How Will You Lead the Future?

Together with my mate Andy Shannon we shot this video as part of the promo campaign for the 2011 edition of TEDxRotterdam. The theme of the event is “Future Leadership” and is made exclusively for students. So to film the video we chose to go directly to those most interested, shooting at three different higher education institutions, and approaching over a hundred students for participation. It was hard work but mostly it was just good fun. 

If you could be a leader in any discipline, who would you be?

Every student we approached we asked one question: "If you could be a leader in any discipline, who would you be?” The point was to inspire the viewers by showing them those who were busy working towards their passions. We also wanted to stimulate awareness among the students about letting go of what other people expect them to do and acknoledging their true dreams, the things they had always wanted to do but were either too shy or too afraid of pursuing. We concluded the video with a direct challenge to the viewers to do the same, by asking a simple question: how will you lead the future? 

TEDxRotterdam: official website

Femme Nue

Femme Nue
Pablo Picasso

A young girl with her lover

Are staring at the sky

He turns towards her only to discover

a tear in the corner of her eye

He doesn't interrupt its flow
Watching it slowly trickle down her cheek
There is something she wants him to know
But right now, she simply cannot speak

He can feel her heart pulsing stronger
More violent with every beat
How much longer will she remain silent
Before heart rushes her to speak?

They keep still like an open ocean
Unaware of everything but the other's gaze
They may be lying there without motion
But their hearts are in a constant race

It takes all her strength to talk
But finally she utters this one word
It comes crushing down on him like a falling rock
Even though it barely can be heard

He tenderly wipes her lonesome tear
That still lingers on
He knows her memory will stay near
Long after she is gone.

Words of Wisdom (#2)

Bez tytułu #2

Chcę zatrzymać ten moment
Kiedy patrzę na Ciebie
Ale ten moment ucieka
Jak oka mgnienie.
Jak zatrzymać ten czas?
Chociaż na chwilę!
Tego co w nas
Nie pozostawić w tyle.
Ile bym dał
by posiąść tę siłę
By zanim wyruszę przed siebie
Móc, w chwili gdy patrzę na Ciebie
Wstrzymać Słońce od wschodu
Unieruchomić gwiazdy na niebie!
Boże, nie chcę umierać za młodu.

Words of Wisdom (#1)

Planet of the Apes

What makes them believe
That money can solve
What their hearts could not conceive
Will they ever evolve?
Stop being so naive.
This apelike mentality
Is harassing me
I really cannot see
A trace of rationality
In this senseless anarchy.
Someone please explain to me
Why would anybody
Waste their time and energy
On looting and polluting
Their own community?

Andalucía, me enamoré de usted

Toro de Osborne

In Andalusia the Sun is always out. In Andalusia the women are nothing but fascinating. In Andalusia time stands still. In Andalusia you feel like an indomitable bull, you feel inspired, you feel alive!

I took a few pictures during my last trip to this remarkable region of Spain. Photos come mostly from excursions to Malaga and Granada, cities marked by tremendous Arab influence. Hit the link below to check them out, see if you will fall in love as well. 

FLICKR: Andalucía, me enamoré de usted

Homo sapiens — a work in progress?

Leonardo da Vinci
Uomo vitruviano

Let's assume, for the sake of simplicity, that a human being is a creature that after 5 billion years of evolution became 1000 times more advanced than an average bacteria. If that kind of evolutionary progress is attainable, then if we take another 5 billion years it should theoretically be possible for evolution to come up with a creature that is 1000 times more advanced than an average human being is, right? Now, as a human race, we came to believe that we are the top of the crop, the remarkable creatures that became the undisputed sovereigns of the planet. But what if, contrary to this belief, we are just one of the countless gears driving the evolution engine’s journey towards its pinnacle, not the pinnacle itself? A gear that will promptly be discarded once it has fulfilled its mission. Aren't the clashes (e.g., aggression, sex drive) between our "humanity" and animal nature a sufficient evidence that this, indeed, is a work in progress? More so, wouldn't that also mean that the top predators we consider ourselves to be, our role in this world, in fact, wasn't any more different than that of an average bacteria?

Egress into the unknown

A Huguenot on St. Bartholomew's Day
John Everett Millais

These days I feel like a soldier,
Fighting in a war.
Every day is getting longer,
Just waiting for you to knock on my door.
But every day I’m growing stronger
and less afraid of pain.
I know the day is coming,
When we will meet again.

Bonjour la Suisse

Switzerland is a magnificent place on Earth. From the spectacular views of the pristine nature to the mouthwatering cuisine, visiting this alpine country will be among the most unforgettable experiences in your life.  

Hit the link below to take a look at the few photos from my first visit there, they should give you a taste of what it is like to live in the second most livable city in the world.

FLICKR: Bonjour la Suisse!