Full Moon

The moon came up earlier this evening, full and big.  It's been a while since I got a good photo of the moon as it rose.

Today wasn't much better.  I had reminded myself that this evening would have been a good time to catch the moonrise.  But work and other things got into the way.

And all I could manage was after the moonrise.  Not the best shot; but a great reminder that we need to focus our time and energy
Several hours later, I caught the moon again.
This time the clouds were in the way

How many times has it happened to us?  Made a plan, made a decision, made a promise.

And then something else creeps up, not necessarily something else more important.  And like the clouds, they distract us and we forget our plans, our decisions, our promises.


Time we refocused on the important people in our lives?



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Family

It was a good day out walking.  The family of White-crested Laughing Thrushes (Garrulax leucolophus) were out again this morning.  They enjoyed each other's company as they moved about looking for breakfast.  A berry here, a ripened fruit there; chatting away noisily as they hopped from branch to branch; as they flew from tree to tree.

What a family! 

Happy times. 

Enough said.

Wedding Bells

Flowers - such an integral part of weddings - are reminders not of the spring season but the frailty of life and of love.

The flowers don't last long; neither do the marriage, if nothing is done to keep them going.

 But it's good that the flowers are there. Next time you go for a wedding, ask for a flower, from the decorations around.  Bring it home and watch it carefully over the next few days. Watch what happens.

In a post sometime into the future, we'll revisit this story.

In the meantime, at one wedding, there was a lock, a heart-shaped lock that was a gift to the guests.

Interesting.  Wonder what is implied.

Nonetheless, what I got out of this lock - a red one too - is that whatever happens, the vows stay true.  Locked in our hearts and in our minds, the vows make up the reason why a couple stays together.

And how often do we recall our vows.  On the wedding day and perhaps again on the 25th anniversary?

Shouldn't it be a mantra that we recite every morning, every night?

It's time we dug ours out from the depths of our memory, lest we forget the words we said that day.

Candles in the Dark

I just checked out my blog stats and found I've had visitors from Russia, Germany, South Korea, Brazil, United Kingdom, Singapore, Venezuela, France and India.  That's interesting.  Never thought people would be interested in my ramblings.

So someday, I hope my visitors from out there will drop me a note cuz sometimes I think I am writing and nobody out there is reading anything.

Need the inspiration.

Candles, from a time when photos were taken with film, burn in the night.

It's a reminder that in giving us the light, the candles sacrifice themselves.

How much are we willing to sacrifice so others may learn?

We make the choice...

Spring Time

Spring time, a time of renewals and rebirth.


Easter's come and gone.  The wedding bells keep ringing.  That's the cycle of life.


Here's a collection of wedding memories.


Balloons always bring cheer.  But at weddings,

I am reminded that once the bubble of wedding celebrations is over, we need to get down and remember the purpose of the day is the marriage.

The rings, the symbols of eternal bond, the reminder of oneness.

Some people keep their wedding bands pristine, cleaning off the dirt and grime every now and then.

Mine's scratched and slightly dented.  The years have added tarnish to it.

Thought of sending it to the jewellers to get it cleaned up and polished.

I changed my mind.

The scratches and dents and tarnish are reminder that the years have been great and not-so-great.  There have been wonderful memories and painful times.

That's a real marriage.  The good and the bad go hand in hand.

The flowers on the wedding bouquet will wither and fade; but remember the promises made.