These are some recent photos taken by way of trying to find a creative solution (following on hellish medical expenses last month) to some Christmas gifts!
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
On Beauty and Balance
Given that yesterday's road rage event (see yesterday's post) has left a bad taste, I decided to follow up with something altogether nicer and brighter. Nothing like trying to find and keep the balance which is feeling decidedly wobbly at present.
These are some recent photos taken by way of trying to find a creative solution (following on hellish medical expenses last month) to some Christmas gifts!
These are some recent photos taken by way of trying to find a creative solution (following on hellish medical expenses last month) to some Christmas gifts!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
31 comments:
Beautiful images.
Thanks, VBPurcell!
The pictures are pretty as always. I particularly like the last one...the hibiscus..it has excellent play on shadow and light. Besides, it's Malaysia's national flower.
Yes, very beautiful indeed.
Sorry to hear about the road rage shite damaging your balance. Though you handled it with your usual inimitable style! xxx
photos too good. specially the third one from the top..
It's not just Americans who develop road rage. I believe you participated in this though you didn't start it.
I don't own a car and rarely drive which makes me a Pretty Nice American. Also I don't know anyone who wears a cowboy hat, except our president.
Actually until I came to know a little bit more about S. Africans, all I could imagine when I pictured your country were a bunch of Afrikaner racists. Stereotypes are so misleading!
Bravo for having done all your Christmas shopping! I haven't even started.
Aha, I didn't know the hibiscus was the Malaysian national flower - how lovely! Glad you liked the pics, Suzan
Thanks, Debi. Ah well, road rage is as road rage does, one gets it into perspective, of some sort, after a while.
Glad you liked 'em, Rambler :-)
As I have said in other comments and I think in my post, Reya, that it's not just Americans and that it happens anywhere and at any time.
As for my participation - coming from an abusive background, I've reached a stage in my life where I will not tolerate bad behaviour from anyone - there is no excuse for it and people need to know when they are out of line, otherwise people just carry on behaving badly. I take responsibility for my response but I doubt the other fellow would be willing to acknowledge the role he played and would no doubt respond in a super-defensive manner instead.
And yes, you are a Nice American - a very nice one - of that I have utterly no doubt. You are one of the many US citizens I've met through this blog who have shown me that actually there are plenty of Nice Americans who are very special people - despite the fact that your country has a loony administration - just has ours did in the past.
And yes, as a South African who has lived abroad, I know all about stereotypes and how people treat you as though every South African is some kind of raving racist. I suppose the lesson in that is that those who are not like the others who created a bad name have to stand up and shout and prove to the world that not all are bad and not all are the same. It's what we had to do, until there were enough voices and people were able to see us differently - and even then, as you say, the perception and the stereotype has persisted despite the fact that Afrikaner racists are such a tiny minority in this country.
Lovely shots, Ms Vanilla. Wonderful shadows and color.
I read with horror your post from yesterday. As an American, I am of course ashamed. America has not beeb showing its true colors the last several years, I'm afrarid. As a male, however, I am ashamed as well. This man is a minority but, unfortunately, not an anomaly. I had similar experience many years ago with a man on a motorcycle who, I believe, wanted to show off for the woman on the back of his bike. He was a bully and he had something to prove. I'm sorry for your experience. I am tying to be more zen lately and I try (very hard) not to flip anyone off anymore.
I'm going to take a photography class next semester-- these are great inspiration! I can almost smell them!
Glad you liked the shots, Witnessing :-)
People like the deranged twonker are found all over, I guess. I've also been trying hard to be more zen but I'm afraid that behaviour just really got up my nose. I wouldn't have bothered to respond to the bad driving, in fact, I was having a laugh about it but the finger to the head and then the cursing, well, that just pushed things over the edge. Perhaps I should just have started chanting loudly! But I suppose there's this, there is duality in our human condition and we need to accept it in ourselves first.
Glad you liked the pics, Tea! And thanks for visiting :-)
oooohhhh! Pretty!
Love those, thanks for the blooms, they brighten our snow!
Scarlett & Viaggiatore
Glad you liked them, Scarlett! I guess the colour is in keeping with both seasons - red for Christmas, red for vibrant life in the sun :-)
PS had any luck making blue soup yet? ;-)
Don't Gerberas make the best photographic subjects, they're perfect, like the flowers that children draw. Summery shots AV, very sweet.
I love 'em, Baino and to do them justice what I should have done was cut the stems right off so I could do more with them - but I just couldn't bring myself to do that!
Lovely colour and style to brighten up December!
Sorry to hear about the guy!
Road rage is starting to become a regular phenomenon over here - but given the driving conditions on the London ring road M25 plus the work stress levels many people have its not that surprising.
These are beautiful Vanilla and what a joy it must feel to shake some of the ugliness of the road rage experience. Your photos are lovely. And your words fresh and provoking. Any of these would make a unique and wonderful gift for Christmas!!
xxx
red
Those are absolutely wonderful gifts and none would not be thrilled to recieve them!Great pics :)
I'm so glad to know you, Ms. Vanilla.
I wouldn't dream of flipping the bird at DC drivers because (here's another American stereotype) I am afraid other drivers have loaded guns tucked into their belts. I assume they wouldn't think twice about shooting me!
So I smile nicely and get out of the way. And then get out of the car ASAP!!
Amazing...and it's always nice to save money by creating things yourself! (You guys sure get hit hard by medical expenses. We are very lucky in Canada.)
Glad you liked the pics, Julie!
I think road rage is a sympton of the modern world - so much for us evolving and getting "civilised", eh?
So glad you enjoyed the photos, Red - they're going to be used for a framed series for my mom and aunt, both of whom have already expressed their disgust at receiving "homemade" gifts. Ah, you've got to love Christmas and who knows, they may yet surprise me and like them! ;-)
Hmm, well, we'll see Sameera - see my reply above to Red! :-)
Your DC drivers sound like our minibus taxi drivers here, Reya where flipping the bird may also result in a loaded gun being pointed at you.
And I'm glad to know you too! :-)
Big hug!
Well, I'm so skint this month I have no choice but to get creative, MOI!
Hmm, yes, medical expenses are a bone of contention - the state services are lousy and the medical aid schemes are staggeringly expensive - so one tries to find a middle path - ha ha.
The beauty of these fleur divine lift the spirit.
I am glad that you are feeling a little better Vanilla and I am too..finally after several weeks of viral bronchitis.
They do, rather, don't they Princess Haiku - I'm so glad that you too are starting to feel better - several weeks of viral bronchitis is nothing short of awful - you poor thing. Go gently and from strength to strength.
I don't get tired of these.
:)
For now I'm not tired of them either, Alaleh - so long as I can find new ways of looking at them and treating them from behind the camera lens! ;-)
Blue soup... HA! Thanks... no, I'm going to try to make Italian Chicken for tonights company...
we'll see how that goes...
Scarlett & V.
Italian chicken, eh, Scarlett - is that going to be in shades of green, white and red? ;-)
Lovely photos and words coming on the heels of your bad day yesterday. It is wonderful that you can turn your mood around like that.
I am also so glad that the blogosphere has put you in touch with some wonderful Americans.
Well, that's life, isn't it PP, it's all about making choices about what we do and feel.
And yes, I'm very glad to have met the other side of America through blogosphere. I think Anonymous's second comment on the previous post sums things up pretty well for those of us who look in from the outside.
I was so sad when I read the road rage incident. hope you are healing from it.... there is no reason or excuse for such behavior!!! I wish I could apologize for all ugly american behavior that is out there. don't even get me started!
finding beauty and balance is desirable!!
sweetness to you!
There is nothing like a good session of acupuncture to shift the shock and toxicity of a vile experience, Kimy. Thank you for your concern and for understanding. And yes, moving on and finding the flip side of the coin is, I believe, very important.
Love and light to you! :-)
Oh, yes, now this is more peaceful. Whew. You could have given these flowers to that guy, if they'd been handy. He would've been totally at a loss. He may have smiled and taken them. :-)
I had a nasty experience that turned out wonderful - on a train outside work in Paris a few years back.
Two men started fighting, one with a knife, forcing all of us other passengers to crowd into a corner to escape the blade. We really thought someone would be stabbed. A small, shy man then walked up to the men and started singing loudly. It was crazy. He sung a beautiful french song at the top of his voice. The men stopped fighting, stunned, and then separated. A stop came up and the attacker went off. It was remarkable. Not saying that would always work though. But it was a real lesson. :-)
Post a Comment