Milestones and Mindsets
In recent months I celebrated two important anniversaries; the day when, as a young child, my family arrived in Australia from Chile and the day when, as an adult, I left Australia, in early 1999, to start a new life in London. While the first of those dates has remained a constant for me, the [...]
Cut
It’s been a hell of a day. Actually, it’s been a hell of a week – and, it’s only Tuesday! As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve had a cyst that has been causing me some discomfort. I first suffered with it in Hong Kong, some years back, but it responded to treatment and [...]
SOPA And The Creative Shift
Right now there is a wave of international protest over legislation being considered by the US government that would, effectively, break the internet. Smarter thinkers than me have tackled this issue and unpacked the detail of what is being considered. If you are an original content creator, or simply enjoy using the internet, then it’s [...]
A Better Music Scene In Singapore?
Tomorrow I’ll be attending a music industry forum here in Singapore. It’s exactly the kind of thing I swore I wouldn’t be doing this year. I’m going out of respect for the organisers, the speakers and because I actually believe it could be the start of something good for the local music scene. But, with [...]
Do You Code
One of the reasons I dislike going to networking events and conferences is my aversion to answering the “so, what do you do” question. I know it must seem odd for a blogger to say that they hate talking about themselves. But, answering the “so, what do you do” question in a concise (i.e., non-boring) [...]
Does Your Blog’s About Me Matter?
As I mentioned last month, I was surprised to learn that in 2011, the fourth most read page on this site was the “about me.” I’m not even sure I had an about me page when I relaunched this blog in 2004! Then & Now Back then, blogs tended to have fairly stable readerships. You [...]
Begin Without Disappointments
I love the title of this old ad, for Western Electric radios: Begin Without Disappointments. It’s my motto for January! I’ve already nailed my colours to the mast for 2012. It’s going to be a fascinatingly different year. The changes have already been made and the new routines feel very good indeed. The important thing [...]
A Year Of Blogging Highlights
For the first time since 2006, I’m ending a year feeling good about the state of this blog. My blogging goals for 2011 were simple; double the average daily traffic and put up at least 150 posts (this is the 172nd post of the year). I figured, in the most basic of ways, that more [...]
My Favourite 25 Songs Of 2011
I’m going to wade into murky waters here, by offering up my 25 favourite songs of 2011. Are these the best songs of 2011? Maybe, maybe not. OK, probably not. Truth is I’m not normally a big fan of “best-of” lists. And, listing best songs, as opposed to best albums, always makes it harder to [...]
Merry Christmas
Christmas begins tonight in our household. We share a Christmas dinner, say some prayers, open presents, tell stories, and go to bed way too late. Tomorrow we’ll laze around playing with the new toys, take a swim, write thank you notes, go for a long walk and end the day watching a few Christmas films. [...]
12 For 2012
Around this time last year I wrote two lists; of things I wanted more and less of in my life. Last year’s lists were an exercise in setting goals, articulating hopes and ending frustrations. Yesterday I went through those lists and made some comments. Although it has felt like a frustrating year, it’s good to [...]
Here Comes The Rain – Again
“Here comes the rain again Falling on my head like a memory” Yesterday it rained in Singapore. Of course, that sentence could have been equally true almost everyday in the past few months; or so it seems. It’s raining often and hard here and, to be frank, the rain is getting me down. Today I [...]
The Rule Of Halves
A lot of photographic conversations seem stuck at the rule of thirds, perhaps forgetting that although it’s a powerful grid system, it’s not the only option out there.
Stealth Photography And Other Urban Problems
“Do you think I can’t see you, crouched over there, with your giant camera and massive lens? Do you think I don’t know that you’ve been taking pictures of my daughter and I while we sit and talk about her school day? I came here for a few moments of quiet conversation and a cup [...]
Plans For The End Of The World
2010 was a great year for me, loaded with fulfilment, adventure and a surprising degree of success. By contrast, 2011 has been a grind. It hasn’t been a bad year; though at times life and work have been hard to manage. Of course, that’s partly self-inflicted; changing country while taking on a lot of work [...]
Home In Singapore
My recent adventure in Mexico was so full of highlights. I’ve stood, in scorching sunlight, on a mountain filled with 2,500 year old ruins and crouched by candlelight among locals keeping vigil for Dia de los Muertos. But, now I’m back in Singapore and there are definitely some things I’m looking forward to; like seeing [...]
Packing Again
Last night I got home from Adelaide and tomorrow I’ll board a flight to Mexico on a photographic adventure. I’ll be travelling via London, and then taking a bus from Mexico City to Oaxaca. On the way back I’ll be stopping off for a quick break in Miami. Every trip I try to pack lighter, [...]
Why I Love Mondays
I woke up today in Adelaide. Next Monday I’ll wake up in Oaxaca, Mexico. The following Monday I’ll be in Miami and the following Monday, I’ll be back home in Singapore. Four Mondays, four different cities in four different countries. With a schedule like that it’s kind of easy to say “I Love Mondays!” But, [...]
Drifting At The Edge
For the past few days I’ve been taking a break in Adelaide. In many ways it has been the holiday I didn’t quite manage to have in the middle of the year. The days have been slow and measured, with that sense of constructed slothfulness that mark all good breaks from routine. I’m more relaxed [...]
Books By The Metre
This picture, of my non-fiction books, was taken while organising and unpacking my personal library. I was lining the books up along the floor in order to figure out how many linear metres of shelf space were needed. I’m having shelves custom built for the small room that will be an electronics free reading space. [...]
El Mar
I’ve lived most of my life near the sea. I’m most at peace near the water – not so much the beautiful vistas of tourist beaches. But, more often the windswept expanses and harsh rocky coastlines that speak to the unfathomable power of the ocean. El Mar (The Sea) is one of my favourite poems [...]
Yours For Free
A few weeks back I had some correspondence regarding a cool new project. The client wanted original music and was unhappy about the licensing fees on the piece they had planned to use (are the warning bells ringing for you yet?). Creating “sound-alike” music can be ethically dodgy, but I felt that in this instance [...]
Can You Hustle?
Last week I was having one of those really cool meetings that make this whole “creative” work thing worthwhile. Great location, with a cool person I respect, talking about a project I’d love to be part of. Then I was hit with the kind of question that can be (well, for me at least) really [...]
Resist And Reboot
It’s now more than a month since I left Hong Kong and the process of adjusting to life in Singapore has begun. People in the local stores are starting to greet me with a smile of recognition and I’m getting to know the neighbours. It’s not hard to imagine this place soon feeling like home. [...]
Fernando Gros is a musician, photographer & writer based in Singapore. Born in Santiago de Chile, Fernando grew up in Sydney and has also lived in London, Delhi and Hong Kong.