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Friday, February 27, 2009
April Flowers
At the slightest touch
of a damp evening breeze,
the flower breaks free
from its stalk.

It falls towards the ground,
gracefully dancing during descent.
A single ballerina,
with the sky as her backdrop.

Finally landing ever so gently 
amongst the soft blades of grass.
The layer of flowers that litter the ground,
reminiscent of a oil painting of white and pink against green.

As the sun sets,
casting its red-orange glow,
more flowers fall
in the quiet April breeze.

Hall X and XI is probably one of the most scenic spots in NTU, especially at this time of the year, where the flowers come into bloom. It is a pleasant sight to see the white and pink spotted trees and the field around them freckled with the fallen flowers. I suppose you can call it Singapore's cherry blossoms. 

Sometimes I think that "arts" people look down on "science" people, because they cannot "appreciate aesthetic beauty". I guess that's one of the reason why people cringe when I say I'm a physics major, because to them, it's dull and boring. However, while a scientist (mathematicians included) might not always have the vocabulary to express the aesthetic beauty of something in words, they see it and appreciate it nonetheless. 

In fact, I believe a scientist's appreciation goes beyond that of mere "wow, that's beautiful". A scientist inquires and asks why. He seeks to gain an understanding of what's happening. Some people might say "but knowing takes the intrigue out of it..." But I don't think so. I think a scientific understanding of something only allows me to appreciate something better and with more clarity. This is a belief Feynman held as well.

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