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 Liebster Blog Award: 11 Answers for 11 Questions – Part II

I've had just enough time to...   answer more questions...

Taken in a busy street in Kathmandu, Nepal while Daddy is cooking and I am looking

So I have to look for the answers for the next 6 questions for the Liebster Award (see Part I h...ere). There are many ways we can look for answers, the most important of which is to start looking and to look everywhere. You never know where the answers may come from – 

While Daddy was cooking 

I was looking at the blond 

And the blond was looking at God 

And God was looking at what’s cooking on the stove 

We were all looking 

Except Daddy who was cooking

The last dance of the concubine... 

6. What movie would you recommend for viewing? 

I enjoyed many types of movies from Monster slugfest such as Pacific Rim to Despicable Me to Art movies that no one wants to see. I’ve been to one movie where there were only 3 pairs of lovers and me and I was watching… the movie of course. 

Why “Farewell to myConcubine”?

Because this is one of the most tragic and romantic tale of ancient China telling the story of how Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu sacrificed a kingdom to save his concubine. At the eve of his defeat, the king bade an emotional farewell to his concubine who performed a sword dance before slitting her own throat when he was distracted. The movie took it further and weaved the tale into the parallel lives of two modern Opera stars playing on larger themes of birth and death; love, loyalty and betrayal. It is the only Chinese film to win the top prize in the Cannes festival.

Under the century old rain trees bordering the Taiping lakes, I sang... 

7. Would you be able to sing on stage in front of hundreds of people?

I can. But with my singing, why would anyone want to ask me to? I am an introvert but if need be, I can stand in front of a crowd, preferably not singing but that too if I have to earn my keep. But I have always imagined what it is like to sing like Susan Boyle.

Why “Under the Rain Trees,I Sang the Ash Grove”?

Because while some people sang in the bath room, that is not enough privacy for me. My neighbours may complain. So I sang under the rain trees where I bother no one and no one bothers me. I may bother a few squirrels but they are not known to complain

Up before sunrise to welcome a new Himalayan dawn...

8. When you start your morning? 

When I woke up, which is usually between 7.00 to 7.30 am. I put in long hours at work typically 10 to 12 hours a day so I don’t use the alarm. I found myself under-productive when I wake up earlier than when my body tells me to.

Why “A New Himalayan Dawn”?

Because though I’m a late sleeper and not an early person, I will make the effort to wake up early if there is a reason to. Like that early morning in the Himalayan highlands, I was up before the sunrise; went up to the roof to do meditative dancing while waiting for the first crack of dawn. It was my most memorable early morning.

If you listen carefully, you can hear the sound of falling leaves... 

9. What music do you listen to in the evenings?

In the early evening, I will go up alone to the office roof. There, I will do my fast walk or slow jog to the accompaniment of English or K-pop fast dance music that my younger friends downloaded for me. Maybe the crows don’t like my choice of music for they sometimes cawed loudly and as many as twenty can take to circling over my head. 

Why “The sound of falling leaves”?

Because when I walk or jog in the park in the weekends, I leave my ipod at home. I prefer listening to the sound of Nature and need silence to hear the sound of falling leaves.

So I kissed the frog that talked 

And it became a prince and that is that. 

Nature in disarray 

Diamonds every where 

10. Who are you: a physicist or a lyric?

I am said to have a logical mind when it comes to work. But every now and then, I went dreamy dreamy like and strayed into some strange territories where the laws of physics don’t apply so I think that would disqualify me from being a scientist. However I have challenged a large scientific organization before with my intuition and won the argument on the basis of science :D.

Why “I Kiss A Frog ThatBecame A Prince and That is That” & “Nature in Disarray, DiamondsEverywhere”

Because what better ways to explain my illogical mind than to kiss a frog and to find diamonds in a padi field.

When the lady met the elephant on a narrow bridge by the river Kwai... 

11. What is your favorite animal? 

Dogs and cats are claimed by four-fifth of the world’s population so to impress people I decide to choose something BIG. And what bigger animal is there on land other than the elephant? I would have chosen dinosaurs if they are still alive. 

Why “The Lady Met TheElephant On A Rainy Day”?

I’ve a number of elephant posts including “I Dreamt of Elephants” and “The Monk Who Would Not Ride On AnElephant” but my favourite is the above when I was there one early morning by the bank of River Kwai where I witnessed the poignant scene (to me) of the lady meeting the elephant on a narrow bridge.

There. These are my 11 answers to the 11 questions. In a coming post, I will ask my own 11 questions the “A Thousand Reasons” way. If anyone is game to have a crack at them and have a blog, I will nominate you for the Liebster award. Have fun! 

Dragons In Love

I've had just enough time...   to witness dragons in love

Taken one early misty morning in Ampang Hills, Kuala Lumpur

Dragons in love

Shook the world apart

Restored the knight's faith

Weary of killing

Down sword and shield

To take up the plough

Planted seeds of hurt that

Burst into a thousand bloom

Attracted the Monarch

From far away

But the knight was not impressed

Till it bore fruits

Lemon bitter to

Squeeze on rare meats

On laid tables waiting

Till the curtains lifted

By night winds

Through open windows

The farmer toasted

Red wine

To slain ghosts

Merry laughter

Echoed from the hut

Through the night

Dragons in love shakes the world

Flower, Why Are You In The City of Man? (繁市中的花儿)

I've had enough time to...   lament for the flowers in the City of Man

Taken from a moving vehicle in the City of Yangon, Myanmar

Flower in the city

You are out of place

You do not belong here

Among rusty and stainless steel

The sun burns you

The night offers no sleep

You are valued only for your freshness

But your freshness doesn’t keep

The city sucks all vitality

The remains to the rubbish heap

This is the way the city lives

您孤立此地

此处非你所属

在钢铁与锈之间

烈日噬干您

入夜不得眠

鲜绿是您所有

奈何不持久

城市吸走您的生命力

残骸归废墟

这就是繁市生活之道

The fields and the mountains

They are so far away…

Flower, why are you here -

In the city of man?

田野与山丘

遥不可及

花儿啊，你为何身在此处

在人群的市中

(Many thanks to a dear friend for the translation into Mandarin)

The Imminent Destruction of the Creeping Forest.

I've had just enough time to...   shoot the Creeping Forest before its destruction

Shots of the Creeping Forest in the "Beautiful Island" 

That day was a Sunday. It was also the first day of the 2013 Chinese New Year and the start of the Year of the Water Snake. I woke up early and drove towards the factory where I worked on the island named “Beautiful Island”. I do not what they call it before they call it “Beautiful Island” for there is nothing very beautiful about it unless you love mud flats and mangrove swamps. But every day as I drove to and from work, I will look out to a stretch of land which I called the Creeping Forest.

Use your imaginations

It is one of the last few patches of wild land left on the island that is undergoing rapid expansion and I know its days are numbered when they began to widen the road near it. It may only be weeks or months before part or all of this stretch will be bulldozed over and I will only be left with the memories that amused me every day to work. I will not make the same mistake as when I procrastinated too long before taking shots of another idyllic part of the island. Now, it is just an ugly vacant lot for sales that has been left idle for the last two years.

To see the fantastical creatures

The traffic was very light on this very busy highway exactly as I planned. I will feel self-conscious if I were to stop my car on a normal day to take photos as many people who travel this road may recognize me. But on this day, if they are not celebrating the new year, they will be enjoying the holidays which last until Wednesday and all factories will be shut down during this period. There is no one to ask me questions that I do not want to answer. 

That dwell in this forest (I saw a Keelin here every time except today, sigh...)

About a few minutes before reaching the factory, I pulled over to the laterite shoulder of the highway, alighted from my car and took my shot. Unfortunately, the light this morning was too bright and not slanted enough for the shadows to bring out the best of the fantastical creatures. For the real beauty of the Creeping Forest is what you extract from it through your imaginations. And the weather (cloudy or bright), intensity of light, time of the day (especially in early morning or late evening), windy conditions all play a part but none as important as the imagination of the viewer. What each of us sees may be quite different from the other and on a special day of moving clouds, the transformation happened right before our very eyes.

Visible only to those with the "sights".

As I inched forward in my car to take shots from slightly different angles, a strange bird with a black band across its eyes like a robber flew to settle on a branch in the open not more than 10 yards away from me. I shot quickly afraid that it will fly away immediately but I should not have worried. It perched there comfortably and watched me for the whole duration. That is kind of a strange behavior for a bird so I chalked it as one getting unusual rewards for doing unusual things. 

Unsual rewards for doing unusual things or maybe this bird understands me

The creeping forest may just be wild trees with overgrown creepers to some but to me, it was something more, something much more. I know I am going to miss it when it is gone. So I made this post to remember it by. As I drove back to the house to begin the celebration of the New Year, I can’t help but wonder – am I the only driver who notices it and who feels this way?

I will miss it when it is gone...

Monkeys Becomes Man, Men to be Blamed

I've had just enough time to...  see monkey becomes man

Taken of the mischievous monkey in The Monkey Forest, Bali

Monkeys see, Monkeys do

Monkeys learn

Monkeys eat

Monkeys drink

Monkeys rummage

Monkeys beg

Monkeys snarl

Monkeys steal

Monkeys run

Monkeys bully

Monkeys snatch

Monkeys scramble

Monkeys mob

Monkey becomes man

Men to be blamed

Have You Ever Heard Of A Snail Having A Heart Attack?

I've had just enough time to...   have a slow conversation with a snail

Early morning shooting of a snail in action in Ampang, Malaysia

To understand a snail, go slow

Speed is not the way to do it

You may use it on the rabbit

Or the road runner

But it did the fox no good

So slow may be the answer

For speed too.

If you do not have the patience

Don’t count the stars

Just try to follow the comet

And see where that gets you

Einstein may have ridden its tail

But he did it slowly, slowing down

Time to travel the speed of light

 The virtue of a snail is its lack of speed

The only reason to do it fast

Is to get out of danger

But we have already  

Been wired for that

And the white coats tells you

Slowing down your heart

Lengthens your life

And the swami tells you

Slowing down your pace

Preserve your balance

And your mum tells you

Eating slowly

Improves your digestion

And mums are never wrong

We won’t argue with that.

And have you ever heard

Of a snail having a heart attack?

Can Planting Concrete Be More Fun?

I've had just enough time to...   see more concrete being planted.

Taken in Cilegon, Indonesia 2 hours from Jakarta 4 months later of the same place as picture below.

On 3 January 2012, I put up a post with the title “Planting Rice Is Never Fun” where I explored the theme of poverty and progress. Is progress a necessary evil? It is not an easy question and the answer depends very much on which side you are from and in. For those who love the beauty of the idyllic farm scene as much as me, we often see the ugly side of progress even as we admit to its necessity at times. But why can’t progress be prettier, to encompass instead of just destroying nature?

This was the image of the field in November 2011.

This is how it looked liked in March 2012.

It is easy to, but I have no right to question whether this is right or wrong for one with no stake in it. I can only lament that the beautiful field of swaying gold is no more. Replace by these piles of concrete jutting out from the barren ground. When the wind blows, I will no longer hear its whispers through the heavy leaden grains but the deep sighs as it swims round stiff concrete.

Saving The Rain Trees of Taiping

I've had just enough time to...   see the rain trees saved

Taken of the Taiping Lake Garden, the most beautiful park in Malaysia

The rain trees lined the serene shore

Dipping its branches into the forbidden lake

Rippling the surface stirred by wayward winds

Sending a gentle cascade of dropping leaves

On wet grasses and empty benches

Providing solace to aching hearts and aching feet

Slowing down time to a slow crawl

Witnessed by the distant hills and century trees

Through the veils of morning mists and driving rain

A scene that soothes the heart with a gift of memory

That may not last as long as the trees

Only just as long as we live…

And they want to set up kiosks in this sacred land

To sell snacks and souvenirs!

Reaching Out Just To Touch.

I've had just enough time to...   reach out...

I saw this plant in Taiping Park reaching out over the water.

Reaching out

Over the water

Across the distance

Over time and space

Stretching out to touch

With the tip of a finger...

Reaching out to touch you

Won’t you reach out too?

_______

Lately I’ve been hard to reach

I’ve been too long on my own

Everybody has a private world

Where they can be alone

Are you calling me?

Are you trying to get through?

Are you reaching out for me?

I’m reaching out for you 

Rock Therapy Queen + Paul Rodgers Reaching Out

In my shoes, just to see

What it's like, to be me

I'll be you, let's trade shoes

Just to see what it'd be like to

Feel your pain, you feel mine

Go inside each other's minds

Just to see what we find

Look at shit through each other's eyes

But don't let 'em say you ain't beautiful, oh

They can all get f*****.

Just stay true to you

So don't let 'em say you ain't beautiful

Oh, they can all get f*****.

Just stay true to you

Beautiful - Eminem

The Lament of An Old Park Bench.

I've had just enough time to...   sit on an old park bench.

Taken of this old park bench on top of Maxwell Hill that has seen better days.

I met an old park bench

Looking kind of sad

Or maybe a little mad

From the way it blenched.

When I am about to sit

It shrieked “Don’t do it!”

When I asked “Why Not?”

It said “My purpose is lost”

“I used to be happy

To do what I do best

To provide a respite,

A little rest.

But when they prefer the grass

I know my time has passed,”

I sat down gently on the dirty bench

Cradled its arm around the bend

Sat with it silently into the night

Till it was just us, and the starlight.

The next morning I went back to the park

To where the bench and me shared a spark

But the bench was nowhere to be found

Just a puddle of dew left on the ground.

______

A sea of smile and a river of tears
A flood of memories
Imagination will take me back
(Chorus)
On an Old Park Bench
Old Park Bench
Old Park Bench
Old Park Bench
A summer's night, the stars aglow
Did more than light the sky
With fortune, fantasy, and fate
We dream on an old park bench
I take your hand in my hand
You hold my soul in yours
One touch becomes eternal
When falling in love

Nature Has No Respect for the Monuments of Men

I've had just enough time to...   try to earn the respect of Nature and it is not impressed.

Taken outside a temple in Nepal of Men's imposing monument and its scan respect by Nature.

Nature has no respect for the monuments of men

Whether they be of Kings or Goddesses

It runs by its own rules and shall prevail

Even when it is overrun by men and their constructions

Do not lament the demise of nature and its destruction 

But lament instead the demise of men and their destruction 

For nature will still be here and prosper

When the last of men has long disappear

Nature as is its nature, patiently waits...

For the end of men to return to its true nature.

Nature in Disarray, Diamonds Everywhere.

I've had just enough time to...   see diamonds everywhere.

Taken outside Surabaya, Indonesia on the way to Mount Bromo.

Nature in disarray

Diamonds every where

Gold has fallen

Greens on the rise

The waves swept everything

Off the casino table

The ball rolled and

Was snookered into the corner

It found the net

When there was no keeper

Yet the score was kept

In ticketed paper

Don’t talk in whisper

Don’t talk at all

Don’t listen to the echo

Bouncing off the wall

The wall went up

The wall came down

It went up again

Mile high off the ground

The man must be crazy

To build it on sand

It looked like a castle

Just beyond the bend

The tide won’t come in

It was stopped by the King

Who sang his last song in Neverland

Time swing on the pendulum

But who stopped the swing?

The clock paid no attention

It has its own intention

Shelter me under the umbrella

The sun is hot today

Frying eggs on the walkway

No cars on the freeway

I’m going anyway

I hitch a ride on the comet’s tail

And fell into an unknown galaxy

Where birds rule the day

But nights are not for slumber

Turning the pillow over

Upsets the universe

Spirit spirits roll the dice

If it comes out eight

The fisherman shall die

What is the use of ships?

When the sea has collapsed

Into itself with an explosion

The world reborn

Again! Again! And Again!