the groovini

The Life of Pi

December 2nd, 2012

I was torn about writing this.

Half of me believes this is one of those films you should see without knowing anything about it – trailer, buzz etc. Then the total experience is accentuated by the sweetness of surprise and discovery. That happened to me with The Matrix and Looper. Zero expectations, mind blown.

Then the other half wants to talk about it so if you are on the fence you’ll go see it.

So I think the best approach is to put in no plot spoilers but just my reaction.

And my reaction should be tempered with the knowledge that the book, by Yann Martel, was one of my favourites for its magic, lyricism, whimsy, and the core message of daring to believe.

And while it’s been a while since I read the book, my expectations of what any recreation of The Life of Pi should be, set the bar pretty high.

I felt bad for Ang Lee when I first heard he was tackling it.

How would he handle this without disappointing the hordes of fans like me, who were connected to the enchantment of Pi’s mind? How would he handle the allusions, metaphors, thoughts that was such a large part of the book?

So – no small feat that a hard-core Pi-an like me says GOOD JOB.

Ang Lee made a sumptuous, delicious film.

Amid the ocean of wonder that the visual effects bring, sails a really solid cast. He chose unknowns so there would be no baggage, just characters and acting. And there is fine fine acting. Especially newbie and first-timer Suraj Sharma as Pi.

He has a face that speaks without words, a beauty and honesty that just pours out of his eyes. Remarkable, when you think that for a large part, he is acting on his own to green screen. He has the ability to move you, without words, without dialogue. That is really special.

The camera loves him, and he lights up the screen. It’s another wonder of the film when you discover it’s actually his first acting role. The boy is so gifted.

While the main premise of the movie is far more about the adventure of survival, rather than the book’s focus on belief, hope and sometimes existential questioning, Ang Lee instead brings the wonder by creating some gorgeous cinema to look at. Not quite Avatar in fantasy other-worldness; but I believe even more stunning in its realistic possibility – capturing wonder as it might really exist, in the best possible and most unique version of our planet. It probably does – if we were to take the time to look for it.

Moving, stunning, entertaining, full of wonder.

Especially in IMAX.

Posted in General Updates, Movies | Comments Off

Shopping in Bangkok: Platinum Warrior

November 28th, 2012

Hedonism for me is quite simple – mindless shopping at bargain prices, and great food.

(of course there are other things that could live on this list but for the sake of an intro to this piece…)

And when you throw in having to search for bargains – well, I couldn’t be any happier.

When you need a bargain orgy, head to Platinum Fashion Mall in Bangkok.

“Mall” in the sense that it’s an airconditioned building with retailers. But here’s the difference – each tiny outlet doesn’t boast a big range – because primarily this place exists as a wholesale outlet.

You see people lugging wheelie bags – generally they are retailers who are buying stock to resell – whether online, other parts of Thailand, Africa, wherever.

And because it’s not fancy-shmancy, prices are crazy low, with bulk buy incentives.

For example – a T-shirt maxi dress (great quality) was B320. Buy 2 or more and it’s B290 each. (B32 = US$1; B25 = S$1)

White cotton shirts and blouses from the white cotton shirt shop – B250, with reductions for every one more you buy (you can mix and match designs)

Accessories for B200. Shoes for B250.

Primarily the stuff you find here is oriented towards women/fashion/trends – forget it if you are looking for suits, proper office attire. But if you’re in the market for more casual stuff – men too, but on a much smaller scale – then give in to the madness.

There’s stuff for fatties, thinies, skankies, aunties, fashionistas – if you have the patience to look.

The prices are so low your filter for ‘do I need it’ disappears. And when the bulk buy options get crazy (I picked up a cool angels wing enamel ring – buy one for B250. 2 for B300 – see how that happens?) the shopping fever is impossible to resist. I was giddy.

There is a vague sort of grouping -1-3 floor for women’s fashion, 4th floor for men’s, 5th for accessories, 6th food court. (old wing) But really it all becomes much of a muchness. If you see something you like, either buy it immediately, or take a note of the shop number, or you may never find it again.

The ‘old’ part of the mall is dedicated to clothes, and the ‘new’ mall extension, shoes and bags. The new mall is smaller and much more manageable, and the older mall is a mad muddle of stalls – there are over a couple of thousand stalls so after a couple of hours it all melds into one mass of crazy. From pyjamas to underwear to slut dresses to jeans to ethnic gear to funky dresses to shorts to … you get the picture.

A lot of stuff. And a lot of ladyboy sales assistants. I don’t know why.

And – CASH only. Don’t bother bargaining – the only bargaining they do is about bulk buy.

Food – the food court on the top floor is awesome (and of course, super cheap). Somtam (green mango salad), crab omelette, curries, noodles – you name it. (and in case you’re wondering, the boiling water at the cutlery stand is to dip your cutlery in to sanitise). You need to buy a stored value card which you can refund if you haven’t used it all up. The beef ball noodle is really good, as is the fry-up stall, and the rice – well actually it’s all good!

I spent most time on the 3rd floor, and don’t miss this great original tshirt store, Oleeah, moving to the 4th floor in December – the guy designs the funniest tshirts (funnier than Threadless) and the shop is run by he and his mom.

I won’t even confess how many pieces I came away with. Suffice to say, I have a whole new wardrobe of harem pants, shirts, tshirts, and accessories – enough to open my own blogshop – for money that would buy a couple of things in Zara.

What you need to know

The basement smells of drains but the rest is OK!
Cash only – there are ATMs everywhere, and moneychanger outside
Make a note of the shop number if you see something you like
You can’t try things on – but some places have measuring tape
They generally don’t care if you are happy or not – it’s hardly worth their while
Pack extra luggage!
The toilets are OK! But bring wet wipes and tissue
Nearest BTS – Ratchadewi and a walk. Taxi from Ratchaprasong is about B50 and 10 mins (depending on traffic)
When the cab queue is too long, try a tuk tuk – but settle on a price before you get in
Missing – foot massage (there’s something in the basement but it didn’t pass muster)
If you’re serious, plan a couple of visits, over a few days – or you’ll flag (there are Black Canyon Coffee outlets dotted throughout to keep you going)
It shuts down by 7pm
There’s a McDonald’s outside if you must

You may also like: Chatuchak and Ratchaprasong

Posted in Travel, Travel-and-Play | Comments Off

The Assassins

October 14th, 2012

I love my epic Chinese movies.

The oldie ones, set in the Dynasties when there were Emperors, Warriors, Silent Maidens.

Chow Yun Fat’s latest movie, The Assassins, (set in the Three Kingdoms period) was made by first-time film director, Zhao Linshan.

And I hate to say it, but it shows.

There were elements of downright awesome beauty (down to Zhang Yimou’s cinematographer Zhao Xiaoding), and Chow Yun Fat brings a lovely winsome tenderness to badass warlord Cao Cao.

But the story was hard to follow. I was totally lost in the first 10 minutes. I almost wished the characters had labels ‘good guy’ ‘bad guy’, to help me out.

But the mists cleared, the story progressed (so improbable but the Three Kingdoms period is full of them) and I warmed to it.

There’s certainly a lot of good stuff to look at – new girl beauty Liu Yi Fei whose primary purpose is beautiful, vulnerable, secret warrior girl. She really is youthful beauty. There’s Hiroshi Tamaki – you won’t believe what they did to him! And a wonderful whiny Emperor in Alec Su. But really Chow dominates the whole proceedings as Senior Actor.

Visually pleasing, and if you are a fan of any of those actors, it’s worth a watch. Otherwise, read the plot on wiki before you go so you don’t get lost.

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Labrador Coastal Walk

February 28th, 2012

I love NParks and how much effort goes into making spaces for us to enjoy being outside and to showcase some of our natural surroundings.

Recently, the Labrador Coastal Walk opened, completing a loop you can do from Labrador Park, through the Alexandra Garden trail, that takes you to the Henderson Waves bridge, down to Vivo, and then along the boardwalk back to the park. Or vice versa.

It’s too hot to do the whole thing now so I stuck to the coast walk. It’s easy and pleasant and you can walk end to end (Park to Vivo) in 30 minutes of purposeful walking.

The people I feel sorry for are the ones who dropped millions to buy a ’seaview’ property at Reflections or The Caribbean. Sure you get a view, but you also get the boardwalk and joe public staring into your living room/bedroom/bathroom. There can be no privacy unless your curtains are closed all the time. I wouldn’t like that. I suspect that area will start getting busy once that condo is fully occupied.

The walk takes you from the war/battery relics of Labrador Park, onto a boardwalk suspended in the water, curving past the Keppel Club and the lovely old Cliff House (I always knew it as the Admiral’s House), to the Keppel Marina, past Reflections and the Caribbean, to Vivo.

On a weekday afternoon, it was me, a smattering of uncles and fishermen in the park, and some expat moms and their babies and some runners on the boardwalk. As it is totally exposed, it was really hot, despite the seabreeze. The whole thing is lit at night, which would be a pretty nice walk.

So now I’ve done both halves of the walk I need to join the whole thing up and do the loop…I’ll save that for when it’s not 100 degrees outside.

view from Labrador Park - the boardwalk hugs the coastline all the way to Vivo

That's Sentosa and Resorts Word in the background

this is nice at high tide - surrounded by water

there's a beach you can play on near the Park

Keppel Marina

Reflections at Keppel Bay: people are starting to move in

the boardwalk outside The Caribbean. Onward to Vivo

Posted in Play, Travel-and-Play | Comments Off

Eyes Wide Open Sistas!

February 22nd, 2012

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Out of curiosity and because things weren’t working out with the BF, I signed up on two online dating sites in the past year and discovered that the number of love-frauds and scammers out there is just mind-boggling!

Since recent media reported many cases of women getting conned on online dating sites, I decided to ink down some of my experiences. If it helps someone weed out the fakers and save her some heartache, my excruciating online dating experience wouldn’t be in vain.

First of all, choose a guy who lives in your own country because after all, you want to be able to meet this person, look into his eyes and hold his hand. And if he says that he is actually overseas when he is supposed to live here, then you have caught him out on THE BIG LIE. Don’t be stupid – drop him like a hot brick NOW, Girl!

If he passes this first test or you take your chances on a guy who lives overseas, then maybe these next few pearls of wisdom will help. How do I know all of this? Because I’ve met them all, my dearies.

1) Weed out the Most Obvious fakes – the ones with really bad English (so I’m a language snob, shoot me), the ones who extol how beautiful you are and how they are so in love with you already in their first email (gag), and the ones who are only asking for sex (ick).

2) Never trust that who you see is who you get. If a paedophile can pretend to be a 14-year-old girl online, then any of these guys you see can be someone else. Many scammers use other people’s online photos in their fake profiles and if the guy looks like an absolute hunk, ask yourself this – why would he really need to hunt for love online much less in another country?

3) ‘Wink’ or send feeler emails out to those who catch your eye. And of those who answer, delete those who will not share about themselves but would instead only praise the beauty of your toes and ask you only for more details about yourself. This ploy endears the woman to them because they appear to be good listeners and seem very caring.

4) Ask about his job – what exactly he does, who he has to deal with, why he chose such a job. Very often these guys are listed as Engineers (usually oil and gas engineers because they think women don’t know much about it, duh!) and other technical careers. If he can’t give details about his job then he probably doesn’t know much about it either, so hit the panic button (Danger, Will Robinson!).

5) Scammers usually use a Yahoo email account or yahoo chat. I’m not sure entirely why, but I suspect that Yahoo does not track new account holders as much as Gmail or Hotmail.

6) Beware of UK phone numbers. If he asks for your contact number, ask him to give you one first. It is easy to apply for a UK telephone number online so many scammers usually say they live there and will give you a UK number. If you can trust your ability to distinguish accents, call him from a secure line and listen to how he speaks, not what he says. Some of the guys I called had rather dubious British accents, including one who claimed to be Canadian! The rest had fake accents, with the majority sounding like Nigerians trying to sound Brit, I kid you not!

7) Overseas chappies will also say they don’t have webcams. This prevents you from actually seeing that they are nothing like their online profile pictures. They will ask you for more pictures of yourself – don’t do it as this is also one way scammers get access to more pictures to create more fake profiles.

Most of these guys will have some kind of sob story to get your sympathy. I got these – widowed and left with a beloved young daughter; cheated on and with a sick mother; and my personal favourite – a tragic accident that killed his kid who turned out not to be his kid because his ex-wife had been cheating on him. The stories are endless. It helps when some scammers try juggling too many targets at a time. ..

The Canadian-widower-with-a-beloved-daughter sent me an email meant for someone else called Sammie then forwarded me the exact same email with the ‘Dear ….’ name changed. Ha! You should’ve seen the back pedalling he did after that. I was giggling with glee all night. It is vindicating to have suspicions confirmed, but you won’t always have that luxury.

The Cheated-on-with-sick-mum guy “travelled” to Nigeria (alarm bells!) and while there, ran into some problems transferring some money for an urgent operation for his mum, asked if I could help. Pfft. Riiiight. And what urgent op did she need? A cataract operation. Sigh. Do your homework mister.

When I told Guy-with-dead-kid-who-wasn’t-his-kid that I was planning to come to Perth to visit him, he quickly arranged for a “work trip” to another town to bid for a project and found himself short of $11,000 for an orientation course. DING DING DING!!! Jackpot — another major loser.

I am not saying online dating is a complete failure because my search did throw up a couple of possibilities who are here, and who are willing to meet up. Meeting up face-to-face really helps you determine whether you could start something, whether this will be a new friend for you, or if this is a complete lost cause.

If you think that I am perhaps some embittered cynical chick, my friends will tell you they actually think I am too trusting and open-minded. Why do we put ourselves through this rigmarole? Sigh, maybe it is because our social circles are too closed to reveal new friendships. Maybe it is because we just aren’t the social animals we used to be. Maybe we are afraid to step out of our comfort zones. Whatever happens, don’t go online when you are vulnerable.

Go in with eyes open, a healthy dose of scepticism, and a truckload of common sense.

And because I am always such an optimistic romantic fool, I still believe there’s someone out there who’s just right for me, and for you! Happy and Safe Hunting!

Metamorphoenix is an over-40 full-figured newly-divorced sister searching for a happy life. It’s sometimes painful, sometimes funny, sometimes ridiculous … but always from the heart.

Posted in Metamorphoenix, Reflections | Comments Off

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

February 12th, 2012

This remake of the John le Carre hit spy thriller is made by Working Title films and StudioCanal. That should give you an idea of what it’s going to be like – it’s a Brit movie, funded by Euro money. That means, no Hollywood.

And it’s set in the ’70s and there is really very little visual aesthetic to love about the ’70s. Bad clothes, sideburns, bad hair… plus it’s Brit so it’s less shiny anyway.

But you know when a Brit film knocks it out of the park, it’s good…because it’s all about the quality – of acting, or writing, of performances. And when you have a who’s who of British talent (all males) – Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy (Inception), Benedict Cumberbatch (he’s the new Sherlock Holmes), John Hurt, Mark Strong – then you get a FORMIDABLE film.

The Cold War, the ’70s, spies, double agents – but no flash bang pow. It’s atmospheric suspense, attention to detail, and the old ways – no mobile phones, google, computers. It’s footwork, files, microfiches… Who is the mole within the British Secret Service (the Circus)?

Gary Oldman so deserves the Best Actor Oscar he’s nominated for. He’s almost unrecognisable: he never lets up his reserve, his front. It’s a superb shield, suggesting the automaton required for intelligence work (especially pertinent when juxtaposed with and emo Tom Hardy) – yet Oldman manages to suggest there is more behind that front. Fine, subtle acting.

This movie goes at its own pace, and the story unfolds very much as in a book. There are no shortcuts. The director (Tomas Alfredson) expects you to stay focussed and alert. He doesn’t throw you a chase sequence or any tricks to spice your ride.

You are plunged right into the detail and it’s a bit bewildering at first – be patient. It’s worth it. Go along with it.

It’s terrifically good. Atmospheric, taut, detailed, intelligent.

Posted in Literati-Glitterati, Movies | Comments Off

The Descendants

January 30th, 2012

this is a gem

It’s an unusual combination: Fox Searchlight, George Clooney, and the guy who made Sideways.

Because with the inclusion of Clooney you expect a big double-barreled blockbuster; and with Fox Searchlight and Alexander Payne, you expect nuance, subtlety, performances.

Unexpectedly, the movie is nuanced and comes at you…sideways. Like Sideways, it’s a journey through revelation of self/character, rather than ‘things happening’. In many ways, it felt very much like another favourite of mine, the quirky Little Miss Sunshine.

In this case, Max King (Clooney) has to deal with big issues: his wife is in a coma and dying, leaving him with 2 very disconnected daughters. He has big decisions to make about the future of the trust he administers, which owns a huge, untouched chunk of Kauai. He is the sole trustee of this land, handed down through Hawaiian royal history. On her deathbed he discovers his wife was not who he thought she was.

All this unfolds at a gentle pace – the soundtrack and sound effects of this movie are most definitely indie-feeling: no kerpow, or bang, but lots of silences and gentle Hawaiian folk music.

The focus is on Max leaving his comfort zone, and building unexpected relationships with his daughters.

What’s signature Payne about this movie is it can’t decide if it’s a tragedy, comedy, or drama. It’s mostly quiet and serious with gem-like moments of funny. Because life is like that.

That’s the main thrust of the movie, set up right in the beginning.

Life is life, no matter who you are, where you are, there are obstacles and hurdles, good moments and bad – everyone has their journey.

George Clooney, no matter how much they try to unglam him and make him look like an average middle-aged man, is still George Clooney. George Clooney in a bad outfit. George Clooney with bad hair. George Clooney looking tired. But still, iconic George Clooney.

What surprised me was his ability to convey tragic pain, sadness, mundanity, confusion, devastation. Because you know, glitzy George of the red carpets should be immune from that right? Which again leads back to the central premise : life is life, no matter who you are.

I could not forget that it was George Clooney playing Max King. But then, when I read the script, I cannot imagine anyone OTHER than George playing Max.

There are some fabulous performances in this movie. In fact, I can’t think of a single character that wasn’t authentic, real, gem-like and absolutely necessary.

Outstanding for me, Shailene Woodley as daughter Alex – all coltish and gorgeous and YOUTH. Overwhelming, intoxicating youth. Foul-mouthed, wayward, lost – and suddenly found with a new relationship with dad.

Younger daughter Scottie (Amara Miller) is also pitch-perfect: young, influenced by her older sister, sassy, slightly lost, totally unself-conscious.

Sid, played by Nick Krause, is an absolute delight. Annoying, perfect, necessary – what a great character.

Another standout was Judy Greer as Julie Speer. Totally arresting.

The director was absolutely right not to get distracted by the Hawaii issues – the movie is really only about the Haoles (whites) of Hawaii, not the locals, the Chinese, Japanese… as Max King himself realises

Even though we’re haole as shit and go to private schools and clubs and can’t even speak pidgin, let alone Hawaiian, we still carry Hawaiian blood, and we’re still tied to this land. And our children are tied to this land. It’s a miracle that for whatever bullshit reason 150 years ago, we own this much of… paradise, but we do. ..

The Hawaii of this movie is not the NaPali coastline, outrigger canoes, volcanoes and all those images we’re used to. Occasionally we get a glimpse of what it would be like to really live in Hawaii – not vacation in Hawaii. Nonetheless, Hawaii is a very real part of this movie.

Right after the movie ended I knew I liked it. A day later, I realise it’s crept under my skin, with all it’s quirks and nuances and real/funny/life observations and I totally love it.

Really finely-balanced, finely-tuned, just the right amounts of everything – a gem of a movie.

Posted in Literati-Glitterati, Movies | Comments Off

My Last Duchess

January 27th, 2012

I’ve long been a fan of history and historical fiction, especially if presented in a light-handed, deft way.

But my picking up My Last Duchess was definitely a post-Downton Abbey reaction.

This book was published last year, and not to be mistaken with Amanda Foreman’s The Duchess (made into a fabulous film starring Keira Knightly). At its core it is a love story, but set in amongst the particular issues of the age.

Cora is a young American heiress, when the rich in America were fabulously, out-there rich. This is the Gilded Age, the time of the Astors, the Vanderbilts, the ‘robber barons’. The rich were excessively rich, and lived madly extravagantly.

Cora’s socially ambitious mother takes her to England in search of a titled husband, and Cora unexpectedly falls in love with a real, young, handsome Duke, with an impoverished estate.

But the Duke has secrets and issues of his own, coupled with Cora being at a loss and ostracized for being a rich American – new money thrown at the aristocracy – and a cold reception from her British peers plus an awful feeling of getting everything wrong. The tall, rich beauty losing her footing amidst the cobwebs of traditions and great estates.

It is not a bodice-ripper, or a ‘romance’ novel. It is a close look at how Cora copes with all that is thrown at her, her new-found vulnerability, the ridiculousness she encounters, and her true coming of age.

It is a pretty astute observation on rules, emotions, naivete, intentions and, of course, what money can buy. And of course, a wonderful departure from the dreariness of our own reality.

I’m not sure all the questions that are posed on all those issues get answered. The ending, to me, is another big question in itself, at the choices Cora makes. But perhaps love is more powerful than anything else.

It was one of those rare books whose story arc, well-painted characters and excellent mise-en-scene sucked me in and I had to stop myself from reading it in one sitting.

It’s not a great book, but a pretty good read, and excellent escapism.

Posted in Books, Literati-Glitterati | Comments Off

Dragon Pottery/Pottery Jungle

January 24th, 2012

First up, that’s not their proper name.

The proper name is Thow Kwang Industry, famous for having the only ‘dragon’ kiln in Singapore. Hence, Dragon Pottery/Pottery Jungle.

I’m sure you would’ve heard that they are probably going to be shut down soon to make way for Progress.

Established in 1965, I believe the lease expires end March, so if you are so inclined, hie thee to Kranji.

You can make this a part of a Kranji day out, mapped out by the National Heritage Board. Check this out. It’s a nice way to spend the day, not malls, not developments, and slightly wild.

The dragon kiln is a long oven that gets fired a couple of times a year, and potters love it for the unique glaze it brings.

Anyway, if you aren’t a potter, the unfired kiln isn’t much to look at.

one end of the long dragon kiln

There is a studio area, and classes on offer – but not for much longer.

What you go for is the VAST, mad, eclectic collection of ceramics for sale.

Tchotchkes like you wouldn’t believe, some scary, some tacky, some cute, and all sorts of plates, dishes, pots, umbrella stands.

©Jay Budai

©Jay Budai

I wouldn’t say it’s crazy cheap, but definitely unique in having so much in one spot. I remember when Holland Village had the stores that sold all these great ‘tongs’ – now gone of course.

pots, vases, pots, vases, pots, vases...

love these ceramic stools

deity anyone?

there's an upscale corner, with collectibles

fine work too

there's also stone and terracotta

and some celadon

It’s a nice spot, still has a bit of a kampong feel and a sense of countryside about it.

The whole Kranji area (except for the CleanTech Park development that’s the reason for the end of the dragon kiln) gives you a real feeling of getting away from the city.

©Jay Budai

Sadly these pockets are getting smaller and smaller, so do get out there.

Thow Kwang Industry

85 Lorong Tawas Singapore 639823

6268 6121