Seasons of life

To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven...

Just as nature must take its course,

Through splendid springs and winter frost,

Our lives too change with time,

With different rhythms, different rhymes.

Times for new things and looking forward to the future,

Times for hard work and for us to mature,

Times to reap seeds planted in the past,

Times for hardships, and closure at last.

We may not always understand the things we go through,

Sometimes sadness and anger throw things askew,

But keep your chin up, for all hope can bring,

For without winters, there cannot be spring.

To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven...

Lucca

After Rome, we paid a visit to Lucca. Here are some photos on the evening we arrived.

These first 3 photos were taken on the famous walls of Lucca. The city's defenses that were never used. These walls are so thick that people can cycle, take walks, enjoy themselves on them.

These two gentlemen having a game of chess.

I added an orange gradient to this photo for fun.

Inside the Pantheon

Here are the photos of the Pantheon's interior as promised. I'm sorry these aren't great. Most of the photos I took are so blurred. They just don't do it any justice. But it was lovely being there. We got lucky in a sense because just as we entered the church, there came on the announcements for the public to leave as there was going to be a Mass. We didn't leave with the crowd but attended Mass instead. And after the Mass, we had enough time to admire the place before the guards let the crowd in again.

As the Black Ink Slowly Fades...

For David...

Listening to the smells of a rainy day, looking into the dead chill of twilight, holding on to two crumpled movie passes of seasons past. The ink was barely visible...and he could do nothing to stop it from disappearing altogether.

As the black ink slowly fades...

Will the memories too fail?

Like old bricks once so strong,

Fall away from the house that was meant to last forever.

As the black ink slowly fades...

Will your love for me too die?

Like the fires out in winter,

With nothing enough to feed it. To nurture it.

Will you not let me burn for you?

The one who left you too soon,

Because of this I am alone,

As I desperately try to hold onto,

The shattered pieces of what was once us,

Plunged into the river of time,

Alas I cannot outdo the river,

And the memories escape my grasps...

As the black ink slowly fades...

Will you try to strip away?

The flesh from my bones,

Where you were once me, and I was once you.

As the black ink slowly fades...

Will you not recall?

The boy who would climb hills with you.

The man who would climb mountains for you.

As the black ink slowly fades...

***

Photo taken in Paris last December

Pan the on...

Alright it's not funny. It's the Pantheon. I couldn't think of a better title for this post. So there >.<

I recently found out that sleeping (or being) too near your mobile phone can cause brain damage. I've been sleeping with mine under my pillow for a few years now. That probably explains my forgetfullness, my inability to think clearly and quickly, and my declining intelligence. The thing is, I use my mobile as an alarm clock [this probably means I'm going to have to buy myself a real one soon]. So in the meantime, I have moved its position from under my pillow to the floor under my bed. Since some sources say that the radiation emited is about the size of a basketball...the floor should be safe enough right? I'm not convinced, but it will have to do for now.

Back to the Pantheon. Here are some pictures of it and the square in front of it. For the insides, watch out for my next post.

This Pantheon and the crowds of tourists. One thing I dislike about going to tourist destinations is that it's impossible to get a photo without the...uh...tourists. I know I'm one myself but...

View of the Pantheon from the back.

***

The next few shots are from the square in front of the Pantheon. The fountain there is lovely (although the viscious looking ducks creep me out a little) and I thought I'd get bits of it in the photo along with the Pantheon.  I wanted to put these in black and white. They really do look quite lovely. But I fell in love with this sort of muted colours look. The wanning light added to the effect.

Do click on the images to enlarge.