thelondonyears

David H at the RAA

thelondonyears — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:09:37 +0000

Whereas the DaV exhibit at the NG is known as London’s premiere art exhibit in ’11, the RAA’s David H show is already reputed as the show to see this year. I was stunned by the vivid colour used to depict an otherwise melancholy English countryside in the larger-than-life-sized works. M was impressed by the aged artist’s use of technology: the mammoth wall hangings are prints of the artist’s work executed on an iPad. Of course, one would never know looking at the art that they are merely reproductions of what was created on an Apple product. At the RAA, the joke is on the technophobe and the jester is a technophile.

“Master Class”

thelondonyears — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:06:37 +0000

In a major departure from the English-themed theatre we’ve been attending the last few months, last night we saw “Master Class”, the biographical play about Greek opera singer Maria C. TV actress Tyne D does an outstanding impersonation of the “canary” as the starlet’s wealthy Greek husband Ari calls her. My favourite scene in the show is when Tyne D performs a one-woman re-enactment of a conversation between Ari and Maria: Ari courts Maria with his money – they share no pretensions that theirs is a union based on love or mutual admiration. Maria yearns for the freedom that comes with great wealth and Ari for the “class” Maria brings to his name. Their relationship is only one facet of Maria’s dramatic personal life, in that way not unlike the characters she performed on stage.

A brief visit to Lausanne

thelondonyears — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:28:30 +0000

I just returned from Lausanne where I spent a few days with my niece NR while her parents tended to professional commitments. The two of us had a great time hanging out in the park plus I indoctrinated her into English culture via the adventures of Paddington Bear. Once again, I was amazed at how quickly NR is developing. She’s started walking since I saw her 2.5 weeks ago in LI and I noticed her physically mimicking my body language (brushing my hair, applying moisturizer, etc.) this visit. She’s now everyone’s favorite in the family with good reason.

“The Pitmen Painters”

thelondonyears — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 10:36:35 +0000

Last night a few of us went to see “The Pitmen Painters”, another production in our recent “English-culture theatre spree”. The “pitmen” refers to miners in the ’30s who formed an arts collective later known as the Ashington Group. M and I loved how projections of the real-life works by these blue-collar painters were interspersed throughout the show: the authenticity, emotions, and subject (their local communities, mining) are incredible considering the men’s lack of technical training and limited exposure to the arts. The show also reminded me of the pleasure that comes from watching actors that have been performing for decades. In the youth culture we live in, opportunities to see seasoned artists perform in mainstream venues are rare. Watching the cast last night inspired me to think about longevity in the arts, commitment to a craft, and ageism in popular culture. Afterward, we explored the creative martini menu at Christopher’s, an American restaurant smack in the middle of London’s West End.

PM and M’s miso salmon

thelondonyears — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 22:36:56 +0000

Tonight we hosted PM for dinner. I made my specialty spinach salad, but M was the head chef: he prepared his tried-and-tested miso salmon accompanied by bruschetta (one of my favorites among his cooking repertoire) and baked vegetables chips (parsnip, carrots and sweet potato – yum!!). For desert we shared a pistachio macaroon (M’s favorite) and carrot cake (PM’s favorite). Overall, it was a lovely evening catching up with an old friend and colleague after returning from our respective holiday travel.

Chih-ly at the Halcyon Gallery

thelondonyears — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 22:31:39 +0000

We were exposed to glass sculptor Chih-ly’s work within a month of moving to London when we first visited the V&A and were struck by the magnificent “chandelier” hanging overhead upon entering the museum. I put quotes around the word chandelier because until that point my idea of chandeliers was limited to Gothic dining decor favoured by inbred counts and countesses residing in casltes who crawl in the shadows of modernity, likes vampires holding onto the last vestiges of the Old World. We’ve remained fans of the American sculptor whose skills took him to Murano, the glass-making island off of Venice’s mainland, where he did his formal training. Recently we visited Murano with the hopes of finding something even the slightest bit Chih-ly-like but to no avail, so it was with great eagerness that we packed up M’s SLR for an afternoon of photo-taking at Halcyon Gallery which is currently devoted to showcasing the artist’s work.

Although a few of Chih-ly’s paintings were on display, the gallery is largely focused on the artist’s collection of glass sculpture, particularly the chandeliers and wall adornments. We were enamored by both the blue and the pink chandeliers, fantasizing about where we were place such works of art if they ours to call our own.

What I love most about Chih-ly’s glass sculptures is their aquatic aesthetic combined with their sensuality. Although the artist came to glass making prior to moving to Venice to study technique, I am convinced that living in such a water-dominated environment has left a deep impression on him judging from all the free-wheeling tentacles, throbbing organs, and wavey stems that emanate from the centre of his sculptures: the chandeliers, wall hangings and coffee-table pieces all give the impression that they are hyper-colored renderings of seafloor life. Visiting the collection was inspiring, a beautiful way to spend a quiet Sunday afternoon and one that left quite an impression on me in terms of understanding the function beauty has in our lives and the relief careful craftsmanship provides in a world full of mediocre and haphazard design.

NR

thelondonyears — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:51:02 +0000

Often times, on our way home from a trip, M&I will discuss what went well, what we would do differently, whether we’d re-visit, and if we’d recommend the itinerary to a friend or family member. I love Andalusia for its Muslim and Christian religious history, Bilbao for Gehry’s Guggenheim, Barcelona for the Gaudi art (yes, I LOVE visiting Spain), Reykjavik for the Blue Lagoon Spa and Luxor for the ancient Egyptian ruins. But in all the travel we’ve done since moving to London six years ago, this NYC-Cancun-Florida-LI trip is my favourite. We got the opportunity to connect with close friends in NYC before having “alone time” in Cancun, bonding with M’s family in their new home and mine in LI while caring for and doting on NR, the newest addition to our family.

Looking after NR with my parents while her parents attended to professional commitments, re-connected with old friends, and ran errands was a unique and beautiful experience. When we weren’t feeding and bathing her, we joined together to keep NR happy and entertained by taking her to the local mall’s indoor playground where the older kids would often times dote on her. She loves holding the remote control or a block to her ear and pretend it’s a phone, asking “Hello?” as if someone’s just called her. She is obsessed with electronics and gadgets, particularly ones with lights like the VCR and X-Mas tree. She also enjoys dancing to Latin music… but she also responded well to Bollywood film music! Watching my parents’ amusement as we combined forces to make “Team NR” made this trip and holiday season the best I’ve ever had.

PR Birthday

thelondonyears — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:36:19 +0000

We hosted a birthday luncheon for PR and invited his friends over for Indian food (samosas, palaak paneer, tandoori chicken, chana masala, raita, naan and fried rice) along with a gorgeous red-velvet cake. The party was a great opportunity for PR’s friends to meet NR who, after getting over her initial shyness, gravitated towards PR’s 3 friends who share the singular characteristic of having shaved heads.

X-Mas 2011

thelondonyears — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:32:07 +0000

After visiting M’s family in Florida, I headed to LI to see mine. I was particularly excited to spend Christmas with NR, my sweet niece. It’s her first “real” X-Mas as she was only 3 months old last year. Christmas morning she wore the “X-Mas tunic” my mom got her and we sat by the baby tree so she could unwrap the gifts she got from her “tiger aunt” since I always buy her books (one of my mentors at work gets the credit for coining the phrase!). NR’s mom is appreciative though as she’s intent on holding off the princess-themed girls gifts that are all too popular this time of the year. Luckily, in addition to being cute, NR also has good taste: she loves samosas, so we took her to the Jackson Diner in Queens where she quite happily discovered mango lassi (I told you she has good taste). We introduced her to one of my aunts at Rockefeller Center – NR was enraptured by the Christmas tree.

West Palm Beach CityPlace

thelondonyears — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:21:56 +0000

One evening we drove to nearby West Palm Beach’s CityPlace, a vibrant urban area. I was impressed with the city planning: there’s a main outdoor plaza and a number of scattered non-commercial areas for people to congregate outdoors, along with restaurants, ice cream parlors, stores, performing arts venues, and art galleries. The seven of us shared a heavenly slice of chocolate-raspberry cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory – I’m still fantasizing about that cake. But in addition to loving the cake, I was impressed with the CityPlace’s upbeat mood: the area was crawling with shoppers, music lovers (there’s tons of live music performed simultaneously in various restaurants and bars), diners and families – and, of course, the requisite hen parties.