January 2009
15 posts
Past. Present. Future
2008 was by any measure, a momentous year. In January, I started my studies at Columbia University with much anticipation and excitement. In February, my father was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. While I was at home visiting him, I received an email from a stranger asking me if I was the same “Minh Ngoc who was in 7th grade at Nguyen Hien School in Danang in 1975?” I responded...
2008 in pictures
It’s a bit late for this, but I am going through some of my favorite pictures from 2008.
December 2008
43 posts
“…that was part of the beauty of the Polaroid. Mystery clung to each...”
– Michael Kimmelman, “The Polaroid: Imperfect, Yet Magical,” NYT.
“…almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of...”
– Steve Jobs, Commencement address at Stanford, June 12, 2005.
A very revealing perspective on his own life.
“there are 1.3 million New Yorkers — mostly women, children, seniors, the working...”
– Lucy Cabrera, President of the Food Bank NYC
“[Obama] will disappoint…but he’s still weeks away from office and...”
– Michael Tomasky assesses Obama’s performance so far. The expectations on Obama are such that he’s been judged so critically even before he takes office. Tomasky gives some historical perspective.
“The world economy is not in depression; it probably won’t fall into...”
– Paul Krugman explains the current financial crisis and proposes a Keynesian solution to get credit flowing and prop up spending. A fascinating and essential read.
“SE VIVESSI ALMENO UN GIORNO,
SE POTESSI VIVERE,
SE IO VIVO,
NON SAPRÒ MAI SE...”
– Mario Giacomelli
I especially love these lines: “Lascerò le mia porzione in un chiuso giardino di sogni” (I will leave my portion in a closed garden of dreams).
Discovery of the day: Mario Giacomelli Official...
I’ve always loved the work of Giacomelli, whose grainy photographs are so utterly unique in the history of photography but barely known. His early pictures of the monks (taken in the 50’s and early 60’s) playing in the snow are almost a pure contrast of black & white, rendering them almost abstract while accentuating the subject matter at the same time. These monks are...