THE SEASON OF MELODIES

This was the first Choir singing this Christmas and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There is joy in singing as part of a big group in front of such a big audience. There is also a bigger joy in going through those small and careful steps of preparation to get our singing to a good level.



I got my second singing opportunity, and this was an inter-church competition. We got the first place, thanks to the excellent leadership and ideas of our conductor ,the presence of a few confident singers in the group, the excellent co-ordination of the organizers, the humour generated by a few that combined very well with our serious preparations, and made the atmosphere all that even on the whole, and the hard work of each member in the group. We also had a lot of fun during the preparation sessions. I found that these small things were those, that give so much life and fun, to this whole season of Christmas.

THE AMAZING HUES OF DUSK

I was fortunate to be at the Coulon Park at Renton, Washington State, USA, just after a shower in May and just before sunset. I just shot these in autofocus mode and they came out well.

BIRDS THAT REFINE AND EASE MORTAL LIVES

Take time to delve, take time to search,
The depths of our inner self all beautiful,
Where birds of dormant talent silently perch,
In cages of untapped potential so resourceful.

We need to set these birds free,
To explore our talents that lie dormant,
And thus reap benefits that fellowmen will see,
In their daily lives that often remain stagnant.

We shirk, we fear, we dread to explore,
Our dormant talents any day,
For we feel that men will deplore,
The failures that could come our way.

Let us garner all our energies today,
And embark on a journey to explore,
For our dauntless steps will someday,
Refine the lives of our fellowmen evermore.

Pasted below is the selection of this poem from Poetry.com for their anthology.

A STUNNING GRACE IN ABSOLUTE DEFEAT

These were shot during a fall in Renton, Washington State, USA. These are one of the many things I look at when I am down in spirit. Nature gives us so many subtle lessons to observe and learn. Even when these trees stand all stripped and bare, they emanate a certain beauty, a stunning grace. I feel it is a show of their indomitable spirit, conveying the message that they will soon be back in full bloom and glory.

LAND AHOY!! LAND AHOY!!

Land ahoy!!! Land ahoy!!!
My ship of life is heading for shore,
And as my dampened spirits rise in joy,
Gales of struggle I see no more.

The ship needed the lion-heart in me to steer,
Through obstacles that gushed in like a flood,
Transcending waves of barriers sans fear,
For through my veins run soldiers’ blood.

Never do I hesitate, never do I tarry,
To set off across the seas for barter in faraway lands,
For my dear ones need the returns that I carry,
Back home with my toiled hands.

I look up to the Almighty for courage,
When obstacles loom and opportunities are rare,
As my dear ones long for my return from the voyage,
For whom, I am the only soul to care.

RISE O' MEEK SOUL, RISE

                    

                                            

The life of every human is a sequence of wars,
That he battles to realize his inner self, everyday.
The chivalrous are proud of their battle scars,
But the meek pant and struggle to find their way.

When some morose moments of failure in life,
Drag the meek into straits that are dire,
Deep down their hearts, they cry in strife,
As embers of glowing sorrow break into emotional fire.

O' fellowmen, don't you know you are at fault,
When you laugh at the failures of the meek, like preying hounds,
For your ridicule is like burning salt,
Applied on searing battle wounds.

Rise O' meek soul, rise in faith and fight,
Like the Phoenix from the pyre, may your rise be invincible,
For the golden crown of victory awaits acts of might,
By the brave and indomitable.

BEAUTIFUL SKYLINES OF SEATTLE

These are some of the shots that I took while I was on a cruise onboard the Argosy ship from Seattle downtown.

You can see the Space Needle, the Washington Mutual and Bank of America buildings.

What I like so much about these shots is that the colour of the sea, the colour of the sky and the clouds and the colour of buildings that form the skyline seem to match.

There was a regatta that was on and we got into our cruise when it was into its final stages.