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.