A Word A Week Photograph Challenge – Arid

Linking to: https://suellewellyn2011.wordpress.com/2015/04/08/a-word-a-week-photograph-challenge-arid/

Arid are the valleys

Of my broken soul

Fill all the nooks and  alleys

With love and make me whole

My heart is dry as a bone

Emotions have evaporated

Melt this grey mass of stone

Let love make me invigorated.

Love once found then lost

Left a desert behind

Extracting in tears its cost

Leaving a void in my mind.

I need showers of blessing

To revive my barren soul

For showers of love I’m obsessing

To fill up the empty dry hole.  

bridal veil fallsBridal veil falls at Yosemite National Park, CA- reduced to a trickle of water in SeptemberDSC04228Arid winter- At Central Park, New York City in December

grand canyonThe arid Grand Canyon, ArizonaDSC04451Artificial aridity- Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia PADSC04435Arid landscape- at the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia PA

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Churches or Any Religious Building

This one is a no-brainer for me- in 2014, I visited several outstanding places of worship, so here are my picks:

DSC03126St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City

DSC03284Facade of St. Mark’s Basilica, Venice, Italy

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Inside the church of Orsanmichele, Florence, Italy

blue mosqueInside the Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkeytemple

Hindu Temple, New Delhi, India310517_10151253912911241_1096130438_n (2)

Tower of a Hindu temple in New Jersey

akshardham2Inside the Akshardham Temple, New Jersey

One Word Photo Challenge: Copper

natarajStatue of Lord Shiva in the dancer “Nataraj” pose- at Philadelphia Flower Show 2010

DSC03772 (2)Copper-Golden tones of an erotic Cleopatra- at Caesar’s Palace Hotel, Las Vegas NVDSC04570

Copper wall art-Atlantis Resort, Nassau, The Bahamas

Creative Blogger Award

Woo hoo!

I’ve been nominated for my first award by Sukanya from:

https://mybloggsever.wordpress.com/

Thanks for the nomination Sukanya! I am excited!

Here I have to give five random facts about me and then nominate bloggers to do the same.

1. There is nothing better in this world than to curl up with an absorbing book for me…I absolutely love reading.FullSizeRender (14)

2. I have a love for clothes that is probably beyond reasonable. I love buying clothes, creating outfits and styling them differently every time. I also love wearing my Indian clothes in western ensembles and vice versa. indian textiles1

3. I love spending time alone- reading, writing, thinking and introspecting.
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4. I often put work before everything else- sometimes unreasonably so, but for me, work is where I find my true expression. (I am a cardiologist in my final year of training). work_hard_graphic_2

5. More often than not, I am my own worst critic. Over the years I have realized that this habit prevents me from achieving my full potential, so I am trying to be less critical of myself..

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So now, I have to nominate a few bloggers for the ‘Creative Bloggers Award.’

They are:

http://movingtowardsthelight.com/

https://chotisibaatein.wordpress.com/

https://toweararainbow.wordpress.com/

You  have to give 5 random facts about yourselves and then nominate others to do the same.There is no mention of limit on number of bloggers.
Also, importantly, please mention the name and the link of the blogger who nominated you.

Happy blogging!

Sunday Stills, the next challenge: Yellow or Wildflowers

In my culture, we celebrate the arrival of spring (in February though) by wearing yellow 🙂 Here are my entries for this challenge. These photographs were either taken at Longwood Gardens, PA or the Philadelphia Flower Show at different times. DSC04794DSC04766DSC04795longwood11 (2)mums (2)yellow hibiscus yellow spring 2 yellow spring

Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge: 2015 Week #14

Here are some not-so-odd oddballs for this week:29677_452477216240_6814661_n (2)Cannon, Fort Ticanderoga, Adirondacks Region, New York

DSC05005Lord Ganesha at the entrance of an Indian restaurant with ?menu sampler

DSC04921Chilling in the cart- at Old Town, San Diego

First blush of love

rose (2)Years ago that moment sublime

Preserved like a monument through time

In the innermost sulci of my brain

Close to the centers of pleasure, and pain

How  the magic that happened that day

Changed the axis of my earth, I cannot say

An avalanche of emotions descended on me

Making me plunge in a tempestuous sea

On a psychedelic trip I seemed to embark

With distorted perception I stumbled in the dark

Never knew what this passion could do

Borne out of first love, this fire just grew

Alas! Unrequited remained my desire

Your coolness extinguished those embers of fire

Devastated, I raved and raged all alone

Such unspeakable restlessness I had not known

It does still amaze me, to this very day

How love can captivate you in its sway

The memory of first love is fresh in my mind

The vortex of emotions though I’ve left behind..

Travel Theme: Smooth

Smooth like a vintage wine

Like a performance flawless

Like a polished table with some shine

Like the surface of glass colorless

Like a lie spoken without a trace

Of regret, or remorse, or conscience

Smooth like the impassive face

Of the liar with no repentance

Smooth like the web of a spider

Spun with thread, sticky and silken

Smooth like the words of a writer

Artistically crafted with a pen
DSC04992Smooth waters of the San Diego harbor

fruits glassGlass fruit platter- smooth and shiny- At the Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY

DSC04233Giant Christmas ornaments- smooth and shiny! Near the Rockefeller Center, New York

Break free

Fettered by regulation,

open upChained by tradition

Weighed down by expectation

Bent over in submission

Narrow norms of society

Create needless fear

When to standards of propriety

The heart refuses to adhere

So most of us learn

To suppress our inner voice

While secretly we yearn

For the freedom of choice

To break free from the tether

Of society’s expectations

Break barriers made by others

Follow our aspirations.

So gather the courage

To follow your heart’s vagaries

Turn to your life’s next page

Write your own life’s series.

A Photo a Week Challenge: Muted

The title says “a photo” but I cannot help including multiple pictures:)

Colors of life appear faded

The brightness of enthusiasm is muted

My heart and mind feel so jaded

Red color of passion is desaturated

Oh Lord, ignite in my soul a fire

That illuminates the dull colors from within

Bring back in my life the joie-de-vivre

I’ll welcome back brightness with a grin. 

floral (3)Chrysanthemums at the Mum Festival, Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PAorchid 5 (2)Yellow orchids

DSC03302 (2)Vasari corridor, Florence, Italy

New lease of life

umbrellas (2)
A new lease of life is what I need

The daily grind is wearing me down indeed

A brilliant sun unveiled from the cloud

An idea that lies buried beneath the shroud

Old passion unearthed from the cave of childhood

If I could recreate that magic, I certainly would..

Or in a new-found love to take a steep plunge 

To fill me with hope, so forward I  lunge

To bury depression deep inside me

New hope on the horizon I need to see

Inspiration around me I hope I shall find

That will infuse positive ideas in my mind. 

Cee’s Which Way Photo Challenge: 2015 Week #13

A couple of photographs from recent travels..

DSC04971DSC04936DSC04708DSC04877