View allAll Photos Tagged Realization
Tilburg, 15 mei 2017- Medio jaren zestig van de twintigste eeuw werd in Tilburg aan de spoorlijn naar Breda, tussen het centraal station en (toen nog) station West, een groot goederen emplacement aangelegd. Dit terrein kwam ter vervanging van het eerdere emplacement dat het veld moest ruimen door de aanleg van het hoogspoor, dwars door de stad. Op het toepasselijk genaamde Tilburg Goederen verscheen een groot overslagcentrum dat vanaf 1973 toehoorde aan logistieke dienstverlener avant la lettre Van Gend & Loos. Jarenlang werden hier uiteenlopende goederen geladen en gelost. Door de algehele afname van het spoorvervoer en de krimp van het wagonladingvervoer in het bijzonder zagen de sporen echter steeds minder emplooi. Toen in de jaren tachtig de Tilburgse textielindustrie ook nog eens wegviel staakte Van Gend & Loos de overslag van stukgoederen op de trein. Lange tijd was het rustig op het emplacement, tot in de jaren negentig weer nieuwe ladingsstromen opkwamen. In 1997 bijvoorbeeld meubels uit Italië en spaanplaat uit Oostenrijk; later volgden nog wagens beladen met karton, eveneens uit Italië. In die tijd had Tilburg Goederen echter ook al een ander nut gekregen. Jarenlang stonden terzijde gestelde locomotieven hier hun lot af te wachten. Dit blijft lange tijd zo en ook het goederenvervoer bleef tot in de jaren 2000 incidenteel plaatsvinden. In 2013 viel voor Tilburg Goederen echter alsnog het doek. Het grote terrein dichtbij het centrum van de stad bleek een interessante bouwlocatie. De gemeente nam het van ProRail over en startte al snel met de sloop van de loodsen en sporen en het opschonen. Daarna lag het voormalig emplacement lange tijd braak. Plannen voor een groot wielersportcentrum T-Dome bleken bijvoorbeeld niet commercieel haalbaar. Het schiep echter de ruimte voor een groener alternatief. De nieuwe gemeenteraad die in 2014 aantrad besloot tot een groene invulling, met daarin vrijetijdsactiviteiten. Een regieteam van omliggende wijkraden en de gemeente ging direct met dit idee aan de slag. In eerste instantie in besloten kring, maar in de loop der tijd ontstond de wens om ook de stedelingen bij de ontwikkeling te betrekken. Bewoners mochten zelf hun plannen voor het terrein aandragen, wat in april 2016 resulteerde in 82 concrete voorstellen. Een intensieve selectie volgde, waarna acht kwartiermakers werden gekozen. Zij mochten hun aangedragen ideeën verder uitwerken. Het ging daarbij bijvoorbeeld om een nieuw scoutinggebouw, een horecagelegenheid, buitensportlocatie en een stadscamping. In samenwerking met een landschapsarchitect werden de losse plannen tot een geheel gesmeed en als zodoende in februari 2017 aan het enthousiaste publiek gepresenteerd. Na het definitieve akkoord van de gemeenteraad startte de aanleg in mei 2017. Ruim twee jaar later is de opening van het Spoorpark gepland voor het weekend van 21 juni 2019. De Tilburgers krijgen er zo een aantrekkelijk park bij, op een centrale locatie.
Op 15 mei 2017 was de bouw van het park net begonnen toen LOCON Benelux huurloc 189 099 het nog grotendeels braakliggende terrein passeerde met keteltrein 44795 op weg naar Bad Bentheim en verder Duitsland in. Net als het emplacement is dit beeld inmiddels vergane glorie. LOCON Benelux vroeg in 2017 faillissement aan.
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Tilburg, 15 May 2017 – In the 1960s a large rail freight yard was developed in Tilburg, adjacent to the railway line to Breda and between the central station and the station then known as Tilburg West (presently Tilburg Universiteit). The terrain replaced the former yard that had to be closed due to the raising of the railway line through the center of Tilburg. On the aptly named Tilburg Goederen (Dutch for Tilburg Freight) several goods sheds were erected, which were since 1973 managed by the logistics service provider avant la lettre Van Gend & Loos. For years, tons of goods were transshipped at the site, which was then serviced by regular trains. However, due to the decline in rail freight transport as a whole an wagonload traffic in particular, the role of the yard slowly began to fade. When in the eighties the local textile industry also had started to dwindle, Van Gend & Loos had no other choice but to stop its activities in Tilburg. For long the yard saw little use, until in the nineties new transport flows started to appear. In 1997 for instance furniture from Italy and chipboard from Austria; later followed by wagons loaded with cardboard also arriving from Italy. By that time Tilburg Goederen had been given an additional purpose as well. Out-of-service locomotives were parked at the yard for years, awaiting their final destiny. This remained so far into the 2000s, as did the incidental freight flows. By 2013 however the curtain finally fell for Tilburg Goederen. The large terrain close to the city center proved to be an interesting site for urban development, so the municipality had bought the grounds from ProRail. The removal of buildings and railway tracks began not long after. Originally the intention was to fill the terrain with a concert hall or a large velodrome, but those plans proved not commercially viable and therefore did not come into fruition. The terrain was then left bare for a few years until a new purpose was found. The city council that came into office in 2014 opted for the realization of a ‘green’ plan, of a park with included leisure activities. A team of local representatives from the surrounding neighborhoods and from the city itself was asked to start with the design straight away. At first in a smaller circle, but later plans arose to let inhabitants participate in the project and build upon their ideas for uses for the park. The people of Tilburg were asked to submit their proposals, which led to 82 plans being received by April 2016. An intensive selection followed, after which eight quartermasters were chosen. They got the opportunity to further develop their ideas, which among others were for a new building for a scouting organization, a tavern, an urban sports park and a small inner city campsite. Together with a landscape architect the eight plans were forged into a single design for the whole park. This was presented to an enthusiastic crowd in February 2017. Following the final positive decision by the city council, construction started in May. The opening of the Spoorpark is now scheduled for the weekend of 21 June 2019. The inhabitants of Tilburg have from then access to an attractive park on a central location.
On 15 May 2017 the construction of the park had just started when LOCON Benelux rental 189 099 passed the then still bare terrain with tank car train 47795 to Bad Bentheim and further into Germany. Just like the former Tilburg Goederen yard this image has by now disappeared, as LOCON Benelux filed for bankruptcy in 2017.
Self-Realization Fellowship Temple on Sunset Blvd in East Hollywood. (Established by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1942.)
The Duel of the Figures continues…
It’s not battle of Jedi vs Sith, it’s not a battle of Good vs Evil, it’s a battle of coolness as the high quality “Samurai” Darth Vader action figure fights against a “mass market” version of Kit Fisto.
Continues from part 4: www.flickr.com/photos/133750589@N08/25156534853/in/photos...
You can find the whole series here: www.flickr.com/photos/133750589@N08/albums/72157665467242701
Vader release the grip and the lifeless body of his opponent hits the ground and he checks the life signs (it’s always better to be sure, certain figures can be very tricky )
Vader: “All too easy.”
Today he scored another victory for the New Order of High Quality Collectibles but there are more battles to fight…
Samurai Vader is the Bandai Tamashii Nations Movie Realization Samurai Taisho [General] Darth Vader, Death Star Armor action figure.
This image completes the mini series about Vader and Fisto figures.
I hope you like it :)
Your feedback is really appreciated and it will be very useful for my next projects. So feel free to post what you think about this mini series. If you like that format or if you prefer other formats, like for example the comics format etc.
By the way which of the mini series five photos is your favorite?
Any feedback will be very useful, my friends :)
May the Force be with You :)
Great Smoky Mountains National Park (TN)
Happy New Year’s everybody! I hope you’re feeling good this morning.
"Isn't it funny how day by day nothing changes but when we look back everything is different..." - C.S Lewis
2017 was an important year for me. As with any span of time it had its fair share of ups and downs, but compared to past years I felt I was better equipped to handle them. The more years that pass me by, the more I realize the truth in that you “can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” The bad stuff will happen no matter how much you try to prevent it, and the good stuff will eventually cease no matter how tightly you cling to it. At first it was a bitter pill to swallow and seemed like a pessimistic outlook on life. As I let it simmer, it was actually quite liberating - all the effort I spent avoiding some things and chasing others could be saved and used elsewhere. I could more consciously choose my reaction to things. I found that being calm and intentional about my reactions generally resulted in a better outcome than being hasty and impulsive. I could be more compassionate toward myself and others.
Realizing that, the only thing left for me to do was to sit back and watch the show. In fact, the more observing I did, the more it seemed that the labels “good” and “bad” can be unnecessary or even inaccurate.
Exhibit A: A tree fell on my car during a storm (and no one was hurt). There was lots of costly damage to the body that needed to be repaired. That’s “bad,” but I decided that sitting around and being angry about the past would be unproductive. Instead, I calmly handled the matter as was appropriate and carried on - no energy wasted on negative emotion. A couple of friends helped me move the tree off my car in the pouring rain, and looking back it was a heartwarming and unique experience!
Exhibit B: In April I had an incredible experience hiking for a few days in nature in California. Not only was it productive photographically, but on that particular trip I felt I had some indescribable epiphanies about how to live my life that still resonate with me today. That’s “good,” but at the same time I know that those kinds of experiences cannot be forced. I can’t plan to have one again, and any striving or grasping for them will only lead to disappointment when I don’t get what I want. I am so glad to have those realizations, but I don’t waste too much energy trying to force them again.
This isn’t to say I endorse numbing yourself, becoming unambitious or ignoring how you feel about your situation - rather, the contrary! Invest your whole self into the process of living right now and learn to enjoy the labor of creation whether it’s creating a work of art, performing tedious chores, or living your life minute by minute. If you truly love the journey, then the outcome of your labor will have no negative effect on you and you will feel satisfied knowing you gave it your all, and that each moment was savored as it happened. Learn from the past but do not ruminate on it. Build for the future but don’t obsess over it. For example, I take thousands upon thousands of awful photos that never see the light of day. Sometimes I beat myself up when they aren’t perfect or the gap between my visualization of the finished product and the outcome itself is too disparate, but after more time has passed and I’ve gained more perspective I almost always realize that just being in the creative mindset was very fulfilling and worth the effort.
I would say that I am very much a “resolution” person, because I continually resolve to better myself as an ongoing process. I am historically not a “New Year’s Resolution” person, because I find that it works best if I am genuinely inspired to improve myself for the sake of doing it, rather than forcing myself at a particular point in the earth’s orbit around the sun. However, I think something has been brewing in me lately and after a bit of self-reflection this week I came up with a resolution worthy of a public declaration: I want to be more courageous. I want to cultivate the courage to unabashedly live the life I want to live and be the person I want to be. Photographically, I want the courage to create the imagery that effectively express how I feel inside (whether explicit to the viewer or not) and share them with everybody. I literally have over 40 finished photos I’ve taken and painstakingly edited and re-edited over the past 3 years that are sitting in a private album. I love a lot of them and feel some of them are among my best work and representative of how I feel inside, but regrettably I have not have the courage to feel vulnerable enough to post them. Many of them are different than my past work or the most popular photos by others and I’m not sure if anyone will like them. Well, to hell with it. Here’s one of them. It is an abstract photo of a river I took this autumn in Tennessee. I like it.
See more photos, find social media links, and get digital wallpapers and prints at www.brentgoesoutside.com
Thanks for looking!
Captured: October 2017
Camera: Nikon D610
Lens: Tamron 150-600mm f/5.6-6.3
Settings: ISO400, 280mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec
When getting an idea in your head, it won’t let you go at times. If so, it slowly but surely takes over your thoughts and settles in. After a while, such a view might become a feasible venture.
By planing its realization, one embarks on a journey characterized by all sorts of highs and lows: Some things will turn out great while other approaches prove useless, which means that one needs to start over again.
As patience is a high virtue, this path is also a test of whether the initial idea can assert itself in reality. If one makes it to this final goal, the courage it took to come there will be richly rewarded.
While observing this achievement, joy, relief, and satisfaction compensate for all the intense efforts that vigorously took place. Soon after, one realizes that the heavy load which accompanied this journey slowly falls off the shoulders, and that lightness spreads around.
So many of my favorite moments probably look like nothing. But I think I like that they’re not understood. For this, you had to be there. And I'm so glad you were. #sweeterpoetry || Patagonia, Argentina ||
It is crucial to understand that when we die, it is only the death of the human body; the spirit (our soul) lives on. When we die our soul loses its physical connection with the world which we know when we are alive.
Everything we do in this life, we should do with the conscious awareness that the consequences of every action will carry on after we leave this world; that our soul will bear the burden of it.
With this thought should come a realization; what is the purpose for us to be in this world!
Inner peace and happiness actually comes from a clear conscience which keeps our soul at peace!
Let me elaborate this point with an example – If we help someone in times of need, or give food to the poor, these actions will not result in any monetary gain, but these actions will fulfill us at a spiritual level because our soul will reap the rewards of these actions, even after our exit from this life. On the other hand if we cheat or steal money from someone, this action might result in a temporary gain of a monetary benefit, but will lead to a guilty conscience - which is the unrest of our soul. It is our soul which will have to face the consequences of these deeds.
So whatever we do in life, please do keep in mind that every action will result in a positive or negative reaction from our soul. So if you truly want to create a life full of inner peace and happiness, be fair with others, keep your word, and be kind and generous. This approach to life will rid us of corruption and dishonesty & will steer our lives in the direction of success and prosperity.
Maryam Arif
വരണ്ടുണങ്ങിയ മണ്ണില് ഒരായിരം പരുത്തിച്ചെടികളിലൊന്നില് എന്റെ ആത്മാവ് കുടികൊണ്ടു. പരുത്തികള് പൂത്ത് കായ്ച്ചപ്പോള് അവിടെയായിരുന്നു ഞാന്. വെളിച്ചം എന്റെ കണ്ണുകളില് ജന്മ വേദനയോടെ പിറവികൊണ്ടു. രാവിന്റെ നിറഭേദം മാത്രമാണ് പകലെന്നും അത് ചമക്കുന്നതൊരേയൊരു സൂര്യനാണെന്നും മനസിലക്കിയപ്പോഴേക്കും അമ്മയുമായുള്ള പൊക്കിള്ക്കൊടി ബന്ധം മുറിക്കാന് ഞാന് തയ്യാറായിരുന്നു. വിളവെടുപ്പിന്റെ വേദനയിലും നിറങ്ങളിലേക്കുള്ള മോക്ഷമാണിതെന്ന് അമ്മമാര് ഞങ്ങളുടെ കാതുകളിലോതി.
യാത്രകള്, ഇരുട്ട്, വേദന. ഞങ്ങളെല്ലാം വേര്തിരിക്കപ്പെട്ടു. വിധി നിര്ണയിക്കുന്നവന്റെ നെയ്ത്തുശാലകളില് ഞാന് വെറുമൊരു തൂവെള്ള തുണിയായി രൂപപ്പെട്ടു. നിറങ്ങളില്ല. സ്വപ്നങ്ങള് മാത്രം. വീണ്ടും യാത്രകള്, ഇരുട്ടറകള്. ഞങ്ങളില് ചിലര് നിറങ്ങളന്വേഷിച്ചും ചിലര് ലക്ഷ്യബോധമില്ലാതെയും യാത്രയായി. വേദനിച്ചെങ്കിലും നാളെയുടെ നിറച്ചാര്ത്തിനേക്കുറിച്ച്, ഞങ്ങളിലെ ഒരായിരം വര്ണങ്ങളെക്കുറിച്ചോര്ത്ത് സന്തോഷിച്ചു. തപസ്യ തുടരവേ ഒരു നാള് അരിച്ചെത്തിയ വെളിച്ചം അറിയിച്ചു - നിങ്ങള് നിത്യ ചൈതന്യത്തിനു മുന്പില് തിരിനാളങ്ങളാവേണ്ടവരാണ്. അതാണത്രേ ഞങ്ങള് നിറങ്ങളുടെ വിഷങ്ങളില്ലാതെ സ്ര്യഷ്ടിക്കപ്പെട്ടത്. ആ നുറുങ്ങുവെട്ടം ഞങ്ങളിപ്പോലൊരുവന്റെ സന്തതിയാണത്രേ!
വെളുപ്പിന്റെ നൈര്മലയതയേക്കാല് നിറങ്ങളാണ് നല്ലതെന്ന് പഴകിചെളിപുരണ്ടവരപ്പോഴും മൊഴിഞ്ഞു. നിറങ്ങളുടെ മാലിന്യം തങ്ങളിലെ കറകളെ താല്ക്കാലികമായെങ്കിലും മറയ്ക്കുമെന്ന വ്യാമോഹം ! ചിലരത് കേട്ട് സംശയാലുക്കളായി. ഒരു ദിനം എല്ലിച്ച രണ്ടുകരങ്ങളെന്നെ കോരിയെടുത്ത് ഒരു പഴകിയ ദണ്ഡില് ചുറ്റി, നറുമണമുള്ള എണ്ണയില് മുക്കി എന്നിലേക്ക് അഗ്നി പകര്ന്നു. ചൂട്, വേദന. ശ്വാസം നിലയ്ക്കുന്നത് പോലെ. ഒരുമാത്രകഴിഞ്ഞ് ഇറുക്കിയടച്ച
കണ്ണുകള് തുറന്നപ്പോള് വേദനയില്ല, ഉഷ്ണമില്ല എങ്ങും പ്രശാന്തതമാത്രം. നിറങ്ങളല്ല ഈ പ്രശാന്തതയിലാണ് മോക്ഷമെന്ന തിരിച്ചറിവ്. കത്തിജ്വലിച്ച് നിത്യതയിലലിഞ്ഞ് ചേരുന്നതാണ് മോക്ഷമെന്ന തിരിച്ചറിവ്.ഞാന് രാവിനെക്കിറിമുറിച്ച്, ഒരു കൊച്ചു സൂര്യനായി, നനുത്ത കാറ്റുകളോട് മല്ലടിച്ച് ജ്വലിച്ചു നിന്നു.
ഞാന്. ഞാന്. ഞാന്. ഞാന് മാത്രം. ഇന്നു ഞാന് എന്നെയറിയുന്നു. പക്ഷെ എന്റെ ഉടപ്പിറപ്പുകള്ക്ക് അവരെന്തെന്നറിയാന് കഴിയാത്തിടത്തോളം ഞാന് വെറും സ്വാര്ത്നത്രേ. ഈ വെളിച്ചം എല്ലാവരിലേക്കും പകര്ന്നു നല്കേണ്ടിയിരിക്കുന്നു. ഒരു തീപ്പന്തമായി, വഴി കാട്ടിയായി കത്തിജ്വലിച്ചമരും മുന്പ് എന്റെ തിരിച്ചറിവുകള് ഞാന് അവരിലേക്ക് പകര്ന്ന് നല്കും.
അന്ന് പതിവുപോലെ കാലം മുറുക്കിത്തുപ്പിച്ചുമപ്പിച്ച ഒരു സന്ധ്യയിലേക്ക് ഞാന് കണ്ണുകള് തുറന്നപ്പോള് എനിക്ക് മുന്പില് ഒരായിരം ചെരാതുകളില് എന്റെയുടെപ്പിടന്നോര് ! നിറങ്ങളാണ് എല്ലാം എന്ന് കരുതിയിരുന്നവരിലേക്ക് ഞാന് സ്വാത്രന്ത്രത്തിന്റെ, മോക്ഷത്തിന്റെ, തിരിച്ചറിവുകള് പകര്ന്ന് നല്കി. ഞങ്ങളൊന്നായി, ഒരേ മനസോടെ, ഇരവിനെത്തോപ്പിച്ച് ഒരായിരം സൂര്യന്മാരായി, ഒരേ സ്വപ്നങ്ങളോടെ, പ്രതീക്ഷകളോടെ, നല്ല നാളെയുടെ പ്രതീക്ഷകളോടെ സുവര്ണ പ്രഭ ചൊരുത്തി കത്തിജ്വലിച്ചു നിന്നു. നേരം വീണ്ടുമിരുളവേ ഒരിളം കാറ്റെത്തി. ഞങ്ങളില് ചിലരെയാക്കാറ്റ് വാരിപ്പുണര്ന്നു. ചിലര് ആടിയുലഞ്ഞു. നിറങ്ങളായിരുന്നു മോക്ഷം. ഇത് തീയാണ്, കാറ്റാണ് ഒരു തിരിനാളം
പരിതപിച്ചു. ഇളം കാറ്റത് കേട്ടത് ആര്ത്ത് ചിരിച്ചു. തിരിച്ചറിവുകള് നഷ്ട്ടപ്പെട്ട് കരിന്തിരി കെടും മുന്പ് മറ്റു ചിലരും പറഞ്ഞു നിറങ്ങളായിരുന്നു മോക്ഷം.
സ്വയം കണ്ടെത്തല് നാമോരുത്തരും സ്വയം എത്തിച്ചേരുന്ന അവസ്ഥയാണ്. സ്വയം തിരിച്ചറിയുന്നവനേ ഇളം കാറ്റുകളെപ്പോലും തരണം ചെയ്യാന് പറ്റൂ. സംഘടനകള്ക്ക് നമ്മെ സ്വതത്രനാക്കോനോ കരുത്തരാക്കാനോ കഴിയില്ല (ref 1). അത് സ്വയം നിര്വഹിക്കാന് കഴിയാത്തവന് കരിന്തിരിയണയേണ്ടത് അനിവാര്യതയാണ്. നീയും കൊടുങ്കാറ്റുകളെ നേരിടാന് പ്രാപ്തനല്ല. നീ വെളിച്ചം പകര്ന്ന ഈ ചെരാതുകളില് ചിലരൊക്കെ നിറങ്ങളല്ല വെളിച്ചമാണ് മോക്ഷമെന്ന് തിരിച്ചറിയും. പക്ഷെ നിനക്ക് കൊടുങ്കാറ്റുകളെ നേരിടാന് ശക്തിയാര്ജ്ജിക്കേണ്ടതുണ്ട്. ഇളം കാറ്റ് ഇത് ചൊല്ലി വിടവാങ്ങുമ്പോള് ഞാനറിയുകയായിരുന്നു അവനാണ് നാളെയുടെ കൊടുങ്കാറ്റ്. ഇളം കാറ്റുകള് മോക്ഷം നേടി മഴയും പേമാരിയുമായി തിരിച്ചെത്തുന്നു. ഇവിടെ നഷ്ടങ്ങളില്ല, നേട്ടങ്ങളിലേക്കുള്ള പ്രയാണമാണ് നാമൊരുത്തരുടെയും ജീവിതം. പലപ്പോഴും നാമത് തിരിച്ചറിയാതെ വിട്ടു വീഴ്ചകളുടെ തലച്ചുമടുമായി ജീവിക്കുന്നു. എനിക്ക് യാത്ര തുടരേണ്ടതുണ്ട്. പേമാരികളേയും നേരിടാനുള്ള കരുത്താര്ജ്ജിക്കുവാന്. ഭാവിയുടെ ഭൂതകാലത്തില്, ഇന്നുകളില് ജീവിക്കാതെ ഭാവിക്കുവേണ്ടി കരുത്താര്ജ്ജിക്കുവാന്.
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Indirectly describes the reason for dissolving Malayalikkoottam as it was originally created & here by I announce that the vision and mission of the Malayalikkoottam is unachievable unless the very people involved don't realize themselves. In any case, it seems the realization is something similar to what J Krishnamoorthy had in 1929. I here by quit from Malayalikkoottam and the original intentions for which the group has created seems to be still unachievable. All assets of the group if there is any will be handed over to anyone identified by koottam-manage and I will preserve the photos and other artifacts of the group with atmost care until its handed over to respective individuals. It was a great attempt to create a group which is not for comments and which has a physical existence and which could do many things beyond mere photography. The group still has the best resources and great people and few souls still fighting to make it what it was intended. Those are the ones who knows who they are and the very reason for the issues. I have no words to express my respect for them. It was a great journey I thank every member of the group especially the great souls who are still fighting against the chaos and those who stood from the beginning. But the path is else where. The relationships I earned from the group, often wanted to called itself as a family is precious and may may be, we can put everything back. Looks like for last 2+ years I was fighting with individuals and vendors when they try to take advantage of us. May be its time to relax a bit and stop the never ending fight for a while and give more time to myself than the family / group.
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Ref 1: this sentence is added after originally writting the Malayalam text on November 5th, 2009 and its based on J Krishnamoorthy's "The Order of the Star in the East" dissolution speech.
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DSC_3556_1, Taken at Thrikkakkara Vamana Temple on Thirivonam day & the caption and processing done ages ago. The text / description was written on November 5th 2009.
If you think, you were involved somehow, in the effort to build this community in last 3 years, there is "Add a person" link on the right hand side ! add yourself there. It will be fun
Also it will be interesting to check Honey Moon photos too :-)
Chronicles of lifting Light B (Bridesmaids)
The alternate version of Chronicles of lifting Light C (The Reception Game)- Album
“ The wedding was a little over the top. The bride wanted her girl’s dresses to be something they would wear out again. A nice thought, but the gowns she found were a little too long for anything but formal evening wear, according to our girls who were asked to be part of the bridal party. The maid of honor wore a red satin version; midnight black satin was selected for the 6 bridesmaids.”
“A few years ago, “Ginny” was watching some type of show when I heard her squeal out. Our Golden Retriever ‘Sam’ meandered back in to see what all the fuss was about? I obediently followed. She pointed out to me an actress ( Emma Watson at the premier for NOAH) , That’s M’gown she exclaimed with enthusiasm, you remember, The ones your sister and I first wore for “Shiela’s” brides party, the one where your sister thought she had been ro… but she broke it off as something caught her attention on the telly.”
“Squirrel I thought, as Sam and I both looked. It was a black satin gown very strikingly similar in colour, cut, and material ( but Ginny’s version lacked a dangling train behind) to the one worn by Ginny ( and me sister) at thier chums wedding years before ( and winningly worn several times hence I might add). It is a pretty thing to behold my charming Ginny wearing it, and in its time, it has born witness to a few goings on that most ladies wearing a gown like that would most likely never encounter…….”
Chronicles of lifting Light B
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This story is true, and is really pretty much told as it happened, but in writing it down for the first time ever I found I could not resist the temptation to embellish and expand some of the scenarios. It makes for a much better story I believe.
It is long, so here goes it….
My twin sister and our friend “Ginny” were invited to join in a school chums bridal party. The groom didn’t have enough to go around so my sister’s boyfriend “Brian” and I were pressed into service.
At the reception Ginny made a comment about the flimsy clasps on the longish rhinestone earrings they were wearing. My sister, touching an earring, told her, “ no worries, luv, no one would nick them anyways, they are only rhinestones”. I wasn’t sure what was going on in my sister’s head that made her come out with that reply. But as I watched her pull at an earring, a seed was planted in my head about something I myself had seen in an old TV show (An episode that first wakened an interest in pickpocketing).
Much later that evening found Brian and I alone, and a little drunk (always a precarious time with us). I had been enjoying watching our girls on the dance floor. “Ginny” was dancing a slow dance with the brides Groom ( an awkward chap with the sometimes unfortunate name of Cecil), Sis was dancing with some boorish banker bloke whose name I choose not to remember. As I watched the girl’s swishing gowns move and flutter about in quite an interesting exhibition, I found meself mesmerized by the manner in which their display of jewels were sparkling. Not being able to shake Ginny’s earlier comment, nor its answer, out of my head, my mind began to drift and wander in some very deep waters; pulled about in some strong personal currents.
Suddenly, I had an epiphany, and I started to tell Brian about the show that had vexed me all these years past. It was an old Gilligan’s Island episode ( The Kidnapper). Ginger was dancing in formal wear with the thief they were trying to reform. He lifted up her long hair, exposing these long diamonded earrings she was wearing. When he let her hair back down, gone went Ginger’s diamond Earrings.( he also nicked another ladies diamond necklace in a similarly devious fashion).
I had been thinking about it, and saw that this may be a prime opportunity to try and mimic what I had found so intriguing in my younger day’s ( is what happened to Ginger possible in real life?) and so I drew Brian’s attention to where my sister was dancing and intentionally pointed out her healthy collection of rhinestones ( the lot of matching sets the bride had picked out for her girls to wear with their silky gowns was a bit overkill in Brian’s opinion, a view not shared by me).
I decided then to plant my own seed, so I questioned out loud if it was possible to pickpocket jewelry in the manner the thief in Gilligan’s Island had so cunningly carried out? We discussed it for bit, ending the friendly dispute that ensued by daring that the other couldn’t pull it off. I focused on my sister, because I figured that would be more of a tantalizing bait to dangle in front of Brian, who was horribly smitten with her, and I was right on the money! So my twin sister in the black satin gown and her rhinestones ended up being the preferred guinea pig for the goad.
Brian lost the toss and danced with her first,( happily cutting in on the banker fella) and was surprisingly as successful as he was swift. I watched as he swirled sis around the dance floor. For such a gig guy, “Brian” is surprisingly light on his feet, which is why in school he was an outstanding rugby player. I was watching eagerly, trying to guess what he was going after. His large hands began inching down her satin gown’s sleeves, so I was sure he was going for one of her dangling rhinestone bracelets.
He must have said something funny, for my sister raised her head back laughing, her long straight hair falling charmingly back, baring her throat to him. Brian’s hands moved back up, and in behind her throat. Then in a manner quite graceful for fingers that large, unclasped and slipped away the thin necklace from around her sweat glistened throat and pocketed it before she had finished her spurt of laughter. The song soon ended, and the pair of ‘em came back, Brian with a very smug grin on his bearded mug. He then took “Ginny” (who had just rejoined us after shaking off a seedy looking bloke who had wanted her to dance) by the hand and led her off dancing, his eyes taunting me to make my attempt.
Not to be outdone, I immediately led Sis back onto the floor before she had time to catch a breath. We danced to a rather Latin type beat. My sister turned her backside into me, and sort of did this gyrating move up and down my front side, with her hands held high above her head. As her warm, sweaty figure, slipped up and down slickly against mine, I looked things over, deciding on which of her remaining jewelry to target.
I started by placing my hands at her waist and let them slither up the silky sides of her satin gown, as I made my choice, one of her shimmering bracelets that were winking at me from her wrists waving above my head. With the prize within my grasp, I made my move. I found meself trembling a bit, as I moved my hands to her shoulders , with the thought bring down her arms in order to work my fingers down her gowns’ sleeve, where just below would be lying my objective. But just as I did, Sis pulled her arms behind me head, and laid her head back on my shoulder and closing her eyes, getting into the music’s deep beat. Her longish rhinestone earrings just hung there, like Gingers, ripe for the picking.
Without really putting any thought into it, I reached up and placed my hands gently alongside her ears, her eyes still shut, my victim smiled. The rest of the maneuver was surprisingly easy, as I glided my fingers down and slipped it off the pair of em in one effortless motion. The sparkling beauties came away from her sweaty ears as smoothly as an ice cube moves along a steaming hot grill ( I actually did have a thought like that). I held them in one fist for a bit, relishing in my success, before securing them away. We finished out the song, me basking in the fact that she was innocently unaware that her shiny earrings were now in her dance partners vest pocket.
But, not willing to be satisfied with the initial success of our experiment, we found that the dares kept coming out. Becoming so competitive between us, that by the time we left for the evening, the score was 5 pieces of jewelry to 4, with Brian winning the bragging rights, and my sister out all of the rhinestone pieces she had started out wearing about on her person.
Of course this is sounding like a masterful bit of pickpocketing, but our efforts were aided by keeping our pretty victim plied with alcohol ( wondering all the while if that is a technique is used by pickpockets working over their victims in real life?). Using that as an edge; another turn on the dance floor, a compliment induced hug, and the victim falling into deep sleep in a lounge armchair, enabled us vultures to eventually part my twin from all of her sparkling jewelry.
Also, as a side note here, all four of us had a discussion later about what it said of us as a society that none outside our group seemed to notice or bother pointing out to my sister about her slowly disappearing baubles!
We left the reception well after midnight and started walking the ten city blocks back to the hotel where Ginny and my sister shared a joining room with Brian and meself. As were making our way through a wooded Provincial park, we stopped in a small, isolated clearing and circling around her ,finally asked my sister about her missing jewels. Her reaction was absolutely, rewardingly priceless.
Her startled response was to the effect of: “Gasping, My God” as she fruitlessly felt about for them, her rustling gown glistened dark in the moon light. “My jewels, where did they go!, who took them, I’ve been robbed, mugged?” she pleaded helplessly, her thought patterns and speech a little slurred by her rather intoxicated condition. She looked desperately around at us, then seeing the look on upon our faces, and upon noticing that Ginny was still adorned with her jewels, Sis froze with the realization that we had all been up to something no good. As the silliness of her conjectures came home, she blushed, and told us to spill it out.
Here, we had all thought she had eventually caught on to what we had been up to all evening and was just humoring us, but in reality she had been utterly clueless. Ginny ( who had soon caught on to our little game but played dumb) was merciless in her teasing of my sister, rubbing it all in as she helped my twin place back on the Rhinestones that Brian and I dug from our pockets. I didn’t add any fuel to the fire, but I noticed that when Sis had uttered the word mugged, Ginny had automatically held onto her necklace and pendent!
Sis ended up taking it all with her usual good humor, or so we thought.
This next bit is my favorite.
We went up to the boys room, as the girls called our room, where we drank beer, danced to music and talked a bit. About two hours later found Brian passed out on the couch, and me sitting next to him in kind of a hazy stupor while holding onto a beer. Ginny and my sister were standing directly in front of me, holding beers of their own and giggling over some girlish nonsense, the swaying of their long glossy black satin gowns slowly putting me to sleep.
Ginny started giggling at one of sis jokes, and turned her figure so the brooch at the center of her gowns’ waistline almost hit me on the nose. Half asleep I reached up and lifted it. Looking up at the girls I saw that Ginny was paying no never mind towards me, my sister however, did notice (this is why I like the Sonia clip) and she laid a hand on Ginny’s shoulder, drawing her close so she could whisper a secret. I was able to undo the brooch, and slip it carefully off without notice. I held it up to my sister’s hand, which closed over it, and then she turned and plopped down next to me on the couch.
We both started talking to Ginny, now standing in front of us, as if nothing was going on. Puzzled I waited for my sister to flaunt the brooch in Ginny’s face. Instead, as she got Ginny into another giggling fit, she leaned over and whispered the word pendant in my ear, her hand holding out her own for added emphasis. I knew then she had thought up some grand plan.
Now wide awake, I got into fully my sister’s game. As I watched the giggling Ginny, my eyes took careful inventory of all her finer points (not just her jewels I will admit) . Now role playing that I was a professional pickpocket, and my twin was the spotter, pointing out whose jewels were worth taking. Ginny stopped, and caught my eyes looking her over, she blushed, and not knowing what was really going through my mind, smiled at me, as I smiled back, my eyes drinking her fetchingly attired figure up. I was imagining that all of Ginny’s collection of rhinestones was real diamonds. And that I was an actual thief after her lovely sparklers.
Thinking for a moment, I rose to my feet, and feeling like the real thing, I took Ginny’s hand and led her across to the window the couch was facing. We were on the 14th floor with a grand sweeping view of the great cities skyline. I asked her if she knew what the pink lights were about (there were no pink lights) and as she looked and kept asking where, I saw in the windows reflection that behind me my sister was pinning Ginny’s brooch onto the Brian’s passed out figure. Smiling, I got to the task at hand.
Using my hands I got Ginny to bend over more to help in her search, watching her dangling “diamond “ chain with its’ oval “diamond” pendent swinging an enticingly beckoning reflection in the window. I reached around with one hand and easily undid the clasp to poor befuddled Ginny’s chain. Using the pendants reflection in the window as a focal point, I subtly lowered my other hand underneath it, and as I caught it, let go of the chain. Pendent and chain slithered into a nice little pile in my palm, which I immediately closed up around it, hiding it from my victim’s possible notice.
I turned and nodded to my sister, who rose, tipsily, and slinked across the room to us. She brushed up against me with the pretense of seeing what we were up to. I felt her arm go around my waist, and handed Ginny’s necklace off. Sis than circled around us, giving Ginny a squeeze, and looked at me meaningfully, her fingers brushing an earring. She went back to the couch and began draping the shimmery chain and pendent on poor Brian.
A slow song had been playing, so I told Ginny to no never mind pink lights, and taking her hand, asked “madameswell” if she cared to dance. I tried it in an accent, failed miserably, and got Ginny to giggling as she accepted. I lead her the long way around the couch to where we had cleared out a little bit of a dancing floor. As I took her into my arms I found it exciting that she was oblivious to my intentions. Innocently unaware, that in indifference to my sisters words earlier, someone did now want to nick the earrings so merrily sawing from her ears.
I bided my time, appearing to look into Ginny’s eyes, my mind was working on something else. When I made my first move it was as subtle as could be, and it paid off. Raising me hand, I lifted her hair above an ear, and an let my fingers run back down through. One of her earrings vanished into my hand, and reaching around, was neatly tossed into another. As my sister placed it on Brian’s ear,( by now he was looking quite comical, and it was all we could do to keep from bursting out laughing), I leaned in and whispered something into Ginny’s now bare ear, while my other hand reached around and plucked the other earring away, and tossed the sparkler gracefully over to my sisters waiting hands.
Needing no more direction from sis now that I knew her plan ( It was her way of getting back at Brian for our game, and at Ginny for her teasing, it never occurred to me to wonder what my punishment would be!), I carried on alone.
Employing the same method that the thief had used in the Gilligan’s Island episode to remove his dance partners necklace, I began to compliment Ginny on how devastating she looked ( no lies), slowly moving my one hand up the slick material of the gown covering her back until I reached the dangling part of her hook and eye necklace with its’ glittering row of single “diamonds”. Lifted it up as she fawned over my words of (not false) praise, holding her ever so her tightly around the waist with my free hand, I unhooked the clasp, and let the necklace fall over one shoulder. Ginny never felt it hanging, or noticed it as I slipped it off her chest and over her gown’s satin shoulder till it slipped sparkling down behind her. I held it hanging behind her back for a few turns, still pouring out the compliments, until I was close enough to neatly toss her necklace over the couch to my waiting partner in crime.
Sis was waiting, and as the necklace sailed over the couch, I saw her raise a hand, and pull at one of her rings. How?, I mouthed, and she held up a finger motioning me to wait a sec. I continued to dance with Ginny, who was growing ever heavier in my arms, as sis placed the necklace around poor Brian’s throat.
I watched as me twin got up and passed us , her satin gown whispering as she walked, heading to get a beer from the fridge. She stood for a moment then gave me a signal to twirl our victim around.
I lifted her hand, and spun Ginny around in a pirouette . The poor thing, already more than a little tipsy, fell hard against me, giggling. I did it again, and as she stared to lose her balance, my sister walked past and faking a trip, bumped into Ginny and both girl’s went down in a heap of black swishing satin. As I bent over to help the pair of giggling dolls untangle, I manage to slip off a ring off from over the sweaty knuckles of Ginny’s left pinky finger.
I helped them both up, and as my sister helped straighten Ginny’s gown while giggling over the incident, Ginny placed her hands behind her back, exposing her bracelets. I pocketed the ring, and moving up against Ginny from behind, attempted to remove the first “Diamond” bracelet from around her wrist. It came away with absolutely no resistance, or notice, and I moved off, and went to stand next to my sister, hands crossed behind me back. She put her arm around me, hugging me against her, I felt her fingers go to my hand, and I opened my fingers and let her take the ring and bracelet. Keeping her fist closed, she coolly left us, retrieving her unopened beer from the floor, and headed back smoothly to the couch.
I will admit I was now getting overly confident. I asked Ginny if she wanted a beer and we went over to the kitchenette to get them. As we walked, I placed my hands on her slick waist and led her there, as she giggled tipsily the whole way. I held the door open, and as she was bending down to get them, she laid her arm along the top of the drawer. I then made my seventh attempt, on her other “Diamond” bracelet
I had undone the clasp, and was getting ready to take it when I made the fatal error at looking over her shoulder at the couch. My sister was inwardly laughing at her handiwork, and to see a person like Brien, who takes his masculinity with pride, now decked out like some bearded floozy, was too much. I chuckled, and the bracelet fell, clanking against the door, landing at Ginny’s feet. I was caught red handed and my attempt at any more thievery was thwarted. Ginny smirked; here now lad, don’t try yer games on me.
Behind her, Ginny head my sister snort, and looking at my smirk, demanded to know what we had found so funny. So I grabbed her, spun her around, and led her back around the couch until she caught sight of the still snoring Brian! We both joined my sister in busting a gut laughing. Then, come to find that poor innocent Ginny thought that it was my sister’s rhinestones plastered all over poor Brian. When we pointed out the errors of her conclusion, it was my sister’s turn to laugh and tease the poor girl over her dumbfounded expression as now it was her hands failing to find her missing pieces of jewelry. Then Brian woke and he became the new center of the joke.
Ginny had reclaimed her rhinestones and had disappeared into the ladies room to replace them to their rightful perch and rejoin in with their remaining companions, which I thought, being so late, why bother? And Brain and Sis were on the couch still teasing the other. Suddenly I felt a hand softly placed on my shoulder, and looking up found myself trapped in a “come hither” look, emanating from Ginny’s twinkling green eyes, a look that I have come since to know very well.
We left the pair of gigglers on the couch, and went out into the evening, just the two of us, meeting nary another living soul at that early morning hour. The only exceptions were a weary desk clerk with a nose buried in her book, and a curious short blue-haired lady wearing a grey pant-suit, carrying a large handbag, who came upon Ginny in the lobby, while I was absent using its restroom . The odd thing here is, that until I showed up after doing my business, the lady appeared to be trying to lead good hearted Ginny outside to help search for some lost keys or such, at 2:30 Am! I suggested her to wait until light.
After managing to pry Ginny away, receiving the now disapproving look from purse –lipped blue haired lady for my efforts, we otherwise were not held up in our progress. The world was now ours, as my richly attired lady and her tuxedoed (handsome?)Escort made their journey together hand in hand. We ended up making a very long stroll in the Provincial park, and reentering the same isolated, secret clearing, proceeded to acting out our own role playing game, ala the movie “to Catch a Thief”, complete with fireworks of our own making.
And I still remember feeling pretty bloody cocky as Ginny and I left our room and rode the elevator down. And why not, I ask? Cause now , not only was I out strolling about with the most captivating ginger haired lass, sparkling in fancy dress around, but I had totally creamed Brian’s score in the jewelry lifting department, and that’s what life is all about for us boys, winning the game, isn’t it?
So ends my story, of which I have written 2 versions.
My question is now this:
Which version, if one reads both, do you believe to be the truer?
Please leave a comment at the end of the story you believe is..
In appreciation,
Thank You
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In Appraisal
This story may be unique in its nature, but if not we would love to hear about it. Please leave a comment or drop an email ( or both) about you own experience.
Thank You
The Sonia clip shortcut ( recommended viewing)
youtu.be/HAZdjhNVjxk
Ps. Check out Chronicles of lifting light C for a less embellished telling this particular event
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Courtesy of Chatwick University Archives
The moment I saw a photo of Mont Saint Michel in a magazine I was mesmerized. The notion of an island off the coast of France topped by an awe-inspiring medieval monastery still in use today immediately captured my imagination. The realization that I could not only visit Mont Saint Michel but also stay at the very base of the Romanesque chunk of history sent me over the moon.
Mont Saint Michel is one of the world's most magnificent sights, there is no doubt. Aside from picturesque, why should you visit Mont Saint Michel?
Mont Saint Michel is connected to the mainland via a causeway which until recently was a thin natural land bridge. During high tides, the bridge was engulfed by water during high tide and revealed at low tide. Victor Hugo described the tides as á la Vitesse d'un coeval au galop, "as swiftly as a galloping horse". What a superb description because the tides can roll in at one meter per second. You wouldn't want to be caught in that. In fact, over the years more than a few lives have been claimed by the tides and even quicksand. In 2014 a new causeway opened which allows visitors to safely cross to the island but also opens the flow of seawater so once again the mystical quality of Mont Saint Michel reveals itself during high tide. You can download the current tides schedule at Mont Saint Michel before your visit.
The abbey built high on the island catches your eye from great distances. If you're driving, it will seem as Mont Saint Michel gradually appears out the earth like magic. The slow emergence into your view only adds to the anticipation of what lies ahead, though the sheer magnitude of this wonder is only appreciated when you stand mere feet away from the entrance. For me, it is inconceivable how such a grand structure could be built on an island over a thousand years ago.
When you enter, you'll walk directly into a medieval town though the buildings are filled with modern restaurants, souvenir shops and museums. Many of the tourists walk no further as the climb to the abbey, which is at the very top, is difficult. If you choose to climb to the abbey, you'll have peace of mind knowing few others will join you. Walk the steps. By the time you've reached the famous Escalier de Dentelle (Lace Staircase) to the gallery around the roof of the abbey church, you'll have climbed no less than 900 steps. The climb is worth every inclined step you take. I guarantee it.
Halfway up Grande Rue is the medieval parish church of St Pierre, which is still used today. The church features a beautifully carved side chapel with a dramatic statue of St. Michael slaying the dragon. The day I visited I was treated to the sight of a monk pulling on a long rope to ring the church bell. When the rope ascended toward the bell, the monk was lifted off the ground. The memory stays etched in my memory and I can only hope to witness this again.
The Grand Degré, a steep, narrow staircase, leads to the abbey entrance, from which a wider flight of stone steps leads to Salt Gautier Terrace outside the dignified church. Alongside, you'll find stunning arcaded cloisters which offer sweeping views of the bay. Be sure to wander at your leisure amongst the maze of rooms, staircases (yes more) and vaulted halls that make up the abbey.
If you're able, let your creative imagination take you back hundreds of years to enhance your experience.
I help aspiring and established photographers get noticed so they can earn an income from photography or increase sales. My blog, Photographer’s Business Notebook is a wealth of information as is my Mark Paulda’s YouTube Channel. I also offer a variety of books, mentor services and online classes at Mark Paulda Photography Mentor
All images are available as Museum Quality Photographic Prints and Commercial Licensing. Feel free to contact me with any and all inquiries.
Follow My Once In A Lifetime Travel Experiences at Mark Paulda’s Travel Journal
Jake Hegel Photography Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/Jake-Hegel-Photography/21335669868...
Deviantart: www.jakehegel.deviantart.com/
Today I had a realization that went something like this - oh crap I'm leaving thursday and I need to get a photo in now or i'll have to skip a week. So this was sort of last minute. I had no lighting in my room and my walls looked a horrible neon shade in all the pictures I took, so I threw on the 'antique light' preset on LR. I test how that preset looks on most photos that I import into LR and I love it. I don't use it too often. But I am really enjoying it with the tinsel photos :P
Man, Perry's been on a roll lately! This was not easy with him, I made him balance his ass on the stool again, and pose with the dreaded tinsel. Such drama. But it took just a few shots to give a good one, so the torture was short lived and Per survived.
The Duel of the Figures continues…
It’s not battle of Jedi vs Sith, it’s not a battle of Good vs Evil, it’s a battle of coolness as the high quality “Samurai” Darth Vader action figure fights against a “mass market” version of Kit Fisto.
Continues from part 3: www.flickr.com/photos/133750589@N08/25093753264/in/photos...
You can find the whole series (the last part will be posted soon) here: www.flickr.com/photos/133750589@N08/albums/72157665467242701
Vader maintains his hold on Fisto figure.
Fisto: “You…are deluded to think your kind actually means something…cough.. You have just a niche market…your kind are so expensive…we are so affordable…cough… we can swarm the market and be forever remembered…”
Vader: “You are a fool to think you can leave a mark in the history of collectibles. Quality does matter and while my kind may be expensive, you are annoyingly overpriced for a figure of your quality! We'll be a prized possession in a collection but you… you will be forgotten. It’s time to sink into oblivion.”
With a swift movement Vader plunges his Lightsaber into his opponent’s chest.
To be continued…
No action figure has been harmed during the making of this photo; this is just a simulation of violence/combat etc, etc :) It’s obvious but a little disclaimer never hurts lol :)
Samurai Vader is the Bandai Tamashii Nations Movie Realization Samurai Taisho [General] Darth Vader, Death Star Armor action figure :) I know it’s as long as a Hyperspace route lol :)
Fisto figure lacks his right arm because he lost it earlier in the fight.
I hope you are enjoying this little series :)
May the Force be with You :)
I am slowly building up my Koitography Collection! This beautiful big orange was the least shy of the pack. She was the largest too. I figured it was from that feed me look she would pull on every visitor. Taken at the Self-Realization Fellowship Garden in Encinitas.
Drifter; development 2008 to 2016, realization 2017
In addition to early designs, the exhibition features new, previously unseen work by the Dutch duo Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta – the founders of Studio Drift. Specially for the presentation at the Stedelijk, Studio Drift will create the largest-ever installation of Fragile Future. At the core of the installation will be Fragile Future Chandelier 3.5 (2012) acquired by the museum in 2015. Another highlight is Drifter, a floating concrete monolith measuring four by two by two meters. After making its world première at New York’s Armory Show in 2017, this magical installation will be on display in the IMC Gallery at the Stedelijk. The film Drifters (2016) and the installation Materialism (2018) go on view for the first time. In total, the presentation comprises eight of Studio Drift’s room-filling installations, together with a selection of films.
The work of Studio Drift occupies a unique place at the interface between tech art, performance, and biodesign. As a museum that has always placed great importance on both art and design, and performance, the Stedelijk Museum is the perfect venue to display this transdisciplinary work. Gordijn and Nauta engage with contemporary topics such as sustainability, the meaning of natural processes for today’s environment, and issues raised by the use of augmented reality. Their work focuses attention on a society in flux, shaped by the impact of fast-paced innovations, without judging.
....waiting for Halloween.....
the mystery is everywhere... wait... something is coming to happen...
darkness, mystery, shadows.....
╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮
........
Round about the cauldron go;
In the poison'd entrails throw.
Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights has thirty-one
Swelter'd venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i' the charmed pot.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg and howlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,
Witches' mummy, maw and gulf
Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark,
Root of hemlock digg'd i' the dark,
Liver of blaspheming Jew,
Gall of goat, and slips of yew
Sliver'd in the moon's eclipse,
Nose of Turk and Tartar's lips,
Finger of birth-strangled babe
Ditch-deliver'd by a drab,
Make the gruel thick and slab.
Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,
For the ingredients of our cauldron.
[William Shakespeare: "Macbeth" - Act 4, Scene 1]
╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮
♪ ℳℰ℘ ♪ FOR A MUSIC, I SUGGEST YOU: ♪ ℳℰ℘ ♪
Giuseppe Verdi: Macbeth - The dance of witches (Act III)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L-wy7nUjNo
♪ ℳℰ℘ ♪ ♪ ℳℰ℘ ♪ ♪ ℳℰ℘ ♪ ♪ ℳℰ℘ ♪ ♪
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MAKE-UP, COSTUME AND REALIZATION BY ME
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Self Realization
It is crucial to understand that when we die, it is only the death of the human body; the spirit (our soul) lives on. When we die our soul loses its physical connection with the world which we know when we are alive.
Everything we do in this life, we should do with the conscious awareness that the consequences of every action will carry on after we leave this world; that our soul will bear the burden of it.
With this thought should come a realization; what is the purpose for us to be in this world!
Inner peace and happiness actually comes from a clear conscience which keeps our soul at peace!
Let me elaborate this point with an example – If we help someone in times of need, or give food to the poor, these actions will not result in any monetary gain, but these actions will fulfill us at a spiritual level because our soul will reap the rewards of these actions, even after our exit from this life. On the other hand if we cheat or steal money from someone, this action might result in a temporary gain of a monetary benefit, but will lead to a guilty conscience - which is the unrest of our soul. It is our soul which will have to face the consequences of these deeds.
So whatever we do in life, please do keep in mind that every action will result in a positive or negative reaction from our soul. So if you truly want to create a life full of inner peace and happiness, be fair with others, keep your word, and be kind and generous. This approach to life will rid us of corruption and dishonesty & will steer our lives in the direction of success and prosperity.
Maryam Arif
There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.
________________________
________________________
Hair:
.Entwined. - Blythe -
Outfit:
Vanilla Bae - Serena Knotted Shirt & Serena Shorts - COLLABOR 88
♥ Info ♥
Serena Knotted Top & Serena Shorts Sold separately
Serena Knotted Top
• Strippable Top with 3 steps Strip + fully nude
• Strip me menu access includes: Private, Public, Add Master
• PG Option (step 1 only, non strip)
Serena Shorts
• Shorts with 3 steps of wear + fully nude
• Strip me menu access includes: Private, Public, Add Master
• PG Option (step 1 only, no strip scripts)
• White band is not color changeable
Poses:
FOXCITY Play Ball Set
Backdrop:
Basketball Gym Skybox
Frannie was a year behind me in High School. She was so cute and vivacious. She still is...
It's wonderful that we are still friends...
Miss Cecily, my beautiful wife, shot this photo with her iPhone 6 Plus.
Photographed in the Self-Realization Meditation Garden. It is a cliff top garden high above the Pacific Ocean 🌊 in Encinitas California - Cardiff By The Sea
IMG_0584
~ in bloom are the tulips purchased this past Friday...
~ and so is the realization that happiness is a decision...
A happy, creative, wonderful Monday & new week ahead in all possible ways for everyone!
P.S1: the picture is almost SOOC, really loving Northen light in Spring ~
P.S2: the album of our new home has been undergoing quite a few changes, until it reaches to a name fully representing itself. It seems that borrowing the name of this English wallpaper, with which the main living room wall left as we enter has been covered, fits more appropriately than anything so far. So The Pearl Birches House it is for now therefore :) Some more pictures here ~
Some info:
~ mirror: vintage 50s scored on ebay 3 years ago
~ storage system: 3 Besta / Ikea units 120 x 40 cm with white shiny doors, horizontally adjusted next to each other.
~ glass candle holders: Bloomster / Ikea {on my wish list since about 4 years, happy to have got them this Christmas for myself}
~ wishbone from a birch tree in the garden of the house I grew up in Greece. Belongs to my tiny collection & it's the medium sized one.
~ paper bag: for various household uses found in almost every supermarket.
~ handwriting: done with a permament silver marker
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A night view of Cesenatico port canal, whose design and realization is usually attributed to Leonardo da Vinci (I am not sure how solid the foundation of this claim are). The canal is provided with a modern water gate to protect it from the incoming waves when necessary (but such a device could well have been present since the beginning, as Leonardo was an expert hydraulic engineer).
On the left there is St. James church (a XIV century church rebuilt in the XVIII century). In the canal you can see some of the traditional boats parked there as part of the exposition at the Marine Museum (sorry, it looks like the site is only in Italian). Since 1986, during Christmas time, these boats become populated with 50 wooden life-size sculptures creating a very peculiar Marine Nativity scene.
During this photographic session I was thinking of Leonardo conceiving, designing and surveying the realization of this canal. I found myself brooding over the fact that ordinary people dream by night, whereas a genius is always dreaming - especially when she is awake :-)
I have blended three HDR images derived from a 3-bracketing, -1.67 ev/0/+1.67 ev, generated and tonemapped with Luminance HDR 2.4.0 (Fattal, Reinhard05, and Mantiuk06 operators).
I am not fully satisfied with the result of this scene (especially the spot lights, which have proved to be beyond recovery (grrr!), so I hope to receive useful comments, suggestions and critics helping me to understand what are its weak points (and possibly how to avoid them in the future).
Luminance HDR 2.4.0 tonemapping parameters:
Operator: Fattal
alpha: 1.49
beta: 0.92
Saturation: 0.81
Noiseredux: 0.05
fftsolver: 1
---
PreGamma: 1.55
Operator: Reinhard05
Brightness: 1.0
Chromatic adaptation: 0.28
Light adaptation: 1.0
---
PreGamma: 1.18
Operator: Mantiuk06
Contrast Mapping factor: 0.88
Saturation Factor: 0.5
Detail Factor: 2.2
------
PreGamma: 0.48
First printing resin giraffe, and makeup during the first realization BJD create handmade by jesliedolls: jesliedolls.weebly.com/
are you hardcore
Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that produce uneasiness, apprehension, fear, or worry, by repetitive behaviors aimed at reducing anxiety, or by a combination of such thoughts (obsessions) and behaviors (compulsions). Symptoms may include repetitive handwashing; extensive hoarding; preoccupation with sexual or aggressive impulses, or with particular religious beliefs; aversion to odd numbers; and nervous habits, such as opening a door and closing it a certain number of times before one enters or leaves a room. These symptoms can be alienating and time-consuming, and often cause severe emotional and financial distress. The acts of those who have OCD may appear paranoid and come across to others as psychotic. However, OCD sufferers generally recognize their thoughts and subsequent actions as irrational, and they may become further distressed by this realization.
OCD is the fourth-most-common mental disorder, and is diagnosed nearly as often as asthma and diabetes mellitus. In the United States, one in 50 adults has OCD. The phrase "obsessive–compulsive" has become part of the English lexicon, and is often used in an informal or caricatured manner to describe someone who is meticulous, perfectionistic, absorbed in a cause, or otherwise fixated on something or someone. Although these signs may be present in OCD, a person who exhibits them does not necessarily have OCD, and may instead have obsessive–compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), an autism spectrum disorder, or no clinical condition. Multiple psychological and biological factors may be involved in causing obsessive–compulsive syndromes.
The weekend was a whirlwind of festive activites, all leading me to the jolting realization (and some mild pangs of anxiety) - it's only three weeks away. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.
But as the lists and preparations and organization (and occasional acts of negotiation) start to quickly build, I've also been discovering the returning desire to grab the camera and just play. Maybe it's the decorations, or the festive spirit, or the lure of possibilities as thoughts turn to the changing year...but lately I just can't help but feel more than a little caught up in it. It's a good thing.
HMAM brought to you by the tiniest of golden reflections
We saw this bloke (whom we suspect to be a British tourist) fish on the rocks for hours on end, with apparently not catching anyway. The. It dawned on us: the mother-in-law must be visiting.
Why the parenthesis around (Old) in the title? you might ask. Well, I've come to the realization I've reached an age where one must be careful about calling people old. Stones and glass houses...
The Old Man and the Sea was required reading when I was in middle school. One has to wonder why as Hemingway actually wrote some good books.
....waiting for Halloween.....
the mystery is everywhere... wait... something is coming to happen...
darkness, mystery, shadows.....
╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮
........
Round about the cauldron go;
In the poison'd entrails throw.
Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights has thirty-one
Swelter'd venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i' the charmed pot.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg and howlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,
Witches' mummy, maw and gulf
Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark,
Root of hemlock digg'd i' the dark,
Liver of blaspheming Jew,
Gall of goat, and slips of yew
Sliver'd in the moon's eclipse,
Nose of Turk and Tartar's lips,
Finger of birth-strangled babe
Ditch-deliver'd by a drab,
Make the gruel thick and slab.
Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,
For the ingredients of our cauldron.
[William Shakespeare: "Macbeth" - Act 4, Scene 1]
╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮╰☆╮
♪ ℳℰ℘ ♪ FOR A MUSIC, I SUGGEST YOU: ♪ ℳℰ℘ ♪
Giuseppe Verdi: Macbeth - The dance of witches (Act III)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L-wy7nUjNo
♪ ℳℰ℘ ♪ ♪ ℳℰ℘ ♪ ♪ ℳℰ℘ ♪ ♪ ℳℰ℘ ♪ ♪
*************************************************************
MAKE-UP, COSTUME AND REALIZATION BY ME
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