52.52 Friendship.

For the concluding shot of the 2010′s project 52, I decided to dig up a shot, taken some time in December, that captured something that has constantly been on my mind throughout the year. I was privileged to attend a gathering of friends who have known each other for longer than I’ve been alive. I’ve also attended a few reunions/gatherings of peers I’ve had over the years. Some I’ve not seen for the better part of a decade for good or bad.

As time catches up with you, friends seem harder to come by. Friends slowly become like pandas – slowly dying out but refusing to f*** each other. I’ve often joked that a good friend requires two secondary school subjects – Chemistry and History. To all I call friend, this photo/post goes out to you.

52.52

“It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

52.51 Would you like one?

It was the Christmas week and I didn’t seem to be able to capture Christmas through the lens. So as a peace offering, I’ve decided to offer you something from my desk. Hopefully, for those who have had a bitter Christmas this might help ease the twists and turns.

Shout out to Pris ,who was also doing Project 52, for the lovely eats you see in the picture.

52.51

In famine, a hot meal.
In drought, a cool spring.
In desperation, a helping hand.
In death, a detention.

End on end we seek what we lost
a vicious carousel, the human condition which befell.
From Adam to you and I, upon this road well trod
lessons learnt, and taught, and forgot.

When Sorrow’s teeth keenly sink
Regret comes with charms a-wooing.
God is abased and brought to trial
while Love lies in velvet bleeding.

- Z.

52.50 Peace on earth..

In the week leading up to Christmas, I met up with an old friend on mine whose name will be withheld for his own safety since his mugshot will be available below. He so generously provided me with the perfect photo that helped me sum up the sentiments I was feeling during this period.

The words of the angels were “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill to men” and though it is oft repeated now in carols and greetings, where do we find ourselves since this was first uttered? Personally, as the years roll by I am increasingly amazed at how the celebrations are more widely accepted, while being utterly removed from it’s actual meaning and spirit. Even in His house.

52.50

“When you are joyous,
look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart,
and you shall seethat in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.“

- Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

52.49 Lamentations of the Nostalgic.

Bring it on grammar nazis and word purists.
I’m still gonna use nostalgic as a noun.
The colour orange was picked to further annoy.
Mwa-ha-ha-ha.

Some of you might know I’m on vacation back on my rock. Yes, my rock – ownership and governance is two different things but let us not delve into that can right now. So J brought me out to one of the older townships for a photo adventure.

Needless to say, it rained.

Not the sissy, face mist, incontinence rain. It really rained. The Noah, God flooding the earth kind. But that’s another story.

Back to the main story, exploring the ‘ruins’ of the old town evoked a lot of feelings and thoughts regarding my rock. I will probably write a proper post on it later, in the mean time I hope that the photo below might convey some of it.

52.49

“Future, under the treads of your minion Progress, the good things of the Past and Present be ground to dust and fed into the gaping mouth of Economy.”

- Z.

52.48 Dining on darkness, from the depths, in the dark.

Andddddddddddddddddddddddd, due to all the celebrations massed in the end of each year, postings have been tardy. But because everything that is started should be finished. The next few posts will be the to wrap up p52 2010.

This shot was taken as a jest in a dark restaurant with a lovely dinner companion C. This was taken on film with minor editing to touch up some dodgy scanning. The joke being the dish is squid ink pasta.

52.48

“There is a wisdom that is woe;
but there is a woe that is madness.“

- A prize to the first person to tell me the author and the book from whence this quote came. = )

52.47 Only skin deep.

After struggling with bits and pieces in an effort to get the site spiffy, I’m finally feeling less distracted and will now post a new photo.

We usually only appreciate what we can see despite the knowledge of what may lie beneath. A painting for the oils and not the fabric of the canvas beneath. A performer for their fantastic acts and not who they are as a person. A politician for the rosy dreams they conjure, instead of their consummate ability to distract, lie and the uncanny ability to fit into a hand-carry travel bag. I digress but you get the idea.

Appreciation also changes as the context changes, and with these thoughts:

52.47

“Everyone needs a warm personal enemy or two to keep him free from rust in the movable parts of his mind.”
- Gene Fowler

52.46 Made complete.

I have been agonising over the title for this shot. It holds some elusive meaning for me that I can not verbalise. The lack of symmetry associated with this style of shots, the imbalance of light and the noticeable tilt of the shot trumpets the many mistakes.

Yet somehow it feels right to me. Not perfection, but a sense of completion in the overall feel.

52.46

“There are very few human beings who receive the truth, complete and staggering, by instant illumination.
Most of them acquire it fragment by fragment, on a small scale,by successive developments, cellularly, like a laborious mosaic.“

- Anais Nin

52.45 Four-legged hug.

52.45

“She moves like she don’t care
Smooth as silk, cool as air
Ooh, it makes you wanna cry“

- Blondie, Maria

52.44 Spins madly on.

52.44

“Woke up and wished that I was dead
With an aching in my head
I lay motionless in bed
The night is here and the day is gone
And the world spins madly on“

- The Weepies, World Spins Madly On

52.43 Mid-swing.

Sometimes you get only one shot at a picture. No re-dos, no second take. Luck of the draw. Right place right time. Bla bla bla.

I thought this would make an exciting photo. A fire engine mid-swing at a junction travelling at 60km/h.

52.43

“The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.”

- Charles Du Bos