http://learn.lexiconic.net/humancondition.htm

How We Live Our Lives

-What is the good life?
-How do parents act towards their children?
-How do we deal with death?
-How do we deal with alienation from those around us?
-Should we conform or be original?
-How do we become adults? What is the process of maturation?
-What is the relationship between different generations or genders?-How do we deal with excessive poverty or wealth?

Human Nature

-Are we naturally evil or good?
-Are we born with inherited traits or are we a "blank slate"?
-What's more important for human beings? Law and order or freedom?
-Are we determined by our genetic structure, environment, etc., or do we have free will ?
-Are we naturally social beings or are we individuals first?
-Can we know universal truths?
-Are we selfish or altruistic?

Human Society

-What's the best way to live together?
-Should we care for the weak and poor, or let them fend for themselves?
-What is a natural society: equality or hierarchy?
-Is civilization positive or negative?
-How should society treat the environment?

The human condition.

I guess part of human nature is selfishness. We care more about our own happiness than that of others. Oftentimes, we do things without considering if someone else gets hurt by our actions. Do we build our happiness at the expense of somebody else's? Does it make us feel better, does it give us joy, to hurt someone else, sometimes intentionally just because? 
Could there ever be a complete joy that doesnt cost someone else something ? 

Some kind of wonderful

All you have to do is touch my hand
To show me you understand
And something happens to me
That's some kind of wonderful

Any time my little world is blue
I just have to look at you
And every thing seems to be
Some kind of wonderful

Listened to this song this morning. Wouldn't it be nice if happiness is so easily achieved? 

Been looking at paintings and wishing I have the time and the energy to start a new one. But I feel annoyed at not having complete the previous wave painting... so things remain as status quo... arghh! Started practicing calligraphy again but this time with brush pens which is less messier as compared to dip pens or fountain pens. I could practice it while lying in bed as opposed to having set up the study table for DP and FP. I find myself getting a little reclusive the past month, with no mood to socialize when I've been meaning to catch up with some pple before school starts. Alas, I'd rather spend time tending to my plants. Re-potted the mint today as I suspected it was suffering from a case of root-bound. Cut away most of the dead roots and separated the salvageable ones. Snipped off a few stems for propagating. Hope it works. Gardening seems I don't know a no-brainer but it actually is an art form in itself. Every plant has its own needs- they die when you over-water, they die when you under-water. Too much sunlight and they burn, too little sunlight and they wither. I wonder how long more before I get tired of expending so much time and effort on the plants. But then again, gardening is quite therapeutic too. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm suffering from some undiagnosed depression or stress coz I keep finding "therapeutic" things to do. Cooking too is therapeutic but I'm a boring cook, always returning to the same old recipes. Quite pleased with the bruschetta I made and the satisfaction was doubled when the basil came from my "garden".
I think I kinda lost my travel plans. Couldn't think of a place I wanted to visit when a colleague asked  But to recap:
Peru
Bolivia
Chile
Patagonia
Cuba
Maldives
Greece
Alaska
Southern parts of the states and Yellowstone
Tasmania
Nepal again
Morocco + Sahara
Sardinia

Reckless

What will become of us if we live life a little more recklessly? Is it always right to make careful decisions and live life safely? Is it irresponsible to be reckless? Will we be happier if we were throw caution to the wind and make bets with life? Or are we happier living a life that is safe and that is acceptable to society?

"But I don't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin." Brave new world. The contradictions of life 

Clouds

These days I've been enarmored with clouds. Sometimes I get the chance to take a picture, most times I don't. I guess I've been noticing them more ever since having to paint them. I don't think I can ever compete with God when it comes to creating a painting of the sky.
Everyday the sky is a little different. Sometimes the clouds resemble waves, sometimes like a fire, sometimes like marshmallows...
can one ever tire of looking at the skies I wonder.
Yesterday's sky was quite beautiful.. with layers upon layers of wavy clouds....a couple of weeks ago, the clouds were so huge, puffy, and white with grey tones underneath them...like a technique I learnt whereby you dab one end of the brush with white paint and the other end with grey paint to produce a 3D-like effect of a cloud. 2-3 weeks ago, stepping out of Alexandra mall(?), I actually gasped at the sky coz it was filled with gorgeous pink-orange clouds but alas, I forgot to take pictures and now I have forgotten their shapes.

Calligraphy

And then instead of writing to potential supervisors, here I am dabbing at calligraphy again... distractions..... haven't used broad nibs for a while. Need some getting used to.
Been reading George orwell's letters. Somehow I wish this is still the letter-writing era but I can't figure out why I am so enarmoured with letters. Maybe because it is more carefully crafted than an email? Maybe there's just something beautiful about reading a hand-written letter? Maybe the beauty lies in the idea that someone went through quite a fair amount of effort just to get a word or two to you...it's funny though that by the time you received a piece of news in the form of a letter, it would have long become history...
Wasn't feeling quite upbeat today and I got even more frustrated when playing the piano. The fingers felt as if they are no longer under my control. I guess it's just a case of the Monday blues. Or so I hope. Some things I wanted to blog about: the idea of karma and schooling. Will reserve that
For another day when I'm less moody.

I hate the fluidity of time
I hate that we are always racing against time
I hate looking at the clock
And knowing another day is ending.
What if there is no time?
What if there are no days
And nights ?
What if we are suspended always
In one moment in time.

The World Is Too Much With Us

BY WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

The world is too much with us; late and soon, 

Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;— 

Little we see in Nature that is ours; 

We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon! 

This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon; 

The winds that will be howling at all hours, 

And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers; 

For this, for everything, we are out of tune; 

It moves us not. Great God! I’d rather be 

A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn; 

So might I, standing on this pleasant lea, 

Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn; 

Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea; 

Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.