Was invited to Lee Khai's for Christmas Dinner and had a great time chatting with Daniel a young Chinese jazz musician who sounded great at Lee's piano. I also had the opportunity to sit and chat Koo Sue Hoe the Artist who owns the Alpha Utara Gallery and lives pretty much in the US. Also chatted with Anne, Lee's wife who spends most of her time getting the run around by her two kids. It was nice to be able to spend a little Christmas Cheer among friends and it brought back warm memories of my years in the US and Japan as Christmas was a great part of the Bahari family's life.
I truly enjoyed the Christmas spirit when living in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The winter scene of piles of snow while cruising around the city and neighborhoods taking in the colored lights from the homes, with Santa's sleighs and rein deers set on the snow covered lawns, the smoke and steam rising lazily from the chimneys of some homes was the Christmas feeling one can never forget. Indoors, there is the Christmas tree! The ornaments, the glittering strands of tinsels and the crystal star glowing at the top of the tree. The colorful gift wrapped boxes and odd shaped items that children kept trying to guess what they were, what is Christmas without a tree? What is Christmas without a basket full of walnuts and cups of warm eggnog and the smell of turkey roasting in the oven, what is chrism as without Bing Cosby singing 'I'm dreaming of a white Christmas' or a party at Faar's Grove, the tavern at Duck's Creek in Brown County, Green Bay, Wisconsin? What is Christmas....without your loved ones sitting around with warm feelings inside despite the cold outside. the Joy of Christmas has nothing to do with being a Christian but it has allot to do with the spirit of being blessed with Love, with the spirit of Giving and sharing, of forgiveness and reconciliations. The commercialization of Christmas is just the side effect which cannot be avoided as Christmas shopping is part and parcel of the Christmas festive spirit.
Made it to two Art openings this week end, one at the Alpha Utara Art gallery while the other was at the Gallery Sri Mutiara. A Japanese print maker's works were on show at the Alpha Utara while the works of my friend Ch'ng Kiah Kiean was launched at the Seni Mutiara. I enjoyed both exhibitions and got to meet the regulars who frequents most of the Art openings in Georgetown and caught up with the latest on who is who and what is what of the Penang Art Scene. Too bad, without a camera i cannot provide pictures for my blog to make it more interesting for those who enjoy reading it.
The Little Penang Street Market was also this weekend and i made to it in the afternoon after working at my cousin's catering business all morning. I did some sketching while listening live to two great musicians Sam Ponnudorai and Paul?? Both played the guitar and sang to the crowds delight. I did a few sketches and gave to both the artists who were appreciative getting them. Sam sang my requested song, 'House of the Rising Sun" in return for i have done sketches of him singing at the Street Market before. Hopefully Big Mac the photographer can provide my with a few shots of the events as he took a picture of Sam and I. Mac is always on the scene at the Little Penang Street market which is a pleasant feeling as he is ever cheerful and has become a very familiar face in the crowd. I sincerely hope that this affair will continue on into the future and turn into a bigger thing where more people will be involve and not just the regulars. Penang brags of so many festivals and attractive events going on everywhere in the city but often times the audience turnout at these events is disappointing. Most of it is due to poor publicity i am told and the ignorance of those who has no idea of what they do but assume that they do. Off course it all boils down politics! Anything that dint work or can go wrong blame it on politics and it may not be because of lack of funds but its just politics!
A few of my artist friends asked of whether i would have my show soon or not and what am i doing with my self these days. I could not come out with a straight answer so i told them i am most hibernating and meditating and doing nothing. I pretend to be resident artist at the Museum Tuanku fauziah at USM just so i can say I am up to something but in reality I am just using the space and facility to while my time away like I am doing right now. I wish I can do allot more but after physically abusing myself for the past three days stirring pots of spicy curries to feed some ten to fifteen thousand people my body is in no shape to even walk out of this building. My left hand aches like it had arthritis already and perhaps it has already cause it sure hurts even typing.
I truly enjoyed the Christmas spirit when living in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The winter scene of piles of snow while cruising around the city and neighborhoods taking in the colored lights from the homes, with Santa's sleighs and rein deers set on the snow covered lawns, the smoke and steam rising lazily from the chimneys of some homes was the Christmas feeling one can never forget. Indoors, there is the Christmas tree! The ornaments, the glittering strands of tinsels and the crystal star glowing at the top of the tree. The colorful gift wrapped boxes and odd shaped items that children kept trying to guess what they were, what is Christmas without a tree? What is Christmas without a basket full of walnuts and cups of warm eggnog and the smell of turkey roasting in the oven, what is chrism as without Bing Cosby singing 'I'm dreaming of a white Christmas' or a party at Faar's Grove, the tavern at Duck's Creek in Brown County, Green Bay, Wisconsin? What is Christmas....without your loved ones sitting around with warm feelings inside despite the cold outside. the Joy of Christmas has nothing to do with being a Christian but it has allot to do with the spirit of being blessed with Love, with the spirit of Giving and sharing, of forgiveness and reconciliations. The commercialization of Christmas is just the side effect which cannot be avoided as Christmas shopping is part and parcel of the Christmas festive spirit.
Made it to two Art openings this week end, one at the Alpha Utara Art gallery while the other was at the Gallery Sri Mutiara. A Japanese print maker's works were on show at the Alpha Utara while the works of my friend Ch'ng Kiah Kiean was launched at the Seni Mutiara. I enjoyed both exhibitions and got to meet the regulars who frequents most of the Art openings in Georgetown and caught up with the latest on who is who and what is what of the Penang Art Scene. Too bad, without a camera i cannot provide pictures for my blog to make it more interesting for those who enjoy reading it.
The Little Penang Street Market was also this weekend and i made to it in the afternoon after working at my cousin's catering business all morning. I did some sketching while listening live to two great musicians Sam Ponnudorai and Paul?? Both played the guitar and sang to the crowds delight. I did a few sketches and gave to both the artists who were appreciative getting them. Sam sang my requested song, 'House of the Rising Sun" in return for i have done sketches of him singing at the Street Market before. Hopefully Big Mac the photographer can provide my with a few shots of the events as he took a picture of Sam and I. Mac is always on the scene at the Little Penang Street market which is a pleasant feeling as he is ever cheerful and has become a very familiar face in the crowd. I sincerely hope that this affair will continue on into the future and turn into a bigger thing where more people will be involve and not just the regulars. Penang brags of so many festivals and attractive events going on everywhere in the city but often times the audience turnout at these events is disappointing. Most of it is due to poor publicity i am told and the ignorance of those who has no idea of what they do but assume that they do. Off course it all boils down politics! Anything that dint work or can go wrong blame it on politics and it may not be because of lack of funds but its just politics!
A few of my artist friends asked of whether i would have my show soon or not and what am i doing with my self these days. I could not come out with a straight answer so i told them i am most hibernating and meditating and doing nothing. I pretend to be resident artist at the Museum Tuanku fauziah at USM just so i can say I am up to something but in reality I am just using the space and facility to while my time away like I am doing right now. I wish I can do allot more but after physically abusing myself for the past three days stirring pots of spicy curries to feed some ten to fifteen thousand people my body is in no shape to even walk out of this building. My left hand aches like it had arthritis already and perhaps it has already cause it sure hurts even typing.
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