めがね by Naoko Ogigami

Mir ist bewusst was Freiheit bedeutet

Folge dem Wege geradeaus,

meide die Tiefen des Meeres,

doch hab ich solch Wort hinter mir gelassen.

Der Mond scheinet auf jedem Wege,

wie die in der Dunkelheit wie Diamanten schwimmenden Fische;

heiß wie durch Zufall Mensch - und hier bin ich.

Was hatte ich zu befürchten,

mit was zu kämpfen,

bald ist es Zeit die Lasten zu legen.

Erteile mir noch mehr Kraft,

Kraft zur Liebe.

Mir ist bewusst was Freiheit bedeutet,

mir ist bewusst was Freiheit bedeutet.

I know what Freedom is.

Follow the path straight ahead.

Keep out of the ocean deeps

I have left such words behind me

The Moon shines upon all paths

like Fish who swim like Diamonds in the Dark

Called a human being by chance – so here I am

What did I have to fear?

Against what was I struggling?

It’s time for me to lay down my heavy load.

Give me even more strength,
Strength to love.

I know what Freedom is.

I know what Freedom is.

Poem and its transcription found via here.

Elsa Mora's papercut patterns

I've posted about the amazing talent that is Elsa Mora before. She's now come out with papercut patterns for sale on etsy, and has posted a free tutorial for those new to the craft. I like how she makes it look so effortless, definitely encouraging.

Never say sparse

When I wrote "sparse" in yesterday's post, I didn't think I would be squirming with delight at today's web findings :-) So delighted that I have to write about it pronto.

I'm not usually a big fan of beads, not quite sure why. But it's rare that I would see beads and clasp my hands together in awe. Never say never, I guess, for I'm swooning over Laura Lumaka's beaded jewellery. (via 18kt)

Another find that absolutely, and I mean that, made my day is of Maru the cat. I miss having a cat companion, and since it's really not viable to have one at the mo, sites like Maru keep me going. Many thanks to Maru's guardian(s) for sharing.  (via ii-ne-kore)

Via Buzzfeed, I found this information graphics showing Iran's political system by Nicolas Rapp. I kowtow to graphics that illustrate complexities with such simplicity and clarity. To me, haughty as it may sound, this exemplifies the purpose of good communication design.

Ugh, the murderous heat is making it impossible to be a properly functioning human being. It's 95 F, muggy and on top of that, hazy with pollutants in the air. That's not the whole story as to why there haven't been any updates. Truth is, I hit another bump where I just can't find anything worth the trouble to blog about. Not that there aren't some seriously good shit happening that excites me, it's just that nothing feels worthy when compared to what I have to go through to blog about it. The soap-melting heat (true story!) makes firing up the ol' computer a major-ass chore. First, all fans in the room have to be turned on and trained on the computer, then the electricity to the computer itself has to be turned on and finally a damp cloth for the underside where the battery is capable of getting so hot it causes the wooden table to give off a scent. Nothing seems worthy of this kind of strain, you know what I mean? Yea yea yea, I'm a complainer, I've heard that before :-)

So anyway, we got a bit of relief from the drought today, which makes it tolerable so here I am, explaining my absence with a chokeful of words. Also, got a couple of finds to share, the kind of things that gets me excited. Wordnik (a contemporary word dictionary, I love the idea behind it) and Fotopedia (an encyclopaedia of images). Hope you like 'em as much!

Chen House

I'm a firm believer that good architecture and good housing planning can dispense with a lot of modern-day inventions thought up to better survive certain inhospitable climates that we later discover to have a bad impact on our environment. (I'm talking about you, AC!)

The following structure is not a place of residence, it's true. But its ideas of existing within the land it occupies certainly are worth thinking about. Read more about it from designboom.

India's General Election

Call me an idealist, but seeing people exercise their belief in democracy chokes me up a little.

Melancholy is the order of the day

These two images are making me pine for bygone days. 

And how are you feeling today?

Top photograph, of an abandoned clothing factory in the 80s, from here.

Bottom photograph, by Floriane de Lassée, reminds me of my 7-year commute, which I never imagined I would one day miss.

Getting past blocks

A few links with helpful ideas to move past creative blocks:

• 100 ideas to spark you into creative action by Hanna Anderson
• 75 ways to draw more by Michael Nobbs
• 100 ideas by Keri Smith

Do share if you know of any more. I need all the help I can get.

Wagashi droolfest

This is the kind of the stuff that takes me to heaven and back, and I thank my lucky stars when my click-happy websurf sessions yielded finds like it.

I'm a big fan of seasonal Japanese desserts. If I had a little cash to spare and am feeling the need for a picker-upper, I used to head to Kitchoan. Just looking at the display cases full of beautiful edible jewels was instantly mood-uplifting. And so it is the same with scrolling down the page and being able to see photos after photos of desserts categorised by dates, months and the season!

Pictured above is one of my fave, sakura mochi.

found via A Movable Feast. Thank you, Ms. Rivera for posting the link. And thank you, o' glorious internet -- today I call you a bane no more.

Love me, Asia!

Some great imagery of Japan from Mboogiedown, whose site I'm supremely thankful for. I especially adore the beautiful photos of women decked out in the gorgeous kimonos, not something I'm privy to on a daily basis :-) And from Fine Little Day, a link to a repository of old Japanese postcards. To quote her, when it comes to finds like these, "I love the Internet!".

Also, to commemorate the coming occasion that is Chinese New Year, here's some light reading to find out a little about Chinese symbolisms.

P/S: Whew! The images loaded in a jiffy today, guess Blogspot had some issues yesterday?

A Bookshop Story

Found a story of a family that used to run a bookshop. I'm always very thankful for glimpses into others' lives and histories. They inevitably become fuel for much contemplation.

FYI, posts will be slow in coming until December. Hope to see you around when I'm connected again.

Patrick Teoh

It's not very obvious (then again maybe it is, who knows with these things) that if left unchecked, I would most probably write diatribes the length of which would be equivalent to a cross-country road trip, with no stops in between and with all the sentences running into one another fender-bender-style in a rush of impatience. This could be on almost any subject I feel strongly about (and scarily enough, sometimes not even). Fortunately, as with all road trips, there is a destination, and the diatribe, I'm sure, would eventually come to an end, maybe by page 28,946? (The number has no significance, sorry to disappoint)

However, given the way things are going where I'm residing, I'm afraid I could very well be left griping for a good long time. I'm talking till the cows-come-home long. Or when the fat lady shows off her vocal chops. My bet's on the lady.

Anyway, all this to say that I'm thankful for a blogger whose guts I've admired since I was a school-going kid (he didn't actually blog then, but he hosted a radio program). A blogger who doesn't care to mince words much and without affecting an air of pretension, he gets to the core of the issues at hand using rough-and-tumble colloquilism. His blog manages to express what I would if I could. By could, I mean if I intend to remain sedentary for eternity griping to you through this blog. And oh yeah, I would also need balls of steel -- this country actually locks you up for saying the "wrong" things.

So anyway, I was catching up on his posts today when the realization (and the raison d'être for this post) hit –- because he articulates what I couldn't, I actually come away from his site feeling vented, less frustrated and usually with a chuckle to tide me over. Generally a good thing. More importantly? He cusses so I don't have to.

Addicted

I'm hooked on this lately. I read at least a few pages before I turn in every night. There's definitely a chuckle or two every visit. While I am not surprised there are so many cheap a**es out there, the racism and the ignorance displayed is unbelievable. These are people from the first world after all. What hope is there for those who are not?

A good apéritif is a good apéritif

I have no easy access to alcohol these days, not by choice, I'm afraid, but living in a predominantly Muslim country does render imbibing all but impossible for someone without a disposable income. I was fortunate enough, however, to have been gifted one of my favorite apéritif, the Umeshu, and am therefore now one very happy camper.

Choya is one of the more readily available brands, and that is plenty good enough for me. À votre santé.