Catharsis
Il pleure dans mon coeur
The morning rain roused me from my sleep. I stood by the window and watched the droplets fall from the heavens, exploding upon impact; the earth renewed in the wake of their destruction.
TWG
Hello! Goodbye!
'I have never settled. I have never said yes to someone else without reservation. I am not sure that I have said yes to life without reservations, as if by reserving something to myself, I would not be mangled, tangled, strangled by the demands of this world and the demands of others. It is not wise to give unreservedly. I am a generous person, kind and seeing, would withhold nothing except what must be withheld. There are gifts, and they are gladly given, but the self is a gift with reservation.'
~ Jeanette Winterson, Dog Days.
Perspective bring significance and the significance of a perspective is clearly evident when one compares Jeanette Winterson's view on life with that of Auden in 'The more Loving One'. 'If equal affection cannot be, Let the more loving one be me'. I wonder if there is a middle ground between these two perspectives or is it simply a matter of Hello and Goodbye; square peg, round hole?
Larkin
What can't be printed can be thrown away.
At once whatever happened starts receding.
Panting, and back on board, we line the rail
With trousers ripped, light wallets, and lips bleeding.
Yes, gone, thank God! Remembering each detail
We toss for half the night, but find next day
All's kodak-distant. Easily, then (though pale)
'Perspective brings significance', we say,
Unhooding our photometers, and, snap!
What can't be printed can be thrown away.
Later, it's just a latitude: the map
Points out how unavoidable it was:
'Such coastal bedding always means mishap'
Curses? The dark? Struggling? Where's the source
Of these yarns now (except in nightmares, of course)?
~ Whatever Happened? Philip Larkin
Outlook
Out beyond ideas of wrong and right,
there is a field.
I'll meet you there.
~ Sanai
任性
孤独固执算不算任性的要求
付出也可能看不到结果
Fight
Early Saturday Morning.
This morning I drove with the top down. It was a refreshing feeling driving along deserted tree lined roads with the cool air in your face. I glanced up from time to time, to see the canopy zip past and even at my glacial pace, I felt like the world was going by too quickly. This morning, I felt the sun's first rays on my face. This morning I breathed in fresh air, heavy with morning dew. This morning, I felt the sun warm up my face and kindle my spirit. I experienced all this only because I chose to struggle out of bed early on a Saturday. Some things in life are worth fighting for.
Walk
As you walk away
The stab of stiletto
On a silent night
Stalin smiles and Hitler laughs
Churchill claps Mao Zedong on the back
Sophie
School and the games we played.
站在这平衡点
我还是觉得有点危险
或许是看不见
只能够靠感觉
Selçuk
Orange scent.
I remember sitting in that wicker armchair, glad to escape the midday heat, relieved that I could finally rest my feet. The scent from the orange tree lingered in the air. If I close my eyes now, I can still see the shafts of sunlight piercing through the leafy canopy, spotlighting the finely laid tables, causing the cutlery to sparkle. In the background, the melody of a bubbling fountain soothed the frazzled nerves but was suddenly interrupted by the call to midday prayers that resounded from the local mosque. A reminder that there was a world beyond this little courtyard; my paradise for lunch. I remember all this but yet I can't recall how I felt, no matter how hard I try.
Freedom
In Principio Erat Verbum
I like this phrase; the explicit and the implicit in one. Explicit for at the beginning of it all lies reasoning. Implicit in that the exercise of reasoning is an act of free will. But what does free will really means and how free are we? This week's economist had a brilliant column on heresy, the freedom to choose a religion and free speech. Most definitely worth a read.
Home
Lights will guide you home.
I generally dislike flying and I hate every waking moment on the plane, with the exception of a night time approach into Changi Airport. As the plane enters our regional air space, I always try to look out the window to see the darkness punctured by the lights of ships that dot our harbour and how the little punctures eventually amass into a brightly lit beacon; our little island. From above, Singapore quite literally stands out in the darkness.
Lights are a good indicator of development and our country has come far since the days of our grandparents where electricity was not always stable and when there weren't street lamps on every road. From lighting up out of necessity, we have progressed to a stage where we are lighting up for the sake of aesthetics. The new shopping malls that have sprung up recently all boast LED lights on their cladding. Even the new garden that is springing up at Marina Bay is supposed to feature intelligent LED lighting. We light up bridges, we lit up a durian, a giant wheel and even an IR construction site so that it can be ready on time. The result of all this lighting up is that our nighttime landscape is becoming brighter and brighter. But what does all this mean? There are lights that guide and there are lights that distract. Does all this lighting up mean that we are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel after what is or has been our nation's worst recession? Or are these lights distracting us with hope and optimism, causing us to turn a blind eye to the economic issues that do not seem to have been resolved?
I like the lighting and the honesty of this photo. I particularly like how two almost identical facades have been subtly personalized. They are the same but different. One does not need dazzling lights or fancy technology to have individuality or to be inviting. We Singaporeans are a unique bunch in our own way, from how we arrange our footwear to the way we hang bamboo blinds to keep out prying eyes. This year's National Day photo eschews the bright lights of downtown in favour of the warm familiar lights of our heartland. After all, this is where it all began. Our nation's birth lies behind the humble doors of these first generation HDB flats. The lights that guides us home.
So as we as a nation make our way out of this economic crisis, as we always manage to do, let us be guided by the right light. And as we continue to brighten our city, making it a beacon that attracts plenty from afar, we must not forget our beginnings and the people who have contributed so much to building our nation. In my books, foreign investment is worth as much as local toil even though they may vastly differ in monetary value. Just like how the humble light tube always appears warmer than cool LED lighting. Happy Birthday Singapore!
Flipside
Walk a mile in my shoes
Just walk a mile in my shoes
Before you abuse, criticize and accuse
Then walk a mile in my shoes
Window
Shopfront
Outside looking in.
There are always two sides
To everything.
Riverside
Dark. Waiting. Light
Back to where it all began.
Are we all just waiting
for the end?
Aqueducts
We learn history not in order to know how to behave
or how to succeed, but to know who we are.
~ Leszek Kolakowski
