted to purchase the little vintage tin container without the bundle of threads, buttons and fabric miscellaneous pieces inside but the storekeeper asked him to 'take the whole thing' ...

i thought the tin felt like a piece of someone else's memory. A habit track of someone who threw a couple of her belongings away during a spring clean. someone who used to keep all her nicknacks into that tin box thinking she'll probably use one of that single button someday for something. i imagined the previous owner's either a young girl with blonde hair like the one imprinted on the tin living in a rather messy room like how she housed the content in the tin or a bag lady who sewn and kept every little something in cookie tins here and there until she lost track of how many tins she had.

Anyway, they both didnt end up using the single button for something else 'someday'...... I did. :)

new handmade djembe accessory :)

got a new handmade djembe strap handle for my drum last weekend from yuya (he made it few hours ago on the same day)...in pretty bright 'monster inc' colour combination. love it. i hope my sound will be as sparky as it is. :)

May my KA be a KA when its a KA, May my TU be a TU when its a TU.

ok...its not just magic power. must practice.. :/