This drawing is an exercise in still life, picking objects that said something about me. I chose a few things that represent what I like to do in my down time or when I want to retreat from the real world–books, where I retreat into different worlds, encounter different characters, read different stories of different lives; books are something I also wish to write many of. The book in the bottom of the pile is a book on World Mythology, probably my favourite literary subject and something I have always wanted to explore and incorporate into my writing, my choreography, and perhaps, eventually into my art. My eyeglasses are my lens on everything. I grew up needing eyeglasses since I was 8 years old, and although I wore contact lenses for a few years when I was in college and a few years after, eyeglasses were practically an appendage on my face. My China mug, from China, was a Christmas present from an aunt, and represents comfort through the beverages it can hold–from hot cocoa to coffee to a variety of teas, even the occasional cold drink, although I generally take cold drinks from glasses or tumblers. The flower vase is a representation of something old, something tribal and authentic, something beautiful in its simplicity. It is a native bamboo tumbler made in the Southern Philippines, decorated with traditional patterns. It is a reminder that what is new cannot exist without what is old; that new things, new ideas, are rooted in old traditions. The last item in my pile is an orange, a segmented fruit that is presented as a single whole. It is like the world, segmented, capable of being taken apart, with each part as flavourful as the next, yet each segment capable of having a slightly different flavour, texture, juiciness, and colour from the next segment, some segments containing seeds, others without. Every segment connected through an intricate network of veins and held together by the skin. It can be anything from saccharine to bitter, sour, tart, or even flavourless. Even the colour is a combination of two other colours and any two varieties will have different shades, different flavours. It is a microcosm of the world–an orange, not an apple.