"The sharp knife of a short life

I've had just enough time..."


- "If I Die Young" The Band Perry


I see Beauty in many things. And like the ghosts that only speak to you if you notice them, they tell me wondrous tales. With my camera and my thoughts, I captured these as faithfully as I can to share with you. And by doing so, they gave me the reasons. And though the thousand reasons may not all be sweet and some indeed bitter; they are still reasons to live. Come to think about it, that is Life, isn't it?

Tuesday 31 July 2012

Where Mud Flows Endlessly – The Mud of Sidoarjo




I've had just enough time to...  ponder the greed of men 


Taken of the village boys watching the mud flow of Sidoarjo, Java that flooded their village


The mud bubbling out the vent from the ground in the distance indicated by the rising steam


The mud was in the ground
As it always had been
Man’s greed caused it
To be pumped out
To get to the gas within
But man did not reckon
With Nature’s wrath
Now the mud flows endlessly
Inundating the poor man’s house
While the rich ran away
That is the tragedy of Lusi



Houses in higher ground covered up to the roof, all else have gone under



Saturday 28 July 2012

Turning the Circle of Life




I've has just enough time to...   continue turning the Circle of Life


Taken while strolling through the small streets of Kuching, Sarawak


The years went round in a circle that never ends
The old man turns another wheel
Another of the many he had turned

He has seen many circles
And live in many of them
But the one big circle
He travels is now coming to an end

But until that circle is complete
There are still more wheels to turn
And he keeps turning them

_______

From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There's more to be seen than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done

In the circle of life
It's the wheel of fortune
It's the leap of faith
It's the band of hope
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the circle, the circle of life


Elton John - Circle of Life



Wednesday 25 July 2012

Pretty Geese On The Way To Market




I've had just enough time to...   see pretty geese on the way to market


Taken on the way to work one fine morning


One fine morning on the way to work
I saw three geese riding on a truck
That is nothing strange
Till they started talking
And I could understand what was said

“Yahoo! It is fun riding on a truck”
The others agreed in splutter and gurgle
“The kind farmer is giving us a ride
To the market in this fine pick-up truck”

“What is a market?” One asked
“It is what we live for, what we eat for”
The farmer told us “You’re such pretty creatures.
Raised to be admired.”




“Look at the poor guy at the wheel”
And they babble and blabber and blather
“He has to work to live because he is ugly!”
And they chatter and prattle and tattle

Then the light changed
And the truck moved and the geese
Were on their way and they called out
“Bye bye ugly, go to work!”
And their laughter echo all the way to the market…





Monday 23 July 2012

The Monk & The Flame of Life




I've had just enough time to...   watch the flame dances.


Taken of the monk watching the flame of Life in the Temple of Shaolin



The monk stares at the flickering flame
Admiring its sensual dance of life
With the waltzing wind

As the pace picked up
The flame sparkles and frolics
Spin, sashay and gambol

Glitters, glistens and quivers
With rising passion
Consuming itself in its brilliance

And the monk wonders
Should he live Life as an untamed flame
Or an unlighted candle



Friday 20 July 2012

How Do You Love Your Flowers?




I've had just enough time to...   love my flowers


Taken of the orchids in my garden...


How a flower looks
Depends very much on where it appears.

Will you go near a flower
Blooming on a cow dung’s heap?

Will you tame a jungle
To get near a wild bloom?



and the dancing ladies doing a wild dance in the wind...



Do you appreciate the common petals
Grown in your own garden?

Or do you covet that
Grown in your neighbor’s yard?

Do you value a flower
Because of its rich surrounding?

And not give a second glance
To that flowering in a junk yard?



while the prosperity flowers welcome the God of Prosperity, still waiting...


Do you love flowers for it beauty?
Or do you love flowers for its virtues?
Or do you love flowers because they are flowers?



Wednesday 18 July 2012

Why Did The Monkey Cross The Road?




I've had just enough time to...   see the monkeys crossing the road.


Taken of the monkeys crossing the road on my return journey from Lake Chini, Pahang


Why are the monkeys crossing the road?
Because the first monkey did

Why did the first monkey cross the road?
To get to the other side

But why did it want to get to the other side?
Because it wants to cross back from where it came from

But why did it cross in the first place?
Now that is a very profound question that philosophers have been trying to decipher for centuries. They even compared monkeys to chickens but found nothing in common. The chickens cross the road because they are chickens…

And?
The monkeys cross the road because they are monkeys.
Man crosses the road because…







Monday 16 July 2012

Are You Stepping Up or Are You Stepping Out?




I've had just enough time to...   be stepping up!


Taken just before stepping up to a restaurant in Hanoi


Are you stepping out?
No, I’m stepping up
Stepping over water
Stepping up the stairs
To open another door.

What will you find there?
I know not for sure
Something good I hope
Something different I’m sure
And I can always step out again



Stepping up is hard (not hard) to do...


Up another flight of steps
Through another open door
And if that is not what I seek
I will seek some more
For that flight of steps
That leads to that open door



As promised, the naked lady at the bottom of the stairs :)



Friday 13 July 2012

Chocolate Nightmare on Elm Street




I've had just enough time to...   have a chocolate nightmare


Taken of the chocolate sculpture in a Shanghai Baking Exhibition



A piece too many of any delight
Will a nightmare comes
Creeping, crawling, ready to pounce
Behind your shoulder it silently loom
Every road you take takes you to Elm
Shadow encroach your every step
But the shadow following, what is that?
The chill running down your neck
Is it wintery wind or frouzy breath?
You turn around
There is none
Your relief is short
For the nightmare on Elm has just begun



This is also fully sculptured from chocolate.




Wednesday 11 July 2012

Running On Empty.



I've had just enough time to...   crawl on all fours.


Taken of the little green beetle that visit me in my office during office hours


Caught in the grind of every day
The day drove by me
Without picking me up
As it raced along the bend
And left me stranded behind
As I struggled after
Another day raced by
And another and another and another…




The hours complained
“Why are you so slow
We cannot wait for you”
As the tick tock faded
Another hour asked
“Why are you still here?”
Then it too is gone

And I struggled along
On slippery slope
Down on all fours


Monday 9 July 2012

Jailed For Their Songs



I've had just enough time to...   sing my songs in jail


Taken of the jailed song birds while walking in the street of Surabaya, Indonesia.


They were jailed for their songs
Their sins were they sing too sweetly

Where is the crime in that?
You asked.

You asked the wrong question.

_______
By a lonely prison wall,
I heard a young man calling
Nothing matters, Mary, when you're free
Against the famine and the Crown,
I rebelled, they cut me down.
Now you must raise our child with dignity.

Low lie the fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly
Our love was on the wing, we had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely 'round the fields of Athenry.


Dropkick Murphys - Fields of Athenry




Friday 6 July 2012

Ode to The Wedding Photographer




I've had enough time to...   shoot the wedding photographer


Shooting the wedding photographer in St. Thomas Cathedral in Kuching, Sarawak


The wedding photographer was all over the place
Searching every angle, squeezing tight space
The only one with sweat on his face

He shot, reviewed, reshoot one after another
But his expression always carries that same bother
Like that of a serial scowler

Maybe he feels something is eluding him
Which make him kind of grim
And the singing of hymn
Is only pushing him to the brim





Time is running out
For him to make a shot that makes him proud
And the bride shrieking out loud

So at the critical chapter
When the couple kneels before the altar
He kneels along after
And made that perfect shot together with a prayer








Tuesday 3 July 2012

The Wedding Part II – The Wedding Ceremony




I've had just enough time to...   enjoy a wedding



Let the ceremony begins...


Being happy for others is a nice feeling. It makes you feel good and I was glad I attended the wedding. I felt good because I saw smiles straight from the heart and tears of joy. Maybe this will change my mind about weddings. I will not spoil it with too many words so shall  let the pictures do the talking. 



We are gathered here today...


Where the light shines down on the blessed couple...


As the voices were raised to heaven...


In the church where it all happens...


But my eyes are only on you...


While the world revolves around us, ours are frozen in time...


And the smiles spring straight from the heart...


And your protective hand circles round my waist...


And they chose the only wedding song I know how to sing! I think it is one of the most beautiful ever so enjoy it here.






Sunday 1 July 2012

The Wedding Part I – The Early Birds & Here Comes the Bride.




I've had just enough time to...   attend a wedding


The Wedding was held in in the Anglican Church St. Thomas Cathedral, Kuching, Sarawak.


Several months ago, in my last trip to Kuching before this one; I remembered an early morning conversation I had with the bride. We talked at length on many subjects including her coming wedding and she asked “You will come, ya?”

And I replied “Sure, and I will bring along a couple of loaves of bread.” For all I know, I may be the only wedding guest in the world to bring along bread as a gift to the bride on her wedding day. But it has significance for both of us but we will leave that a secret for now.



We were not the only early birds to flew here for the wedding.


Some of the early birds taking their seats waiting for wedding to begin.


I am no wedding photographer and I am not going to compete with those professionals doing a professional job. But I will share a few photographs that a professional photographer may not make. This is not my regular post but then that was not my regular day for I don’t normally attend weddings unless they were for people very close to me. So enjoy the photos that you may get if your professional photographer for the day could not make it.



The Pros at work.


The cover says it all - Love Rules.


Here comes the bride!


Ah..., a scene warm enough to melt any frozen heart.


Here is to you - Charles and Ai June. May you both always carry the eternal flame.
Watch out for Part II in a couple of days :)







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