Quotes @ University Cultural Centre + NUS Museum

First visit to the National University of Singapore's University Cultural Centre.

Found various quotations scattered around the building.

Took a look around NUS Museum.

But what I really went there for was this.

Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia: Favourites from the collections

I returned to the Islamic Arts Museum, one of my favorite museums, after nearly four years from the time I fell head over heels for it. Start from the top floor, advised Brandie, who had been there just the week before. So we did.

The first display that greeted me was vaguely familiar

The museum still feels fresh, almost entirely new to my eyes. Growing up Catholic, Islam has always been a mystery to me. It still is, even if I'm living in an Islamic country. But that's what being enamoured is: there is so much to know about your object of desire that you want to learn it hard and fast.

I'd like to believe that Islam is a religion of peace... but the Islamic arms and armour section is pretty striking

The Church has its treasures, and so do they

A very fine chess set

This has to be my favourite sign!

Like Celtic patterns, Islamic patterns are highly mathematical

I'm a fan of the model mosques

Ari, who grew up Muslim, says that the term "islamic" should not be used so loosely as the museum does, that is, for everything that Muslims created. But to me, the adjective sums it up all too neatly: a marker telling me how little I know.

The artefacts I'm fondest of are those on paper

Like illuminated manuscripts, with much bigger borders

The most detailed Moleskine-sized book I've ever seen

Sex and the single scientist

While reading New Scientist, I saw this.

The visual is so funny that I had to tell my brother, arguably the bigger nerd between the two of us. He said this TV show theme song started playing in his head.

No guarantees that you'll find guys as funny as those on the show on New Scientist Connect, a.k.a. dating.newscientist.com, but I suspect they're there, if you look hard enough. (You might need a scanning electron microscope though.)

The service is run by The Dating Lab, which provides similar services to other media brands.

Blog updates 01/02/2012

Start the year with some early spring cleaning. I've recycled an old header, which I think is appropriate for this time of year. Aside from tweaking this blog, I updated the Pinoy Erasmus Mundus blog, which I run as a volunteer.

The header photo was taken three years ago, so I don't look like my old self anymore. I can be accused of misrepresentation, as majority of the people in the photo are actually Indonesian. But the point is that we are all EM alumni, giving the program a human face.

Do spread the word about the EM scholarships. Studying abroad is a life-changing experience and I wish everyone could gets the chance to do it.

I'd like a 3D Point Cloud of that

CyArk is inspiring. The project makes models using lasers. Makes you want to do something architectural. Here's a screengrab of Angkor Wat, the 3D model of the Beauvais Cathedral and a video intro to Rapa Nui.

Seen at the ArtScience Museum

After seeing exhibits at the ArtScience Museum, I still have doubts about the real intention of the museum. For sure, the presentation is pretty, but the inconsistent quality and actual content of the exhibits doesn't make for great value for money. That's what you get out of touring shows, I guess.

Even if you keep expectations at a minimum, a Van Gogh exhibit without actual paintings will leave visitors feeling duped.

I wish there were fewer plates and more gold at the Shipwrecked exhibit, but it was fine. My hunch is that the Gold of the Ancestors at the Ayala Museum has desensitized me a little bit.






 

Although it's one of those sponsored shows, the Girard-Perregaux anniversary showcase was one that I appreciated. I admire Swiss watchmaking and maybe someday I will be able to afford a timepiece that will last several lifetimes.

A band of schoolboys playing a variety of tunes in front of the museum shop.

My recommendation for curious first-timers is to get the ticket package with the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark and then check out the museum to see what it looks like inside.

Understanding the Thailand floods

Simple graphics and ideas but very clearly communicated. Informative videos we can apply to the Philippines as well.

Our thoughts, prayers and sympathies go to the Thai people who are suffering from this disaster.

I am changing

I am become more aware of how technology and the availability of content are changing me. It is getting harder to sit still. Or have no sounds coming into my ear. I crave information instantly, in shorter bites. What scares me is the day may come when I can no longer spend long hours painting. Then again, I've been listening to one podcast after another as I work.

I know that I still have my sense of wonder intact, but as my standards get higher, I'm afraid that one day I might not be able to meet them.

It's time to change. As I attempt to evolve my art, I am trying to teach myself a new visual language. It doesn't look good yet, so it will be a good while before I show anything. But I think I'm on to something. Just wait.

Video dump of the week

I don't necessarily agree with all the lyrics, but the son of the queen's chaplain nails it.

One of the more fascinating TEDTalks I've seen lately.

Not fascinating, but a wake-up call. The internet is making the male of the species socially awkward.

Makes me feel hopeful for non-formulaic Filipino films.

Solo day at the museums: Singapore Art Museum, SAM at 8Q, and National Museum

Without touching on the Singapore Biennale (which I did in adobo July-August 2011), here are a few shots from that sensory and knowledge overload.

Singapore Art Museum

National Museum