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fierce

Posted on June 29, 2008 @ 4:10 pm by massimo | Filed under: blog, indonesia, people, travel, wordpress

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java aynaku travel illustration

The train from Jakarta to Surabaya had slowly left in the late afternoon; sitting in my second class berth, I was contemplating the nearby thriving tropical landscape from one of the wagon’s window, when a fellow swiftly entered my compartment. He was an elderly tall man with an old fashioned suit on. This unexpected travelling companion fascinated me immediately. Actually he looked like one of Conrad’s literary heroes, with a deep mystery of his own. I fancied about him, a man travelling on a shoestring at a time in his life when most of people have settled down for ever…I started to gaze at him apprehensively, somehow trying to send him a silent and gentle enquiry: “just talk to me”. On the contrary the old man looked at me fiercely for some everlasting seconds, then got up and- as quickly as he had entered-he got out and vanished…
I wonder if he had put me at the top of his danger list just for being so much like he was.

Illustration Friday’s topic is: fierce

fail faith

Posted on April 13, 2008 @ 1:55 pm by massimo | Filed under: another green world, blog, news, people, wordpress

Buddhist teaching is clear and logical: that we can neither define, describe, nor usefully discuss the nature of that which is beyond the perception of our consciousness. According to the teaching the ideas of eternal self or eternity in nature may be described indirectly by analogy and symbols. Otherwise it must ever remain in its truest sense unknown and unexpressed, as being to us in our present state unknowable.The concept of maya play a major role in Buddhism. Maya is the belief that everything, which one sees in this world is illusion, a product of the individual’s own failed interpretation and self-delusion.Buddhism has always set itself against illusions: the illusion of permanence and the illusion that it is possible to live in the world and avoid the suffering. What if one follows this disillusionment to the end, allowing it to concern his beliefs on Buddhism itself?

Illustration Friday’s topic is: fail

homage

Posted on March 29, 2008 @ 7:16 pm by massimo | Filed under: blog, books, fun, people, wordpress

corto maltese hugo pratt aynaku

 Venetian Hugo Pratt is my favourite comic book creator .Due to his rather mixed family ancestry and his nomadic life, Pratt had learned snippets of things like kabbalism and lots of history. Many of his stories are placed in real historical eras and deal with real events.
As a student I had the chance to meet Hugo Pratt in early 80’ in Venice, but never met his best known character (adventuring during the early 20th century), the laconic sea captain called Corto Maltese who realised he had no fate line on his palm and therefore carved his own with a razor, determining that his fate was his to choose!

Illustration Friday’s topic is: homage

the Papalagi

Posted on January 5, 2008 @ 4:49 pm by massimo | Filed under: another green world, blog, books, fun, people, wordpress

In 1920 a South Sea Chief’s comments on Western Society, The Papalagi, which means, the White Men, were translated into German by Erich Scheurmann.
These speeches by Tuiavii of Tiavea were not delivered as yet, but the essence had been written down in the native language, out of which the first German translation was …

backwards self-portrait

Posted on December 15, 2007 @ 10:28 pm by massimo | Filed under: blog, people, wordpress

The past and present exist side by side, inhabiting the same person. This is my backwards self-portrait, while drawing Aynaku’s illustrations. Usually all I do is to sit behind my desk and concentrate, trying hard to merge into my memories: slowly a sort of transparent vision surrounds me  and the image materializes on …

the admiral’s hat

Posted on November 2, 2007 @ 10:53 pm by massimo | Filed under: blog, china, people, ukiyo-e, wordpress

This is Zheng He the great Ming navigator wearing his favourite straw hat….
Between 1405 and 1433, the Ming government sponsored a series of seven naval expeditions and Zheng He was placed as the admiral in control of the huge fleet.
Zheng He’s first voyage consisted of a fleet of 317 ships …

burma / myanmar

Posted on October 9, 2007 @ 11:00 pm by massimo | Filed under: blog, people, wordpress

Here are a pair of instructive links to know about Burma and  the most updated news on current ongoing genocide in that county.

wedding breakfast

Posted on September 16, 2007 @ 11:46 am by massimo | Filed under: fun, people, travel, wordpress

In Dondaduwa, a Sri Lanka south-west located coastal little town, I was invited to a local wedding breakfast. I felt honoured by this unexpected ask and was really curious. Just past the sunset, a little crowd of friends and relatives gathered an open space behind the …

dream theory in malaysia

Posted on August 26, 2007 @ 4:02 pm by massimo | Filed under: another green world, blog, people, wordpress

Disturbing visitors sometimes come to our dreams. We wake up then, asking ourselves their meaning . In Malaysia, Senoi have a theory of dreams, and dreams are important for those becoming “adepts” (healers). Ancient Senoi dream practices (dream sharing in morning groups and using …

emergency

Posted on August 11, 2007 @ 11:17 am by massimo | Filed under: blog, news, people, wordpress

“That until that day
The dream of lasting peace,
World citizenship
Rule of international morality
Will remain in but a fleeting illusion to be pursued,
But never attained -
Now everywhere is war - war…”

So Bob Marley, some years ago… And war is still our greatest emergency. War is deep in our nature and …

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