An assembly of thoughts

Neil Gaiman's Sandman has been a fascinating read thus far. The books I borrowed (and am borrowing) are a courtesy of my colleague, Xue Mei. I'm up to Book 5 and the assortment of plots and ideas continue to intrigue. Gaiman's work can be succinctly and appropriately summed up by a sentence written in one of the prefaces.

The Sandman, under the writerly direction of Gaiman, does its work delicately, proving in areas where, often, we might not even have suspected anything mythical lay. It explores always with an ironic cast to the lips. The eyes are narrowed. The approach is always skewed. Again and again, what it discovers shocks, chills, and catches at the heart.

Yup, that does a pretty good summation of the guy's work. He weaves his stories with socially-radical themes that challenge the reader to explore certain ideas he may have, and he often introduces issues which lie beneath the surface of our subconscious, awakening in us questions that used to be buried in oblivion.

I found a tidbit to chew on from the preface that resonates with a few strands of thoughts. Perhaps you may find it interesting as well.

We're talking about something deeper, that allows individuals to exist; we're talking about the hidden, shifting undersea reefs on which every individual stands - rocks that so rarely show clear above the tides of illusion and desire. That's the support we mean, and it always begins in something outside the self.

Nice (:

Anyway, work has become interesting of late. I have been involved in designing a Flash animation for the inaugural establishment of the Connexion.sg website, hence I have been trying to recall my rusty skills. To my pleasant surprise, I find that most of the techniques that I know of in the past can still be recalled :D As much as it is exciting, it is also extremely tiring and tedious. Most people probably do not recognize that for every completed piece of work/art lies a boulevard of broken drafts! haha that's probably why I got tired of web- and graphic-designing a while ago.

It's been a totally different experience though, and the main difference lies in the approval. I used to be the creater, editor, critique and approver of the projects, hence I usually do not have to be subjected to so much red tape and regulation as compared to now, where I have to seek the approval of the higher authorities. The flip side to it is that it provides a greater challenge, and does make me more open to different approaches. I think demands do that to you - they squeeze you dry, milk out new ideas, and push you to your limit, sometimes beyond it too. It's nice, in a way, to learn of diverging perspectives.

Sometimes, I find that we like to hole ourselves in those self-engineered sandcastles, burying our awareness under the cascading towers that often mask our obstinance as persistence. It is only when someone probs this supposed stronghold that the foundation of sediment begins to loosen, allowing our constructed illusion to fall apart and unveil the spectre of weakness and rigidness that were concealed, either subconsciously or consciously. We got to let the veneer of apparent competence be tested to know how far more we can reach, and find out how high up the new standards are.

Finally, here's a random thought:
Love doesn't preclude a relationship. It is but a consequence of it.

An assembly of toys.