A black and ugly pigeon crept into the information room and lost its way for a moment.
It tried to fly out but banged into one of the glass panels in the door. Bam. I felt a little sympathetic, but also a little smug. Pigeons have no concept of personal space. They fly just inches over your head, and take flight at the very moment you cross its path.
The pigeon crept about for a while, trying to walk off the pain from the collision. And eventually found its way out.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Friday, September 23, 2005
Lull
Venice doesn't seem to be as crowded as a couple of weeks ago. I think it's the break between summer and autumn where not as many people travel?
This morning a Chinese couple came in to ask where the nearest supermarket was. We only knew of Billa in Lido and in Canareggio, so I asked what she was looking for.
She became slightly abashed and said, "Uh, ha ha, wo zhao nu xing yong de dong xi."
One of us had a sanitary napkin, so we gave it to her.
Great service huh? And if our grasp of Chinese was better, we could have explained the Merlion and the work to her companion, who lingered in the information booth while she used the bathroom. Oh, the shame!
This morning a Chinese couple came in to ask where the nearest supermarket was. We only knew of Billa in Lido and in Canareggio, so I asked what she was looking for.
She became slightly abashed and said, "Uh, ha ha, wo zhao nu xing yong de dong xi."
One of us had a sanitary napkin, so we gave it to her.
Great service huh? And if our grasp of Chinese was better, we could have explained the Merlion and the work to her companion, who lingered in the information booth while she used the bathroom. Oh, the shame!
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Young and Old, Big and Small
I've noticed that it's the older crowd who appreciate the pavilion more. They take the time to talk to us and find out more, and they find the toilets absolutely charming, fabulous and useful, of course. One lady told us her ex-husband was called Mike, and Mike was a great guy but... well.
The younger visitors (around Ker Min's and my age) are probably more self-conscious and impatient, so they come in, look around, take a catalogue and go. A few days ago, there was a group of 10 to 15 college-age students talking, smoking and laughing in the courtyard, and for a moment, the pavilion felt like part of a university. Very merry.
A couple of visitors today said they liked the pavilion a lot, especially after the onslaught of Arsenale. My sentiments exactly.
I was at Arsenale yesterday, and I did enjoy a few of the works, such as the mud hippo, the chandelier of o.b. tampons, the typewriter interactive space and the Russian video of "little" people running around and fornicating (hey, there was a rationale behind their piece). But the art got overwhelming after a couple of hours and when I stepped out into the sun, my eyes started watering. It was a relief to go back to the airy and chill pavilion.
PS. Sorry I missed your call, Tzay Chuen
The younger visitors (around Ker Min's and my age) are probably more self-conscious and impatient, so they come in, look around, take a catalogue and go. A few days ago, there was a group of 10 to 15 college-age students talking, smoking and laughing in the courtyard, and for a moment, the pavilion felt like part of a university. Very merry.
A couple of visitors today said they liked the pavilion a lot, especially after the onslaught of Arsenale. My sentiments exactly.
I was at Arsenale yesterday, and I did enjoy a few of the works, such as the mud hippo, the chandelier of o.b. tampons, the typewriter interactive space and the Russian video of "little" people running around and fornicating (hey, there was a rationale behind their piece). But the art got overwhelming after a couple of hours and when I stepped out into the sun, my eyes started watering. It was a relief to go back to the airy and chill pavilion.
PS. Sorry I missed your call, Tzay Chuen
Saturday, September 17, 2005
1. lunch in the pavilion. 2. Omeed, the grey hound from Vienna who visited 2 days running. 3. A view from a street leading to my home. 4. sunset, over venice from S. Elena on a long walk home.
Some snippets of the day:
1. The landlord is pruning ALL our grapes today. Darnnit. He says its necessary if not the vines will break because it will be too heavy otherwise. I don't know whether to believe him or not.
"Sono una parte della mostra di singapore!!"
2. For some reason, people keep thinking that the septic tank is our exhibition. Its starting to be amusing to see how art lovers cross the courtyard in a determined stride, pass our open door and head right to the big black septic tank; then backtrack and look curiously into our little office.
"La mostra sono lo spazio fuori; i bagni equesta stanza"
3. Its cold today already. There's a light chill swirling in invisble currents inside the pavilion. Its heralds the start of work for us, and mourns the absence of F and N!
Venice is beautiful in its somber grey veil, fog covering the tops of the basilicas and the making everything seem more elegant than it really is in the presence of the summer tourists.
:nkm:
Visitors
Update: Visitor count hasn't surpassed the 10,000 mark yet. We mis-clicked the counter. The number stands at 9,546. 454 to go. But who's counting, right?
1. Homo erectus
Some have said the Merlion, when viewed from the back, resembles a phallus. Well, yesterday afternoon, a curly-haired traveller took a breather at our Pavilion. He was lying down, taking a nap, hands behind head, head on backpack.
And he was having a hard-on.
Visitors were coming and going and nobody seemed affected by it, though I heard one couple say, ".... erecto..." The traveller woke up after a while, sat quietly for 5 to 10 minutes, then went off.
Nataliah said later that we should have hit him with the Mike catalogue and said, "No erections at the Singapore Pavilion!"
2. CBD Chatter
A lady and her friend just came by the pavilion, and she was flipping through the Mike catalogue and explaining how the Merlion statue is in the CBD of Singapore. Naturally we asked if she was from Singapore, and she said yes.
I get this huge grin when I meet a rare fellow countryman in a foreign land.
1. Homo erectus
Some have said the Merlion, when viewed from the back, resembles a phallus. Well, yesterday afternoon, a curly-haired traveller took a breather at our Pavilion. He was lying down, taking a nap, hands behind head, head on backpack.
And he was having a hard-on.
Visitors were coming and going and nobody seemed affected by it, though I heard one couple say, ".... erecto..." The traveller woke up after a while, sat quietly for 5 to 10 minutes, then went off.
Nataliah said later that we should have hit him with the Mike catalogue and said, "No erections at the Singapore Pavilion!"
2. CBD Chatter
A lady and her friend just came by the pavilion, and she was flipping through the Mike catalogue and explaining how the Merlion statue is in the CBD of Singapore. Naturally we asked if she was from Singapore, and she said yes.
I get this huge grin when I meet a rare fellow countryman in a foreign land.
Friday, September 16, 2005
goodbye goodbye
View from top! If you can't find the Singapore pavilion in Calle Della Tana, 2126, look at this map!
Monday, September 12, 2005
10.000
News1: Our visitorship for the pavilion has reached 10.000 today - September 12! Ottimo!
News2: We had a very silent, yet important visitor today. An ambassador of a not-to-be-named country to Singapore came, drop his card and left.
News3: The 2 new interns, Kermin and Chai Chin arrived and they're here to stay!
News4: Singapore party went well on Sept 11!
News5: NZ party hits Venice on Sept 14!
News6: I got invited to the history of the Biennale at the Guggenheim! Time to do my schmozzing!
News7: The cleaner finally came to clean the house!
News2: We had a very silent, yet important visitor today. An ambassador of a not-to-be-named country to Singapore came, drop his card and left.
News3: The 2 new interns, Kermin and Chai Chin arrived and they're here to stay!
News4: Singapore party went well on Sept 11!
News5: NZ party hits Venice on Sept 14!
News6: I got invited to the history of the Biennale at the Guggenheim! Time to do my schmozzing!
News7: The cleaner finally came to clean the house!
Saturday, September 10, 2005
at the film festival
Very Lady Vendetta wannabe ...
It's an Asian thingy
And here's the original superstar ... Won Bin? Kim Chi? hmmm ... who? the real lady of vengeance
F.Venice
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
HEY ALL ITS ME!!!
hihihi, sorry for cross posting. if u dun wanna see me typing rubbish here again, better change the password haha...
Nah, just to tell all u who know me, i just set up my new blog!
http://iakeijatchicago.blogspot.com
i cant make my blog as exciting as what fariz did to this, but nevertheless come visit!!!
iakeijiekai
alumni of the association of singapore pavilion interns june - july
Nah, just to tell all u who know me, i just set up my new blog!
http://iakeijatchicago.blogspot.com
i cant make my blog as exciting as what fariz did to this, but nevertheless come visit!!!
iakeijiekai
alumni of the association of singapore pavilion interns june - july
Thursday, September 01, 2005
happenings
happening 1:
I was molested yesterday by this Italian woman with hairy blonde armpits. It was quite a picture, which amazed me. She thought that I was Tzay Chuen and I just played along, because she kept going on and on and asked me to visit her in Napoli, etc. She commented that I'm handsome and asked if Singaporeans are generally good looking people. Hmm ... Before she went off, she PINCHED my cheeks and kept telling me her name. Grrr ... I felt so violated! Too much!! Especially the hairy armpits! :S
happening 2:
Some important and not-to-be-named person came to the pavilion today. He is nice and seemed pleased with the pavilion.*bingo*
happening 3:
An old man came by and gave me 10 Euros for the catalogue and poster. It would be nice, but YES, NAC people who are reading this, I didn't take the money and repeated myself again, that the catalogues are free! :) Certo! Tutto gratis! C'est gratuit! Free! Percuma! Tidak ada kena bayaran! Mian Fei!
Alora ... highlights from yesterday's opening party of OPEN 2005!
Cocktail reception at the ***** Hungarian Palace Hotel with dressybusy people all dressed up for the Opening of the Film Festival showing Tsui Hark's, Seven Swords
Pavilion people - Great Britain and Ireland and friends from Manchester
Me, Cleo-petra and Cutey Chris
Steve (Aust Pav), Emily (NZ Pav), Belliana (Aust Pav), Simone (NZ Pav), Amal (Aust)
With the superwoman of the biennale - Paivi de Grandis :)
Post Blue Moon party
I was molested yesterday by this Italian woman with hairy blonde armpits. It was quite a picture, which amazed me. She thought that I was Tzay Chuen and I just played along, because she kept going on and on and asked me to visit her in Napoli, etc. She commented that I'm handsome and asked if Singaporeans are generally good looking people. Hmm ... Before she went off, she PINCHED my cheeks and kept telling me her name. Grrr ... I felt so violated! Too much!! Especially the hairy armpits! :S
happening 2:
Some important and not-to-be-named person came to the pavilion today. He is nice and seemed pleased with the pavilion.*bingo*
happening 3:
An old man came by and gave me 10 Euros for the catalogue and poster. It would be nice, but YES, NAC people who are reading this, I didn't take the money and repeated myself again, that the catalogues are free! :) Certo! Tutto gratis! C'est gratuit! Free! Percuma! Tidak ada kena bayaran! Mian Fei!
Alora ... highlights from yesterday's opening party of OPEN 2005!
Cocktail reception at the ***** Hungarian Palace Hotel with dressybusy people all dressed up for the Opening of the Film Festival showing Tsui Hark's, Seven Swords Pavilion people - Great Britain and Ireland and friends from Manchester Me, Cleo-petra and Cutey Chris Steve (Aust Pav), Emily (NZ Pav), Belliana (Aust Pav), Simone (NZ Pav), Amal (Aust) With the superwoman of the biennale - Paivi de Grandis :) Post Blue Moon party
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