Month: May 2012

Worthy Words // Explore Life

This quote is occupying my thoughts this week. I love exploring – winding up in side roads, discovering great finds, sitting in little nooks, uncovering quaint family-run cafes, and unearthing a great spot to watch the sunset. These off-the-track discoveries always make a place special and memorable for me. pling thinks…life is so too. If you are now wandering off the beaten track, differing from the usual route that most would choose to take in life choices, career paths or even in your character traits, take heart that this side road can be great too!

Ghibli Museum // 三鷹の森ジブリ美術館

When I first watched ‘Spirited Away’ in a film festival, I was so inspired that I went digging around to watch all of the animation films that Hayao Miyazaki (宮崎駿) directed. Before long, I’m in love with the works of Ghibli Studio – from the famous ‘My Neighbour Totoro’ to ‘Laputa: Castle in the Sky’, to the awe-inspiring ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ and the tear-jerking ‘Grave of the Fireflies’. Strong story-telling, inspired imagination, vivid background details and magical characterization in these animation films made it a must for me to visit the Ghibli Museum (三鷹の森ジブリ美術館). Traveling all the way to Mitaka (三鷹市), a little town in Tokyo, Japan, what filled us with anticipation was this ivy-covered building, a wrought-iron spiral staircase and a glimpse of Miyazaki’s Robot on the rooftop garden. We trekked to the ‘false entrance’ to meet Totoro, posing as the ticket-seller to the museum, accompanied by the ‘soot spirits’ (or the little black balls). Of course, remembering to take a shot of the signboard and liking the silhouette cut-out. Let’s head to the …