Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Scenes!!

Scene One:

Time: Around 7:20 AM.
Place: Near home, on my way to the subway going to college, a window that's low enough to allow you to see things inside if it's open.

Behind the window there is a man in his late forties I think. For the last 3 years, in the early morning, some days of the week, this window is open. The man sits by the window looking for some light to help him paint. Every day I saw him as I passed next to the window he was working on a new painting. Some days it was a portrait, some days a landscape scene from a card or a picture he stuck to the corner of the frame. Every time I crossed the open window, I peeked at his painting, they were not that good, more usual if you know what I mean. He never noticed me, or I think so... A few days ago, I was passing next to the same window, it was open, he was there painting but this time he looked up at me. He smiled... That innocent smile you don't see a lot from old people "and by old I mean someone who is not a very young child". I smiled back at him and felt a bit light.
Walking away, I made a promise to myself that next time I see the window open, I will talk to him.




Scene 2:

Time: About 2:30 PM, the same day.
Place: The subway station next to college.

Going back home, it was very hot and the humidity really high. It's the rush hour, everyone is pushing to get to the clerk to buy a ticket. I was standing in the line squeezed among others, men and women. When it is this hot and crowded, people tend to forget the lines they are supposed to stand in. There is some problem with the machine rolling the tickets, the clerk is standing behind the glass looking confused and trying to fix the problem. The crowd is growing bigger and bigger, everyone is complaining about it. Finally, the machine worked, the clerk still standing started giving us the tickets. I was standing at the front row, he looked up at me, "something they rarely do, neither do we. Our relationship with the clerks is bound to looking at that small gap in the glass wall, where you can put your hand in with the money and get your ticket. Normally, both of you are looking down, never making eye contact or even talking most of the time... I don't know how many times I thought about this issue after I left with my ticket. The fact that someone would sit behind a glass wall to merely look at people's hands, what he might be thinking when he sees every single one. I always remembered Charles Dickens then, how he used to work for a shoemaker in an underground room with only a small window that showed him people's feet and shoes. He learned to differentiate between people and understand them from the way their shoes looked.". So the clerk looked up at me this time and he gave me a smile, very similar to the one the old artist gave me in the same morning. I froze for a moment, didn't know how to respond exactly, then I found myself with a big grin on my face. The rest of the people standing pushed me away from the glass but I didn't care. I went home feeling much lighter.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Facts!!

Life : A condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects. "Wikipedia".

A lie : Is a type of deception in the form of an untruthful statement with the intention to deceive, often with the further intention to maintain a secret or reputation, or to avoid punishment. "Wikipedia"

Betrayal : As a form of deception or dismissal of prior presumptions, is the breaking or violation of a presumptive social contract (trust or confidence)that produces moral and psychological conflict within a relationship amongst individuals, between organizations or between individuals and organizations. "Wikipedia"

Mistake : A wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention. "dict.die.net"

Believe : To exercise belief in; to credit upon the authority or testimony of another; to be persuaded of the truth of, upon evidence furnished by reason, argument, and deductions of the mind, or by circumstances other than personal knowledge; to regard or accept as true; to place confidence in; to consider; as, to believe a person, a statement, or a doctrine. "ARD"

Summary : Life is a lie, betrayal is the general rule, but still, it's not life's mistake, it's our mistake because we believe in it!!!

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Julia!!

Today, I am not talking about myself "lucky you", I am here to share something I found recently.

Her name is Julia, and she is an artist. I stumbled upon her work during one of my Flickr frenzy attacks, and since then, I became addicted to all things Julia... She mainly does Illustration and collage, wonderful painting, and amazing Polaroid photography. I bow in respect to her, for she is truly what I believe to be a free soul, an artist.

Unfortunately, I can't get you some samples of her work here, it is all protected under copy rights but here you can find her website, a very enjoyable experience, make sure not to miss it. Or, you can visit her account on Flickr here!