The Mountains Are Where I Feel a-LIVE

Well like I said before, I am a chef, pariah photographer, explorer and poet. It does have its advantage when it comes to truly appreciating life as you always live in the moment but... not when it comes to choosing your gear for a trip. I mean, if I only enjoyed hiking and hiking alone then my hiking gear would be all that I need. A good pair of clothing and shoes, my old faithful walking sticks (which I never use before as they are for emergencies eg. injuring your legs in the middle of nowhere miles from civilisation), survival tools, basic first aid kit, a watch with built in compass and a phone which is GPS enabled. But no... I had to enjoy photography as well and there is a good reason why people who depend on photos for a living do not use their smartphone for it. Why? I guess the reason is very clear below.

So I packed up my DSLR and hesitated for a while in deciding which tripod to bring along. Finally I decided on the mini one which should be able to the job fine considering you will be going somewhere with no flat paths in sight (natural tripods = rocks, tree trunks, cliffs etc.) FYI : I'd rather carry a large tripod than be seen with a selfie stick :P

Then comes the fuel. Where most people would be content with just having a simple snack or fruit along the way, yours truly (remember I said I am a chef) would have nothing but the best even if it means packing an extra few kilos of stove, fuel, spaghetti, roasted chicken, sliced shiitake mushrooms, canned soup for the gravy not to mention marinated Cajun prawns, butter and water just for reheating and washing.

I am not complaining but sometimes I wish I could just stick to one passion instead of three which means lighter load. But if that happens, then I would just be another ordinary hiker in the mountains and this blog post would be as boring as the day I clock in to office for work (which was the following day).

I may LIVE in the big city but the mountains are where I feel a-LIVE - Snowballade

Location : Mount Irau, Titiwangsa Range, Malaysia
Altitude : 2110m

Mourning Glory

Morning Glory

Cold wind blows south heading for the docks,

A lonely man stands tall sipping from his cup,

Bitterness she fills the morning air with putrid calm,

As he swallowed his coffee together with his pride.

As the sun shone on the mist it slowly lifted,

To reveal a world I never chose to be born to,

Too much of hate and too little of love,

Wouldn't it be better off if existance were a myth.

Dew drops on leaf tips set to tumble down the ground,

Soon it would be gone another day is in the making,

What chances do we have against the fate of just,

When even the slightest joy must be bought in advance.

Oh what have we come to this ninth day of our Lord,

Dreaming is more pleasant because living is in vain,

When the dawning of a new day are set to end in despair.

Just give me back my yesterday so i may mourn no more.

Morning glory blooms, morning glory dies,

And just like a soul it longs for the heavens,

Perhaps blooming is a disguise for mourning a demise,

Perhaps God would one day listen and away we shall go.
- Snowballade

PS : I grew up in a small town just north of the country where you'd wake up to the sound of roosters crowing. Morning was always a favourite time of day signalling what would be the start of a great adventure. Those were the carefree days when you feel time was abundant and the world was yours for the taking. Morning glory is a wild flower considered a pest to some. Growing in places you never thought possible, it forms part of a landscape in every piece of memory. Usually I would never even give it a second thought. But looking at how the world changed today, it brings back a yearning for a time where life was much simple. I realised that something is not a part of my life anymore. The simple flower which blooms every morning is gone hence the mourning part. Perhaps modernisation is crucial for the body but is it beneficial for the soul? 

Trail Of Dreams

Annapurna Circuit, Nepal

What do I see among the ruins of time
A place so scarce that spirits dwell in peace
Where few have dared and even lesser had imagined
When darkness and light are overshadowed by cold

So why do I resist when exhaustion bequeathed me
When knees are fumbling and toes they are relinquishing
Is it never ending skies which touches the snowy plains
Or was it the sound of silence echoing through forest greens

For everywhere I turn I see miles of seclusion
As if this is the place that never wanted to be found
Why hide all the beauty if its in the eye of the beholder
Perhaps it’s a secret to be known only to me
- Snowballade

Turnaround

Osaka, Japan

Turnaround, and face the world,

For you cannot hide under stars forever,

Just say it once of all your remorse,

And never again to another soul.

Turnaround, and face yourself,

For you cannot hide behind mirrors till dawn,

Just do what you must to unwind your lost,

And never again take the same road ahead.

Turnaround, and face the clock,

For you cannot hide away from time,

Just let it go and live for tomorrow,

And never again hold on to the past.

Turnaround, and face your heart,

For you cannot hide the facts of life,

Just set it free and speak of love more,

And in return never again be sad.
- Snowballade

An Extra Pair Of Lens

Kyoto, Japan

What would be the best way to see paradise?
Just look at the world with the eyes of a dreamer,
Sometimes you have to be lost so that it can be found,
For the best things in life are always hidden from you.

Like searching for ice cream in the middle of the night,
Or longing for a joyride that would take you through time,
You can search your whole life for that one special moment,
But it would never mean a thing without an extra pair of lens.

We walked through a castle pretending we were rulers,
We strolled through a park imagining we have wings of our own,
We raced through a bridge when the ground started to tremble,
We shuddered through the cold when daylight cease to exist.

So in words of Balladry I penned down my thoughts,
For once in my life I can feel I'm never alone,
All I ever needed was someone, just someone I know,
For even a photographer needs more than just his camera.
- Snowballade

Dreamer

Phuket, Thailand

Breeze of darkness, Subtle hues,
Changing horizon, Mist from the hills,
Hush, hush, Silence I heard,
Calling unto me with lessons learned.

Dusk to dawn, Dark to light,
As I lay in bed, My heart glows bright,
Cold, cold, Is all I can feel,
Broken only by the warmth of my quilts.

I say a little prayer, To the world forlorn,
To secure a place, A place when I'm gone,
God, God, A blessing would be nice,
Sweet dreams and candies are all I would like.

Living is ending, Dreams are unfolding,
World is slowing, Utopia is calling,
Begone, begone, Sorrows of life,
I shall see you again when I'm ready to rise.
- Snowballade

One Less Day To Live

Siem Reap, Cambodia

What is it that makes my heart beat?
When days are long and nights are cold,
Nothing seems to last only promises to be broken,
One less day to live.

What is it that makes me take another step?
When signs of the end are showing its beginning,
Nothing else to believe in when even God is forsaking,
One less day to live.

What is it that makes me wake in the morn?
When I make others laugh while I'm deep in my thoughts,
The singing birds seemed to mock me as if telling me to end it,
One less day to live.

What is it that makes me dream a pointless dream tonight?
Is it the mask I wore to conceal my morose?
Or just knowing when I wake, the second hand of time would have shifted,
One less day to live.
- Snowballade