Tim Burton: the Exhibition

Today I finally visited the Tim Burton exhibition - a career retrospective of his works, published and unpublished. I am a big fan of his movies and his style. Tim Burton's works are dark and twisted: macabre, humorous, irreverent, tormented. The perspectives in his artworks are very exaggerated, the outlines of objects are messy and topsy-turvy. There is a little boy with nails stuck in his eyes and blood oozing out, there are two lovers 'enjoying' each other by feasting on their limbs, there is a poem about a girlfriend who's really a statue, and there are graveyards and stitched-up corpses aplenty. You feel small and isolated in a beautiful, curious version of hell.

I liked the rawness of his sketches/paintings. Most of them are roughly drawn; unpolished because they were not meant for public showing. His movies are very good, but they are so well honed that they often lose that unrestrained craziness. In his unpublished work, you see deeper into his mind. I was often surprised that some content was allowed to be displayed, but I'm glad it was (I think today's censorship goes too far and people need to get over themselves).

In many ways, Tim Burton reminds me of Roald Dahl, one of my favourite authors. In some of his younger work, he has a writing style very similar to Roald Dahl. But his adult work is much darker. These are a few of the displays that left a deep impression on me:

I love the colour, the concept. Probably my favourite.

You can tell he likes body "modifications".

Pumpkin-lined walkway leading up to an eerie ghost house. I'd love to stay overnight.

A hell of a room.

Definitely worth going. Give yourself at least two hours.

My favourite things (and apologies)

First, I'd like to apologise for my absence from this blog. It's been four months or eternity in blog years. I hope I haven't disappeared into thin air. But in any case, I'm back and hope to post more often.

I thought I'd post a few of my favourite things: they're the little things that cheer me up, amuse me, something I can think about when I happily have nothing better to do. They are not big purchases, but rather things acquired on a whim 'just because'.

Recently, I've been getting into the whole aromatherapy/scent/fragrance business. I didn't used to pay much attention to scent, and I still don't think aromatherapy is all it's marketed to be. But sometimes, you come across something and it's like breathing in magic. Magic because you stop for a moment and imagine what it could be. It's quiet luxury:

Jo Malone Cologne. Very simple and wearable. This is not the complex, enigmatic perfume, which suits me just fine because I'm not the complex, enigmatic person. You could try layering different ones, but I prefer wearing one only. My favourite is the nectarine & honey blossom. I smell perfectly ripe nectarines in the warmth of summer. I don't mind smelling like fruit if it's delicious.

Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm. Intense woody, herbal smell. What you smell in day spas. I bought a pump bottle when looking for something to keep in the bathroom. Due to my innate desire to match everything, I also bought a pump bottle of hand wash. Yes, I can hear you say, it's just hand cream and hand wash for god's sake! But favourite things need no justification.

Chanel Le Vernis - Paradoxal 509. I love nail polish. You can wear whatever colour and (usually) get away with it because it's such a small part of the body. Red nails say, I am fiery and passionate, even when the overall dress is conservative. This particular shade, paradoxal, is so beautiful. It's taupe/grey/purple depending on the light conditions - the colour changes, there is no way of describing it. It's really very elegant and moody, which is perfect for winter. In fact, I loved the entire Chanel fall 2010 makeup collection because it's exactly what I picture cold weather makeup to be.

Right now I am lusting after this pair of Chanel sunglasses. I saw it on Privilege. Read this blog if you have the time - it's beautiful prose written by a genuinely nice person. I don't know where I can get it or if it's even available here, but if I find it, I suspect I'll very likely cut off an arm and a leg to take it home with me. White sunglasses with pops of red and blue are too perfect.

So these are a few of my favourite things (to quote Sound of Music). They make the bad days bearable and the good days memorable.