NEPAL

An Unforgetabble experience.To Kathmandu,Nepal.Stayed a few days in Kathmandu.Then went to Pokhara towards the distant mountains,about 8 hours by bus from Kathmandu.The Annapurna Range is a sight to behold.I spent a week trekking up there. On my way down, I saw this sight.This is actually a restaurant which serves tea and lunch-usually Rice and Dal.Her father was away working the padi fields so I asked if I could take a photo with her.She obliged shyly.

Those bachelors out there who are quite content with the simple things in life, there are many opportunities out there in the mountains. Maybe You could even inherit a restaurent as a wedding gift. Vijay- The Midnight Owl

BANDA ACEH,SUMATRA

I have seen many things in life,a few of which I did not want to talk about.Today I want to share a little episode-The Tsunami story.As I arrived in Banda Acheh a few days after the wave struck,the stench of rotting corpses was everywhere.Many social workers took the next flight out,for fear of diseases and the inability to cope with what was about to unfold before our eyes.But for some reason,I was unmoved within me.Maybe because I have read of Noah's flood.I don't know how I coped.I walked about the city for a day,then I called in the tractor and paid them to dig the usual common grave in times like these.Then we wrapped the dead in rice bags and put the remains to rest.I spent whole days burying their dead.One strange thing-nobody was weeping,just silence-some staring from a distance.One old man said-Terima Kasih,to me for helping to bury his dead.A month later,I was sent off by the Muslim community there after a simple meal.
They felt a tinge of sadness as I left.I felt none.I learnt the lesson while on assignment in Bosnia-be detached or be unhinged.I did not reveal these photographs as it concerns tragedy.I have a feeling I will return there someday to reconnect-hopefully to see a restored people. Vijay- The Midnight Owl.

RESEMBLANCES

The next time you are tempted to break out in a hilarious and silly laughter in a crowd,remember you may faintly remind those present around you of someone they had seen somewhere else.Keep your laughter moderate. Vijay- The Midnight Owl

APPEAL? ON WHAT GROUNDS?

Assuming you are the lawyer for the accused, what reasons would you raise as the grounds of your appeal? That your client has regretted for his actions and repented for his mistakes? It is in situations like this,that the doctrines of Christianity based on love and forgiveness,loses its appeal altogether.It is the Judaistic theology of an "eye for and eye" and the Muslim sense of retribution,and the Hindu doctrines of karma seem to speak some sense of justice-offering those who suffer silently a sense of comfort.The sense of enrangement,pain and sorrow of the victims families will endure for a long time- and in some cases the family will never be the same again.Some will find solace in religion but others will be cynical of divinities which no religion can erase. Vijay- The Midnight Owl.

CHANGES

Of course,as we grow up everything changes.This change is forced upon us by nature.From clinging behind our Mom for love and protection,and from shifting from milk to other stuff.Change is inevitable.Evolution of the physical body is debatable, but evolution of the mind and the taking of responsibilities is inevitable.Imagine this-the size of our brains and weight of our brain is similar- but look at the our differences.The reason? What has been deposited into our grey matter over the years-usually by those around us.And the things we loved and craved during our childhood years are now discarded, as new cravings and appetites replace them.And if our minds do not develop, then we have to take our place among the mongoloids.No disrespect or contempt intended.