whatever it takes

Locked in Love

Aaron Ryan Gayah — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:38:55 +0000

Ponte Vecchio, Firenze, Italia. View the original shot on http://www.eyefetch.com

Daylight

Aaron Ryan Gayah — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 23:22:55 +0000

This one is for the CK - view the original shot on eyefetch.com

Lucky Man...Today's Best Song Ever...

Aaron Ryan Gayah — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:12:40 +0000

Was purchasing a train ticket from the automated dispenser in the station when an elderly woman came up to me. She was probably Russian, maybe fifty years old or so, about five feet tall and rather stout, swaying from side to side as she hobbled along with the help of a cane, her motions resembling that of a child's doll with a huge rounded base where the legs ought to be. Her head was covered in a shawl and she was bundled in several layers of thin clothing in this bitter weather whilst most everyone else, oblivious to her presence, were decked out in much warmer apparel.

She jingled the two coins in her plastic cup only once as she sobbed for several seconds in her foreign tongue, relaying the story of her hardships, trying to justify to this stranger that any contribution on my part was well deserved. But all that was not necessary. Her tone mirrored the sense of desperation so painfully evident in her eyes of green that I had to look away. I was already searching for loose change.

I managed to fish out a two euro coin and dropped it in her cup and the gesture appeared to have astounded her - her gratitude was so clear and distinct that I felt ashamed for not offering more. And then she mumbled a few words of prayer whilst gesturing the sign of the holy cross before reaching for my ungloved right hand and planting a soft kiss on it. This time the astonishment was mine.

So despite whatever it is we're going through, we would do well to remember that in the grand scheme of things, for the most part, we got it good. I'm a lucky man and I love how this song reminds me of that; and I love how everyday life reminds me of that.

Seven

Aaron Ryan Gayah — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:48:17 +0000

View the original shot on www.eyefetch.com

Before the Storm

Aaron Ryan Gayah — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:41:26 +0000

View the original shot on www.eyefetch.com

The Dissenter...Today's Best Quote Ever...

Aaron Ryan Gayah — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 09:03:32 +0000

"The dissenter is every human being at those moments of his life when he resigns momentarily from the herd and thinks for himself."

- Archibald Macleish

The Student

Aaron Ryan Gayah — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:55:00 +0000

There’s something fascinating about a lighted candle, especially in the darkness of church. I am the proverbial moth inclined to light one; holding the half-inch piece of wax in its container of cheap foil awkwardly upside down over the open flame of another. The wick catches and I place it with the others on the metal frame, the collective setting resembling a Christmas tree of sorts whose lights paint the immediate walls with shadows steady and a soft orange glow.

The altar to the front/center of the room is barricaded in black burglar proofing forged in repetitive patterns of four circles fused into a somewhat diamond shape, the very top of which is embellished with sharp curved tips resembling the points of spears used in medieval times. The rounded posts located two meters apart throughout the altar area form the corners of one or more imaginary squares when viewed from above; and the arches connecting them run from left to right, front to back, and diagonally across, dividing the ceiling contained in each of those very squares into four triangular sections, each section adorned with a painting of the mother or son, or some other important biblical personality in faded colours of red, gold, and aquamarine. And just then I am distracted by a holy man walking past. Preparations for the service to begin shortly are underway.

There are four of them; all clad in white fleece robes with sleeves wide enough to fall to their waists if their arms were held horizontally outstretched. One of them switches on the lights - and electricity seems so absurdly out of place in this setting. Two others set about flipping through holy books binded in hardcovers of red, the exposed edges of their pages appearing two shades lighter. And the last shushes two persons in the front left pew; the gesture reminding me of a skit with Mr. Bean doing likewise whilst playing with figurines in a storefront Christmas display.

Eventually a hush falls as the service begins. Three of the holy men are positioned against the curved wall at the back of the altar with two of them standing in little wooden frames - similar to those metal cages that thrill-seekers secure themselves to in those amusement park rides before being spun wildly up into the air. They read in unison, as if singing almost, but not quite, pausing for up to five seconds or more between verses as if each were waiting on the other to start the next line. Then they all fall in. They chant in Latin, or so other foreign language cos' I understand not; but that combined with the richness of their voices echoing throughout this ancient sunken chamber only adds to the experience. To the side of the altar are maybe six persons seated in dining chairs, all in casual wear, some of them strolling in minutes after the session has started, all reciting on cue as per the pamphlets taken from a wooden box up front.

I look at this, somehow in awe of it all cos’ I have never witnessed this before. I am not religious but I have respect for it, and that involves at minimum embracing the desire to better understand it. Cos’ I am a student of life. I am here to learn. And I sit quietly in the second pew on the right next to the main aisle, watching, listening. It makes sense to do so.

Patience...Tonight's Best Quote Ever...

Aaron Ryan Gayah — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:28:34 +0000

"Let nothing perturb you, nothing frighten you. All things pass. God does not change. Patience achieves everything."

- Mother Teresa

The 2010 Music Project

Aaron Ryan Gayah — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:09:40 +0000

Please check it out: Game Well And Truly Over

Good & Better...Today's Best Quote Ever...

Aaron Ryan Gayah — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:33:18 +0000

"Everything happens for a reason...people change so you can learn to let go...things go wrong so you can appreciate them when they are right...you believe lies...so eventually you learn to trust no one but yourself...and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together."

- Facebook Friend