Thursday, December 15, 2011

To My Favorite 17-Year-Old High School Girl

What is Poetry?

My understanding is that it is an art of using language for it's aesthetic characteristics rather than the mere contextual literary meaning of the words. Conveying a thought or emotion by garlanding words that give a resonance effect to human ear. Everyone has got their own way of writing poetry, Shakespeare from Elizabethan Era to the Billy Collins of Post-Modern Era or you may call it Contemporary Era. More importantly, to quote "In preliterate societies, poetry was frequently employed as a means of recording oral history and story telling (epic poetry). The Ramayana, a Sanskrit epic which includes poetry, was probably written in the 3rd century BCE in a language described by William Jones as more perfect than Latin, more copious than Greek and more exquisitely refined than either".

I try to wonder why I get to forget things and especially at times like this when I am trying to write something in my blog, I try to remember the right word which is deep in my mind but doesn't often make its way out of my mouth. May be it's called "Literary Amnesia". No wonder Billy Collins felt it, which in turn resulted as a beautiful poem "Forgetfulness".

I have been watching TED for quite a long time, which contains some interesting ideas, innovations by normal people to professionals. The one by Billy Collins recently struck a chord in my heart. At the conclusion of his TED event, he recited a poem on Adolescence. It's funny and read it for your pleasure.

To My Favorite 17-Year-Old High School Girl

Do you realize that if you had started building the Parthenon
on the day you were born,
you would be all done in only one more year?
Of course, you couldn’t have done that all alone.
So never mind;
you’re fine just being yourself.
You’re loved for just being you.


But did you know that at your age
Judy Garland was pulling down 150,000 dollars a picture,

Joan of Arc wa
s leading the French army to victory
and Blaise Pascal had cleaned up his room –
no wait, I mean he had inv
ented the calculator?


Of course, there will be time for all that
later in your life, after y
ou come out of your room
and begin to blossom,
or at least pick up all your socks.


For some reason I keep remembering
that Lady Jane Grey was queen of England
when she was only 15.
But then she was beheaded, so never mind her as a role model.

A few centuries later,
when he was your age,
Franz Schubert was doing the dishes for his family,
but that did not keep him from composing two symphonies, four operas
and two complete masses as a youngster.


But of course, that was in Austria
at the height of Romantic lyricism,
not here in the suburbs of Cleveland.


Frankly, who cares if Annie Oakley was a crack shot at 15
or if Maria Callas debuted as Tosca at 17?
We think you’re special just being you –
playing with your food and staring into space.


By the way, I lied about Schubert doing the dishes,
but that doesn’t mean he never helped out around the house.


Bis Später!!!

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Silhouette Photography



Bis Später!!!

Frankly my dear I don't give a damn

Is art good for society?

There has been this debate ever since film making has started. You will find a million of such arguments in the internet. Well, I don't know if you consider film making an art, and I really don't know if it's good for society? Lets see...

Those who love movies or arts in general claim that arts are really good for society and those who doesn't have a real good opinion on arts or movies in particular claim that they have an adverse affect on society. If you think seeing violence in movies begets violence and people tend to smoke after they see someone in movies smoke, there is no excuse.

“I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.”

- John Adams


So it seems that art is very important and it's our responsibility to pass it to the future generations. What I say again is what is not art?

Any how, I just like to appreciate good things and embrace great things. These are just a few of my favorite quotes/dialogues from the movies I like the most.


Below are the dialogues from "The Shawshank Redemption" movie. It's the best movie that was ever made on any silver screen, my favorite:

  • Hope is good thing, maybe the best of the things and no good thing ever dies.
  • The funny thing is - on the outside, I was an honest man, straight as an arrow. I had to come to prison to be a crook.
  • These walls are funny. First you hate 'em, then you get used to 'em. Enough time passes, you get so you depend on them. That's institutionalized.
  • Get busy living or get busy dying.

Gone with the Wind:

  • Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.
Must Love Dogs:

  • A love so real even after you're dead it still hurts.

Hitch:

  • Never lie, steal, cheat or drink. But, if you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love. If you must steal, steal away from bad company.If you must cheat, cheat death.If you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away.

Bis Später!!!


Understanding Opportunities

The main idea of writing this blog is to put down my experiences in photography and record rambling thoughts that come to my mind. When I said rambling thoughts, those are just my opinions and may not comply with you. I wonder sometimes, how complex each person's thought process and understanding is? It seems a little heavy for me too, but I don't know. I just put them on soft paper to reminisce in future and understand how mind works and how the thought process of a human being changes over time.
Coming to the topic "understanding opportunities", I don't know why it came to my mind, may be because of stuff happening in my life and I just like to put down my observation.
Getting opportunities is a good thing, even more important is to understand opportunities then only you would know how important it is to use it or lose it. People tend to ignore opportunities just based on the face value of it, without even putting any thought to it. I honestly hate it as you might be taking life changing decisions sometimes without even knowing your opportunities, to me it just seems gambling your life. Availing yourself a good opportunity is possible when you really understand it.

There is a saying by Maltbie Babcock on opportunity.

Opportunities do not come with their values stamped upon them.

So what I say is know or understand your opportunities. After all, what are you going to lose.

Bis Später!!!

Sunday, July 25, 2010

A tour of Santa Barbara





Link to the pictures


Santa Barbara is a beautiful city with Spanish influence in many buildings and most notably the county courthouse. It's a wonderful day, of course every day in Santa Barbara is wonderful as they say there is no off-season there. I call it a Mediterranean climate which tempts you to live there. Hope one day I might buy a beach house with access to a private beach of my own. After all they say “If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it.”


The first spot that I covered was the "Stearns Wharf" pier, it's one of the longest deep water piers between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The beaches are awesome and pleasant. Had lunch sitting in the balcony over looking the pier and the sea, that's a feast to the eyes. The red-tile walking tour of the downtown streets was a wonderful experience it reminded me of the European culture. The Spanish constructions and restaurants with outside seating over looking the streets resembles the complete European culture. Of course the Italian cuisine dominates the whole dining. Despite the Spanish architectural style is mostly single-level detached houses and small buildings with less details, I should say the "County Courthouse" is one of the best places in Santa Barbara. The architectural style takes you back to the "Spanish Colonial Revival Movement".


Though it's not "A Perfect Day in Santa Barbara", I enjoyed the tour of it. I am looking forward to a do-over with a special person. Stay tuned…..



Bis Später!!!


Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Every good thing must come to an end



Why every good thing in life must come to an end?
If everything was good then it wouldn't be good or even special, that's what makes life exciting. It's just like this small story that I know.
There were four boys and their father asked them to go to a tree each in a different season. Once they all went there, the father asked what they thought when they saw it. The first one said, it looked horrible there wasn't a single leaf on it. The second one said, it was beautiful there were flowers blooming everywhere. The third said, I thought it was a waste of time it looked like an ordinary tree and the last said, it was quite nice a good surprise. Because all these boys went in different seasons they didn't see the same thing, and that's what life's about. Like the first one said it was horrible just like life sometimes you have the not so nice times, the second said it was beautiful just like the good times etc, so if good things never ended than it wouldn't even be one.

Somethings and some people in life are very precious, nothing else can replace them. so, no matter what don't lose them and cherish every moment you got. People don't know the importance or value of a thing until they lose it. In war you are allowed to err only once, so as in life for certain things you are allowed to make mistake only once. But in war and life even one mistake is expensive already, because in war you will lose your life and in life you will lose your soul.

So I say it's a great virtue to know the value of a thing when you already have it. The whole point of this is don't lose a good thing, but if you have to lose it lose it for your life.

They also say "Life is not fair". Yet, losing good things is not so bad because they may end physically but not mentally. But, just for argument sake if good things must end, let them end because if I am contented just with good things, I might miss better things to come in my life and also the best of the things.

Like the poet said, Grow old with me, the best is yet to be,....

Bis Später!!!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010