A Stolen Scene From The Bicycle Thief

1948 was the year this Italian Neorealism film was made, but it somehow flashed across my mind the moment I was about to write this post, now, more than 59 years later. It made an impact on me when I watched it more than ten years ago. Our dinner last night reminded me of a simple yet vividly truthful and realistic scene from the film. The amount of joy the children found in their dinner last night made me believe that our sacrifices is a worthwhile effort. Great companionship from my hubby and good laughs from the boys. One does not need a picture to imagine the beauty of the unspoken after all.

Down and out kind of Mu Nan Ri

What has happened to me?

Down with a really bad cough for the past one and a half week

my hubby was too caught up with work that he almost forgot

and last night, I visited my mum and she did not seem to be in a good mood, which got me worried

and in the middle of the night, our small room leaked water from the roof top during a very heavy rain (with strong wind).

Isn't this not the way to celebrate one's birthday?

But too bad, this is what is happening to me now...

let's hope that tonight's dinner is a better one.

We have been really busy with preparations for things to come.

We need to set the stage right for all things to happen and it has to happen this year, we feel!

I feel that I am getting older by the day to not have achieved the things that I aspire to achieve and the person I aspire to be...

can life be any simpler? I guess not.

The Amazing 3 Divas Concert

It is always great when you can get free concert tickets. Patrick went and picked up two tickets (courtesy of his colleague) to the 3 Divas concert at Bukit Jalil for last Sunday show. I was thrilled that I could go, though I am sure he would love to go too, but somebody has to jaga the kids, right? So, I went with an old friend of mine. It consisted of somewhat like a full orchestra band, with quite a unique oval shaped stage where the 3 divas could perform. The minute the lights went off and the music flowed in, the whole crowd was immediately transported into that live performance mode. I was mesmerized by the visuals projected on stage, and most of all, enthralled by the vocal strength of these three Indonesian female singers - Kris Dayanti, Ruth Sahanaya and Titi DJ. They dazzled the audiences with glittering costumes, heavy make-up, lovely ballads and some really upbeat numbers. What makes it extra special was that they paid tribute to Siti Nurhaliza and Sheila Majid, who were among the audiences that night by singing some of their famous numbers like Lagenda and Sinaran (Siti's song I don't know the titles, haha!). Even Tun Mahathir and his wife were there. It was unforgettable simply because I had three young female Indonesian fans cheering, roaring and singing along all the way through the night, right beside me! It somehow lifted my mood and spirit for the concert itself. Most importantly, I enjoyed it tremendously. Nothing beats the experience of watching a GOOD live concert - you are bathed in the sights and sound of good music, great orchestra performances and truly EXCELLENT vocals. What more can I ask for?

A Day In A Fishing Village

Just 45 minutes away from the ever growing small town of Sungai Petani, Kedah, lies a world out of this world. A world that is fast depleting in its Chinese root as well as economic social standing in its primal source of economy - the fishing industry. A fish farm is located far in the middle of the ocean, right in the heart of this tiny fishing village called Tanjong Dawai, a small town which made up of mostly fishermen and their families, a small main street, one famous Chinese seafood restaurant and an Archaeological Museum called Lembah Bujang. This was my second trip to the fish farm. My first visit was more than five years ago, while I was still pregnant with Ryan back then! I have always loved the notion of a long wooden jetty, stretches right into the horizon of an open sea. I don't know why. It just seems to mesmerize me, as if inviting me to run along and just jump right into the ocean and simply swim away. We arrived at the small wooden jetty early in the morning and we were immediately greeted by Uncle Huat, his wife and son. We hopped onto their boat and what greeted us were the captivating fresh air, the open ocean, the crushing waves on the boat and fishing boats and fish factories along the coastline. Of course, last but not least, the glorious rising sun on this beautiful Saturday morning and its sparkling reflections in the water. We were there to actually reccee the place for it will be the location where we would base our feature film in, if it does come true. Once we reached the fish farm, everything there seems to take on a whole new different meaning and perspectives. One could almost feel the constant wind blowing in the air, the squeaking sound of the wooden fish farm whenever the waves come in, and a wide open horizon of sea water, more water and other fish farms nearby. All these melt into one single word that simply spells serenity, away from the hustle bustle of the usual KL life. A place where one could simply take a nap and not having to think of anything else. But of course, it is not the case for Uncle Huat and his family, who basically runs the fish farm here. Their work include checking the fishing net for holes, checking the fish, when the fish food comes, they need to clean them, sort them, grind them into smaller chunks and later on feed them to the fishes here. It is truly hard labour and time consuming kind of work. We took a lunch break back in the main town and took more pictures of the fishing village itself. Later, we went back to the fish farm in the afternoon and that was when most bulk of the work was done. Looking at them, it made me somehow realize that life is truly an amazing one. What we do can be as diverse as rearing fish and making films, but at the end of the day, all we strive to achieve is ultimately the same - to put meals on the table. We had the most heartiest and freshest (of course, most delicious) seafood dinner we have ever had for a very long time. Suddenly, writing this in my blog or any other scripts and writings that I have to do seem less "heavy" after this inspiring trip. Nature and human existence truly have their way of delivering their intended dose of booster when I needed it the most. Definitely a trip worth revisiting again and again...

The Papa Cook

When the kids were in SP recently, apart from busy watching Flushed Away, The Invincible Ironman and HellBoy the animated series, they were also intrigued by one software we have in the PC downstairs - PAINT. They have been playing around with it so many times that now they are hooked on it. This was what Ryan came up with last night. He imagined the father being the cook and all, partly also due to the fact that we watch Travel and Living channel's cooking shows very often. They love Jamie Oliver and Nigella's shows a great deal. My hubby adores Made to Order and me? Almost all the cooking shows! It's amazing to see how well these cooking programmes are being done compared to the ones we have locally.

India Rajasthan - A Cultural Revelation

Today, Patrick just came back from a trip to Rajasthan, Northern India. He was there for a five-day film festival cum seminar called Films of Desire: Sexuality and the Cinematic Imagination. It is also the fact that his short film CHOICE is being shown there, hence, they flew him there to participate. It was a joint effort by organizers like CREA, The South and Southeast Asia Resource Centre on Sexuality, hosted at a picturesque venue called Neemrana Hotels. When I saw the photos taken, I could not help but to also include them here for I think there were some really nice pictures taken of that place. Though I was not there personally, I could sense the vast difference in terms of social, cultural and economic status Rajasthan is compared to here at home. Patrick said this trip made him believe that there is no where else better than home. He said the Neemrana Fort Palace that they were housed in cast a huge difference between the resort and the small down down below, which is only a 5-minute walk away. His first stop was an outskirt small town near Delhi. The town is dry, dusty and wild boars literally roams the streets. Cars honking everywhere. From there, they still need to take a 2-hour bus ride before they could reach Rajasthan, the place of the event. But all in all, he said it was an unforgettable experience and though this was the first year, the Festival is very well coordinated and organized. Don't you just love those steep staircases leading to the rooms?! Amazing!

Here are some interesting facts about the place:

History
Built since 1464 AD, Neemrana Fort-Palace is among India's oldest heritage resorts. Neemrana became the third capital of the descendants of Prithviraj Chauhan III, who was killed in battle by Mohammad Ghori in 1192 AD. This picturesque site was chosen by Raja Rajdeo and Neemrana derived its name from a brave local chieftain Nimola Meo, who when defeated by the Chauhans, pleaded that his name be given to his lost kingdom.

Location and Sightseeing
It is Rajasthan's closest palace from New Delhi, situated at 122 kms. on the Delhi-Jaipur highway - only 100 kms from Delhi's international airport. Sited on a majestic plateau, concealed in a horseshoe formation of the billion year old Aravalli ranges.

Description
The property covers 25 acres/10 hectares and the stepped palaces of this architectural jewel cut into the hillside to sprawl over 3 acres/1.2 hectares and rises to 10 levels commanding the most splendid views. Including a vista pool to the horizon. From 1986, the ruins of this Fort-Palace have been sensitively restored and reconstructed. The rooms are furnished with aneclectic mix of traditional Indian and colonial furniture, antiques and objets d'art. Most rooms have private balconies or terraces and the loos are designed to have views!

The Bride

Running and running

The gown runs after her

the veil catches the sun light

Her face is barely seen,

but we believe it will be a beautiful one

Almost most heroines are beautiful anyway

The make believe world of moving images

needs something familiar to anchor onto

the nostalgic and illusive notion of beauty

She rushes into a cafe

Again

another familiarity

We look at her intensely

As if she is being watched, constantly

She quickly finds a corner and sits herself down

Panting a little, she looks out the glass window

She looks around and sees a pair of deep set eyes

looking back at her over the counter

She blushes and looks away instantly

What is she running away from

Who is she running away from exactly

Is she really getting married this hot afternoon?

Why is she bare footed?

Where is her bridal high heels?

Is it red? Blue? White as snow?

Questions

more questions that needed answers

It will be revealed

Only when the film starts to roll
When the images start to move

When the words transform themselves

The bride will find her ultimate answer

The RUN has just begun

The Pursuit of Happyness

Pursuing happiness requires a great deal of imagination. It represents a part of our subconscious mind that awaits discovery. The beauty in it is that it can be reached so easily, yet at times, is so unattainable that one could just fall flat. Life is a great teacher. It treats us with great compassion, but most of the time, throws us off guard, again and again, to see if we could pick ourselves up with courage and dignity and move on with life. For me, to comprehend true happiness, at certain points in life, I must fully experience and understand sadness and pain for it is this opposite force that pushes us closer and closer to our pursuit of happiness in this life time. Happiness can be short lived. It can also be deceiving. It is as illusive as the air we breathe, so fragile yet beautiful in its nature. Happiness, like all things beautiful, is never meant to last. It is meant to be rediscovered, each time we tumble and fall on the path to having owned a fraction of this feeling called happyness.