The first thing we did on our new purchased land in TW ( abbreviation of Tawangmangu) was to plant trees. Our neighbor mister Djanto who is a farmer helped us. We planted 15 trees, most of them fir trees. One is a lemon tree, another is a Ketapang which we call an umbrella tree because of it's shape.
All things come to pass and the young too, shall one day grow old.
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Every morning depending on how I feel, I grind a different coffee.
As it goes for coffee so it goes with my choice of lenses. Depending if I am in a wide, normal or narrow mood. Today I felt it was a «portrait lens» day. A 75 mm Summarit f 2.4 to be exact.. After my morning coffee I usually ride my bicycle in the small alleyways of Solo city; for the exercise and also to hunt for images. I carry a Leica and depending on the way I feel, I will attach a specific lens to the M240 body. If I feel in a distanced disposition, I will attach a 21 or a 28 mm lens. If I feel in a more normal (whatever that means) state, I will mount a 50mm lens. Today, I was in a close-up mindset. I felt I wanted to get close to people so I decided to use a 75mm lens. I am often shy when I approach people in Solo, especially that I do not communicate very well in Indonesian language. The 75 mm portrait lens forces me to break the barrier of intimacy. Before taking a last sip of Toraja coffee, enjoying its crisp refreshing taste and smooth finish I had decided to go out and «oblige myself» to come closer to the people. I was in a « portrait lens » mood. I was lucky to meet up with Mr. Subroto who accepted to be photographed. We chatted a while, he inviting me to his home in Yoyjakarta and I, asking him (in my broken Indonesian) questions on his life.
The following images remind me of a passage in Pico Iyer's book :THE MAN WITHIN MY HEAD
The woman was sipping her juice while balancing her feet back and forth. I imagined her as a young girl doing the same thing. I sat on the bench facing her for almost one hour, reading a book. Then nightfall arrived.
The woman placed the red plastic bag under her head and lied down, probably for the night. I felt uneasy. Before leaving I went up to her and gave her some money. She sat up and gave me a great big smile. When I arrived home, I thought of her all night…I still do at times. |
Thought of the day
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