Magic she wrote

The chronicles pf Harry Potter, to me and many others, are a source of inspiration. It is literature genius. Along the same line of thought, the common names of Harry and Potter, put together, have become a marketing institution too.

His creator, J.K. Rowling, delivered her Commencement Address, “The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination,” at the Annual Meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association.

It was a beautiful speech and I would like to share an excerpt here with you:

Unlike any other creature on this planet, humans can learn and understand, without having experienced. They can think themselves into other people’s minds, imagine themselves into other people’s places.

Of course, this is a power, like my brand of fictional magic, that is morally neutral. One might use such an ability to manipulate, or control, just as much as to understand or sympathise.

And many prefer not to exercise their imaginations at all. They choose to remain comfortably within the bounds of their own experience, never troubling to wonder how it would feel to have been born other than they are. They can refuse to hear screams or to peer inside cages; they can close their minds and hearts to any suffering that does not touch them personally; they can refuse to know.

--------------------------------

I highly recommend you to click this to read the full speech and watch the video.

She really turns me on

I've been enamoured with Padma Laksmi for a while now. I read articles about her and gaze lustfully at her gorgeous photos in magazines and web articles.

I think I know why I'm so curious about this mystical Indian goddess. I always wonder, why Salman Rushdie? Why? I pore over every interview, looking for clues in the subtext...but deep down, I know. We all know. It was love, Watson. It was love.

Here are some juicy excerpts from past interviews:

While she has always been ambitious, she is more determined than ever to succeed as more than just the wife and inspiration of a famous man. “Being married to a giant cultural figure like Salman Rushdie, I want to earn my seat at the table,” she says. “After all, I was a published author before I met Salman. In fact, it was my publisher who introduced us.”
------------------------------
"There's nothing useful about being married to him, though," she continues. "I think it works against me." Surely it must have benefits? "I do have it easy in that I can take business class instead of coach [economy], but I would have that if I was married to anybody."
--------------------------
“I went to India one summer and I came back with boobs. I don’t know what happened. I went to the boob ration line.” Padma laughed. “Where is it written that a smart woman can’t also be stacked?” she once asked in a column for Harper’s Bazaar entitled “Do You Dress for Men?” “My agenda,” she wrote, “arouse from a distance the object of my longing.”
-----------------------

Photos courtesy of http://www.padmalakshmi.com

Marrying Stella

If I had a $1,000 to splurge on exercise gear, I'd buy the entire swim and running wear from Adidas by Stella McCartney. These clothes make me wanna be an athlete.

Breakfast

Sometimes when I'm on the bus/ in the train, I text-journal in my phone. I'll be posting them online at random, starting with this musing about breakfast. And by way of introduction, these are just some gorgeous photos from inter-continentally renowned chocolatier and chef, David Lebovitz. I'm a huge devotee of his website http://www.davidlebovitz.com/ It's witty, yummy and full of pizzazz.

Breakfast - the most important meal of the day. A hot mug of tea or coffee and a savoury or sweet bun really sets the tone to the morning. Your mind is pleasantly jolted into action, your spirit is buoyant with positive emotions (June 2nd 08).

It was helluva crazy week. And what better way to cure the blues than good ol' exercise.

I woke up early to go for a run this morning. And I felt HEAPS better.

Was mighty glad to see this adorable drawing on the talented Krisatomic's website this morning when I resumed my daily blog-surfing. There are other inspiring pictures so run towards her at
http://www.krisatomic.com/blog/

Eat drink Melaka

1. Kuih Koci*
Of course you can get this from most Malay stalls. The types run by nice, plump, smiling aunties often sell an array of kuihs like my favourite kuih salat and other sweet-smelling gula melaka, coconut-filled types.

But I ate kuih koci for the first time in Melaka. It was magnificent. Small, chewy and packed with shredded coconut. I felt sad when I could chew no more.

*(Photo courtesy of http://simpledelite.com/, an online kuih business. Memo to me, must.order.)











2. Home-cooked Mee Soto

Oberg's sister whipped this up. Most mee sotos i've tried are too oily but her soup was damn good hearty broth. The fried onions and shredded chicken were seasoned and caramelized to PerFection.

3. Pandan Selera Tom Yam Seafood eatery

Nice open-air eating place. People who don't want to spend too much money and looking for good local fare should pay this place a visit. Constant flow of families and couples stop and eat here.
Total cost for 5 people: RM 30.00 Location: Situated at the roadside of Jln Pandan Jaya/ Balai Panjang. Opens at 5pm till 2am.

4. Melakan Chendol

Run by the affable Mdm. Corrine Yeung, a retired teacher. Her chendol was filled with thick, home- made gula melaka and creamy coconut milk. The important green jelly was refreshingly gelatinous, unlike the types made from thick rice flour.














5. Melakan puppy

On a side note, I fell in love with this Cuteness. He looked at me when I held my camera up. I was ready to buy him but was gently reminded that I could not take him across the causeway.

Monday Funday

Good times with Fall Out Boy. This hilarious vid chases the Monday blues away. Was this when Kim K was a young starlet? Oh wait, she still is a young starlet. Only tons richer and beautifuller than other young starlets.



And of course, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs always show us good old rock and roll. I remembered this when I heard it on Hot Chocolate and Mint. I remember watching transfixed as they brought the house down with the lovely blood red poppy flowers and Karen O's haunting vocals at the MTV Movie Awards in 04....good soul food.

Melaka Boleh

Who can resist the old-world charms of Malacca? The name invokes images of the rich brick-red Portuguese buildings, colourful Peranakan kebaya, the delicious brown of gula melaka and hullabaloo of the Jonker Street Night Bazaar....

This was my National Day weekend...























Next up: What we ate and bought....

Swedish McDonalds and Bicycle Culture

If you visit Zakkaliciousness' Flickr page, you'll be able to find out which slot is for what. In Sweden and most parts of Europe, the recyling movement is really strong. I love it. Aaahh, but the Swedish - the beautiful Swedish people - have taken it to the next level. They've installed function and practicality to a fast-food joint like MacDs. It's friggin brilliant. Slots for burger boxes, happy meal boxes, etc. cardboard stuff; cups; straws and plastic lids; cans and plastic bottles; trays; food leftovers; microwave for warming baby food etc. Qn Shoutout: Anywhere else in the world offers this Green service?

In the same line of Zakka, he has another website about bicycle culture which I am very in love with right now. It's called Copenhagen Cycle Chic
and has photos of Copenhagians (and other guest posts from around the world) looking fashy and oh-so healthy on their cool bicyles.

Singapore has a very interesting bicycle culture too. Local Singaporeans and foreigners are often seen cycling around...and often getting cussed at by drivers...poor things.

self-affirmation

Because it's been a few hard days, I'm turning back to this piece of art by Baz Luhrmann. The narration is crystal clear and the words, incredibly soothing. It's my favourite power-to-me song.



Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth, oh nevermind,
you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself
and recall in a way you can’t grasp now, how much possibility lay before you
and how fabulous you really looked,
you are not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future, or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you

Sing

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts,
don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss

Don’t waste your time on jealousy, sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind,
the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.

Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults,
if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life,
the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22
what they wanted to do with their lives,
some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium.

Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t,
Maybe you’ll divorce at 40,
Maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary
What ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either
Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.
Enjoy your body, use it every way you can, don’t be afraid of it,
or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly. Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings, they are the best link to your past
and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get,
the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard,
Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander,
you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young
prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund,
Maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it.

Advice is a form of nostalgia,
dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off,
painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

Desi-ness

I discovered another delicious piece of online literature, Nirali Magazine.

Nirali, which means “different” in several South Asian languages, is just that—a different kind of magazine for South Asian Americans and Canadians. Founded in 2004, Nirali Magazine reflects the identity and interests of South Asians all over North America.

Published online, Nirali is your complete source for all things South Asian. It’s not your typical desi magazine: While you’ll find the requisite fashion, beauty and entertainment stories within Nirali, you’ll also see stories on politics, trends in the South Asian community, profiles of smart South Asians, and introspective pieces about what it means to have an identity that is both South Asian and American.

The colors and prose caught my attention. Plus, I'm unabashedly a beautiful caramel-skinned, raven-haired, jasmine-smelling Indian goddes wannabe. Get excited by Indian glamour at http://niralimagazine.com/

So, the bf and I were walking home yesterday evening from Whitesands when every 5/10 meters, we encountered groups of Chinese nationals laughing and chatting amongst themselves.

Incredulous, i turned to him and said, "This is amazing" (looking pointedly at the Chinese group). "You know what's freaky? Instead of addressing the issue of this migration influx, the government is lumping all these different cultures and nationalities into ONE Singapore identity!" We shook our heads and carried on walking, part reminiscing the Singapore of old and part marveling at the stage this island has progressed to.

Now let me explain something. It's totally OK that foreign nationals like the Indians and Chinese are migrating to Singapore in search of work and a better standard of living. Look, long before the tech-industry sector explosion, we'd already welcomed Bengali, Indian, Thai, Burmese men to build the sturdy flats we now live in. I also remember when my secondary school had so many rich Indonesian kids. So really, the mish mash of foreigners is nothing new.

BUT.

What's happening now is that we have Chinese factory workers, Chinese cashiers and retail assistants, Chinese hawker stall servers and cleaners, Chinese prostitutes, Chinese people cycling on the pavements, Chinese people commuting by MRT....every 5 metres you meet a China-Chinese person!!! In Pasir Ris where I stay, I see these Chinese people cycling to work in the Loyang area; on some good mornings, it feels like I'm romantically in Shanghai but on bad days when they cycle so fast past the pedestrians and almost knock them down, I want to smash the daylight out of their pallid faces.

It's a love-hate relationship. I personally had a Chinese tuition teacher whom I adored. And at the coffeeshop near my workplace, the Chinese guys that make tea are happy-go-lucky people that are just part of the normal landscape. No issues there.

The ugly ones are those that step in front of the lady pushing a baby pram at the lift, or jostling in the MRT queue, or littering the HDB blocks with their cigarette butts and finished cups of instant noodles...The ugly ones are those that refuse to integrate into Singapore culture by respecting our people and property. Each time I encounter buffoons like them, I want to say, "You're a GUEST here. Behave or get out."

So back to the earlier comment to the bf. I just feel that the government has closed one eye about all these foreign nationals coming in without protecting the Singaporeans who have to share their land. Sharing's not the issue. It's just the taking without asking permission that's the problem.

As we approach Singapore's 43rd birthday, I'm asking myself, how much of Singapore is really genuinely local today? What part of our unique culture can we still retain if this uncontrollable influx continues?

Because Friday gives dancing feet

After lunch, C and I were still restless from eating and drinking tea. Just for laughs, she showed me these two random clips. Poster child of the 90s, Flat Eric, is one of her favourite characters from C's history - I personally don't remember them showing this Levi's ad. He's got rhythm though.

I like Fridays with nice people making them nice.