Adagio from secret garden
Casta Diva
The Cambrian Era by Faye Wong
Monday, March 30, 2009
Shigeru Umebayashi
I was listening to music on youtube when I chanced upon Shigeru Umebayashi that is responsible for many of my favourite soundtracks from Wong Kar Wai's films. He is a Japanese composer born Feb 19 1951 in Kitakyushu Fukuoka Japan
Here are the links. Enjoy!
In the Mood For Love - Yumeji's Theme
2046 - Polonaise
2046 - Main theme
House of Flying Daggers - Lovers
Here are the links. Enjoy!
In the Mood For Love - Yumeji's Theme
2046 - Polonaise
2046 - Main theme
House of Flying Daggers - Lovers
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Soil powered lamp from inhabitat
Soil Powered Lamp: A Fresh Take on “Dirty Energy”
by Alexandra Kain
Soil naturally contains energy conducive metals like zinc, copper and iron, and microbial fuel cells (sometimes referred to as an earth batteries) are capable of converting electrolytes in soil into usable energy. Dutch designer Marieke Strap’s Soil Lamp uses conductive plates made from copper and zinc buried within the soil to provide constant and (nearly) eternal light for an LED bulb. Maintaining a Soil Lamp is as simple as watering a plant - just feed it a splash of water every now and then to keep the energy flowing.
The Soil Lamp takes pride in its simplicity and innovation, baring all in a transparent bulbous base. The implications of creating energy from soil are promising - as a free and abundant resource, nearly everyone in the world has access to dirt, save those living in deserts or urban jungles. Because of its naturally occurring conductivity, soil is easily converted into energy that will last far beyond the lifetime of an incandescent bulb, so long and its properly watered.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Mutual Inspiration
I came across this article on my friend's blog.
"It is as natural for young people to fall in love as it is for flowers to bloom in spring.
And yet, the agonies of love are many and varied.
While everyone is free to fall in love or be attracted to someone, and no one has the right to meddle in your private affairs, i feel it is also important not to lose sight of pursuing ur own personal development. There are of course no rules on love and marriage, and no on has the right to restrict you in any way. But i hate to see young people getting involved in frivolous relationships, and suffering and agonising over them when they should be fulfilled and happy.
My mentor often said that when women act with dignity in relationships, problems can be avoided. Women should not have an easy-going. careless attitude concerning love, as this may lead to regrets and suffering.
While i am writing this with young women particularly in mind, much of what i am saying also applies to young men.
To me, love should be a force that helps us expand our lives and bring out our potential with fresh vitality. This is the ideal, but all too often, people lose all objectivity when they fall in love.
The question is "Does this person inspire you to work harder, or distract you from what you have to do? Does their presence make you more determined to devote great energies to your activities, to be a better person? Do they inspire you to realise your future goals and work towards them? Or is that person your central focus, overshadowing everything else?"
If you find that you are neglecting things you should be doing, forgetting your purpose in life because of the relationship you are in, then i would guess that you might be on the wrong path. A healthy relationship, in my view, is one in which two people encourage each other to reach their respective goals, while sharing each other;s hopes and dreams. A relationship should be a source of inspiration, invigoration and hope.
Rather than becoming so love-struck that you create a world in which only the two of you exist, it is much healthier to learn from those aspects of your loved one that you respect and admire, and continue to make efforts to improve and develop yourself. Antoine de Daint-Exupery, the author of "The little Prince", once wrote "Love is not two person gazing at each other, but two people looking ahead together in the same direction."
Of course, much of daily life tends to be ordinary and unexciting. Making steady efforts to improve ourselves can be trying. And then, when you fall in love, life seems filled with drama and excitement, and you feel like the leading character in a book. But if you lose yourself in love just because you are bored, and veer from your path in life, then love is nothing more than escapism. But sadly many poeple believe that this kind of love is the be-all and end-all, deluding themselves that as long as they are in love, nothing else matters.
Even if you try to use love as an escape, the euphoria is unlikely to last for long. If anything, you may only find yourself with more problems along with a great deal of pain and sadness. However much you may try, you can never run away from yourself. If you remain weak inside, suffering will only follow you whenever you go. You will never find happiness if you do not change yourself from within. Happiness is not something that anyone else, even a lover, can give you. You have to achieve it yourself. And the only way to do so is by developing your own character and capacity as a human being, by fully maximising your potential. If you sacrifice your own growth and talent for love, you absolutely will not find happiness.
My concern in saying this is purely for the sake of young people - particularly young women who are often very vulnerable to persuasion by young men. They can sometimes act as if they are stunned and lose their ability to make calm, rational decisions. Since young women are the ones who most often get hurt, they have every right to assert their dignity and look after their own welfare.
It is precisely for this reason that i feel that it is important for young women to develop inner strength and self-respect.
It is demeaning to be constantly seeking approval. If you find yourself in a relationship where you are not treated the way your heart tells you should be. I hope you will have the courage and dignity to decide that you are better off running off the risk of being alone for the time being rather than enduring an unhappy relationship.
Real love is not two people clinging to each other, it can only be fostered between two strong people secure in their individuality. A shallow person will only have shallow relationships. If you want to experience real love, it is important to develop a strong self-identity. True love is not about doing whatever the other person wants you to do, or pretending that you are something you are not. Ideal love is fostered only between two sincere, mature and independent people."
I wonder when I can meet someone who finally understand this...
"It is as natural for young people to fall in love as it is for flowers to bloom in spring.
And yet, the agonies of love are many and varied.
While everyone is free to fall in love or be attracted to someone, and no one has the right to meddle in your private affairs, i feel it is also important not to lose sight of pursuing ur own personal development. There are of course no rules on love and marriage, and no on has the right to restrict you in any way. But i hate to see young people getting involved in frivolous relationships, and suffering and agonising over them when they should be fulfilled and happy.
My mentor often said that when women act with dignity in relationships, problems can be avoided. Women should not have an easy-going. careless attitude concerning love, as this may lead to regrets and suffering.
While i am writing this with young women particularly in mind, much of what i am saying also applies to young men.
To me, love should be a force that helps us expand our lives and bring out our potential with fresh vitality. This is the ideal, but all too often, people lose all objectivity when they fall in love.
The question is "Does this person inspire you to work harder, or distract you from what you have to do? Does their presence make you more determined to devote great energies to your activities, to be a better person? Do they inspire you to realise your future goals and work towards them? Or is that person your central focus, overshadowing everything else?"
If you find that you are neglecting things you should be doing, forgetting your purpose in life because of the relationship you are in, then i would guess that you might be on the wrong path. A healthy relationship, in my view, is one in which two people encourage each other to reach their respective goals, while sharing each other;s hopes and dreams. A relationship should be a source of inspiration, invigoration and hope.
Rather than becoming so love-struck that you create a world in which only the two of you exist, it is much healthier to learn from those aspects of your loved one that you respect and admire, and continue to make efforts to improve and develop yourself. Antoine de Daint-Exupery, the author of "The little Prince", once wrote "Love is not two person gazing at each other, but two people looking ahead together in the same direction."
Of course, much of daily life tends to be ordinary and unexciting. Making steady efforts to improve ourselves can be trying. And then, when you fall in love, life seems filled with drama and excitement, and you feel like the leading character in a book. But if you lose yourself in love just because you are bored, and veer from your path in life, then love is nothing more than escapism. But sadly many poeple believe that this kind of love is the be-all and end-all, deluding themselves that as long as they are in love, nothing else matters.
Even if you try to use love as an escape, the euphoria is unlikely to last for long. If anything, you may only find yourself with more problems along with a great deal of pain and sadness. However much you may try, you can never run away from yourself. If you remain weak inside, suffering will only follow you whenever you go. You will never find happiness if you do not change yourself from within. Happiness is not something that anyone else, even a lover, can give you. You have to achieve it yourself. And the only way to do so is by developing your own character and capacity as a human being, by fully maximising your potential. If you sacrifice your own growth and talent for love, you absolutely will not find happiness.
My concern in saying this is purely for the sake of young people - particularly young women who are often very vulnerable to persuasion by young men. They can sometimes act as if they are stunned and lose their ability to make calm, rational decisions. Since young women are the ones who most often get hurt, they have every right to assert their dignity and look after their own welfare.
It is precisely for this reason that i feel that it is important for young women to develop inner strength and self-respect.
It is demeaning to be constantly seeking approval. If you find yourself in a relationship where you are not treated the way your heart tells you should be. I hope you will have the courage and dignity to decide that you are better off running off the risk of being alone for the time being rather than enduring an unhappy relationship.
Real love is not two people clinging to each other, it can only be fostered between two strong people secure in their individuality. A shallow person will only have shallow relationships. If you want to experience real love, it is important to develop a strong self-identity. True love is not about doing whatever the other person wants you to do, or pretending that you are something you are not. Ideal love is fostered only between two sincere, mature and independent people."
I wonder when I can meet someone who finally understand this...
Friday, March 6, 2009
记念
蔡健雅 << 记念 >>
词：姚谦 曲：Tanya Chua
想念变成一条线 在时间里面漫延
长得可以把世界切成了两个面
他在春天那一边 你的秋天刚落叶 刚落叶
如果从此不见面 让你凭记忆想念
本来这段爱情可以记得很完美
他的样子已改变 有新伴侣的气味 的气味
那一瞬间 你终于发现 那曾深爱过的人
早在告别的那天 已消失在这个世界
也许那一次见面 是生命给你机会
了解爱只是人所渴望的投射面
只是渴望会改变 他的爱已经不见 已不见
那一瞬间 你终于发现 那曾深爱过的人
早在告别的那天 已消失在这个世界
那一瞬间 你终于发现 心中的爱和思念
都只是属于自己 曾经拥有过
曾经拥有过 曾经拥有过 的记念
Monday, March 2, 2009
hydroponics
A Living Green House Lost in Paris
by Alexandra Kain
Can’t decide on a green roof or a vertical garden? No problem, just do both! R&Sie Architects designed the aptly-named ‘Lost in Paris‘ house for an ‘urban witch’ who feeds the house through 300 glass-blown pods. A potion of rainwater and plant nutrients nourishes 1200 ferns drop-by-drop throughout the year. The houseplants are entirely hydroponic, and completely engulfing the 1400 square foot concrete home. The blanket of ferns protects the house from outside elements and regulates its inside temperature, all the while adding life and freshness to the neighborhood.
Taking nearly five years to build, this home for 4 is always getting attention. Architect Francois Roche explains it as “a game of attraction and repulsion” where passersby may be inspired or frightened, and of course wary of the looming ‘urban witch.’ R&Sie Architects are no newcomers to breaking architectural norms. They’ve built and conceptualized a gigantic spider’s nest, an alchemist’s greenhouse for experiementing with toxic plants, and even an exhibit at MIT based on urinotherapy.
Via Jetson Green
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