Flower tree

When I first saw this piece of art installation, I only saw an attractive object - a replica of what nature produces. Now looking at it again, I saw the hidden message. Let us pray that the day when flowers only exist in artificial forms never arrives.

Water Lilies

Water lilies in the Hortpark. There are not many, not like there are ponds full of these delightful flowers floating on the water surface. Each time you get to see a pair like these together with an isolated purple or dark pink one not far away in the same pond in between the glass houses. You always hear the deep throttling croak of a particular frog but it is not easy to spot. I like this pond with its assortment of weeds and reeds and flowers - man-made and yet it retains a little wildness here and there.

Rainy day flowers

The arrival of the monsoons I reckon. When it pours in torrents it is nice to stay indoors. I hope we will have a fine and cool Saturday tomorrow and then it can rain all it can on Sunday. Next week will be beautiful.

Ixora

I never get enough of these flowers. They never get enough of me. We are one and the same - they keep blooming and I just keep taking pictures.

Ixora

Lipstick colours
soft petals
stubborn tears
refusing to drop
and disappear
Pretty Ixora
The heavens cry
when you die and cry
when you live
I do not shed tears for you
because in my life
you live forever.

Bird's Nest Fern

It was a very hot Sunday afternoon when I saw this pot of Bird's Nest Fern. If the weather could transmit messages through plants, then this fern told me that I should stay away from the scotching heat.

Delonix regia - Red Flame Tree

While backing up my files I found these shots of the lovely flowers of the Red Flame of the Forest. They were taken with the first digital camera that I owned at Langkawi where I was holidaying with my family. It was the first time that I was able to take such close-up photos of these flowers that are usually high up on these towering trees.

Pachira macrocarpa 1

On Sunday, we noticed the the bud and today, 4 days later, I saw this lovely flower! The previous time when I saw a flower on this tree in my backyard, it was already on the downside of its existence. I was lucky to have seen this flower today because it was the only cheerful occurance on a dismally wet and cold day.

Pachira macrocarpa 2

In my enthusiasm to photograph this flower in the best possible light as it was high above my head and I was shooting against the sky, I pulled the branch towards me get better shots. Suddenly the flower dropped onto the floor. I was stunned for a moment and did not know what to do except to pick it up. But when I did, the flower fell apart. So I decided to make the best of the situation and stuck the parts onto my lily plant so that I could take close-ups of it.

Pachira macrocarpa 3

Finally, I lay the parts of this lovely flower on my moss-covered flowerbed to take the farewell shots.

Conversation with a couple of hibiscus flowers - For a friend

Most of my friends take photos sparingly. Most of my girl friends do not have cameras with them at all times and when we do see the same flower, they would take a shot or two or not at all. Likewise, I am sure they probably wonder why I have to take so many shots of a flower when one or two will do.

The reason is this: The camera is the means through which I communicate with nature as well as with other subjects that interest me such as architecture, people around me whom I do not know, objects lying around - in short, life.

If I did not have a camera it would be rather odd for me to stand in front of these flowers and stare at them from all angles to get a full appreciation of the qualities they hold that I found fascinating. However, with the camera, I was able to discover the parts that make up the whole, the colour, shades, shape and patterns that tell me that these flowers were at the peak of their brief lives and were healthy enough to withstand a heavy shower looking better for the experience instead of being damaged by the elements of the weather.

I talked these flowers and they listened to me because I got their responses through their body language. No words but we communicated. I could sense their joy of being alive and that had the effect of making me happy as well just giving a few minutes of my time to admire them.

Taking photos is more than just taking beautiful shots of the subject. The photos taken may not always depict the subject as perfect like those makeover shots of ordinary-looking women. What matters is that a photo captures a moment when the subject is important at a particular point in time because the photographer focuses all his/her attention on taking hat particular shot. It is not always beauty that photographers look for. In the end, the photo is really about their feelings and perceptions of life before their eyes.

Yesterday, I emailed to my friends two group photos taken at a dinner I had with them. Most of them thanked me for being their 'official' photographer at all our gatherings. But one friend wrote to apologise that she was not photogenic and that she had spoiled the photo for everyone.

I wrote back to tell her that beauty is from within and that she is beautiful because she is a friend and that was all that mattered. Not everyone can afford to be a Joan Collins or an Elizabeth Taylor and enjoy flawless beauty till a ripe old age.

If we are important to those who love us, we are really blessed because we have beauty in our being. If this hibiscus flower were to be put in a bouquet amongst more spectacular flowers, it would likely not be singled out for special attention but that does not mean that it lacks character or does not have equally interesting qualities. To my friend, this post is for you.

Wednesday's flower - Asystasia gangetica

Flowers-in-waiting
glowing in the day
fading in the night
wilting with a sigh