Poem Time

I found this pretty poem today..... no need to say more.

 

I Don't Remember...

by Ash L Bennett

I don't remember, any more,
The exact shape of your hands
As I held them in mine,
Caressed them,
Memorized the length of your fingers,
The depth of your calluses.

I don't remember, any more,
Exactly your height, how much
Taller than me
You were, where
My head rested on your chest
When you held me tightly close.

I don't remember, any more,
Your scent, when we lay together
Creating our own
Magic rhythm,
Matching our heartbeats as we
Touched the sky, together.

I don't remember, any more,
The sound of your voice, calling
My name as though
It were a song
Within itself, a precious treasure
You valued with all your being.

And I don't remember, any more,
The color of your eyes, the shape
Of your lips,
Only...
How your eyes crinkled at the corners
And your laugh, as you told me,

"I love you."

Copyright by Ash L. Bennett, 2011 

 

 

 

Quote That Song - "The Kills: Black Balloon"

knitting myself into a bad hat-hair-day

these are some of the stuff ive been making lately. Im still quite amateur at knitting, but the fun level is professionally.... can't find the right words...oh well.... :P

Quote That Song - "Florence + The Machine: Blinding"

Quote That Song - "The Dodos: Undeclared"

Quote That Song - "Interpol: Memory Serves"

Quote That Song - "The Shins: Australia"

Quote That Song - "Judy Collins: Send In The Clowns"

RIP

Nothing More Than To Show My Gratitude

Hey you, silly goofy thing -

This is for you,
Though I know you don't read,
Nor did you ever understand
A word I said when I did.

But you did.
You knew all my little secretes.
Fancy words I put in your ears,
Big grin on your chin.

And you did.
You knew more than anyone does.
Swallowed the heavy weights we put on you.
Licked those tears that came with it.

Yes, you did.
You felt more than you showed.
You deserved more than you craved.
If I could learn a thing or two,
I'd choose to learn from you.

So I made you a tiny star to take with you.
And take my heart,
Won't you also take my heart.
Now tell me, is this the last thing I could do -
For you, my dear silly pooch.

Nothing more than to show my gratitude.

Quote That Song - "Imogen Heap: Half Life"

Quote That Song - "Zero 7: Ghost Symbol"

Quote That Song - "Temper Trap: Soldier On"

My first quote art begins!!

its about time

it's about time

bye bye questionaires

Guess i'll stop asking any questions at all, but what if i've just always been more curious than others. I want to know all about the stars, the sky, the history, humanity... you name it! And when it comes to my personal life, when people tell me the truth, I've always appreciated their honesty, cause it takes courage!! It might hurt, but im hardly an angry person...

but im just confused now. I can no longer figure out what i can know, and what i can not. I only ask, cause i want to know. Do people not realize that, the day one stops asking is the day one stops caring.
oh well.

The Chinese Nightingale

tell me this isn't the prettiest tattoo you've ever seen?! well, maybe my other arm is just as good... thanks to the talented mr. Marco Cerretelli once again!


anyways...

here's the story of the CHINESE NIGHTINGALE

Many years ago a great and kind emperor lived in Ancient China.  He had the most beautiful palace in the world.  At least that's what the people in China believed.  High walls surrounded the palace.  Inside and outside of the walls, there were beautiful gardens that were tended by the servants of the emperor.
     A deep, dark forest surrounded the outer gardens.  And in this forest,there lived a nightingale.  The nightingale sang happily each day and made the most beautiful music of any creature in the forest.  The gardeners who worked outside the palace walls talked every day about the sweet songs they were able hear as they worked.  They told the other servants who frequently walked to the woods to hear the beautiful music when they weren't working.
     Eventually, word got back to the emperor who wanted to hear the bird for himself.  Of course, the emperor never left the palace except in the rarest of circumstances.  So he asked the bird be brought to him.  The assignment of bringing the bird to the place was given to the lord chamberlain, the emperor's chief advisor.  The lord chamberlain left the palace and walked to the woods where he found the nightingale.
     "Dear Nightingale," said the Lord Chamberlain, "I have been sent by the Emperor to find you.  He wishes to hear your beautiful music."
     "I am honored that the Emperor would like to hear me sing," said the Nightingale.  "Please tell the Emperor for me that when he comes to the forest, I will prepare a special concert for him."
     "The Emperor does not leave the palace," said the lord Chamberlain.  "He asks that you come to the palace to sing for him there."
     "Why should I go to the palace?" asked the Nightingale.  "I am happy to be right here in my woods."
     "You would make my Lord - the Emperor - happy if you would please come and sing for him."
     At this, the Nightingale agreed to come to the palace.  On his arrival at the palace, the Nightingale was presented on the hand of the Lord Chamberlain to the Emperor and his court.  The lords and ladies were charmed by the beautiful concert.  The music of the Nightingale was enjoyed by all.
     At the end of his concert, the Nightingale said, "I am glad that you enjoyed my music.  Now I must go back to my home in the woods."
     "You may not go," said the Emperor.  "You must stay in the palace and be my Court Singer."  At this, the Lord Chamberlain caught the Nightingale and put it into a cage.
     The Nightingale refused to sing in while in the cage.  He also refused to eat.  He laid down on the bottom of the cage pretending to be dead.  The Nightingale did not move and breathed so slowly that it appeared to be dead.  When a servant opened the cage to check on the Nightingale, the bird flew out of the cage - out the palace window, through the palace gardens, over the palace walls, through the outer gardens and into the woods.
     The Emperor missed the singing and demanded that the Lord Chamberlain find a replacement for the bird.  No one could tell the Emperor that he was acting like a spoiled child, for the people believed that the Emperor could do no wrong.
     The Lord Chamberlain had craftsmen make make a toy bird for the Emperor to make the Emperor happy.  The toy bird just was not the same as the Nightingale.  It had to be wound up, or it would not sing.  Plus, the sound was loud and shrill instead of soft and sweet like the music of the Nightingale.
     The Emperor became so saddened at the thought of not hearing the beautiful music again that he became ill.  Time passed, and he did not eat.  He did not leave his room.  The Emperor became so week that he could not get out of his bed.  The doctors tried to treat his illness but could not make him better.
     Everyone talked about the Emperor's illness until even the birds of the forest heard about it.
     "I must go back to the palace," said the Nightingale.
     "He will put you in a cage again," said the other birds.
     "That will not matter if I can make the Emperor happy," said the Nightingale.
     All the servants seem so sad that their Emperor was sick.  The Nightingale flew out of the forest, over the palace walls, threw the inner gardens and into an open window palace.  He flew through the palace until he came to the Emperor's bedroom.  There, it lit on the bedpost and began to sing.  What sweet music from such a tiny bird.
     The Emperor opened his eyes in amazement.  He thought he had been dreaming until the Nightingale sang again.  At that moment, the Emperor started to regain his health.
     "Thank you little Nightingale.  You have given me a gift with your music.  I feel better already."
     The doctors stared in amazement at how fast the Emperor began to get better
     "I will stay if you like said the Nightingale," though he did not know how he could sing if he was to be caged.
     "No, I am the one to be caged," said the Emperor. "It is expected by my people that I will always be able to be seen in my palace.  Your music made me feel like I was free and able to enjoy the outside world like I did before I became Emperor.  But, I cannot cage you again.  You must be free so you can sing for everyone's enjoyment."
     The Emperor ordered the Lord Chamberlain to open the bedroom window so the bird could leave.  "Take your freedom," said the Emperor. "But, please come back and sing for me again.  Now that I have heard your beautiful music, I cannot live without hearing it again."
     Thus it was that every night afterwards, the Nightingale would leave the forest, fly over the outer gardens, over the palace walls, through the inner gardens and into the Emperor's window.  The Emperor never again tried to cage the Nightingale.  He realized that the bird needed his freedom if he was to be able to creative and make beautiful music.
     The Emperor would lie in his bed and listen to the beautiful music, but before going to sleep, he always made certain his servants put the bedroom window up, so the bird could fly out and go back to his home.

Toy Story

2 weekends ago outside the storage room, I found Winnie. He looked me in the eyes and i started to feeling reeeaaalllly bad for him... Winnie was smiling, but really, i knew he was sad. A week later, Winnie was still in my mind; maybe cause I took a this picture of him and I had been staring at it all week long. I went back to the storage room. If no one was going to pick him up, I thought I might as well, even just to take him to the donation room so that other children can enjoy him.

of course, Winnie was gone by then. I was a little sad to be honest. I kinda liked Winnie. I just hope he didn't end up in some dumpster....

  

Winnie, this song is for you. 

 

better

I've been praying everyday, if there's anyone out there to hear me... to please make me strong and a better person.

Of Forests and Men

a film beautifully shot about forests. the images are purely breath taking. How can we  humans not care about our mother-earth? How can we ignore the beauties of nature?!

Won't you love alittle Plum Blossoms

LOOK!! I can't believe this. There are plum blossoms planted right in front of my condo...like it's meant to be!!

For those of you who don't know me, here's why i love plum blossoms. In all honesty, I just have to, really, kinda like - by default! Being Chinese, my grandpa named my chinese name - Mae Fin 梅芬. In direct translation, it means Plum blossoms (Mae) that smell pleasant (Fin). My Japanese friends call me 'Ume -chan' which translates to ‘ms. little Mae’.  It's also the Country Flower of Taiwan (to sybolize its resilience in harsh winter weather) where I grew up from - for that, i have every excuse to make broken english on this blog!! Lastly, for the love of my roots, I covered my arms in Plum blossoms tattoos.

So Plum blossom trees originated in south China and was later brought to Korea, Vietnam and Japan. The tree flower in later winter, typically late January or February.  Each flower has five petals and is 0.25" -1" in diameter and coloring range from white to rose to deep red. The fruit ripens in early summer.

here's some pictures and chinese paintings, japanese prints of the beautfiul flowers!!

today is boo boo

some birds do land

but always just close enough, and yet far enough.

Cornel Pufan - A Romanian Fantasy

I stumbled upon this new photographer and was instantly in love with his work. After Nick Brandt, Adam Andrearczyk, Scott Stulberg, here added to my list of photographers, is Cornel Pufan. Born in Romania, most of his photography is taken there. The mist, the nature, the yellow..... ahhhhh~~~

The Dream

Yes, I'm quite girly sometimes... i love romantic poems... a good one is nothing less than beautiful that touches your soul... Today, i came across with this one:

The Dream

I dreamed that you had ceased to love me—
not that you had come from other beds
back to mine, or gone from mine to others,
just that something in your heart had stopped.

I willed myself awake to find you still
beside me. It was just a dream, I thought,
yet when I turned to kiss you, in your eyes
I saw that you had ceased to love me.

I willed myself awake a second time
to find myself alone, as I have been
these many months, but did not know if it
was terror or relief I felt, and whether

dreams unfold the past or make the future
plain. I dreamed that you had ceased to love me,
and know when I see nothing in your eyes
I can't dream myself awake a third time.


David Solway



So what is it about the poem that grabs me, I don't know. Could it be that it's called The Dream, that automatically linked me to my most most favorite of all time - The Sandman, who rules the Dream world? In contrary to this more elaborate poem, Neil Gaiman once stated pretty much the same thing, but in a much direct and simple way in his Sandman series, "Dreams are merely shadowed truth." 


Whether it's Solway's poem, or Neil Gaiman's statement, both are simply beautiful combinations of words put together to tell the story of our most subconscious minds - our dreams.
 

Hello Mr. Kris Kuksi

Don't feel like rambling today. lets keep it short ;)

So, this last Friday, i went to the book signing of Kris Kuksi, a crazy sculptor from Kansas. Whether you like his craziness or not, I'd still like to share his works, simply because HE'S ONE OF A KIND!!!!

i say his art is like a BIG LOUD party when skulls, politics, boners, sex, religion and history all get together. I don't know the story of each art, but as far as i know, most if not all of his works are politics related.

Anyways. here we go:

Bird nests make me smile. They do!!

So,
For the past year and half or so, I noticed my growing fondness for birds. They are absolutely mysterious... can see them, but can't touch. They jump and fly in front of you for a minute, just as you catch an eye contact, they fly away. What a tease!!

Being a Virgo, I have to find a reason for everything, right? My obsession for gorillas stem from my idea that - they are the basic core of human nature, stripped away the civilization AND how they are so big, yet so gentle... Well, I was wondering why I liked birds.... It really didn't take long for me to realize that - Birds symbolize FREEDOM in a city-world.

Having this new fondness for birds, all of a sudden, they are everywhere... So, this weekend i was walking the shelter dogs in Glendale as usual. I couldn't stop hearing the beautiful meeping sounds from these birds, and that itself, sent me such a contentment that put the biggest smile on me.

I had to take a picture of this - the reveal of a bird nest, after the falling leafs.

The purpose of a bird nest is to keep the eggs warm and the little birds in place, yes. It is also to protect the little birds from predators by hiding in camouflage. The fact that this bird nest is so well seen in plain sight because of the falling leafs, is a privilege of mine!!

Of all bird nests.... nothing beats a weaver bird nest.... First of all, they get their names by the way they build their nests - duh...weaving!! The stuff they come up with is absolutely amazing!!!

Lets take a look at how they do it!!! Oh... how I love Weaver Birds!!! <3