Born a Crime

I’m usually skeptical about picking up biographies of tv/ movie celebrities, weary of a “dramatized” version of a rather simple rag to riches story topped with some celebrity scoops. I’m a big fan of Trevor Noah on tv though, so picked this book up on a whim, and quite loved it. Growing up in apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa, the book revolves around a really tender mom-son relationship (that could be why I loved it too). I read it  in Trevor Noah’s voice, and it turned out to be like his comedy acts: hilarious but also insightful/ intelligent; and a bewildered but empathetic  outsider’s view of someone who doesn’t fit into any of the  traditional categories. A great read!

Mixed Media

Some new art...H & I made this together. I'm a pacifist, he's a nationalist. I'm not sure it's about our thoughts on Kashmir;  I think it's about being able to hold opposing views and still working together. Or maybe it's about Kashmir. 

"The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Undoubtedly my new favorite book, this one! I realise I'm late to the party here, and besides, I'm too spent by discussing this one with H, so I'm just going to stop by saying this: my new favourite book.

La La Land

So it's been a long while since a movie inspired me into blogging, but then we watched "La La Land" last night! What a magical, even poetic movie. 

It's not easy making a romance these days, our brains are already so cluttered with these good-looking, witty, lovable characters from so many other romances we have already seen or read. Boy-girl love story is kinda done so often, it's very challenging to keep it interesting. Very cleverly done in this movie though. It's an homage to retro-style movie romances in general, where holdings hands, dancing together and that first kiss do more than any sex scene could. And the only thing that keeps it from being cheesy is that the movie and its characters are completely aware of its excessive romance and even own it. Don't we all want to be in love with a man who says, "what's wrong with romance? You say it like it's a bad word!".... even though we know that no such man exists in the real world! Because its so outrageously blatant about not being real, about being above all a romantic homage to romances, this movie really works for me! 

That, and Ryan Gosling.

P.s. It's kind of hard to believe (but then again also easy to believe) that this movie is made by the same person who made Whiplash. So different. Or so alike. Depending on how you see it.

Spotted at the MRT

P.S. Tan Swie Hian is a Singaporean poet, calligrapher & artist

Musings of a 7 year old brain

K's casual conversation over morning coffee: "I would like my birthday to be famous... you know how everyone celebrates Christmas because it's Jesus Christ's birthday? It's quite simple really, I only need to start a new religion. I am thinking, maybe something to do with friendly ghosts...?"

What the future holds...

Was chatting with some old friends last night about the new technology around Amazon Go, and while its all so new and exciting, we wondered whether anyone thinks about the long term impact of what this is all leading up to. My friend Y called it the grim "WALLE world" (and she works in robotics!). Perhaps. The more we incentivize humans to disengage with each other and engage with machines only, the grimmer the world gets. Sounds terribly pessimistic, but I can't shake the feeling off.

Voters xenophobia

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsein Loong wrote this after Brexit, and I am pasting it here in the American context now when it looks like Trump is going to win:

"Other developed countries also face similar challenges as Britain. We all live in a globalised, interdependent world. The desire to disengage, to be less constrained by one’s partners, to be free to do things entirely as one chooses, is entirely understandable. And yet in reality for many countries disengaging and turning inwards will likely lead to less security, less prosperity, and a dimmer future."

Hillary vs Donald

Very far removed from the US politics, but I have to say I really like Hillary. Its easy to be a Michele Obama, be a great orator, and to be liked for being a first lady who is intelligent and knowledgeable. It's way tougher being Hillary, being unapologetic about being ambitious, and being disliked for it.

A hoarding problem

Amazing antique store for hidden finds on Amoy Street, run by a friendly old man. Went in today, just to feel good about the mess in my own home. #SmallConsolations #MovingIsTraumatic

People vs OJ Simpson

We started binge-watching this mini series and are almost through, and we shook our heads muttering, "how is this a true story", almost all the way. It's a show with a lot of insights: into race, celebrity, fame, justice, domestic violence, even friendship ... but here's the one that struck a cord with me most deeply: the sexism faced by a working woman every day, no matter how successful she is professionally. For that insight alone and the way it's portrayed (no efforts wasted on subtlety, but to hell with that), this series is worth watching. 

P.S. Also watching 'The Night Of', again lot of insights, but gives me too many nightmares about my own son!!

The Vegetarian by Han Kang

The title of the book is completely (and I suppose purposefully) misguiding. My personal associations with vegetarianism are non-violence, cruelty-free living, and a denial of the carnivorous human instincts. And the narrative of this book is quite the opposite on all those counts. It's a very, very strange plot, headed by a most unfathomable main character and the most explicit moments one could come across in a book written by an Asian writer. It's so beyond the boundaries of what's considered normal, it became plausible in some weird dimension, and did actually move me to tears at a couple of points. A book that leaves you with a heavy heart...

Singapore Night Festival 2016

This was such a dramatic show! Quite enjoyed it!

Speechless

A big crowd congregates opposite the Asia Square building. I wonder if there's been a fire breakout or an accident of some sort. When I realize what's going on, I have my palm on my face.

A wise man once said, "If you feel stupid, remind yourself that there are people out there looking for Pokemon." 

Wild forest fires & the wind that brings haze

It's the time of the year when wild forest fires break out (not without human intervention of the most stupid & unscrupulous kind), in Indonesia, and the nonchalant south-western winds carry the resultant fumes all the way to Singapore & Malaysia. Happens over & over again. The elites in this country buy air purifiers and make Facebook posts calling for boycott of palm oil; but nothing really changes. Some clever marketeers distribute free haze kits, images on one's news feed of orangutans burnt alive makes one sick in the stomach, kids begin wheezing, the poor continue labouring through the terrible air conditions, and a state of emergency gets declared in an already impoverished Sumatra. There's only one conclusion to be made here: the world is perverse in all sorts of ways.

Love this pic of the Indian Olympians

These women look fierce, determined and focussed; and it's such a different kind of attractiveness! So much grittier, prettier (and at the same time, more primal) than women posing with duck-lipped pouts. Delightfully earthy. Love it.

Jo Schooling & Singapore's Olympic Gold

What an incredibly inspiring story... A young boy of 13 meets his hero Michael Phelps, then 8 years later finds himself competing against that same hero and wins in the most crucial swim of his life, on the world stage, in the most intimidating sporting event in the world and creates a new record! 

We've read a lot about it in the Singapore newspapers. The government bestowed a million dollar prize on Schooling. And a smart reporter did some number crunching and estimated that Schooling's  parents probably spent about 1.2 million dollars on his training already - all self sponsored at an American university under the best coaches in the world. While Schooling deserves every bit of awe that he has generated, isn't it sad how elitist sports have become? What chances does a poor boy from any of the poor Asian countries stand in the world of sports if those are the financials involved?

Alternate ending with a twist

Remember little K's Star Wars phase which we thought was never going to end? I think it might just have ended. But before I could jump with joy and thrust my fist into the sky.... a new phase has started. He's obsessed with Harry Potter now. He has devoured the first 4 books (followed by the movie), and can only talk about Harry Potter characters and their back stories. As a parent, the good news here is that there's way less branded merchandise for Harry Potter than there was for Star Wars. 

So here's something that came up during dinner a few weeks back: if Voldermort had 'summoned' some nuclear bombs maybe he could've killed Harry in the first book itself? 

Grain Trader

Here's a food recommendation for anyone reading this blog: Grain Traders at The CapitaGreen building at Raffles Place. Healthy food that tastes so very delicious and served in a very chic setting. Not for the value-conscious folks who may frown upon a $16 salad lunch, but then again, it does do magic with your tastebuds.

The sun is out of control y'all!

It's been 10 years in Singapore & this is the worst summer yet!