What's in a name?

Since i'm always forgetting which battery is full and which needs to be charged, I've decided to name my batteries. I hope this will help me remember which is charged and which isn't. Only time will tell if this part boredom part frustration induced scheme will work.
And NO, I am not kiasu for having 5 batteries; you'll be surprised how fast a battery dies when shooting at -20 degrees.

It was really tough narrowing the list of names down to just 5; and on hindsight I really felt that I should have included an impressionist. Oh well. Anyway, here are the reasons behind the names.

Velazquez; notably for Las Meninas in which he taught me the value of composition and perspectives.
Picasso; for showing me how life should really be seen, for showing me that it is actually possible to capture emotions and feelings on an inorganic medium.
Cartier-Bresson; for teaching me the importance of the "decisive moment"
Capa; "If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough."
Brassai; Surrealism through photogrpahy.

Photography is more than just mere reproduction. If you give a monkey a range topping camera and let it snap away, chances are it'll produce at least one decent image. Top of the range "L" lense and expensive cameras are important. But what good is it if you don't have a message? If your photo can't convey the emotions and the feeling of a moment that was so special to you? Such equipment are supposed to aid you in delivering your message, not to do it for you. Alas, I am guilty of being a monkey sometimes.

Check out these 2 links, all that was used were mobile phone cameras. Proof that you don't always need a "power" camera.
Martin Parr
Henry Reichhold

Escapee

What a long day.
I wish I could just kick back and relax by the pool like in Nuweiba;
watch the sun set behind those red mountains.

So, today it was grey outside and inside too.
Sometimes you just can't do anything right.
Sometimes your best is not enough.
Sometimes all you want is to be understood.
Sometimes you question the meaning of things.
But you learn that life goes on.
That no matter how grey the day is, the sun will still rise tomorrow.
Every dark night must surely give way to a sunrise. Surely?
You say its good that I see the glass as half full.
Things would be very different if I didn't try to do so all the time.
Walk a mile in my shoes.
Maybe you'll see how hard it is to always see the glass as half full.

Blue Skies

This was taken while I was sitting on a bench at the train station waiting for my train to the airport. In a way, it reminded me of the beautiful sky over Lake Voss in Norway, just that the mountains are replaced by buildings. A more urban feel perhaps?
Spring is here, at least in calendar terms, and this is my last season in Denmark. While waiting for the train I recalled this line from The English Patient;

"Kip and I are both international bastards, born in one place and choosing to live elsewhere. Fighting to get back to or get away from our home lands all our lives"

Its funny how some of the happiest times of my life are spent abroad.
Yet it is heartening to know that some of my fondest memories are of home.

King for a day.

Exchange has thought me the brevity of things.
When you are on exchange, everything has a shelf date.
Everything begins with an end in sight.
Yet in this temporal state of affairs you find the clarity to see things that last beyond now.
You discover the things that are dear to you.
You discover yourself, the self that has been hidden, buried under layers of societal influence.
And you wonder if you have the strength to keep that self afloat when you return home, to keep that self on top of everything else.
Maybe yes, maybe no.
But I take comfort in the fact that there was a brief moment when it was allowed to surface.
When i was king for a day...
And perhaps fool for a lifetime.



*Off to Iceland tomorrow. See you all in a 6 days.

Both sides Now

If only everything in life was clearly signposted and marked out.
If only everything was transparent and obvious.
Hop-On or Hop-Off.
I am excited about seeing you again. You know how I feel about you.
But I am also sad about leaving, about returning to a life, a career that I don't really want.
Contradictory you say? Perhaps.
The truth? Definately.
I don't know what more I can do or say to comfort you.
Maybe I am just not good at being a boyfriend.

Reflections

It is half way through the semester, my last semester in Denmark.
So much awaits me back in Singapore yet so many things beckon from afar.
The term "opportunity cost" has never really meant much to me before.
But now it is everything.

koningssluis

Standing in my kitchenette preparing dinner, the Kings of Convenience resonating from my laptop, watching a brilliant orange sun set over the Scandinavian landscape through my large square window, I wondered how best I could capture this moment. Instinctively I wanted to reach for my camera, but once again, I was reminded that not everything has to be captured; that somethings are meant to be experienced and then set free.

Amsterdam encapsulated in one photo? Old school bicycle, bridge, canal, touristy canal boat, quaint houses and tourist. Can this be any place other than Amsterdam? I hardly took any photos on this trip, perhaps due to the familiarity of the place with a lack of particular fondness unlike London. Being stoned and hungover doesn't help.

It was horrible saying goodbye yesterday, saying goodbye to friends is always difficult. I wonder when I will see them again. But if that is the price one has to pay for friendship then I must say that I got a bargain. Anyway somethings are meant to be experienced and then set free.





Check out the new addition of Dreamer to my links

Charlotte and her tree-house

A photo that was taken over the weekend in Langeland.
This was the tree that used to be Charlotte's tree-house many moons ago.
By now the planks that used to form the house have all crumbled away and nature has slowly reclaimed its turf. Its amazing how much can change with time. Out in the wilderness, man fades into the background and nature is dominant. But then again, even big cities were once wilderness too.

So its off to Amsterdam tomorrow for a weekend of fun. Been to Amsterdams quite a few times before but I guess no exchange experience would be complete without a visit to Amsterdam.
This will give you guys some time to digest the photos that i've uploaded on flickr =D

Danish Weekend

I've been in Denmark for close to 9 months and I have only just experienced a Danish weekend. It was realy nice of Charlotte to invite me home for the weekend. We had to take a train to Odense and then change to a bus to get to her home-island. It was wonderful staying with a Danish family. Her mom was a typical mom, stuffing me with lots of Danish food and really good desserts. It was cool to see how the Danes live outside of student dormitories. I am really fortunate to have such an experience. The house was situated on the beach which meant daily walks along the beach and watching the sunset either from the living room or on the beach. Entertainment entailed watching pheasants, swans, ducks and other birds on the waterfront and sitting round the fireplace. On Saturday we drove around the other islands and visited the town centre. At night, the family took me out for a superb dinner. Sunday was spent visiting a castle and just enjoying some good ole family time. The weekend was also marked by a new arrival to the family. I felt really privileged to be part of such an intimate family affair. If I never travel again, I would be satisfied. It would have been a shame going through a year in a country without ever getting a chance to experience how the locals really live.

The Danish countryside is also the seaside. In Denmark you are never more than an hour away from the sea. Although the temperature stayed constantly below -5, I would consider it fantastic weather by Danish standards. The skies were clear, endowing the sun with the Midas touch, turning everything that it touched into gold.

More photos here

Reflections...

It has been really cold the past few days, a sign that Spring is not going to come for at least a few more weeks. So I've been thinking...
1. I am half hoping that Spring won't come because that would be the end of this exchange stint.
2. That I am very lucky to have made such good friends here.
3. It is really easy to let your life spin out of control when you have lost your anchor.
4. There are simple pleasures in life that we often overlook, such as satisfaction from finishing your household chores. Do not underestimate the solace of dishwashing. The seemingly repetitive action frees up the mind for deliberation.
5. That I've changed quite a bit over the past few months, patience, understanding, tolerance and appreciation, all come to you when you speak the local language at nursery level only, when everything that can go wrong does, when you have to be diplomatic when dealing with the epitome of uncouth, when sometimes home seems further than it has to be.

Some lomo photos here

Happy Anniversary

Giving you my heart and my world.
Happy Anniversary Darling.

Vienna is...

having drinks in a shop window....
the Hofburg....
the Schonbrunn...
the Museum Quatier...
where good friends call home...
home to the original Sacher-torte...
a mix of Imperial style and underground punk...
Simply Unique.

More photos here

Salzburg

Salzburg is really a beautiful place, almost beautiful enough to give Prague a run for its money.
Salzburg is framed by beautiful mountains to the back and a river that runs through it. The mountains are dotted with Monastries, Castles and old Manor Houses. The town consists of lots of old buildings and the main shopping street is a UNESCO heritage site too. Of course Salzburg is also the birth place of Mozart and not forgetting that it is his 250th anniversary, everywhere you go, you see Mozart monuments. But I think the best thing about my visit to Salzburg was being invited to stay at Regina's place. It is wonderful waking up to homemade bread and cakes and being fed good authentic Austrian fare at every meal. I really enjoyed doing what a regular Austrian family does on the weekend, take a stroll through the mountain paths, going sledding, hanging out in the living room talking, playing with the baby. I think it is a privilege to see a place from a local's perspective. A perspective that no packaged tour can offer.
More photos here.

SIingaporean in Salzburg

Singaporean with snowboard and camera.
No prizes for guessing who this is.
*hint* check out the short black hair.
Got back from Austria at about 1 am this morning. Unpacked and had a late dinner before scooting off to bed. I am very surprised and very impressed with myself for actually going for my morning class. Must be the post travel guilt syndrome or post credit card bill syndrome kicking in. Or maybe its a combination of both, a new disease to plague exchange students. It was fantastic seeing half of the old Aarhus gang again. And it was so nice of them to put me up and to put up with me. More photos tomorrow perhaps. This snowman is too tired.

Winter Wanderlust

I really love how my university is built around a lake and park. They are a nice variable that changes appearances with the seasons. The only change amidst the constant facdes of the buildings. I think this picture captures lots of details, snowflakes, duck prints on the lake and the cold chill of a winter morning.
Tomorrow its off to Austria to visit friends and for some snowboarding. Will be back next Tuesday; hopefully with nothing broken, yes, ego included.