for ONCE

A movie that was said inspired Steven Spielberg for an entire year?

While we are constantly bombarded with fluffy romance greatly played up by movies, books and to certain extent advertising. We may say we are victim or we can say we are emotional lots.

Being out with bf watching the usual blockbusters like Indy Jones, Ironman (which was great by the way), I need to satisfy my basic urge to have a real decent movie that will actually make me believe in it, touch my 5 senses and make me feel that amidst all my chaos, a movie can actually make me feel alive.

Well, well, I was greeted by my expectation with this movie. Spoilt by two Asian love movies ,I was waiting for another love movie that requires no sex, hardly any kisses or even hugging. ONCE a small budget Irish movie is something I found that connect tear jerking movies such as my favourites "The Love Letter" (Jap) &
"The Road Home "(A zhang Ziyi debut movie).

Go find and watch it and let it taunt you with inexperience leads that ended up together after the filming. Moreover, the musics make it a worthwhile trip to the cinema as the two leads write them and won an Oscar for the main song "Falling Slowly".

"Amazon.com
Winner of the World Audience Award at Sundance, Once starts out as a small-scale romance, like Before Sunrise, before arriving somewhere unexpected. An Irish busker (Glen Hansard, the Frames and The Commitments) meets a Czech flower seller (Markéta Irglová) while singing on the streets of Dublin. (In the credits, they're listed as Guy and Girl.) She likes what she hears and lets him know. Turns out she's a musician, too. They work on a few songs together and a friendship is forged. She lives with her widowed mother, who doesn't speak English. He lives with his widowed father, who owns a repair shop. Since he broke up with his girlfriend, the guy has been drifting, unable and unwilling to get his life in order. The girl encourages him to pursue a record deal, and the guy emerges from his funk. Then he makes a move on the girl, who rejects his advances. He's confused, but as he comes to find, there's a reason she’s keeping her distance. Though Once is filled with appealing folk-pop by Hansard and Irglová (released on CD as The Swell Season), the movie isn't a traditional musical, but rather a more optimistic Brief Encounter. Filmmaker John Carney, Hansard's former bandmate, captures the real city--in all its affluence and poverty--rather than the picture postcard version. His beautifully shot film serves as a heartfelt ballad about all the underclass Guys and Girls swept aside amidst Ireland's economic miracle. --Kathleen C. Fennessy "

soap for the soul

When a friend told me, while pointing to blocks of natural soaps, that we will pick the soap (smell of course) that is the most soothing for us at that particular moment. It should be the one that will soothe you most . What can you expect more than a soap that claims that it will also clean your consciences.

Its sounds absurd; soap?! But its different with soaps which was made everyday, using hands (in organic & LOHAS we believe in energy)that channels good vibrations, tree barks and wild herbs extracts that bring us closer to nature amidst our rat race.

I did not choose the Sishen Chinese herbs immediately. But felt in love with it after using it several time, mostly spent time smelling it. I felt I was in a forest where wild herbs grow in abundance.

My friend rely on the cypress soap. As he is native to the place that grows cypress trees in abundance- Taiwan, he had seen the greatness of the tree which would take 10 to 15 people to circle the tree. Insects leave this tree undisturbed due to its antiseptic properties thus cypress tree can live as long as 4000 years. Whenever he bathes, he felt as his worries are shared and supported by the great tree.

These soaps are made without prejudices and are left for its own colours to form, assimilate other ingredients to form its own character. Many have claims the soap its a living soap where the herbs still continue to work its purpose on us.

I think I overdid myself when I ended up with 3 bars of different soaps in bathroom. Sometimes even rinsing twice to try different soaps.....hahaha...

While many may regards that Yuan soap is just another soap that cleans. To some its may be a tool to remind us to reflect ourselves once in a while.

my favourite soap at the moment "sishen"...could not stop smelling....