Wedding

St Matthews Church, Shenton Park & City Farm, East Perth 12th April 2014

These are some photographs that were taken at my friends, Jen & Nic's, wedding back in April. It was a lovely and very down to earth ceremony, with all the women along with the bride walking up from the park to meet the groom at the St Matthews Church in Shenton Park. The reception was at City Farm in East Perth which was decorated with lovely lights strung over long canteen tables for the guests.

New Semester

Empire State Building NYC July 2013

I started my first day of my second semester studying Law today. I was pretty excited to begin my readings and learn about all the new things my course has to offer. This semester looks pretty good - the highlights being Legal Theory and Australian Public Law (which is essentially the laws governing what the government can do). Other than the actual content of my course, I'm also excited to get back into routine. I'm moving out in a couple of weeks, so it will undoubtedly change when that happens, but nevertheless I have begun riding to university, stopping off at my favourite coffee shop to sit and write every morning. It's a nice little ritual I have going and allows me time to reflect on my choices and my day. It also allows me to sip slowly my new obsession - filter coffee. Since coming home from Japan I have opted for the lighter alternative which is better enjoyed over longer periods of time. Let's hope that the trials of semester doesn't ruin it.

The Williamsburg Waterfront

The Williamsburg Waterfront NYC July 2013

This day was pretty great - I remember catching the train to the Williamsburg markets and stopping off at a super cool shoe store on the way where everything was half the price of what it sells for in Australia. Once we finally reached the markets, it was scorching hot and looking at all the cool market things was a little difficult in the heat. Once we were utterly exhausted and ready to go home, we looked across the river and noticed the awesome New York skyline. It was a pretty surreal 'we're actually in NYC' moment. I also received some lovely earrings from this chap. All in all, I can't really remember how terrible the dying heat was - just that it was terrible - but I do remember being very happy with many things.

NYC July 2013

All or nothing?

Times Square NYC, July 2013

I realised today that life doesn't have to be a big all or nothing. Just a little bit of context to this realisation - since returning home from Japan yesterday I have been thinking about several grand plans to travel the world, drink coffee, read extensively about philosophy, take photographs and learn several languages. These plans included spending a year in Japan, going on a semester exchange to Berlin and spending another six months in my favourite country, France. It seems like a big side step to my hopes and dreams of about three months ago, which included in the next five years buying a house, setting up shop and being a junior lawyer in a major law firm. I love learning and studying law, and I wish to continue but it's difficult to imagine a life being a lawyer in an office when there is so much more of the world out there. Then, the realisation hit that the two are not incompatible. It is possible to spend time travelling, just not all of it. And it is possible to be a lawyer and do this, but I think one might have to accept that you might not be the best lawyer. It's pretty simple really, but often my mind becomes to romanticised in the thought that life has to be one or the other. So here's to the future!

Wake up

The New York Skyline taken from Dumbo in Brooklyn

At some point, you will have to wake up to the reality. Holding strong is good for a while, but it is only after you have surrendered yourself to feel sad that you can truly move past it. It may happen tomorrow, or in a month or after something reminds you of what it was and what could have been. But when it hits, it will hit you hard. Just remember that in these moments it is okay to be weak because you have Him to keep you going. He can be your strength when you can be strong for no longer.

Surprised by Joy

The New Yorker building from the Highline

"Such then, was the state of my imaginative life; over against it stood the life of my intellect. The two hemispheres of my mind were in the sharpest contrast. On the one side a many-islanded sea of poetry and myth; on the other a glib and shallow 'rationalism'. Nearly all that I loved I believed to be imaginary; nearly all that I believed to be real I thought grim and meaningless. The exceptions were certain people (whom I loved and believed to be real) and nature herself." - C.S. Lewis

The Broken Circle Breakdown

Filled with heartache, love and the sincerest of emotions, The Broken Circle Breakdown threads together the tumultuous relationship of bluegrass musicians Elise and Didier over several years. It begins with the revelation that their seven-year-old daughter has a terminal illness then flashes back to the early days of their love filled with excitement and romance. Implicit throughout the film is an underlying philosophical difference between the two characters – Didier believes death is the end of life forever, whereas Elise has hope for the future. The difference comes to a head with the almost certain fate of their child. The film begs an answer to the question of whether the circle will be broken, an adage to the 1907 Christian Folk Hymn sung very early in the film by the two main leads. In the end it raises more questions than answers but nevertheless is not afraid to confront it's audience with difficult scenarios by means of excellent filmmaking.

The Highline Part Two

All the photos I've been uploading recently are from a year ago when I was adventuring around New York City. I guess my life then was completely different to now. I was just about to enter my final semester of my undergraduate degree and, like many arts graduates, very unsure about the next step. Several options lay out ahead of me, all with tempting realities at the end of the line but ultimately I decided to study law - a course that I thought was the sensible choice but would bore me to death. Fast forward one year later and it is the best decision I ever made. Yes, it's the typical 9am and you're in your business suit job but there is something about it that is fascinating. I guess it's the way that communities organise themselves, the way that people communicate and the scary reality that the law really isn't black and white and in fact all situations have to be considered closely because good people make bad choices sometimes. I'm writing this from my petit apartment in Japan where I have begun to get excited about life again - a feeling that had hit a bit of a stalemate over the past two years. I've begun my application for exchange in Berlin, and drawn up plans to spend a summer with old friends in France. Hopefully in a couple of weeks I will have developed my photographs from this trip. Japan is a truly amazing place filled with the loveliest of people and I hope to return in the very near future.