One day, while I was walking in the concrete jungle, I heard a sound from behind. I turned and i saw a bush behind me shaking as if it were alive.
"Who's there?", I shouted. No reply. Then I noticed a big eye. A pair of very very big eyes peeking out of the bush. It was an elephant.
"What are you doing, big guy? Why are you hiding behind the bush?"
"I'm scared," said the Elephant, "people in this woods are cruel."
"But you are, like, hundreds times bigger than them!", I shouted. "Why do you have to fear them?"
"They say I don't belong here," he said with a shaking voice, "They say I'm ugly. They say I'm huge."
I saw his eyes turning red. The big Elephant was about to cry.
"It's okay, big guy," I consoled him, "Please don't cry. Give me a big smile." "you know," I continued,"it's better to come out of the bush and just face those mean people. You were born big, so be big...and be brave. Show them what you can do! Can you roar? Give me some roar! Don't let anyone tell you what to do or what to be. Do those people own this jungle? No, they don't. So they don't have the right to say who belongs here and who doesn't!"
A smile appeared on the Elephant's face. "You're right," said the Elephant, "I'm much bigger than those people so why do I have to fear them. I can roar louder than thousands of them shouting at the same time. I can jump high. I can touch the sky. It's time for me to be heard. It's time for me to rise."
Then the Elephant stood up. It was very tall, taller than anything around him, tallest in the concrete forest."
"Thank you, little friend," The Elephant turned to me, "for making me believe in myself again."
"You're welcome." I replied.
"But promise me one thing, ok? Please don't smash those people like ants. You are better than that."
The Elephant nodded and gave me a big smile.
I smiled too.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hope you enjoy my late night story. "The Elephant" is an office building in Bangkok. It's cute though. It's really not easy to live in a big concrete jungle. All we have to do is survive. Words are the most fetal weapons of war. People get up at dawn, go out, and race for the top positions on the human pyramid. But well, let's go back to my story. What I want to say is to be brave to be who you are. Don't let words of the others poison you.
It's just another day in the city. So many people in the street. Crowded train. And now I'm trying the new blogging application on iPhone. Technology makes possibilities bigger but people's hearts smaller. But, in my small space, I still enjoy the life in living.
Even the smallest and overlooked spot in the city can become quite inspiring piece of art with the help of a good perspective.
Last week I had a chance to visit Bangkok Art and Cultural Center. At first, my plan was to see the exhibition of Cesare Pavese, a famous italian writer, organised by the Italian Embassy, but destiny drew me into something else.
I went into a small gallery in which there was an exhibition of a stone sculptor. There aren't many sculptures displayed at this gallery and it's even harder to find artists who would be there to talk to people who come to appreciate their works. But that day, I found everything i was looking for; marble sculptures, the artist himself, and some answers I've been looking for.
That day changed my life.
You know, for the last few months I felt so lost. I was forced to walk into the path that I don't belong. I was afraid to be myself and to choose and to make difficult decisions.
Like Dante's words,"Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita, mi troverai per una selva oscura..."
Life offered me no map, and I found myself lost in a dark forest.
But now I see.
That day I spent a good amount of time interviewed the artist. From my previous courses, I've learned a few things about art. I love art and I do know well about marble masterpieces. So it was like we spoke the same language. But the thing that captivated me weren't only his astronising works but it was the story behind them and the story of the artist himself.
The man graduated from a renowned university of technology in Thailand. Then he went on a journey in search of his soul and ended up getting a master degree in woman philosophy from India. He spent a good amount of year abroad...he wrote some books and finally sat down to work on the marble.
Everyting seems like a series of events with no connection or coherence.
So I asked him, "Why did you become a marble sculptor?"
His answer was short but logical enough.
He said, "Because I love it."
That's it! That's the answer of life. That's what I was looking for. It doesn't matter to what path life is leading you to. But in the end, we all have to come back and stick to what we love. Because it's who we are. You can't deny who you are, can you?
You can do everything in the world if you love it. The artist learned the marble techniques by passion and look at him now! An eminent artist with numbers of marvelous works.
So that day, I came home and finally made a decision.
I told myself, "It's time to catch up with the dream I left and to be who I was born to be."
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So is there anyone out there still trapped in a dark forest? It's time to step out and find the answers to your lives.
--------------------------- Here are some pics:
The inspiring artist, Mr. Chanathip Chaiyayanggoon
Eventhough sometimes you think that nobody loves you. Just so you know, there's always someone, even a stranger, who cares about you. And want to show their love to you. It's not important who that person is. It might be a she or a he. or it might be someone from the other side of the ocean. Just be grateful.
"You are not alone"
It doesn't matter who you are, or what's the reason why you are here. Just take this love.
Let me kiss you too, stranger!
Love, Eva S.
(About the photo: A street art I found when I was walking around Siam Square. Photo credit : Me)
Happy New Year, all my fellow bloggers and my beloved readers!
I wish you all a magical and inspiring new year!
Well, new year, for most people, it's all about a "fresh start", right?
a start of something new.
So, on the 1-1-11, I'm introducing you a new section of my blog.
It's called "Vissi d'OST".
starting with a question ;
"Have you ever had a song from a movie that you just saw recently stuck in your mind all day? Or some music score that keeps playing over and over in your head and makes you wanna see that movie again?"
some may say 'yes', some may say 'no'.
But for me, it happens to me...most of the time.
"OST" stands for "Original Soundtracks".
So in this section, I'm bringing you songs from various movies. All the songs that have influenced me and inspired me. As you know, I'm a big movie geek and also a music freak. And these 2 things can't be separated.
Songs that the filmmakers wisely put in their films are the most practical tool to capture the atmostphere of some certain scenes so that the viewers can enjoy the feeling conveyed through the acting and dialogues better and easier.
So, here's the first song for this entry : "Come pick me up" from Ryan Adams
One of the collection of freaking good music from the motion picture "Elizabethtown" (2005)
Everyone who has seen "Elizabethtown" must remember this memorable moment when Drew (Orlando Bloom) and Claire (Kirsten Dunst), two lonely stranfers who met on the flight to Elizabethtown, were talking on the phone all night, sharing their stories, getting to know each other. And later, they decided to come out to meet each other at dawn. That's when the song is played. slow melody with the air of country song and with the feeling of loneliness shouting "come pick me up".
Toys. The first extravagant items we want since we were little. I had heaps of toys when I was young. As time goes by, some toys were replaced by books, cosmetics, electronic devices or video games. But for some people, their toys have never left their places.
Toys are one of my passions. As in my previous entry about Underground Toy exhibition that I accidentally found.
Toys have stories of their own. Mine too, they have a lot to tell; the story of how they were found, the atmosphere of the place where they came from, the feeling of the person who gave them to me, etc.
My favourite ones are figurines, especially figurines from movies. The rarer they are, the more precious they become and in the same time, the older they are, the more precious and rarer they become...
"Gollum" From The Lord of The Rings : The Two Towers.One of the items in my rare collection. This one I got in 2002 from The Extended DVD collection. This limited edition could worth a lot in the next 10 years!
Some travelled across the sea...
"Harry Potter figurine". It was a gift from UK from my highschool best buddy. The year the first movie was premiered.
Some didn't come easy. Some took months of searching... "Mr. Spock and Spock Prime figurine" I just got these two guys recently. As the movie (Star Trek - 2009)was launched last year, it was quite impossible to find these two main characters. But after months of searching, I got them! (But I still can't find Captain Kirk)
By looking at one's toy box, it's fascinating how a piece of toy can tell so much of its owner. whether the owner is a boy or a girl. how they treat their toys. what's their passion in life. Some love girlish dolls because they adore beauty. Some collect figurines from their favorite movies as they want to materialize the feeling that a movie brings. Some born to be an architect, that's why they always carry a bucket of legos with them everywhere. etc.
And here's the fun part...You can create your own story with your toy. ...Or like me, when I brought fairy tale to the next level! Although they are not Ken and Barbie, they can make a lovely couple, right, Tinker Bell?
So no one is too old for toys. Keep your toys, especially your childhood toys, close to your heart for they can be a gateway to bring you back to those good old days.
Drawing can be a creative hobby, a way to relax, even a career for some people.
To me, drawing is a way to let my mind sink deep into my subconcious...to see what's buried deep in my mind and then make that thought visible as a figure on a plain paper.
Drawing cartoon or manga is something I do since I was a kid. In my middle school days, I even made my own comic book out of a school notebook.
I was raised by imagination.
I don't agree when people say "I can't draw." or "I don't know how to draw." I don't know either. I've never attended a drawing class seriously.
I just draw.
It's simple.
I like to draw people. I draw my friends, my brother, even imaginary people.
When drawing real people, your friends for example, to make your drawing look alike those people, you have to observe them.
I used to spend time gazing at my friends photos to find their distinctive points before i start to transform them into a cartoon character.
And surprisingly that moment can make you see something in them that you've never noticed before, like how beautiful their eyes are or how thin their lips are. Also the memories of the time you spent with them will come to you like a flashback in your mind. Then by the time you start drawing, you will realized that you have just spent a good amount of time letting yourself sinking in your memories.
Me, doing some drawing of my friends in Disney cartoon style.
To me, just a little help of your imagination, anyone who is capable to move their hand by holding a pencil can draw.
