A DAY OUT - GAUGUIN & OTHERS

Paul Gauguin, "Conversation in the Pasture, Pont Aven"

Cecilia and I bought the tickets for the "Gauguin - Elsewhere" exhibition (11.27.2010 - 02.20-2011) back in November 2010, but only managed to go, finally, on Feb. 7, 2011 (yup, two weeks before it ends). It was the last day of the Chinese New Year holidays, and we decided to take the MRT because we know it would be extremely difficult to find parking spaces. To be honest, I don't remember much about the exhibition, so that's when postcards/cards come in handy, haha!

Paul Gauguin, "Landscapes from Arles"

Claude Monet, "Woman in the Garden. Sainte-Adresse"

The highlight of this exhibition is that we bought a bottle of red wine. Well, big deal...It is, actually. One side of the bottle is carved with Vincent Van Gogh's "Cafe Terrace at Night", limited to 1,000 bottles, and we bought bottle No. 1!



Left Taipie Fine Art Museum around 3:30pm, happy with our trophies, we did another "crazy" thing that afternoon - we waited in line for 90 mins to take a sweet bite of waffles which came highly recommended on the internet at Melange Cafe. When we arrived at 4pm, the number counter was at 351, and the ticket we got was 439! At the end, because it was just two of us and we were willing to sit outdoors, we got the seat quicker than expected and were not charged 10% service fee. Well, as nice the waffles were, I will probably not do this again! BUT...it was a fun day - a perfect note to end the holidays!

CAME AND GONE - CHRISTMAS 2010

Can't believe it's already 2011.

X'mas 2010 was just here, and I have evidence to show for... Cecilia and I totally redo the X'mas display this year (okay okay, she did the renovation) - with some we bought ourselves and some given to us by friends:

• the Nativity set is from Alessi
• the paper church is actually a X'mas card
• the cup set is from Rudi and Dave
• the Starbucks cookie jar is from Juliana

Our new favorite is Wallace and Gromit - Gromit is forever loyal to his master/friend Wallace and helping him throughout the year! Just look at the mugs, so cute! And we ordered them directly from the UK Royal Mail - it's part of their 2010 X'mas stamp collection.

We also tried something different this time - we grew our own X'mas tree. Yes! The X'mas tree leaves grow from paper tree trunk with help from magic potion. I documented the process with the camera... Isn't it amazing?

Yes, it came and gone, but there is always the next X'mas to look forward to. Before it comes again, wish you all a great 2011!

YOU ARE GOING WHERE?

My very close friend "C" has been making annual business trip every May with a group of about ten colleagues for the past five years to various places around the world. She always agonizes herself with the thought of travelling not for pleasure. Who can blame her - always the most junior person in the group (meaning she has to "take care" of her boss) and the only person to fly economy no matter how long the flight is.

Places "C" had travelled to for the previous four years:

2006 - Bariloche, Argentina
50-hour door-to-door travel for her return trip to Taiwan, ouch!

2007 - Kyoto, Japan
Got sick staying up really late to write business report

2008 - Madrid, Spain
Got many chances to practice her Spanish with the taxi drivers - "El recibo, por favor!"

2009 - Bali, Indonisia
Had her very first full-body massage, and very cheap too - 2 hours for US$18, tips included!

I myself have been to Kyoto and Madrid; never been to Bali yet (by choice) or Argentina, which might be "exotic" enough but at least I know someones (else) who have been there. HOWEVER... Are you ready???

Anyone who has been to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, please raise your hand!

For this trip, lots of money already spent before "C" left Taiwan - the single-entry visa to costs NT$9,900 (about US$300), and the economy round-trip plane ticket fare is NT$130K (or US$4,000). Ouch, feels like the Uzbekistan government is trying to discourage visitors... Of course, "C" did not return empty-handed. She brought back some very beautiful artworks:

Until her next trip, Uzbekistan will remain as No. 1 on the list of "You are going WHERE?".

THE WORLD OF ROMERO BRITTO

Article by Cecilia

Photos by Sue

It happened so fast that Sue and I can only blame the October’s dusk of the evening in Germany, which highlighted Romero Britto’s art works under the bright illuminating rays of the Mensing Gallery, Baden Baden, enchanting us with this artist’s world glowing with childlike essence and sincereness in our first met.

And we had no one to blame but blame on our extremely good luck that our tour leader just asked us to meet in front of the luxury Mensing Gallery after the two-hour free time for random stroll, as well as the perfect timing that we arrived at the meeting place 10 minutes earlier than expected, which was used as the excuse to “take a quick look” at the gallery’s display for killing time. Therefore, when the “take a quick look” turned out to be 40 minutes lingering upon Britto’s brilliant creations, especially the adorable silver based “Good Girl” in the gallery, then what happened next - throwing lots of fortune, delay for dinner, and carrying a cumbersome yellow carton encased with “Good girl” for the rest of the itinerary - were not surprising to us. Now, the “Good Girl” has safely flown with us from Germany to our house, standing on the side table in the living room to watch over the two stray sheep occupied the single-person sofa for eight years.

To laypersons of art like Sue and me, it is the feeling of the first sight to an art work determines that we like it or not, and those with vivid colors and simple strokes can always catch our eyes most. That’s why we were so addicted to the “Good Girl”. In addition to the extraordinary features of colors and strokes, the reason Britto’s works engrossing audience is the ingenuous significance implied in his works, which seems all the flows and troubles in the world have been sifted, only hopes and happiness left.

Through appreciating Britto’s simple and unadorned portrait of daily life, it is like walking into a Utopia without any disturbance, experiencing Britto’s wonderful caring for socio-cultural environment, and all the restraint deeply hidden inside subconscious can easily get its way out. Still don’t believe in it? Go around Britto’s official website: http://www.britto.com/ for a visual and spiritual tour and then, verify.