Purchase of a life time...

When I bought a digital camera 3.5 years back, they weren't such a popular item in apna desh. And they cost a lot. So I was very happy when I got what looked like a great steal. The model was this - seems like a dud by today's standards, but back in those days, when 3MP was the order of the day (like those gmail invitations! ) 3x optical zoom seemed to be indulgent. The 6-7xs were simply out of my purview because they cost a bomb. (Murgee chaap, sivakasi ke bagal ke gaon wala bomb). I must have clicked a couple of thousand photos, then the lens started creating trouble, battery went kapoot. I ditched my cam. Then one fine day, I was gifted a tripod, I bought a new memory card and battery. The lens started working by itself as if the earlier dysfunction was a protest against the miserly 16MB memory card and old batteries. My earlier penchant for photography re-arose. And then I came to HK.
The rest is history. Have bought a Digital SLR and a lens that is as costly as the camera itself. But the results are surprisingly good. And I hope to click better photos from now on.
--update--
I went to the victoria peak on saturday and a temple and flower market on sunday. If there is one point to see HK from, that must be the top of peak. Unfortunately there was so much pollution that visibility was low before sunset. The real view however sets in after the sunset. Its a splendid panoramic scene. Find lots of photos in the usual photoblog. The flower market was a complete riot of colors. Unfortunately, I didn't find the stares and glares of shopkeepers very welcoming. Add to that my stereotype of Chinese people being martial arts experts and you get the picture. I clicked a few though, thanks to the zoom factor in my camera. The temple was also very colorful. Brilliant red juxtaposed with bright yellow. Very eye catching. The priests sang in their native tongue and the whole atmosphere was filled with a religious feeling. I hated that my lens does not have USM (a mechanism for autozoom which is very silent). However, at times the sharp click of the lens makes you feel like a great photographer!

another major update:
I am chachaji now. The tiny angel is a darling of everyone of course. Its a pity I will only get to meet her in mid feb. She will have grown by then!

Another week has come and gone. With an agenda of doing at least something worthwhile this weekend, I didn't feel the luxury of an idyllic weekend. Anyway, it was only great that I managed to do all this considering that I was alone.

I have seen too much crowd here. A little more than Mumbai. Sundays are free for many working women (read: housemaids) and the main streets are bustling with hordes of them. At every traffic light you will find a mass. In weekends, every tourist destination is over crowded. When I was returning from Victoria peak, there were at least 400 people in the queue ahead of me waiting to get into the tram.
The tram by the way, is a technological marvel. It climbs at such a steep angle, you wonder for once if it will fall backwards. Sort of like a roller coaster at considerably slower speed (though faster than those hill queens of india).

Sometimes I wonder if my notions of relationships are skewed. Is it that I seek the element of perfection (sounds so CVish na? :D) ? I mean, I am like an open book. Should I stay that way? Everyone wants their space. Have I ever thought of how much space I occupy? In the physical world, that question has revisited me every time I try my recently-bought jeans that is now too tight. In the mental world, the thought is struck when I see people drawing lines that far outstretch mine. I should probably use the jostling tricks I learnt in Mumbai suburban trains and create some space around me that will be mine. May be I shouldn't always speak my mind. Earlier I used to write diary almost daily but soon the agenda was hijacked (by matters of the heart). I guess I need to confine the darkest thoughts to my diary. The human race doesn't deserve to be tortured by those.

Another weekend has come and gone. It has been 15 days since I landed in Hong Kong. Have enjoyed the comforts, but resented the crowded market place. Liked the taxi ride, hated the noxious smell of dried seafood. It has been a mixed bag - much like life has been.

...
Hoshwalon Ko Khabar Kya
Bekhudi Kya Cheez Hai
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Hum Labon Se Keh Na Paaye, Unse Haal-E-Dil Kabhi
Aur Woh Samjhe Nahin Ye Khamoshi Kya Cheez Hai
...