Homeless *

To those who sleep along the pedestrian way. 
Tucked inside a niche in the wall
littered around Sydney CBD, and sadly,
many other locations to find refuge from Winter's cold. 

Less is more.
Being bothered by trivial first world problems - 
an upcoming exam, stresses from work, a car breaking down,
seems to be cast in ridicule compared to Those 

who struggle from dawn to dusk, in order to survive.

Latin, to be Learned *

mutantur omnia nos et mutamur. tempus fugit. eheu, fugaces labuntur anni. respice, adspice, prospice. non est vivere sed valere vita est. si vis amari, ama. nosce te ipsum. perfer et obdura; dolar hic tibi proderit olim. possunt quia posse videntur. Legum servi sumus ut liberi esse possimus. ipsa scientia potestas est. 

non est ad astra mollis e terris via. 

...

all things change and we change with them. time flies. alas, the fleeting years slip by. examine the past, the present and the future. life is not being alive but being well. if you wish to be loved, love. know thyself. be patient and tough; some day this pain will be useful to you. they can because they seem to be able to: positive thinking. we are slaves of the Law, in order that we may be able to be free. knowledge is power. there is no easy way from the earth to the stars. 

every person is architect of their own fortune. 

Karenai hana *

Leaving a trail of flowers- to find, or can she be found?

On a typical Saturday evening *

As one girl ponders in front of her laptop, busy working/studying away -
the world at large seems to be out to play;
whether it be attending a party singing hip hip hooray,
or bonding with a close group of friends facing the bay.

The Byers Lectures 2000-2012, indeed, offers immense solace 
compounded with hope, for success, in some inordinate place...

Postmodern truth *

The four ideals:

first and foremost, the postmodern-ironist seeks truth as socially constructed;

secondly, scientific-rational finds truth through methodical disciplined inquiry;

thirdly, social-traditional finds truth in the heritage of American-Western civilisation;

and finally, the neo-romantic finds truth through attaining harmony with nature and spiritual exploration of the inner self.

Predicting the future *

One month, one week and one too many days
until I leave Sydney.
A new life, a new job and a new city
towards an exciting adventure.

Friends, family and loved ones - I will indeed miss;
but then again, you are more than welcome to visit me in the happy abyss!

Times of great change, three chimes forward...

Plato's angel *

Soul to the universe, 
wings to the mind, 
flight to the imagination, and 
love to life. 

Someday, someone will walk into your life 
and make you realise why 
it never worked out with anyone else. 
Until then, 
have faith they will find you

Liquid heaven *

"Wine can of their wits the wise beguile,

make the sage frolic, and the serious smile."

- Homer, Odyssey

Thankfully some things do get better in time, 
for everything else there's a bottle of wine.

To everything that is old;

old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wines.

Treasures indeed that are ol' mighty fine.

A Present - dull to bright *

Life tends to be somewhat dull when all one does is work, study and read. To add some meaning, my new year resolution for 2013 was to live a little, take more risks and not let time simply pass me by. After all, the present is a gift which can only be given once before it becomes the past. Unfortunately I did not practice what I preach, in this regard, yet... and it's May. But I guess, better late than never - so, as of today, I will try to pursue this resolution with renewed vigour. Keeping in mind my priorities yet remembering not to take the present for granted. 

Capturing the shades of grey, defining moments in more black and white, then maybe life shall unfold to be a wonderful reflection of bright bold hues ~ 

Thomas Jefferson *

"Determine never to be idle.

No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time

who never loses any.

It is wonderful how much may be done

if we are always doing."

The two sides to Thomas Jefferson.
All men are created equal - 
but are they really?
A distinguishing factor is one's determination & discipline.
No time for mundane, only time for essentials.
Give time, invaluable time.

Mather Brown, 1786

The dark side of Thomas Jefferson

Charis Tsevis, 2012

Of mind, logic and tradition *

From the archives, a random note I had written four years ago. Apart from realising how old I am (it has finally dawned on me- I am in my "mid-twenties"), it was fascinating to see my perspective of life at the age of 21.

...

"Theoretical underpinnings of great minds.
Irrespective of age, intelligence, race or gender
Everyone has something to offer...

A collaboration of writings
by great minds
is the starting point.
To search for knowledge and eventually you shall find

one’s strengths (and weaknesses) can be dictated by standards
a product of social norms,
or in the alternative,
created by the wisdom of past experiences.

Whether it be by
the logic of reasoning,
the fuel of motivation,
or the innocence of tradition."

- 5 August 2009

Just a minute *

As we grow up,

we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down...

probably will.

You will have your heart broken

probably more than once

and it's harder every time.

You'll break hearts too,

so remember how it felt when yours was broken.

You'll fight with your best friend.

You'll blame a new love for things an old one did.

You'll cry because time is passing too fast

and you'll eventually lose someone you love.

So take too many pictures,

laugh too much,

and love like you have never been hurt

because every sixty seconds you spend upset

is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

Don’t be afraid that your life will end, 

be afraid that it will never begin.

Grey areas in life *

dear friend, 
many thanks for bringing some colour in my life.
as you know, 
reasons in life are not always black and white.
a kindred mind 
is hard to find 
and even harder to keep...

"Wishing you a rainbow amongst all this grey 
and hope we may cross paths again one day!"

Reinhart & Rogoff *

On debt, growth and the austerity. The latest academic kerfuffle in the world centres on the research, credentials and integrity of two Harvard professors, Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth S. Rogoff. They have been furiously attacked for the publication of their academic paper entitled "Growth in a Time of Debt" in May 2010. You may be thinking, but why? Joining the myriad of debates arising in the industrialised world about the best way to recover from the Great Recession, a simple spreadsheet coding error caused a major stir.

As humans, we all make errors. Some more serious than others. Our attention should not be diverted from the fact that the efforts of Reinhart & Rogoff (and numerous other academics who cannot be acknowledged for present purposes due to space limitations) contribute to social science research. Rather than criticise them for errors, we should understand and be grateful for their contribution. 

Everyone will learn from mistakes. And this is another example of one we can all learn from. The irony is, our society appears to be experiencing a Great Recession in terms of tolerance for human error and respect for another's view, whether it be correct or not.

Bambini *

It is simple to fall in love... with the glamours of life

to wine, dine & indulge in all things fine.

But why is so difficult to find someone - 
that one person, who you can share all these experiences with.
And savour little luxuries, together.
Maybe it's just me, or
maybe they are just around the corner and
I will encounter them soon, hopefully...

Ceretto 'Bernardina' Nebbiolo d'Alba DOC

Piedmont, ITA

Bambini Trust

185 Castlereagh Street

Sydney NSW 2000

+ 61 9262 7200

Music, to forget or remember *

"Music is a mysterious thing.
Sometimes it makes people remember
things they do not expect. Many
thoughts, feelings, memories... things
almost forgotten... Regardless of 
whether the listener desires to
remember or not."

- Citan Uzuki

Lady strikes confusion *

The No.111 Rule of a Lady:

"A wise girl kisses, but doesn't love.

Listens, but doesn't believe.

And leaves, before she is left."

- Marilyn Monroe

The best feeling in the world is knowing that you actually 
mean something 
to someone.

Everyone says love hurts but that is untrue.
Loneliness hurts.
Rejection hurts.
Losing someone hurts.
Envy hurts.
Everyone gets these things confused with love.

But in reality,
Love 
is the only thing in this world
that covers up all the pain and
makes someone feel whole again.

Breakfast at Tiffany's, no more *

Welcome to the age of un-innocence.

No one has breakfast at Tiffany's and
no one has Affairs to Remember.
Instead we have breakfast at 0600 and
see guys we try to forget as quickly as possible.
Self protection and closing the case are paramount.
Cupid has flown the Co-op (bookshop).

How the hell did we get into this mess.

There are thousands,
maybe tens of thousands 
of women like this in the city.
We all known them and we agree they are great.
They travel, they pay taxes.
They spend $1,100 on a pair of Manolos -
yet they're alone.
It's like the Riddle of the Sphinx.

Some day your prince will come.
Mine took a wrong turn, got lost
and is too stubborn to ask for directions...

The Rehearsal of the Ballet Onstage *

I am a place with immense substance and story,
where everyone can achieve their glory.
A masquerade shall be my term,
where you can be anyone
from Athena, Bottura, Jobs, Condezz
to Denning LJ before we adjourn.

life is a Stage *

The Rehearsal of the Ballet Onstage

Edgar Degas (1834-1917)

Lucky 13 *

First instance of change I have received - 
after paying the bill for dinner the wait staff returned a $2 coin as change. 
Several moments fluttered passed before it dawned on me 
this was new currency for 2013!
Maybe this will be my lucky year after all.

Wishing everyone a lucky 2013!