Friday 26 April 2013

The Blood

The implanting of the Brain
"With special FX you can do it, too!"
Since the movies that we watched was quite gruesome, i.e. blood splattering as a body was thrown from a high rise building.  We started a discussion of the special effects used in movies.  
It was quite a revelation for her to find out that nobody actually dies in the Tommy Cavendish scene in Cloud Atlas.  Although, she wanted to experiment on her own. I only just managed to halt a pre-planned prank she was about to pull on her grandparents.

Fancy some blood recipes?
These are what you need:
- a pinch of Carboxy methyl cellulose (a gelling agent)
- a pinch of red food colouring
- a pinch of black food colouring
- a pinch of pink food colouring
- water to get the desired effect

You should end up with something like this:
 To pull a prank like this:
"AAAAHHH, pooped my gut out!!!"

The Babies and a Recipe

This morning, we went on a hunt in our garden.  The hunt is called: spot the babies.
Some are hiding under the soil, some are standing tall trying to hide under the flower.
Can you spot them?



 The lettuces are still thriving even after many many salad dinners that we had.

Salad recipe:
A bunch of lettuce leaves, cut or leave as is
2 eggs, cut into quarters
1/4 red capsicum, cut into cubes 
1/4 yellow capsicum, ditto
2 slices of home made bread, splash olive/grape seed oil, sprinkle salt, cut into cubes, put into oven for 5 minutes high
2 potatoes, cut into cubes
1 tomato, cut into quarters

Dressing recipe:
1/2 lemon, extract its juices
2 tbsp grape seed oil / olive oil
salt
pepper
honey, to offset the acidic taste
Stir all, sprinkle over salad, toss

YUMMMO

Wish we took a picture before devouring everything, all the time!


Sunday 14 April 2013

Channeling Erik


Things do not happen coincidentally in life.

Everybody, whether they acknowledge it or not, are connected with everybody else, regardless of their geographical location, age, race, religion, etc.
It is the sense of this separation from everyone else that makes one feels the emptiness in their life.

Others who are connected, realise that this separation, is something unique to us as human.  To have amnesia of where we came from, of what our missions are, and of what we're actually made of, it is truly a challenging place to be in, this earth.

As generations pass, the lessons get harder to learn for the next generation.
In the older, we see them struggle with jealousy, anger, grief, physical pain.
In the middle, we see self realisation making them lonely, ego making them ruthless leaders, greed making them unavailable emotionally.
In the younger, we see them struggle to adjust to this physical body, some are too disconnected from their physicality, labels being put on them.  Autism, down syndrome, bipolar, Schizophrenics, etc.  Everyday is already a struggle to control this body of theirs.

What have we learnt from these younger generations that are our future?  Do we still hold the belief system that "Momma knows best?"

Erik can tell you all about this.
So many others across the world have crossed path with him in one way or another.  This weekend, I dedicated it to Erik Rune Medhus and Dr. Elisa Medhus.
Thank you for everything you have done.
Click for it here : Channeling Erik

Friday 12 April 2013

How to Answer the Questions on the "Things You Should Never Ask A Single Mom"


Last night, I was pondering about an article I read on how to answer those rude questions people ask single moms.  You can read the article: here.

This "being single" state is the one questionable by the person questioning.  When to the doer, the one in that "being single" state does not question anything about their state.

I know a single dad with 3 kids who got divorced earlier than I am and was in a quest of finding a new mom for his kids.  Today, he's still in a state of limbo, with marred name everywhere and wish he has the courage to even end his own sorry life.  He did find a partner, with her own 3 kids, and life has never improved since.

The question becomes then, what does one do whilst being in that "being single" state?  Is it enough to do what the article above says?

Well, I tell you what, the only relationship that is necessary to have, is the relationship between you and YOUR self.
When you know yourself and YOUR self, YOU will then guide you into another life where these people who poses annoying questions, don't even exists!

I am not bothered by these silly questions/statements such as:
- "Why don't you re-marry, my friend who got divorce same time as you did already re-marry and they're happy, you know?"
- "Pity your child, she needs a father figure!"
- "Don't you feel lonely?"
- "Join my religious community, you'll be taken care of."

Come backs to those are really enough with a smile (not a smirk) and sincere love, because their attempt to meddle into my life are actually the only way they know how to express their care.

There's no need to justify my state of being single.  This is what I signed up for, to experience in this time period.
There's no need to judge them who asks, because to them, my circumstances matter, but to me, circumstances don't matter, only my state of being matters.
The climb is difficult, but when you get to the top, the flight is worth the struggle.




Thursday 11 April 2013

Cloud Atlas Movie vs Novel


The challenge in this, is to read the novel before the movie airs.
That is, a 509 pages thick book, in between being a mom, a driver, a maid and an employee.
Stressful much?  Not at all.  In fact, I enjoy the book more than the movie to be honest.  I came out of the theatre feeling that I've been robbed of experiencing the wholeness of the novel.  Am pretty sure it was because of the saturated censorship here that caused my incomplete experience of the whole movie.  Although there is much enjoyment in watching the main characters came alive and the amazing music that it has, I just felt that I need to see the movie in its complete form without censorship at all to enjoy it fully.
Citing from Wiki: "The movie was released in cinemas in China on January 31, 2013 with 39 minutes of cuts, including removal of nudity, a sexual scene, and numerous conversations.".

My feeling is that Tykwer and Wachowskis, the film maker, would've been able to do a much better rendition in making it as a trilogy, like their (Wachowskis') Matrix Trilogy.  However, the downside of making something as a trilogy is the need of surety that the first one will sell to make people want to see the second, and then it has to sustain its steam to make the public aware of the third and therefore buying the complete trilogy DVDs, etc.
Since many of the ideas in this novel is in itself very novel, i.e. a clone, who has no soul, starting a revolution,- it might flop in the first 20 minutes, let alone getting sequels' fund or interest in merchandise.  Unlike other trilogies, which are purely categorised as science fiction with simple theme of good vs evil, journey to the middle earth, etc.

Honestly, this novel and movie are not for the masses.  It challenges everyone's beliefs and forces you to question whether we really are all connected somehow.
When I went to see the movie, a family actually walked out after the gay kissing scene.  I wonder how that got the tick from the censorship department.  Ha ha.

The novel has 6 different stories, broken into halves except the one in the middle, with the comet birthmark and the mentioning of the other chapters as a binder to make a book as one.

The movie is a story with these characters that have the same comet birthmark on different parts of their body, living in different eras, somehow learning what they need to learn, differently throughout their various times.
The scenes are shot jumping from one era to another.  Seriously, if the directors are trying to convey to the public the idea that time is not linear, then they've succeeded.  I did not feel confined to a specific era at all but actually connecting with the different incarnation of the person with the comet birthmark.

It was quite fun to point out the similarities and differences between the various scenes of the movies and the parts of the book.  The ones that stood out to me were:
- The comet birthmark:
In the book, Robert Frobisher's on shoulder blade, but movie, at his back, shown just before he climbed out Rufus Sixsmith's window.
- Relationships:
Movie does not explore Jocasta's affair with Frobisher.  Or perhaps it was censored?  I don't know.
- Different executions:
Movie does not explore Sonmi's study time at University and many characters were cut out.  Totally left out the scene where a doll is thrown off the bridge.
In the book, Catkin was cured by a pill from Meronym but in the movie, it was a quick jab from Meronym's tool by Zachry.
Cavendish never had a stroke in the movie.
Mr.Meeks was picked up in the movie, but he's already inside the car in the novel.

The movie need a lot of dramatic scenes to capture the audience's attention, graphic portrayal of  Finch being thrown off the balcony, the Kona's brutality, etc.  The book captured my attention by the different ways of how each chapters are written, as soon as I go into another chapter, I felt transported into that era and the style of writing changes to suit.  Ingenious!

In conclusion, I must get the movie's complete version, unabridged and uncensored.  I'm glad I read the book first before seeing the movie, although I felt cheated intelligently, but the soundtrack and the special effects for the make up (how they turn Zhou Xun into Rose, Doona Bae into Tilda, Halle Berry into Jocasta, etc) patched up all the disappointment.

Disclaimer: I don't own the picture of "Cloud Atlas" above.

Monday 8 April 2013

Organic Gardening

As part of our homeschooling, we decided to put into practice the nutrition points we studied.  
Organic homegrown is what we've decided to experiment with.  Re-purposing anything and everything is our motto.  
So, as soon as the January sun came and the weather became much happier than the usual sombre note, we sang and talked to the seeds to grow and grow for us.
Rinsed used eggs
Fertile soil
Organic seeds
Lettuces
  

Alfalfa seeds planting soil-less
Alfalfa seeds planting with soil


Harvested Alfalfa: soil-less are not so strong, with soil  are tastier
Spinach 
Lettuces in re-purpose jerrycans
 
 




Zucchinis
Carrots

Honestly, we are salivating when we go to our organic garden.  It's been and am sure will be more rewarding as time goes by.  Go organic, plant your own :)

Friday 5 April 2013

She Paints Horses

Since I was young, I am always fascinated by horses.  It has an enchanting factor that holds power over any other creature.
Interestingly, someone else across the other side of the world, also have the same passion over horses.
While mine can only be expressed through music (think of a Chinese folk song played on the Erhu), Kasia Grajoszek expresses hers over canvas.

I must say, this black stallion against the red background is the one that I love most.
Visit her site by clicking this link: she paints horses

I'm using this image that I took a while back, of a horse and cart which am not so keen about.  I always thought that they should be free.

Unbridled.
This word makes me stop and wonder, what human seldom realise, that if they slow down and value the things they do from the moment they wake up, the ones that worth the most, are actually the ones without a price tag.