Weekend in Raia

My aunt's house

Went out on a weekend trip to my aunt’s place in Raia, Goa. No television, no music system, no internet for a whole day… I wondered how I would spend my time. My camera was a blessing. Went around the garden taking these pictures.

We call these flowers "grinal" in Goa

An inquisitive ant

A change in perspective, for good ol' shoe flower

It's a mushroom!

As a kid I would be fascinated with the droplets on the leaves... even now...

Curiosity and the Cat 1

Curiosity and the Cat 2

This cat is a killer! It's a snake he has caught!

... and the snake got away

Ground level mushroom

The rare white shoeflower

Leaves or Flowers?

"Sant Anton flowers"... my aunt declares

The Condemned

“People like to watch violence. They always have…probably always will. We are just teenagers”

– Ian Breckel (The Condemned)

The Condemned

10 condemned criminals on an island and just one can survive… reality show or just craftily manipulated entertainment for viewers over the internet?

I was disgusted at the amount of violence in this film… but a film with its tagline and homepage watch-them-die-live.com, I guess it’s all justified.

The interviewer serves as the conscience of the watching audience. I express myself in her words: I now realize my [angry] reaction was simplistic. Over the past 24 hours millions have logged on to his website… and with his success I am no longer angry… I am sad… those of us who reward him, those of us who watch… are we, the condemned…

What do you say?

I must admit… I love comments… probably that was the subconscious motivation for me to begin this blog… I like comments about my photographs (usually from my photographer friend, Elton), comments on my dressing sense (from Merci) and finally comments about my lifestyle (from my parents).

I guess I am not the only one who loves comments. I know of the other side… people who love to comment… without them the world would not be complete.

In the span of a day I am bombarded with comments. Comments that are direct… comments that are subtle. Comments that are constructive… and the class of comments that are always late… How many times have I kicked myself saying, “Why didn’t I say that earlier.”

Came across this cartoon recently and I must admit, it did make me smile… and in fact inspired me to pen down these ideas.

Your comments are welcome!!!

The Play dough story

I showed Megan,  my neice, this blog the other day… immediately she quipped, “Put my pictures also over here.”

These pictures come with a little twist… They are all play-dough (modeling clay) creations… and they come with a story too… all courtesy Megan Rose Fernandes.

(I will only take credit for the photography and a bit of post-processing! ;))

The Artist: Megan Rose Fernandes

... at work

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a young boy,

Who owned a tiny car…

One day, he met a pretty girl,

And gave her a beautiful gift

and they lived happily ever after in their tiny house…

– THE END  – 

The Play dough story

I’m like a bird…

You have the freedom to be yourself, your true self, here and now – and nothing can stand in your way!

Jonathan Livingstone Seagull – Richard Bach

The Eagle

Watch a bird soaring high and you will find your own soul moving up with it…

The Loner

The symbols abound… Birds have been the symbols of war and peace, heartiness (the American turkey) and national pride (the peacock in India); wisdom (owl) and freedom (sea gull); spiritual awareness (hawk) and power (eagle), death (raven) and immortality (phoenix)  (Birds: Symbols and Meanings)

Vulture atop the Taj Mahal

The alchemists used the bird as a symbol similarly. The essential thing about birds is that they, having as their domain the air element, mediate between the earthly realm and the heaven world. The alchemist in observing the flight of birds, recognised in them a picture of the human soul undergoing spiritual development.

Reach for the skies

My alma mater, St. Xavier’s, Mumbai, used the eagle as a symbol to soar high, and reach for the skies with its motto: Provocans ad Volandum (provoke to fly)

I still remember a part of the lyrics from the college song:

Reach for the sky,

Let you light shine

Like an eagle, let your spirit fly

Xavier’s Song [the complete lyrics]

Pictures of birds are quite a challenge to capture… Here are some of my personal favorites.

Feel free to share some of your thoughts when you think of birds…

 

Mr. Fidgety

Stalker in the field

 

 

Bush bird

Sea bird

Down by the river side

Another stalker

The Cooler

 

The Cooler

Never been much of a fan of Vegas-films, but this one had me glued. Can a person be a total loser all his life… and can love make all the difference… and finally the biggest question… can luck be personified?

The film is an adult fairy tale alright, with luck and love as its main characters. But what gripped me was the body language of the lead character Bernie (played by William H. Macy). Bernie appears to wear the same suit in the entire film. But according to the director’s commentary, he was given three suits to wear during filming. During scenes where Bernie was hapless and unlucky, he wore a suit that was two sizes too big for him. During scenes where his luck was starting to turn around, he wore a suit that was one size too big for him. After he falls in love and is extremely lucky, he wears a perfectly tailored suit. Also, as Bernie’s luck improves, the lighting surrounding him gets brighter, and his shirt and tie go from dark and subdued to bright and colorful. (IMDB.com)

Subconscious messages indeed!

The Reader

You read a book. You go to a new place. You watch a film. And all you take with you just a “snapshot”. One moment that meant something to you. This was my snapshot of The Reader.

I’m not frightened. I’m not frightened of anything. The more I suffer, the more I love. Danger will only increase my love. It will sharpen it, forgive its vice. I will be the only angel you need. You will leave life even more beautiful than you entered it. Heaven will take you back and look at you and say: Only one thing can make a soul complete and that thing is love.  (From the movie: The Reader)