Persistence. Now, if your going to do something well you must be persistent at it, single minded in its delivery: you'll first find a wealth of team players willing to offer up strict advice, guidelines and then support; it's your idea, and as such, only accept sincerity, to the rest, ignore. Keep working at it ... And, dwell upon your task with focus and flow: Sooner or later, your persistence will engage them once again. They'll try to berate you for it. This will inform you that you are indeed starting to make head-way. But, nevertheless, you still have a long way to go. Their only way to engage at this stage will be imitation and reverse engineering. Continue into the area they call achievement and self satisfaction ... with this achievement comes one question: What the fuck have you done?
Music to be inspired::Chinese Man Records - "Goals" by LeYan:: Goals by ChineseMan. To Excel People, to Excel... I’m rapidly heading for that age where personal achievement is paramount, an age where we must consider the terms and conditions of who we have become; and thus, strive to achieve some form of balance in respects to our particular place on the big magnet; that which, at best gratifies us to the tune of gratifying others: to strive to excel. Nevertheless being, my excellence is of no greater measure than those I know, respect and admire. It is clear to me, excellence is currently far from a modern social construct; a construct, by which the fruits of society are distributed. Moreover, to excel in a social environment, seems to herald failure, and at best contradicts societies fundamental requirement to exploit, and keep the average a majority. Unless, of cause, your excellence is built on the basis of your societies current afflictions. Where's individualism?
Where's art? Where is my mind (The Pixies cover) by Maxence Cyrin. The Global Jobs Crisis: Jobs in Asia? Talking about the current jobs crisis and options for foreigners in Asia: from northern China to Singapore, job options for foreign nationals are limited if not tied to, predominantly education, universities, middle schools and teaching English as a second language.
This protects the indigenous labour market, while holding no racist stigma, and helps in turn to provide language tools to further exploit western markets. In a drive to export and expand business networks overseas, and for the region. The protectionist values set for the local Asian job markets by governments within the region, puts a cap on the influx of foreign nationals, who might otherwise demand higher salaries, which in turn, raises the export values of commodities into the international trade and export market, used to sell cheap Asian goods to the world. Export, well beyond tourism, is one of the key facilitators of international business and economic relationships with western countries, in Asia. Apple Nanotech: The Future... The New Day. Social Intelligence; The Social IQ. Intelligence is far less favourable in today's society - a reflection of the market driven and socio-economic landscape, an area in which incompetence tends to thrives more often than not.
This trend is a win-win for big corporations, large advertising and media who seek to propagate this mentality, and then reward it respectively. Associations can be found when looking at Cannabis prohibition over Alcohol, its legal counterpart. The tendency is to believe - and I would have you to note - stupid people in society, or more the product of social narrownindedness, liken to, "the drunk" are favoured systematically. In an attempt to move into the material environment - over intellectual - a larger proportion of lesser substance than quality. Therefore, completing a fiscal economic loop faster at the expense of ergonomics and environment - the short-term mind-set. Further research needed: 1. 2. 4. 5. Comments and FeedBack: AR Said: Agree agree agree. SJC Said: Life and Flow. The vibrancy here is intense: I sat in a little foot massage shop on Soi Bua Khao last nigh.
Watching as the dancing dusk danced her soft red light over the tops of the terraced rooves. The housing lining the narrow street scape invisable behind the clutter of wares at street level. Her dance fading, slowly now the life that darkness brings; a surreal neon glow, the miss-proportioned street signs above us draw you into their line of sight. The hum of traffic, mobile food sellers, the abundance of motorbikes darting between a steady flow of ten Baht taxi-buses curb-crawling for passengers. The loveliness of it all, and activity, the now-ness, the smiles and glances from passers by, the purposefulness of it, the ambience. People: Asians, Arabs, Indians and Europeans; an amalgamation of fashion, every nationality, every stereotype, from the most obscure to the mundane, life in all its diversity. Bangkok Urban-Gothic. I tend to took at it this way: photography is about capturing a moment. I thrive on the idea of spontaneity. Yes, you could drag along a whole production crew with a middle age house wife to manage the sand-pit, and thousands of dollars worth of equipment to compliment people's egos.
However, regardless of budget, in some instances it's the emotional context that takes priority. Two of the most important things to remember when working with people, is that, everyone has their own personality. And as a photographer it's your job to try and capture individually with honesty and truth. Beauty comes in many forms. Gain peoples trust. In this set I choose to shoot in Black & White as the contrast between model and graffiti work well. Work by Ben Hodson ▲Title: Bangkok Urban-GothicDescription: Graffiti and Urbex in and around Pattaya-BangkokEquipment: Nikon Coolpix L120.
Movie: Zeitgeist: Moving Forward. Keeping up with the Joneses? Mr. and Mrs. Jones finally checked into a mental health clinic... "Who do we follow now? " - I can hear the echo around Walmart. I'm sure I, like many, fit into the world of consumerism as easily as a guru into an Indian ashram. Nevertheless, the misconceived idea that we're all slaves to it could be hocus pocus. I would give us a little more credit on one hand, and on the other however... The down side to our current economic model has a far more sinister aspect, one which is cultivated by government, market economies, the media and its use as a tool of manipulation within general society.
::Life Without Traffic Lights - a mini-documentary by SJC: Music by Ainjel Emme - Easier:: [Location: CNR Soi Bua Khao and Soi Dian, South Pattaya City, Thailand] Positive Note Points: IPR an Animation Operandi. With all this talk about Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) one could be excused in thinking that the more protection available over the Internet for artists and creatives the better - but is it? It's not that often we stray away from the mainstream media channels or our addiction to Facebook: Brenda's latest fluffy kitten pictures, a visual band-aid to compliment our coffee break, between running-the-sums on a data entry spreadsheet and a trip to the toilet.
But, if we were to peel ourselves away, we might find an amazing amount of talent out there. Those whose work is screaming quality. And without people with a passion for it, and the resources to spread it, such extraordinary workmanship might indeed be lost. The fact is that if you have something of quality to share, share it, it will in its own way attract attention, whether exploited or not. I'd like to share with you today three animated movies hosted by Vimeo.com.
▲Story: Slimtime from Slimtime on Vimeo. The New Paradigm: Age of Intellectual Abundance. With the hope of formulating some key notes and ideas toward my next book; an essay, which directly tackles issue relating to the human condition amidst the age of Information Technology, and its effect on socio-economics, spirituality and the current paradoxes of modern sociology: I will endeavour to use this blog to highlight those issues that I feel require genuine debate.
Topics that in some ways are grounded in modern theories such as Thermodynamics, Psychology, Relativity, Evolution, Biology and Quantum Mechanics etc; looking for answers to the big questions, those that in my mind anyway, are not so difficult to answer using the tools that are now available; approaching general topics from the stand point of the New Paradigm. This blog will be a platform to get people thinking. I will base my ideas around general topics which have a foundation in every day life; and further, theories which shape our universal environment. For example: the age old riddle, “the chicken or the egg?” Yantra Tattooing. My years of living in Southeast Asia have made me realize, spiritually and traditional Buddhist philosophy form the dominant cultural norm; a keystone, or network of social cohesiveness by which one gravitates towards a collective social value set. Buddhism has its roots in everyday life here, from basic daily living, to business and economics.
And, for the most part, religious practice towards Buddhist values help form the general daily aesthetics - the heart-beat of society, that is, the shroud of Asian life, the colourfulness and vibrancy. It wasn't long until I became acquainted with one such colorful part of the Buddhist tradition, the art of Yantra tattooing: Traditional tattooing is one aspect of Buddhist culture that appeals to me; one beyond the flowers and adornments that swing like pendulums from the rear vision mirrors and handlebar of cars and motorbikes alike. The art of tattooing has been around for centuries in Asian Buddhism. BirthLifeDeath by Yantra Mandala. Movie Review: The Accidental Sea. Having time, but little inspiration - I've been procrastinating over writing this movie review for a while now. One that brings light to this short, but wonderful little documentary,'The Accidental Sea' by Ransom Riggs.
A revisit recently prompted me: It's been one of, if not the most influential piece of work, from which sprung the idea: Urban Decay in Bangkok. And, with this documentary in mind, my work has taken on a life of its own. Riggs offers us a positive insight into the ingenuity of individual human persistence and creativity against isolation; the fundamental driver for mans need to create, and find hope and meaning from whatever vantage; otherwise, the story of the human condition.
Under great contrast however, The Accidental Sea, takes us on a melancholic, yet well documented journey through an epic landscape, one of desolation and decay; and that which contrasts beautifully, the movies closing theme. Documentary: God is in The Neurons. God is in The Neurons, It's believed to be - under some mystique - the work of Chiren Boumaaza: Not a standard resume, which I find all the more compelling: a gamer that goes by the handle 'Athene', one who is both liked and disliked by peers, and critics.
Bias aside, and on face value, the movie 'God is in The Neurons', touches on some fundamental theories; if anything, those theories which are foremost, in current terms, drivers of today's advancements in technology, such as advanced physics and biology; the sciences and innovation of tomorrow - a good thing? Personally, I relate, and also use similar, 'theories' - ideas if you will - in constructing articles here at 'Reflections Blog'. Although, I know little of "Athene’s Theory of Everything" and should therefore not speculate any further on its origins.
I know even less about online gaming... China/Chongqing: ...Regional Socio-Economics. After almost five years living and working in China. With exposure to the steadfast influence of the CPC (Communist Party of China), a myriad of snake oil merchants, snatch and grab business operations; and the ubiquitous Chinese gene pool - the people who bring life and vibrancy to this neon city. I feel the need to release these notes and observations for western interests, as a social commentary, helping those with interests in the region; by means of individual pursuits or that of business venture. I will endeavor to actualize as much data as possible, to help validate areas of key concern and interest.
However, I stress, that due to the conflicts in interest between socialist politics and individual activities, transparency is at best hazy. I would advise that further research into those areas which could present your personal efforts with the greatest concerns be thoroughly assessed on a professional basis prior to doing business here. A Mobthink Hypothesis: I have some interesting research on,"Mob Theory" and it's modern day context, with specific relationships to aspects of Mob psychology, such as, Groupthink: Mobbing; Mob rules; Mobsters; an angry Mob; lynch Mob; a Mob hunt (Witch hunt, derivative term); or, I was Mobbed; has it's roots in Latin (mobile vulgus "fickle commoners").
The term "Mob" is still in use today, under similar context in spoken and written English. I would like to explore some aspects of it's usage, with you here, and try to put my finger on why one would adopt a negative slanderous term to describe ones self. Under it's negative context Sigmund Freud's looked at Crowd Behaviour Theory, quote:"It is probably the suspicion of this fictitiousness of their own 'group psychology' which makes fascist crowds so merciless and unapproachable. If they would stop to reason for a second, the whole performance would go to pieces, and they would be left to panic. " Bangkok Urban-Casual Street Wear. Well, it's a hard job ... and, without my usual coffee fix. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to get a good model here in Bangkok. I usually settle for using a ladyboy; "Ladyboy!? " you say. Nevertheless, their skills come naturally, with confidence, and it's just too hard to tell the difference at times.
I met lovely Cate from Chang Rai a few weeks ago. The end product has little digital altering, other than the first two images in the set. Work by Ben Hodson ▲Title: Bangkok Urban-Casual Street WearDescription: Graffiti and Urbex in and around Pattaya-BangkokEquipment: Nikon Coolpix L120. THINK TWICE LERT by lert. The Best Testament: The Book of Benjamin.
A Conversation with... Country Roots to Post-Rock. The Culture Bomb... Pattaya Graffiti: The Walls. The Sanctuary of Truth. :Reflections on the New Paradigm:: Urban Decay & Urban Exploration - Bangkok.