“I get claustrophobic in big cities, overwhelmed by all the desire in one small place.”
- The End of Mr Y by Scarlett Thomas
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Do Not Try This At Home by Felix da Housecat
It hasn’t sunk in yet that I’m in Bali, Indonesia. It feels just like home, except I don’t understand half the things that people say to me.
This is my long overdue holiday; two years, if you want to be precise about it. I don’t have major plans/activities to do while I’m here except get some much needed rest, which is exactly what I’m doing. I even decided to skip surfing because, well…I’m not feeling it at the moment. I did, however, get wiped out for every time I headed out into the waters. No leisure swimming going on around here as it’s low tide and the waves are crazy!
Much of my day here is spent reading Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem, which I must say has been long overdue as well. I’m not good with reviews so I’m going to let this excerpt from Salon.com do it some justice:
A detective with Tourette’s syndrome narrates a hard-boiled crime novel. Sounds like a gimmick, right? Another in the endless line of diversity dicks — sleuths in wheelchairs, lesbian lieutenants, investigators who also happen to be heroin addicts or restaurant critics or codgers as old as Angela Lansbury. But Lionel Essrog, the twitching, barking, gabbling narrator of Jonathan Lethem’s new novel, “Motherless Brooklyn,” is no movie-of-the-week novelty grafted onto a noir mystery. Maybe his Tourette’s is a gimmick, but it’s a gimmick with depth, with soul. Lethem, after all, walks the serious-fiction beat, and in his hands the compulsions of Tourette’s become a kind of kaleidoscopic metaphor, ultimately (and somewhat paradoxically) reflecting the fundamental ethos of the mystery genre itself: the compulsion to restore order and rightness to a world thrown temporarily out of joint.
Anyway, if I’m not reading I’m probably in my room watching Gilmore Girls. This one, like everything else, has been long overdue. Been meaning to watch the last few seasons but since I’ve missed most of the episodes I decided to just wait till the show was over then do a marathon of the whole thing. Funny how I decided to do it while vacationing in Bali.
It’s quite surprising to note that my favorite “haunt” in Bali is this posh place called KuDeTa (KDT). If you know me well you’ll know I’m not into this sort of thing. I have always felt that places such as KDT are as pretentious as fuck (pardon my language) but I seem to be enjoying my lonesome here mainly because of the friendly and rather nice staff. It also doesn’t hurt that the Guest Relations Manager, Pierre, gave me a Lychee Rose Martini as a post-birthday present. I’ll definitely be back for another great sunset just like this one.
I’m also supposed to not be thinking of anything or anyone. I can’t say I have been successful but I could say that it’s not as obsessive as before. This time logic has kicked in and perhaps I’m really on the so-called self-preservation train.
With that, I think it’s uncanny that this horoscope reading has some suggestions that I think I should heed. I can’t say I believe in this stuff but it’s just entertaining. (Note: pay special attention to the last sentence)
“You and your significant other need some quality time together but one or both of your careers keeps getting in the way. Today you will figure out a compromise that helps you spend some time enjoying each other. If you are still single, work is not the best place to find someone new.”
Hopefully at the end of this trip I’ll be more enlightened.
Don’t ask me how I pick books up but like everything else it goes with gut. Therefore, I am particularly pleased about the latest book in possession—The Diary of An Unreasonable Man by Madhav Mathur. I’m still only on the second chapter so I’m not quite sure what to expect but from the looks of it and, of course, from the way it’s cleverly written, I’m sure I won’t be disappointed.
I’ve actually began writing notes again, I mean, I used to carry a notebook around me all the time and I’d write notes whenever I have ideas or thoughts about the book I’m reading. The Diary of An Unreasonable Man actually gave me something to ponder on because it’s just brimming with insight and it’s just beautiful; an enjoyable read, thus far.
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I cannot believe it’s March already, wasn’t it just a few weeks ago that New Year’s Day came? Ah well…time flies.
Speaking of gut feelings, these are the songs that I just can’t stop listening to. Why? Beats me.
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Bryn by Vampire Weekend
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My Night With The Prostitute From Marseille by Beirut
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