in love with a geisha

gEiSHA gLaM

i went to watch Memoirs of a Geisha alone..hehe it was kinda fun watching a movie by myself..i mean i usually go shopping alone cos i enjoy the freedom to Spend Spend Spend and linger over pretty stila products without worrying about making others wait...but i never tried watching a movie alone..but to those who think it's wierd walking into a cinema alone, i say--Try it! it's a strangely cathartic experience!

i was so enchanted by gong li's beauty i couldn't stop wishing they would stop showing zhang ziyi's and michelle yeoh's faces and show more of hatsumomo (the angry jealous but nevertheless beautiful geish played by gong li) Oh gosh..how can someone look so fantastic at 41? perhaps some women just grow more beautiful with age? heh that gives all of us not-too-pretty girls out there some hope? or there's always plastic surgery...nah

but gong li aside (i better stop before i sound un-straight..haha), the movie got me quite interested in geishas..the word geisha means 'artists' in japan..'A geisha will make herself a living work of art, and the goal they work for is one that can never be reached-- perfection in their chosen skill, whether of music, dance, or singing. A geisha attempts to make her life art, and polish her character until she shines with it. She sells ideas, dreams, and fantasies. She will hint at her sexuality, but never flaunt it.' In fact, the idea of sexual favors being included as part of their "entertainment" is reprehensible to most geisha, at least the serious ones.

A successful geisha must demonstrate beauty, grace, artistic talent, charm, impeccable etiquette, and refinement..Wow..i doubt we have any equivalents of geisha in our society but i would definitely love to see such culture, beauty and elegance (all of which i think are sorely lacking in our society) around!

'What attracts a woman to this profession is, above all, the conscious and deliberate choice to make art her life.'--Liza Dalby, author of Geisha

"Charm is arranging kindness, teasing, and wit into something that will please the ear." --Shizuka geisha.

hAha ok so now i'm a little more inspired to be more graceful & poised, less klutzy & ungainly.. heh wish me luck!

"Just be yourself, but with a geisha twist." --Shizuka maiko Kitsuneko, on how to be a successful geisha.