e x p l o r e d

Nikon FE2 | Film developed with coffee and vitamin C

I was back in my office after about two weeks away. There is lots of stuff to look at after an early morning meeting that I have to attend. I must say it wasn’t productive but at least I can get myself organized and set my mind to work for this week. My wife’s car was smashed by a motorcyclist and ended up with broken bumper. That happened during the drizzle after she picked my son from school. I just had to let him off and I can see the relief on his worried face.

Our Surau held “majlis berbuka puasa followed by more” after tarawikh. I had a good round table chat with the neighbors before coming here to update my hub. I was surprised to find out that my b+w upload made it to Flickr E X P L O R E.

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Shadow

Olympus OM-2n | 50mm | Scanned negative

Don’t we ever wonder on why we reacted differently on any given situation – what makes us so unpredictable at times? Some people think that we exists in dualistic nature. The shadow exists within all of us. It is a part of us and yet we spend most of our life running from it. But far from being scary, our dark side holds the promise of a better, more fulfilling life. Our shadow makes itself known every day. It is the reason we get furious over a friend showing up ten minutes late, yell at our kids when they have done nothing wrong, and sabotage our own success at the worst possible time. Until we are able to embrace our dualistic nature, we will continue to hurt ourselves and those closest to us and fall short of our potential.

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Plucking fruits and boʊkɛ

Olympus OM-2n | 50mm | Scanned negative

We have been having pretty good fruit season this year with durian and rambutan are in abundance. Their colors dressing up our street for a brief period of the year is unforgettable and I took the opportunity to capture some while they are still up the trees.

"The gardens are adorned with various fruit and other types of trees, plains of "deep viridian green" (Surat ar-Rahman, 64) plants and flowers, and, in some places, pools and fountains. Surat al-Waqi'a also mentions "fruit-laden lote-trees with thorns removed" and "[banana] trees layered [with fruit]" (28-29)."

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Lure of the mighty Rajang

I have been taking off for a period of time here and there not only helps me to regroup and refocus, but it also gives me a spark of new writing ideas and different directions to consider going. I think I was down with low on motivation but that is of no excuse at all.

All the traveling in the past few weeks sparks me with fresh idea to write. A two hours discourse with the temple keeper in Sibu made me promise him to summarize some of his idea in writing. I won’t be writing lengthy details about Ying and Yang but I guess it is worth the mention of this man who has been with the temple for 36 long years. He was awarded medal from The Ministry of Tourism and have presented papers on the topic internationally. You can meet him at the Tok Pek Kong Temple by the Rajang River in Sibu. His name is Mr Tan Teick Chian. He also makes me understand, among other things that Tai Chee is a fishing movement.

A word or two from my older hub before signing off.

Most of us hate regrets. There are times when our consciences are bothered because of too many reasons. For those reasons, we're having a hard time sleeping. We've let people down. We've let God down. We've gone out of my way to justify junk. Don't we just wish we lived our life as though we were grateful for what God has done to save us?

THE COLORS OF RAMADHAN

A noble idea and please click the above banner to join. Closing date is 7th of August.

Nikon F3 | 135mm | Scanned negative

The original posting can be found HERE

The spirit of giving - how often have we heard this around the special months. Plenty often. Yet giving is not something we can do only around the special days. The act of giving can be performed on any given day of our lives.

Giving is a natural state of the soul. The soul gives just for the pleasure of giving. It does not expect anything in return nor does it need to receive anything in order to get a feeling that an equal exchange in energy has taken place. It is the ego/personality that relies and wants an "equal exchange". When the personality gives, it often needs something back in return. This may be something of monetary value or it can be a need for acceptance, recognition and often love. The genuine act of giving can not exist where there is a need to receive something in return. Genuine giving is an act of the soul and the soul is content in simply giving.

I have often heard people ask, "How can I give when I have nothing myself?" To this I say, if you have a soul (which we all do) then you are capable of giving. One does not need to give by giving only money. You can give by donating your time to a worthy cause. Volunteering is an excellent form of giving, one that has rewarding benefits for those on the receiving end. For example, look at the smiling face of a dying child in the hospital after a loving volunteer spent time with him or her. The elderly shine when volunteers spend time in nursing homes. Any way that you can use your life to touch another is giving at its finest, and this is something you can do everyday, not just on special days.

Many people give on a daily basis. A warm smile, a loving gesture, a compliment. These are all forms of giving. You do not only have to give these things to people you know. A warm smile goes a long way for a frustrated sales clerk who's had a long, hectic day. Often ones demeanor immediatly changes and brightens for the better when we give warmly of ourselves. Try giving a compliment to the stranger that is occupying the bus shelter with you. Watch and see how their energy suddenly lifts. You won't have been a witness to their day but I assure you you will have made their day brighter with one simple compliment.

Giving is an essential part of self-discovery. I say this because a part of self-discovery is about learning to give to yourself unconditionally. When you give to yourself unconditionally, you are able to give to others unconditionally, meaning without conditions and expectations, hence the natural state of the soul. Is it any wonder that the process of self-discovery revolves around the intricate understanding and experiential knowing of the soul in its state of wholeness. Giving is part of that wholeness.

Have a wonderful month of Ramadhan and may this year be a better Ramadhan for us then before.

In a dry season

I am being blessed with the dry season every year between Decembers till March. Not many will agree but I am enjoying the blue sky, puffy white clouds, glowing sunrises and sunsets and not to mention the beautiful moon every night. The dry leaves smell good in the morning and I always burn more rolls of films at this time of the year than any other months.

Olympus OM-2n

Nikon F3

Nikon F3

Leica M6


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My Sentiment of Sorrow

You can be sad and be sorrow but still have hope. If you have dispair, you might think that you do not have hope. Some people think that Coldplay's first, second and third albums have it all :-)

Nikon F3 | Nikkor 35/2