The Painted Veil

I really like watching movies. Not a crazy looney having collectables and stuff. Just appreciate good ones. And yes, I do own a reasonable descent collection of good films.

One of the many which has positively intrigues me is The Painted Veil, released in 2006. I’m not much of a fan of romantic movies but, this was an exception. Really fell in love with the mesmerising, elegant beauty of China.

The Painted Veil is based on the novel by Somerset Maugham, set during the most dramatic periods of unrest. It unfurls the love story of a couple at odds, who find solace and liberation in the most challenging circumstances

The story is set sometime during the 1920s. Kitty (Naomi Watts) is an upper class, popular socialite, closing in on marriageable age. Remaining unmarried beyond the marriageable age was considered a blasphemy during those times.

Dr. Walter Fane (Edward Norton), a quiet, young, intelligent, shy and somewhat dull Bacteriologist, meets Kitty at a party. She accepts Walter’s proposal for all the wrong reasons.

They move to Shanghai where Kitty befriends Charlie, a diplomat and eventually falls in love with him. Walter discover's Kitty's infidelity one day. Kitty asks for a divorce, but Walter refuses it. Charlie too does not want to take the affiliation any further. When she realizes that Charlie was ‘just having fun’, she is crestfallen.

Deeply hurt by his wife’s betrayal, in an act of vengeance, Walter accepts a job in a remote war – torn interior village in China hit by a deadly cholera epidemic, and takes Kitty along, endangering both their lives.

This cold, indifferent and loveless relationship amidst an unknown and fatal environment tests their power of endurance. Their journey brings meaning to their bond and they embark on a journey towards self discovery. Kitty is forced to confront the reality of the situation. The wrenched disease gives both a reason to survive. Forgiveness and understanding acts as a balm to the severed relationship.

The movie has many layers to it, love, colonialism, transition…Kitty’s adultery may be considered as an important twist as it opens doors to a new kind of relationship with her husband. Edward Norton and Naomi Watts excel in their parts and make the characters absolutely endearing. The movie has some light moments which are really enjoyable.

I absolutely love the closing lines of the movie.

Stitch Accomplished !!!
I admit that it is not a neat job, but hey i'm a novice who spent 3 sleepless nights trying to complete it, with all my love.
Will do a better job next time.
You can clearly see how much I made the cloth suffer heeheh.

Disclaimer : ALL CRITICS PLEASE VIEW THE MINIMISED VERSION OF THIS PICTURE TO AVOID FALLING OFF YOUR SEATS.

Nice Little Insults

One does not really need to use the 'F' word to insult. Movies and television series have made us creatively infertile.

Here are some classy examples from a time gone by, where you can see the clever use of words to insult and yet not a single cuss word.

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire."~Winston Churchill

"A modest little person, with much to be modest about."~Winston Churchill

"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure."~Clarence Darrow

"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary."~William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)

"Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?"~Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)

"Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it."~Moses Hadas

"He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know."~Abraham Lincoln

"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it."~Groucho Marx

"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it."~Mark Twain

"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends."~Oscar Wilde

"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend...If you have one."~George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second...If there is one."~Winston Churchill, in response.

"I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here."~Stephen Bishop

"He is a self-made man and worships his creator."~John Bright

"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial."~ Irvin Cobb

"He is not only dull himself, he is the cause of dullness in others."~Samuel Johnson

"He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up."~Paul Keating

"He had delusions of adequacy."~Walter Kerr

"There's nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won't cure."~Jack Leonard

"He has the attention span of a lightning bolt. "~Robert Redford

"He loves nature in spite of what it did to him."~Forrest Tucker

Stitch

When I want to gift somebody, I usually get down to painting, something, a landscape / geometrical drawings, delicate art and stuff. I am pretty good at it too. I believe that this is more valuable than ‘off the shelf gifts. It feels nice when your art finds its place in the lives of people you like.

I don’t know what got over me this time round, I wanted to do some handwork. Went to the British Council, glanced through books, fuse ideas….and voila, settled down for ribbon embroidery. The art books are fashioned in such a way that they hypnotise you into believing ‘Oh! That’s terribly simple!’ I fell into that trap too.

The colourful pictures enchanted me into choosing a particular theme. Took help from my friend who is pretty good at this work. Went hunting for the raw materials very enthusiastically, choosing colours, textures, decorative details…conveniently forgetting that time is a constraint.

She very patiently showed me how to do different kinds of designs using various stitches. It looked so conveniently easy. I thought I could finish it quickly. When she left, I sat down very obediently to start where she left. To my horror I found I was only good at punching holes. At the end of it all, one corner of the cloth took quite a punch and looked quite dead. Needlework is not my cup of tea I think. I’m too rough for it, I need to haul all my patience and my lost art of handling a needle before I choose such an effortless project next time.

All is not lost though. Other 3 corners are ready to take on me. I shall win over them and modify the original design to hide the battered part. After all you must finish what you started. Good luck to me!