Mortal Life

Malaysia's top court maintains decision to drop a charge against former sex bloggers Alvivi

2015-03-04T09:29:00.001+08:00

PUTRAJAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysia's Federal Court has maintained its decision to drop a charge against former sex bloggers Alvivi relating to their Ramadan Facebook prank.

Justice Abdull Hamid Embong allowed the defence's preliminary objection that the Federal Court had no jurisdiction to hear a case that originated from the Sessions Courts.

Alvin Tan Jye Yee, 27, and Vivian Lee May Ling, 26, are on trial in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court over three charges.

They are accused of publishing a religiously insensitive photograph, making seditious statements, and for displaying pornographic images on their blog.

On Wednesday, a Federal Court panel - which included Justices Ahmad Maarop, Hasan Lah, Zainun Ali and Ramly Ali - unanimously struck out the prosecution's appeal against the dropping of the charge of stirring hostility between religions.

On April 21, 2014 the Court of Appeal struck out the charge under Section 298A(1) of the Penal Code, on the grounds the law does not apply to non-Muslims.

The panel led by Justice Mohtarudin Baki agreed with the defence that Section 298 was meant to ensure smoothness of the practice of Islam among its followers, not those of other religions.

At the hearing on Wednesday, Lawyers Chong Joo Tian and K. T. Wong represented Tan and Lee, while Deputy Public Prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin acted for the prosecution.

The case in the Sessions Court is fixed for case management on March 6, despite the fact that Tan has jumped bail.

Tan and Lee claimed trial on July 18, 2013 before Sessions Court Judge Murtazadi Amran to three charges under the Film Censorship Act, Sedition Act and Penal Code.

The duo's original postings on July 11, 2012 caused an uproar among Malaysians of all races for their insensitivity.

Dare to dream

2015-02-19T12:59:00.001+08:00

And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true

Dreams like a podcast,

Downloading truth in my ears.They tell me cool stuff.

Live a more unplugged life. Do your part for energy sustainability

2015-02-15T22:19:00.000+08:00

A Love Poem

2015-01-19T14:04:00.000+08:00

A Love Poem

Did never all these things occur, perhaps, somehow

I never did arise at break of day,

To do labour on the farm with the sweat of my brow

Did never in the long and fiery days of harvest time,

Laden with high sheaves on the wagon

Lift up my voice in rhyme

Did never wake across the blue

And quiet of your stream

O my love, were you indeed, or did I dream a dream?

I did think, for many times, I hold it in my hands,

Yet, just like grains of sand,

It slipped through my fingers.

I did ask, in many nights, I asked the Lord above,

Will you bestow enough luck on me

Just to find a lingering love?

I did hope you will be respected and admired

Be well, be loved and lead a happy life,

Marry only for love and delight.

Paris shooting: Cartoonists worldwide pay tribute to victims of Charlie Hebdo attack

2015-01-09T09:39:00.000+08:00

PUBLISHED ON JAN 8, 2015 9:12 AM

An Argentine cartoonist drawing at the gates of the French Embassy in Buenos Aires on Jan 7, 2015, during a demonstration against the attack on the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris. -- PHOTO: AFP

BY JALELAH ABU BAKER

Artists around the world are coming up with their own cartoons to pay tribute to the victims of Wednesday's attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. The attack in Paris killed 12 people, including four cartoonists.

Among those who made a statement with their cartoons were:

Adam Lee of The Straits Times,

Lee Chee Chew of The Straits Times,

Miel of The Straits Times,

Ruben L. Oppenheimer, a Dutch political cartoonist who drew two pencils resembling the twin towers in the Sept 11 terrorist attack in the United States,

David Pope, a political cartoonist from Australia who captioned his cartoon with "He drew first", and

Makhlouf, an Egyptian cartoonist whose cartoon shows a masked gunman aiming at a man with a pencil in his hand.

Their cartoons have since been shared widely on Twitter.

In his tweet, Pope, who draws for The Canberra Times, wrote: "Can't sleep tonight, thoughts with my French cartooning colleagues, their families and loved ones."

More cartoons below:

Sources: CNN, The Global Post

古典经典Itzhak Perlman －Meditation from Thais by Jule Massenet

2014-12-14T09:11:00.002+08:00

YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGd4Rs-O3ws

Jules (Émile Frédéric) Massenet (May 12, 1842 – August 13, 1912) was a French composer best known for his operas. His compositions were very popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and he ranks as one of the greatest melodists of his era. Soon after his death, Massenet's style went out of fashion, and many of his operas fell into almost total oblivion. Apart from Manon and Werther, his works were rarely performed. However, since the mid-1970s, many operas of his such as Thaïs and Esclarmonde have undergone periodic revivals.
If you are interested in this opera (Thais), I recommend you to do a search on it and perhaps catch its live if you have a chance!

China: Power plant burns banknotes instead of coal

2014-12-11T10:36:00.000+08:00

A company in one Chinese city has money to burn, and is using it to make electricity, it's reported.

The power plant in Luoyang, central Henan Province, is burning old and damaged banknotes instead of coal - the first time this has been done in China, the official Xinhua news agency reports. The plant says one tonne of notes can generate more than 600 kWh of electricity, and is better for the environment than burning coal. The country's central bank, the People's Bank of China, has given permission for the notes to be burned, and says it's an efficient way to make electricity. With the province's unused paper money the company "can help generate 1.32 million kWh of electricity annually, which is equal to burning 4,000 tonnes of coal", a member of staff at the bank tells Xinhua.

Banknotes which are withdrawn from circulation in China after being worn out by handling or other damage are most commonly used to make paper products, according to the Dahe Daily news website. The idea of setting fire to the city's cash has amused Chinese social media users. "Burning money? Luoyang is such a rich city!" says one Weibo user, while another person writes: "I'm willing to go a year without electricity, please give me a pile of cash!" But one user has a craftier suggestion: "Hire me as an employee, I promise I won't take any money."

August Winds -"Ventos de Agosto" (original title)

2014-12-08T22:49:00.001+08:00

Rock-Loving Teen Pours Cola Over Her Body in Teaser for Brazilian Coming-of-Age Drama 'August Winds'

Did the title get your attention? The teaser should too!

Brazilian filmmaker Gabriel Mascaro, whose provocative film "Domestica" (Housemaids) has been covered on this site several times, is premiering his next feature film drama titled "August Winds" (Ventos de Agosto) at the Locarno Film Festival, which takes place August 6-16.

"Winds" is a coming-of-age drama - set in Brazil - that follows a teen girl named Shirley, who has moved from the city to a small coastal village in order to look after her grandmother. Shirley, a rock-music lover who aspires to become a tattoo artist, works along with her boyfriend Jeison at a local coconut plantation. "August Winds" refers to the month when tropical storms are more likely to land in the coastal area. Things take a surprising turn when a wind specialist comes to research "the intertropical zone of convergence".

Here's the full synopsis below, courtesy of the festival's site:

Shirley has left the big city to live in a small seaside town and look after her grandmother. There, she drives a tractor on a local coconut plantation, loves rock music, dreams of being a tattoo artist and feels trapped in the tiny coastal village. She is involved with Jeison, who also works on the coconut farm and who free dives for lobster and octopus in his spare time. The month of August is usually the time when tropical storms pound the coastline and a wind specialist comes to the village to research the intertropical zone of convergence. While high tides and growing winds rage, a surprising discovery takes Shirley and Jeison on a journey that confronts them with the duality between life and death, loss and memory, the wind and the sea.

Dandara de Morais and Geová Manoel Dos Santos star.

In the peculiarly interesting teaser below, Shirley pours Coca-Cola all over her body. It's been said that the soda is used in some countries as sun-tanning lotion, as it supposedly speeds up the skin darkening process.

For now, you can thankfully forget all you've heard about Latinos/Afro-Latinos, or black people for that matter, not wanting to get darker.

We look forward to an extended trailer. Meanwhile, watch the teaser and take a look at the poster underneath it:

TEASER - Ventos de Agosto / August Winds - by Gabriel Mascaro from Desviaon Vimeo.

NTUC FairPrice launches Warehouse Club

2014-12-08T22:42:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE — A first membership-only retail warehouse in Singapore that encourages bulk purchases for groceries and household consumables was launched by NTUC FairPrice (FairPrice) this morning (Dec 8).

Located a stone’s throw away from Joo Koon MRT Station, Warehouse Club (WHC) is situated at the second and third level of FairPrice Hub at 1, Joo Koon Circle.

The 80,000 square feet mega retail store carries a product range of 4,000 exclusive items that are specially packed in bulk for the WHC.

Speaking at the launch this morning (Dec 8), NTUC FairPrice Deputy CEO Mr Gerry Lee said: “Over the years, we have progressively introduced various retail formats to better serve our customers’ needs as we stay close to their changing lifestyles and market trends.”

“Today, we are proud to bring another exciting new retail format that aims to provide our members with quality products at the best value, through large discounts with bulk buys, multi-packs and exclusive brands.”

Warehouse Club will be open for members from 10am to 9pm on weekdays and 9am to 9:30pm on weekends.

Membership for WHC is open to all members of the public — S$35 per year for NTUC Union members and S$50 per year for non-Union members. For more information, visit www.warehouseclub.com.sg.

The Green Power Ranger Wants CM Punk in UFC Debut

2014-12-08T22:38:00.001+08:00

Who's CM Punk?

CM Punk

Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American mixed martial artist and former professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he is "the longest-reigning WWE Champion of the modern era", having held the title for 434 days from November 20, 2011 to January 27, 2013. Punk is officially recognized as the sixth-longest reigning WWE Champion of all time.

The Green Power Ranger Wants CM Punk in UFC Debut

Jason David Frank, otherwise known as Tommy Oliver from the television show Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, has officially tossed his name into the CM Punk sweepstakes.

The MMA world was left stunned Saturday night when it was revealed that Punk, real name Phil Brooks, would be trading in tights and stage boots for cauliflower ears and a pair of four-ounce gloves

When speaking with commentator Joe Rogan at UFC 181, the former WWE champ confirmed that he had signed a contract to compete in the UFC.

“I’d say my professional wrestling days are over. I’m sure I’m going to have to do plenty of wrestling [in the cage],” said Punk.

Since the announcement, multiple UFC fighters, including middleweight contender Michael Bisping, have taken to Twitter to call out the former professional wrestler.

An Uber Exec Brought Up The Idea Of Digging Up Dirt On Journalists

2014-12-08T22:32:00.001+08:00

Emil Michael, who came to Uber from Klout

Uber executive Emil Michael said that the company could spend a “million dollars” to hire investigators and reporters to dig up dirt on journalists who wrote negative articles about the company, according to a report on Buzzfeed.

The remarks were made in the presence of a Buzzfeed reporter at a dinner that Michael thought was off the record. Michael has since said that the remarks were “borne out of frustration” and “do not reflect my actual views and have no relation to the company’s views or approach.” An Uber spokesperson also said that the company has never considered doing opposition research.

The remarks were partly aimed at journalist Sarah Lacy, who has been critical of some of Uber’s recent moves.

Even if Uber would never actually hire opposition researchers, this is a pretty big lapse of judgment for a company who has looked to improve its image in the wake of reports about its cutthroat business tactics, such as reportedly placing calls for rides to rival Lyft then canceling them at the last minute.

Read the full report over at Buzzfeed.

Best of The Voice Kids Global

2014-12-06T23:38:00.004+08:00

Here are some of the best performances from the Voice Kids Germany, Holland, Australia and Portugal.

The first one is the most impressive one to me. It is a tender and quietly moving rendition of Susan Boyle's Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Aulona from The Voice Kids Germany.

Next is a battle performance of A Great Big World's Say Something (ft. Christina Aguilera) by Samuel, Sabeschni and Hannah from The Voice Kids Germany.

Now a fantastic rendition of Bruno Mars' When I Was Your Man by Danyiom from The Voice Kids Germany.

Battle performance of 'one of the greatest songs ever written' Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen) by Simon, Helena and Patrizia from The Voice Kids Germany.

A cover of John Legend's incredibly beautiful ballad All of Me by Richard and Jasmin in the Duet Battle of The Voice Kids Germany.

A cover of Sarah McLachlan's Angel by Carolina Leite on The Voice Kids Portugal. Listen to the beautiful transition to falsetto in 'fly away from here'.

More to come...

Love, no matter what

2014-12-06T14:42:00.002+08:00

Andrew Solomon's quietly moving TED talk

What is it like to raise a child who's different from you in some fundamental way (like a prodigy, or a differently abled kid, or a criminal)?

In this quietly moving and powerful talk, writer Andrew Solomon shares what he learned from talking to dozens of parents — asking them: What's the line between unconditional love and unconditional acceptance?

On the issue of universal love and yet-to-achieve universal acceptance of individuals' identities, be they gays, lesbians, dwarves or deaf, Solomon's speech is different. Not aided with any slideshow or props, the speech is captivating and quietly moving.

Andrew Solomon

Writer

Andrew Solomon is a writer on politics, culture and psychology.

Madonna Posed Nude for Interview Magazine

2014-12-06T14:37:00.001+08:00

Madonna on the cover of Interview magazine

She's never been one to shy away from a candid interview or photo shoot.

And Madonna has stayed true to form with her latest chat and revealing set of editorial images in Interview magazine.

The 56-year-old pop icon has yet again crossed boundaries in the issue, with one of the more risqué shots fully showing her bare breasts.

The striking images, taken for the publication by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, show the singer contorting her body into various positions in boudoir-style underwear, basques and other sexually suggestive garments by Alexander McQueen.

Ellen Degeneres commented that Madonna, at the age of 56, has always pushed the boundaries and 'moved her mountains'. 'Age is nothing but numbers. You get older and you get better.' Beneath this humorous monolugue on her talk show lies the issues of ageing gracefully and of body image.

I don't have much to say about the issue of body image. The Internet has extensive coverage on this issue. While some say such risque photo shoot destroys or downgrades moral standards, others contend that ultimately it is up to the individual celebrity who should have the freedom to do what she/he wants. As public figures, should they not have the responsibility of how they should behave in public becasue the world is watching and influenced by what they do?

On the issue of ageing gracefully, Global Age Watch has published its Global AgeWatch Index 2014. Statistical analysis shows that by 2030, there will be more people over 60 than under 10. Already there are more adults over 60 than children under 5. More insights are found on the website of Global Age Watch. Policymakers worldwide should make better use of data like this to help their elderly citizens age more gracefully.

Noel Gallagher - Emotional version of Dont Look Back in Anger - Live (+p...

2013-10-19T21:55:00.001+08:00

Best reaction from crowd. We love this song right!

Let Go Boys Like Girls so amazing

2013-10-19T21:52:00.001+08:00

Tristan and Isolde by Salvador Dali, 1944

2012-08-03T19:50:00.000+08:00

Tristan and Isolde by Salvador Dali, 1944

The figures of Tristan and Isolde depicted on this canvas were painted by Dalí in 1944 as a backdrop for the ballet Bacchanale, performed to Wagner's music and presented for the first time in 1944 on the stage of the International Theater in New York.

The tale of this ballet, for which Dalí wrote the libretto, began before the war. At that time that title was Mad Tristan. It was to be performed in Paris with the choreography by Leonide Massine, the scenery by Prince Charvachidze, and costumes on which Coco Chanel wished to use real ermine and genuine precious stones. The war prevented the production in Paris, and later the Marquis Georges de Cuevas decided to stage the spectacle in New York. "As with everything else," Dalí writes in The Secret Life, "my Mad Tristan, which was to have been my most successful theatrical venture, could not be given; so it became Venusberg and finally Bacchanale, which is the definitive version."

The two latest collaborations by Dalí in ballets date from 1961, when he participated with Maurice Bejart in the staging of The Spanish Lady and the Roman Cavalier by Scarlatti and a Ballet de Gala for which he wrote the libretto, designed the scenery and costumes, and demanded a curtain formed by motorcycles backfiring, hanging one from the other, and a real boeuf-ecorche-de-Rembrandt which was to have been replaced at each performance so as to exert over the spectators the paralyzing effect of its freshness.

More from Dali

Sun Table by Salvador Dali

2012-07-23T08:57:00.002+08:00

Sun Table by Salvador Dali, 1936

Salvador Dalí's greatest intellectual and artistic honesty is probably never to have practiced any sophisticated, gymnastic aesthetics, in order to place the most disparate and most bizarre objects in his pictures. Sun Table is a good example of this. When he painted this composition, Dalí did not know why he put a camel in with all the other elements which belonged to Cadaqués. Today he explains the premonitional character of this image by pointing out the package of Camel cigarettes placed at the feet of the silhouette of the young boy, probably himself, and he told me in 1970 that he had read an article by Martin Gardner which appeared in the magazine Scientific American under the heading "scientific games," in which the author explained that "the image on the cover of a package of cigarettes was full of extraordinary objective hazards - for example, the English word 'choice' written vertically in capital letters on the side of the package, when looked at in a mirror, remains unchanged and perfectly legible."

In order to stress the out-of-context and obsessive character of a camel with all the magical aspects associated with the animal, Dalí wrote later in his book Dix recettes d'immortalite that "seen through an electronic microscope it is possible to demonstrate that a camel is much less precise than a cloud."

More from Dali

Night and Day Clothes by Salvador Dali

2012-07-23T08:55:00.001+08:00

Night and Day Clothes by Salvador Dali, 1936

Here is undoubtedly one of the most astonishing of the innumerable illustrations, pen or pencil drawings, gouaches, or watercolors produced by Dalí before World War II for the most glamorous fashion magazines. This one was done during the winter of 1936 while Dalí and Gala were spending a few days at Cortina d'Ampezzo. Dalí thinks he remembers that it was probably destined for Harper's Bazaar or Vogue. For him, the interesting part of this creation stems from the idea that he imagined during winter sports, with snow plainly visible, an outfit that suggests sun baths, since one can easily discover four openings by rolling up a sort of shade in order to expose the body.

Most of the costumes created by Dalí possess an obvious erotic power. Here, we don't know at exactly what moment the outfit becomes skin, covering, coat - indeed even a closet, cupboard, or a window - since this tunic-dress has a front zipper and can at the same time be opened wide by turning the cremone bolt which is pictured on it.

"The constant tragedy of human life is fashion, and that is why I have always liked to collaborate with Mlle Chanel and Mme Schiaparelli, just to prove that the idea of dressing oneself, the idea of disguising oneself, was only the consequence of the traumatic experience of birth, which is the strongest of all the traumas that a human being can experience, since it is the first. Fashion is also the tragic constant of history; through it you always see war coming while watching its fashion reviews and its parades of mannequins who themselves are veritable exterminating angels."

More from Dali

Autumn Cannibalism by Salvador Dali

2012-07-23T08:53:00.001+08:00

Autumn Cannibalism by Salvador Dali, 1936

As with many artists, Dalí was to depict war and conflict in several of his major works. Autumn Cannibalism was painted in 1936, the year the civil war began in Spain. The painting is an evocative interpretation of the horror and destruction of war, and also comments on the devoring nature of sexual relationships.

On a chest of drawers placed on a Catalonian beach sit the top halves of two people. They are so entangled that the viewer has to look carefully to see which arm belongs to which figure. One figure holds a fork pointed to the other one's head, while it dips a spoon into the malleable flesh. A languid hand holds a gleaming knife that has sliced into the soft flesh of the other. Their featureless heads merge into each other, their individuality becoming indistinguishable.

Pieces of meat are draped about the painting, symbolizing death. The meat also alludes to the temporary nature of life and to the bestial nature of human beings. On one head is an apple, which to Dalí represented a struggle between father and son, (the son being the apple, the father William Tell), and beneath the figures is a peeled apple, symbolizing the destruction of the son.

More from Dali

Figure at a Window by Salvador Dali

2012-07-21T21:43:00.003+08:00

Figure at a Window by Salvador Dali, 1925

As a youth, Dalí did numerous portraits of his sister, Ana-Maria, often painted on copper and very small in size. This one, larger and on canvas, is considered one of the most beautiful. It was shown on Dalí's first one-man exhibition, in Barcelona at the Dalmau Gallery in November 1925. In her book "Salvador Dalí, visto por su hermana", Ana-Maria wrote: "The portraits that my brother painted of me during this period are innumerable. Many were simple studies of hair and a bare shoulder." She remembers the long hours of posing during which, serving as his model, she never tired of "looking at the landscape which from then on and forever was a part of me. Indeed Salvador always painted me near a window!" Such a portrait is 'Seated Girl, Seen from the Back'. In 'Figure at a Window', Ana-Maria poses in the room on the first floor of the paternal home in Cadaqués which Salvador used as a studio.

Both Figure at a Window and Seated Girl Seen from the Rear were painted in 1925, using oil on canvas. The model was Ana Maria, Dalí's younger sister and only sibling. For a long time Dalí and Ana Maria were extremely close, especially after their mother's death, when Ana Maria took on the role of mother to the demanding Dalí. Ana Maria was the only female model Dalí used until Gala replaced her in 1929.

As with Seated Girl Seen from the Rear, we can not see the face of the girl and so our focus is drawn to the view that she is looking at from her window. The view is the bay of Cadaqués, a Spanish seaside town where the Dalís spent their summers. The predominant colors of light blues and lavenders give the painting a peaceful feel that is unusual in much of Dalí's work.

More from Salvador Dali

Portrait of Grandmother Ana Sewing by Salvador Dali

2012-07-21T21:41:00.002+08:00

Portrait of Grandmother Ana Sewing by Salvador Dali, 1921

As a youth Dali frequently did portraits. This one shows his maternal grandmother, Mariana Ferrer Sadurni, sewing in front of the window in Cadaqués.

In commenting on this picture, Dali remarked: "Shortly after my departure for Madrid she had become almost blind and only partially conscious, not even recognizing the people who came to say hello to her. She would say, 'Is it Mathilda? Is it my father?' At this time I was at the School of Fine Arts and she did not see me any more. However, before dying and in front of all those assembled around her, she said, 'I have a cousin, in fact ... I don't know what my relationship is with him, but he is studying in Madrid and he is going to become the most famous of all Catalonian painters.' And shortly thereafter she died! This painting is prophetic, because when I did it my grandmother's sight was already very poor and she was wearing glasses, and I myself, whose eyesight is of the keenest, later for fear of self-punishment often pictured blind people in my paintings." Examples are Sentimental Colloquy, Resurrection of the Flesh, and The Apotheosis of Homer.

This portrait was done c. 1921, at the same time that he was working on a self-portrait, a period when he styled himself as "the Mediterranean Carriére." He had come to share his father's admiration for this artist because of his Maternity, which was hanging on a wall in the family dining room. Dali's portrait of his grandmother is dominated by his quest for depicting the atmosphere. All brushstrokes have been eliminated in order to give preference to color and light. This canvas was painted during the summer: we can feel the heat penetrating the room, and the chiaroscuro is completely southern. To be logical the wall whose window opens on the wide bay should have been treated in a more somber tone. But when one knows the place and the intensity of the light from the sky reflected in the sea, it is easy to understand the perpetual state of dazzlement in which the painter was working, going from the landscape seen through the window to the grandmother seated in the semi-darkness blinded, he overexposed the zones of shadow.

More from Salvador Dali

Paintings I Love Dearly from Vincent van Gogh

2012-07-21T08:19:00.002+08:00

Paintings I Love Dearly from Vincent van Gogh
The Stary Night, Pen and Ink, by Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Starry Starry Night by Don McLean (Click for Download Link)

Starry Night over the Rhone (my fav:) I love how he dealt with the colour composition of a night scene. Look closely, one can see two lovers strolling at night. How wonderful!

The Starry Night: The painting portrays the view outside his sanitorium room window at night, although it was painted from memory during the day. One of Van Gogh's most popular pieces, the painting is widely hailed as his magnum opus.

Cypresses: "It is a splash of black in a sunny landscape, but it is one of the most interesting black notes, and the most difficult to hit off exactly that I can imagine." The vivid contrast of the two cypresses against the bright hued background is amazing!

Lyrics:
Starry, starry night
Paint your palette blue and gray
Look out on a summer's day
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul
Shadows on the hills
Sketch the trees and the daffodils
Catch the breeze and the winter chills
In colors on the snowy linen land

Now I understand what you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
How you tried to set them free
They would not listen, they did not know how
Perhaps they'll listen now

Starry, starry night
Flaming flowers that brightly blaze
Swirling clouds in violet haze
Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue
Colors changing hue
Morning fields of amber grain
Weathered faces lined in pain
Are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand

Now I understand what you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen, they did not know how
Perhaps they'll listen now

For they could not love you
But still your love was true
And when no hope was left inside
On that starry, starry night
You took your life as lovers often do
But I could have told you, Vincent
This world was never meant
For one as beautiful as you

Starry, starry night
Portraits hung in empty halls
Frameless heads on nameless walls
With eyes that watch the world and can't forget
Like the strangers that you've met
The ragged men in ragged clothes
A silver thorn, a bloody rose
Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow

Now I think I know what you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen, they're not listening still
Perhaps they never will

Click for Download Link

The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali

2012-07-21T08:16:00.001+08:00

The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali

The imagery of the soft melting pocket watches epitomizes Dali's conception of 'softness' and 'hardness'. 'The soft watches are an unconscious symbol of the relativity of space and time, a Surrealist meditation on the collapse of out notions of a fixed cosmic order.'

Memories in the head can be so persistent such that time melts in the face of them. When I was visiting Spain, all I can think of was those artists whom I have studied in school. I long for their free spirits and unbounded imagination.

The Icarus Account -Angel of Mine

2012-07-20T23:31:00.004+08:00

Click for Download Link

Incredibly beautiful, the song Angel of Mine is from The Icarus Account's new album Keeper of Your Heart.

I had the privilege to watch their live performance. This song is very special to me. Hope you enjoy!

Lyrics:
There was a time when I was never really sure
If I was ever gonna find that perfect girl
But then came the day
When you came my way
Everything changed

I could tell straight from the moment that we met
You would always be the girl I could not forget
In all of my thoughts
In all of my prayers
All of my cares

So maybe I've fallen in love
With an angel that came from above
You're something to find
One of a kind
You are all that I can see
Sometimes it's heard to believe
You're something to find
One of a kind
Angel of mine

I've never been the type to go all in
But you were different it was evident
So if you give me you're heart
I'll give you mine
All of the time

So maybe we've fallen in love
You are an angel that came from above
You're something to find
One of a kind
You are all that I can see
Sometimes it's hard to believe
You're something to find
One of a kind
Angel of mine

Where did you come from ?
Where have you been ?
I have been waiting all this time
Angel of mine

So finally I've fallen in love
With an angel that came from above
You're something to find
One of a kind
You are all that I can see
Sometimes it's heard to believe
You're something to find
One of a kind
Angel of mine

Click for Download Link