A dark rider rode through the thick, black forest. He urged his horse to its full speed, weaving his way expertly in the closely packed trees.
Every now and then he turned his head around to see if he was followed but each time he saw sheer darkness. Thunder roared deafeningly above and heavy rain started to fall. He groaned softly. The rain that was pattering against his bronze helmet and body armour made it almost impossible for him to detect any sound or movement around him.
I stopped here, my fingers poised above the keyboard of my laptop, waiting for the words to form in my head. Unfortunately, the words were being rather stubborn today, hiding in the darkest corner of my brain, refusing to come out. They seemed to be playing a game with me; when they were being half lured out of their hidey-hole, when I could catch just the merest flicker of them, they disappeared back into their little sanctuary again.
Exasperated with their little games, I decided to take a break. I relaxed my curled fingers, tired from typing all day and take a look around me. Ahh... Paris, love of my life, my sin, my soul.
I was in a tiny, cosy cafe, in the middle of a snowy day. I could smell the aroma of the cup of steaming hot coffee in front of me, ready to fill me with caffeine and keep me alert for the rest of the afternoon. Directly in front of me was one of my personal favourite architectural building, the Notre Dame de Paris.
Ding dong, ding dong...
The bells of Notre Dame were ringing in a sweet, lovely melody. The gargantuan building itself seemed to tremble with the volume of the bells, sending tremors down the walls of the little cafe I was in.
Ahh... Hell's bells a-ringing. My secret melody. Singing an ancient tune nobody but I understand. Each metallic clang of the bells sent vibrations down the back of my spine. It was communicating with me through the peal of bells, the ringing vibrating in my ears. The bells were not only singing, they were insisting, commanding me to listen to what secret it wants to reveal to me. Yes, ancient walls, concealing ancient secrets, ancient truths...
"Do you understand what I'm saying?" the Mathematics teacher asked and I snapped out of my day-dream. She looked straight at me and I nodded my head fervently until she looked away. Dear God, I'm dreaming again, aren't I? Staring at the blank pages of my notebook I feel a twinge of guilt that I tried to ignore and disregard.
I glared at the sun as though its heat was the reason I was day-dreaming. A twinkling of dew in the midst of the grass caught my attention and I was off to dreamland again before I even knew it.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
The Lost World
I was thinking how nice it would be if I discovered a lost world. If I were to follow one of my many dreams to be an archaeologist, I might have discovered a long lost ancient world. Or even better, a necropolis.
There I was, walking along the ancient, hidden pathway I had just discovered toward the most incredible place the world had ever seen.
At first, there was only the beam of light from my torch. But after walking for around fifteen minutes in the cold, damp subterranean, I could see a bit of light ahead of me. Dim, but it was definitely light.
I continued walking until I've reached the end of the pathway and was looking at the very thing I was searching for for years. My lost world. It was dark though. The only source of light was from the moon. It was as though I've stepped onto another planet. I released the breath I was holding unintentionally, letting it hiss through my lips as I realised something: I was the only thing that had breathed in this world since thousands of years ago.
I stood gazing at the dilapidated city before me. The silence that surrounded me was deafening, suffocating... I took a deep breath to calm myself and decided to venture into the first building I set my eyes upon. Ironically, it was a cathedral. A huge tree was posed in front of it, as if daring me to go any further. But then, Iwas an archaeologist. And my curiosity had drowned all my fear. Muttering what the heck, I stepped into the chilly cathedral.
It was rather similar to the cathedrals in Rome. The moonlight shone through the huge windows and to be honest, I was really grateful. I probably would have wetted my pants if there weren't any light save the torch I held in my hand. I walked past the cloister and entered a courtyard.
This is the cloister. And the one below is the courtyard. The stones paving the floor was ruined by time and the fountain was half covered in lichen. Nevertheless, there was an unassuming beauty about it. About the ruins, the silence...
And from the courtyard, I've found my personal favourite spot in the lost world. My very own world of stones. Hundreds of statues lay before me, some deformed and some still perfectly intact.
Ever since I'm a little girl, I've been fascinated by statues. I adore them. Their white, marble limbs, smooth, beautiful faces are enough to make me weep. As I slowly made my way through the silent, motionless crowd around me, I recognised many statues similar to those in the Louvre museum and the Vatican museum.
Satyrs and nymphs singing and dancing, and in their hands were violins, harps, accordions. Gods and goddesses stared down at me with the cold, arrogant stare of a royalty. Nine muses were also scattered across this magnificent garden of marbles. Imagine my thrill when I saw my personal favourite, Melpomene, the muse of tragedies. A marble tear slid midway down her cheek, and on her exquisite face was the most depressing expression. And in her hand, she held a knife, one of her personal traits.
Yes, I could definitely say I was in heaven.
There I was, walking along the ancient, hidden pathway I had just discovered toward the most incredible place the world had ever seen.
At first, there was only the beam of light from my torch. But after walking for around fifteen minutes in the cold, damp subterranean, I could see a bit of light ahead of me. Dim, but it was definitely light.
I continued walking until I've reached the end of the pathway and was looking at the very thing I was searching for for years. My lost world. It was dark though. The only source of light was from the moon. It was as though I've stepped onto another planet. I released the breath I was holding unintentionally, letting it hiss through my lips as I realised something: I was the only thing that had breathed in this world since thousands of years ago.
I stood gazing at the dilapidated city before me. The silence that surrounded me was deafening, suffocating... I took a deep breath to calm myself and decided to venture into the first building I set my eyes upon. Ironically, it was a cathedral. A huge tree was posed in front of it, as if daring me to go any further. But then, Iwas an archaeologist. And my curiosity had drowned all my fear. Muttering what the heck, I stepped into the chilly cathedral.
It was rather similar to the cathedrals in Rome. The moonlight shone through the huge windows and to be honest, I was really grateful. I probably would have wetted my pants if there weren't any light save the torch I held in my hand. I walked past the cloister and entered a courtyard.
This is the cloister. And the one below is the courtyard. The stones paving the floor was ruined by time and the fountain was half covered in lichen. Nevertheless, there was an unassuming beauty about it. About the ruins, the silence...
And from the courtyard, I've found my personal favourite spot in the lost world. My very own world of stones. Hundreds of statues lay before me, some deformed and some still perfectly intact.
Ever since I'm a little girl, I've been fascinated by statues. I adore them. Their white, marble limbs, smooth, beautiful faces are enough to make me weep. As I slowly made my way through the silent, motionless crowd around me, I recognised many statues similar to those in the Louvre museum and the Vatican museum.
Satyrs and nymphs singing and dancing, and in their hands were violins, harps, accordions. Gods and goddesses stared down at me with the cold, arrogant stare of a royalty. Nine muses were also scattered across this magnificent garden of marbles. Imagine my thrill when I saw my personal favourite, Melpomene, the muse of tragedies. A marble tear slid midway down her cheek, and on her exquisite face was the most depressing expression. And in her hand, she held a knife, one of her personal traits.
Yes, I could definitely say I was in heaven.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
My Trip To Rome- Part 3
I do hope that I can finish my entire trip in this post. I guess some of you are starting to feel bored with this topic, huh? Well, I'm sorry but I rather enjoy introducing my beloved Rome to all of you.
This is the famous Trevi Fountain. Designed by Leon Battista Alberti.
Imagine walking past fountains like these on your way to school. It's so goddamn unfair, don't you think?
Santa Maria Della Vittoria. Notice the pink ray of sunshine? Pretty, huh? It's a pity we don't make buildings like these anymore.
The Ecstasy of St. Theresa by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, one of my favourite sculptors.
When I grow up, I'm going to migrate there. Seriously. I love, love, love Rome!!!
P.S. All information below the photographs are historical facts.
P.P.S. Despite my love for the Vatican and the churches, I'm actually not a Christian. Nor am I a Catholic.
The Ecstasy of St. Theresa by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, one of my favourite sculptors.
When I grow up, I'm going to migrate there. Seriously. I love, love, love Rome!!!
P.S. All information below the photographs are historical facts.
P.P.S. Despite my love for the Vatican and the churches, I'm actually not a Christian. Nor am I a Catholic.
My Trip To Rome- Part 2
Hi guys. I'm continuing from my previous post, My trip to Rome (part 1), obviously. Anyway, the protagonist of this post is St. Peter's Basilica. So here goes.
They are the carabinieri. Italian polices. Isn't it nice? They are riding horses!
St. Peter's Basilica. One of my personal favourites. If I'm not mistaken, that tower-like structure over there is the Vatican Obelisk. Brought in from Egypt by the emperor, Caligula himself.
The interior of St. Peter's Basilica. The building is so huge you feel kind of dwarfed when you enter it. Which is, of course, the intention of the architects. They want us to feel the power of their mighty God. What are you? A tiny speck of dust.
Another interior of St. Peter's Basilica. I'm sorry if the photo is a little askew - I'm not tall enough.
The interior dome of St. Peter's basilica. The Italian architects do take their jobs seriously, don't they? The ceilings are decorated as beautifully as their walls. Oh hell. Comparing their ceilings with our plain, dusty museum ceilings, I can only sigh.
Again, I regret to tell you that I will stop here and continue tomorrow. I promise.
P.S. All information below the photographs are historical facts.
My Trip To Rome- Part 1
Ciao people! I am aware I have not posted for quite a long time and I'm terribly sorry about that. You see, the fact is, I've been travelling in Rome, Italy for the past week and I just came home yesterday.
Rome is, indescribably fantastic. It's not something that could be described using words. Italy is my soul, the way France is my heart and Greece is my spirit. I love every bit of it and I almost clung to lamp post and cry on the way to the airport.
The Pantheon. The oldest large-scale dome in the world. Standing for almost over 2000 years, this structure is built to worship all pagan gods. The tomb of Raphael is also in this building.
Vatican City. The main root of Roman Catholicism. It is the smallest state in the world, run by his Holiness, the Pope. It has the world's most organised and efficient guards called the Swiss Guards, to the admiration of many countries. Can you not love it?
I love the Vatican Museum when it's empty. You get to enjoy it all by yourself in peace and quiet. Beautiful, innit? And look at the ceiling of the Vatican museum. This museum holds over thousands of arts by famous artists like da Vinci, Botticelli, Raphael, Bernini, Michaelangelo and others. It's okay to cry when you enter the museum. Even if you're a boy.
This is the Colosseum. It holds 50,000 spectators to enjoy watching public executions and gladiatorial fights. Despite its gruesome history, I love it with all my heart. (Alright, maybe I love it because of its gruesome history.)
And this is the Piazza Venezia. (Piazza means square.)
That is all for this post. I have a lot more photos to share with you and I will continue in another post. I can't show you all in one day, I'm afraid. After all, Rome isn't built in a day, is it?
P.S. All information below the photographs are historical facts.
Rome is, indescribably fantastic. It's not something that could be described using words. Italy is my soul, the way France is my heart and Greece is my spirit. I love every bit of it and I almost clung to lamp post and cry on the way to the airport.
I love the Vatican Museum when it's empty. You get to enjoy it all by yourself in peace and quiet. Beautiful, innit? And look at the ceiling of the Vatican museum. This museum holds over thousands of arts by famous artists like da Vinci, Botticelli, Raphael, Bernini, Michaelangelo and others. It's okay to cry when you enter the museum. Even if you're a boy.
This is the Colosseum. It holds 50,000 spectators to enjoy watching public executions and gladiatorial fights. Despite its gruesome history, I love it with all my heart. (Alright, maybe I love it because of its gruesome history.)
And this is the Piazza Venezia. (Piazza means square.)
That is all for this post. I have a lot more photos to share with you and I will continue in another post. I can't show you all in one day, I'm afraid. After all, Rome isn't built in a day, is it?
P.S. All information below the photographs are historical facts.
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