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

The Secret of the Indian Thorn Apple (in The Patan Golden Temple).

I've had just enough time to...   learn about the Indian Thorn Apple

Taken inside the Golden Temple of Patan...

Thank you all for your interest in the thorny fruits carried by the monkeys in the images that was shot in the monastery in Nepal. Thanks to Kismet who supplied the lead and some of your suggestions, we have together solved its mystery. The thorny fruit is the fruit of the Indian Thorn Apple or “Datura Metel” (see earlier posts). But first, something about the temple itself.

The temple is situated just two hundred meters north of the famous Patan Durbar Square and was built in the 12^th Century AD. Its original location was in Bahalkot and according to legends, the Buddhist monastery was built because of a dream by the disgraced Queen Pingala of Patan as the way to win back her husband’s affection. And it worked. 

where mouse or...

King Vaskar Deva Dutta had a dream that the idol of Buddha that was moved from Bahalkot disapproved of the new location and the temple should be built in a place shown by a mouse chasing a cat. One day, he did see a golden mouse chasing a cat and ordered it to be constructed there and named it “Hiranya Varna Mahavihar” or the Golden Buddhist Monastery. I guess that is why the rats are sacred in that temple.

According to Sanskrit literature, the Indian Thorn Apple is said to be grown from the chest of the Hindu god Shiva, the god of inebriants. In Nepal, the plant is considered sacred to Shiva and thorn apple flowers and fruits are the most important offering gifts and are offered at every “puja” or offering ceremony to please the god. The Indian Thorn Apple flowers are often depicted in Hindu Tantric Arts often in connection of the incarnation of Shiva. The plant is poisonous but is used for medicinal, ritual or intoxicating purposes and is also abused for criminal purposes. If by now, you are confused about Hindu god and Buddhist temple, it is because in Nepal and large part of India as well; Hinduism and Buddhism coexist for centuries and much of the culture and beliefs have spilled over from one to the other.

The Indian Thorn Apple is not as exotic as you may believe. It belongs to the same family as that of the Angel’s Trumpets.

pigeons and human happily co-exist.

What Is Green To You?

I've had just enough time to...   ponder green.

Taken from the top of a concrete silo in Cilegon, Indonesia of two shades of green.

The green of growth, vibrant

The green of decay, slimy

The green of spring, refreshing

The green around the gills, ailing

The green of apple, juicy

The green of jealousy, bitter

The green of nature, abundance

The green of inexperience, stumbling

The green of jade, virtuous

The green of money, corrupting

The green of balance, harmony

The green of light, go!

The green of love, Aphrodite

The green of bile, virulent

Apple, asparagus, chartreuse, fern

Forest, harlequin, honeydew and lime

Mantis, shamrock, olive, mint,
Pistachio, spring, teal and pine

The cloak Muhammad wore

The altar cloth of Catholics priests

The quetzal plumes on top Aztec chiefs

The beer drank on St. Patrick's Day

The singular colour of Libya’s flag

The virtue of China's jade

In the Rising Sun, eternal life is said to

Contain strings of green's thread

But,

What is green to you?

Part II - The Monkey Wearing Its Suit of Armour.

I've had just enough time to...   see the monkey wearing its suit of armour

Taken in the same temple in Kathmandu of the monkey wearing its chain of armour.

The Monkey wrapped itself in chain

Invisible

Only to itself

And the others wonder why

It so willingly

Wears its burden

But the monkey feels safe

In its chains

Of armor

That was how I found the monkey

In the temple

Still wearing its chains

A century after

Part I - The Monkey Holds Its Thorny Fruit.

I've had enough time to...   see the monkey holding the thorny fruit

Taken in a Hindu temple in Kathmandu, Nepal. The monkey was still holding the fruit when I left.

The monkey holds the thorny fruit

It hurts its hand

But it won’t let go

It does not know what to do

Except it desires it

And it knows not why but

The Monkey holds on to it obsessively

And its blood

Stains the floor

That was how I found the monkey

In the temple

Still holding the fruit

A century after

While Daddy Is Cooking.

I've had just enough time to...   see Daddy cooking.

Taken in a busy street in Kathmandu, Nepal 

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

While Daddy was cooking

The street musician was playing

The man in the mask was staring

And Life passes by on either end of the street

They were all busy

Except Daddy who was doing the cooking

In Praise of Shadows.

I've had just enough time to...   sing the praise of shadows.

Taken in my favourite hotel in the historic city of Malacca, Malaysia

If you understand shadows

You will appreciate its silence

Its floating softness

Its fleeting forms

That tells a richer story

Than sharp edges

If you appreciates shadows

You will wait with patience

For it to reveal

The nature of its dances

That takes you dancing along

Through their illumination

The object is true

The shadow is not

If you believe that

You live a world only of light

And have no reason

To praise the nature of shadows

This Is A Call To Arms!

I've had just enough time to...   question the call to arms.

Taken in my favourite hotel museum in Malacca, Malaysia.

This is a call to arms!

Weary soldiers, pick up your swords

And fallen shields

Leave your fallen comrades behind

Brace yourself for the onslaught

Though your weary arms refuse to obey

Steel your heart and plunge your steel

Into the heart of your fallen enemy

This is a call to arms!

Defend your country

Defend your brothers

Defend your family

Defend your pride

Defend your manhood

Defend your belief

Defend your religion

Defend your creed

Defend everyone

Defend everything

But…

Who is there to defend me?

_______

Fight For The Kingdom Bound For Glory

Armed With A Heart Of Steel

I Swear By The Brothers Who Stand Before Me

To No Man Shall I Kneel

Their Blood Is Upon My Steel

Blood Is Upon My Steel

Call to arms - Manowar

The Reason For A Scarecrow

I've had just enough time to...  ask a scarecrow

A drive by shooting of the innocent scarecrow in Lebanon

Does a scarecrow scares crows?

If not, why have a scarecrow?

Having someone to look after the crop

Does it give you comfort?

When you know it does not do the job?

The birds are not fooled

To them it as a joke

To think they will be scared

By something as stiff as that

The birds knew

And the farmers too

The scarecrow is there only for show

The farmers can tell you

The birds too in their twitters

That there is a purpose to it all

A tradition that ought be followed

The scarecrows beg to disagree

The reason is that they exist

Pisces Cannot Swim

I've has just enough time to...   swim outside the boundary

Taken in the Maeklong Railway Market Bangkok of fishes uniquely presented for sales

Pisces caught in a vice

Unable to escape.

Out of its element.

Boxed in.

Where is the dream?

Out of ocean

Out of water

Out of space to swim

Out of a land to be free

Is this world an illusion?

Or is it a dream?

Is reality written in the stars?

Or is it sold two for twenty?

Rule by emotion

Kill by cold steel

Misjudge the tide

The water retreat

Pisces are left

Floundering on the beach

_____________

Some times my life it seems like fiction 

Some of the days it's really quite serene 

I'm a living proof of all life's contradictions 

One half's going where the other half's just been 

And I'm a Pisces fish and the river runs through my soul 

I'm a Pisces fish and the river runs through my soul

George Harrison - Pieces Fish

I Don't Know (The Equation of Life)

I've had just enough time to...   answer with "I don't know"

Taken during a lecture in Dongguan, China when I don't know the equation

I don’t know the equation of Life

Presented on the white board

To the last two decimal

Neat and tidy

My mind is blank

My emotion in turmoil

Everyone were nodding their heads

But mine was violently shaking

“Life is a formula!”

But mine doesn’t equate!

I follow the rules

I read the books

I listen to the experts

And experts don’t lie

Do they?

They show me the path we should take

They have a shortcut

Only experts can make

When I asked why?

I got an “F”

And shown the door

Now I cannot be an expert-like

I’ve lost the Equation of Life

No certificate, no certificate

Condemned to die

_______ 

I don't know what you smoke or what countries you've been to

if you speak any other languages other than your own

but I'd like to meet you

I don't know if you drive if you love the ground beneath you

I don't know if you write letters or panic on the phone

still I'd like to call you all the same, if you want to, I am game.

Lisa Hannigan - I Don't Know

Mount Bromo Part II – Sitting at the Edge

I've had just enough time to...   sit down and enjoy the view.

Taken of Mount Bromo in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park while standing at its edge.

If you are too close to the edge, don’t stand

Crawl if you have to

Let your pride be the only one to fall

The one who brave the edge

May be the most foolish one of all

Better still, take a seat

Why climb a hill if not for the view?

Mount Bromo Part I – Standing at the Edge

I've had just enough time to...   stand at the precipice.

Taken at the edge of the live volcano - Mount Bromo in Java, Indonesia.

If you stand too close to the edge

Above all, don’t lose your balance

But if you are about to fall

Try falling where the support is

The other way is down the deep precipice

And that would be the end, wouldn’t it?

But better yet don’t stand at the edge

That is a dangerous place to be.

The Back of A Business Woman is Made of Steel.

I've had just enough time to...  admire the back of strong women.

Taken on the strong back of a business woman in the fruit market in Hanoi.

An old bicycle

A few plastic pots hanging

A metal rack

Holding a few green plants

She is in business.

The back of a business woman is made of steel.

Another strong back and strong shoulders too. Can you carry those weights throughout the day?

Her back may have bended double from age and weight over the years but hers is the strongest back of all for she carried her entire family on it. And she is still doing it.

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