Natanz

Road Tripping Iran. I miss the roads.

Life is just a lonely highway
I'm out here on the open road
I'm old enough to see behind me
But young enough to feel my soul
I don't wanna lose you baby
And I don't wanna be alone
Don't wanna live my days without you
But for now I've got to be without you
I've got a pocket full of money
And a pocket full of keys that have no bounds
But then I think of lovin
And I just can't get you off of my mind
Babe can't you see
This is killing me
I don't want to push you baby
And I don't want you to be told
It's just that I can't breathe without you
Feel like I'm gonna lose control
I've got a pocket full of money
And a pocket full of keys that have no bounds
But when it comes to lovin'
I just can't get you off of my mind
Am I a fool to think that there's a little hope
What are the rules the reasons and the do's and don'ts
Tell me baby tell me baby
What do you feel inside?
I've got a pocket full of money
And a pocket full of keys that have no bounds
But when it comes down to lovin
I just can't get you off of my mind.
~Lenny Kravitz

Fundamental

Smile! Bang Bang. Former US Embassy, Tehran.

Just watched Body of Lies and I feel like going back to the middle east almost immediately, even though I was there just 3 weeks ago. The stereotyping of middle eastern people as terrorist or fundamentalist was expected in a movie with such a title. We just have to remember that not all are so; a fundamental worth keeping. I suppose this photo, as compared to the other photos of Iran that I have posted, is more in line with what most people have in mind when I mention Iran. On a separate note, I was pleasantly surprised that the movie began with a line from one of Auden's best poems. But for me, the most striking line of September 1, 1939 is:

For the error bred in the bone
Of each woman and each man
Craves what it cannot have,
Not universal love
But to be loved alone.
~ W.H. Auden

LKF

"Hey...你说把爱渐渐放下会走更远"

Troubled souls linger late into the night
Not knowing what to make of their plight
Waiting in darkness but yearning for light

Snapshot

Simplicity, something in nothing.

For some strange reason, I look very red in this photo. I think the best photos taken on my Iranian trip are those not taken by myself but by the camera's timer. After a long road trip with my friend Mehdi whom I got to know in Esfahan, he invited me home for dinner with his family. Dinner was a simple traditional Iranian stew which was absolutely delicious. I've always believed that communication transcends language and speech and although his family did not speak a word of english, with my persian-english phrasebook and plenty of animated gesturing on my part, we had a really enjoyable evening. When I got back to my hotel later that evening, I looked through the photos that I had taken and realised that there were no furniture in Mehdi's home execpt for some cupboards and kitchen fixtures. I later learnt that furniture is expensive for most Iranians.

Looking back, throughout my stay in Iran, I never had a single lunch or dinner alone and most of the time there were people offering to pay for my meals or inviting me home for a meal. I find it heartening to know that in this cold hard world we live in, there still exist people who are generous and kind to strangers. And its always those that have little who give more. We, from the land of more must be missing the plot. Surely, there must be something in nothing. Perhaps we are just too caught up in things that will one day prove to be immaterial.

On my desk, is the Lonely Planet City Scape Singapore that I bought more than a week ago. I had intended to send it to Mehdi and his family as a souvenir from Singapore. But to date, I still have not done so. What could be so important that I have to put off returning their kindness? Nothing.

风景

你欣赏的风景

Tehran to Shiraz
Passing Scenery
Enduring Beauty

Finite

Noir et Blanc, Hopper et Rothko

One should not indulge
In a moment but instead
Mourn its quick passing

Nations

I travel to see where queens and kings have fallen...

This plug is long overdue. From September to be exact. Looking through my blog archive, I think Septembers are the most turbulent months yet filled with the most meaningful blogposts. Just like in the Septembers of Shiraz.

Today's papers ran a feature on food outlets that were absorbing GST. One of the cafes featured was the Coffee Nations which is a truly homegrown cafe with an international flavour, concocting coffee drinks from all over the world. Some of my photos are hanging there humbly alongside some other outstanding local photographers whom I have high regards for. The cafe was designed by jes of lookthemoon fame and her partner (both their photos are featured there too). The design revolves around a travel theme with sections of the cafe subtlely designed around different aspects of travelling. Enough said, PLEASE VISIT THE COFFEE NATIONS.

The Coffee Nations
17 Bali Lane

Afghan

Hazara Girl, at the Bazaar

I snapped this photo at the Bazaar in Yazd. Yet another victim of the mess that is Afghanistan. Given her age, she could very possibly be a second generation refugee. I couldn't muster enough persian to ask and even if i did, I probably would not have been able to decipher the answer. The Hazaras are descendants of the Mongols and have been displaced from Afghanistan, most rcently by the Talibans. Most have sought refuge in Iran where they are not given citizenship nor an education even though most, like this little girl, are born in Iran. Most Hazara children wonder the Bazaar and city collecting scraps for sale. Its always more real and painful when you can put a face to a conflict, especially such a delicate face.
Have you ever wondered what it is like to be displaced?

Kindness

Park-e-Shar, Tehran. Sincerity; Soul to Soul.

I somehow think that this photo has captured the kindness in the old man's smile, as he stops his tune to greet a passing boy. To me, there's a certain sincerity in it. A sincerity reminiscent of old world charm and manners, a sincerity which is clearly lacking these days. Words are thrown about too freely and often we gesticulate but offer no kind gestures. Sometimes, a sincere smile suffices.

I like how the filtered sunlight seemingly highlights his smile, giving it a certain glow. Perhaps that emphasizes the feeling of sincerity that I have noticed. Perhaps. After all, people only see what they want to believe. Would you believe that the most amazing thing about Iran is its people. Not all Iranians are terrorist and suicide bombers. There are some sincere old gentlemen and curious little kids too. But people only see what they want to believe.

Moleskin

A ray of light, chaykhaneh reflections.

One realises difference only through comparison. There should always be varying degrees of comparisons, to catch the subtle difference between discovering a unique quality and imposing preconceived standards. Comparisons are always subjective.

Future

Father and Son, Past and Present.

I think this photo is really a snapshot of a moment. It seems to have captured the subjects' naivety, who probably have not met or spoken to a Singaporean nor have had such a big dslr pointed at them before. And as I showed them this photo seconds after having taken it, I realised that I was eroding the naivety that gave this photo its character. I had created a moment only to tarnish it, for this naivety will be increasingly diminished until it reaches a state of ambivalence; which we call modernity.

Domesticated

A sign of things to come

This photo was taken the morning of the big wedding. There is a sense of stillness in this photo, with the groom standing pensively next to a domestic appliance, a sign of things to come? The morning rays filter into the kitchen leaving the groom in the shadows, for he will spend the rest of his life showered with warmth; the reward for domestication? Besides, shadows are the absence of light and one must experience darkness to appreciate the light. Although there is a stillness in this photo, it is an uneasy stillness, like the calm before the storm. But the uneasiness was all in vain as the day turned out splendidly. Congratulations Winston & Charmaine!

Photos from the morning
Photos from the dinner

Alborz

Head in the clouds,
In need of a soft landing.

Alone

Alone is not Loneliness

Over the past 14 days;
I've played with snow in the clouds
and walked through the sands of the earth.
I've see a celestial body high in the heavens
and nature in all her brilliant shades.
I've renewed my faith in humanity,
that it is not enough to just be tolerant.
I've gain a whole new perspective,
and know that it needs nourishing.
I've learnt that modernity,
should be reconciled with traditions.
I've learnt a new tongue,
though I will never truly speak it.
I've learnt that heartwarming conversations,
arise from communicating soul to soul.
I've made new friends,
and been adopted by new families.
I've learnt that this is traveling,
and what Iran is all about.

Over the past 14 days;
I've asked myself,
what I have taken from this journey.
The answer is this,
and so much more.