A short trip

Hi !

Have been quiet for some time. It was the holiday season, and work after return was hectic.

Spent an interesting 3 days in Singapore last week. We were there on work. A leading investment brokerage had arranged for us to meet a number of investment fund managers and analysts. About eight hours of meetings each day. That took us to a number of offices in Singapore's central business district. None of my earlier visits to the city exposed me to so many of its offices. In spite of Singapore's bad name for being mechanical and too perfect, office buildings show great architectural creativity. Each one is different and aesthetically designed. Open spaces and green patches are everywhere. I specially liked a building which has tropical rain forest creepers all over one huge wall in the spacious lobby. A writeup describes the types of creepers. The corner rooms and conference rooms in these buildings make the best of the bay view. And the imposing Marina Sands Hotel and Casino with the huge ship like structure spanning the rooftops of its three towers is visible from many angles.

I found some time to visit the Singapore Art Museum for an hour. While its collection is small and can in no way be compared to those with those in the large cities of the world, it did have an interesting collection of video art. This was an initiation for me into the area. Video art, for those who dont know, is a concept where the video artist shoots a clip and viewers watch the projection of it. Several small rooms in the museum are done up where large screen projections are running continously. They run for several minutes. The experience is rather like watching a short film but with a high level of artistic feel, often surreal. The music is to accentuate the senses, rather than to express explicitly. I especially remember one which was shot in a coral reef in Vietnam, where several men are shown pulling rickshaws under water. The struggle of the men and the swirling seas around them make up the artistic statement. Another one showed how the concrete urban landscape with its man made structures and graffiti is a silent spectator to the daily lives of those who dwell in and around them. Video art was a good experience. Plan to catch more of it.

Watched a mushy movie on the flight back: Letters to Juliet. Highly recommended for those who remain an incorrigible romantic like me!

Bye and hope to be back soon !
Cheers !