The Melon I Found In The Borneo Highlands

I've had just enough time...   to find the melon in the highlands

A beautiful melon with intricate patterns I found in the Borneo Highlands Resort in Kuching

The melon I found on Borneo Highlands

I know not its name and

There is no one to enlighten

But it is all the same

One need not know to appreciate

One only need know to appreciate

The Grasshopper In My Room

I've had just enough time to...   encounter a grasshopper in my room

The grasshopper I encountered in the seventh floor of my hotel room in Kuching

I found a grasshopper

On the seventh floor of my hotel room

How did it get there? I do not know.

But it must have hopped there

All the way from where it came from

I said ‘hello’ but it hopped away

To a far corner of the room

I left to do what hotel occupants do

And when I returned, it was gone

I never saw it again but did I hear its song?

In the early morning

Before the breaking of the dawn

I was awaken by singing in my room

I don’t which is lonelier

The singing by my bed or

The early morning prayer

Enveloped by the yearning

And the longing

I fell into a strange dream

Of heaven and home…

Two days ago when I opened the door to my hotel room in Kuching, a tiny grasshopper sprang away from me. I followed it to the center of the room where it stopped and viewed me with cautious eyes as I snapped it. As I had to leave immediately, I left it undisturbed where it was. When I returned late that night, it was nowhere to be seen. The next morning when it was still dark, I was awaken by the shrill singing that after several moments of sleep deprived confusion, I concluded it must be from the grasshopper in my room though I am not sure what sound grasshopper make. At the same time, the early morning prayer from across the river wafted into my room. Surrounded by these two sounds, I fell asleep again to a strange dream…

What Are We Fighting For?

I've had just enough time to...   stop fighting...

Taken during a stroll in the park by the Kuching river esplanade

Are men born to fight?

What are they fighting for?

The weak say I fight to defend

I fight for survival

But when they become strong

They covet what is not theirs

And fight to conquer

Men say I fight for my country

But when there is no enemy

They fight among themselves

Men say I fight for my religion

I fight for my God

But God says don’t fight among yourself

Men say they fight for glory

But where is the glory in massacres

In fatherless child and widowed wife

And bones bleached by the sun

When men lament the price of fighting

It is always too late –

Much too late

     -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Where have all the flowers gone?

The Python That Swallowed An Elephant (蛇吞象)

I've had just enough time to...   see a snake trying to swallow an elephant

Taken of the fisherman being swallowed by the crocodile in Kuching River

The python swallowed a cat

I know why it swallowed a cat

It was not well fed

The python swallowed a goat

No surprise it swallowed a goat

It is now filled up to the throat

But the python should not have swallowed the elephant

No, it should not have swallowed the elephant

But it was greedier than its judgement

Now the elephant has a snake skin boot on one leg

And looking for another three hungry snakes

_______

There was an old woman who swallowed a fly,
I don't know why she swallowed a fly,
Perhaps she'll die.

The Song of the Lonely Drinker

I've had just enough time to...   drink alone

Taken while sitting outside a pub in Kuching with the moon and others for company

I’m a lonely drinker

Making toasts to myself

And the ghost across the table

The ghost nods with its glass

Empty it in silent acknowledgement

And no advice for me

Nor do I have need of any, for

In the company of sympathetic ghosts

Who needs noise and companions?

Drinking is best done alone

Drinking is best done alone

In one’s own company

Loneliness flavored the wine unlike any

It is silly to drink to be happy

Silly to try to drown anything

The only reason to drink is to make -

Loneliness a pleasant company

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

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

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.

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 :)

The Crocodile Behind The Man

I've had just enough time to...   see the crocodile behind the man

Taken while taking a walk back to my hotel in Kuching, Sarawak.

I saw the man

But not the crocodile behind

When I did see it

It was already too late

It had its jaw on my leg

Before it dragged me

Into its murky depth

I wonder

How is it

I saw the man

But not the monster

Behind the man

Silence Is The Stillness Within.

I've had just enough time to...   be silent.

Taken of the monkey who asked me to be silent in a Kuching shop

Shall we communicate in silence?

Words only get in the way

Sweep them all away

And Let silence rule the day

It speaks no truth

It tells no lies

It does not explain nor elaborate

Or paints wondrous pictures for the mind

Uncluttered Unpolluted

It is the gentle ripple of a still pond

Not the roaring superhighway

Of a mind racing under closed lids 

Silence is not the absence of sound

But the stillness within

_______

Silence is golden...

but my eyes still see.

Silence is golden, golden.

But my eyes still see.

Silence Is Golden - The Tremeloes

The Ways We Fish.

I've had just enough time to...   think about the way I fish.

Taken of the fisherman under the hot tropical sun in Kuching River

There are many ways one can catch a fish

We can do it with one rod

Or we can do it with nine

That explains the way we approach Life

There are many ways we can reach a destination

We can do it fast and easy

Or take many detours along the way

That explains the way we take our journeys

Taken of the very relaxed fisherman

There are many ways we can love

We can do it intensely

Or do it lovingly forever

That explains the nature of our heart

There are many ways we can live our Life

You can tell by the way we fish, or not

We Always Reap What We Sow.

I've had just enough time to...   continue sowing...

Taken during near a river bank in Kuching, East Malaysia.

“We reap what we sow”

Not always

But it should not be for lack of trying

It should not be for lack of hoping

It should not be for lack of sacrificing

We do what we can

And hope for a bountiful harvest

Not always

But we should not give up

We should not give in

We should just sow some more

And hope for a bountiful harvest

Not always for

It may not be what we hope for

Nor the harvest we look for but

“We always reap what we sow”

_______

The Harvest Song

《丰收歌》女声合唱·中央民族乐团合唱团

A Dog In The City Of Cats.

I've had just enough time to...   be a dog in the city of cats.

Taken while wandering around in Kuching, the City of Cats.

I’m a dog in a city of cats

But they don’t seem to mind

I find it easy not to chase them

When I could be the one to be chased around

I turned my attention to mice

But I wish they were of rabbit’s size

My woofs now contains some meows

And I licked my fur the cat way now

I sing shrilly to the hanging moon

And add a howl or two as I croon

I learn to appreciate the smell of fish

No longer holding my nose in anguish

But not lifting my leg to pee

Require some effort you see

For I still do that quietly

When no cat is watching me

I’m a dog in a city of cats

And they tolerate me

But I always wonder -

What if I’m a cat in a world of dogs instead?

A Santarina Grants Me A Wish.

I've had just enough time to...   extract a wish from the Santarina.

Taken of the Santarina who is waiting to grant the wishes of her patrons.

On a day when I make wishes out of thin air,

A Santarina popped up in front of me,

Rubbing my eyes to see if there is a mistake,

For there she was in red, white, and flesh.

Hopping forward like a mischievous imp,

I plonked in front of her with a moonlike grin,

She had the Old Man’s eyes and her laugh was is a little odd

But I dismissed that for I am bought.

I rattled out my wishes longer than an airplane’s trail,

She noted it all down with a sip of ale.

And when I finally ran out of fuel, she remarked with a merry jingle

“What an impressive list,” and gave me a naughty twinkle.

 That was my happiest moment, superseded by the next,

When she coolly asked, “credit or cash?”

For I realized I had not departed for the North Pole

And the floor was still beneath my sole.

I gave her a smile and she smiled back.

Without a word, I turned and walked away.

She shouted after me “Merry Christmas!”

Without turning, I said “Merry Christmas to you too!”

And the people around me wondered who I was wishing to.

An Encounter With A Stray Cat.

I've had just enough time to...   exchange glances with a stray cat.

Taken in Sarawak - Kuching, the City of Cats.

Yeah don't cross my path

I don't bother chasing mice around
I slink down the alley looking for a fight
Howling to the moonlight on a hot summer night
Singin' the blues while the lady cats cry,
"Wild stray cat, you're a real gone guy."

I wish I could be as carefree and wild,
but I got cat class and I got cat style.

Stray Cat Strut by The Stray Cats.

_____

Dedicated to all cat lovers,

An encounter with a stray cat inspires.