With a peak that rises more than 2010m[1] above sea level, Namunukula mountain range is one of the well-known mountain ranges in Sri Lanka. It is the one you can make out in the above picture as the farthest layer of mountains.
Around four years back, I was able to capture this view of the landscape, which poses itself the prettiest during the last few minutes of the setting sun. Those were the days that I was first trying my hands on artistic photography. If you are wondering what made me post this old picture up here all of a sudden, well, there is a special reason. Sadly, that reason is not as pretty as the focal point of this picture. Thus, I will leave that story to the end.
To be honest, there is not much of a story behind this picture. But, I just felt like sharing it with you. Who knows, you might like it even with out a good story =)
Anyway, to talk about a few unimportant things around it, I took this shot one evening while on my way home after visiting Mt. Coot-tha lookout. Mt. Coot-tha lookout is a place where you can to view the Brisbane city and the surrounding areas, all the way from Moreton bay to the mountains located near the Gold Coast. I think it is the best lookout around Brisbane and I am really grateful to one of my friends for telling me about it.
I took up a self imposed challenge to walk 22km, up to the beach and back in a day, just to prove myself that I am still young and fit. Much to my own relief, I was able to do it, thus, convincing myself that at least I am fit like I have been for the last five year or so, since this travel craze began.
My destination was Nudgee Beach. The same place I described in the previous article named 'Confusion'. I walked along the main roads, among the busy traffic, through the towns, into a residential area. The chaos was gone, temporarily. Here, I ran into a couple of warm-hearted gentlemen, who raised their hats and greeted, 'How ya goin mate...', in fine Aussie style.
Recently, I had to change houses once more. This is my seventh home in a period of seven months. Every time when I move, I not only leave the house, the furniture and the neighborhood behind, but also the brand-new friends I make at each of those places. Nevertheless, I think, now I have got used to a nomadic life. After all, life itself is nomadic. (To be honest, I do miss the feeling of isolation in the barren, semi desert landscapes around Perth though)
For some extraordinary reason I always end up ‘camping’ close to a river. The Swan River I fell in love with back in Perth, Brisbane River in West End, and now slot in between the same river and the Moreton Bay. Rivers have an amazing ability to calm my mind down. Nothing feels more serene than going for a walk down by the river, at the sundown, listening to some soothing music. I do not always accompany my camera with me for such walks, as the urge to take photographs of the splendors created by the setting sun itself deprives me of my relaxation.
Is it really the poet that composes poems, or is it the subject? As per my experience on that particular night, it was music that composed this poem. It merely used my mind and brain to process language and my hand to write down the words on a piece of paper. Thus, the poem belongs to this music, not to me.
Nightingale
Helplessly, I have drowned, in self intoxication I cannot see a way, to break free, nor have the intent Lost among defilements, am I? A heart that feels so heavy, sighing, seemingly unending, In my reminiscence, I hear it playing, perpetually, consuming me It is no more the reality, that I live in
Last week in this blog I posted a picture that belongs to some one else, although I started the blog with the intention of sharing my photography work. Today I am going to break the traditions again and post a piece of music in my 'hereafter so called' photoblog.
All the boundaries we know are created by our consciousness. In reality, every thing is just a result of conversion of other things. Matter and energy, in the universe as we know it, creates everything, and matter is convertible to energy and vice-versa. So, in that sense what is the difference between a photograph and a piece of music. They both are art. The way we perceive them, and the way they generate a sensation in our minds is the same. After all, it's our mind that creates everything we see, hear, smell, feel and dream.
With that somewhat controversial justification I am taking this opportunity to share a piece of mesmeric music. This track made me feel exactly the same as in the above poem, on that dark, peaceful night.
This picture is the work of one of my closest friends, Sithara Dayarathna. As an appreciation of his wonderful photography, despite the limitations of his hardware, I decided to post this on my blog. This simple poem happened to get composed in my head while I was drowned in its memorizing beauty.
Fire, fire burning bright, higher and higher into the sky Fewer the days that start so bright, and, here a child dreams to fly
The feeling of utter confusion of being amoung the network of roots in the mangroves gives a unique sensation. With that it is not hard to understand the role the stripes on zebras play on hungry eyes of a predator on African savanna. I stumbled upoun this mangrove swamp at the Nudgee Beach in Queensland, Australia. About 20km from Brisbane and facing the Moreton Bay.
Mangroves and the adjoining wetlands are important to retain the ecological balance of this area. Mangroves work as a filter of water streams that flows down to rivers, bays, or lagoons, while wetlands help controlling floods. These eco-systems also house an array of wild animals whose existence rely entirely on the preservation of these wetlands.
Apart from all that, mangroves provide shade, rest and a photo opportunity under its canopy to eco-tourists, as was the case with me that day.
