Perceptible

Sacred cows and raging bulls; Let's slaughter the run.

Waking up with a headache, to the end of a market bull run marked by a major crash, I just wanted to crawl back under my blanket and hide. Of course, that did not happen because I am no coward and also because I was on the tekan spot for my "favourite" module. The on the spot was fine and eventually my counters did pick up allowing the day to end relatively decently. But what a ride. Although the markets were due for a correction, I'm just sore I didn't time it spot on. Anyway, some blood letting is always good.

Conspicuous

Standing out, an Angel amongst clowns.

Sometimes we so desperately want to blend in, even if it means losing that special quality that makes us unique. Even if it means becoming a fool, just like the rest. I wonder if my mom understood this irony when she placed this haughty angel amongst her collection of Lladro clowns. There is comfort in anonyminity, in uniformity and in conformity. But there is more to life than just comforts? Or perhaps other experiences are simply overrated?

Girl with Flower

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

The two Royal Copenhagen figurines that I bought for mom when I returned from Denmark. Delicate and Beautiful, I wonder if it's beauty lies in its fragility. Hold it close, hold it tight, if not it is lost forever.

Snow

The silence of snow

This time last year, I took many long walks in the winter countryside; savouring the silence of snow. Its good to have a little quiet in your life every once in a while, especially if one has a loud persona. No birds chirping, no insects buzzing and no leaves rustling; just the sound of your thoughts and the whispers from your heart. During these walks, resolutions are made and resolve strengthened. But how easily they crumble; as easily as snow melts.

Outlook

Lets all keep a cool head, try another perspective.

The headlines once again bear more saber rattling from the US over Iran's nuclear program. But now, apart from Iran's nuclear program, the US is claiming that it is justified to invade if insurgent movements in Iraq can be traced back to Iran. I think that is one of the most hollow diplomatic justification I've heard and even more so coming from the USA. Let us not forget that it was the US who armed and supplied the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan against the Soviets and it was the US who armed and supported the Bay of Pigs fiasco; this is just the tip of the iceberg. Would the USSR or Cuba been able to justify a full out invasion against the US then? Under the guise that US was supplying armed insurgents? Of course the champion of democracy justifies all its actions during the cold war as necessary for bringing down communism. Now that communism is down, is Islam next? Maybe Iran can also justify retaliation against the US for its role in supplying and supporting Saddamn Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war?

I am not a hardline supporter nor a holocaust denier. I don't think Tehran is blameless, rather, I think there needs to be more concrete justifications before going to war. A war in which civilian casualties will be high. Iran is a big country and air strikes alone will not suffice; some form of ground invasion is inevitable. The cold war may be over but MAD is still very relevant, especially if Iran achieves weapons grade fuel over the next few months or has already done so. Talks about Israel arming its Dolphin Class submarines with nuclear missiles suggests that Iran may be pinned in from all sides. Cornered and threatend, Iran will eventually engage it's agressors.

The key is to enage Tehran and to let diplomacy take its course. Forcing Tehran into a corner in the hopes of strengthening one's position at the negotiation table does not take into consideration the value of Persian pride. In most Asian cultures, pride, like the value of "face" in Chinese culture, is something very important; something worth dying over. Sensitivities are always required. The cries of clash of civilisations presupposes 2 very different cultures. The West should use this difference as an advantage and not ride roughshod over it. Wanting the East to think West is never going to work.

I think that the US' war cries are akin to the cries of a little spoilt brat that's used to having everything his way. And when things don't, he starts blaming everyone else when the blame lies squarely on his shoulders. I'm sure American intelligence knew before invading Iraq that Iran would support insurgent movements in Iran. After all, your enemy's enemy is your best friend is a diplomatic adage that has been around since time immemorial. And well practiced by the Americans.

春

An explosion of Spring.

The Lunar New Year is just round the corner and the mad rush of running last minute errands is finally over. I hope that this year's Ang Pow loot will be more generous than the last. I suspect that my ang pow earnings were severely affected last year because I wasn't around to collect them personally . Nothing boosts value like an earnest boyish smile.
Gong Xi Fa Cai everyone!

Clutter

After all the jacks are back in the boxes and the carnival of life has moved on to the next town. Its time to sieve through the clutter that has been left behind, to seperate the good from the rest, in the hopes of finding something of value. It was impossible to do so with all the noise and colour that wreaked havoc just moments ago. But is it possible without?

Redux

A Theme of Two;
Never underestimate the synaptic power of kitsch.

Another item from my Kitsch shelf, this time from Amsterdam. An exchange stint in Europe is not complete without a party trip to Amsterdam. Talking about tripping, I love trips down memory lane. But one must not live in the past. After all, somethings are meant to be experienced and then set free.

The Sun Also Rises

One generation passeth away, and another generaion cometh;
but the earth abideth forever
~Ernest Hemingway

I allow myself one souvenir from each place that I visit and all these souvenirs now sit nicely on my little kitsch shelf. For Pamplona, the souvenir of choice was a sachet of sugar from the Cafe Iruna where Hemingway wrote most of "The Sun Also Rises". Whilst sitting in the cafe, I thought I sensed the dark undertones that were pervalent throughout the novel rising within. Such darkness shades one's life. I wish I could travel again. But. There is a fine line between wanderlust and escapism that is often overlooked; wittingly.

Liz Lying

You can't photograph a memory.

A quick snap shot of liz, just before she dozes off to sleep; a dog's life. Sleepy Sundays spent at home with Liz is something that I missed dearly when I was on exchange. I wonder if she knows that I need her more than she needs me.

Footsteps and Sunsets

Footsteps on the ceiling.

As the sun sets, the air cools rapidly and mists descends on the mountains like a veil, shrouding all. Darkness falls as light dies. The recent news about the Iranians installing centrifuges and noise about military strikes spells the end of my plans to visit Iran this May. I wonder why a country with so much oil needs nuclear energy? Maybe because sanctions have resulted in insufficient investment for oil production. What good is oil in the ground if you can't extract it? The whole issue sounds like the all to familiar chicken and egg story. Ironic isn't it. But life is full of ironies. Just like how the world's greatest democracy interferred in local Iranian politics indirectly, bringing Mr Ahmadinejad coming into power.

So, this May there will be no tracing of Cyrus' footsteps to war with the Greeks. Neither will there be homage paid to Hafez and awe attributed to Shah Abbas. But there will be refelctions, on why the leaders of Iran remain so firmly against the west when Shah Abbas and Cyrus were renowned for their tolerance.

Indian Aurora

A new dawn, a new begining?
We are one, but we're not the same?

Kangri Guard

The ordinary gestures of ordinary people in ordinary situations.

I soaked up Rory Stewart's The Places in Between in one sitting last night. The book was about his walk across Afghanistan in 2002 and it conjurred up images of Kashmir, of its soldiers and of its rugged yet beautiful mountains. His encounters with the militias reminded me of the machismo culture of soldiers in these rag tag armies; Trigger happy and plenty of ego, idle but always up for intimidation.The book also led me to Didier Lefevre and this brilliant photograph, which has a Munch like Scream/By the Deathbed expressionist feel about it.

"Most war photographers carry large digital cameras; Didier was using black-and-white film and two old Leicas. In a war zone most photographers prefer to use a zoom. Didier didn't have one. 'I am the zoom' he said."
~ Rory Stewart, The Places in Between

P.s. Many thanks to Wenyi for the book, and with it the gifts of imagination, aspirations and insights.

Bergen Rain

Bergen Rain, White and Black.

I dug up this photo after seeing a "rain shot" a couple of days ago, although I have to admit that this is not as atmospheric as the one I saw. This photo was taken in Bergen in 2005, where it rains 300 days a year. Its 2007 now, Exchange seems so long ago but only yesterday. I still have so much wanderlust left over from Exchange. Or maybe there is a bubbling source of wanderlust within.

Atypical

Weddings are always serious stuff.

I like this atypical wedding photo from Keong & Caroline's wedding dinner. No smiles, except for the lovely bride who probably couldnt help the reflex smile after posing for photos the whole day. In keeping with the Shanghai Night theme I used my Shanghai made/bought Seagull TLR. Secondary school classmates getting married, Secondary school classmates becoming fathers. I think I have no choice but to admit defeat and embrace adulthood now.
I think the previous post was horribly written, because of the nature of the topic and the lack of sleep. Blogging about heavy stuff without sleep is dangerous. But my stand is unchanged although the delivery leaves much to be desired. I did try tweaking it abit but I've given up.
The antithetical photo can be seen here

Faith

In principio erat Verbum
~ At the begining of all things, stands the power of reason.

It is ironic how my previous blog post seems so relevant to this post, which is the result of an interesting conversation I had yesterday with 2 Christian friends. The Catholic church has always been criticised for being archaic and unprogressive but over the past decades it has made rapid progress. Evolution theory is no longer frowned upon but seen as complementary to Theological Doctrine.

I believe in God the creator. I believe that evolution does not undermine God but is the result of the His work. Besides, I do not believe that my God is so easily undermined.

I find it difficult to believe that the world and the universe that we live in is only 10,000 to 15,000 years old. I find it hard to believe that evolution does not exist because if that was so, there wouldn't be a problem of HIV. The mutation process of evolution may seem random but it is guided by the premise that nature knows what is best. But what exactly is nature? Who created nature?

Before we embark on a crusade for the truth there are several issues that we have to comprehend. First, is that the bible has been translated, allowances must be made for translantion and context. Second, that time is relative. What is an eternity for mankind could be a split second for God. Relativity is no longer a theory but a Law. Third, that the human being is only capable of so much divine comprehension. How much of God's plan and will do we understand or can we understand? Fourth, the major difference between humans and other life form is cognitive thinking.

Sola Scriptura, one of the 5 solas of Protestant doctrine, advocating a strict and literal interpretation of the bible has ironically resulted in an even more archaic and unprogressive outlook of the world today. This situation is compounded by selective literal readings of the bible. The Catholic church through scientific, historical and theological research, has made dramatic progess; placing it perhaps somewhere between Galileo and Comte. But to deny evolution would be to take a stand that is clearly pre Galileo.

Some interesting articles
Evolving Thoughts
On Evolution
What science has to offer