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Project 365: Week 6 – Finesse

La finesse is one of those words I hear often but the changing context had me questioning if I really understood it. My 20-year-old mini dictionary said little except “fineness” yet I often hear it as a word that describe the finer things in life, of elegance, of delicateness, of refinement. Other contexts suggest physical shape of a person, in the state of being slim and slender, as well as one’s behaviour, worthy to be noted as in fine moral standing. I suggest we explore the finesse in French objects.

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Sea nymph

3 Feb: This is not the first time I’ve posted a photo of this water nymph on Pont Alexandre III, and it’s unlikely to be the last. I adore this sculpture. I always drop by to say hello when I’m in the area, and I’m also very pleased to see it free from the clutches of love-locks (yes, some muppets put locks on her before). There are many other sculptures on this same bridge, but I find her presence calming and radiates a certain inner beauty.


Gramophone

4 Feb: I think it’s a shame that gramophones are no longer a staple item in ever music-loving household. Instead those with home entertainment system have an array of hi-fi and player and whats not, and those without, we could still play straight out from our computer/laptop, sometimes with the help of small portable stereos. All of these are just too sleek, too shiny, and missing that character which a gramophone has.


Diaries

5 Feb: It has been a while since I use a paper diary but I know plenty who still do. Instead I scribble in my trusty Moleskine, not unsimilar to these diaries actually. They’re sleek, neat, and slim; far too easy to discreetly slipped in and out of a (small) bag. They are more “social” too, than if a mobile phone has been used as a note-taking device, not to mention they’ll never run out of battery. Give me a paper notebook any day.


Door

6 Feb: The street adjacent to the police station in the 15th may appear dull, with mostly characterless buildings flanking both sides of the street and the parking spots normally filled. Nonetheless, no 18 stands out. Not only is the buiding standing gracefully among uninteresting blocks, its doors, they were the first thing that caught my eyes. I have not noticed other circular door before, and anyone who has tips of others in Paris, please let me know so I can check them out!


Grand Palais

7 Feb: The preparations for World Expo 1900 must have been a frantic one, pavillion after pavillion being constructed. Luckily, both the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais were spared from destruction after the fair ended. Often overlooked on the Grand Palais is the series of mosaic images to evoke known civilisations and their contributions to arts and its development. What, in your opinion, is represented here?


Tea shop

8 Feb: F and I were in Bordeaux for the weekend, this trip being my Christmas present. Coming out from a restaurant after a rather unremarkable lunch, we walked past this lovely tea shop that has a feel of an old apothecary. I made a mental note to return to this location later in the evening, should the weather continued to be rainy, as it was when we arrived just before noon. Luckily, the sky cleared up and we ended up walking around to explore the city.


Clock gate

9 Feb: There are only two Medieval city gates that remain in Bordeaux, Porte Cailhau that faces the River Garonne, and Grosse Cloche, so named after the large bell within the central tower. I largely forgot about the bell altogether when I saw the clocks on both sides of the gate that have been beautifully set and glow in the light. Not entirely sure what that row of floating heads is supposed to represent though.




Category: Project 365

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2 scribbles & notes

  1. med says:

    hehehe…talking about finesse..remember my photography friend…http://inspire.jonlow.com/

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