I saw Ben Folds performing solo last night – a wonderful, energetic performance. I’ll post a solo or song or two from him, but now I’d like to recall the performance I saw 3 years ago when he played with orchestras all around the country. This has to be one of the most loveliest songs he’s written, and it sounds fantastic in an orchestral arrangement.
Yum Cha – Part 3
I’m not really one for fried items at yum cha, but I liked the fried squid here. The squid’s nicely cooked and not too rubbery, and the coating is crisp and more-ish.
Tess of the D’urbervilles – Part 2
I know the English have an obsession with adapting Jane Austen, and to a lesser extent, Charles Dickens. However Thomas Hardy’s work generates its fair share of adaptations, especially Tess which seems to get a revival every 10 years or so. It’s then interesting to do a comparison between the last 3 of them, made in 2008, 1998 and 1979.
It’s interesting to see how drama has changed, and how each generation deals with showing the lyrical side of the novel and the challenging storyline. Character-wise, I’m particularly interested in how they cast Tess and Angel Clare, since their story I think produces the most poignant moments.
The last adaptation was only made last year. It’s got the best cinematography of the three that I’m going to cover, but I’m not sure about the casting. The girl who plays Tess is ok, but this Angel seems a bit too foppish for me!
After their wedding, Tess and Angel confess to each other:
Their final moments:
Yum Cha – Part 2
The cousin to the har gow is this little baby: prawns wrapped in rice noodle sheets (don’t know what the Cantonese name is, if someone would care to enlighten me). It’s a slipperly thing, frequently posing a chopstick challenge, but the slipperiness is part of its charm as the it goes down oh so nicely.
Tess of the D’urbervilles – Part 1
Getting all literary now. I read Tess of the D’urbervilles years ago and found it one of the most frustrating novels ever. Probably because I hadn’t read any other Thomas Hardy novels! Anyway, frustration was the impression I took away from it, but lately I’ve revisited the novel by listening to an audiobook version. The story is still as frustrating as ever, but I never realised how beautiful the prose is. I’m a huge fan of lyrical novels and Hardy’s descriptions of the landscapes and lifestyle of rural 19th Century Dorset, like this passage from Chapter 24:
Amid the oozing fatness and warm ferments of the Froom Vale, at a season when the rush of juices could almost be heard below the hiss of fertilization, it was impossible that the most fanciful love should not grow passionate. The ready bosoms existing there were impregnated by their surroundings.
July passed over their heads, and the Thermidorean weather which came in its wake seemed an effort on the part of Nature to match the state of hearts at Talbothays Dairy. The air of the place, so fresh in the spring and early summer, was stagnant and enervating now. Its heavy scents weighed upon them, and at mid-day the landscape seemed lying in a swoon. Ethiopic scorchings browned the upper slopes of the pastures, but there was still bright green herbage here where the watercourses purled. And as Clare was oppressed by the outward heats, so was he burdened inwardly by waxing fervour of passion for the soft and silent Tess.
Actually, I think I’ve appreciated the novel more by listening to the audiobook. The narrator Peter Firth is very good, bringing to life not just the lyrical parts but also the varied accents of its characters.
Yum Cha – Part 1
Haven’t been to yum cha in ages, so I was quite excited to go to Zilver for my fix. Yum cha, the Cantonese art of taking tea and assorted morsels, has really been embraced by Sydneysiders of all backgrounds. I was really surprised by the variety of clientele – Western and Asian families, couples, girly catch-ups, even what looked like the beginnings of an Aussie boys bucks day out.
This dish, har gow, is a staple. It’s a steamed dumpling of prawn wrapped in rice paper. Simplicity itself.
Fields of Lavender
I’ve always been enchanted by photos of southern France that feature rows and rows of lavender, but having only ever passed through the area, I’ve never actually seen anything like it. Until I went to Bridestowe Estate, that is.
I visited just before the lavender’s at their best, but it was good enough for me. One could mistaken the scene for the south of France, what with the ochre soil and undulating hills. It makes for a picturesque picnic spot, that’s for sure.
Bay of Fires
Had yum cha with some friends today (I will post the photos from this soon). One of them was planning to go to Tasmania in the summer holidays and asked for suggestions of where to go. It brings to mind the visit I made to the Bay of Fires in the north east corner of Tassie.
I read somewhere that it was rated one of the best beaches in the world. I can’t disagree too much in terms of sheer beauty.
The sand is gloriously white, the water a turquoise blue, which contrasts nicely with the rust-coloured lichen on the rocks and the gum tree covered hills. The only thing not in its favour is that it’s not the warmest of places in the world. I swam in early December and the water was freezing.
Mosaics and Arches
Queen Victoria Building is one of those Sydney rarities – a 19th Century building that hasn’t been knocked over but restored! It’s also very photogenic with its Romanesque arches, domes and mosaic tiles.
Nowadays it’s a good place to have a coffee while contemplating the view.
The Wonders of Sticky Date Pudding
Another pudding I’ve been raring to try is sticky date pudding. I’ve tried restaurant versions of this, but I think this is better, despite it not being very photogenic. This one has a quantity of walnut meal in it along with the sticky date mixture. Served with butterscotch sauce and cream, it was very moist and yummy indeed.
Static and Silence 