Valley

Urban Landscape

I think I'm not really a city boy, although I seem to have all the trappings of one. I miss the fjords, clear blue skies, the sound of birds chirping at dusk and of course the crisps fresh air. I try to look for all this in my urban sprawl, in my home. I twist and distort but its just not quite the same; Of course not.

Space

The familiar, somewhat differently.

A place looks different when deserted. There is a symbiotic relationship that exists between a building and its occupants. A building draws its character and colour from its occupants, as much as its occupants depend on it for shelter and utility. One cannot exist without the other.

Sleep

Obviously, three is a crowd.

Was unable to fall asleep again last night, and I am beginning to doubt my bedtime reading material. Maybe some fiction is in order. I wonder how they can fall asleep on a cold hard bench. I am truly envious.

Glam

Diamonds are a girl's best friend

But not when she has a craving for M&S jam sandwiches.

Dependence

When will we bite the hand that feeds?

As oil prices rise past $90 on Friday, the possibility of $100 oil no longer seems that remote a possibility. The reasons for the recent spike, conflicts between the Kurds and Turks in northern Iraq and new US sanctions imposed on Iran. Both are not new issues, the Kurds and Turks have been going at it since forever and Iran has been under US sanctions since 1979. I dare say that all this is the result of bungled American foreign policy, but what difference does it make now. Opec will not increase supply, perhaps because the high dollar price makes up for the recent weakening of the US$. Natural resources should not be turned into weapons. Perhaps the $100 mark will be a good time to break out of our dependency and put an end to petrolpolitics. We have seen the end of cheap oil. I wonder how this will impact my generation's lifestyle.

Voyeur 3

Code Red; Exposed.

Voyeur 2

An invisible guest

Surveillance is not quite the same as voyeurism but it is related. Michel Foucault's exploration of the panopticon in Discipline and Punishment really highlights the dehumanizing effect surveillance has on our daily lives. Yet in this age of terror-phobia we are increasingly subjected to more surveillance. I deliberately left my chair in the frame and kept it lighted to show a a sense of progression from the previous photo; still under surveillance, still being tracked. The move from black & white to colour is also a form of progression, in the sense that many people view black and white film photography as an antiquated process in this digital age. Voyeurism is also about dark shadows and obscured views, allowing one to see without the presence being felt.

Voyeur

An unbridgeable gulf

This and the next couple of posts are the result of an evening's walk around the estate. Privacy is at a premium here in overbuilt Singapore. Sometimes, we can't help but look into a neighbour's house, sometimes, we want to. But voyeurism is not all about sexuality per se. It is more about a peculiar point of view. The thrill of seeing what we know we should not see. To me, the basic condition of the voyeuristic scenario is distance, an essential separation between seer and seen. Many of Hopper's paintings have a certain voyeuristic quality and perhaps that is where I get my influence, or where I find an affinity with his work. In these voyeuristic photos, there is an added dimension. The photos are a sort of self portrait, of the Lee Friedlander genre, all taken with the aid of a tripod and timer. Enjoy the peep show.

Obvious

Res Ipsa Loquitur

Went down to Borders just now to get the latest issue of Black & White Magazine; One day, I will collect prints. My little hoard of B&W magazines sit next to my three little archives of 60s Leica Magazines. Although its all in German, I love thumbing through them; One day, I will own a Leica.

Reversal

Negative/Positive, reverse image, Black/White. It all Rhymes.

Collected the 2 rolls of lucky 120 that I sent for printing last week and its good to see that the goodwill wasn't wasted. The photos are not that breathtaking but the anticipation and anxiety of waiting for the prints have skewed any form of objectivity left in me; Film does that to you.
I like this photo not because I almost got knocked down by a cab whilst taking this photo but because I managed to get the focusing and framing right. To me, this image is about reversal and contrast. The old contrasts the new and yet from its chronologically posterior position, the old mocks that which is ahead. There is a sort of visual rhythm that exists in this photo and in fact in most things that we see. The foreground of the photo is dominated by the young modern lady walking across the camera. She is echoed by an older man across the street. Both are carrying their bags in the same manner, yet one looks trendy and modern, whilst the other looks somewhat out of place. Separating them is a busy road, highlighting the difference, which is a result of forward progress. However, in the background, the old shop-house dominates and yet in the corner of the frame, a more modern building intrudes, perhaps reminding the shop-house that its days are numbered, especially in Singapore.

Unexpected

In the darkest place, I know, that is where you'll find me.

Fallen

And one more starry-eyed messiah
Meets a violent farewell

天空

人间有梦

This evening's sky was beautiful
Yet there was nothing extraordinary about today
I forgot that even the ordinary can be beautiful
I can't recall the last time I actually paused to enjoy the sky
To think it used to be my favourite pastime

Unglücklich

Fold here, bitte.

It was a pleasant surprise to see German instructions at the end of the roll. Not something one would expect from Chinese film. Anyway, the end of the roll was the end of the road for my 2 rolls of Lucky 120mm. I spent the whole night trying to scan the negatives without success. I should have made sure that the scanner could scan 120mm before buying it. Looks like Lucky is in need of some luck. I hope the goodwill isn't wasted.

Fusion

Men at work.

I hate having my photo taken but I am in every photo I take.

Rumi

If you pour the ocean into a jug, how much will it hold?

One day's store. A packed audience and yet I wonder how many left with the essence of Rumi's teachings. Today's ST carried an article in the Review segment about religion and mysticism, titled Religion's Civilising Role; It is people who defeat terrorism. Although I am a tad uneasy with writers using events such as the 800th anniversary of Rumi's Birth as a rostrum for preaching their political agendas, I do agree with the general message; that we should look to the past for lessons on tolerance and that it is in the minds of humanity that the war against terror should be fought. Increasingly, we have become more religiously intolerant. Irresponsible use of phrases such as "axis of evil" and a western dominated news media does not help. Technology is a double edged sword, we now have greater access to information via the internet, sat tv, cable, books, periodicals etc etc. But technology also means that we are constantly bombarded by inaccurate information. Goebbels once said that a lie repeated often enough becomes a truth. And there is truth in that, no pun intended. It is easy to ignore the yearning for truth and to accept the bombardment as 'the truth'. If we wanted to get to the truth of a matter all we have to do is click our mouse and search, mankind has never had it easier when it comes to research. Surrendering our inquisitive nature may just be the greatest folly of our time; Whatever or Anything as we now say. Rumi's message was of human love and unity. His vision of religion was a force that made people trust in and work for peace. Perhaps Rumi will serve as a reminder that there are always two sides to a coin, for religion and for everything else.

Hope

The rising sun at sunset.

Hope helps us straddle the uncomfortable divide between true and false. It is a safe-harbor from the unmerciful realm of logic. The logical thought process would categorize a thing as either one or the other. But us hopefuls say that there is an in between. I relish the in betweens. Hope inspires, allows us to dream, to imagine and to create. More importantly, hope allows us to continue living, for a better tomorrow. I like this photo because I love trees. I also love the beautiful shade of the grass, an in between colour that you only see at sunset or sunrise. Dark shadows and fading light can also produce beauty, I hope.

Holiday

The long-legged beauty and I.

This photo has a certain holiday feel to it, although that would hardly describe the mood for the week ahead. It must be the Danish Flag, the Traveler's Palm, the interesting building and the blue skies. Or maybe, its just the chilled out long legged beauty putting his brand new 400D together. This was taken with my bao sua bao hai (all encompassing) wide angle lens. It distorts but it leaves nothing out. So, as you can see, yesterday afternoon was a romantic affair of searching out old interesting houses, being surprised by a Danish flag, taking photos of trees and of course a sunset. No romantic jaunt would be complete without a sunset.

Chef

Never trust a skinny chef?

Marc came over for a little cooking session last night. He played the role of chef de cuisine and moi, the sous chef. I like how he moves around the kitchen with a sense of purpose and intent. I love these cookouts because I get to watch him in action and pilfer recipes from him. Passionate people are a joy to watch when doing what they enjoy. Its not really a visual sensation, rather, it is the passion they emit which stirs something deep within oneself. I like how the lights from the cooker hood spotlights his face, which has a calm yet focused air about it. The hands are busy, constantly in action, but always in control.

Bird

Bend it like Bertoia.

Current

Urim & Thummim

Logical reasoning meets Sensation at the same point where Black meets White. Electrifying. Will that be positive or negative? I'll take both.

Eden

A tropical paradi$e, only for tho$e who have it.

Today's ST trumpets the achievement of 9.4% growth by our economy in the third quarter. La vie en rose. We are rolling in dough and very much closer to the national goal of making Singapore the playground of the rich and famous; for surely the rich would only want to play with the rich. We have grown from Kampong to the Garden City and now hopefully to "mature" from the Garden City to the Garden-of-Delights City. Barring a negligible minority, I am sure almost every Singaporean will benefit from this growth.

Loris

Plenty of time; Less but Better

Last night, I had difficulty describing a particular product that I liked. This was compounded by the fact that it was an msn conversation, where barring emoticons, words are dominant. I couldn't quite say for sure why I liked it. I just did. This feeling bugged me and in fact, it always has been bugging me. Perhaps Dieter Rams sums it up best:

"It has always been a hard task to argue aesthetic quality for two reasons. Firstly, it is difficult to talk about anything visual, since words have different meanings for different people. Secondly, aesthetic quality deals with details, subtle shades, harmony and the equilibrium of a whole variety of visual elements..."

Memento Mori

Death be not proud

Tonight, I vicariously experienced the feeling of Loss that Death brings. Death is an inevitability of Life. We all accept Death, it is the Loss that sometimes seems unbearable. But bearable it is, for through this Loss we Gain new strength;
To Live.

One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.

Deconstruct

Avec Passion

Oddly, this portrait's largely inspired by the deconstructed cheesecake I had at Wild Rocket recently. Bits of the subject, bits of the guitar, bits of the background and lots of passion. Having said that, my dad was also deconstructing a Beatles number, I believe it was "Let it Be". Let it be indeed.

Cradled

The 6 years old baby

Today's Liz's birthday. Happy Birthday! She turns six today, which is not a big deal for most dogs but for her every year is something to celebrate. The 4th of October is also the feast day of St Francis of Assisi who is the patron saint of animals. What a coincidence.

Waltz

And feet don't touch the ground

Listening to Silje Nergaard reminds me of evenings in my tiny little Skejbygaardskollegiet flat. I would be at my little kitchenette chopping up stuff for dinner, listening to her dreamy voice emanating from my laptop speakers and occasionally glancing up to watch the sunset through my big square window. I wish I could waltz my way back to that moment, where everything was perfect. I know its like wishing that the last dance would never end, or wishing that the train never reaches its destination. Constantly moving, constantly in transit; everything is a blur, a beautiful blur.
So, strike up the band let it play...

Fides

Don't turn away.
Doubt isn't the opposite of faith;
It is an element of faith.