There’s something about Ozu films that I love. Perhaps it’s the quietness of the plot, where I know nothing is going to jump out at me, make my heart race, or leave me in a soggy puddle on the floor. His movies are not very long but they take me hours to watch. Why? With…
Category: Thoughts on Things
Walcott
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine sent me a Derek Walcott poem (shared below). Since she sent it, I’ve been reading it almost daily. It’s a gorgeous piece of writing, a reminder to embrace the alone-ness, when the time comes. For those of you who have never heard of him, Derek Walcott was…
a shared yoga challenge
“What’s up Party People?” (LOL! Inside joke!) For the past 2 years, I’ve done a Yoga With Adriene (YWA) video every single day (except during those 5 weeks in Dec-Jan 2021-2022 after I’d broken a rib). At first, doing a YWA video was what kept me grounded during the pandemic. It gave me something to…
tatami view
Ozu, Yasujiro, the Japanese film director, started his career in the 1920s. Let me guess! You’re imagining a black + white movie and you’re already losing interest, right? Okay — this post isn’t about animé or a bright Tokyo-esque story. But if you read on, I’ll tell you about this man and perhaps you might…
mistakes
Recently, one Japanese phrase has caught on in the west. Wabi-sabi. I hear it everywhere. Books, articles, blogs (yes, the irony has not escaped me) Netflix shows. And When I hear it, I think, Ugh! Not again. But either that expression has a ring that pleases our western ears, or our language lacks a way…
green daze
It’ll be a green day, I told myself as I set out on a walk to Alfama, the oldest neighbourhood in Lisbon. William Burroughs apparently called this a “colour walk”. But I do it a little differently from what he recommended because I use a camera. Here’s how I go about it. After I step…
copenhagen coffee lab
I am by no means a coffee connoisseur, but I’m no coffee philistine either. Starbucks, not your cup of tea? Then, Copenhagen Coffee Lab might be. There are many, many things I dislike about Starbucks. From its too expensive cups of frothy, sweet-n-creamy, caramel-y drinks– because can we really call them coffee (?) to the…
remember to fight
Doesn’t it feel like lately we’re living in a dystopian world? Humans have gotten so creative about the different forms of ‘ugly’ and hate we’ve been able to come up with – all intending to take power away from someone else. We’ve really outdone ourselves. [Insert “slow clap” for us humans at this point.] Sexism, racism, ageism…
who’s right?
There’s a rooster that lives across the arroyo. There’s something a little off about him, though. Before you think I’m being mean, let me explain. It’s 7:24 pm as I write this, and he’s still crowing as heartily as if it were the crack of dawn. He starts crowing at around 5:30 am, like roosters…
slow down
Don’t you sometimes feel like this? When this guy slows down, what does it feel like?Is it relief or simply more stressful that things just aren’t getting done? Maybe, this bug thinks she’ll enjoy life after everything’s been taken care of. After the kids are raised. After that next promotion. After retirement. But how about…
un. deux.. trois... 