d i a m o n d s e a

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Sun, 09 Jun 2013 14:41:58 +0100

Talking In Bed Talking in bed ought to be easiest,Lying together there goes back so far,An emblem of...

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 16:18:00 +0100

Talking In Bed

Talking in bed ought to be easiest,
Lying together there goes back so far,
An emblem of two people being honest.

Yet more and more time passes silently.
Outside, the wind’s incomplete unrest
Builds and disperses clouds about the sky,

And dark towns heap up on the horizon.
None of this cares for us. Nothing shows why
At this unique distance from isolation

It becomes still more difficult to find
Words at once true and kind,
Or not untrue and not unkind.

Philip Larkin

fearlings: i can always sit and watch the way the rain hits the...

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:43:56 +0100

fearlings:

i can always sit and watch the way the rain hits the waters surface

Photo

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:42:20 +0100

Photo

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 15:08:21 +0100

The Singaporeans are alright

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 04:30:00 +0100

It’s a sunny Tuesday, and I wake up to learn that 3 are dead and more than 100 are injured from bombings at the Boston Marathon.

My morning routine doesn’t change. I get up, brush my teeth, wash my face, get dressed, drink a small bottle of Yakult, and head out.

But things feel different. A thousand miles away, something immensely tragic has happened at an event that was meant to be celebratory. Something exploded, people have had their limbs blown off, a few people including an 8-year-old boy have died.

This in no way affects my daily life. But I’m sad when I get up, and sad when I wash up. I’m sad when I walk out of my house and wave goodbye through the gate to my dog, who sighs and flops down to the ground, not because she is sad about the tragedy but because she has to wait another 10 hours for me to get home.

When I get on the bus, my eyes search for some unknown affirmation. Around me people are playing Candy Crush on their iPhones and Samsungs. The pregnant lady seated opposite me is rubbing her belly, but not in any significant or meaningful way. I’m not quite sure what meaning or significance I’m even looking for. Things feel different, and it feels like they should look like they are, but they don’t. The newspaper has reported that ‘no Singaporeans injured in bombings’, after all – that clear assurance to relax, nobody you know is hurt or affected.

But should you grieve for a tragedy so remote? And how do you go about doing it? What if you do? Is far-flung empathy still empathy, or is it superficial?

And if I’m talking so much about empathy, why was I annoyed when I read two tweets that said ‘#prayforboston’ and ‘I’m crying right now’? Have I attached some barometer of value to empathy and judged others for failing my standards?

i love piggies

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 08:32:44 +0100

i love piggies

Important note to self: always know how to distinguish patience...

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 09:42:38 +0100

Important note to self: always know how to distinguish patience from passivity.

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Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:49:32 +0000

sweep it all under the rug, get a really lumpy rug

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 15:28:34 +0000

sweep it all under the rug, get a really lumpy rug

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Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:08:18 +0000

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Sat, 16 Mar 2013 13:32:59 +0000

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:55:13 +0000

inspirationsandruminations: Marina Abramovic meets Ulay “Marina...

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:51:56 +0000

inspirationsandruminations:

Marina Abramovic meets Ulay

“Marina Abramovic and Ulay started an intense love story in the 70s, performing art out of the van they lived in. When they felt the relationship had run its course, they decided to walk the Great Wall of China, each from one end, meeting for one last big hug in the middle and never seeing each other again. at her 2010 MoMa retrospective Marina performed ‘The Artist Is Present’ as part of the show, a minute of silence with each stranger who sat in front of her. Ulay arrived without her knowing it and this is what happened.”

Monika Grzymala (2011-12) - Sticky tape on wall How tape...

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:50:41 +0000

Monika Grzymala (2011-12) - Sticky tape on wall

How tape art should look like

x

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 16:06:18 +0000

x

I miss London sooo muuuuuccccch. Miss the rickety Tube with its stuffy carriages and itchy fabric...

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 03:33:00 +0000

I miss London sooo muuuuuccccch.

Miss the rickety Tube with its stuffy carriages and itchy fabric seats and flickering dying lights, miss the polluted air of the Congested Zone, miss the tasteless rectangular Pret sushi I ate to save money, miss the hidden little alleyway I called temporary home above an art gallery, miss trying to read futilely above the incessant noise coming from the Antipodean cafés downstairs, miss looking out the window and waving to the weird old lady in the opposite building, miss listening for the sounds of her neighbour abusing his wife. I even miss the disgusting pigeons and pigeon shit minefield I have to navigate just to walk home.

TELETUBBY ZOMBIES

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 07:12:00 +0000

TELETUBBY ZOMBIES

Photo

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 16:25:51 +0000

hilarious Fashion Film staring Lizzy Caplan

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 09:46:11 +0000

hilarious

Fashion Film staring Lizzy Caplan