death by study

twelve weeks have disapparated in front of my eyes and i enter my last week of my first trimester at university. this week is going to be an intense one.

a photo i took for an assignment, it is inspired by daniela edburg's 'drop dead gorgeous' series.
it is called 'death by study'.

sunday brunch

it had been weeks since i last saw my friends. the daily lunches we spent together gossiping and sharing stories in our common room at high school are long gone, leaving us with busy schedules and rare opportunities of reliving those midday gatherings. laura turned 19 last weekend, and trying to organise a time for us to spend a meal together was indeed a challenge, hence a sunday brunch proved to be the best option.

it was a lovely occasion. familiar faces, smiles and food, there couldn't be a better combination! there lay a platter of fruit, cheese, bread made from scratch by laura's nonna, smolked salmon and cream cheese, juice, and the most delicious chocolate cake baked by the birthday girl herself (she refuses to give me the recipe, sigh)
we stuffed ourselves, indulging in the variety of flavours placed in front of us whilst we chatted and caught up on each other's lives. and just when we thought we had had enough, rosina (laura's mum) brought out eggs and bacon along with sausages and pancakes with maple syrup while her dad toni served us tea. we devoured as much as we could, laughed and gossiped the afternoon away.

after the most glorious meal, we sat by the fire and talked. we could've been in a log cabin up in the mountains and i would not have known the difference, it was warm inside and the rustling trees and chilly winds outside were quickly forgotten. i wish i had a fireplace at home, the smell of burning wood and its crackling sounds fill a room up with a silence that is so peaceful and endearing.
as everyone returned back to their daily routines and the reality of assignments and work, laura and i sat down to a game of chess while shaan strummed away on a guitar, it was lovely.

 brunch

 laura's chocolate cake

 a feast

 tea

 bacon and eggs

 laura

 laura's nonna and her fresh bread

 warming ourselves up by the fire

 an intense game of chess

 shaan strumming away 

i remember a day where i sat at a bus stop, and an old lady that was seated by my side spoke to me. she asked me what i did and what i hoped to be, and i learnt that she was a teacher who taught international students english in the city, she was an interesting character. i complained to her that the buses were always delayed and she replied saying "i don't rely on such things or plan my day around bus or train times, i look at them as opportunities". today after leaving laura's, i had a 50 minute wait for my bus home, and i remembered that old lady. why waste 50 minutes waiting on a bus? so i walked home. a long walk. and it was refreshing.

asha

bondi

silent contrasts

it was cold today, a gentle wind rustled fallen bright orange leaves and i jumped (studying the horror genre and watching ginger snaps in film class this week probably didn't help). i was alone in a grave yard and i have never felt so vulnerable....or alive. i walked on designated paths for obvious reasons, and breathed in a heavy sigh, i was scared. i had nothing but respect for what surrounded me: the living's way of making the dead still feel beautiful and loved. what would read on my grave stone? fresh flowers beamed bright against the monochrome - a reminder that what lay beneath once used to be full of life, whilst withered flowers shadowed others - reminding us that all things must pass. it was an overwhelming sea of silent contrasts, a setting so full of sadness masked in beauty. 

photos by asha

research and inspiration: experimental cinema

i've been sucked into the history of the avant-garde movement, it's merely all for the love of art; depicting to an audience an artist's conceptual or creative expression without a price tag. the original push of the movement was for the elite society to broaden their perspective and validate the artwork of the expressionist - however, when this was achieved, avant-garde no longer became avant-garde, but simply the accepted "modern art". people could no longer see the meaning in the artwork because they were too consumed by what it was worth. similarly, a novel was sorely judged by whether it was best seller, and music succumbed to rating charts.

it's amazing how people forget the real value of art but chose to create work that would only please society instead of challenging society's boundaries! a true artist creates a work of art out of true passion, to communicate an idea or conceptual strategy, they strive to portray their world without giving a damn for public success or profit. this is what experimental cinema is about, it is opposed to mainstream and commercial film making, it requires the active participation of the viewer.
its most defining characteristic is the way it makes conscious use of the materials of cinema in a way that calls attention to the medium - it makes the audience aware that they are watching a film instead of sucking them into a linear narrative that unfolds in the theatrical space of mainstream narrative. it lacks any recognizable narrative at all. the film maker rapidly and unpredictably cuts the film in a way that calls attention to the editing itself - a feature that is usually hidden from us so cleverly in mainstream films.

the perfect example of an experimental film is Dog Star Man by Stan Brakhage - one of the most experimental film makers of the 20th century.

"it's not about metaphors, symbolism, or storylines. that's the mistake people make - they think he's trying to make snooty "high brow" art. he's not. his art is primal, not intellectual and certainly not narrative. In other words, Brakhage isn't making "movies," he's creating a purely sensory experience that stimulates and invigorates your brain.
think of it as an acid trip without any of the nasty side effects of drug addiction."