THE LIST

 "YOU NEED TO LET THE LITTLE THINGS THAT WOULD ORDINARILY BORE SUDDENLY THRILL YOU"        
                                                  ~ANDY WARHOL

THE LIST-  is a simple word with a very simple meaning behind it.  I am not talking about a grocery list, or how many 'malls have a sale' list. I am talking about a list of things that have brought you pleasure, wonder and satisfaction. It could be as small as getting a Cappuccino or cleaning your dog's Paw. The grass is always greener on the other side, is a term I have heard all my life, but is it really green on the other side or are you already standing on it? From the minute you wake up to the minute you go to sleep, If you pay attention you will see how much is around you, to be able to feel relaxed, cozy, calm and content and that turns into pleasure in itself. There is no training manual to see life in it's wonders. Life is so many things and yet we can't find time to experience the joy of it. The things we get annoyed with, are the one's that start bringing us pleasure when you pay attention, be it a rainfall on the roof humming and drumming, cicadas on a silent night or a snow storm brewing on cloudy skies. Busy lives don't have to be put aside to experience these pleasurable little moments.  I wasn't born with the understanding, I had to cultivate it and work on it by appreciating every little unnoticed happenings around me. My infinitesimal moment of balance was when I felt the pleasure of the ordinary, Extra ordinary. Even though, balancing the busy life I have chosen to live through, I have finally learned to find pleasures in the everyday happenings. I stopped making excuses.

And in this chaotic world we live in now, it could get a little tricky being as positive especially when everything in the world is falling apart. But as humans we have to be a part of the unpleasant just as much as the pleasant, and the only way to get through the unpleasant, is turning your energy on the pleasant things and moments. It could be a challenge sometimes, but life is as is and we have to learn to navigate through it, through the simple pleasures...

Here is my List of things that make my heart soar or give me pleasure.

* Sun rays sneaking in through my blinds

*Smell of freshly brewed coffee

*Watching the moon at night, even a glance

*Wiping my dog's paws, when they walk in the house

*Hearing the waves on the shore

*Snowfall

*Rainy weather

*Foggy Nights

*Cicadas at night

*Having a laugh with friends

*Learning the American Sign Language ( My proud moment)

*Watch the sunset

*Taken countless Twilight shots

*My camera

*My book collection

*Walking outside after a rainfall

*Reading books in bed at night

*Stargazing

*My niece's little toes

*Capturing nature in my lens

*Sound of an airplane crossing the skies

*Beach on a cloudy day

*Trees

*cloudy skies

*Watching bees to their work

*Cold winter night

*Looking at different time zones

*Coffee places

*Mountains

*The roads I have traveled

*Boat rides

*Driving to the Beach

*Windy day

*Watching a Sunset

HONESTY... IS IT IMPORTANT?

So there is a question! Is honesty important in life or is it being rude? How do know when is the right time to be honest? Sometimes it feels like lying is a regular part of being polite or is it? I still sometimes deal with being honest, even though I am a pretty out spoken person, but there are times, I have to sugar coat the truth to make it sound less harsh or direct. And in truth I just don't care sugar coating. My first change came years ago, when I learned to come out as is, and not every time people get that, well that was not a part of my problem. It is still a bit hard sometimes, especially when people assume whatever they want about you and force you to be a part of their imagination or assumption. I learned the hard way in life and that was to - say what you have been asked and have the facts to back up your theory, not necassarily with rudeness but truth can also be told calmly. Few months back, we had a part-timer who just got introduced on his first day at work and we were all gathered up chit chatting on a slow work day, and few days later he came up to me and said "Out of everyone I have met in my life, you are the first real deal", for few seconds I thought he was trying to hit on me but as he went on explaining I realized he is talking about my attitude in life and being as honest as I can. Well it was a good feeling to be admired but that didn't put me on cloud nine, the reason being, I am not here to be admired for my attitude because even that could become an act of being fake, it felt good because it was recognized instead of being misunderstood. And I know and have friends to whom my honesty is very well understood and so is their's.  But the question still remains, how can you be honest almost every second of your life? Honesty could come very easy in heated up arguments or opinionated conversations but how do you bring it out in little situations, sometimes I feel like it's not needed but then people just don't get it. Few weeks back, I signed up for this newsletter and in collaboration I started getting more newsletters in my inbox and this time it was religious occasion announcements. I am not a religious person at all, and for me this was not relevant. So I emailed them regarding the religious newsletters crowding my inbox and I would like to unsubscribe them but I had to sugar coat it nicely but to my surprise I was bombarded with more newsletters until I had to send them an email yet one more time, explaining them my rights and confirming with them about my non religious views. It's the harsh truth but at this point it didn't seem my problem, it was their's for creating an illusionary thought of everyone being on the same page. In our every day lives, we are met with such situations where, we already know the truth about someone but aren't able to come out with it. Well we really don't have to walk around like a radar but what happens when it's confronted to you, what do you do then? Just stay diplomatic or just come out with the truth and be done with it? Language customs are full of these kinds of insulators. The truth, in very many cases, is just too brutal or embarassing to state as a fact, so we add in little fictions. I feel it's the society of "Pass the sugar please?" It's the feeling of, you coat me and I will double coat the icing on you... Well not in my corner of the world, but that has also taught me the truth of my flaws and the acceptance of learning through other people's honesty or strength. So to make it fair, I have flaws too. But I have never stopped learning. We are humans and are met with pretty much the same experiences if not now then later. And I believe being honest doesnt necesarily mean being rude. Just come out with it, even if you risk an argument!! I know sometimes it's hard in the little things because it could end up hurting somebody's feelings. Below is the list of my awkward moments.

Here is a list of things I heard people telling me but I prefered to be quite, because it was utter common sense and honesty wasn't required, but would honesty had been the right idea? My responses in my mind. 

PERSON 1: I didn't realize business will be hard.

ME: So what did you think, It was all going to be handy dandy. And you would be making money over night.

PERSON 2: Why is everyone goofing around at work. And why isn't anyone listening to the manager?

ME: Because your butt never shows up to see when things are done, and you never see the manager goofing around. So how will it will work out.

PERSON 3: Do I look fat?

ME: No! It's the mirror.

PERSON 4: Why are all my employees quitting, I am a good Boss..

ME: Why you asking me that question, ask yourself!!

PERSON 5: I am a huge Karma believer, I am not sure why these things happen to me?

ME: Then why are you a karma believer!! It's all cause and effect law. You must have screwed up somewhere!

PERSON 6: If we don't eat meat, the animal population will increase to devastating numbers.

ME: What about the human population increasing, what's the solution for that!

PERSON 7: I am so upset the way my boyfriend treats me and deals with me.

ME: So why are you still with him. Dump him!!

PERSON 8: You know I hate the president. I have never voted in my life.

ME: So why don't you start voting and stop bitching.

PERSON 9: I am so tired today, I don't sleep till late. I love lounging in my bed on my days off. I have big dreams but I don't know why they are not working out fast.

ME: Why don't you google the discipline behind successful people, and take your lazy butt to bed early and get off it early as well and set your priorities straight.

PERSON 10: I am so depressed, I don't know what to do. I just sit around waiting for it to go away. Do you think that's the right thing to do?

ME: Why don't you get an appointment with a shrink and start figuring out your issues. And if that's not the option( for financial reasons) then find the source for it. If sitting around would fix depression, then the pharmacies would be out of business.

ALBIN POLASEK MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDENS

My trip to the Albin Polasek museum was amazing, surrounded by such works of arts was an incredible feeling. The Albin Polasek Museum & Sculp­ture Gar­dens holds an art col­lec­tion focus­ing pri­mar­ily on Amer­i­can rep­re­sen­ta­tional sculp­ture, with over 200 works by Czech-born Amer­i­can sculp­tor Albin Polasek. He ded­i­cated his life to encour­ag­ing the study, appre­ci­a­tion and fur­ther­ance of rep­re­sen­ta­tional art. Here I unveil my shots of the magnificent sculptures spread through out the Gardens.

 UNFETTERED - 1924 BRONZE

One of my favorites in the collection is the Unfettered Piece. Cre­ated as the female

 com­pan­ion to Man Carv­ing His Own Des­tiny, Polasek saw woman, at last break­ing through the clouds of igno­rance and super­sti­tion into the full light of free­dom.

 SOWER- 1911 BRONZE

As soon as you enter the gates of the museum, you will a huge sculpture of the Sower. Using as his inspi­ra­tion the para­ble of Jesus about the sower – “a sower went forth to sow” – Polasek’s inter­pre­ta­tion shows a man scat­ter­ing the seed of good through­out the world (Ref: polasek.org)

EXULTATION

I am crazy about Mountains and the mysteries it carries within, whether big or small, it's magnificence has the same effect on me. It's not just a stunning image but the depth of it's struggle is very mesmerizing. I struggle with words when it comes to explaining nature, in it's true sense. I have always been a seeking soul, most of us are if we tune in a little bit and distract the distraction. Growing up I was always driven by an unexplained urge to challenge the parameters of my small world. I remember growing up in Tanzania, whenever I visited my Uncle, I used to get mesmerized by the magnificent Mt Kilimanjaro. Every morning, I would step out in the front yard and watch the mountain for few minutes. It's silence was always enigmatic and yet I knew it's watching me. It's mere existence is enough to make your life worthwhile. They have been healing and a calling for me. Everest being, the top of the list, is my obsession. Sitting thousands of miles away, I can feel it's stories. Mt Everest, has been on my mind for many years now, and I have been lucky to know people who live right underneath it, and their stories have kept me restless at night. The universe of humans sometimes seem menacing, full of conflicts and war and drama, which are likely to affect my well being even though I feel like I got nothing to do with it, that's when I surrender to nature to get back on track, and the simplicity of mountains have always succeeded. The meaning of mountaineering and hiking changed when I hiked the mountainous, sub tropical rainforest El Yunque, the trail to the summit of El Yunque Peak (3,496 feet above sea level). The El Yunque Trailhead begins at an elevation of 2,047 feet and climbs to the summit at 3,496 feet for an elevation gain of 1,449. I didn't target for the summit but the climb itself was exhilarating. We set out for the hike at 9:00am, immersed in the sensory experience provided by the sights, sounds, and scents of the rainforest. Coquis, a highly vocal, tree frog, could be heard producing it's famous sound. It was not just an excursion for me, but an Intentional plan. I knew the minute I step my foot on the grounds of the mountainous path, I will start tuning into myself. And I am not a chatty gal, when I am hiking. It's not about words and sound all the time. It's the silence in the process that makes a difference. I personally get a little bit annoyed when I hear people chat-chat-chat while immersed in the depths of nature, it gets annoying when I realize we as humans have enough hours, days, and years left to talk, so shut up for the moment and feel it.  I have found a meaning in everything I do in my life, and when the meaning doesn't exist neither does the option. Everything in the universe is moving in accordance, we are connected to everything that lives and breathes with us, and when you tune in, you will see and feel the immense power of our reason for existence. And my reason and choice of life has everything to do with the depths of human adventures. I practice my life in accordance to what's Ignored by many and in doing so, it has shaped me to a strong minded, disciplined and imaginative personality. My search brought me to see myself apart from an average girl. I practice my religion on the heights of nature's ecstasy. Like the saying goes " Mountains are my cathedrals, where I practice my religion."

Here is the collage of my captures. And still more to go....