a postcard project ・ february 2014

a postcard project is a personal project I've taken up in an attempt to write more regularly to J, through photo postcards of photos I've taken

I like February for these apparent reasons — it's a (slightly) short(er) month, we get Chinese New Year break, and we celebrate Valentine's Day like any other holidays, though we often complain how commercialised it is.

This month, I chose this film photograph of J's hand which I took during our cruise trip 2 years back. I have this thing for hands. When I meet people, I take notice of their hands, their fingers, and their nails. Every day, our hands do so much, and we are all capable of doing good with them. I like to believe that we have healing hands. Sometimes, what saves us, and what we need is merely an affirmative touch, or a gentle squeeze in the hands to show the pulse of understanding, as well as a non-verbal promise that that someone dear will always be there, never letting go.

J's right hand has this scar from his wart and that is what I like. It's imperfect but it's so human, and it's him. And it's this particular pair of hands which has lifted me up when I was down, and the same pair which has taken me together with him in his life journey. With this, I would like him to know just how much he has created joy in my life, hence the quote by E.E. Cummings - Yours is the light by which my spirit's born: you are my sun, my moon, and all my stars.”