Mixed Books with Mushroom :)

Now there are 4 of us in love with Paulo Coelho's work....so we decided to create a book club to exchange and also discuss books. And yesterday we had our first meeting at The Loaf in Empire Subang...and it turned out to be pretty interesting ...we wish to continue this journey with Paulo and also take it further with other authors and books.

The thing about some books is that...we understand it even better when we explain it to another person than we did when we read it...thus it gives a new perspective to our readings....and of course it also helps to remember the story better when we discuss it.

You will also be surprised at how some story mean totally different things to different people...

As for Paulo Coelho books....they are mostly categorized as "FICTION" but when you read it you will realise it isnt totally. The content maybe fiction but the essence of it is not. How could anything about "LIFE" be fiction? Our thoughts....feelings...emotions ....instincts...and dreams maybe abstract but we still FEEL it dont we....just like the wind...we dont have to see it in order to believe its real....we simply KNOW it is !

So its about how you "SEE" the book. If you just sit by the banks and look at the surface of the lake listening to someone explain that there is life beneath then it is fiction but if you take a plunge ....you will SEE whats beneath....and how "REAL" it is!

So for those of us who had been sitting on the banks and refusing to see whats beneath....these books definitely drag you to it and throw you into the lake of life ! So much to discover....!

Anyway...it was my first time at The Loaf.....and had no idea what would be the best to order..but since i am a vegetarian ...choices are always limited, so its easy....i decided to try the Mixed Mushroom tartine.....and it turned out to be pretty yummy ! loved it...!

As the for the books ...i exchanged " The Alchemist" for my friend's " Like the flowing river" and i cant wait to begin the journey with Paulo again...this time by the river....and not through the dessert to Egypt as in "The Alchemist".....hope to discover more and share it here with you :)

If you are walking with me....i See u somewhere by the river banks....soon :) !

Do you speak wind ?

Crash: What's that noise?

Buck: It's the wind. It's speaking to us.
Eddie: What's it saying?
Buck: I dont know. I dont speak wind.

This is my favourite quote from the movie ICE AGE ( 2009). Made me laugh so much when Buck says ....I dont know. I dont speak wind. Well why i thought of it now is because last weekend i went to watch INDIA BEAT 6 at the Merdeka hall of PWTC in KL. Have only watched it on tv all these years...and this is the first time i got to watch it live. And...we met some friends at the entrance of the hall who were worried they might be bored of the first half which is instrumental performance. Nantha and i thought the same and were more interested to watch the bharathanatyam dance performance which comes a little later.

The concert featured the very best international carnatic artist such as :

Padma Shri Shobana Chandrakumar – Bharathanatyam

Padma Shri U. Shrinivas on the mandolin

Padma Shri Kadri Gopalnath – Saxaphone

Kanyakumari – Violin

Shashank – Flute

Sikkil Gurucharan – Vocal

Anil Srinivasan – Piano

Prasanna – Guitar

Bakthavathsalam – Mridangam

Radhakrishnan – Ghatam

U. Rajesh – Mandolin

Akkarai – Violin

Vijay Ghate – Tabla

Rajashekar - Morsing

So we went into the hall and managed to get a perfect spot to be seated....then, walked in the musicians with their respective instruments . They looked so ordinary until they started playing.....the main instrument was Saxaphone accompanied by violin , mrithangam and Ghatam.

It was our FIRST time hearing Saxophone in a live performance especially in indian carnatic music and Padmashree Dr Kadri Gopalnath was just AWESOME ! Nantha and i were totally lost in the music which carried our souls into joyous realms and i closed my eyes to let it carry me further.

That is when i realised that we dont need to have learnt music to be able to flow with it. When good musicians play....they definitely get to your soul no matter what kind of knowledge you have about the instrument. I have not even touched a saxophone in my life, let alone play one....and yet...the music conveyed such intense feelings that you and only you could understand for yourself. You cant explain it....and i thought no wander they call him a genius. He took like 20 years to connect this western instrument to indian carnatic and gosh the outcome is divine !

Then of course the bharathanatyam performed by the ever gorgeous and graceful Padmashree Shobana....but i have to admit that i am not really a fan of her dance style. I dont know why, i cant seem to connect with her moves. But the thought of watching and even snapping pictures of someone who came from a family full of super gorgeous dancers like Padmini and Rahini is definitely exciting especially because she looks so much like Rahini . Well if you are a niece to such dance goddesses you cant help being a goddess yourself....thats what i see in this beautiful dancer.

But then again....though i LOVE Indian classical dance more than any other art form...on that day, the saxophonist spoke through the wind a little louder than the dance goddess did with her ankle bells !!

And overall it was a musical treat and i know watching it on tv will not do justice to that divine music that was rendered life ! Still...do catch it on tv when they show , believe me you dont have to speak wind to understand it.... just close your eyes and let yourself drift with the music...the rest will come naturally :)