Sunset and Candlelight

The vanilla curls grew dark

Gentle flames seeping through their holes,

Coating them,

A soft pink at the edges

The fiery ball sinks,

And as the world goes dark,

A candle is lit

The flame burning brightly

As one flame dies,

Another lives

Covered in snow, they stand tall. The pathway goes on...

A combination of writing and photography

What does photography mean? Is it as straightforward as capturing images through a lens and then keeping them as memories? Or is it deeper; does it mean to bring a memory to life, a figure to life in your mind? A photograph captures many things, it captures emotions, it is art. The photographer expresses their perspective on the object, and presents it in a diverse way. Each photograph is different as is its photographer. I write, yet I also enjoy photography; I like to capture beautiful objects, people and memories through the lens. Maybe store it forever or toss it aside. Every photograph I take helps me discover a deeper meaning of who I am, what fascinates me, what is my view of the world. Photography, like writing is free. This freedom is gained simply through a flash. And then it exists forever.

My university is surrounded by a park. This park is Victoria Park, where trees stand verdant and lush in summer, but bare and brown in winter. Last summer, while I was walking through Vicky Park (as we students call it), I stopped and captured the first image. The picture shows the green grass, the tree's leafy branches overhead, as well as the university standing in the distance. It's three tallest buildings, fought the height of the trees, rising above in the picture. The scene seemed serene, lush, yet modern. The modernity of these buildings, the hustle and bustle of the university was combined with the richness of nature. Since it was exam season, the park and the university were both empty. Yet they seemed full of life.

Summer days

The second picture was taken this year, in January. Taken at almost the same spot, it captures the effect of winter on Victoria Park. The ground is covered with snow, the trees bare and harsh. In this perspective, the third building is not included. The grounds are just as deserted as they were in summer. The only difference is that in this picture, everything else also seems desolate and still.

A Snow Day

By the Beach; Simply Sunset

The restaurant opens at sunset, 

A romantic atmosphere is created

Visitors watch 

As the fierce sun blends into the sapphire sea’s soft colours

The Pain that My Society caused Me

A sense of anger,

Hurt,

Depression,

Hearts pained,

It doesn't seem possible,

And yet it is happening,

Life changing events

Are missed,

No one cares,

It is a pain that won't leave,

Maybe ever

Society let this pain live,

it brought about this hurt,

Yet we have to smile,

Because it is what is accepted

Them Confusing Emotions

The feeling disappears for a while, but keeps returning after every few days. Sadness, anger, hurt, I don't know what it is. The weird part about this feeling is that it exists simultaneously with happiness, and frankly, I think that they are part of the same feeling.

I guess its a kind of acceptance; one that we never get what we want, and that's just life. Life-changing events take place without everyone being present and then life just goes on. Gone are the days when we felt that we had power over what went on in our lives, gone are the days when we thought everything was possible.

And honestly that's just depressing. Life is supposed to be about pursuing what you want, everything should be possible in life. Its not even like we are old: I'm only in my twenties, I should be able to make things happen for myself. I should be able to be spontaneous and take risks. But that never seems to be the case.

What the truly depressing part is things wouldn't be impossible if it wasn't for society and culture. Our beliefs and thoughts about what is 'culturally acceptable,' what others will say, how it will affect our relationships, how it will cause problems or create a bad impression and so on, hinder us in living life to the fullest. Social, financial and cultural restraints seem to make our lives impossible to enjoy. Yes, to an extent these things are needed to keep society stable, but nowadays people seem to think about them more than necessary. So much that it is almost sickening to see how obsessed we are with what others will say.

This blog is becoming into a place for me to rant about life rather than actually writing anything of substance. I don't want to make you think that the world is depressing place and that life isn't wonderful. Because it is, it really is. We are lucky to be alive when everyday thousands of people are dying in various parts of the world. But I have to rant about my problems somewhere, so I choose to tell you about them.

Moral of this post: It is possible to be sad and happy at the same time.

A Frustrated Writer Requests For Peace

The year 2015 has brought about a new surge of hate in today's world. Switching on any news channel or social media website, you are bound to see some anti anyone(whether it be Christians, Muslims, Jews, Blacks, Whites, etc) posts or news. This kind of energy makes you wonder about the human race. Have we learnt anything from our past? Have we even progressed in the centuries we have been on this Earth? Or are we in the same primitive place we were during those years of hate, of greed, of lack of education? Normally, I would be positive and say we have left those primitive ideas behind and are now united. But recent events have made me realise that we are still full of hate and prejudice. Our biggest issue is that we are selfish. Lives don't matter to us, not unless someone close to us has passed away. It doesn't matter what colour we are, what religion we are or where are from, most humans are all the same: full of hate and prejudice.

Is it too much to ask everyone to live peacefully, and counter today's problems with peace and love rather than hate and anger? Yes, terrorist groups are a problem, but so is poverty, so is racism, so is corruption, so is cancer and Ebola, so is war on innocents all over the world. The government and media take advantage of our hate, pinning us against each other. And instead of being logical, wise and accepting, we seem to fall into their trap. The organisations which are the cause of today's problems will only continue to benefit and cause more problems for the rest of us if we continue this way. We need to get over our selfish selves, and care about humankind as a whole. If we don't, then the problems of terrorism, corruption, poverty, diseases, racism and many more will never end. If humans continue the way we are currently, then one day there will be a third world war and we all will be dead. Honesty, it seems like there are small third world wars going on everyday in various parts of the globe.

This is too much negativity for one post, but it's mainly because as a citizen of this world, I'm frustrated. Who wouldn't be? Every time you open the computer or the television, so and so number of people have died in some country due to racism, terrorism, or whatever issue. Where are you supposed to go to escape this hate ridden world? We need to conquer today's problems, stop hating and spread peace. Yes, there are many people in the world today who preach peace and are not as hateful as I'm making humans out to be. But there isn't enough of them. If there was enough, then we would not be in the mess we are in currently. There would be no racism, no prejudice, no terrorism, no Ebola, no wars, etc. So I appeal to the human race, I appeal to you to forget yourselves for one moment, to let go of your hate and to unite. Be united so that you can counter today's issues. Do something nice for the person you hold prejudices against. Give a gift to someone you dislike at school or work. It's quite simple, just be peaceful and loving.

The world loves to celebrate Valentines Day, well now is the time to make all of humankind your Valentine. Spread love, not hate. Spread love to save humanity, to save each other. It does not matter if you are Muslim, Hindu, Jew, Sikh, Christian, Atheist, black, white, brown, yellow, red or whatever other difference you can think of. Everyone is a human, everyone lives in this beautiful world, everyone should love and care for one another. Because if we don't, then we are not only destroying this world, but are also killing ourselves.

Stop being selfish and hateful, be loving, kind and peaceful. Be peaceful to save yourself, to save ourselves. Be loving to save all of humankind.