Sex

I found I could say things with colour and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for.
~Georgia O'Keefe

Flowers are beautiful and they are also sexy; as reproductive organs. Only a thin line marks the difference and often such separations are ignored. Colour, shapes, forms and texture, all striving to excite and to entice but also simply just pleasing to the eye. In our world, sexuality provokes but beauty evokes; a perfectly workable contradiction.

Heart of the Matter

I hate flowers. I only paint them because they are cheaper than models and they don't move.
~Georgia O'Keefe

Core

Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not.
~Georgia O'Keefe

Dark Colours

Nobody sees a flower, really, it is so small it takes time, we haven't time, and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.
~Georgia O'Keefe

Good times, Good memories, Good Friends. Year 4 in Law school has been a long journey marked by Law IV, Law Faculty League, Law Ball, Law Frat Concert and countless suppers and drinking sessions, not forgetting the BOP club. The journey's coming to an end, soon, real soon. But it is the milestones that matter, not the end point; after all, it is a Journey, not a Race.

Merge

Journey with me, to the end.
Where the light meets the line.

In

The flipside is not always the opposite view.
Embrace the duality of life; But view it from the middle.
In transit.

Out

In/Out Love/Hate Up/Down Good/Bad
God's Will/Free Will Wrong/Right
Soft/Hard Nature/Nurture
Death/Resurrection
Judge/Judged
Black/White
Dark/Light


Which side of the divide are you on?

Law Ball

Another milestone in the journey through law school

Law Ball has come and gone but the memories remain. We drank and made merry, took photos and got smashed. I suppose I should look back with nostalgia and reminisce about all the good times that we had in this post? But I won't. La vie en rose? I like to leave with memories, of the good and of the bad. After all, law school has always taught us to be objective.

Photos from Law Ball here.

Ant

Nature, in good hands.

Walked the reservoir this morning with Matt and Fr David. I was so glad to see the sun shining when I woke up this morning. The weather has been really crappy the past few days but today it was good sunshine. We had to make several detours because of some fallen trees and all in all it was a good 5 hour trek, uphill downhill and along the reservoir. Its such a shame that these walks take up so much time or rather, its a shame I rarely have 5 hours to spare.

Relations

Liz, giving me the cold shoulder.

Liz gave me the cold shoulder for thrusting my camera in her face this morning. She did stay at her usual spot in my room but refused to look in my direction. Liz and I have a relationship that I would term as very post-modern . Instead of a strict master/pet relationship we have a highly evolved relationship bordering on casual friendship. When she feels like it she sits for a photo, when I feel like it, I play ball with her etc etc. Think dress down friday all year long. As long as she knows who is the boss at the end of the day, she is pretty much free to do whatever she wants. You do don't you Liz? Yes. I think this relationship is very in keeping with the times. Society has evolved from a strict code of conduct to a more casual conduct centered around pragmatism. I think the renaissance of human fashion began with the invention of the t-shirt.

Apparently, my mom and some others think otherwise. I casually mentioned that I was going for law ball this friday over breakfast and mom got all worked up when I added that I wasnt' wearing a suit. And might I add, she's not the only one to kick up a big fuss about it. The only suit that I will wear to law ball is a tracksuit. Of course I won't be dressing in t-shirt and flipflops, tempting as it might be, but is a suit really necessary? I think not. Lets keep with the times, be casual and pragmatic. Instead of fretting over a dress code(or the lack of), lets focus on more important things, like having fun, lobbying for free flow or ensuring that there will be no corkage charge. I'll break out the Hugo Boss for something a little bit more important than a last minute law ball.

Sheesha

Daryl, forcing his pipe on Sandra

If you ask me, Sandra got the better end of the deal, unlike me, who had it forced on me. But maybe its becasue she was new to the game. Eventually daryl decided to enjoy himself instead of forcing his pipe on us. I think he really did enjoy himself. I enjoyed last night's sheesha session too, beacause it filled up an entire night. Got home at 4, watched football and then headed for my 9am class. Perfect. We had a good time chatting and laughing. The highlight of the evening was most definately the "garçon" bit. Nawaz was asking about travelling in Europe and it made me reminisce about my weekend party trips.
So this is what being in Year 4 is about, getting stressed over papers and then relaxing till the wee morning with friends, not en masse. No more bashes with countless faces and getting sloshed. Reallly?

1003

1003Km, the run-in is complete. Now the fun begins.

Although I was up way way in time for class this morning, I just didn't feel like going for it. I went for a drive in the grey dismal weather, hoping to see the sunrise somewhere in the East. Hope. I stopped by the beach and observed a few tired anglers sort their catch. I should have spent the night fishing instead, at least I would have something to show for come morning.

Lost

The darkness that I bury awaits to be re-discovered, like a lost civilization. It calls from afar and deep within, seducing with promises of discovery and conquest. I find myself racing towards its open gates, or am I merely being drawn in by the force of the Unknown? Knowledge, the sum of all my experiences, warns that what has been laid 6 feet under should remain. But Lazarus tells me otherwise. The Unknown is always hard to resists.

Lilliput

Dwarfed by the grand scheme of things.

Although it drives me nuts at times and causes me sleepless nights, I relish the fact that there is so much beyond my comprehension. I pray that I will always feel small when confronted with what the world has to offer; that I may never succumb to the deadly sin of hubris.

Youssef

Everything fleeting is merely a symbol ~ Goethe

I met Youssef on the long minibus ride from Cairo to the Oasis town of Bahariya. Born in Syria, raised in Egypt, educated in Austria and living in Germany, Youssef was truly a multinational. During the long journey we talked about everything from politics to religion, Hafez to Goethe, in English and German. He had a certain wisdom about him, the sort that comes with wordly experience. This photo was taken at one of the many stops along the way. Youssef, having travelled this route numerous times before led me up a rock feature and chipped away at the surface revealing beautiful crystals beneath. As I was chiselling away at the crystals, he stood up and loudly recited a line from Faust, that echoed across the barren desert. Every photo has a story.

Nail Biting

A Nail Biting Showdown; maybe tongue biting too.

Watched the thrilling pool showdown between Jon "da Choo Choo train" Choo & Nick "da kid" Khoo v. 2 Unknown year 1s. The whole entourage was there to support the dynamic duo, including the other year 4 team. As usual, the hackling orchestra was conducted by none other than the talented Valencia fan Nawaz who produced an astounding performance. Although the dynamic duo did not take the match, they will sleep well tonight knowing that they have a loyal band of friends and supporters.

Aperture

The writing's on the wall,
Follow it to find the window to the soul.
A scarred and scorched facade,
Is it any surprise it is shuttered?

Earthly Tones

Why do we look up for blessing; instead of around and down? What hope we have lies there. Not in the sky full of orbiting spy-eyes and weaponary, but in the earth we have looked down upon. Not from above but from below. Not in the light that blinds but in the dark that nourishes, where human beings grow souls.

Stellar Notes

Sounds of laughter shades of life.

When a 101 voices flood your head, all you want to hear is gentle music. And you pray that the music will rise above all, drowning out the babel; lifting your spirit as it floats to the heavens.

Adieu!

All good things must come to an end.
Not a cliche.

Got the new car today and I have yet to name her. I just can't bear to name her after handing over Ally only a few hours ago. There must be some time spent for appropriate mourning? A few grand worth of kit does make the new car look much meaner than the run of the mill 3 but still... Anyway, I console myself with the fact that fixing Ally's burntout gearbox just didn't make financial/economical sense. But then again, owning an Alfa Romeo has never been a sensible choice. Its a choice guided by the heart rather than the brain. Oh well. The sales agent suggested a group photo with the car and so we happily complied. I must say that the new car handles very well and at the heart of it all is a BMW in-line 6. No way was Ally going to be replaced by a wheezy 4-pot. Matt and I gave Ally a good washing down and shine, our last combined effort in sprucing up Ally. I think the serpent's bite will be hard to forget but I am sure the blue and white propeller will bring a new kind of fun.

Reification Reflections

We are no more than a compilation of our perceptions, experiences and environment.

It has been a while since I've done any reflections on this blog. I suppose the bulk of my reflections titled posts are from my time on exchange. Is there no time to reflect in Singapore? Is there nothing worth reflecting on in Singapore? I suspect the answer lies somewhere in between. Anyway, I've been thinking;
1) That maybe I shouldn't shelve my grad trips plans to Iran after all. It is highly unlikely that there will be any military action taken by either the Israelis or the Americans within the next couple of months. I was thinking of blogging a list of reasons for visiting Iran but I decided it wasn't worth the effort because this is not a sponsorship pitch and becasue with or without the list I will still end up going eventually. Anyhow, a good friend of mine has already written something of note regarding Iran and Singapore at HOVIVO. Read it and you'll realise how misguided our general perceptions can be. (or at least those of the people who gawk when I mention travelling to Iran).
2) Amartya Sen in his book Identity and Violence strongly opposed adopting the wholesale classifactions that have been thrusted on us, without any rationalisation. "The worst impairment comes from the neglect and denial of the role fo reasoning and choice...". These unrationalised classifications form the basis of our perceptions and taint our outlook on the world and ourselves. I suppose a clear example of such a perception would be the touting of the phrase "Clash of Civilizations", courtesy of Samuel Huntington, which is the de rigueur these days. But such a phrase is clearly deficient because it presupposes a classification along the lines of civilizations. To reduce a people to such a one dimension classification is clearly not giving credit to the diversity of humanity. Classification for understanding must include the multidimensionality of humanity, lazy classification and generalization is perhaps more dangerous than the nuclear bomb. Is this the best way to classify peoples? Along the lines of Islam and Democracy? East v. West? Let us not forget that the world's largest democracy, India, is also the 2nd largest muslim country, Indonesia being the first. If diversity is not allowed then our options and choices would be greatly reduced. The allowing of diversity can indeed be seen as a essential freedom. The power of free will and free choice; of not being guided by instincts but by congnitive thinking. That is all that makes us superior to other beasts. Is it not?
3) In addition to what Sen has stated about the the classification of peoples into one dimensional planes, I think we should extrapolate that concept and apply it to other forms of classifcaions and concepts. Democracy is a phrase that we throw about so readily these days but do we know it's exact meaning? Democracy is not just about ballot and votes, but it is about public deliberation and reasoning. In seeking to extend democracy worldwide, the superpowers should consider if they are giving true effect to the meaning of the word. Public deliberation and reasoning is not something that can happen overnight. It has to be cultivated through good education, through conducive environments and through constant stimulation.
4) That maybe after all this thinking I should focus on school work. But i've seem to have lost the drive this semester. Evidently, I will be passing through law school without any As. Talking about law school, check out this law school photo that is the product of citizen/student reporting HERE. Anyway, to mitigate my academic decline, I've been sourcing out ad campaigns for my future law practice. some of the research materials can be seen HERE

Gestalt

Tensions and Isolations, the metaphors of silence.
Utterance is governed by what remains unsaid, by silence.
Breakdown and fracture the process of perception.
Indeed the capacity to perceive.

Insomnia is a most attentive lover, possessing one jealously and draining completely.

StationaryMotion

Cuore Sportivo? Si, infatti!

The car to me has always been the ulitmate symbol of freedom and mobility. Hop in and head off to the horizon. Everyone has to do a road trip at least once in his or her life. Ally was on top form tonight as I blasted down the deserted expressways, no crunching gear shifts and every turn was pin sharp. With the windows down, the sound of the rushing wind combined with the growl of the engine to produce a soulful symphony. Soul. That is what this car is about. That is what I will most definately miss. Every car has a character but not every car has one as colourful as an Alfa Romeo.

Aarhus Evening

Without giving anything away, I can say its by the sea.
Its a house that used to be, the home of a friend of mine.

Dark rainy days like today remind me of the long autumn days in Aarhus, when it is always wet and the sun is a no-show. I feel homesick even when at home. I "painted" this picture because I thought the photo had a Hopper like quality that could be brought out through a different medium. A certain sense of solitude; comforting solitude. I don't know if I've succeeded. Ironically, the same can be said for a long of things in my life.