extra-extra-ordinary

the other night, i was walking to the supermarket when i happened upon two street sweepers in a moment of reverie. they were sitting on the curb of a dimly-lit street, in the shadow that straddled two staggered lampposts, while their sweeping carts were parked precisely, one behind the other, with the broom handles jaunting out like the masts on a ship. between them sat a small transistor radio, and the two middle-aged men, sitting at arm's length apart, were quiet except for the strains of chinese opera wailing from the shared radio. motionless, the men were turned towards each other but their gazes were directed upward, as if watching the performance unfold on some invisible stage suspended above the other's head. they didn't notice me passing by and pausing briefly to take in their scene; it was as if their entire beings were absorbed in that moment, in the music, in the story being played out by the characters on the radio.

in many ways, it was a mundane moment: two workers taking a break, two individuals sitting on a street where hundreds pass on any given day. yet there was also something so lovely, so poignant - sublime, even - about this moment, as if behind this very ordinary scene was something more wondrous being played out. it was as if those two men were connecting, through the music, with each other in a way beyond routine interaction, and connecting with the world, with their souls, with some greater sense of the spiritual, in a way that was transcendental. it was as if their gazes in the air caught a glimpse of eternity. 

this morning, some friends and i were dissecting a sermon we just listened to during church. part of the discussion revolved around this idea of the extraordinary vs. ordinary. we who are christians often enter the church expecting so much more than what reality offers. we expect christians to be better people, and when the foibles and flaws of our brothers and sisters hit us, they often hit us hard and we are left disappointed. we personally want to be special and when confronted with our own ordinariness, we respond with denial, discouragement or defiance. our hearts long for so much more.

i definitely struggle with this, to the point where i repel from anything that reeks of 'ordinary', almost by reflex. everything must be extraordinary: life is too short for the mundane. it really becomes an idolatry and idealization of a life less ordinary.

the reality of course is not an "either....or" situation. it is not valuing one over the other, but somehow seeing the integration and validity of both. we should expect and long for the extraordinary; after all, we were created to experience and be so much more. the fallenness of this world and of ourselves will result in frustration, but the frustration should fuel the flames of our hope and longing for the world redeemed with greater fervor. and if there exists a God who can part the seas and raise the dead, then those of us who follow Him and profess faith should expect nothing less than miracles and wonders. a stance of awe and eager anticipation should not be an anomaly; it should be the norm.

on the other hand, nothing is truly mundane. in every gesture, every moment, even in every daily chore, there lies the potential for an act of worship, for the sacred to pervade. work has purpose, relationships are rich, the patterns of our life are significant. nothing is without meaning. beauty is everywhere.

a life both extraordinary and ordinary. reveling in the ideal as well as the seemingly plain.

ah, the paradoxes of the life redeemed. i love it.


cups of coffee:  2

mood: chill

tweet tweet

for those of you who tweet, i've set up a personal twitter account:

http://twitter.com/cosmosnchaos

tweet away!


cups of coffee: 3

mood: brrrrr.....winter is upon us

the one with the lists

it's that time of year again, as one calendar year draws to a close and another begins, to reflect on highlights and predict upcoming trends and hits. from NPR music's 50 favorite albums from 2010 to the atlantic's 30 most dynamic cities in the world, everyone is compiling lists. i'm inspired to do no different.

so here we go, personal highlights of 2010, month-by-month:

january:
- party-hopping new year's eve with friends (and friends of friends). no better way to ring in the new year than cruising in a hired van with a box of krispy kreme donuts and a bottle of champagne.
- birth of the urbanity project!

february:
- one last fantastic rooftop party at the crosbys to ring in the chinese new year

march:
- new york! IAM conference! 'nuff said.
- hanneke comes to town again. we take kunming by storm and hang out with punk bluegrass musicians from quebec.

april:
- attended training in reaching out to ladies who work in the red light (er--pink lights, here) salons. going out and talking with some of the women, overcoming my own fears and prejudices in actually entering the salons.

may:
- incredibly successful exhibit opening for artist/duolun museum director chen jiu and artist jackson li. relief - whew!

june:
- delightful time with friends visiting from NYC
- soft launch of the urbanity project! amazed that it's all happening...
- bittersweet farewell bash for the crosbys. feeling like it's the end of an era.....

july:
- hanging out with abigail washburn and friends. karaoke until dawn.
- wonderful two-week visit to america. my brother gets hitched! and i get a lovely sister-in-law.

august:
- la boheme at the shanghai grand theater. my first live opera experience! *love*

september:
- whirlwind - shanghai art fair, solo exhibition by mako fujimura.
- trip to nanjing with mako and entourage. amazing conversations about art, faith and reconciliation.

october:
- fantastic week-long holiday in toronto. discover i have a new city-crush.
- ceramic art and folk music weekend in jingdezhen. dancing in a public square till the wee hours of the night!
- halloween!

november:
- hosting a delightful friend of a friend, who teaches me how to make indian food!
- week of feasting: 2 thanksgiving dinners, fun dinner with friends, and a pie-making-tree-trimming evening. time to detox.
- the urbanity project launch!

which brings us to december:
- so far off to a good start. laughter-filled night celebrating a friend's birthday at an italian restaurant and then hitting up a "festivus" party afterwards.
- looking forward to two big holiday charity events at the gallery and a christmas bash being thrown by the caribbean association in shanghai.
- christmas itself. :) o come, o come, emmanuel!

as i look at the blank pages of my 2011 muji planner (the only planner worth getting, in my book), i wonder what events, what people, what changes will fill those empty squares and lines. clean pages to be etched by future memories, words that represent moments and occasions both common and extraordinary.

what a great adventure we live. :)


cups of coffee: 2

mood: reflective-anticipatory

fullness

from cooking all afternoon to a kitchen packed with laughing friends to a succulent spread to wine paired with conversation - it was all good.
fabulous thanksgiving all around!

team turkey in action!

turkey cooked with bacon - genius

time to dig in

a lovely sight

cups of coffee: 2

mood:  *sniffle sniffle* *cough* *sneeze*.... i hate colds

surreality

i realized in mid-conversation with a friend the other night that for the past four years, i haven't been living in reality; i've been living in surreality. it's the combination of working in the art world and living in shanghai, creating a wild, decadent environment layered with airs of pretension, decked out in neon and glitter and soaked in champagne. weekends become a record of parties and hobnobbing - invitations to make it as a guest on the a-list flying furiously on a friday night through the text-o-sphere.

it all seemed quite silly at first - like we're all playing dress-up or still in high school and trying to find out which party the cool kids are going to. but then i realized that the parties were where introductions were made, collaborations were formed, doors were being opened...at least in the industry i'm working in. parties aren't optional; they come with the job.

so i started attending. i invested in (more) black clothes for my wardrobe. i transitioned from wearing hardly any jewelry to enormous earrings and clunky rings. i started wearing eyeliner. i wear heels (sometimes). i purchased a business card holder.

this isn't to say i haven't enjoyed it - i've enjoyed it a lot. it's a bit mind-boggling when i reflect on the events i've attended and the people i've met, particularly in the past couple of years: invitation to a dance performance with european royalty in attendance, dinner at art celebrity pearl lam's home, opening parties for luxury design brands such as hermes and dolce & gabbana, hanging out with renowned contemporary artists like mako fujimura....to name a few. i have been spoiled.

i think, though, that i've reached a point where i'm ready to take a break from surreality and live in reality for a bit. i'm also starving to learn - to be under the tutelage of those older and wiser than me. part of the surreality of shanghai is that we really are a bunch of kids: publication editors, gallery curators and directors, art dealers....most fall firmly in the age bracket between 25 and 35. shanghai really is the new wild west: most of us work in positions that would take us years elsewhere to reach. if i were in new york, i'd be lucky to be interning at an art gallery, forget running one.

what i really want to do right now is to go back to school, work in a cafe and learn to make a perfect cup of cappuccino, and grunge out in hoodies and jeans. i basically want to re-live my early 20's.

ironically, that feels more like reality.


cups of coffee: 2 + 2 green tea

mood:  contemplative

urbanity!

the urbanity project happened last saturday. it really happened! that glimmer of an idea from about a year ago actually blossomed, amid much sweat, tears and (thankfully) little blood (may have been a papercut or a splinter here or there), into actual fruition. the "hey, what if...." erupted into "we're doing it. and doing it big." one book, 130+ pages, 32 contributing artists and writers. one massive exhibit opening/book launch/celebration. now we're looking into both local and international distribution channels for the book. i'm still kind of in shock.

 welcome to the urbanity project exhibition!

 nice crowd

 our hardworking book editor justin and exhibit curator chelsea

 urbanity! urbanity! urbanity!

at your service

feeling incredibly humbled and oh-so-thankful. people have already started asking about volume 2....?

i think we need a breather first. :)


cups of coffee:  2 + 2 green tea

mood:  wow

faith in the useless

here's a very well-crafted reflection by my friend and colleague justin on mako's recent visit and our ensuing trip to nanjing.

"faith in the useless: art as a space for reconciliation"

read it. you'll be glad you did.


cups of coffee: 2 + 2 green tea

mood:  antsy