“In the creative state a man is taken out of himself. He lets down as it were a bucket into his subconscious, and draws up something which is normally beyond his reach. He mixes this thing with his normal experiences and out of the mixture he makes a work of art.” — E. M. Forster … Read More
“Writing cannot express all words, words cannot encompass all ideas.” — Confucius Life on a student budget these days means I’m not getting out and about as much as I normally would. “Where are you going next?” people often ask, or maybe, “When’s the next trip planned for?” I know these are natural questions to … Read More
“Get a bicycle. You will not regret it if you live.” — Mark Twain When driving around the North Island of New Zealand last year, I spent a night on the Coromandel Peninsula in a hostel not far from the famous Hot Water Beach. That night I got to know three Germans (well, two Germans … Read More
“God loved the birds and invented trees. Man loved the birds and invented cages.” — Jacques Deval I hadn’t been looking for a market. Indeed, on such a lazy Sunday morning in Porto, Portugal, I hadn’t been looking for anything much at all–but isn’t that when the great finds always happen? From the bus on … Read More
“Derive happiness in oneself from a good day’s work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds us.” — Henri Matisse It’s funny the things that remain with us after we leave a place. After a weekend in Porto, Portugal, I’m left with the usual roundup of activities to look back on–the four-hour bike ride along the coast to … Read More
“Imagine a city where graffiti wasn’t illegal, a city where everybody could draw whatever they liked. Where every street was awash with a million colours and little phrases. Where standing at a bus stop was never boring…Imagine a city like that and stop leaning against the wall – it’s wet.” — Banksy, Wall and Piece … Read More
“Where then? Spain or Sardinia. Spain or Sardinia. Sardinia, which is like nowhere. Sardinia which has no history, no date, no race, no offering. Let it be Sardinia.” — D.H. Lawrence, Sea and Sardinia Right after my flatmate Claire and I first booked our flights to Sardinia, I typed something, who knows what, into Google, and whatever it … Read More
“As they went up between the houses that were dark and grisly under the blank, cold sky, it is amazing how these women of vermilion and rose-pink seemed to melt into an almost impossible blare of colour. What a risky blend of colours!” — D.H. Lawrence, Sea and Sardinia Some places have a way of … Read More
“My favorite thing is to go where I’ve never been.” — Diane Arbus Little Sweden USA. It’s an unusual title to hear no matter where you happen to be in the States, but perhaps even more so in a place like Kansas. But such is the claim to fame held by Lindsborg, a little town … Read More
“A blog is merely a tool that lets you do anything from change the world to share your shopping list.” — Unknown I never thought I’d be a blogger. I can remember, ‘back in the day’ of Xanga and the like, when the thought of blogging seemed like nothing more than a glorified diary…only put out … Read More