Inspired

.. by this post. I'm feeling a little lost right now, and looking for something to believe in, something to inspire me.

I read the Bhagavad Gita in college and was enthralled and charmed by the simple truth in its pages. Likewise, something in this post resonated with me, because I was told something very similar a few days ago.

 I became confused by Hindu morality and realised how different it was from Christian morality. I thought it was unfair that Krishna helped the Pandavas in the war. I didn’t understand this talk about dharma. What if your dharma was to be evil? The logic seemed at odds with the Christian one I had grown up on where the line between black and white, good and evil was very clear. None of this grey business. Of course, the grey business is what’s real and what’s interesting.

These shades of grey are something I want to explore. I remember speaking to Chimamanda at the GLF in 2011 about the characters in Purple Hibiscus, and she said how people are never just black or white, good or evil, that people are never simple, and she tries to reflect that in her characters. And I think that is just a very simple truth; the complexity of life, the philosophy behind it, those things are never simple, can never be explained in one text as one truth. It's something to explore, to discover.

If you would allow me to quit rambling and get back to the original point of this post, I am contemplating attempting the Mahabharata. I am currently reading a book about cops so mind numbingly boring that I cringe when I look at it. I'm not sure how many years it would take me to read the Mahabharata, but my love for mythology and philosophy says I must try. Onwards!

Love Letters

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Post-Melomanic

I suppose all my advertising would be in vain if I didn't do a follow-up post for what was a fantastic session this weekend. I'm still listening to the audio from the show as I type this, as I have been doing all day, and some of the performances just blow my mind, every time.

First lets talk about the stage. The last Session in Jan had a very laid back, artsy vibe to it. This time around, Asela & co. really took it up to the next level. As I walked in, I literally stopped in my tracks at how gorgeous the stage looked. Strands of fairy lights were twinkling on the walls, the performance area was ringed with yet more lights, the couches and armchairs were re-arranged to accommodate the much larger crowd... it was just magical.

That's my man, being amazing

Melomania, tonight!

6.30pm, Warehouse Project.

WMC Women's Photography Exhibition

The exhibition is happening at the Lionel Wendt Gallery on the 24th and 25th of March, from 9am to 6pm. Quite a few bloggers, including myself (but you don't know me, so that's irrelevant :)) will have their photographs on display, so go check it out. Photographs from last year's exhibition.

WMC is also having a film festival in celebration of International Women's Day.

The Melomanic Sessions, the return of

The Melomanic Sessions is back for the third time! 

 24th of March, 6.30pm at the Warehouse Project. 

Don't miss out, last time was seriously awesome. Some of the music from the previous sessions:

Boo.

Today has not been a good day. So I will take a half day off and work from home bake a pie. And leave myself some words of wisdom.

 

 

 And my personal favourite..

 

Clickables

I'm bringing you some link love this week..

* If it's pretty things you're looking for, you should head straight to the Ruche moodboards.

* Twiggs photography, from, but not restricted to, Portugal is one of my photography idols.

* Of all the food blogs I frequent, Joy the Baker has given me cinnamon sugar pull-apart bread, and for that I will be eternally grateful.

* Give a listen to Shilo as she demos Khoya at TED Talks and buy the app if you own an iPad. Also read this little post she wrote. Because I say so.

* Download Mean Ones by Rafael Casal. You may remember him from Barbie and Ken 101 fame? His music is even better. The best hip hop album I've heard in recent memory. Get the album here.

* Check out Meg's pinterest board on all the worldly wisdom trishaws have to offer us.

* This is an interesting article, about the inequalities surrounding the food industry and the farce of "celebrity chefs". I thought it was a bit dramatic at first, but it starts making more sense towards the middle. Bit long, but give it a read.

* Follow Sue Monk Kidd on twitter. She's one of the more interesting "celebrities" out there and provides some beautiful insights into the writing process of her upcoming book. Also read this, particularly if you've read and loved The Secret Life of Bees.

* Come for the Melomanic Sessions part 3 (yes, it's that good), on Saturday March 24th. Gehan, Asela and, I presume, CC, will be playing, among others. This won't be the last time I'm plugging this event but put it on your calenders right away.

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Second hand books

I finally visited the second hand bookshops in Maradana, though only fleetingly. It's been on my to-do list for a long time, and passing by, the floor to ceiling stacks of books beckoned. I browsed to my pleasure, though entering the shop seemed dangerous, given the precariously perched books. Imagine my delight at the piles and piles of Enid Blytons there, an author who has all but dropped off the vocabulary of young readers. The shop owner shook his head at the Adventures of Pip in my hand and kindly steered me in the direction of the Mills and Boons, at which I had to tell him, also kindly, that my brief interest in wild and fantastical sex stories (inflicted upon us all by our friend Meg) died back in Grade 12. He then brought forth an assortment of "girly" books, as well as box upon box of Tom Clancy, Wilbur Smith and John Grisham, which also provides an interesting insight into the current reader market.

I picked up the above thanks (or not) to the sheer marketing talent of one Palitha, who owned the shop and who deserves a post all on his own. I shall continue that after I visit his shop with my camera. The Mario Puzo above is for Gehan, who I really need to stop buying books for, given how hit and miss his liking of them are; the Grisham is for me, and well, the other two are for Palitha, because believe you me, I would never have bought a book called Hollywood Moon by myself!

10 Things I Love - Artist Edition part 2

Hot on the heels of CAB, I thought I would do another round of 10 Things I Love- Artist Edition, which gets quite a few hits on my blog. I guess people are always on the look out for new art, and I am most happy to oblige, having come across quite a few new artists on pinterest and etsy recently.

1. Cate Parr
Cate's women are feminine and bold, colourful and intricate; the sweep of an eyelash, the swirl of a dress, all captured in watercolour.