Monday, November 30, 2009

Saint Jack

Our friend A told us about this movie screening. Saint Jack was made in 1979 & banned in Singapore for almost 30 years. The ban was finally lifted & the movie was brought here by the National Museum for 2 screenings over the weekend. It sounded compelling & we promptly asked A to buy tickets for us.

The movie is about an American man Jack Flowers, a pimp (unabashedly so) making his living in Singapore in the early 1970s. The story starts off with an easy-going Jack making a small living out of introducing Chinese girls to white tourists & expats; and goes on to tell us how Jack starts a US army-sponsored hotel where US soliders in Vietnam could find recreation while on leave; and Jack's growing sense of disillusionment with this little empire which fails to live upto all the expectations he had from it.

The plot is set in Singapore 30 years ago, its alleys & lanes, its small businesses & seedy hotels, its Chinese & Tamil faces, its gangsters & street-side hookers, its impetuous white expat drifters, its bars, the tiny version of Changi Airport, the Raffles Hotel & Fullerton post office from 30 years ago. The city has changed beyond recognition in the past 3 decades & I could barely relate to that Singapore from how I know it today. I am undecided about what I think of that old Singapore; perhaps it had a stronger character than the glitzy/ artificial Singapore of today; but then again, movies always make eveything look more romantic than it really is.

The movie itself was pretty interesting; mainly due to some very witty lines. As the head of the National Museum said at the beginning, the movie is a white man's fantasy - probably so; but it was more than your sterotypical "Asia-seen-from-the-eyes-of-a-white-man" (or even the "look-how-America-has-screwed-up-Asia"). The style of the movie was bold & quirky; there are transvestite hookers, dwarf gangsters, disenchanted young soldier-boys, obscure bartenders. It was quite a unique movie.

Friday, November 27, 2009

The Singaporean-isation of Rudolf

We went to Orchard Road today to show Kabeer the Christmas decoration & I was pretty unhappy with what they've done to poor Rudolf the Reindeer. Firstly, he's a she; and secondly he's some sort of a fashion-diva who loves shoes & fashion accessories!

Monday, November 23, 2009

"After Dark" by Haruki Murakami

Oh. My. God. This is the awesomest book I've ever read! Everything about it - the narrative style, the plot, the characters, loved it all. What I loved the most were the details though. The details of every character in the book, of every place in the book, of every scene in the book. Wow.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Does this happen to others too?

When someone says something offensive or rude to me, I almost never can think of a smart comeback right away; and then (sometimes days later) I'll think of a witty reparte, but it would already be too late to use it. And its such a burden of missed opportunity, I can't wait for that person to say/do something mean again.

Maybe I need to get a life.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Savoury Ice-creams...


Sound like a terrible idea to me...maybe I'll try them nevertheless. This is at one of my favourite breakfast places in Singapore, by the way.

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Moment of Realisation

Can't use the "I-had-a-baby" excuse forever....Must lose weight!

Sunday, November 01, 2009

Pulau Ubin

This weekend we went to Pulau Ubin, a small island village on the eastern coast of Singapore, with some friends. Its a bum-boat ride away from Singapore. Once there, we had a lazy afternoon lunch & then rented bicycles & cycled across the island. It's a quiet, green, beautiful place; particularly at some points along our route, the view was spectacular. The humidity & heat aside, it was a perfect weekend.

Note to myself: Must do more of this; I used to be an outdoorsy person once upon a time.