With all thy getting, get understanding

Solomon was really on to something. He really had everything mortal man could want in the physical world. Money, fame, power, women, properties, children (this one's a bit iffy. And yet his knowledge that all that is nothing without understanding (or wisdom, as some translations have it), is really mind boggling.

In a time when so much of what we do seems to be based on how we feel, rather than what we know, I am reminded that wisdom to sift the wheat from the chaff is indeed the most valuable thing of all.

So much is relative, so much is measured on the level of pure emotion, that it is easy to look track of what's real and go with the flow. I am thankful for reminders everyday.

I know this is kinda rambling and random, but I needed to remember I said this.

Theatre Review: Shakespeare - Reduced and Riotous

I went to the opening night performance by the Reduced Shakespeare Company last night with my friend-in-all-things-literary. The complete works of Shakespeare - Abridged, performed in 97 minutes. All 37 plays, some sonnets, some aprocryphal works and a whole lot of physical comedy, innuendo, quote massacre,puns and play-on-words thrown in.

While most of the plays were mainly touch and go,(All the comedies were lumped together under a skit titled "4 weddings and a tranvestite"), the entire second half was devoted to what is considered Shakespeare's greatest work of all time. (And if you have to ask which one, tch).

The most enjoyable was the incredible versality of the actors, whose multiple talents really kept you guessing at what they are going to come up with next. Adding relevancy with references to popular culture (who hasn't used wiki or google to research eh?), the performance reminded us of the Bard's innate talents as well as his absolute verbosity, his penchant to "distil" other people's works and to pair the most unlikely couples in his many plays (many of whom can be married in various states in the US, as astutuely observed by the players).

If you are planning to watch this, you are in for the laugh of your life. I can't remember the last time I saw the aforementioned partner in crime laugh so hard or lose it so badly.

If you weren't planning to watch this, let me assure you that dont need a knowledge of Shakesepeare's work to enjoy it. Go. Now.

Till 2 August 2009
Drama Centre
Tickets from $19 at Sistic.

Resolve or Dissolve

Dinner with PKH yesterday was good for my sense of sensibility and perspective. Being the intense, analytical, very logical and feet firmly on the ground kinda person that he is, his views on almost everything are about 180 degrees removed form mine. Which is why I enjoy our friendship so much.

His take on the whole resolve or dissolve dilemma was at total odds to all my previously held opinions on the subject. When someone steps out of character and does something that shows initiative and a desire to communicate, is that reason to celebrate the effort or use it to make my case against why he cannot be trusted.

Food for thought.

Bob Blumer - An encounter

Last Saturday, I was blessed with the opportunity to attend a cooking class hosted by Bob Blumer, one of my Discovery Travel and Living heroes. Bob hosted a really cute show called Surreal Gourmet, where he travelled around toaster-mobile in his cooking extaordinary meals for the most unlikely people, with the simplest ingredients. Bob has a great sense of humour, and his passionate for food, coupled with the cute Canadian way he says "aboot" instead of "about" makes him very likeable indeed.

The class was a blast! There were perhaps 30 of us in all, contest winners, food bloggers and other calefare i.e me. He was in town to promote his new show "glutton for punishment" which almost killed him, to hear him tell it. Although he looked really tired, he was most obliging with our incessant requests for photo opps, autographs and dumb questions (can I use oil instead of butter?) He had just come from Manila and was leaving for KL the next day and I was surprised he wasn't more grumpy.

Bob taught us how to make chicken on a stick, prawns on a stick and chocolate wontons (not on a stick). The food was amazing, but it paled in comparision to meeting a prolebrity (professional celebrity?).

The good people at Discovery did a bang up job organising this, and gave us nice freebies like a awesome apron and a Glutton for Punishment Coffee Cup with cover/cookie plate. I love it!

It was an awesome experience. Thanks S for asking me to go and thank you God, for making it possible.

PS Photos later. For some reason blogger won't let me post photos at the mo.

What this woman wants - really

I had a good talk with an old friend yesterday (has it really been 10 years?!) and we spoke of many things. Then he asked me a question which really floored me.

What do you want, he said, all serious.

I hadn't thought about what I wanted in such a long time then I was completely bewildered for a while. What DO I want? Then I started thinking, what if what i want is too superficial, too shallow, too minor? Does it then make it something not worth wanting, or even worth having?

It's something I am still pondering. Who knew such a simple question would be so hard to answer.

Sometimes...

.. it's just not enough.