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| Friday, 31-Mar-2006 14:31 |
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This is India - 2A. Bassein Fishing Village
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I wanted to name the first three pictures, "The Story of Man" but, I would have needed the picture of an old man and, a dead man. I did'nt have these. They would have made the whole thing very grim anyway.
Very close to the Bassein Fort is the fishing village, where we went and, spent some time. I don't suppose the lives of these simple folk has, or had, changed much over the last few centuries. The people who lived in the Fort died off, however, like all of us.
I suppose that this is the real story of man. The famous ones live grandly and, die like any one else. In some cases, we remember their names and, try and make conjectures of what their lives were all about. In many cases history forgets even the grand ones. In due course, even the grand ones are forgotten.
The simple folk live on and, on....
Unltil evolution sweeps us away.
This is a grim entry.
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| Thursday, 23-Mar-2006 13:29 |
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This is India - 2. Bassein Fort
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Hi all, a very long time, no see!! I know that I have been a little irregular in my postings of late. Work has been quite crazy. Then, I bought a new computer - a Mac Mini. I wanted to buy a proper Mac but, I was afraid that my little son would climb all over it!! 
Anyway, Bassein Fort. This is north of Bombay or, Mumbai as it is now called. Old timers like me still call the city Bombay. Anyway, these shots were taken many years ago. I ha done a three to four month photography class a little over 20 years ago and, a bunch of us went up to Bassein by train. A pretty distance. The fort was magnificent. I loved the place. We photographed the place between 10 am and about 1 pm. Not the best time to do photography but, it was still worth it.
I love walking in old ruins. You don't always get a sense of the history of the place but, in places like this, you sometimes get the feeling of what it is like to be forgotten. I don't know how many people in Bombay or, India know about Bassein and, not too many care. This is a fort that is not under any restoration efforts, sadly. It will dissapear one day, like the memories of those who lived in ths fort.
A bit of history may be in order. Bassein was a Portugese fort once upon a time. And, it was a thriving fortified city between 1534 AD and 1739 AD. Then, it was sacked by the Marathas. Now, there is a small fishing village next to the fort. This will be my next entry!.
What I did not know, was the history of a place called Nalasopara just 10 km from Bassein. Today, a self respecting person from Bombay would not step foot in Nalasopara. It's considered to be quite a backwater. But, it was the capital of the coastal Konkan region of India between 1500 BC and 1300 BC. And, it is believed to be the birthplace of the Buddha in an earlier life. Times change. The moving finger does move......
But, maybe someday I will go to the backwater of Nlasopara to do some photography..
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| Wednesday, 15-Feb-2006 14:14 |
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Sunrise. HangZhou. 26 September 6:15 am
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This is the last of the lot of HangZhou that I am going to put up for a while. I have some shots of the people and, I have some black and white ones as well but, I'll come back to these later.
This morning again, the sun played hide and seek but, Apollo was kinder to me than he was the previous evening. I did get some decent stuff in the morning. Early morning. What was in the song "Morning has broken?" The lyrics went ".... God's recreation, of the new day.
This is entry # 70 for me. At entry # 100, I shall put up a picture of me in my towel!!
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| Tuesday, 7-Feb-2006 08:59 |
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Sunset - HangZhou. 25 September 2005
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These are photos that I took of the Xihu or, the West Lake ( Xi being West, Hu being Lake) on the 25th September. Sunset started around 4:30 in the evening and, by 6:15 it was completelt dark. These shots were taken on a cloudy day, with the sun hiding behind the clouds most of the time.
This was hide and seek game # 1 that the sun played with me. There were times when the light was completely flat and, there were times when the rays peeped out from behind the clouds. In the last shot, of the lotus leaves, I used the light that was reflected in the water. The sky was, however, quite colourless and flat, as you can see. The secret of the last shot - a 15 mm lens. And, I leaned back in a semi-lying posture to get the shot. I used a similar wide angle in shot # 5, to get maximum depth of field, insofar as the lotus leaves are concerned.
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| Monday, 30-Jan-2006 11:26 |
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An Early Trip To Hangzhou
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Hello All! It's been a long time since I updated my fotopage. A very long time indeed. This is the time of the Chinese New Year so, Gong Xi Fa Cai to all of you!
These pictures were taken during an early trip to Hangzhou, with some friends, on 23 October 2004. A nice autumn day. Our driver got caught by the police, when cutting across lanes on the highway. So, I took the time to walk around and, to take some pictures of the huts and houses on the highway.
We reached late and, went to the Ling Yin Si or, the Temple of the Recling Soul, as it is called in English. I also took some pics of people praying but, have not put them up.
There is Heaven in the Sky and, Hangzhou and SuZhou on the Earth, as they used to say long ago. So, there'll be more of Hangzhou soon!
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| Sunday, 13-Nov-2005 00:00 |
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Faces Through The Ages - 13. Kandisa
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At The Window. Grant Road. Bombay. 1984
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Chowpatty. Bombay. 1984
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Little Kid. Crawford Market. Bombay 1984
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"Kandisa" is an ancient Catholic Syrian Hymn, over 1,000 years old and, is sung in Aramaic. A newer version has been sung by a superb Indian group called Indian Ocean. The word "Kandisa" means praise.
Praise be the kids of today, because they are our tomorrow. The lessons we teach them today become the fate of the world tomorrow.
I used to be shit scared of kids. Until I had my own, that is. They give you unquestioned love. Unconditional.
So, if we teach them hate, we get Osama. What say?
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| Monday, 24-Oct-2005 00:00 |
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The Boat to the Other World
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Boat To The Land Of Dreams
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Journey to The Underworld
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Blue Consciousness
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I think that water is something that is pretty much a part of our subconscious. It probably has to to with both, our aquatic ancestry as well as our pre-birth life, which is spent in a watery, cushiony sac.
After death, as per some ancient mythology, we are rowed across the Styx. In my country, the Lord of the Underworld, Yama, greets you and then, rows you across to the underworld. Incidentally, one of our great philosphical texts, the Kathopanishad is the result of a conversation between Yama and, one person who descended to the Underworld to meet him.
And, in certain occult beliefs, when we dream, our soul temporarily leaves our body. And, this is the time, our soul can be captured. Or, our bodies can be possessed.
As above, so below. Thus spake Hermes Trismegistus.
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| Tuesday, 11-Oct-2005 00:00 |
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Qian Dao Hu.
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Hi All, From Morristown, NJ. I thought that I would go to New York on Sunday and, take some B&W pics. But, the rains and, the terrorist threat kept me away. Oh well, "Man proposes, God and Terrorist disposes" as they say nowadays. Those guys are a pain in the butt, I say. I had to make a budget proposal on Monday. And, I live to tell the tale.
Anyway, here are some pics of Qian Dao Hu. I am not sure if it is a natural or, artificial lake. I am not too sure of what the guide was saying. Anyway, it is 6sq km larger than Singapore and, has 1,078 little and not so little islands or, islets! Qian Dao Hu means, literally, Thousand Island Lake.
I was there in April for the conference. Beautiful, sunny days until the day I went out with my camera. Then, we had mist. So, here they are: Boats and Islands in the mist!!
I go to Redwood Shores tomorrow. I have to leave my hotel at 4:45 am 
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| Friday, 7-Oct-2005 00:00 |
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The Answer. And, I'll Be Back.....
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Hey all, well I paid 45 USD for that suite! Edy and Mark were pretty close. The room came with free breakfast, by the way. A nice, nice buffet breakfast. With eggs, bacon, fruit, cheese, breads an cakes, tea, dim sums etc etc etc. But, no Chinese girlfriend!.
Anyway, I am off to Morristown and San Francisco tomorrow and, I'll return after a week, I am still alive. I don't know if I can post pictures or follow up on your posts while in Morristown as, some of the American hotels I have stayed in don't have broadband. And yet, they charge tons of money.
So, I'll be back....
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| Monday, 3-Oct-2005 00:00 |
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My Hotel Room in Qian Dao Hu
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This is a bit of a fun entry until the next one. It's a guessing game!
I had gone, in April, to Qian Dao Hu. This is a 5 hour drive from Shanghai. I went there for a conference with my team, all 150 of them.
And, my room. Quite something, as you can see. And, I had it all to myself. No wife and family and, no secret Chinese girfriend either . My wife will kill me if she reads this  .
Anyhow, how much do you think I paid for all of this? 
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