Kairos

The Phantom of the Opera

2012-02-10T16:57:00.002+05:30

Just like watching a match in a stadium trumps the telly everytime, witnessing a musical beats watching it on the screen. This 5 D experience is still miles ahead of any 3 D or 4 D experience. The special effects would not have been possible on screen. The music entered our souls, with its haunting beauty.

The singing was spell binding. The stage was grand. Even though we were watching it from the Grand Circle, we could see everything. The characters expressions were not as important as their voices, outfits, and the use of the stage.

It reminded me of Greek theatre- the amphitheatres with masks, or the Parthenon with large sculptures so that worshippers could see detail from a distance too. Am an Andrew Lloyd Webber fan now.

Operas seem less accessible, like Indian classical music. You can only admire the power of the singer, but not identify with it. This one involved us because of the masala mix of love, horror, and visual grandeur.

Mirrors which characters stepped through, trapdoors which made them disapper, smoke, guns, boats and paths on the stage which wound long- we saw them all. The intricate chandelier, stage within a stage, and the painted on scenery were perfection.

The story in this case seems secondary. Although I will read the book. Am a musical junkie now.

Cooking in Progress

2012-02-09T15:24:00.000+05:30

There's something about food
That puts me in a good mood
The washing purifies me too
The chopping takes away blues

For it requires mind. The violence
Dissipates my frustration. Hence
When I make the oil sizzle in the wet
It is easy to make the veggies sweat.

Stirring rhythmically, seeing my creation form
The uncertainty of it. Will the spices storm?
Patience in spades is needed. The clock helps not
Only my gut, for when the veggies are done in the pot.

Somehow the eating is all the sweeter then
To feed myself and another, to know when
we stop, tomorrow too I will cook
And it doesn't happenn by the book.

Oxbridge & Madame Tussaud's

2012-02-06T18:13:00.001+05:30

Although Oxford has grander buildings, the punting at Cambridge was fun. it also seems more modern than Oxford. Saw the place where Pink Floy first played. there were ice bits on the river. The blanket they provided came in handy. Had the most delicious burger with chips at The Bath House in Cambridge.
Quite liked Oxford Castle at Oxford. Several shops and restaurants dot it. Discovered it after it had shut for the day though. Still, walking through it by the moonlight was enjoyable.
Some of the wax figures at Madame Tussaud's didn't look that lifelike. The best was Arnold Schwarzenegger, perhaps because he looks so like a wax model himself :) The horror show was hum drum.
The Marvel Experience in 4 D was new, although it was short- only ten minutes. With water squirting, 3 D effects and so on, I'm now a fan of this technology.

National Gallery, Saatchi Gallery & Science Museum

2012-02-06T16:05:00.000+05:30

Did both tours at the National Gallery. The guide covered the Impressionists, a delightful series of paintings by William Hogarth called Marriage a la Mode, with lawyer Silver Tongue, an unfaithful wife, and other dramatic elements.
The Ambassadors, by Hans Holbein the Younger, was interesting because of the skull which looked like a skull when viewed sideways, not from the front. I also liked Turner's The Fighting Temeraire, it has beautiful yellows in the sunset.
In contrast, the Saatchi Gallery tour focussed much more on your interpretation of the work. Gesamtkunstwerk- new art from Germany is the current exhibition in their 11 galleries.It made little sense when I saw it without the guide. Gesamtkunstwerk means "total work of art". It was fascinating how a particular srtist had managed to get an expression on a sculpture with just a few strokes.
Another had used bread, marble, and wood to create leaves. A pipe ran from one branch to another, carrying yellow paint. Did that suggest a drain of nature by man? Screws driving the 'leaves' in the branch heightened this impression. The branches where the pipes led seemed less rough than the source branch, further adding to this notion.
If you look at the last image on the above link, there are two gruesome sculptures, one of which is similar in form to the painting which is part of the set. A keen eye is important to see these kinds of things. Art is not just about imitating life, but using media to comment on it. The viewer can decode and unwrap the work at leisure.
20:50, Richard Wilson's permanent installation at the gallery, is deceptively simple. The black and white large spaces reflect each other, suggesting maya. The sharp smell of engine oil adds another dimension. If you breathe gently on it, ripples are created on the bottom surface!
Continuing the technology theme, Science Museum, was fun, especially as I am more of an artsi. There was a piece of rock from the moon, rockets, mini ships, and old cars. Place was overrun with young boys mostly, on school trips. Had some yum pumpkin and goat's cheese pizza there for lunch. Too cold right now to plan more sightseeing. Snow fell this weekend, softening the landscape. There's still some on the car outside my window.

National Theatre and Southbank Centre

2012-01-28T18:29:00.001+05:30

Saw "Grief" at the National Theatre. Had some very witty dialogues and wonderful acting. Felt as if PG Wodehouse characters had come to life, with Jolly Goods, and old bean. Then listened to some lilting live music in the foyer. It is now my favourite place in London.
Also by the riverside is the Southbank Centre. saw an exhibition- Crazy Coffins- there. an aeroplane, a skateboard, and a sled as well as a guitar were preferred by enthusiasts for burial. I think it's a good idea, linking to a larger concept when you RIP.
The singing lift at the Southbank Center startled me at first, but it is melodius. Browsed a book at the Poetry Library at the Southbank Center, and then braved rush hour on the tube while heading home.

bank of england museum

2012-01-13T01:45:00.001+05:30

tried to lift a deceptively small thirteen kilo bar there. also pulled some strings while playing a balloon game. appare tly they were to co trol inflatio and i was seventy per cent accurate without even trying!

natural history museum

2012-01-11T03:56:00.000+05:30

the dinosaur skeletons were the best part. also like the blue whale model and skeleton exhibit. the interactive displays were interesting. saw some colorful birds, winsome sheep, and giant antlers. dodos, snakes, and termite hills nine metres tall made it seem like a global zoo.

cafe godiva, chislehurst caves, courtauld art gallery

2012-01-11T03:42:00.000+05:30

Spent nearly three hours shopping in harrods and never realised the time. cafe godiva was worth the wait. the presentation was as good as the chocolate. the chocolate melted as i drank it, the cupcake was divinely sinful. the simple decor kept the focus on the chocolate. spotligts shone on us as we got a little taste of heaven.

on sunday we went to chislehurst caves. twenty miles of chalk caves built by the druids, romans, and saxons. we got a gas lantern as we entered. our guide pointed out the carvings made by miners. we also saw sculptures made by a new zealand artist, of spiderman, canary wharf, etc.

it was quite spooky! Heard stories about people who tried to spend a nigt here but couldnt. a couple who didi ended up with dislocated shoulders and so on. we also heard echoes our guide made.

world war two saw these caves being used as bunkers. saw models of those too. an hour was quite enough. it was a change from palaces, museums, amd churches though.

courtauld art gallery was also fun. saw fauvist art which is colorful. kandinskys, goyas, renoir, manet, and the rest of the whos who were there. as the paintings were displayed in a house the effect was more intimate.

Tate Modern

2012-01-07T03:27:00.001+05:30

Although I saw a Dali, Picassos, Kandinsky and a Monet, overall I did not marvel at the paintings. Early modern art seemed better than current modern art. Reading explanations to make sense of the artworks palled.
Too many exhibits relied on glorifying the everyday. While earlier artists looked to nature for the sublime, modern ones rely on technology for a similar effect. I enjoyed one artist's work - she had used optical waves to create a sense of movement in her paintings.
Finally had scones. No wonder Enid Blyton mentioned them so often in her books- they are yum. Although it would be easier for energetic children to work off these jammy, creamy, buttery concoctions.

british museum

2012-01-05T19:12:00.004+05:30

Enjoyed my visit to the British Museum with my friend Neha yesterday. A mind boggling number of curiosities across civilizations were there. We took audio guides to help us make sense of our surroundings.
We started with the Parthenon: Greek mythology came alive with statues of gods I had only read about. Zeus, Poseidon, and everyone else were present. The craftsmen skill made the horses in the sculptures seem poised in action.
We learnt how these were carved so that those viewi g froma distance could make out thedetails.The Roman and British as well as other European artefacts seemed to be derivatives of the Grecian era.
We also marvelled at the Egyptian exhibits of intricately painted mummys. Indian section was conspicuous by its absence. Guess the West finds Egypt exotic while we find Europe unusual.
After six hours i the museum, with a break for pasta we were ready for hot chocolate and cake with cherry sauce at thr London review bookshop nearby. Thoughts fed, after a spot of browsing we wereready to go.

Wonderful Wimbledon

2012-01-04T02:20:00.000+05:30

Yesterday we started early so that we could see St.Paul's Cathedral before Wimbledon. Climbed three hundered odd steps for a not so spectacular view of the surroundings. Enjoyed a close look at the ceiling though. After Westminster it was underwhelming.
Centre Court on Wimbledon was spectacular. Marvelled at the trophies in the museum. No less than the crown jewels. The sun was out and the sky was blue, so photos came out well. Also saw court one, the press interview room, the roll of honour, and the court where the longest match was played. Strawberries and cream was out of season but enjoyed an onion tart, stone baked pizza, and tea with traditinal fruit cake. Saw the original giant crocodile logo on Lacoste's tshirt. Would like to watch a match here.
Hampton Court Palace gardens were beautiful. The palace interiors not so much.

Windsor Castle and the London Bridge Experience, as well as Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

2012-01-02T03:29:00.000+05:30

Today we took an hour to reach Windsor Castle. Took the train twice after taking the Tube. It was a proper castle on a hill. A royal dollhouse with an electric vacuum cleaner, gold cutlery and the works served as a preview for the actual royal rooms that we
saw later. Painted ceilings, Rembrandts, royal beds, were all there.
The knighting room was also grand. Tipu Sultan's gold tiger head was very impressive.

The journey back took a couple of hours. The Chamber of Horrors at the London Bridge experience was a little spooky. Kept my head down and held on to the girl in front of me. The big squeeze was the most scary, where the walls closed in. The bumpy lift was fun too. As a vegetarian, the room with meat in it made my skin crawl.

Managed to make it to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. The open air theatre is a loving reconstruction of the original, with wooden benches, painted marble columns on stage, and a balcony which Romeo must have used. There is spacd for the groundlings, the nobles who would hear the play from the balcony, or sit on stage on the balcony to show off. .
rounded the day offwith Turkish food. yum. live music, green decorwith lovely lighting and a live kitchen added to the mood.

London Pass

2012-01-02T03:22:00.001+05:30

Yesterday was the first full day of sigtseeing in London thanks to the London Pass. This enables us to see some main sites in London. We took the three day option. Started with Westminster Abbey. High, majestic ceilings, with detailed work, it had a spiritual air about it. Every hour there is a minute's pause for prayer, which makes it even more peaceful.
Most kings and queens - the Henrys, the Edwards, Marys, Elizabeths are buried here. The gold at the altar was stunning. I liked the Poet's Corner best. Browning, Tennyson, Hopkins, Dickens, Eliot, and therest of the gang are buried here too. Made their work seem more real to see their names on the floor I think.
Then we took a cruise to the Tower of London. Saw the Crown Jewels, the Kohinoor. The Tower seemed a little wild, with a Traitor's Gate, a Bloody Tower. It is spread over a vast expanse. Our next stop was the Tower Bridge. We took the lift four floors up for a magical view of the London skyline. The engine room, with detai,s of the machinery which enables the bridge to oen in the middle, was fascinating.
thenhad yummy lasagna and quiche at a nearby cafe we stumbled on.

Amusing myself in a museum

2011-12-30T03:38:00.001+05:30

Went to the London Museum today. Enjoyed myself. Especially liked the Elizabethan display. Started from prehistoric, which I guess is common across civilizations. Medieval was interesting too. There were quaint exhibits like a puzzle jug with three spouts, me
ant to confuse the drinker.
It was quite interactive, with children encouraged to try on clothes from different eras. It was fascinating to see the minutae of a bygobe age, from manicure kits to gowns. Also enjoyed learning about the buldings here that I had already visited. The London Wall was right outside the museum, and a glass window showcased it inthe museum.

Vauxhall got a special section, and I remembered Georgette Heyer novels. Also liked the section which had padlocks and chains used by the suffragettes. Saw a William novel in anexhibit showing the stuff children took with them during the war evacuation.
Also
saw the first Time Out. Took the highwalk back to the Barbican, an international India Habitat Centre I found yesterday. The library was open for longer today, so read the Time Out guide to London.

Boxing Day and the Bank Holiday

2011-12-28T03:13:00.000+05:30

yesterday, went to Oxford St. to shop. Hordes of people were there for the Boxing Day sales. Intheafternoon, part of the street was cordoned off after a teen got stabbed there. Had a late lunch of lip smacking Lebanese. Took thebus back again as the tube strike was on. Enjoyed the view from the deck.
Today, went to Hyde Park. Then Harrod's. Had to stand in line to enter the perfumesale area. Worth it though. Beautifully done up, with a sense of history, it trulywas experience shopping. Egyptian hall to modern interiors, it had a variety of settings. Oohed and aahed over soft Hermes bags, modern works of art. Today too, the tube was partly shut. Eateries also shut early.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-26T15:52:00.002+05:30

went to piccadilly on christmas eve. lovely shops, playhouses, and restaurants. saw a ship in a bottle at the square, Nelson's Column, and fountains inwater. very European. Trafalgar Square also had a Christmas tree Norway sent, which was tall. Also walked to Leicester Square. Continued taking photos of the beautiful buildings.
Heard the Big Ben chime the quarter hours. Saw the vast Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Also saw Buckingham Palace. The Tube was smller than I expected but easy to use. Also saw the Thames and London Eye. Had a delicious late lunch of pasta at an Italian restaurant by the street.

First Friday

2011-12-24T03:28:00.001+05:30

had dimsums for lunch. discovered a shortcut to liverpool station and spotted heron tower, which I had seen yesterday. Stumbled on to St. Paul's Cathedral. Bells were ringing. Very soothing. It is huge. Only saw it from outside though. Huge line for non ticketed entry to carol service. Rained but now I just turn a thick skin. Bank of England remained elusive. Felt like Christopher Columbus. Set out to find a bank and found a cathedral instead. Maps helped me make my way back. Shops are so nice and warm here, no wonder Shopaholic was a shopaholic. Had some yum chili cheese nuggets at Burger King. Saw kids i e skating away at a rink, even in the rain. Enjoyed eggnog latte at Starbucks. Did a couple of crosswords while I rested my weary feet and mustered up enoug courage to brave the cold wind outside. Want to see the Xmas lights at Hyde Park and Oxford St. Here too, Time Out is my guide. Was fun to read about restaurants online which I had seen during the day.

Walkathons

2011-12-23T01:08:00.000+05:30

have been walking around my area, enoug to get backhomecomfortably - thirty minutes each way. theunexpected discoveries are the best part. walked downmystreet with a friend. it was interestingto see our neighbourhood through her eyes. keen to lunch at a lanewhich hhas street food in the day.
saw some artistic graffiti in Shoreditch. walked till a building which loked like a rocket.
yesterday I think I saw the bank of England.
today was the longest I walked- three hours. The lanehad mostly houses and offices. Kings Cross station was grand. Got a map so hope to take a bus or the tube soon.

London Bridge

2011-12-19T23:40:00.000+05:30

london seems staight out of the storybooks I read and re read as a child. you actually get eggnog here, which the fairies in Enid Blyton, used to get high on. Vera Wang gowns are advertized on the telly, which I first read about in Shopaholic. I keep expecting to see Mrs. D alloway on her bus ride.
Day one saw me exclaiming over the buildings on the way fromthe airport. On one side modern, the other old. Saw Ickenham on the tube and remembered PG Wodehouse. Keen to go to the Sherlock Holmes museum. Saw Baker St.

Mountain Memories

2011-10-17T11:37:00.002+05:30

From Rimbik, a plenitude of greenery on the way calmed my spirit. Rivers, mini waterfalls on the way, valleys and mountains all greeted us. The waterfall had water in a hurry, in contrast to the rest of the surroundings, which simply were.

Watercolors merged with blue, trees silhouetted against the sky. After lunch, another trek took us to Gurdum. UNO now also known as ENO and a local brew led to a merry evening. Saw orchids too.

Next morning, after a breathtaking sunrise, we started trekking to Sandakfu. The stillness and coolness of the jungle green was soothing. Panoramic clouds crept up on the hillside. Felt like pulling a particularly fluffy one down for a pillow.

It gave a feeling of achievement to see how far we had come in just half an hour. Seven hours later we were in Sandakfu. Most of us slept through the sunset. In the morning we saw the first rays of the sun hit Kanchenjunga and Mount Everest. The range looked like a sleeping Buddha.

Coming back we reached Gurdum by lunch and Srikhola by evening. In the morning we trekked to Rimbik by starlight and torchlight. The entire sky was glowing with stars. After a peach blushed sunrise on the way, we soon hit the plains.

I can still taste the memories though. Only need to close my eyes and I am back in the hills.

Silver Lining

2011-10-17T11:33:00.004+05:30

The stars elbowed out the night from the sky.

I knew Venus, Sirius, and Orion’s Belt.

Then I started making up my own.

Silver spangles in the sky’s night dress.

They rained down on us, as we craned our necks.

Hillistan

2011-10-17T11:31:00.002+05:30

Is it hookah smoke?

Or are the hills on coke?

Tucked in a white blanket they will slumber sweetly

Till they are woken up tomorrow morning.

Sunset in the Hills

2011-10-17T11:30:00.003+05:30

Blue light of twilight rose to the top like yeast

While the golden red sunset we know

Settled like rust in boiled water at the bottom.

Streaks of gold electrified the sky

Intense fireworks before the earth sleeps again

Red clouds blushed the sky for an evening out.

Sunrise at Gurdum

2011-10-17T11:28:00.002+05:30

The sun made its presence felt

Yellowing the sky while being out of sight

Then blues, as if it didn’t want to get up

But had to, for duty’s sake, to awaken us.

Still no sight of the sun, now

Watercolour hues drench the sky

Yellow wins finally

Warming waves of mountains from the back

Which we can’t see, only deduce.

A range of cloud formations also seduce

It is camera shy

Warm red with yellow in the right.

Want to erase the mountains blocking our view

Like we could do when we painted them in

Now we cross them, once we choose to and have to both.

Now the warmth reaches the eyes

The clouds on the left warm

The mountains in front of the red

Are mere graph lines now.

Streaks that could be clouds

Now the yellow’s warmer

That’s where the sun is

The rays reach an opposite mountain

The yellow’s swallowed the red

Liquid gold floods the V.

Relationship is a Big Word

2011-09-15T14:21:00.001+05:30

The first part of that word- "relation"- seems less appealing than the second- "ship". "Relation" reminds me of duty, while "ship" seems delicious, sailing off in the unknown.

Isn't that why we hang out with others? To escape from ourself? We know our stories, we need to hear theirs, and view our lives through their lenses. Talking to old friends on the phone, I can pick up the threads easily from where we left off.

Sometimes, it's like the Pause button has been hit. The story moves forward when we meet again. At reunions, we rewind. Parties are when we fast forward, accelerating our lives in the frenzied rush to have a good time before midnight.

While we wait for release from boredom, we must pack in learning, entertainment, and action. Although nowdays my RSS feed on Facebook or Twitter timeline seems to be more active than me :)