tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58501369950578476442024-03-05T16:10:18.035-08:00StraitsIndieUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5850136995057847644.post-41360722403565262332020-08-08T22:54:00.009-07:002020-08-09T09:46:30.350-07:00Migrant Grove <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq06aOcYuENOHQa3XK4uyRdLK9KBPHPcEj7wdSrK55VOVryUOLKHFIzj8AXClZADPgreYqJIUPonbKErt7nxIw2l_rY8umn3UuaWoJYqp1PW07kdhHoUvj3D6kvcMpcHrYJpXgI6y1jnc/s640/19477698_1570346199676192_7907560276552627084_o.jpg" /><br /><br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nmvSVans7to" width="640"></iframe> <div><br /></div><div>OVERVIEW <div><i><b>'Migrant Grove'</b></i> is a landscape installation of a living bamboo grove with a winding path and wild underplanting. Bamboo represents a familiar, shared landscape to all that migrated here, each community with its own unique ethnobotanic interactions with this plant. Bamboo is also a metaphor for the migrant experience in its dual, conflicting perception as both a valuable and prized resource or an invasive one to be feared. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br />BAMBOO<div>Bamboo is endemic throughout India, China and southeast Asia. Despite regional variation in species that manifest in different sizes, colours and growing habit, it is a familiar, shared landscape to all that have come from these Asian regions. <br />Bamboo throughout these regions also has an extraordinary range of ethnobotanic relevance from practical cooking utensil to medium for cultural expression like flutes and martial arts. While our earliest examples of the written word, ink on bamboo slips strung together into books have now been replaced with new technologies, bamboo baskets and buildings continue to be of contemporary relevance. <br /><br />Perceptions of bamboo also span the gamut of valuable, renewable resource at one end and at the other an invasive competitor for resources. Bamboo forests are fast growing harvestable commodities or sacred spaces to be protected and preserved.<br />I find in all these qualities, philosophic metaphors for the migrant experience - a paradox of familiarity, commonality and also difference and otherness subject to the lens of perception. I explore these ideas in species choices, planting scheme and some decorative carvings on the bamboo.</div><div><br />LANDSCAPE<br />I utilise a site that is longer than it is wide to create a sense of journey, its winding path a psychologic shift away from the grid of the surrounding built up environment. As the site matures, the shadows, the swaying of bamboo culms and the rustle of leaves will increasingly envelop the viewer in a sensory experience which, combined with shifts in porosity and density of planting adds to the unique experience of walking through a bamboo forest.<br />The underplanting is intended to define this as a wild place subject to the whims of nature, its personality shifting over time as ferns compete with grass, ultimately succumbing to leaf litter as the canopy becomes denser and limits sunlight. This wild landscape arouses enquiry into our discomfort or disconnect with the chaos of the natural world or of sharing space with other creatures like birds, insects or snakes.<br />Towards the end of the path, there is a circular clearing to signify deforestation, a phenomena of increasing global concern. It is symbolic of human interference in the natural world and how destructive that can be. One of the installed cut stumps surprisingly re sprouted adding an element of hope and resilience.</div><div><br /></div><div><img height="480" src="https://scontent.fkul7-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/p720x720/16601561_1424444917599655_3339120454187627166_o.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_sid=32a93c&_nc_ohc=3tBA5ABo0isAX_20WRl&_nc_ht=scontent.fkul7-1.fna&_nc_tp=6&oh=594b74a454898ecdb0f8a577a0d6f5eb&oe=5F53B1A5" width="640" /><br /><br /><br />VARIETY AND SPECIES<br />The installation is populated with a diversity of species from sizes as small as the undergrowth of bamboo grass, shrub sized Bambusea Multiplex to the large culms of Bambusa Vulgaris . Colours range from yellow, green to the black of Phyllostachys Nigra native to Hunan in China. </div><div><br /><img height="480" src="https://scontent.fkul7-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/p720x720/16707256_1424445240932956_8120033453208887807_o.jpg?_nc_cat=102&_nc_sid=32a93c&_nc_ohc=ca4C1piTM78AX_lunA9&_nc_ht=scontent.fkul7-1.fna&_nc_tp=6&oh=05db2b75252917545511a33c990b8dc9&oe=5F55F378" width="640" /><br />Phyllostachys Nigra</div><div><br />There are fresh green shoots, old moss covered culms and shapes that vary from the narrow stemmed clumping forms of Bambu Siamensis to the larger, thornier Bambusa Blumeana endemic through Malaysia, Indonesia and India which is the primary species used for the other Bamboo Sculpture installations. Even in this relatively small selection there is a sizeable range of beauty and diversity in color, form and habit.<br />The journey through different sections of bamboo species is in fact unusual in the natural world as Bamboo species tend to fall into two groups: ‘running’ species that create mono species forest and ‘clumping’ species that cohabit with other kinds of tree flora in mixed forests. Migration is often not only the movement of people but the plants that they bring with them. Both can exhibit the tensions of encroachment and displacement or peaceful coexistence and healthy competition. <br />This dynamic resonates globally, particularly in our urban cities that attracts not only international but intra national emigres and this mixed bamboo grove reflects the many cultural and racial pockets that we find in cities in a constant dynamic of development, gentrification and cultural change. Towards the end of the grove the choice of species moves away from the larger jungle species to smaller garden varieties to reflect the shift into more restricted confines of urban space.</div><div><br />THE HUMAN CONNECTION<br /><img height="640" src="https://scontent.fkul7-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/p720x720/15235365_1347047608672720_1515921346698762340_o.jpg?_nc_cat=106&_nc_sid=32a93c&_nc_ohc=FNqSJG50V90AX9HIiqP&_nc_ht=scontent.fkul7-2.fna&_nc_tp=6&oh=3f029a1e836ce667ba41dc075a7269d8&oe=5F56411E" width="480" /><br />Sofia Cole at work</div><div><br />The marking of trees in forests is an ancient human activity throughout the world and a device I have used to show an important aspect of migration - that despite circumstances that may have brought a migrant here with few possessions, they carry with them a wealth of memory and culture. Some culms are decorated with carvings that you might find on Chinese bamboo brush jars - birds and flowers, landscape. Some have Indian flute markings. Some have decorative motifs found on early indigo and Nusantara batik textiles. There is a poem from the Song dynasty that suggests a longing for home.<br />京口瓜洲一水間, 鍾山只隔數重山。 春風又綠江南岸, 明月何時照我還?</div><div><br /><img height="480" src="https://scontent.fkul7-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/p720x720/16722458_1424442034266610_2517895928680339160_o.jpg?_nc_cat=111&_nc_sid=32a93c&_nc_ohc=dOcz70g2LYcAX-smOgp&_nc_ht=scontent.fkul7-1.fna&_nc_tp=6&oh=8933908c1d0ec956825ebf365a9e9705&oe=5F549F51" width="640" /><br />Carving by Tan Seong Choon<br /><br />There are primitive designs that have roots in Pacific Oceanic culture still evident in our indigenous communities, markings referencing our Colonial past and Commercial Trade designs to describe passages of history that have coincided with human movement and settlement in this region.<br /><b><br />Acknowledegements</b> This landscape installation is commissioned as part of Iskandar Puteri’s Public Art Program to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of Iskandar Malaysia. It is a Khazanah Nasional initiative supported by UEM Sunrise Berhad. Konstruk is developed and project managed by Lab DNA. The landscape was realized by Zoen Sdn Bhd.<br />I am grateful to the carving team organized by Sofia Cole comprising herself, Rowel Naanep and Tan Seong Choon for their artistry in the execution of the above mentioned carvings. <br />This landscape, like much of our country, was built by migrant labour from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Indonesia and East Malaysia. Thanks to Din, Abjal, Ah Heng and many others for their toil and labour.</div><div><br /><b>Artist’s Statement</b> Within a tradition of environmental art, informed by emerging ideas in environmental psychology and landscape urbanism, I create landscape installations that are immersive experiences intended to evoke philosophic enquiry and emotional response.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBVz2Qzupn6aYAEm2sJUk76_Z4oh14gO5YStVEKUw2dhJO_JsNGY69pmkX6aXMKDAMCBYW3Tc8L7xl5be0-Ng1qs9Ry8FBW6TzoQjqhjfOdjKnC_w32GD0IHkoROQzoCeeN5QAoFv_h0/s1051/19466544_1570322276345251_2106250373322303641_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1051" data-original-width="1051" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBVz2Qzupn6aYAEm2sJUk76_Z4oh14gO5YStVEKUw2dhJO_JsNGY69pmkX6aXMKDAMCBYW3Tc8L7xl5be0-Ng1qs9Ry8FBW6TzoQjqhjfOdjKnC_w32GD0IHkoROQzoCeeN5QAoFv_h0/w160-h160/19466544_1570322276345251_2106250373322303641_o.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>I begin by inserting a 'real' landscape into a built urban context, immediately juxtaposing the natural and organic with the geometric grid of the modern and manmade. Then, utilising ideas about wilderness, ethnobotany, memory and sense of place, I suggest a narrative that reveals anintrinsic bond between the human experience and our landscape and environment.<br /><br /><br /><div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1c1e21; direction: ltr; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px auto 28px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 700px;"><br /></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5850136995057847644.post-53701424078884381942020-08-08T22:30:00.003-07:002020-08-08T22:30:56.725-07:00Views of Downtown JB<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWd5PnWYDdz1q2RaLFrRe2lp_bDI5-jYyo6n9NxrF7-5oplwYAECM2EzbOEBB9z-DToGkY5EcRE9x2UOYE4hGl8u-K9QY4jHNb83GXI1wpg6pXUOdW4BjrZB9y1_cH5yQ6JxPbVBDgGrA/w640-h237/51231817_2270833052960833_6286631287142744064_o.jpg" /><br />There was still some artwork due to be put up on the walls of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/blueparkjb?__eep__=6&__tn__=*NK*F">#blueparkjb</a> when we stopped work (as the site had been rented). Think City asked if I could instead re direct them to suit their new office on Jalan Dhoby. I started a series of graphic artworks themed 'Views of Downtown JB'. The aesthetics are inspired by Japanese woodblocks, inked outlines and textures but the medium is contemporary, digital and created on the computer. Although the source material is digital photographs, they are heavily manipulated and processed to achieve the compositions and textures of the final image.<br /><br />I've been meaning to do this for a while as much of the imagery of the city (google 'Johor Bahru' to see what I mean) is usually of palaces, mansions, government building - places, ordinary Johoreans are not allowed into. Or they are rather soulless birds-eye, panoramic, drone views, of buildings and malls celebrating the work of property developers. Or they are of iconic places -clan houses, temples, mosques, places where Johoreans are sorted into tribes.<br /><br />So instead I want to capture the city and its people at a human scale, at eye level view, without iconic landmarks and with the city itself as as a character with a personality and moods (hilly, rainy etc) and in a relationship with the people living in it. It has evidence of our times - cell phones, parked cars, and also layers of history revealed in the juxtaposition of old and new buildings, old signs, modern fonts. My visual story of JB avoids on purpose the glorification of kings, rich men, clergy, clans and corporate developers and retells it from the mundane and ordinary perspective of an ordinary citizen.<br /><br />A friend who is analysing data about the city, tells me that downtown JB is no longer the heart of the city, as urban sprawl and shifts in how traffic and people move now reconfigures that to Larkin. This is a fate that often befalls the historic seed centres of cities. In this contemplation of where this city began and is now in transition, I also want to provoke enquiry into whether this is good enough for us. Do we have enough green spaces, performance and public venues? Should our public venues be the insides of a mall? Are there enough people walking on the streets? Why are we crowded into walkways and markets on the streets? We pay taxes, we elect the government and state officials - we are supposedly in charge, do we have enough say in how this city looks, feels and works for us? Are we doing enough as civil society to claim this city as ours?<br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5850136995057847644.post-71039926915826527232016-06-05T07:08:00.000-07:002016-06-06T07:09:20.817-07:00Championing the Truth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJL6IywdJU76HhfP1fNu3JzFPq7IpjZdW3XleKWZP9doyYT0ed-PWOYwW1KS6dStk4-B1VNYkfdcUMZFqwHUoa4xU34cDC7tHuanPUU0vU1fTD9aXdakkr7Uzz7ZpQXScyQykCt-7eWU/s1600/ali.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJL6IywdJU76HhfP1fNu3JzFPq7IpjZdW3XleKWZP9doyYT0ed-PWOYwW1KS6dStk4-B1VNYkfdcUMZFqwHUoa4xU34cDC7tHuanPUU0vU1fTD9aXdakkr7Uzz7ZpQXScyQykCt-7eWU/s640/ali.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Social media these past two days has been an interesting demonstration of both confirmation bias and cognitive dissonance around the passing of Muhammad Ali. How easy it is nowadays to cherry pick the truth of things to find a piece that matches and amplifies our own. To celebrate one truth while holding and living a contradictory one.<br />
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Malaysian muslims singled out <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/muhammad-ali-death-hollywood-star-why-is-it-on-the-wall-not-walk-of-fame-a7065186.html">examples of Ali's Muslimness</a> to commemorate his passing, finding that more noteworthy than his great contribution to society - calling out and condemning the racism and privilege of white supremacy that defined his era. That privilege and supremacy being played out every day here in Malaysia, which to me, is less about the keris waving that we read about in the press than about the deafening silence of bumiputera muslims who enjoy that privilege and say nothing and do nothing about repairing the inequality, institutional injustice and everyday micro aggressions non bumiputeras are subject to.<br />
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The more socially activist inclined, shared about his civil disobedience - how he went to jail refusing to fight in the vietnam war because "no vietcong ever called me nigga" (pendatang?). I would myself lean in that direction, except Ali also suffered from Parkinson's disease - which some consider <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jun/04/muhammad-ali-parkinsons-greatest-battle">his greatest battle</a> just like my own father, family members and school friends. My environmental leanings cannot help but make the connection between the emerging science <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/parkinsons-disease-and-pesticides-whats-the-connection/">linking the disease to pesticides</a> as an issue of particular importance - Parkinsons and other neurological diseases has a correlation to our everyday choices to buy food grown conventionally with pesticides.<br />
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On reflection, thats not what I want to call out. The biggest share on social media has most probably been about his 'greatness', his extraordinary 'superhuman' athletic prowess but not so much about his arrogance, and his womanising. The accolades outnumber the few criticisms of a <a href="http://nypost.com/2016/06/04/what-muhammad-ali-being-the-greatest-meant-to-me/">flawed human being</a>, who brought his mistress to matches and was <a href="http://goo.gl/45T12B">not exactly the best father</a>. <br />
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Some perceived his fight for social justice (NEP? Mandarin Schools?) as inverted racism. Some would perceive his inability to progress beyond secondary school as a failure. Some would consider celebration of a violent sport that he embodies to be perpetuating something that should find extinction given its very real <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/boxing/2016/06/04/muhammad-alis-fight-with-parkinsons-syndrome-made-him-a-poster-c/">human cost</a>. In the arc of his life, his greatness that one might equate with a better life was also lived in equal measure with the misery of racial segregation and poverty that he grew up in, three decades of living with Parkinson's disease and even some claims of elderly abuse (<a href="http://goo.gl/1Mjvo6">by his brother</a>).<br />
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Let me instead, more holistically, celebrate the complexity of Muhammad Ali's entire extraordinary and yet ordinary humanity - one that we all possess. His 'whole' life story is one we all can use to better understand and treat others living their own truth. Ali had less to do with his athleticism than the random genetic lottery win that he secured just getting born. That he should use the platform that genetic prize brought to bring change for others is unquestionably admirable but not without understanding the other genetic lotteries that shaped it - his color that gave him his fight in the first place and the patriarchal privilege that forgave his taunts and infidelity. <br />
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That he was also a flawed human being should not be removed from our better understanding of how to treat our fellow human beings and how flawed human beings that we are quick to judge, can also contribute greatly to humanity - if we choose to help or simply remove the barriers that our biases, culture and religion put in their way.<br />
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<a href="http://www.themalaymailonline.com/what-you-think/article/championing-the-truth-chris-parry">Malay Mail Online</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/344171">Malaysiakini</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5850136995057847644.post-22487492485306473492015-05-30T23:14:00.001-07:002015-06-21T11:21:27.863-07:00Night Hawkers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjflm1SXgE6YoqHQ5iTeTyMSI227-Rk85R3581qtWl1ZscQN5ADBtYeqZZXCAVwQalg1bUfi8Fl5nDFVh7yejWKATXI6Mv-RBN34Vw0KdsoqYaa7_8f028-c0A9BZ-MZ80FEwvF_BHrXHw/s1600/meldrumalley.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjflm1SXgE6YoqHQ5iTeTyMSI227-Rk85R3581qtWl1ZscQN5ADBtYeqZZXCAVwQalg1bUfi8Fl5nDFVh7yejWKATXI6Mv-RBN34Vw0KdsoqYaa7_8f028-c0A9BZ-MZ80FEwvF_BHrXHw/s640/meldrumalley.png" width="637" /></a><br />
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Night scene on Meldrum Alley in downtown Johor Bahru.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5850136995057847644.post-61137892629027849952015-01-19T10:40:00.000-08:002015-07-03T23:04:05.619-07:00The Tin Man<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiuc-9oX6tMk7RsCUrOnKCGqyMupRpdGB9DcdtcUL9UY74KivPRQoCB8ELJmlp-1MefXc_Sie4l49vVvhcubP_pEuQt6Tv1H_C0W_wIKL9uaau8xHdKVwVQ5xb1LXISlEEU3bH-iR0qGE/s1600/tradesman_tinman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiuc-9oX6tMk7RsCUrOnKCGqyMupRpdGB9DcdtcUL9UY74KivPRQoCB8ELJmlp-1MefXc_Sie4l49vVvhcubP_pEuQt6Tv1H_C0W_wIKL9uaau8xHdKVwVQ5xb1LXISlEEU3bH-iR0qGE/s1600/tradesman_tinman.jpg" width="640" /></a>
He's making moulds for Muslim gravestones. Two brothers at their workshop in Tampoi set up 30 years ago.
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5850136995057847644.post-82738184119247221822014-08-19T07:58:00.002-07:002015-08-06T09:11:25.620-07:00Brickfields Color<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_2eMLt_F0RmbO17EvX8TgTLr9yMAn_mYouFjfR9nUG8DZbJ2gysrRFLhPX-5p0DW9UJqBFftNZ6FShUVAffrqBvPIbC5PJwvigakFbOUZoFc6kJKCfi6MyW_OE7piJawxBl787qo_2M/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-08-19+at+10.52.00+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_2eMLt_F0RmbO17EvX8TgTLr9yMAn_mYouFjfR9nUG8DZbJ2gysrRFLhPX-5p0DW9UJqBFftNZ6FShUVAffrqBvPIbC5PJwvigakFbOUZoFc6kJKCfi6MyW_OE7piJawxBl787qo_2M/s640/Screen+Shot+2014-08-19+at+10.52.00+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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On a recent trip to Kuala Lumpur, I stayed at a hotel in Brickfields. A walk around one morning yielded these shots. My favorite is the one of fresh milk that they were selling out of the back of a truck.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5850136995057847644.post-46810342711337034262014-08-19T07:47:00.000-07:002015-08-06T09:14:27.112-07:00Shophouses 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Shophouses in Singapore's Chinatown, images taken shortly after National day hence flag in last photos. More <a href="http://www.straitsindie.com/2014/01/shophouses.html">Shophouses</a> here.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5850136995057847644.post-47444679087184508592014-08-05T20:41:00.000-07:002014-08-05T20:42:44.087-07:00Toll Hike: Bitter Taste, Medicinal Qualities<blockquote>
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I hear you. It’s painful. 400 per cent toll hike into Singapore. Ouch.<br />
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But let’s look at the other side of the coin. Let’s look at the positives.<br />
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You’ve been moaning about the insane jams and delays on the causeway. Best economic correction device for demand — ever — is price adjustment. With a higher price on using the causeway — go ahead and look forward to: less demand, and you’ve been wanting this since forever: less traffic. Hurray, right?<br />
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Now that you might have to consider using public transport, will you be more vocal about demanding better services? You’ve been pretty complacent about this because it didn’t really affect you. Now it does. Time to get on board the concerned citizens train for better transport options. Write to your Adun, rant on social media, form groups, organise and don’t vote for your future MP unless he does something about this. This should have happened a long time ago but hey you needed a little push. Here it is.<br />
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This is just my random observation and I need to see some actual data to confirm this but — I see an awful lot of single passenger cars on the causeway. If this is an incentive for increased carpooling or even replacing with public transport, then this is going to be very meaningful for our environment. Less cars on the road means lower carbon footprint and less damage to our environment.<br />
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Less cars on the road also means less automobile deaths. There is a counter argument that car drivers will transfer to motorbikes and subsequently there will be more accidents and deaths. I don’t buy that. It doesn’t factor in the corresponding reduction of cars in that transfer — if there are less killers there’s also going to be less victims. I also don’t think there is any real fluidity between car and motorcycle use — it is not a given that a car driver or passenger is going to substitute transport method with a motorbike in fact I think there is friction between those two demographics. </blockquote>
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But how painful is it, REALLY?<br />
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The wages earned in Singapore are proportionately very high, 2.5 to 3 times. At the lowest end of the scale — a cleaner is earning roughly the equivalent of RM3,000. I don’t know anywhere else in the world where you can do this. Commute to a different country in the morning to earn up to 3 times your local wage rates and then come home that night to enjoy a much better exchange rate and lower cost of living. And this is for a no skills required blue collar job. But then, this tier is probably not even going to be affected as they are already on motorbikes or using public transport where the increase will be more diffused.<br />
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Looking at the next tier, white collar occupations, the increase in real terms — really? Come on, that’s still a small fraction of that fat wage you are earning compared to some other white collar worker living further up north that doesn’t have the luxury of living right next door to Singapore. On the other side of this equation — you most probably still represent to Singapore corporations a labour resource that is presumably harder to find in their own population. In which case, hang tight, they are probably going to adjust for it in the near future to keep you. Now would also be the time to explore opportunities with flexi time where you substitute more days working at home. This is a direction that the world is going in that benefits both workers — less travel required, and their employers — less office space required.<br />
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In some instances, particularly in the Food and Beverage industry, a rise in travel cost that might make a potential employee tip into a decision to work here in Johor Baru is going to be a really good thing. A constant complaint from the Johor FB industry is that they can’t find staff here because they all want to work in Singapore. A constant complaint from local residents is that the service at FB outlets suck. Well here you go. Here’s an opportunity for FB outlets to source and retain human capital and local customers to enjoy better service. Win, win.<br />
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If you don’t fit in any of the categories above — then you are probably being penalised not for economic, income sourcing choices but lifestyle choices. Will this make you start to think about why you have to go to Singapore so often? What if you started to express those needs and demands to local suppliers — might they start to have the confidence to supply them? Necessity is the mother of invention, so they say. Providing an enterprise solution for pent up or redirected demand is like hitting the jackpot at Genting Highlands. Local entrepreneurs, a sudden increase in customers just showed up and is ringing the doorbell — go see what those good people want.<br />
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If you’re a Malaysian residing in Singapore that regularly comes back — you’re probably a white collar worker and should be more than able to deal with the cost, keep coming back to see your family and keep contributing to the local economy with your big wages, and thank you for that. If you’re Singaporean and this matters, well, should we be entertaining you, or should our local entrepreneurs be upping their game to attract a bigger spender where the price of entry is not such an issue? Local entrepreneurs — see paragraph above about sudden new demand.<br />
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As a pro environment citizen, I can’t help cheering this measure on because there are some real benefits that come from it that are lower carbon footprint and pro-environment. Here’s to fewer stalled vehicles sitting in traffic, belching toxic fumes. A more vocal and proactive call for better public transport is only going to make our overall urban experience better and safer. More public transport will also mean more enforced walking, increased activity, and less sitting in cars, potentially a shift to better health as we deal with the growing problem of obesity.<br />
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Cheer up Johor, although this is unexpected bitter medicine and the circumstances of its administering are hard to swallow, its regulatory effects on human capital and demand consumption in our favour really cannot be denied. Change — it’s good, remember?<br />
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Published: <a href="http://www.themalaymailonline.com/what-you-think/article/toll-hike-bitter-taste-medicinal-qualities-chris-parry">The Malay Mail Online</a>, <a href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/toll-hike-bitter-taste-medicinal-qualities-chris-parry">The Malaysian Insider</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5850136995057847644.post-89663881046010010012014-01-08T18:56:00.003-08:002015-08-06T09:09:24.198-07:00Shophouses<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiripfP96o0Pd1eHW87tPDToqxMMFUKl4MSR6TI1U_wieGBaFFXD5KeKO2Ifa7ZOuI-BByXVOeGc88UxaUn9E_8QVNcVkK7b4DzUEGtgsw8lqy9wzuubrZQQ5m94ErEZyTvJ_GJZjlYZiw/s1600/shophouse1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiripfP96o0Pd1eHW87tPDToqxMMFUKl4MSR6TI1U_wieGBaFFXD5KeKO2Ifa7ZOuI-BByXVOeGc88UxaUn9E_8QVNcVkK7b4DzUEGtgsw8lqy9wzuubrZQQ5m94ErEZyTvJ_GJZjlYZiw/s640/shophouse1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Something I've been meaning to do for a while - shophouse fronts with an abstracted color field treatment</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMxDcdjzYr_8nGxspLcJXd-vPDrHNTotTgjBz4gg7Ny4J9ZhAvTRx4EdtxH0iWaKiZgHvbov3F6gvAIjm4EPBjpwTmd9cUyn0_NBVHZNxo9zgHoDDYn7m2hd1viXJRrEWWoAjXAJ43Aw/s1600/shophouse4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMxDcdjzYr_8nGxspLcJXd-vPDrHNTotTgjBz4gg7Ny4J9ZhAvTRx4EdtxH0iWaKiZgHvbov3F6gvAIjm4EPBjpwTmd9cUyn0_NBVHZNxo9zgHoDDYn7m2hd1viXJRrEWWoAjXAJ43Aw/s640/shophouse4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5850136995057847644.post-19075071060084778642013-12-24T05:30:00.001-08:002013-12-24T05:31:37.782-08:00Rainy Night Gas Station<blockquote>
Along Sri Pelangi near Serampang. </blockquote>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5850136995057847644.post-5453629260591041582013-11-22T05:03:00.000-08:002017-09-02T22:49:25.598-07:00 What if Zacharevic’s parents had been Malaysian?
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Almost every report about Ernest Zacharevic I've read has only focussed on the “robber” (because it’s a wonderful bit of confirmation bias to support some fist shaking at the authorities) with little mention of the “Chanel girl” who rather embarrassingly symbolises the ugly capitalistic, consumerist Malaysian – how about a boo for them too? But that's not all, they've also “glibbed” over Zacharevic's full credentials as an artist.<br />
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In fact, Zacharevic graduated in 2009 with 1st class honours in Fine Art from Middlesex University. His art education began in 1993 in Lithuania at the National School of fine arts. Imagine if his parents had been Malaysians – yup, that probably would not have happened. Go study something practical they would have said. Don't waste your time they would have said. He “wasted” 16 years of his life pursuing the study of art.<br />
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But now the time-waster is a hero. Well, show your support in the way people traditionally support artists – go buy his work. He says: "I am focusing all my attention on this exhibition, which will feature my work in different media. People associate me with my murals but my experience in art goes beyond that." This is how you respect “art”. You pay for it. You tell the artist that his work has value.<br />
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Zacharevic himself has publicly stated he has no problem with the authorities taking down his grafitti, it’s the very nature of graffiti art to be ephemeral. Artists like Zacharevic know full well that their graffiti work is to create “buzz” that translates into real sales in a gallery or other forms of income. After all, this is how he earns a living. He's not paying his rent or buying his favourite curry mee with your goodwill.<br />
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Wanna respect Zacharevic? – buy his work. Wanna respect “art”? – let your children and grandchildren follow their dreams of becoming artists or getting an education in art or film or design. Art school doesn't just create artists, it also creates curators for exhibitions, demand for art teachers, businesses to support a creative community and fuels demand that is taste driven. Without this what we have is what Zacharevic painted, cities full of crass Chanel girls and boys taking selfies of themselves showing off their money.<br />
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Art isn't defined by a piece of graffiti in an alley, it’s a flourishing ecosystem of museums, galleries, art schools, curated exhibitions, private views, collectors and so on.<br />
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Invest a little more respect, energy and money into that, instead of Shopping Malls, Rolex watches, fancy cars and designer handbags, and we might produce Ernest Zacharevic's of our own who also have the power, as you have witnessed, to influence public discourse on politics and broader issues.<br />
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Published <a href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/what-if-zacharevics-parents-had-been-malaysian-chris-parry">Side Views, Malaysian Insider November 22, 2013.</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5850136995057847644.post-21105356327467804502013-08-08T06:47:00.002-07:002013-12-24T05:44:36.495-08:00Kukup Kolor<blockquote>
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Small Fishing Village in the South west of Johor </blockquote>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5850136995057847644.post-77561462939405806932011-11-19T04:26:00.000-08:002013-12-24T06:12:22.243-08:00Old Shop<blockquote>
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I came across this old school shop on the edge of Little India in Singapore. Beautiful old dark stained wood with glass and ceramic containers and the old money pail with bell attached. Strange how sparse it was, compared to the visual noise of modern day neighborhood shops like this. There also seemed to be an eclectic choice of items - beautiful as they were to look at, for example the three box trays on the side counter that had tree fungus, lily buds and red dates. Why was the flour in an open ceramic container? It looked like a set from a play.</blockquote>
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<br /></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5850136995057847644.post-42315124820189495712011-07-17T07:03:00.000-07:002013-12-24T05:47:31.405-08:00Sentosa Dusk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl89WCZ2gs4P-wSXcMuJ6zS_SXhGmaBb2YqZQHuEyBwJsmik-kdvMhj_4Okrgjdj4tF1QobSEGXOTqefjDldPhvgu3ka_o0Vbi1pPc7aFxb4A7Y5t5HI2XiJvBFvGjk9MRvTTnOEC-178/s1600/sutera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl89WCZ2gs4P-wSXcMuJ6zS_SXhGmaBb2YqZQHuEyBwJsmik-kdvMhj_4Okrgjdj4tF1QobSEGXOTqefjDldPhvgu3ka_o0Vbi1pPc7aFxb4A7Y5t5HI2XiJvBFvGjk9MRvTTnOEC-178/s640/sutera.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><br />
Dusk in Taman Sentosa.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5850136995057847644.post-53573977801962608442011-05-16T22:37:00.000-07:002013-12-24T05:47:31.417-08:00Diners at Dusk<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTlZLknvjxrwmKcOnDDWwNgpi9hm9Nix6Frwv0VLrkPLqnPROUv0OxMPDMofjgfvI9HRPh1R6SmMQ2O53-_IoL8a8qUqFMi6WC2YCOhtqqSAK66Qyw13CG9DP1yvwU5Bq5z7SDed9Ebfk/s1600/post_duskdiner2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTlZLknvjxrwmKcOnDDWwNgpi9hm9Nix6Frwv0VLrkPLqnPROUv0OxMPDMofjgfvI9HRPh1R6SmMQ2O53-_IoL8a8qUqFMi6WC2YCOhtqqSAK66Qyw13CG9DP1yvwU5Bq5z7SDed9Ebfk/s640/post_duskdiner2.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>This is such a visually interesting time of day when the five foot walkways fill with early diners and the lighting accentuates the bright colors of walls and canopies.<br />
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</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5850136995057847644.post-8174189686065046122011-04-11T08:06:00.000-07:002011-04-11T08:06:03.534-07:00Fish Spas. Eww.<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMhpx0_UtiJLZX3bABeiLZhs2Pza5SWv2e-tPicF2HqbjWVV_PgnRRR8wiHHE5bjlfZ56HNq-bKW4Lq5it3yEfzr5L6Gln64jAZomf5d4DpbW6W5IMs7dkPnUPC-wMz7lFHFSZiqtnYM/s1600/fish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMhpx0_UtiJLZX3bABeiLZhs2Pza5SWv2e-tPicF2HqbjWVV_PgnRRR8wiHHE5bjlfZ56HNq-bKW4Lq5it3yEfzr5L6Gln64jAZomf5d4DpbW6W5IMs7dkPnUPC-wMz7lFHFSZiqtnYM/s640/fish.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><br />
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<blockquote>On the plane home to Malaysia, I asked the (high school) kid sat next to me going home for vacation, what was going on here that I should know about. He said a lot of people were into DSLR cameras and fish spas. Check and check. Fish Spas- why would you do this? It looks like its not terribly hygenic and guess what- <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/01/us-fish-pedicures-odd-idUSTRE7205BM20110301">its not</a>. "<a href="http://www.travelweekly.asia/news/spa/1928-thailand-mulls-fish-spa-ban">It's a place where germs are spread</a>" No Kidding. Photo is of a tourist at Pasar Seni in Kuala Lumpur .<br />
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</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5850136995057847644.post-57459865226789581972011-03-14T20:00:00.000-07:002011-03-15T19:52:27.638-07:00Living in the Past<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia98ti5OgL2lo4Wr6TOrC_RalvW69KZ58B4BTCpWOCIkeFPsPdLDrUtwpLcs1_1OUdeaH2sAWaMkXhmAsOS7vS-dxOCzCHm8B8GszEYwnqeo-S99Fzyxbd6D623ZYh8U9xQ_6Ov-jlOJY/s1600/interior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia98ti5OgL2lo4Wr6TOrC_RalvW69KZ58B4BTCpWOCIkeFPsPdLDrUtwpLcs1_1OUdeaH2sAWaMkXhmAsOS7vS-dxOCzCHm8B8GszEYwnqeo-S99Fzyxbd6D623ZYh8U9xQ_6Ov-jlOJY/s640/interior.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My childhood home, the wooden colonial government quarters on Jalan Skudai facing the Straits of Johor is to be demolished. It has been left uninhabited for quite a while and this was probably inevitable. Whatever charm it might have had continues to erode not just with its disintegration but also the building of the motorway in front of it - who would want to live in its shadow?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Moving on to more pleasant thoughts, a visit to the <a href="http://www.rimbundahan.org/architecture/penang_house/index.html">Penang House at Rimbun Dahan</a> just outside Kuala Lumpur last weekend fittingly brought back powerful memories of being inside that old house. The furniture here is different from ours which was not so ornate but nevertheless share the same character of heavy wooden sturdiness, the chairs usually with cane panels.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The 'feeling' however of the space was the same, high ceilings with the diamond trellis venting, the grid pattern of contrast trim color, contrasting light and deep shadowed spaces. The further back in time I go, I remember the sheets never being anything other than white- which over time would include blues and faint candy stripes and florals. The windows started out as wooden shutters, later replaced with louvered glass.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Even though we didn't have four poster beds we did have something I haven't seen since- wooden frames- just like the top of the one in the picture, except hung from the ceiling to attach mosquito nets. Looking out the window was just like this, slightly elevated as the house is raised and unfiltered through darkened glass. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There is also a different aural experience, the creak of your footsteps on floorboards that dissipate quickly into high ceilinged spaces and an abundance of doors and windows that allow more of the ambient outdoor sounds to seep in. The latter being particularly true for the verandah spaces where you are neither inside or outside but somewhere in between. We had fabric lined rattan blinds that screened off these areas during the afternoons and stormy weather.</div><br />
</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5850136995057847644.post-65815664127547360252011-03-08T04:08:00.000-08:002011-03-08T04:08:46.450-08:00Afterlife Products<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzpD_lH7AkHB9G3plyZVAsyqEA_VGwCQFG8EbtT4NuR5582V_VuLMk_aQwJzUdgygLAHxzBihc3VYSD1-kukjpLeMvc8eFnzO5KebfyaPdsaLIFHo6NrLL8Etx0F5vA0gTi1vjj9pVxzU/s1600/afterlife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzpD_lH7AkHB9G3plyZVAsyqEA_VGwCQFG8EbtT4NuR5582V_VuLMk_aQwJzUdgygLAHxzBihc3VYSD1-kukjpLeMvc8eFnzO5KebfyaPdsaLIFHo6NrLL8Etx0F5vA0gTi1vjj9pVxzU/s640/afterlife.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><br />
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Walking along a stall with paper products intended to be burnt as offerings for the departed I see first the traditional sheets of 'money', then clothes (shirts in boxes) and then, whoa cigarettes and cell phones. Apparently you don't have to give up smoking and texting in the big beyond.</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5850136995057847644.post-54523573107062878192011-02-28T19:58:00.000-08:002013-12-24T06:09:54.787-08:00Memories are made of This<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfWUG7O8eSLOZdpBZcy2Owxepk9-FAKG4AgWajoTWMocBz1bi_dMHuZJwBQzLsGuG2L2ifuaIEHYmDgtRbaka0O4Z-tyBucmsBggwYhFBUiGZDzT4NrawnoTLmEwc6e4IwxpMWhgZdHpo/s1600/limchenghoe2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfWUG7O8eSLOZdpBZcy2Owxepk9-FAKG4AgWajoTWMocBz1bi_dMHuZJwBQzLsGuG2L2ifuaIEHYmDgtRbaka0O4Z-tyBucmsBggwYhFBUiGZDzT4NrawnoTLmEwc6e4IwxpMWhgZdHpo/s1600/limchenghoe2.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="540" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There's a small but evocative exhibition at the Singapore Art Museum of the ephemera of Singapore artist<a href="http://sbinartplus.com/artist/lim-cheng-hoe"> Lim Cheng Hoe.</a> Diaries, sketchbooks and letters conjure up the era and life of this Singapore artist. A letter from his art teacher and friend is particularly touching - he has a premonition of his death when he doesn't receive birthday or christmas greetings for the first time in forty years.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXTWItFkfLvh6fDQ7eeCOecL2VHCgy7zgUi7lGDEdbgwKPS1okhNhjob1ug1hslJppPEiQXxWpKgX0wLlRlf9WZhukAoDPQ30O1RlD0TElYaJALxx8QRxx0xBLCSPW6-OxLi8yGmyZ7Y/s1600/limchenghoe1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXTWItFkfLvh6fDQ7eeCOecL2VHCgy7zgUi7lGDEdbgwKPS1okhNhjob1ug1hslJppPEiQXxWpKgX0wLlRlf9WZhukAoDPQ30O1RlD0TElYaJALxx8QRxx0xBLCSPW6-OxLi8yGmyZ7Y/s1600/limchenghoe1.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNV-SntMKIHE-fzdVctG7DMA7XWsb8AIINw2LOklfTG3Q8D-i8FrHxET8mS6337fvx5_OuFMCOlKuall6udHsM_E12hCSbLqCWV116xAkNOWVCgAnF2NYzu8q70E6s-FQ-zzG06Q7Os3Y/s1600/limchenghoe3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNV-SntMKIHE-fzdVctG7DMA7XWsb8AIINw2LOklfTG3Q8D-i8FrHxET8mS6337fvx5_OuFMCOlKuall6udHsM_E12hCSbLqCWV116xAkNOWVCgAnF2NYzu8q70E6s-FQ-zzG06Q7Os3Y/s1600/limchenghoe3.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN4M6KKJpxvgWRVkHRHmKPtAi_whv9oX9pD11Gsi-CQg0sU7-0J462o5N8cUPjWN4CjmpNjUXWbF_b0g4nmt_McrONOGzJ_uUEwMtDz_CrRax-bZ2EG1hDGqyEn_A6E7drFZonll5OeA8/s1600/limchenghoe4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN4M6KKJpxvgWRVkHRHmKPtAi_whv9oX9pD11Gsi-CQg0sU7-0J462o5N8cUPjWN4CjmpNjUXWbF_b0g4nmt_McrONOGzJ_uUEwMtDz_CrRax-bZ2EG1hDGqyEn_A6E7drFZonll5OeA8/s320/limchenghoe4.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNR4ViiBBFXLMwWTL9kvM4ourTDQl1Igh02VooXyWqWaoQ5XwRsLnbqhdSGknt2icmr9gUWVtQv01PQQS0OEX2O50-x4RuWnYBVsrk3aCo8zcJMfaJFZMmTapTyrNZNcIeszay7_4Jjyw/s1600/limchenghoe5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNR4ViiBBFXLMwWTL9kvM4ourTDQl1Igh02VooXyWqWaoQ5XwRsLnbqhdSGknt2icmr9gUWVtQv01PQQS0OEX2O50-x4RuWnYBVsrk3aCo8zcJMfaJFZMmTapTyrNZNcIeszay7_4Jjyw/s1600/limchenghoe5.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5850136995057847644.post-34268717428427814992011-02-05T06:23:00.000-08:002013-12-24T05:47:31.396-08:00Light and Shelter<blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8PHeTB0K1lsZcdsysCZSc62cR2WVgH40XrPZkNDkyq00SAxhZ9pjVb9msdEQ5ALdKZwW5YIjZHf5cbrrFgn3ft0ZFN4bAcpIsljbDfZy9A3IGwzg_UKKrmToLLKtnQjX1WXdHj9Swew/s1600/kuanyin_540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8PHeTB0K1lsZcdsysCZSc62cR2WVgH40XrPZkNDkyq00SAxhZ9pjVb9msdEQ5ALdKZwW5YIjZHf5cbrrFgn3ft0ZFN4bAcpIsljbDfZy9A3IGwzg_UKKrmToLLKtnQjX1WXdHj9Swew/s640/kuanyin_540.jpg" width="540" /></span></a></blockquote><blockquote><br />
</blockquote><blockquote>Nice to see my favorite deity, Kuan Yin enjoying well lit and sheltered accommodation in Singapore.</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5850136995057847644.post-3927992828542355292010-12-24T09:15:00.000-08:002013-12-24T05:47:31.400-08:00Drugs and Liquor<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUbm2Zw4H6uckBZIOSdj2F_DaiWFrjZWCoevIWK_YivuRdNhhhK64XLPjhvxhjZU7LiAz8rFilDEuLNAJ40h-TJULDKM2OsDu0cLx3kW7WY_TEyef4prv5sKN-4CtPSTQqjxgF3RudA4/s1600/drugsandliqour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUbm2Zw4H6uckBZIOSdj2F_DaiWFrjZWCoevIWK_YivuRdNhhhK64XLPjhvxhjZU7LiAz8rFilDEuLNAJ40h-TJULDKM2OsDu0cLx3kW7WY_TEyef4prv5sKN-4CtPSTQqjxgF3RudA4/s640/drugsandliqour.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><br />
</blockquote><blockquote>A drug and liqour store in the old part of Johor Bahru</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5850136995057847644.post-85106816402873763242010-12-19T07:30:00.000-08:002010-12-19T07:33:20.571-08:00Clarke Quay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODILf33HIdTjPfTsrJnxnT0Z-lWXiJbApvijKGSuKzXhKcFKk1PXnwSo-1vnketgJ-lGUTF9MMNfllyAlsR9u-ABEAenqJ-lPvJ7tVPUXXF4FZijLdGXA6SNAif9EO8HzuoaOjqaeN0E/s1600/photo-4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODILf33HIdTjPfTsrJnxnT0Z-lWXiJbApvijKGSuKzXhKcFKk1PXnwSo-1vnketgJ-lGUTF9MMNfllyAlsR9u-ABEAenqJ-lPvJ7tVPUXXF4FZijLdGXA6SNAif9EO8HzuoaOjqaeN0E/s1600/photo-4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODILf33HIdTjPfTsrJnxnT0Z-lWXiJbApvijKGSuKzXhKcFKk1PXnwSo-1vnketgJ-lGUTF9MMNfllyAlsR9u-ABEAenqJ-lPvJ7tVPUXXF4FZijLdGXA6SNAif9EO8HzuoaOjqaeN0E/s1600/photo-4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODILf33HIdTjPfTsrJnxnT0Z-lWXiJbApvijKGSuKzXhKcFKk1PXnwSo-1vnketgJ-lGUTF9MMNfllyAlsR9u-ABEAenqJ-lPvJ7tVPUXXF4FZijLdGXA6SNAif9EO8HzuoaOjqaeN0E/s640/photo-4.JPG" width="540" /></a></blockquote><blockquote>The neon color reflections in the Singapore river at Clarke Quay are insane. I'll have to go back and film with my 'good' video camera. Meanwhile, my ipod captured two barges passing and the dance of light and color that ensued.</blockquote><br />
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<blockquote><object height="324" width="540"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FOL9wy1sh5U?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FOL9wy1sh5U?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="540" height="324"></embed></object></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5850136995057847644.post-5489967037691847712010-12-11T07:55:00.000-08:002010-12-11T07:55:59.061-08:00Clay Lamps<blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTd8rOw4xdg29gIzIl7sBo5ctC67RV41BJUuzItPIB8jHTxRpkJII3CaeBwIDaFV2KNEBIl8Z28AH0aFALLHXI3O-s8vONmhqJVSYjIsAFwClDCyhuoeOu-fflnXnsHmjtINGDZvUUEY/s1600/photo-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTd8rOw4xdg29gIzIl7sBo5ctC67RV41BJUuzItPIB8jHTxRpkJII3CaeBwIDaFV2KNEBIl8Z28AH0aFALLHXI3O-s8vONmhqJVSYjIsAFwClDCyhuoeOu-fflnXnsHmjtINGDZvUUEY/s640/photo-1.JPG" width="540" /></span></a></blockquote><blockquote><br />
</blockquote><blockquote>Tiny clay vessels used for oil lamps, called Diyas or Dipas, in Little India Singapore.</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5850136995057847644.post-81904823060932179422010-12-06T03:23:00.000-08:002013-12-24T05:47:31.421-08:00Tropical Color Fields<blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxI1AuM4JrZYdCEF_gqLPsoWZRH689UL8lTiV5GDoIAm116QGJSwyG_VZhY0xIHlVlHAgu1XWXsDghCrA72OzLDXELb_5lAmNf4qp0PDc3nVKgJ6622QTsnkiHFrgP___ntSorMaJaoAU/s1600/stacked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxI1AuM4JrZYdCEF_gqLPsoWZRH689UL8lTiV5GDoIAm116QGJSwyG_VZhY0xIHlVlHAgu1XWXsDghCrA72OzLDXELb_5lAmNf4qp0PDc3nVKgJ6622QTsnkiHFrgP___ntSorMaJaoAU/s640/stacked.jpg" width="540" /></span></a></blockquote><blockquote><br />
</blockquote><blockquote>There's a recurring modern tropical aesthetic, of grubby plastic, scratched aluminum and eroded paint that sometimes makes quite painterly combinations, like something out of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_Field"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Color Field movement</span></a>. The erosison and decay of the bright colors making them more interesting.</blockquote><blockquote><br />
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</blockquote><blockquote>In the same neighborhood the weekend flea market carried on this theme with bright plastic tarps. The group of old rice cookers, steamers and hot pots was a particularly local variation.</blockquote><blockquote><br />
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</blockquote><blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZd8eZ4khWE1Yfg70-Q8BzBo5XIulpQhEDEZ7X4o-3A9e7D4bi3ZWVgz79efQhazpTALz3-WSvnUvNYD2DMfXJeRHpKEaKnEg8_aAVm9FmbrO6sWKO1Yh1dltxnwOXek9ibi10aOA6IGc/s1600/photo-6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZd8eZ4khWE1Yfg70-Q8BzBo5XIulpQhEDEZ7X4o-3A9e7D4bi3ZWVgz79efQhazpTALz3-WSvnUvNYD2DMfXJeRHpKEaKnEg8_aAVm9FmbrO6sWKO1Yh1dltxnwOXek9ibi10aOA6IGc/s640/photo-6.JPG" width="540" /></span></a></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7HWCohwrW65u8RJ2YvKewZpfSMzZuK-W8qe5P33Mhs1JRvobRgaJssoF1lfzmV4XdBlQzxpRdrZfkSH6OoRCWRn6oOdNPT8teDBRyHMUrDBTk9RuOpzptf9UXBUuNGAdnVulkhoGv8z8/s1600/photo-5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5850136995057847644.post-32674191413060082232010-11-28T23:37:00.000-08:002013-12-24T05:47:31.391-08:00Twilight in Johor Bahru<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfr2Ob_Tt2oFi1HG8JPrvmsmJMGwZu790NSnvffCdPlTXd2Ccoa3E27R35wF8VhHP4huIL1QmClTCBfmGIrSXlbvYfBROT6FNmqv5Q7icF84CM7ELdc0X1uYC8PN2bJbQ8f88oKSbzTOo/s1600/dusk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfr2Ob_Tt2oFi1HG8JPrvmsmJMGwZu790NSnvffCdPlTXd2Ccoa3E27R35wF8VhHP4huIL1QmClTCBfmGIrSXlbvYfBROT6FNmqv5Q7icF84CM7ELdc0X1uYC8PN2bJbQ8f88oKSbzTOo/s640/dusk.jpg" width="540" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sri Tebrau Hawker Center</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQz7zJPypxrzwc_mxanI2pDlSCqIiJmaUSLXUZ_Znii7b2KRj3nXDs6kQJDzt_ouWFx5YHY9pzJ5cy_q6QyXr5H089_YXsre_ZgpPZg2p37IRg6YzKhtlrFH1T-wKPA16hmifHZ6NUGUg/s1600/dusk2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQz7zJPypxrzwc_mxanI2pDlSCqIiJmaUSLXUZ_Znii7b2KRj3nXDs6kQJDzt_ouWFx5YHY9pzJ5cy_q6QyXr5H089_YXsre_ZgpPZg2p37IRg6YzKhtlrFH1T-wKPA16hmifHZ6NUGUg/s640/dusk2.jpg" width="540" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jalan Keris</td></tr>
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