A view inside the “Scheveningse Woods”, a forest park in Den Haag, Netherlands appearing woody and naked, with its attire strewn across the forest floor.
Awakening from my irresistible hibernation, I beheld the sparkling morning smiling right at me.
Reluctant to leave the embrace of my mattress; Time whispered the urgency to be prepare for the educative box.
Arising in the disgust of my laziness, I took a very slow flight to the cleaning chambers to attend to my royal earth;
Done with such ethical task, my garments patiently waited for me within my private walls. And soon, my heels received marching orders to the bus station.
In the long rectangle with gigantic legs, I met similar breathing earths- above all young Asian entities with milky skins- alas my classmates
Moving on, I landed within the walls of knowledge to receive sophia and what a day once again with the epitome of walking knowledge himself- the professor.
Desperately praying for time to race with speed, I anticipated a break in endless time and soon it came. What an amazing decision to explore nature’s beauty- a path lined up on both sides with gorgeous woody trees. Such a beautiful sight.
My face couldn’t help but borrow the radiance of the shaded sun for a while.. Probably the moon hiding its face in celestial envy of the brightness of my joy with my dearest friends. Laughter was intoxicating even with the freezing cold…. My facial nerves excited like a photon.
A picture here, a picture there… all by the hands of a daring Sri Lankan. Then the resonating smile of an Indonesian and an intimidating pose from a Nepalese, all a display of true happiness in true friendship. What a hope that it remains a happily ever after with my friends. Indeed, it was a woody morning for me.
The doors of the Leiden Citadel opening to a breathtaking view of the oldest church (Pieterskerk Church) of Leiden, Netherlands.
Growing up from the cradle of poor poverty, he has always dreamed of a kingly reality. This was never just a wishy fantasy. There was a certainty of destiny in him wrapped up in the fragnance of obscurity. Though the surrounding atmosphere crushed his dexterity with the finest display of amazing mediocrity.
How daringly he tried to believe his originality when challenged with the audacity of many rootless opinions and sterile perceptions.
Yet he befriended time to reveal his future in the present.
And suddenly, just suddenly, time arrived too early. He was summoned to be king. Now a season with a reason was upon him. He had been revealed by prophecy to wear the ancient robes of a dying king of his nameless kingdom.
Indeed prophecy – riding on the horseback of fearless superstition, sacredly delivered with the brilliance of fiction.
And he arrived….gently appearing out of the invisible air with an apparent majestic display of jocularity.
Beholding the throne ahead, he walked a thousand miles in every step, time giving him space for his pace.
Soon with a sunny smile and milky look, he expected the crown to sit upon his evoluntionized scalp.
Oh my…… but there was a loud scream…. “Ade oo00000” again and again.
Perplexity had arrested him, the clouds forming on his simple face, the raindrops of perspiration all over.
He was awakend by his mother…. and he wept because alas it was a dream in daylight.
Me, looking around with the St.Martin’s Cathedral (Netherlands) towering behind me. Beautifully captured by Eki.
I am a shy person. No, I should probably be honest with myself here. I am a person that is too afraid, by nature. What am I afraid of? People. Social situations. Interpersonal interactions. That is probably why you’re finding this out in writing as opposed to in a video blog. What caused these fears? I have one major guess. The FEAR of what others might think about what you do, how you behave, how you talk, what you think!! This also includes overly seeking validation from others for what you do. Is this particular mindset a valid excuse to develop a sociophobic situation? My answer: No. How do I know this? Because I decided to brave these exact fears head-on and it worked.
Traveling places alone, living on my own, going to public places for miscellaneous tasks, expressing yourself verbally, confidently, are usually some trivial day-to-day activities for most. But, in my case, it’s not. These are usually well-executed missions with meticulous schemes, planned out well ahead in time, after factoring in all of the possible scenarios so that there’s absolutely no room for any error or embarrassment. Why? Because for some reason, it’s not just about me. For some reason, I believed that the bystanders who witness my actions, or the people that are even remotely involved with what I do, really give a damn about me. The truth is, they don’t even care about you.
If you go a few thousand miles up into the sky and look down you’d see yourself as a mere tiny black dot, lost among seven billion other buzzing black dots. Seven billion other black dots with seven zillion other worries packed inside each of these black dots, that they don’t probably have enough headspace or time to be critical about what you wore on this particular day at this particular time, or what you decided to do with your life two years ago. The other seven billion worry-filled black dots wouldn’t give a shit about the way you looked or what you did in a mere passing second in a timeless cosmos. Then, if you go even beyond, move past all the atmospheric layers, and look down through the clouds, oh oh what do you see? You are simply nothing, some invisible speck of dust. So, why worry really? Truly, there’s no need to fear ANYTHING in life. You simply have to do what you do, go places, meet people, talk to people, buy groceries and simply just live your life however the hell you want. Because, temporally and spatially, we are simply nothing compared with the ever entangled vastness around us. Once you gain this perspective and realise this simple truth, you’re fine and you don’t have to fear anything, like ever.
Some excellent advice from Queen Iduna to baby Elsa and baby Anna!! (Frozen 2)
Once you realise this, what do you do? You put it into action. Do all the things that you have always feared to do. I had the perfect opportunity to do this recently when I boldly decided to move to Europe for my higher studies. A very wise decision, I would say, as currently, it is giving me numerous chances to do things, simple things that I would usually fear, that I never had the guts to do on my own. For example, taking a long flight all alone, being chatty and social (coz I’m an introvert who usually keeps to myself), trying to get the hang of living by yourself, trying to limit your dependency on others, which, ironically, requires lots of interactions with the external world. I think I have never been so satisfied with myself and my life as I am being at the moment. It is like unlocking some hidden levels or talents that I never previously knew existed. This massive freshness in your outlook of the world, is, to my belief, the reward you get for deciding to face your fears. No matter how daunting it feels initially, taking baby steps with utter determination is what matters.
So, I still don’t know how this journey would turn out to be. But I am hopeful that it would turn me into the best version of myself. So, if you are still having second thoughts about getting out there, please don’t. Just at least try for it, try to do something and the doors would open up for you. I haven’t figured everything out yet, but what I can say, for the moment, is that at least I am there, I am on my way. So, just go for it and MAKE A DECISION to brave what you fear the most, even if it is not your CuppaTea.
Life is good,
With a bend or two of hyphae,
The mycelial tangle that crisscrosses,
in who knows which way.
Birthing tessellations,
mycological micro-monuments,
garlands that decorate,
the fallen warriors of the forest,
who have heeded the nature's say.
-shane-
Truth often is overlooked,
Obscured by well articulated lies.
And how do we define,
What an ornate mask could hide.
Often, the veiled reality dies.
Only the very wise, would discover,
The love beyond a mean demeanor,
The rust beneath a glossy veneer.
Only the very wise,
Would survive the arduous wait,
Till the clouds lift, for the veil of mist,
To drift off and uncover,
the unequivocal beauty of the rolling hills,
the many colored trees and flowers.
-shane-
Atom tied atom, from molecule to another. Of miraculous elements of life giving powers. This vessel, a tessellation of living cells. From systems to organs to organelles,
The wheel turns over to the same old beat Who knows wherever our essence had been Maybe I was a mushroom, you, a flower, Nourished, once, by the same ancient showers.
We radiate out from a singular being, Our very own ancestors, in we’d breathe. A speck from your heart, some epochs away, Might still be beating in mine today.
We’re all one. Don’t recognize me? How come? I’m your father, mother, your brother your son. We’re life. Divided in everything else but breath. Glorified by decay, and united by death.
Ebb and flow. Wave and rock. Pretty angelic shells, pink, mauve, and white. The perpetual hum, of Poseidon’s moans, a fairytale untold, of the depths undefined. The ebb, the flow, on a continuous look, for the pretty shells, pink, white, and mauve. The wave and its vice, it comes and it goes, on a befuddled coast. Same old, same old. ~shane~
For the good undone, we’re eternally blamed, We play God and then get played. In a dead end of evolution, You and me, we’re all the same. Go ahead and condemn, The imperfect flesh of pretty perfect souls, When underneath us all, is still blood and bones. Greed and lust charred our minds, Delusion addled our brains. Disgorging rage, excruciating, Our heinous acts, asphyxiating. For comeuppance we wait, Some finless fish in a sinful sea, Caught in the materialistic bait. ~shane~
The cadence of his voice is the rustling wind,
Soles interlock with the ground beneath,
Smearing sweat on his brow, is rain,
The ambiance, his whole being.
The sun-drawn amber in his heart,
Would burn until the judgment day.
Wind, water, fire and earth,
A lattice pristine ,will he remain.
They move, he moves,
They change, so does he.
They perish, so will he,
"Man", as simple as he should be,
Is the brainchild of nature,
An intricate wonder,
A miracle so ordinary.
~ shane ~
One day in a boundless place,
We'll witness the wildest souls love,
the free spirits soar above,
Love, and love only, no straight lines.
Heart to heart, strong and raw,
From deep inside they shine.
Shattered moulds, broken chains,
A peculiar kind, an abandoned breed.
Stranded. Lost in a tranquil void,
Where the hopeless romantics meet.
~ shane ~
MyCuppaTea 