All Things Yummy

Every now and then, I come across something completely wonderful and amazing that makes me feel energized and empowered.  Not empowered in a metaphorical sense, but in more literal sense where my head becomes so full of creative ideas, melodies, code, or prose that I have to get it out of me into a physical medium.  It could be some random melody or a news article - everything from Franz Liszt to a red rose lying next to a statue has gotten me into this state.  Well, I guess I can add another thing to that every growing list.

I’ve just finished reading A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami.  There’s not much to say about the plot since that’s not really the point of the book.  In very simple and straight-forward sentences, Murakami forges disjointed and digressive plot involving tiny little details and thoughts that are easily dismissed in a normal day-to-day life.  Reading through the pages felt like looking at a crowded picture where only an odd item to the side is in focus, with everything else veiled by pleasant, surreal, and enveloping fuzziness.  The line between fantasy and reality is just one of things that’s blurred out.

The biggest thing about the book, though, is that it resulted in endless stream of scenes, dialogues, and characters in my brain.  For all I know, they may languish in my head until they die a slow, painful retreat into the oblivion….  but I still appreciate having them.  Who knows, maybe I’ll actually sit down with couple of sharpened pencils and actually dump them out into the physical world.

Interestingly enough, I also went to watch Pan’s Labyrinth with couple of friends - though (I presume by necessity) the movie follows much more linear plot than the book, the two seems to share a bond in the way it merges reality with fantasy by surrounding with beautiful but surreal images and attention to little details.  It was wonderful and beautiful movie, though it did make me a bit squirmish…  Your mileage may vary, but it’s definitely not for little kids.  Time to hit the bed, maybe I’ll go dream about the sheepman hanging out with faun or something silly like that.