Rain has been falling from time to time. Sometimes, lightning and thunder preceded the shower. A constant stream of cooling breeze blows throughout the day. This weather should be a great relief from the discomfort of the hot and humid conditions I have been experiencing for the past few weeks. The lethargy that had dogged me for a good part of those unpleasant weeks has been washed away, only to be replaced by bouts of melancholy.
Last week had not been a productive one. Nothing much was accomplished. When my mind is troubled, insomnia sets in. Many nights of sleep were lost to playing online games right into early mornings. When the surau opposite called the Muslims to their first prayer of the day, that signalled bedtime for me. When I do not get more than ten hours of sleep daily, I would get all prickly and withdrawn. And the cycle continues.
Sunlit hours were whiled away surfing, reading blogs and napping. To some, this may seem like having an easy and relaxed life. I tell you, this is absolute boredom. There are an assortment of chores that needs to be done but I am mentally too lazy to perform any of them. Melancholy is more destructive than it sounds. It saps the body of its physical energy and drains the mind of its optimistic outlook.
Like everyone else, I can be beleaguered by depression and mood swings. Luckily for me, these mood swings appear and leave just as fast. For this current melancholic episode, I spent long hours looking out the window. The view is still as fascinating as it was when I first saw it five years ago. What mesmerized me most were the cloud formations that drifted by. Large fluffy white masses that constantly changed shapes and direction.
Life as clouds must be carefree. They go where the wind takes them. They are yielding. They looked serene bobbing about in the blue sky. Somehow, spending those time observing these little droplets of water in their unsynchronised dance in the heavens lifted my spirits. Problems floated away and were soon forgotten. Daily struggles with my disabilities did not seem that gruelling anymore. Life did not appear that gloomy after all. Cloud watching is therapeutic indeed. I recommend it to anyone who is being encumbered by the drudgery of everyday living. It worked wonders for me. I am sure it will work for you, too.
hey, did you take those shots on early saturday morning?
i saw some beautiful coulds that day. took some shots myself.
Terry,
I took those photos over a period of several days. I missed the early Saturday morning clouds as I had to charge the batteries. I can see that Cindy and you are fascinated by clouds too. By the way, how many shots can your CP 3100 take with a set of newly charged batteries?
i am not sure how many shots with a newly charge batteries. but i’ll try to keep count the next time i use a fully charged battery.
Terry,
Thanks. The Sanyo 2100mah I am using can last only about 30 shots. This model is a real power guzzler.
hey, i think i have that sanyo 2100mah battery too. free gift when i bought the camera.
did you see the new nikon 3200, video with sound, priced at RM900++.
arrghhh. celaka. *banging head on wall*
Terry,
And I paid RM1.1k for mine with no free gifts. I had to buy the 256mb CF, extra charger plus batteries. Now the improved model is much cheaper and comes with a load of extras. Really no eye see.
hmm… i agree cloud watching can be therrapeutic. i enjoy watching clouds esp. when i was a child. sometimes a few of us children would gather round to watch the clouds and with our kids imaginative mind, we would play a game of spotting animals (or whatever) shape out of the clouds.
as an adult, once in a long while i still watch clouds but in 2000 when i move into a flat, that was the end of cloud watching. going back home already late and have other things better to watch – tc and computer! haha. also our flat window is placed such that i have to stand on a narrow place, so no watch clouds lah.
peter, i paid the same price as you did. but for the free gifts, a case, lollipop size tripod, etc,
they are just collecting dust underneath my bed. the free batteries are the only good free gift.
next target video camera. u plan to get one or you already have a piece?
Lucia,
Clouds are one of the wonders of nature. These are one of those few natural things left that we can enjoy without having to travel far. Whenever I come out from Sunset Mass at HS, I will look up into the sky hoping to catch sight of some nice clouds. The car park is a good place for such an activity.
Terry,
I got the soft case only, no tripod. You mean you are using the Nikon batteries only? I usually go out with at least 3 sets of batteries. Sometimes they are not enough. I am not planning to get a videocam but another better digicam maybe, most probably a DSLR.
Hi Peter
Natures beauty is beyond compare.
I also love watching clouds,its
like soothing the soul for me.
Would you say the clouds in your pics
are stratocumulus?
I myself can sit outside n watch clouds for ages.
Also i go to a place called Pelican,it is so
amazing so peaceful.
First there is a small rainforrest,palms then
white sand clear water ,just like rain water.
I can stay there for hours n hours,i usually
just don’t want to leave there.
I mainly lay on the sand watching the clouds.
I’m like that at night i can spend hrs looking at the moon n stars also clouds at night.
It inspires me n of course helps store the images,for when i sketch.
Oh enough nagging hey,thanks for your inspiration
tcz
Sweetspirit,
I do not know what those clouds are called. I nearly flunked my Geography in school. I like watching stars too but light pollution around the area I am living in blocks out almost all but the brightest stars.
i go out with one extra set of batteries only.
wah, DSLR? thats pretty expensive.
a photographer friend of mine, had to apply a loan to get a canon DSLR…hahah
Terry,
I am waiting for the price of DSLR to come down a bit first. Like all those fancy gears, its price should eventually fall to an affordable level. Too bad I do not qualify for a loan.
yeah, i’m waiting anxiously for JVC or Canon video camera to drop.
I think clouds, the sea/ocean, sunrise/sunsets are a way to get away from it all. They give me a feeling that there are bigger things in life than our petty problems at work or at school – not that they are not important (which, indeed, they are!!! Else, there’d be no food on the table…) but at the end of the day, we should leave our problems as our problems and not let it get to us. It’s good to kick of our shoes and just lay back and be amazed at the creativity/beatiful work of God (for those who believe) and the vastness of the things that are around us… Sorry for the preaching! **Pai seh** Anyways, Peter, cool cloud pics!
Boon,
Very profound!
When I have amassed a fortune, I’ll get a DSLR too 🙂 My current digital camera is so slow 🙁 Good for taking photos of nature but not for candid shots.
Still, can’t complain… how many people actually have a digital camera in the first place, ya? Hence, my first statement 😉
Ariel,
The one gripe I have with SLR/DSLR is the lenses. Improper storage will allow fungus to populate and propagate on the lense elements. I had two zoom lenses damaged this way. When I can afford a DSLR, I will buy a proper storage cabinet. In the mean time, I try not to be lazy and keep my digicam in a ziplock bag together with silica gel and pray hard that it is enough to keep the fungus at bay.
Thanks for the tip, Peter! I’ll keep that in mind when I finally do get a DSLR 🙂
Ariel,
You are welcome.