Blog Relocation

With immediate effect, this blog has moved to http://memyselfandreading.wordpress.com/. Hope you will like the new look and happy reading.

Pieces Of You (Part II)

This fascinating pendant features a cameo portrait of Emperor of Shah Jahan carved in hardstone set in gold and rubies. The custom of presenting a pendant bearing the emperor’s image to favoured courtiers was established by Akbar, one of the Great Mughal ruler.

Another delightful find (apologies as I don't have the picture) is a dark sapphire cup carved from rock crystal, set with gold in Kundan technique and decorated with emeralds, rubies. If you peep closely towards the interior of the glass, you would even discover painted miniature faces greeting you. Interesting, is it?

Additionally, I learnt from a large painting that Akbar was a philanthropist as he had initiated a tradition of weighting the emperor or princes on their birthdays and the number would be measured out in gold, silver and valuable items that would be distributed to the poor and holy people. The offerings even included valuable objects with different aromatic smells such as musk, amber and sandalwood. As part of the exhibit, one could sniffed out these three fragrances on the spot. I am impressed!

Once again, these exhibits revealed that the Mughals were proud warriors, ardent in their desire to rule and highlight their distinguished ancestry through their grand collection of the various jewelled arts, unrivaled of any other royal court. It also reinforced that gift giving is central during the Mughals period.

Overall, the jewelled arts prospered because of the various factors including:

- Skills of artisans and craftsmen
- Plentiful supply of precious stones
- Active patronage of royals, diplomats and merchants to seek favours (even common people were required to bestow gift in court)

So if you don't wish to miss out this life-time opportunity, check it out locally before end of June. Enjoy the exhibition and would love to hear from you on the Treasury of the World!:)

Pieces Of You (Part I)

The word is out. The art lovers in Singapore are currently buzzing about a @special exhibition in town. Not wanting to miss the glamour, I headed to the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) today to check it out. The exhibition titled "Treasury of the World: Jewelled Arts of India in the Age of the Mughals" is also the first time held in Asia starting from Singapore.

It was a nominal fee to enjoy the glittering array of 402 Jewelled Arts of India in the age of the Mughals - from jewellery boxes to ornate necklaces and stately swords - from the distinguished era of Mughal-ruled India. I was totally mesmerized by the richness of the exhibits during the legendary Mughal empire from 16th to 19th centuries. It certainly lives up to the name of being one of the most powerful and affluent dynasties the world has ever known.

Not wanting to only admire the stunning yet functional arts pieces, such as the dagger and scabbard adorned with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, ivory and the like (@see picture), I made an effort to understand the history of the opulent dynasty. The Mughal empire dominated the Indian subcontinent. In total, there are six Mughal emperors singled out as the main contributors to the art and architecture of India. The rulers of the empire (in order of sequence) included Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan and Awrangzib were skillful fighters as well as as enthusiasts of art. Notably, the Mughal ruler Shah Jahan (1628-1657) was the builder of one of the world's most famous monument in memory of his beloved wife.

Going back to the art collection, I feel that it provides a good insight to the various techniques in jewelled arts used by craftsmen and artisan during the Mughals period. One of which is Kundan technique, ie room temperature gold fusion was widely used in most of the ornaments. The stunning looking turban ornament below set with emeralds and diamonds is a classical example.


@Source: http://www.plushasia.com/media_photo/7638

Happy

Just realize the power of internal happiness. Although I say "hello" and feel perfectly friendly, I don't actually smile much. And I’ve been trying to change that...

I'm aware of this because when I do smile, it has an unfamiliar feeling. The recent being the run I did at the gym near my place yesterday. For some reasons, most users at the gym were smiling to me. Strangely, I have been there many times but have not received such positive experience.

Case in point 1: The gym was packed with people, particularly the treadmill section. Patiently, I waited for my turn. We exchanged smiles after the guy ahead of me finished his run. For some reasons, I could not get to start the machine *sheepish smile* Suddenly, he turned back and tried to help. Albeit he was unsuccessful, he offered to get the staff to assist. So nice!

Case in point 2: Upon our eye contact, the lady next to me, who was using the treadmill also smiled at me warmly. She is a senior resident and I was quite inspired by her spirited walk. We chatted briefly and it was an enjoyable run. I wished her fun in her workout in my warm tone and she replied me cordially with a big smile.

My experience shows that emotions are infectious. If I seem friendly and happy, I’ll help communicate that mood to other people. And attraction is reciprocal; we tend to like people who seem to like us. So if I’m smiling and friendly to a person, that person is more likely to feel friendly toward me. Finally, I see some light why my friend always seem to attract smiley faces.:)

This supports the theory that true and lasting happiness always comes from within and is a direct result of how we process the realities. Being in a happy state of mine, I also seem to have affected people around me. Now I believe that my happiness is not dependent on what have happened or what I have. Like everybody out there, I do not have control over the externals of my life, but I certainly have control over how I can react to life internally. And of course, with a sunny smile.:)

You And Me

Was having a chat with some friends yesterday. One of them asked me if I know anything about "The Little Red Book". Ashamed of my ignorance, I decided to google and gain some understanding.

Known in the West as "The Little Red Book", it is a 33-chapter collection of 427 quotes from Chairman, Mao Zedong. In the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, it played a role as a lynchpin, representing the essence of Mao Zedong's ideas.

Since 1966, the Little Red Book, has been published by the Government of the People's Republic of China. Hundreds of millions of copies and numerous versions were printed and were almost ubiquitous in China. Students, soldiers, workers, and peasants studied the book at regular study meetings.

During the Cultural Revolution, studying the book was not only required in schools (from primary grades to universities), but was also a standard practice in the workplace as well. All other units, be it industrial, commercial, agricultural, civil service, and military sectors, organized group sessions for the entire workforce to study the book during working hours.

Also, it was an unofficial requirement for every Chinese citizen to own, to read, and to carry it at all times, especially during the Great Cultural Revolution. During the turbulence, the punishment for failing to show the book upon being asked would include from being beaten by the Red Guards to hard-labor imprisonment.

Interestingly, it was argued that understanding Mao's quotes could definitely bring about enlightenment to the work unit, resulting in production improvement. However, this was not the case, and the Cultural Revolution was now widely viewed as an economic collapse.

Frankly, if the book showing proper codes of conduct (such as how to be more gracious, considerate and etc) is adapted and rolled out in Singapore, it may prove to be a success. After all, the citizens in Singapore have been known to be law-abiding and follow the government's regulation well. Your feedback, please.

Release Me

Heard from my cousin in States that she has been admitted to the graduate programme in Art Therapy. Interestingly, one of my companies where I was interviewed today also offers a similar programme, Art of Healing .

Essentially, the objective of the treatment is to leverage on the power arts as a form of therapy to calm the patients’ mind and body, so as to help them on their road to quicker recovery. Through this programme, the hospital hopes to create a warm, welcoming and enriching environment for the staff, patients and public.

Crossing over to the affairs of the heart, I feel time is the best cure in such scenario. And if it happens to me one day, I would just leave the country for a couple of years and let it heal naturally. For others, they may turn to drugs or something they are passionate to overcome the breakup period. Alternatively, picking up a new course or indulging in work would alsom help.

More importantly, one has to bury the past and move on with life positively. Afterall, life is too short to miss out on the fun stuff. Do you agree?

Hold On

A friend of mine has been challenging me to be open-minded. To the one out there, you know what I mean. Just that the mind evolves over time, so it is not going to happen over night.

I surfed the Internet in hope of some quick tips. Here's an interesting excerpt:
Aristotle once said, "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." Listening to others' ideas may not be easy, but it could be an valuable way to learn something new or change your perspective on life.

Somehow, I couldn't agree more. Personally, I am rather impatient and don't take time to listen to what others say. Not that I am unwilling to hear others' views, just that the inability to hold my tongue. Could be my ego at work. So I tend not to agree with others easily or try to hear their perspectives. In fact, I often require others to agree on my viewpoint before I hear out their opinions.

After some mulling, I think it's time for me to make a positive change FOR MYSELF and learn something new or adjust my perspective. If this doesn't work, guess I can take a leaf from the site to enjoy my stand for my beliefs without the need to debate with another person every time I engage in a discourse. Hope it is not too late...