Foreign Prophecies: 07/2012

"The Elegance of the Hedgehog" by Muriel Barbery

>> 28 July 2012 – book

Never judge a book by its cover, they say. What seems to be a child's book turns out to be an intelligent compilation of philosophical musings of two seemingly ordinary individuals living their somewhat dreary existence.

A fetching, wholly unputdownable book about the simplicity of life and friendship, this book also adds commentaries of daily lives of those surrounding the two protagonists, art, culture, and religion.

Verdict: 9 out of 10 stars

"The Metamorphosis and Other Stories" by Franz Kafka

>> 21 July 2012 – book

I've never really comprehended the full definition of the adjective "Kafkaesque" until I read this book, which is a compilation of Kafka's stories. But even until then, there are more ways than one to define what "Kafkaesque-ism" really means.

Despite being somewhat distorted narratives, these short stories prove to be a fetching read in its entirety.

Verdict: 8 out of 10 stars

What a Masonic (Freemason) temple of Cincinnati looks like from the inside

>> 20 July 2012 – event, Ohio, USA

This is me during the World Choir Games 2012 in Cincinnati, showing what the inside architecture of a Freemason temple looks like.

In case you do not know, the Freemasons are a secretive bunch of people. Hence, the very fact that I am able to show this video to you is already a historic moment in itself.

"You'll Die in Singapore" by Charles McCormac

>> 14 July 2012 – book

Taking place in then-occupied Singapore and Indonesia, "You'll Die in Singapore : The true account of one of the most amazing POW escapes in WWII" is a quite a gripping autobiographical narrative that took place up to the end of World War 2.

A gripping read, I say. A recommended read for anyone who is familliar with Singapore and Indonesian history.

Verdict: 8 out of 10 stars

"Nylon Road: A Graphic Memoir of Coming of Age in Iran" by Parsua Bashi

>> 7 July 2012 – book

A very Satrapi-esque work. I might have liked this better had it been written in a chronological manner. Instead, the author Parsua Bashi has chosen to pen it in a slightly confusing, soul-searching kind of way: at one scene she's confronting her past when she was 35, the next she jumps to when she was 13.

But overall, this graphic novel is just as insightful(if not more) as the "Persepolis" in portraying the historical pain-in-the-arse that every Iranian had to endure during the era of Cultural Revolution and Iran-Iraq war.

Verdict: 7 out of 10 stars