In the Beginning – Creation in Paradise

21 Mar 2012 3 Comments

by Eva the Dragon in Eye Candy - Art, Island Tales - Expatriate Living Tags: , , , , , ,

It is quite an ambitious project to set the Creation story from Genesis to music.  But Joseph Haydn felt he was up to the task and his masterpiece was rolled out in Vienna in 1798.

For the first time, on March 23rd, The Creation will be sung in Bahrain by the Manama Singers.

Musical Director Michael Natzke must have decided it was only fitting that the choir residing in Paradise should sing about the parting of the waters and the creation of all the animals.  Resident artist Seanna Mallen was commissioned to paint her vision of Creation for the official poster.

The Creation covers the story from the beginning – when God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1) – until Adam and Eve sing their love duet.  Although neither Genesis chapters 1 nor 2 specifically mentions any serenades, I think Haydn basically brings us up through the end of Genesis where they were naked but probably not singing.

The concert ends with the Angel Uriel vocalizing his advice for the pair to be happy with what they have and not wishing for anything more.  And again, although I really respect Angel Uriel, the only angel I could find was an unnamed cherubim.

I think Haydn wanting his oratoria to be popular committed two sins; the sin of pride – telling the story his way – and the sin of omission – telling the story but not the whole story- when he left out the part about the snake.

Still it promises to be a fabulous concert.

You can buy tickets for Friday’s concert at Al Osra, the Bookcase or at the Diplomat Radisson Hotel.

Touring Bahrain? Get Your STREETSMART Guide

17 Mar 2012 6 Comments

by Eva the Dragon in Food for the Mind - Books, Island Tales - Expatriate Living Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

You are invited to the Streetsmart Bahrain Book launch party.

Yeah!  The party I have been waiting for.

My friend, author Melissa van Maasdyk, promised she would have her Bahrain travel guide ready before the Formula One in April.  And she did it.

Sunday night was the official reception.  As we drove up to the soon-to-be opened, second wing of the Kempinski Grand and Ixir Hotel, we waited for the line of dignitaries’ cars to be valeted.

“Who are all these people?” Mojo asked.

Arab men dressed in elegant white thobes, African women in long gowns, European ambassadors in business suits, and glam women in high-heels all hurried into the lobby.

“Melissa seems to know everybody in Bahrain,” I said.  “The UN people love her book so much they asked the Director General of UNIDO to speak tonight.  Some must be with him.   And there is Debbie and Mohammed,” I said, pointing at the Bentley pulling in behind us.

Mohammed and Debbie Al Asfoor, the Arabian Sheik perfume designer/creators, are one of the thirteen Bahraini insiders featured in the MY WAY sections (pg. 89) of the guide.   With her enthusiasm for Bahrain, Melissa charmed these Bahrainis into revealing their favorite, and previously unknown to outsiders, places to shop, eat and chill.

As we walked through the lobby doors waiters greeted us with shots of fresh watermelon juice as the Bahraini jazz band 13th Note played.

Melissa introduced me to interior designer Ammar Bashar who created the fabulous entry way for the amphitheater where Andrea Bocelli sang last week.

The very stylish Ammar accessorized his made-in-Bahrain suit with a Hermes scarf instead of a tie.  In Streetsmart he gives away his style secret – his shoes are custom made by a local shoemaker named Ghuloom and has his suits made in the souq at a “fraction of the cost of Seville Row”.   To find these places you need the map in the guide.

Luckily for Melissa, New York based Bahraini photographer Ghada Khunji (pg. 51) was in town for the opening.  I had not met her before.  Like me her favorite aspect of Bahrain is the warmth of the Bahraini people and its multifaceted cultures.  And one of her favorite places to exhibit her photos, eat, have a spa day and a yoga class is at La Fontaine Center for Contemporary Art (pg. 49).

I took a photo of my new friend Errin Stone the Chef and Manager of the Al Riwaq Gallery (pg. 116) getting his book signed.  Just last month Errin helped me host our book club meeting.  He came up with five fresh salads, sandwiches and of course Red Velvet Cake for us to nibble.  Afterwards the members texted me “It was the best book club meeting we’ve had in awhile.” I attributed it to the art and the gallery’s atmosphere.

On the globe Bahrain is small.  But Melissa still managed to bring together Bahrainis who had never met.

Words Bookstore owner Rana whose family has literally lived in Bahrain for centuries met the perfumer and creator of Green Bar, Reem al Khalifa (pg. 168) for the first time.  I had never heard about Green Bar’s made-in-Bahrain line of pure rose waters (pg. 171) but Rana who uses her line of plant-based skin creams said “I’m so glad to meet you.  I love your products.”

Besides these Bahraini gems, the guide includes Bahrain’s key tourist sites – Tree of Life, Barbar Temple, Bahrain Fort, Saar Settlement and the Bahrain National Museum, shopping highlights and the restaurants with the best food.

Next week when my family visits, I am going to travel “off road” and will follow Melissa’s guide deep into the souq to visit Azzam Ayurvedic “that wouldn’t be out of place in Harry Potter’s wizard’s market, Diagon Alley” and through Muharraq’s alleys to the first coffee shop founded by an out-of-work pearl diver.  My brother-in-law who keeps a photo album of his favorite dishes will love going deep in the heart of Gudaibiya to sample the BEST tikka in Bahrain.

I may or may not tell you about our adventures.  Unlike Melissa, I like to keep secrets.

If you want to tour the real Bahrain or need a detailed guide for a day trip, you can pick up Streetsmart at Words Bookstore on Budaiya Highway, Jashanmals in Al A’ali Mall, or the Virgin Mega Store in Bahrain City Center.

If you stay at the Kempinski in City Center, a copy will be in your room.

To get copies of Streetsmart Bahrain for your Formula One visitors, you can email editor@streetsmartbahrain.com.

Melissa and Jamal Shaheen Muharraq carpenter

See you at Jamal Shaheen’s carpentry shop on Road 1125 behind the unmarked wooden door on your left shortly after entering the street (pg. 69).

What Looks After You

15 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

by Eva the Dragon in Food for the Mind - Books, Island Tales - Expatriate Living Tags: , , , , ,

A Castle Built in our Neighborhood

Knowledge is better than wealth.  You have to look after wealth;

knowledge looks after you.

– Ali

 

From Indries Shah, The Way of the Sufi

Handmade Nation

13 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

by Eva the Dragon in Island Tales - Expatriate Living, The Most Interesting Roosters - People Tags: , , , , ,

Faythe Levine created a documentary about the “new” trend in America – handmade crafts and art.

Trend is probably the appropriate word since it usually refers to what Americans are buying today.  But two generations ago Americans, like my grandmother Louisa Burns, who crafted their own food, clothes and entertainment were the norm.

Growing up in Saudi Arabia before the Rashid Mall existed, my own mother used to sew clothes for us.  Once she sewed me a bathing suit.  Granted the moment I entered the sea, I wished she had spent the $20 to buy me a suit from Sears.  The material she choose stretched, and my bikini quietly floated off my body with the same leisurely stroke as the jelly fish around me.

Although I haven’t seen this film, my guess is this is about Americans who are discovering joy and pride in making their own stuff, instead of buying cheap, mass produced goods imported from China.

Calling this trend the RISE of Do-It-Yourself Art, Craft and Design seems a bit grand.  However, if you are of Ms. Levine’s mid-30s and under generation, maybe you are unaware that it is possible to knit your own socks, can fruit and mold your own soap.

Potentially this film may highlight the fact that many Americans, including young Americans, are out of work because corporations have moved their manufacturing and service jobs outside the USA.  If Americans are not highly educated, they are having difficulty finding high-paying jobs that can support them.  And like people in developing countries who do not have the cash to buy manufactured goods, these Americans are re-learning the art and craft of handmade items.

Whatever the message it is an excuse to enjoy a short film that may inspire you.

Andrea Bocelli Concerto – One Night in Bahrain

09 Mar 2012 3 Comments

by Eva the Dragon in Island Tales - Expatriate Living, The Most Interesting Roosters - People Tags: , , , , , ,

Andrea Bocelli performed his One Night in Central Park Concert last night.  As the solar flares whipped around our sun, the energies of cultures, music, eras and beliefs mixed in the air next to the sea.

Italian Andrea Bocelli was the headliner, but the young Bahraini woman with the bobbed hair and boots sitting behind me did not seem to understand the concert was not just Andrea singing.  The renowned Russian State Hermitage Orchestra conducted by veteran Eugene Kohn was FEATURED.  And Soprano Paola Sanguinetti who has performed with Bocelli for over ten years was more than arm candy.  But each time Bocelli was walked on and off stage, the audience held their breath wondering whether HE was going to come back.

My neighbor thought when Bocelli was not on stage it was a mini-intermission so she laughed and chatted with her friends.  After Ponchielli’s Dance of the Hours, I finally turned around and said “your laughing is distracting” and suggested that she save her comments for between the movements.

She said “I will try.”

The program’s second half gave the audience some operatic relief.

During his famed rendition of Shubert’s Ave Maria, the stage screen featured a video of Bocelli standing at the foot of a four-foot tall Virgin Mary covered in a floor length veil.  Muslims respect the Virgin Mary.  There are more passages devoted to her in the Koran than in the Bible.  But as Bocelli placed a white rose at her feet and the Virgin’s veil was gently pulled from her face, the Islamic tenet that idol worship is forbidden came to mind.  When the song ended, half the audience clapped and Mojo leaned over and whispered, “oops”.   Already MPs had been calling the Spring of Culture “immoral”.

The Incanto favorites Mamma and Funiculi, Funiculi did not relieve the discomfort hanging over the audience.

Bocelli left the stage and the orchestra played a suite from Romeo and Juliet.  Excerpts from Zeffirelli’s 1968 film’s balcony scene were projected behind the orchestra.  I heard tongues clucking when the blue-eyed, 17-year old Leonard Whiting snuck into 15-year old Olivia Hussey’s window and kissed her.  I don’t think anyone told the producers that in the Bahrain cinemas even Shrek’s first kiss with the princess-turned-ogre Fiona was cut out.

Ultimately it was Elvis, a showgirl and the Las Vegas crooners who saved the night under the Lenten moon.

When Bocelli sang Elvis’ familiar Can’t Help Falling in Love, the mood began to lift.  The audience cheered after he gave his young guest artist, Ilaria Della Bidia, a big hug between their duets.  The audience went wild over his New York New York encore and gave him a stomping ovation for this Liza Minelli and Frank Sinatra staple.

Just as earth lucked out without any power grid disruptions, the Spring of Culture‘s Bocelli concert ended on a HIGH NOTE.

And the audience bundled in their winter jackets and scarves proved the concert did not simply “please semi-naked women” as the MP claimed.

My Beautiful Bahrain

08 Mar 2012 3 Comments

by Eva the Dragon in Food for the Mind - Books, Island Tales - Expatriate Living Tags: , , , , , ,

Some people are doers and some people talk a lot.

Robin Barratt is a doer – and a creator, an organizer, an inspiration and an all around good guy.  Just a little over a year ago Robin told the Bahrain Writers’ Circle that he would put together a book about Bahrain and get it published.  And he did it.

My Beautiful Bahrain compiled and edited by Robin Barratt

My Beautiful Bahrain is now available as a Kindle ebook on Amazon.

Forty writers from fifteen countries contributed short stories, mini-memoirs, poems and articles about this tiny, tiny island kingdom in the Arabian Gulf.

Based upon my numerous trips to the Ministry of Traffic, my short story “Ali and the Hummer” was chosen for the anthology.  I was inspired by a mysterious Arab woman clad in black leather I saw in the Seef Mall parking lot and another one driving a neon-pink Hummer who swerved in front of me near the Fateh corniche.

I am especially grateful to Robin for taking on a project no one else has done before.  Just as he made his contribution to the community, Robin is leaving Bahrain as work takes his family elsewhere.

That is what this book is about – Bahrain’s timeless appeal.  Since the Babylonians settled in Qal’at al Bahrain, people from all over the world have landed on the island and enjoyed their respite before sailing back into the world.  Nearly everyone who experiences living in Bahrain fondly – and longingly – remembers their days in paradise.

To view a Kindle ebook, you do not need a Kindle Reader.  You can download the free Kindle software onto your computer or IPAD or other tablet device.

WARNING reading My Beautiful Bahrain may tempt you to taste the forbidden fruit.  Do not read while driving.

You Can’t Be Grumpy When Julio Sings

06 Mar 2012 7 Comments

by Eva the Dragon in Island Tales - Expatriate Living, The Most Interesting Roosters - People Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

The last three days I have been feeling quite grumpy.

It’s because I am having to come to terms with the age-related adjustments I must make to my yoga practice.  As I watch my young teacher bend, bend, bend, my ego is having difficulty accepting that I cannot mimic her without injuring my knees, back or _____   (insert nearly any body part).

Perhaps next week.  If only I stretch a little further……..

Last night Mojo and I attended Julio Iglesias’ concert at the Arad Fort.  He came to Bahrain as part of The Spring of Culture.  Even though I only knew his “All The Girls I Loved Before” duet with Willie Nelson, we both agreed the show was terrific.

 

The good news was his voice is still strong.  And he was still surrounded with young women whose legs sliding out of their evening dresses trounced Angelina Jolie on the red carpet.

HRH King Hamad was impressed too.  He presented the 69-year old Spaniard an award for his prolific musical achievements.

I can only imagine Julio must be pretty grumpy today after the local newspaper featured his award on the front page.  Why? The photo was taken from his left side.

Based upon his myriad of publicity shots, Julio prefers his right side.  Even in his younger days, he entered the stage from the left and sang to his partner so his right side faced the audience.  The same was true last night.  His three sinewy backup singers all stood on the right side of the stage.

After flying in from a concert in Moscow and two nights outside in the Bahrain winter, I hope today he is resting and not obsessing about the photo.  But I know as I watched him carefully execute his choreographed moves, his age was on his mind.

“I am 47 years old” he joked with the audience.

He pretended his water was vodka.
When his saxophonist offered him a scarf, he turned it down, shouting “I feel terrific!”

Wearing only his suit jacket, he sang for an hour and a half while being pelted by an icy desert wind.

Watching him I wondered “at his age, why is he subjecting himself to this?”

Today I went to see my young hairdresser after a two month hiatus.  He looked at me and said, “You look great.  Have you lost weight?”

“No,” I said thinking a moment.  “But I have been immersed in my yoga training since January.”

“I have never exercised.  My doctor told me I should do yoga.  Everyone says yoga is excellent for you.” He continued, “You look different, better.  After seeing how you were walking, I am motivated to find a yoga class for me.”

I was so pleased.

“Yoga is great,” I agreed.  And thinking about Julio telling us how his music came from his heart and how much he enjoyed singing to people around the world, I added,

“And always do what you love.  That will keep you feeling young.”

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