Sensing Spring!!

First published on May 14, 2012. I have to repost this for several reasons. One that it is 7 years later and I still find it hard that I have been writing this for this long. Second, it is that time of the year. But more importantly, I forget how many pictures I have taken and recorded them here. I keep taking these pictures every year and always think of putting a collection, according to time and seasons, not realising how often I have already done it. Documented my time here in this beautiful country. May be this is where I spend my time, noticing, documenting.  Not useful on any professional level. Have only a few readers, and have kept it that way on purpose So, why then? 

No reason....just to see how different this country can be in different seasons. Stark difference, that one cannot experience anywhere else. 

So, here it is, once again, just look at the pictures. Just look the moods mother nature reflects!!

The following pictures were taken over the last four months, notice the changes in the intensity of sun, the happiness of the daylight and softness of the ground.  How you ask? Ah the blinding sun is obvious, happiness of daylight is reflected in how much it illuminates so the pictures are clearer, and the softness of the ground is visible in shooting leaves, alive and green.  The silence of it all is obvious in the rain drops on the buds.  

Frozen lake Alster, but as the impressions of the ripples on the surface reveal that it has been a wobbly winter.  Sometimes cold, sometimes not so much.  That change in temperature can leave its marks on the surface.  I cannot help but think of the concept of Sanskara, in the vedic tradition. The images, ideas, concepts and experiences that leave a mark on us, that are not experienced with detachment they create the 'sanskaras'--the innate tendencies we are born with.  Often referred to as the past Karma.  

Its problematic if you see links everywhere.......

Houses by Lake Alster.  I have often ended up at dead roads with huge houses.  Often just one --as far as the eye can see.  I wonder what happens to a spirit that does not encounter the sounds of their neighbor's children? or any neighbors for that matter.  And many a times, I have stood staring at the stillness in awe. Then linking it back to my experiences and notions of the "LIfeTime TV' I have sprinted away.....wondering if it was serial killer who lived there......

Lake Alster, January 2012.

The above picture was taken on my way back to town after a quick walk to Lake Alster.  It must not be more than 5 pm, in January.  I saw this car pass by and quickly snapped a shot to show how dark the roads can be by that time.  

The above two pictures were taken shortly after the car passed by.  Notice how dull the sky is at 5 pm.  It looks so dark, partly because this road cuts through the forest, ended up at the lake.  But by the end of January we start to see some hope with regards light....

The following few pictures were taken on the way to Stockholm, early April.  Around 9 am.  Again notice how bright the sun is, and only in January it is dark until after 9:30 am.  

The following few pictures were taken in late April. I went for a short walk after my lunch, right behind the university.  This sign, Atelje, which means Studio (I think) is my mark of halfway 40 min long walk between University and Lake Alster.

So, this is late April and the lake has melted completely.  The sun is more relaxed and beginning to breathe.

The following few pictures are from the walk, on a road less travelled. I had actually gone off the regular path that I take and wandered into the woods. I stayed there a few minutes so that I could capture the sounds of the birds.  Forests are alive in spring with the sound of the birds.  Come June, it all quiets down.  Know why? The mating season is over, and the gestation period begins.  The seed for newness has been laid, and we must mull over it to reflect by autumn, and learn by winter...and deliver again by spring....the cycle continues. 

I can almost hear the silence...in the pacing of my heart beat as I look at this picture.  Can you?

I took the above picture not for the green but for the bare shrub, not ashamed of its nakedness and poverty to stand amidst the green and lush....

The sun filtering through the trees. Looks like two bollywood stars will emerge anytime now and break into a song...

And the long shadows and reflections.....

I rested on a stone--and did something we fail to do everyday. Notice my own feet--well, shoes.  but grateful for what I can accomplish simply by being----I have just been reading how we should pay more attention to ourselves.  Not in a selfish way but in an appreciative way.  We take so much work from our body, but never express gratitude.  Simply wearing good clothes and buying expensive perfume does not do the trick.  We must bow down to what we can do for ourselves, others and the world by the magic of a healthy body....

By late April, the sun is up way beyond 8 pm.  This above picture was taken at 8:30 pm late april.

And then I turned around and took a direct shot of the sun.  Truly a magical country I must say.  Starting Spring to the end of Summer there is magic to this gorgeous country.  Now I can see the 'Midsummer night's dream being enacted here....' absolutely...

The above pictures are close ups of Cherry Blossoms that, even though took a while to sprout, lasted only for a few days.  But for those few days, it felt like we were bitten by 'pink'.  Truly a gorgeous site. Here the color is not that clear because of the gray skies.  These pictures were taken with an iphone, so there was no filter for light. Apologies  :((

But the following pictures taken on a different day are slightly better. 

The following pics are these flowers--I do not know the name of. They seem to belong to Cherry Blossom family.  

The shrubs above are already half filled with leaves. The picture was taken end of April, so only two weeks ago.  See below..

The bud here is now a full blown stalk covered with leaves.  See the following two pictures...

And here is a tree next to the shrub, about two weeks ago.  The sky is clearly visible through the branches.  And the following picture was taken a week ago.  The leaves are already starting to shut out the sky, and be ready to create a shade for the extra sunny days. 

The above picture is only a few days old.  It shows how quickly it all came upon us.  Everytime I leave the house, it is a completely new world to see....

Ah the following picture--my favorite.

This is a branch that I have noticed for all year.  It falls right outside my kitchen window.  I have a picture of it somewhere with frozen droplets on it.  I have seen it shift from stiff to supple over the last few months.  Soon there will be tiny white roses on it.  I am attaching a picture from last June, that shows the whole plant.  This special branch that hangs loosely in front of the kitchen window is my connection to the seasons and in some ways to myself.  Always brings me a smile, like a good old companion that has been there for you through the seasons.  Like O. Henry's last leaf--alive....only determined  to live season after season.....

The bright sun....reflected in the kitchen window.

The following picture is of another bare tree that is just getting ready to be there....reminds us that trees....are not all the same either you know....just like us, varied, different......although with the same principle....

The above two pictures were taken only two days ago.  May 2012.  The flowers are white in color.  The glow on the side is not the sun, but a street lamp.  The time must be close to 9 pm.  But these flowers bloomed in the last week.....I wish I knew the names of these beautiful things....

On my way back from the grocery store I stopped by this house to get pictures in their yard.  These flowers are just gorgeous.  Huge buds, and in the evening their pink looked slightly pale. 

And the rain drops, hang, adding such depth to the bud.  She seems like this elegant lady, wearing a pink gown, waiting for someone special--drowning in her own perspiration. 

Yeah....May, 2012 and the picture was taken close to 10 pm. 

Past 10 pm, May 2012

The above three pictures were taken yesterday, when I rode my bike to the lake.  The time was only noon, but since the sky was a bit overcast, the pictures are not clear.  Again we can blame the iphone. But notice how everything is green now, and the lake is flowing....we even have mosquitoes....

Yes, Persephone is in business!! 

Shots and Seasons!

First published on November 11, 2011. Here is this blog again. 

One of my favourites. I have travelled so much more since then, and have had issues with organising the pictures taken.  But slowly am getting to a place where I think I need to make some of this material more public. Will I have the courage? Should I? 

There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but there are others who, thanks to their art and intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun. 

Pablo Piccaso

Since my first digital camera, I have taken over 15,000 pictures.  I hardly have the time to look at them or  share them with friends.  A friend, who knows much about camera, said that he would like to see my work published. That meant so much. Especially since I know little about photography.  I took one photography class at the university, learnt how to calculate f-stops and depth of field, develop the pictures, but that was a long time ago.  The automatic and the digital relieve you of that. And yet, I think that anything that shines as art, needs a combination of knowledge and instinct.   Photography to me, is an interest and a passionate one at that, but not like moving images, or sounds, or words.  However, the freedom allowed by digital camera let me enjoy framing my  shots and taking repeated pictures of the object.

'Take as many pics you want and select the best among them' That liberation from being bound to images on the 'tangible roll' has allowed me to take numerous pictures of sunsets and sunrises in many countries and all seasons, McDonald’s around the world, pictures from airplane windows, looking down on the clouds, or better still capturing the shadow of the plane on the clouds, or on the ground when the plane is near landing.

What do you do with that many pictures? Especially if you are not a professional photographer? And more so if you are a hobo, and move from country to country?

Well, some options can be: hope of using the pictures 'one day', start a blog of one picture a day, give them to tourist bureau's of the countries that you took them in.

But, at another level you can start analyzing them.  Look at these pictures from the standpoint of being a student of life.  Can they teach you something about yourself, what you noticed? Can you learn something about the country? the subject of the photo? something beyond? Can each picture be a starting point to a new story?

Following is a collection of pictures from different countries.  The purpose here to see how conditioned we are.  So, let's play a word association game.  What comes to mind if I say, January-February? For those living in the Northern Hemisphere? April? And how about those words for those living in the Southern hemisphere?  It is the same time of the year....

I present these pictures here, to remind myself (and the readers), that no matter what is going on in our hearts and minds, there is always another reality, another opinion, another aspect that we are missing....a quietness that is not rent with any emotion might just be wide and deep enough to encompass more than we can imagine.

A quietness without any pre-judgements, might be a good place to start, when taking important decisions.

Let there be light!! Library at the University of South Pacific.  This was one of the biggest buildings on the campus.  Every evening around 6 p.m it would light up, and was quite a sight to see.  A lit building snuggled in a row of elegant palm trees.  Unlike in Sweden, or the US, where the shift in the hours of day light between 'seasons' is anywhere from 5-8 hrs, in Fiji it is merely an hour.  That makes all the difference in the way they think of seasons.  Still does not stop them from wearing woolens in August!!    The picture was taken in February, 2009.    

When stillness crystallizes!!  Now look at this picture, also taken at the beginning of the year, in Sweden.  This tree-lined, tree surrounded area of woods is right across the road from where I live.  In winters snow, which 'lights up the dark days' and so, people beg for,  covers everything.  January-February in Karlstad, Sweden. 

Reflections are real!! Sydney in February.  Those living in the southern hemisphere forget their fellow earthlings on the other end of the planet are freezing. I had 17 hr layover in Sydney, and I stepped out to see the sights.  That was my first time. As I sat at the steps on the side of the famous Opera house in Sydney on a clear sunny day in February, I saw the skyline reflected in the window.  Only a few seconds later a plane flew by, but because my camera was not ready I could could get the shot.  Reflections fascinate me. This picture if enlarged, rotated and cropped would make the reflection seem like a real picture.  But only when the glass is clear!!  The same state is required by our minds, if we ar to see situations clearly.  The picture was taken February of 2007.  

Golden Goodbye!!  I had forced myself to take a break and headed off to Czech Republic.  I had almost (not) made it to Czech Republic before.  But this time, I actually had a real ticket in my hand. I had wanted to rest in one place. But such is my life that even when I want to travel I have little time to plan. It was the easter weekend and I did not realize how booked the town was.  So, to save myself some money and use it as a way to see the country I looked at other options. I always wanted to experience WOOF-ing (world wide organization of organic farming).  And I had heard of Karlovy Vary.  So, I landed in Prague the first day, took off to Karlovy Vary the next day, from there to Stdlychny, A farm about 2 hrs from Prague, and then back to Prague.  The first day in Prague it was boiling.  Well compared to Sweden at least.  Karlovy Vary was the same. But the third day in Stldchny, was just right.  I had always wanted to see Czech country side.  I stayed on a farm with a family of seven.  The couple had four children.  The oldest who was over 18 lived in Prague but the three girls, two younger than 10 and one three month old baby, enlivened the house.  It was on one of my walks around the farm that I noticed this beautiful radiant sunset, that made everything seem golden.  I could not help but think that, at that moment, Sweden was still covered with snow and Fiji and New Zealand were entering their cold period.  I, limited as I am in my human body, could only experience one....but there were multiple realities out there. April in Stelchny, Czech Republic. April, 2010. (PS:  am sure the name of the town is not spelled right, but I cannot write/type the Czech spellings)

The Pacific was my backyard!! We were returning to Suva after having collected data on a research project, and I noticed this.  Instantly I said, if I were to start a short story that was written today, I would say, 'The Pacific was my backyard'.  I made the cab driver stop in the middle of the road and took two pictures.  These remain one of my favorite pictures.  They clearly show what Fiji was about, a small island country, but surrounded by vastness of the sea, that added depth, color, music and stories to the little nation.  Taveuni, Fiji, 2008.

A day in seven colors!!  And just how could one miss this.  We were at the airport waiting for our flight when we spotted this.  A ray of hope.  You must know that sights like this looked extraordinary to me only for the few few weeks in Fiji.  After that they were a regular occurrence.  Today as I sit in dark-short-dayed-scandinavia, I look at this picture and am transported to the days when arches of seven colors marked the skies in Fiji...almost varje dag (everyday)!!

Somewhere over the rainbow!! Once in the plane I noticed two rainbows below us.  So, we were truly somewhere over the rainbow.  The picture was purposely taken at an angle to show the side of the window.  See, we were really in a plane....April 2008 in Fiji.   And some where in Scandinavia, it was snowing atop frozen trees....
Vichitra--Bizzare ...men så är livet ...(but so is life...)

Kanine Kismet

First published on June 13th of 2011, here it is again, simply for its story!!

Little doggy in his owner's arms --Swedish train, March, 2011

Little doggy being carried in his/her owners carry bag.  Karlstad Train Station, Sweden, March, 2011. 

A man that looks like he is homeless sleeps on a roadside bench, as Kanine with a better kismet takes his owner out for a stroll.  Prague, Czech Republic, April 2011

'Oh, not to worry, we have Dennis.  He keeps a watch on and for all of us" I was told, when I was moving to live on campus in Fiji.

Dennis, is a true watch-dog.  Who, I am sure, still patrols the main campus in Fiji.

'He used to belong to this couple that lived here about a year ago. When they left, they left him behind.  Now he is our campus dog.'  I was told.

Everynight when I got home late, he barked at the sound of my footsteps, when I was still half a mile away.  When I got closer for him to hear and recognize my voice, I would bark back, *Shut up Dennis, its me'

Didn't matter what time of the day it was.   But when he heard me, he squealed a bit, and then rested until he heard someone else.

Dennis kept a watch on all of us.  Whether or not he was fed.  When fed, he was usually given left overs.  He still kept the watch.  He knew us.  Though he barked, he never came close to hurting anyone who lived around our quarters.  He had bitten a few guards, but only because he saw them as strangers since they came to our campus only occasionally.

Whenever I think of these other dogs, being held, coddled and cosseted, I can't help but think that not just humans but animals come with their own kismet as well.  Some are left to fend for themselves even when they defend neighborhoods that are ungrateful and negligent.  Others are held in arms, even when all they do is ask for attention and sulk when they are not given any.  In Botswana these dogs were called, 'white people's dogs'.  Dogs for decorative, and not utilitarian purposes.  These dogs were a liability, they demanded your time, were fed adequately.  Often times with meals bought and custom  cooked for them.  For all we know all the caring diluted their sniffing power.  Why would anyone want a dog like that?  May be rich people with time and money. Or others who are lonely and can afford the attention that these dogs need.

I still think it is unfair, that sometimes the kindest of dogs are left on streets, just because they are not pretty or never had the luxury of being a 'house dog.'  Just  like we wonder about inequalities with regards to resources that we were alloted, I wonder about the resources that dogs have access to.

Kanine Kismet is the only way, I think, we can explain it.