Gallimaufry#129

Just a gallimaufry of AI-generated photos, real photos and ramblings 📸

Dubai Airport 2023

Whenever I am in an airport, my mind always wanders back to a cherished memory from 22 years ago, involving my then-kindergartener son and his beloved hedgehog, Han-Han.

For days leading up to our trip to Singapore, Son#1, inseparable from his beloved Han-Han, had been relentless in his pleas to bring his tiny companion along.

Despite my attempts to reason with him, he remained adamant, insisting on Han-Han's presence. As we stood in line at the immigration department, waiting to get our passports made, with the pressure mounting, I found myself at wit's end.

It was then, in a moment of frustration, that I blurted out, "Han-Han can't come along because he has no passport." Surprisingly, this simple explanation worked like a charm, putting an end to the relentless pestering. With Han-Han comfortably settled in a pet hotel, we embarked on our journey with a very relieved and happy boy.

AI-generated images inspired by Han-Han

Dinner 

Drunken La La - clams cooked in a flavorful sauce with Chinese rice wine

The "la la" clam, commonly known in Malaysia by its local name, is referred to as the Asiatic hard clam or simply hard clam in English. The scientific name for this species is Meretrix meretrix. These clams are known for their hard shells and are a popular choice in various seafood dishes across Southeast Asia.

If you've seen Me Before You or read the novel by Jojo Moyes, you know what the bumblebee tights are all about, right? In the book and film, the bumblebee tights symbolize Louisa's independence—and her vivacious spirit—that which Will encourages her to fully embrace and to, in his words, “live boldly.” 

I read the book twice, watched the movie for the umpteenth time and yet, I still find myself reaching out for the tissue every single time!

Inspired by the ending cafe scene from the movie "Me Before You".

Louisa wears the bumblebee stockings as she sits at a cafe in Paris, reading Will's letter.

"Wear those stripy legs with pride...."

MERMAID

Back in 2009, rumours of a mermaid that was washed ashore on a Malaysian island spread like wildfire across the nation. There was even a short video clip of the mermaid lying dead on a beach. 

Turned out, the purported mermaid was a sculpture by artist Juan Cabana. Quite frankly, I was a little disappointed. I had wanted to believe that mermaids were real and that one was discovered at long last. 

And why not? The existence of merpeople really is quite plausible for 2 reasons:

1. Mermaid tales have existed across all cultures since time immemorial, long before the different cultures interacted with one another. Paintings, poems and sculptures of these amphibious maidens sometimes found in Indian temples are evident that such creatures are more than just a figment of the imagination.

2.The ocean covers 71 percent of the Earth's surface and contains 97 percent of the planet's water, yet more than 95 percent of the underwater world remains unexplored. Who really knows what's down there in those bottomless mid-ocean trenches? After all, two new whale species were discovered only in recent years.

Growing up, my first mermaid tale was the one Grandma used to tell before tucking us to bed. According to Chinese mythology, sailors loved to trap mermaids to sniff out their tails. Simple minded though beautiful, they were easy to snare. Their tails were naturally purple and smelled of happiness but would turn to red and smell of sadness when they were unhappy. Mermaids in Chinese literally translates as 'beautiful human fish'.

AI generated

If mermaids were real, I believe they aren't the alluring beautiful creatures we grew up imagining and would probably look more like monsters than Ariel.

Baby boomers, remember the black and white photograph of a 'reverse mermaid' that made quite a splash circa 1973? I was in fifth grade when a classmate brought the picture to school. The creature in the photo had a fish’s head and the hips and legs of a fully-developed woman.

For a very long time, I never knew for sure if the mysterious entity was fake. It did look kinda fishy! It was only until recently that I googled and learned the reverse mermaid was indeed a hoax that originated in or around Yemen during the early 1970s. The story behind the hoax until today is still undisclosed.

The whimsy in me wants to believe that mermaids along with dragons, unicorns, werewolves, vampires, fairies.... exist simply because they represent the unknown, the mystical, the supernatural. Maybe they are not what we have in mind but they are definitely out there, elusive, lurking in the twilight place between land and sea.

Do you believe in mermaids?