no cold comfort

Snow in Paris. It feels like the first time every time. Looking at the tiny white flakes fall from the sky, he marveled at the sheer number required in order to paint the whole of Paris white. He held out his hand to touch the snow flakes. They melted into small blobs of water the moment they landed on his palm. He felt a little guilty as the warmth of his palms had snuffed the life out this little bit of living magic. He redrew his hand quickly. He grimaced at the irony of how some people, like the snow, do not appreciated the warmth of an outstretched hand.

"Private Propriety"-cj

I know. I saw the sign and I kept away.

watershed

My thoughts are random, my words don't flow..

and my glass is always empty.

snow

It snowed in November. A magical finishing touch to a wonderful weekend.

resting in peace

We were literally walking among the dead as we descended the spiral stairs into the first layer of the catacombs. The underground labyrinth tells a story of the past. Its beginning as a mining ground and its strategic role in the second world war made the catacomb an important piece of french history. The entire network traces 280km and is made up of 7 layers. However, tourists are given limited access of 1.6km of the first layer which is considered safer and less likely to collapse. The humidity of the tunnel rose and our anticipation rose as the path leads us deeper underground. We talked in hushed voices as the silence became as suffocating as the thinned air; even the water droplets from the cave's ceiling could be heard.

"one of the many underground galleries" - cj

" "-cj

The whole walk lasted 45min and we were glad we are finally back on solid ground. We grabbed a quick lunch and head towards our next stop, Pere Lachaise Cemetery. The cemetery is the final resting place of hundreds of famous politicians, inventor, singer, artists and royalities. The first step into the cemetery and I couldn't help but notice the mysterious serenity that surrounds the place.

"sunset."-cj

"Oscar Wilde.
noticed the hundreds of lipsticks marks on the momument."-cj

"Edith Piaf who sang La Vie en Rose. "-cj

"chopin's." - cj

"Arman's last words : Finally Alone!" - cj

"white rose."-cj

Today I walked among past giants, whose shoes I would never be able to fit.

24

A simple celebration and it was just like another day. This same day every year, I would evaluate myself and redefine my resolutions. My self worth isn't being measured by my academic achievement, my taxable income, the number of friends and birthday wishes I have or even the size of my health insurance coverage. I myself would not be able to evaluate my self worth. So. Thanks to those you who touched my life at one point or another. Today is not only a celebration of how far I have come but also a celebration of the influence all of you have in my life. If you are proud of me, proud of being my family and friend, then you would have given me the answer to my self worth.

To a friend who called yesterday. I think "the one who has the most to offer, isn't always the one with the least self believe. Instead, she is the one with the most number of people believing in her."

Thank you.

Nathaneal - 20:11

"Bubbles of our own devising

As we go through life, we experience things that make us laugh, cry, sing, dance, brood and turn cold. While the fun experiences are the ones we enjoy, it is the sad ones that we normally remember... Humans are such melodramatic and retrospective creatures. Thus it is when we have in mind those times of pain where we create a bubble around ourselves to shield us from all that would hurt us. However, in our quest to keep ourselves safe, we have walled ourselves in too well.

Think of children, they with their bright eyes curious minds are fearless in their quests of exploration. We were once like them, till we shed our naivevity and learnt to "play safe". When we first made friends we let down our guard and expand the walls that we constructed to hide ourselves in. Amongst friends, the walls of bubbles are no longer impervious, that is why we hurt the most when the pain is dealt by a friend. Cause they are the ones that breached that wall.

As we age, there are times when we have to be alone. It is then that we find ourselves frightened and our natural urge to shore up our defences overcomes us. We build higher walls, thicker walls, walls so thick that the bubble that was once our shield becomes our prison. We cry out but our pleas are stifled, and echo endlessly within the very walls we built with our own hands, tormenting us so.

As we being to feel distanced from others, we long for the feeling when our walls allow more than just a cold breeze in. The times when friendly faces and warm embraces passed through our walls, reaching our cold interior. But trapped in our own devices we must be the ones to reach out for others are repelled by our defences and at the same time, engaged in the communion which defines our society, that which we crave for.

As we take apart our walls, stone by stone, we are constantly plagued by doubts and fears, but our yearning is both stronger and more urgent. Finally, light begins to fill the cold space, the bubble that we created. Once our eyes adjust to the glaring brightness that we have so long been absent from, we realise that there are faces beyond the light. Friends."

i know i always have your vote of confidence. thks.

critical

I read the essays written by some of my peers. Their essays impressed me with their insights on social issues. They made me realized my lack critical analysis. With the given education, I able to define and solve problems. However, I lack opinions when it comes to world issues. I read the news and am updated with what's happening around the world. And it stops there. The US presidential elections, the global recession and North Korea's closing of their borders are just pieces of news. I'm apathetic to things don't stuck too close to heart.

i need to change.