the encapsulation of the reversal.
24 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
This is a photograph i took with my humble camera, of the Tiber River with the Castel Sant’Angelo in the background when I was in Rome during the Easter Vacation last year. I added an Irish Blessing Vic posted on facebook which I thought was so beautiful. It has its own photographic flaws because it seems oddly tilted, but it’s been one of the few photographs whose imagestuck with me for a very long time more than just what it represents pictorially. It is telling of alot of aspects of life which are currently going through my thoughts. As much I want time to sometimes stand still, it just keeps flowing on with the currents of the Tiber River. At the same time, there is something unending and still about life, or a particular essence which I can’t really put my finger too as well. The Castel Sant Angelo has been used as a fort, a masoleum ( i think) , a castle, and now it’s one of the most visited museums in Europe. But there is something about it that remains as it is – perhaps we are like that as human beings as well… And those few birds soaring in the sky in this photo – I wonder what they are doing now.. ??
I remembered the three of us taking a lazy, long walk along the river, stopping by just in front of a carnival like scene, sitting on a bench and shan shared her potato chips with us. We talked about the politics of the body, how is it that being ‘fat’ is something which is abhored in society perhaps because of the certain stereotypes and constructs our society were accustomed to, and how there is always this distaste for people who are ‘larger in size’, how we view so myopically all these images of the body. This conversation went on for at least an hour, before we decided to continue walking lest it got darker. Along the roads at Lungot Castello were street peddlers, mostly Africans i suppose ( i’m cringing at the use of this term… sigh) hollering out to the tourists and trying hard to sell their imitation bags and wallets. I didn’t know what to feel then, and neither do I now.
But i read a fascinating line from Franz Fanon just now, that ”Europe is literally the creation of the Third World”.
And that really, really blew me away.
look at the world (:
22 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Friendship, Geography, Hall life, Life
Look at the world, everything all around us
Look at the world and marvel every day.
Look at the world: so many joys and wonders,
So many miracles along our way
Praise to thee, O lord for all creation.
Give us thankful hearts that we may see
All the gifts we share, and every blessing,
All things come of thee.
Look at the earth bringing forth fruit and flower,
Look at the sky the sunshine and the rain.
Look at the hills, look at the trees and mountains,
Valley and flowing river, field and plain.
Think of the spring, think of the warmth of summer
Bringing the harvest before winter’s cold.
Everything grows, everything has a season,
till it is gathered to the Father’s fold:
Every good gift, all that we need and cherish.
Comes from the Lord in token of his love
We are his hands, stewards of all his bounty
His is the earth and his the heavens above
I find this song John Rutter so phenomenally beautiful.
Time passes so quickly when one is having fun.. it seemed like just yesterday when we were excitedly planning our ‘stressful holidays’ and scurrying to get everything needed for the overseas exchange journey. From the scarves to the kettle, from the money changing to the booking of coach tickets from Heathrow to Victoria Coach Station.. all the online discussions with Clara and all the scouting and web-reviewing of hostel and hotels.. hostelworld.com became one of my my visited websites I remember. Somehow it’s just out of this world how things have unfolded. It makes me miss my time overseas even more, where I was blessed with such the strong support of the community.
Sister Catherine, in a divine plan, came down to Singapore from UK ( via KL) to see me last week. I swear it got to be one of the best times since Exchange for me to come to realise how things will work out themselves and there are ‘human angels’ out there to take care of each of us. Sr Catherine is one of those who is really God-sent to make this world such a better place. We spoke about out lives, how different/ similar things are.. it’s really gratifying to be able to share with someone whom you feel might be different in terms of nationality, upbringing etc but I just feel like I could share with her anything and everything. The kind of person whom you can show your most raw and vulnerable side too. I shared with her my ambivalence about the ‘Devil’ as I always had trouble understanding why and how can there be something so ‘evil’ that exists out there. In her usual calm, composed and well-thought words, she assured me that many times Christians tend to see the ‘Devil’ as the antithema, something ‘opposing’ and against God. But that may not be the best way to understand the relationship between the ‘Devil’ and God! Much rather, the Devil is a result of the absence of God, the void which fails to see God and see love. Many times it is crucial to acknowledge our own human failings because we possess freedom and choice as human beings, so maybe it is time to think twice when one says ‘ the devil is tempting you’! Not sure if I articulated this as accurately as I wanted to.. but yea, good times at the chaplaincy in Southampton and with Sr. Cat (:
We had geog sports day again and i guess it is the third year running since its inception during my batch. There’s alot of passion and enthusiasm in the freshmen and we were thinking we must have aged alot, and that things and events have changed! It was the first in 5 long semesters that the three of us took a photo together. I really need to be thankful that in spite all the tumultuous times we had, we still remain as good friends, and perhaps become even better friends. It’s something which I hold very dearly close to my heart. That kind of friends whom you have literally poured out your heart for, friends who you wouldn’t mind waking up at 4am friends whom you have had your hearts broken for, friends whom you have felt you hated and loved at the same time..But all in all, it points to something more robust and much more meaningful, that perhaps it is this love which doesn’t extend from our human failings but from the transcending grace of God that gives us this courage for a real friendship that has endured so much rubbish. And hopefully many more good times for this burdened, battered and liberated friendship. What good times (:
After sports the KEviians from geog hurried to the squash courts to see the squash team battle it out – being the underdogs in this entire realm of sports meant that we cheered our hearts out even louder, with a great deal of amazing passion and a huge dollop of hall pride. I witnessed how all those who might think lowly of us are so poorly informed, and so wrong.I’ve seen our sportspeople give everything and train so terribly hard for the games, and it all amounts up to better team spirit, greater love, and more guts. I think that hall pride is priceless. The surge of spirits, a wild mix of cheers and claps, crazy cheering.. I guess it is an invaluable feeling to be able to cheer for your friends, and on the other hand receive this form of affirmation and confidence. What good times (:
I keep thinking retrospectively. Perhaps it’s time to look more ‘forward’ with more aspirations, like what forms of geography of ‘aspiration’ there can be.. Haha!
lifehouseeee
08 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
Cause it’s you and me
And all of the people with nothing to do
Nothing to lose
And it’s you and me
And all the other people
And I don’t know why
I can’t keep my eyes off of you
世界真美丽!
04 Jan 2012 1 Comment
I was watching a UK series called World’s Greatest Motorbike Rides last night on a newly discovered channel called Travel Channel ( jialat, so long not at home i don’t even know what channels we subscribe to on the Mio Tv thing). The host of the show did a 2000mile journey on his Harley Davidson along firstly the Eastern coast of NZ donwards from Auckland, before venturing further into Napier, Wellington and subsequently the second half of NZ, down to the tip of Inverncargill and further up again. At the same time, my friend texted to tell me that our beloved Channel 8 was screening a similar travel programme about Sri Lanka. The show was called 世界真美丽 and i really cannot agree more with this.. The sheer majesty of the earth is really beyond my imagination.. 世界真美丽 and it makes me wonder in amazement how these places were created by the hands of our maker. but somehow humans have the inclination to explore and conquer all these “natural places” when we might not even belong there to begin with. But without these expeditions, I would have never gotten to come to contact with all these beautiful places on earth. Without the accessiblity of transport and networks, I may never be able to gain entry into stepping on these grounds, much less watch them from my TV screen..
Talk on the plunder of nature always gets me excited. and morally challenged.. ):
faithfully (:
01 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
Highway run into the midnight sun
Wheels go round and round
You’re on my mind
Restless hearts sleep alone tonight
Sending all my love along the wire
They say that the road
ain’t no place to start a family
Right down the line it’s been you and me
And loving a music man
ain’t always what it’s supposed to be
Girl
you stand by me
I’m forever yours
faithfully
Circus life under the big top world
We all need the clowns to make us laugh
Through space and time
Always another show
Wodering where I am lost without you
And being a part ain’t easy on this love affair
Two strangers learn to fall in love again
I get the joy of rediscovering you
