The Golden Hour

6.00AM: The best hour of the day or too close to your 3:00AM bedtime?

The first rays of the sun outline the clouds
Breaking the dark of the night
The struggle has passed
Dawn has broken the spell

Somewhere over the horizon
The hues begin to change
Red, crimson, orange, yellow, blue
Morning announces its arrival

Flocks of birds set out
Friendly chirping cries of joy
Leaves are a flutter
Crying dew drops of joy

A serene calm prevails
Nature is at peace
An inner voice beckons
In the early hours of dawn

My favourite time of day
To play treasure hunt
Seeking to find the real me
Hidden somewhere in myself
© copyright skm, 26th June, 2015
Other interesting posts in this category:
1) http://macbofisbil.com/2015/06/25/nocturnal/
2) https://sugarcoatingsince91.wordpress.com/2015/06/25/morning-routine/
3) https://willowscottling.wordpress.com/2015/06/25/the-crack-of-dawn/
4) https://jigsaw1983.wordpress.com/2015/06/25/morning-glory/
5) http://www.rileycentral.net/morning-thankfulness/
6) https://flowersandbreezes.wordpress.com/2015/06/25/the-hours-i-keep/
7) http://geekergosum.com/2015/06/25/daily-schedule-or-the-golden-hour/
8) https://emo1956.wordpress.com/2015/06/25/no-golden-hour/
9) http://freshpaula.com/2015/06/25/morning-rituals/
10)http://clipsandsnippets.com/2015/06/25/morning-person-sans-apology/

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All about me

Explain why you chose your blog’s name and what it means to you

The circumstances and events that shape my life are like the images in a kaleidoscope.  They are ever changing and ephemeral.  These events have shaped  me and influenced me and make me what I am. I write here what comes to my mind or based on daily prompts.  There are also random bursts of inspiration  – A creative flow from the deep recesses of my mind. An outlet to express my emotions.  An expression of love, a celebration of success, an inspiration on the joys of life and a search for the truth.

I would also like my writing to inspire noble causes like education for the poor, standing up against injustice and corruption, racial injustice and other ills in our society.

As I watch these events go by I know they are but like changing seasons reflecting different moods.  I hope that my writing will serve to inspire you the reader to find something in common.  I hope that my writing can be a voice for those who have no voice.

Above all, I am reminded that I am just a witness to all this.  I am part of a wonderful community of bloggers  who  can write to inform, to educate, to share, to lift the spirits, to lighten the mood, to seek the truth, to inspire with poetry, stories, art, travel and photography.

Other interesting posts in this category:
1) https://nightowlgail.wordpress.com/2013/02/12/daily-prompt-all-about-me/
2) https://theeducationcafe.wordpress.com/2013/02/12/come-have-a-cup-of-tea-with-me/
3) https://newdayinsanfrancisco.wordpress.com/2013/02/12/daily-prompt-all-about-me/
4) https://thebeautifulepiphany.wordpress.com/2013/02/12/origins-beautiful-epiphany/
5) https://poetscornerblog.wordpress.com/2015/02/28/steps-times-two/

Sunday sketch – Pencil portrait

Midweek inspiration – Pencil portrait

Smell You Later

Humans have very strong scent memory. Tell us about a smell that transports you.
Having been born in India, I had a sense-ational childhood. I mean I have been exposed to a whole variety of colours, sounds, tastes and smells that still linger in my memory.

Some of the fascinating scents are sandalwood, jasmine flowers, camphor, agarbatti (different scents like rose, lavender, sandalwood), lime, curry leaves, coriander, freshly cooked sambhar and rasam, sweets like peda, barfi, gulab jamuns, jalebis and the smell of earth after the first rains.

But one smell I love is the smell of the pages of a new book.

The smell of new books depends on chemicals used in their manufacture and this can vary from volume to volume. Old books have a sweet smell with notes of vanilla flowers and almonds, caused by the breakdownof chemical compounds in the paper

British chemistry teacher created the infographic to demystify the differing smells of old and new books and to reveal their chemical compounds

Other interesting posts in this category:
1) https://apeacefulblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/05/lavender/
2) https://myeatprayrvinglife.wordpress.com/2015/06/05/i-smell-the-trees/
3) http://longwalksanddarkchocolate.com/2015/06/04/daily-prompt-smell-you-later-2/
4) https://alotfromlydia.wordpress.com/2015/06/04/a-day-in-smells/
5) https://flowersandbreezes.wordpress.com/2015/06/04/smell-you-later/
6) https://philfillinglife.wordpress.com/2015/06/04/ginger-is-the-smell-for-me/
7) https://shameport.wordpress.com/2013/08/10/eau-de-cologne/
8) https://whoison1st.wordpress.com/2015/06/04/lemons-and-limes-and-rhubarb-oh-my/
9) http://blainecindy.com/2015/06/04/grandmas-lilacs/
10)https://maniparna5002.wordpress.com/2014/07/27/that-memorable-fragrance/

Blogger with a Cause

If your day-to-day responsibilities were taken care of  and you could throw yourself completely behind a cause, what would it be?

(Pic: courtesy The National)

If my day-to-day responsibilities were taken care of,  I would dedicate myself whole-heartedly behind the cause of bringing Education to the children in the villages around the world who have no access to schools, teachers, books and the means to get an education.

I believe that education is the means to rid the world of poverty.  It is a voice for the voiceless.  I would join a social entrepreneurship group and travel to villages in remote parts of the world to build schools, recruit teachers from the community and set up systems that will provide long term education for these children.

Children will be taught to communicate and lead.  They will be encouraged to become change-makers in their family, their community and spearhead causes that can change their communities into self-sufficient communities that can contribute to the world!

Other interesting posts in this category:
1) https://kshitijarora.wordpress.com/2013/09/02/enough-is-enough/
2) https://pheliorandom.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/unconventional-school/
3) https://unknowinglee.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/helpingkidsbekids/
4) https://nrhatch.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/helping-even-one-child/
5) https://jottingsandwritings.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/daily-prompt-causes-fireems/
6) https://littlegirlstory.wordpress.com/2013/09/04/daily-prompt-blogger-with-a-cause-spread-the-love/
7) https://completelydisappear.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/daily-prompt-blogger-with-a-cause/
8) http://haikubyku.com/2013/09/03/pup-with-a-cause/
9) https://gawoman45.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/causes/
10) http://losjourneytoboston.com/2015/06/03/daily-prompt-blogger-with-a-cause/

City of Palaces – Mysore

We had decided on a trip to Mysore during my recent visit.  I landed in Bangalore at midnight and proceeded home from the airport by cab.  At around 6am we booked a cab to the railway station at Majestic to board a train to Mysore.  The train trip from Bangalore to Mysore is a 2-3 hour trip passing through Bidadi, Channapatna, Maddur, Ramanagaram, Pandavapura etc.  The view is quite scenic and we enjoyed the trip.  We reached Mysore railway station at around 10.30am and proceeded to our hotel Pai Vista which is centrally located.

On our first day we covered the Mysore Palace, Philomena Church and the Vrindavan Gardens. Mysore is rich in history and the palace is a testimony to the lifestyle of the Wodeyar dynasty which has survived till today.

 

On our second day we travelled to Chamundi Hills where there is a temple dedicated to Chamundeswari and one to Mahabaleshwar.  One can get a birds eye view of Mysore from the top of the hills.  There is also another temple on the Nandi Hills.  After that we visited the Sand museum, the Kauvery Silk factory and the Mysore Zoo before we travelled to the Mysore railway station to take the Shatabdi express back to Bangalore.  As I had a short stay in Mysore we could not cover Srirengapatna this time.

The trip was hectic but thoroughly enjoyable.