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?
I've had just enough time... to learn that truth can be hidden in plain sight
You may not see the truth even if you have compound eyes...
I was so
sure of my sight because I could see
Better
than others, I thought
So I did
not heed those close to me
"Beware!
Things are not what they seem"
But I
trusted my sight more because I, could see
We were
so sure of the rights we fought
That we could not be wrong
Justice,
compassion, transparency, truth
I thought
all who came under the banners
Fought
for the same God
The
battles had been fought and lost
The
banners strewn on the battlefield
With the
corpses, as I retreated I reflect -
Blindness
is such a strange ailment
We are
blind because we are so sure we see
Taken of the moth in my garden who reminded me that truth can be hidden in plain sight...
How our
eyes deceived us. We would not have been fooled if we were blind. I saw the
path I was shown. I saw it lead straight to the castle. And we charged. But we
did not see the swamp that bogged us down. That made us easy preys to the
hiddenfoes and the circling vultures. We felt the slings of arrows taking up arms
against a sea of troubles. No more! I lay down my arms but not before I reluctantly
slay the beautiful illusive dream. But worry not about the dreamer, he dreams
new dreams without bloodshed instead...
I've had just enough time to... be thankful for leaves
Taken in the garden village of Sungei Buloh, Malaysia
I was in the
town of Sungei Buloh (River of Bamboo) shopping for orchids before the Chinese
New Year. In those old less enlightened days, this place was used to isolate a
leper colony from the general populace. A vocation was needed for these displaced
people and in an ironic way, growing flowers and plants was the profession
chosen for them. Now it is a thriving town engaged predominantly in the
gardening business. The city has expanded and engulfed the area making it a very
valuable real estate. Now, those once shunted lepers and their descendants are
not only businessmen and women but also millionaires putting a final irony to
the Town of The River of Bamboo.
Everyone
was looking down because there were flowers in glorious bloom everywhere. On
both sides of the small lane, on every multiple racks, in every stall and
corners, any space that can be squeezed in, flowers of all varieties and colors
and forms smiled back at you. But my attention was up, at that wondrous spread
of rain tree branches and the millions of tiny leaves blinking at me. Whenever
the wind stirred, a few shook themselves from the branches and floated down in
an erratic but graceful dance to join the other fallen leaves on the roof.
I love
flowers but it was the leaves that talked to me that day. And leaves always reminded me of that sad song
叶子yèzi (Leaf ). I
heard that haunting voice as I stood by the road shoulder looking up feeling
deliciously sad while boisterous trading were happening all round me. And what
made it even more poignant is that I will never hear her singing a new song
again. '阿桑' (Ah Sang) had a hard life. She was discovered
singing in a pub and “Leaf” made her famous. Just when it appeared that Life is
finally giving her the break she deserved, she quietly left the entertainment
scene. Not long later, the world was shocked to learn that she has succumbed to
breast cancer. She was only 34.
叶子 Leaves
阿桑 Ah Sang
叶子是不会飞翔的翅膀 Leaves are wings that cannot fly
翅膀是落在天上的叶子 Wings are leaves dropped in the sky
天堂原来应该不是妄想 Heaven is not wishful thinking after all
