Vedasri Siddamsetty

When a weekend starts on Thursday it is sure to be an exciting one. Read on as I give you a small dose of what I got in the last three days.

Thursday

Macbeth was taught to us in school. The tale of ambition, greed and murder meant to show us what the worst in life really was. Tragedy would seem an understatement to define one of Shakespeare’s greatest works. The Singapore Repertory theatre produced the play at Fort Canning. The fort is very English, built on a hill, with a vast expanse of garden all around it. The fort, very unlike the forts in England or in India, is very simple in its detailing but extremely dainty in its conservation. The picnic terrace as it is called is a very likely venue for the play. An unimpressive backdrop of a made-up fort on stage matched up to the unimpressive theatronics, I really wonder why they didnt use the existing one?! Anyway the play started and to my surprise I remembered quite a number of lines. But what I absolutely loathed was the speed with which the protagonists narrated the lines. They spoke English like Mandarin! The speed of speech did not thrill but certainly did kill. Chinese looking Macbeth and Lady Macbeth did not go down well with me. Nor did the stillness in the air that saw a drained out audience in a span of about 2 hours. Though it was a fun experience to watch a play after what seems like ages, the critic in me knew no boundaries! Fort Canning Park was the only thing that deserved some points, the green expanse just off Orchard. A discovery I hope to keep coming back to.

Friday

This day took me by total surprise as I watch the award-winning Spanish movie, “Biutful”,  extremely teary-eyed.

Javier Bardem makes a heart-wrenching Uxbal and brings out so much depth in his character and the story that our lives start seeming very bleak and shallow. He is on a free fall, his tragedy is that of redemption. The movie is spell-binding, heart-wrenching and takes your breath away. The emotion you are surmounted with is sadness, deep deep sadness. Even the moments of jovial uncertainty are washed under by the tide of empathy. One cannot help oneself but feel for Uxbal, his children, his wife but mostly and unwaveringly him. The Chinese, the Africans in Spain are so out-of-place. Their tragedies are brutal but its Uxbal who you are with, all the way.

Personally I like watching movies in a different language with English subtitles. They seem so authentic, so exotic. This one is no less. If for a moment we keep the characters aside and watch the locations you know what am talking about. They tug at your heart. The background score is winning. Spain is winning. The tragedy is winning. The best part is perhaps the end. Snow in the color white after all the grim reality makes you want to rejoice death, for it seems far better than the life, of Uxbal. Even as I type my eyes are moist. It is one character am not likely to forget. Forever. One movie whose essence I will carry, forever.

Saturday

After a roller-coaster morning I prepared to volunteer as a gallery host assistant at the Singapore Biennale. The venue was the Old Kallang Airport, last used in the 1950s. Changing into the bright orange tee I was ushered into the section under my care. Spread across three different partitioned spaces, I had three exhibits under my care. One of which was super inventive. Artist Simon spent a considerable while in the famed John F Kennedy airport in New York clicking all those things that officials threw out of passengers bags at the security check. It is hilarious and incredible, the things people carry with them into the aircraft. The turnout at the event was real good while the other exhibits were amazing. The barn was also inventive and refreshing. Many people walked in and out. I struck chord with some other volunteers but the heat was daunting.

Sunday

Water for elephants took up a major part of my day. What a lovely book, I must say. Reading about the circus is refreshing. As a child I probably saw one or two, atleast they are the ones I remember even today! Sara Gruen is engaging and am not surprised as it still stands as the top NYT bestseller for the fifth month in a row. August, Marlena and Jacob circle in my head and so does Rosie. How can any weekend be complete without a visit to the super market?? So off we went to Cold Storage and did some weekly damage. Another thing picked up was my long due Birthday cake. Called Boston Chocolate from Breadtalk, it was a stunner. You should all try it, its simply marvellous. Sugar blues were on hold for a bit.

The ride was fun and the perspectives got were many. So much for an extremely arty weekend.

The above picture is a satellite image of The Palms, Jumeirah taken from Google Earth.

The Great wall of China was the only man-made feature visible from the moon for nearly centuries. But come 2001 I believe that there is the formation of a club. The Palm Jumeirah had joined in and now for the second of the trio the Palm Jebel Ali.

While reading a quite hilarious blog about elevators in a building of the Dubai skyline I was compelled to look at the satellite image of the skyline of Dubai. But then the palms caught my eye. They are a feat of mankind. Brilliant to say the least. The extended beachline is a marvel. A house in the Palms is much more than a piece of luxury, its when luxury moves over grabbing a piece of history.

I am impressed. It is a work of art wherein the world is literally a canvas.

There’s something very right about Wright.

Be it Orville or Wilbur Wright, Frank Llyod Wright or the very recent Adrian and Jeremy Wright. They are the most recent Wright brothers to make news for a quirky and fun project in design.

Lexon is a company that patronizes and sells products that speak volumes on design. Their latest commission is BURO. Fun stationary that will complete your desk. I personally like them cos when placed next to each other, they remind me faintly of building blocks. That perhaps is the intention.

Lexon has their stores listed on their website in case you want to get your hands on one of these.

For more details read on.

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So my new post comes after quite a hiatus considering that blogs are supposed to be an everyday affair.

The truth is Ive been having a couple of rough days. Too much brooding and worrying. If only worry was a switch and I could turn it off. Looks like I cannot!

So I took a trip to an ice-cream parlor. Ice-creams are one of my favorite things. To top it all I went to one of the best marketed ice-cream store that I have ever seen. Its introduction came like a couple of weeks ago. When lunching at Ion Orchard I noticed a kiosk with a blast of purple. Its not like am crazy about purple but the frenzy around the stall caught me eye. Fact is that am not totally blessed with a sweet tooth, I even doubt if I have a one-half of it. But my observation came handy today. The store is called “Once upon a milkshake” and no three dots do not follow the last word. Metaphorically I wondered if it meant all troubles end there??

At the counter I noticed a great thought over the design of the counter was made while the chirpy assistant was a pleasure to deal with. A little purple back wall behind the assistant enrobed in green creepers added that wee bit of enormous class. Predictably I choiced upon a flavor that would record that highest percentage of chocolate. I wanted to kill the sadness in one shot! The milkshake that ensued was crazy thick and extremely milky. As it slowly slid down my throat it felt like I was walking up the steps of heaven. But unfortunately as the straw reached the end the steps ended. Bliss followed for some moments. As does all comfort food its effect waned and I was flown first class into reality!

The residence of the Indian Ambassador to Singapore is a rather splendid one. Located on Peirce Road in Singapore it is the grandest of the heritage properties on the island. Built in 1911 the bungalow, is a part of the many black and white style bungalows built by the British dotting the island. Tucked away in what one can all the green scape of the island, the house stands on a mounded hillock. The Indian government is said to have purchased the bungalow in about 1948 for a paltry sum.  In 2000s the highly dilapidated bungalow was decided to be renovated and additions to the house were agreed upon.

Ideated by Singapore based architect Steven Siong the bungalow was re-created to match with precision its predecessor. Freshly painted and gleaming with pride its soul seems to have risen like a phoenix. The Ambassador’s wife was gracious enough to let me get a peek into what can be easily touted as the grandest heritage residence in Singapore. The older part of the house remains intact. With a winding driveway, a porch stepping down into a large garden the entrance is grand and warm at the same time. Stepping into a main lobby we are greeted by not only the pictures of India’s current President and Prime Minister but also a promise of what lays beyond. The louvered glass and wooden frames show a glint of the courtyard beyond. The dining room flanks the lobby on one side while a grand staircase embraces the lobby on the other. The dining room is large and elaborate and surprises. With walls in black and the ceiling and floor in white and the architraves of the 1911 the decor is quirkyly goth.

The courtyard behind the existing house is the first of the many new structural additions to the house. Envisaged to use the Hindu Mandala concept of building, the courtyard is made central in the house plan with the addition of a drawing room at the far end. The drawing room again, is elaborate and has a Japanese ring to it. The central roof of the room is lifted higher to let in ample sunlight and completely glorifies the space.

Out of the drawing annexe is a meandering path that leads to a lawn space with a swimming pool that is woven into it. Far across is seen smaller units that are residences of the other officers of the High Commission. The house breathes and while at it encourages you to breathe as well. India seems far away with only art works showing a reminiscence. Bronzes of the various Indian dances are freckled over the semi-open spaces in the outdoors.

The outside comes in and the inside goes out extremely effortlessly and fluently in a house that is splendid by light, night and sight.

It is estimated that over 90% of singaporeans live in public housing. The housing development board builds and sells these units at a subsidized price for their people.

When my goodself, got to live in such a phenomena it sparked an interest in public housing around the world. Living in affluent neighborhoods in landed houses there is no real perspective on housing. Generically speaking the mass housing is one of the most important typology of building.

Upon research I find that in most countries of the world, public housing has been taken very seriously. Housing figures prominently in the list of public infrastructure. Low or high in density countries like the United States, Australia, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, a few notaries, have built their public housing purely in the interest of the public. They did not have to entice developers or use other means of self-interest to house their people. When socialistic endeavours as such are made it is difficult or almost impossible to handle the mix of people. New Orleans in the United States has a terrible repute in regard of the people who live in the area. Crime rates are considered high and living in public housing is almost lethal. But in the Netherlands and closer home in Singapore the absence of crime, or rather the stiff handed measures against crime keeps the standard of housing considerably higher.

Tropical climate does command the need for heating systems. The apartments in Singapore perform efficiently, they are essentially matchbox size houses built at an affordable cost and with neat finishes. Going upto 12 usually and 40 storeys sometimes the main effort of the housing is to provide decent housing for its citizens. The layouts of HDBs have evolved over time but I found that the underlying principle has not changed. Today HDB has different strata even in their public housing. The Pinnacle at Duxton, is HDB for the elite. Located centrally and with an award winning design, it is by far the best. However modest the HDBs do serve their purpose and do the needful.

HDBs are also equipped with garbage chute compressing units that complete the first part of the decomposing process. The effective systems of waste removal through the chutes is a quality that marks the worlds best public housing. For construction pre-cast walls, columns and beams are used. Block walls are employed for the inner walls. Safety and security are also two prime considerations for design. In more recent times the government is beginning to pay attention to the aesthetics of the housing complexes all across the island. Considering they are all in your face, it would help if they looked pleasant.  Simple, effective and needful is the public housing in Singapore.

Dezeen is one of the most informative design and architecture website.

Their new launch dezeenscreen.com is a portal that showcases architecture as a moving picture.

 

Split your lifetime into minutes of ten each. Then do all you can to while away as  little of the tens as you possibly can.

The words are the crux of the life of the man himself. The man in question is Ingvar Kamprad from Elmtaryd who also lived in Agunnyard. A simple name that has made a big difference. So much so he was the world richest man in 2007 and continues to figure in the list of the uber rich. His story, like all the success stories began at his late teens and has sailed on till now when he an octegenarian.

Many years after IKEA being in business I got to visit the store. The store for one is utterly delightful. Every store, the brand and the graphics have all one usp and that is of good design. The price is kept low and is almost unbelievable. You dont have to be rich to be clever they say. One cant help but agree with such marketing captions. The quality of wood used is definitely questionable and in most cases it may not be wood at all! But as of today with all the environmental worries the marketing manager at Ikea is definitely not a worried man. Made with recycled materials and keeping in mind all the sustainable issues. They may not have furniture for keeps but they do have fun, quirky stuff if only you’d like replacements every 3 years! Nevertheless with my eye for beauty I fall in love with IKEA everytime I go there. And yes the swedish desserts, they make me want to have a sweet tooth. Smart, chic. Two words that precede the most important, cheap.

Though our house is not filled with furniture from IKEA ( Indians that we are, long-lasting means everything to us), we do buy all the accessories that IKEA makes to for an easy existance.

So much so now am their friend. Quite literally!

A bday treat basket for my 24th birthday all the way from my family!!