A Slice of Heaven

A midnight flight to Bangkok and then an early morning connection to Krabi; that is what I recommend to anyone who is looking for some rest and relaxation. Krabi is located on the west coast of Thailand. What amazed me besides the beautiful white sand, the green-blue sea and the mesmerizing sunsets; was that it was un-touched and nature had prevailed over human commercialization. If your looking for a spot off the beaten path – this is it! We stayed at the Amari Vogue Resort located on Tub Kaek Beach. The resort has great restaurants and an amazing Spa. If you plan on visiting I suggest you definitely do day trips to Maya Beach and Phi Phi Islands where you can scuba dive or snorkel. Also, visit the Ao Nang market where there are great deals to be found and bargaining is a must. I tried my best to capture this beautiful slice of heaven.

Terror: a state of intense fear

Terrorism: A systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In 1987 I boarded a Pan Am flight that took me to New York via London for my summer holidays. A year and a half later a terrorist would blow up a plane just like the one I had boarded. On December 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 people on board as well as 11 on the ground.

This weekend I was in Syracuse and saw a memorial that was created for students that died in the 1988 terrorist bombing. There were 35 students aboard that flight. This brought back back memories from last year. Nov 26th is my mother’s birthday and also a day that anyone who has anything to do with Bombay will never forget. I remember frantically calling all my loved ones and breathing a sigh of relief to know that they were all safe; not everyone was that lucky. As long as there is politics, hate and greed in this world acts of terrorism will continue and people will live with fear and come to terms with grief. It is not fair, and yes, something must be done about it – how and what, I don’t know. It takes a lot to change the world; I hope to see this change in my lifetime.

Parades and such….

I have had bloggers block for the last few weeks; I guess sometimes you just don’t feel like posting and instead of forcing myself I just gave into my complacency. I took these pictures a while back on a bright sunny day when there was a parade in the city. NYC has the most parades, they get monotonous sometimes and of-course wreck havoc with the traffic. Forget about going cross town in a cab when there is a parade blocking all of 5th Avenue. There are actually over 50 parades a year in NYC click here for a list of them.

The first picture is of a mini Turkish festival that had a sufi dancer "wowing" the audience

This second picture is one of my favorites; every parade must have a band marching down the street……

Lie to Me

I was walking by the Apple store near Central Park the other day and saw a promotion for the show "Lie to Me", which I found hilarious. It was people writing down things they had lied about on a card and sticking it up on a board. There were three boards that were stacked with lies! It made me think, lies are such an integral part of our lives. We all tell little white lies every now and then, we use products that basically lie to us telling us how much better or prettier we will look or healthier we will be, we watch TV which are pieces of fiction (lies) that entertain us. Oh well - being a little cynical this morning, but the silver lining is that in every lie there probably is a small sliver of truth :)

Tug Of War

I wrote the beginning of a short story and then related it to some pictures I have taken. Below is the initial paragraph - if it pulls you in you can click on the link to read more.

I walked out of my old, crumbling Manhattan apartment, just as I had done for the last three years.

"Good morning Jones, have a nice day".

I find it funny that my doorman will never call me by my first name; he uses my last name as though it were my first, I am just used to it now. I smile and nod as I have everyday.
There are so many people in Manhattan, where do they all come from? I have always enjoyed my morning walk to work. I like to notice the various people I come across; some are suit-clad bankers while others are the creative type (I also refer to them as people wearing weird clothes). The ones that get a chuckle out of me are the men wearing oddly matched trousers and shirts or women who are wearing clothes that are way too tight for them; don't they look in the mirror before they leave home? You would never see me wear anything that would make me stand out. I like fading into the background. Observing is what I do best and what I am far more comfortable doing. I can never be like Tina (my half sister), she is always the center of attention, loud and boisterous. Click Here to read more

Jump

Week three of my fiction writing class. I got inspiration to write from the below picture which incidentally was the first pic that I took with a DSLR. Hope you enjoy the little story and the picture!

She could feel the soft breeze tussle her hair; it felt like Marc was playing with her silky strands. Anna closed her eyes and melted away into her memories. She missed Marc dearly; there was not a minute when she did not think about him. She closed her eyes and saw his face; he was so handsome. His blue eyes complimented his brown hair and tanned complexion so well. She still could not believe that he had walked out of her life. She remembered their last conversation, “I cannot take this anymore” he said, “you are not the person I fell in love with; I am sorry I have to go; I am not strong enough to combat who you have become – your black-outs – your multiple personalities, it’s driving me crazy”. That was it – he had just walked out, never to return again. She did black out – at first it was rare, but now it had become an everyday occurrence. She would lose hours in a day; and when she regained consciousness she smelt like she had just rummaged through the garbage or looked like she had been in a fight; scratched all over. She had no idea what had happened or what caused these occurrences. All these events had brought her to this very moment in her life; she could smell the salt in the breeze all the way up where she stood, the sun was shining as though it was beckoning her; she took one deep breath and jumped off; Anna and her personalities took one big jump off the Triboro Bridge into the deep blue water below.

Fiction Writing

I am taking a fiction writing class - this is the first week. I signed up for it so I could write stories about my pictures. My first assignment is supposed to relate to something I saw or read (a picture, a headline) and should be 250 words. Below is the picture and my 250 words ! Let me know what you like about it or not.

It was a hot summers day, my parents were having their annual British party. We had spent all morning cutting perfect little cucumber sandwiches, mom had made her famous coconut macaroons, dad had his Tanqueray and Pimms ready. They had stupid rules at this party; all guests had to wear a hat and everyone had to speak in a British accent for the evening. One can imagine how ridiculous the yanks sounded in fake Brit accents! As a little girl I would sit on my yellow swing under the tree watching the festivities unfold. As the night progressed the accents got funnier and the conversations more bizarre. I was always a by-stander looking from afar, I wondered why my parents would have this yearly shindig that the entire neighbourhood would look forward to for months. Later I realized how much this brought the community together and how much my parents missed their home in England.
Last week my mother passed away so I hosted 'the party' one last time in her memory. Everyone came with their hats and accents, this time around I could not be a voyeur to the party; I had to make sure the scones, cucumber sandwiches and macaroons were up to snuff. I now understood why my mother did this every year; it was so that she could never lose her roots - it made her feel like she was back home in England. T&T in hand, I toasted to her in a thick British accent!

Finger Lakes

They say that god put his hands down on the ground and the finger lakes were created; I guess god has 14 fingers for the 14 lakes. We went upstate to Lake Canandaigua few weeks ago to get away from the hustle and bustle and just unwind. We stayed at a beautiful bed and breakfast called Bella Rose. Most of our time was spent wine tasting, pottering around the lake, visiting beautiful gardens and sleeping a lot ! Below are a few pictures that I took; the first one just makes me unwind and reminds me of that sigh when you finally relax. I love the duck picture cause it was very similar to one that I took a few months ago of Cherry Blossoms.

Chicago Chicago …. my kinda of town?

Chicago – I really don’t know what to think of it. I was there last week for a day, well actually for 17 hours to be exact. I have never had enough time in this city to truly know its character. Most of my visits are “work – hotel – fly” sort of ones. People who live there seem to love it; its a city with a mid western warm feeling they say. Awfully cold in the winter. Lake Michigan looks gorgeous in the summer. The magnificent mile has tones of shopping. Just don’t know if its for me. I am more of a grimy, grungy city girl. Anyways, I am going back in a couple of weeks – plan on spending the weekend there; hope to form an opinion then (stay tuned). If you have any reccomendations let me know !

West Coast Cruising

I was in Vegas and Napa last week. I find the west coast to be a breath of fresh air - always warmer, greener & cleaner for the most part. The one city that I have no love for is Las Vegas; I don’t like the oxygen filled, man made casinos or the hot sweltering heat in the summer. I was not inspired to click even a picture when I was there. This was quite the opposite when I went to Napa – I loved the symmetrical vines, the clear blue skies and the brilliant sun that blessed us with its presence all day. I took a lot of pictures; I am posting a few of my favorite ones – hope you enjoy them ! The grapes, the wine, and the vineyards all made for a beautiful day.

TRACKS & TOWERS

A hot summer’s day with tall towering heights, deep blue skies with the water rippling below. A lost railway track behind some barbs with a story to tell of trains that passed a long time ago. They all belong in a city called New York with the tall towers and the hidden tracks; that is where my camera went – on a hot summer Friday afternoon.

Wedding Bells

I got married last month which is why there have been no posts in the last 4 weeks. They say planning a wedding in less than 3 months can be a little chaotic - looking back it was not all that difficult (anyone looking for advice - give me a shout). We had the most beautiful 4 days of celebrating with some of our closest friends & family. Everyone told me - make sure you have fun ! I kept that piece of advice on top of my priority list - and had the best time ever ! It all went by so fast - thank god for the pictures so we can relive the memories. I hope to get back to blogging more regularly. Summertime makes for some amazing shots !

Bombay – the stories she can tell !

     

It is difficult to capture Bombay in pictures. Each shot says so much that one frame does not do justice to the history and the stories behind it. During my 9 day rushed trip to Bombay I tried to capture a few moments; people playing cricket at Oval Maidan with the Rajabhai Tower looking on, young men of “Mumbai” taking an evening stroll along Haji Ali, saris drying at Dhobhi Ghaat and an old building that was almost breaking down with a statue of David Sassoon. I am sure there are many stories – like who is David Sassoon did he create Sassoon dock (that smells so much !) or what goes on in Dhobhi Ghaat – the place is like a city unto itself, and how many cricket teams have won and lost at Oval Maidan; and finally what is going on in the minds of young men who stroll along Haji Ali or Marine Drive in the evening. So many interpretations – so many stories. You’ve got to love it !

 

In and around central park

Last weekend was beautiful .. I took my camera and walked around Central Park. So nice to see everyone out and about. The best part was that all the trees were green and lush - one would expect that after 5 days of rain. I captured a few moments. My favorite of the set below is the one of the horse - I love the composition of the shot - three modes of transport - horse, bus and taxi - all viable options in New York !

   

The Abstract

I love pictures that are abstract; they make you look at them and think. Each person usually has a different interpretation. I took this shot a while back; it has a very fluid feel to it almost like the glass is melting into water. You can't really tell where it is taken or what it is supposed to say. 

Seal

I have not written in a while - reason being I am planning my wedding which occupies most of my time these days. Also my blog writing software does not work anymore :(. So I am going with uncomplicated and straight-forward instead of fancy. I took both the below pictures at a Seal concert I recently went to. In the first The first picture I like the way the projection of the woman compares to the Seal singing at the front of the stage. It makes me think that one is always bigger on screen vs. real life ! The second picture reminds me of a cathedral. The light and color brings the picture to life in such a unique way. Even though these pictures are composed in almost the same way the colors and the lighting give it such a different look and feel.       

Sparkling Pinks

We went to DC last weekend to see the Cherry Blossoms. It felt like a lot of people had the same idea as the area was crazy crowded. The weather was near perfect and the Blossoms were in “peak” bloom looking gorgeous against the clear blue sky. I like the sparkling picture a lot (below right); the petals had fallen into the lake and placed themselves perfectly with the sun shining on the water to give it a diamond-like effect. Well the Blossoms have come and will be gone – I hope summer comes soon.

Spring Is In The Air

Enough of the cold dreary winter and the gloomy sleet and snow. We need Spring to be here already paving the way for a gorgeous summer. Warm weather makes everyone so much happier. It is amazing how all your friends come out of the woodworks. The days get longer – the cafe’s spill onto the streets – we enjoy yummy drinks over casual conversation on those long Sunday afternoons. When I took these pictures above they reminded me of the leisurely Summer evenings ahead of me. They say that looking forward to something is almost as good as experiencing it.

GOOD CHAOS

Times Square is always so chaotic. People everywhere – tourists walking, oh so slowly down the streets as they look up in the sky taking in the sights. On a normal day when Times Square is part of the everyday commute one tries to get out of the area as soon as possible; avoiding the crowds to the best of one’s ability.

I took this picture when I was playing tourist with my parents who were visiting NYC. This picture makes me see Times Square in a different way – still so busy but so many contrasts. You feel the pulse of the city in this little area. Lovely colors – always shining bright. I have still to see a place as vibrant and alive.

My life is kind of like Times Square these days – chaotic but good chaotic.

‘Til Death Do Us Part

I have been dying (no pun intended) to go to a cemetery and take pictures. A graveyard lends to an eerie cold atmosphere that I have wanted to capture. R surprised me on V-day by whisking me off to a Cemetery in Philly. I know that sounds weird – but there are so many love stories of the past buried at Laurel Hill Cemetery. Some are estranged lovers bought together at their resting place, while others are long love stories that have finally found their bed. Its great to hear, see and admire not only these tales but also the lovely ornate architecture of the Cemetery. I posted a few pictures below if you would like to see more Click here. Happy Valentines Day all.

FARM FRESH

I was watching Top Chef last week where they featured Blue Hill at Stone Barnes. I knew that it was going to be in the 50’s on Sunday – so why not go visit this farm! It is about 40 minutes away from NYC and there is a wonderful cafe there where you get yummy scones, cookies, coffee and other savory things. The Farm is about 80 acres – we walked around and saw many cute animals. Daisy the cow, Roger the sheep dog, Porky the pig, Rocky the rooster. The Farm reminded me of a book that I read in school called My Family and other Animals by Gerald Durrell. I recommend making a reservation at the restaurant – we did and plan on going back to eat the fresh organic farm food. If the cafe is any indication the restaurant is going to be simply divine.

Taking pictures was a little difficult – nothing was too picturesque everything still had snow and the trees were bare. I know a photographer should be able to find pictures anywhere – but it was very difficult to be inspired. I am looking forward to another trip to the farm when it is lush and green.

Cup ’O Joe

So much can happen over a cup of coffee; a first date – a glance – a fight – a smile. As you sit at Starbucks thoughts may wander into day dreams that you never share. A glance may translate into a first date (though that hardly ever happens). I was taking some candid people shots at S’Bux today. The girl looks like she is lost in deep thought or maybe she saw someone that she had been waiting for. The picture captures a sense of calm within her. The one on the right is an all out happy moment; a joke or some good news shared among 2 friends. I like the mans expression and the sun shining right on his face. Makes for a feel good happy capture! Its fun to click people and then wonder what they may have been thinking at that moment. The best place to do it is at the coffee shop over a Cup O’ Joe !