Trekking through the Agumbe rainforests upto Narasimha Parvata!

Agumbe, in Shivamogga, Karnataka is known to bring to mind

a) Rajkumar's Agumbeya Prema Sanjaya song if you grew up in the 90s Karnataka

b) That it's also called the Cherapunji of South India - the Agumbe rainforests receive high annual rainfall

Agumbe is as classic Malnad as you can get!

MalenaDu defined by its idyllic culture, especially food and scintillating views is because of its Males i.e., hills.

The Agumbe Circuit Trek conducted by Incredible Karnataka with permission from the Forest department was promising, exciting and challenging, simultaneously and right from the start.

Given the trek is only open 3 months in a year added to the exotic quotient.

The 19 km circuit trek starts in Malandur and proceeds towards Narasimha Parvata passing by: rainforests, grasslands, the snout of Barkana falls where the Seetha River plunges from a height of about 850 feet, being among the top 10 waterfalls by height and named after the shy Barka mouse-deer, the peak(multiple peaks), Narasimha Parvata being the highest point in Agumbe at a height of 3700 feet above sea level!

That's one eighth the Mount Everest for perspective!

More perspectives:

Being a circuit trek it starts at Malandur and the climb down is via the Kigga route. 

Circuit treks have different start and finish points - much like Life itself!

For one, there is no going back :)

One may stay back, but that's being left behind.

And then course completion is the objective, and much like Life, the journey is beautiful, what we see and experience are the essence of the trek. The finish point hardly excites :)

The group was fun, the realisation growing along the trek and after, rather than even a few minutes before the trek started.

Except for a group of 5-6 ppl within the group of 25, people knew each other better as we climbed, alerting each other about leeches apart from slippery points, lending a helping hand and equally seeking one when needed!

Life is probably like that - we meet people along the way and sometimes connect during the journey and regardless of being connected beyond, those moments of fraternity, camaraderie and overcoming and enjoying as a group stay with one - Man is indeed a social animal.

Mountains cannot be conquered by man, let's not fool ourselves. But they can be climbed and enjoyably so in good company and with much needed guidance!

Kumar or Incredible Karnataka was the guide, but the local guides Devendra and Manjunath were like the guardian angels of the group - from carrying the backpack of one of the members of the group to sharing their stories apart from helping us with a locally made balm that kept leeches away and helping people with climbing up and down where needed!

Just a nudge, just a word of encouragement, just holding someone's hand so they can overcome and surmount a challenge themselves is an underrated leadership skill perhaps!

Bimba and I had trekked up to Tiger's Nest in Bhutan by ourselves a few years ago - about 10,000 feet above sea level. And I kept recalling how 1+1>2. The power of company helping every person do more than they would otherwise alone - this is no Zen moment here, but something trekkers will definitely agree as obvious.

Back to Narasimha Parvata - the break at Barkana falls did help. We had lunch at a place that had a small spring - free mineral water in the most natural and eco friendly containers - one's cupped palms!

Just before we reached The Peak (yes, there were quite a few peaks before the final one) it rained a bit - somewhat between a moist breeze and a spray. 

And it did seem like a reward: much like Life itself, expecting the unexpected is not only about challenges and problems but also about pleasant surprises! About the optimism being the reward itself!

The group rested for a bit at the Narasimha Parvata peak.

Our group held up the Indian flag while another group held up the Karnataka flag.

The climb down to Kigga, felt psychologically easier initially.

But towards the end, being closer to 18-19 kms, one wasn't sure if it was their knees or heels feeling the fatigue or was it also the fatigue of the mind game. 

Takeaway:

Hiking through rainforests, look out for the leeches!

Trekking is fun though life lessons though life lessons it teaches!

Our mind perhaps has the power to Zoom out or Zoom in much like camera lenses - just being aware that a problem or pain can feel bigger than it actually is sometimes helps. Atleast until the actual pain and muscle fatigue that sets in usually the morning after a Trek!

But then, every trek, every hike,

Call it whatever name you like,

Spirit of adventure - it strikes

For there may be a few yikes,

But adventures give us kicks,

With welcome tips and tricks,

Not every game has scripts,

Like in life, it's slips vs grips.

-Seizonsha 

Limit tending to Quixotism but not too far from Pragmatism (Realised I hadnt blogged all of 2020, so here goes)

 I just realised I hadnt blogged all of 2020. Well, what a year it has been!

As we wind the year up and look forward to the year ahead, here is a poem I wrote about 2020.

Limit tending to Quixotism but not too far from Pragmatism.

2020 is no doubt coming to end on a sombre note, but life probably is about the inevitability of hope.

While we wait to say to Covid-19 our good-byes, and give to a safer world, our high spirited hi-fi’s,

Quixotism somewhat describes our cautious wait for the “old normal”.

While we continue to look forward, there is no doubt we also need to look back in the journal,

For this year has definitely presented many an opportunity to think and also re-think.

 

The vaccine may well be for the scientists and experts to solve,

But changing our mindless and wasteful ways of the “old normal” could be our collective resolve.

Howsoever hopefully we wait for the world to be safer again soon so we can welcome and celebrate the new,

We cannot forget that this year has presented many of us more time to embrace family, friends and new found hobbies to pursue

 

There have been many misses and losses; A few hits and happy moments hopefully make up for the gloomy forgettables.

Dreams that came true, and nightmares that turned horribly true too.

But, all hope is not lost as we prepare to carry forward those yet-to-turn-true (not so!) few.

Frustrations, disappointments, anger, disgust - they were undoubtedly all there.

But then, to look forward to a better life, if not returning to the “old normal”, is only fair.

 

The New Year brings with it, Hope and Promise. Of a life, better.

A message of happiness and success in spirit and letter.

As we set sail on yet another journey towards a better future on the days after tomorrow,

We do have a few more wonderful moments of this year from which our “Future Nostalgia” will borrow.

 

The direction of the wind, in or against which, we choose to set sail,

Cannot weaken the Hope for Hope, for it is the Dream of a Better tomorrow that we trail.

The sea breeze and its occasional sweet whisper,

Makes those Dreams and Desires a tad bit crisper.

The sea waves rushing away and returning,

Like they were signaling in a way, something.

 

At the shores, the waters and their oft unobserved persistence,

And so is the virus as of now; Though like to many such harms, we continue to build resistance;

Thoughts go back to the serenity of the Sea at night.

Probably Reminding one of Destiny's or Nature’s might.

 

The perils of the sea for which I, a sailor in my own right, mentally prepare,

The effects of the defects in my life, which I attempt and endeavor to repair.

The Eternal Optimist in me does not understandably like to imagine despair.

I feel like the Stoic yet cautious sailor; a skilled and alert master of sea-fare.

 

I feel like a Captain of a regiment trained in war-fare.

Setting sail, hopeful of an accomplished home-coming filled with fan-fare.

Looking forward to coming back to something really nice.

For when the world feels safe and makes us happy, we don’t think of Paradise.

 

-       Quixotic Seizonsha

Goaaaaaa! (Come back post!)

First, a disclaimer - returning to my named blog after 6 years! A lot has changed since my previous post - Marriage and all that has happened. Life has been kind, and, of late, very, very busy!
So, Goa was a welcome break from the madness! Here goes...

Sunday mornings are indeed early if it is still morning. So, to put it right, really, in fact brutally early at 5 30 am on Sunday morning, wifey and yours truly took the short 50 minute flight to Goa and  landed at Dabolim airport Sunday 29 Sep

Well my first trip to Goa was, believe it or not, a school organised annual trip in the last millennium and then I had done 2 more trips with college and work gangs, but even the last trip was around 12 years ago.
As regards the missus, rather strange that she hadn't been to Goa until now, whatay blasphemy I tell you. And the fact that yours truly had taken her to Maldives and Krabi would not take away the fact that a Goa trip had not been checked off the list of places to explore in one's lifetime, the earlier the better.

Enough poking some innocent jovial spirited fun at the wife, atleast for now.
So, sleep starved as we were, we resumed our sleep in the prepaid taxi to Calangute, North Goa.
We had referred to a few blogs and curated reviews from a few friends to decide that our stay would be split 40:60 to North and South, although it is North Goa that is the Haven for party animals.
We checked in at the Le Meridian at Calangute and although check in was 3 pm and it was only 10 am then, the folks at the reception and lounge helped us with our breakfast and we must say it was sumptuous to say the least.

They had a few maps of the city and while we waited for our room to be ready, we planned our North Goa out!
We knew we would rent a bike and go out to Ashwem, Sinquerim, Aguada, Baga, Anjuna and target at least one, if not both of the recommended night clubs, Tito's and LPK (Love Passion Karma, as I would later learn)
Hate to say that even September-October is quite hot and humid, unbearably so especially for the AC imprisoned Bangalorean, in the corporate IT set up or yesteryear conditioning courtesy a thoroughly enviable weather that is fast disappearing.

Coming back to Goa, thanks to it being off season and the shack policy being in a limbo, we could enjoy the beaches and the scintillating sea views that Goa continues to offer.
And to compare the experience of getting around, I must say that one doesn't need to feel like he or she has stolen a bike since rent a bike and rent a car is legit, with yellow  on black number plate and all.
300 bucks a day is quite reasonable and while petrol bunks are far and few, petrol for the bike is available aplenty, in Bisleri bottles at the markup of 20 rupees from bunk price to the litre.
Convenience, am sure, but for the corrupt government as well, if you allow to place on record without deviating too much.

So yes, Sinquerim fort and beach and then Aguada fort are definitely worth a visit. Aguada fort has a few boards up providing good info on the forts of Goa.
It is interesting to refresh our history of how the spice trade and Ottoman Turk Monopoly over it lead to the  exploration and discovery of the sea route to India, starting with Vasco Da Gama on the Malabar coast.
The hot sun and a delightful lunch at a boutique hotel, Tuscany Gardens was enough to lull us into a late noon siesta only to wake up in time for Tito's since LPK was farther from Calangute.
Tito's was where I had been to on the after college trip to Goa and I remember Tito's and Pecos where be had been back then and Club Cabana which was open back then, but was out of reach since we were all stags and could barely afford the cover on our first job pay cheques
So yeah, from what I remember, Tito's is definitely a run down, but always a great feeling to let one's hair down, even if there isn't much to let down, and shake a leg when one has two right feet.
We surprised ourselves by stealing time at the Baga beach front for a quick taste of Feni, the local drink before we hit Tito's.

Le Meridian is a really nice place to stay and wifey and I had a memorable stay there - great food and with time to play carrom, table tennis, air hockey, Jenga (yes!) and snooker, which I was trying out for the first time as well!
Thanks to some nudging and a lot of pushing, some quite literally, I can safely say I am beginning to be comfortable in a swimming pool, at the shallow ends, to be sure.
Well, dipping oneself and letting go of oneself, howsoever briefly and floating whatsoever small distance counts for a beginning, doesn't it?

Thank you Bimba - I only hope I gather some will and a lot of time to further this!

If evening of Day 1 Calangute was a night club, Day 2 evening was Ashwem beach, where we caught the sunset, and although it was cloudy and we couldn't really see the orange red ball of fire go down over the sea horizon, the colours of the sky were heavenly to say the least. What a treat to the eyes! The crimson red hues just soothe one's eyes and mind. Nature doesn't cease to amaze! And remind us of our artificial sense of superiority. Nature rules Supreme. And without making it a contest or making a hue and cry of it. Sunsets are pretty much an everyday affair for Nature, but to the Traveller, places like Ashwem are an everyday party with all invited.
On our bike ride back to Le Meridian we stopped over at The Karma Collection near Ashwem - they have a rather interesting collection of antique and antique like stuff.
One thing that struck me at Ashwem is the number of sign boards in Russian.
Amusing how a city is so much like home to people of a different country, and intriguing how a city like Goa welcomes and embraces the Russians.

Early next morning, as if to race against the Sun and how sunny it can get, we rode upto Anjuna beach, where if we had collected just a few more pebbles, we could have been prosecuted for illegal pebble mining ;)
But, more seriously, absolutely precious stones these pebbles are. One can't care for gems and jewellery if one just as much as holds up and feels some of these smooth and shiny pebbles!
It was difficult to believe that this was our third day in North Goa and it was time to check out of the lovely hotel that Le Meridian is and say goodbye to the happening North Goa!
The only place we couldn't do more of or enough of was Ashwem and the only place we couldn't do at all was LPK, or Love Passion Karma.
Must do on our next trip may be!

We hired a taxi to South Goa. 2000 bucks to South Goa from North Goa!
And here is another tip - we later hired a car in South Goa on reaching there, and realised we could have saved money and covered more places if we had hired a car on Day 1, delivered to us right at the airport and to be dropped off on the day of the return flight!

So, we did not know what beautiful resort the Radisson Blu resort at Cavelossim would be until we got there!
We got a Tika, arti and gong welcome! Just wow!
And the rooms...they are villas - we had a balcony room, so it was on the first floor and spacious, luxurious property and rooms!

The resort opens into the Cavelossim beach where we caught the sunset in the evening.
Goan sunsets are just priceless! Each, beautiful but no doubt some more than the other!
We got our car delivered to the hotel in the evening - after all we had a plan worked out for Wednesday and Thursday in South Goa and some places at Old Goa on Friday morning before we caught our afternoon return flight!

I need to call out Manjunaths Rent a car - excellent service, they delivered the car at Cavelossim and would take return delivery at the airport - reasonable rent tariffs and a nice new car - the Hyundai i20 was in great condition and I had absolutely no issues whatsoever!

So Wednesday we did Mobor beach in the morning and then fueled up for the longer drive in the evening.
South Goa is sleepy and many shops were not open for most part of the day!
So, our evening drive to Colva was smooth. Wife and I did Parasailing at Colva!
Well it so happened that the missus had done Parasailing earlier at Murudeshwar, well before our marriage, and as she later realised, the Parasailing at Murudeshwar was not to the height one reached at Colva!

So yes, back to the Parasailing story - the guy told us that we needed to do it separately, each of us accompanied by the professional. So, looking at the height, the wife promptly told me she would do it only if I went first. And there, I decided to go only because if I didn't, the missus would miss it :P
Man, I felt uncomfortably close to God for the most part of the ride, and given that I don't know swimming, it was certainly adventure exponential to a logarithmic scale at that kinda height with just the Arabian Sea below me. I am sure if I were to fall, the life jacket would probably explode before I calm myself down to float, and then there were thoughts of drowning due to getting entangled and stuck under the chute.
Of course, the hysteria did fade and make way to some delight and feeling of satisfying adventure and as I got lowered, I spotted Bimba and waved and smiled to her, and declared victory, showing her a V with my own hand that I took off the harness for a bit ;)
A must this Parasailing for anyone who can gather the guts :P
And then wifey went up for it,and shrieked on her way up in a manner that is so typical of girls. Not men. You see, we hide our fears quite well ;)

After the Parasailing and sitting down at the beach to trade notes on the experience, we decided to go to Utorda beach to catch the Sunset since Colva was a little crowded and the hawkers were a little disturbing.
We could have gone to Sunset Beach or Betalbatim beach, both of which were closer to Colva, but decided to go a little further to Utorda, based on a recommendation/review from my wife's friend.
Again, another scintillating sunset, as you can see in the pictures. The colours are just unbelievable! No filters were used, which some find hard to believe!

Dinners at the Radisson - we tried Lucio's their Goan and Portuguese cuisine and the Upper deck which is their 24/7 restaurant and coffee shop.
Next morning we had a lazy breakfast followed by some more lazing at the pool at Radisson. A great pool they have, what with varying depths. But I do wish they enforced the discipline and basic hygiene of showering before entering the pool. Firangs and Desis alike were entering the pool without showering and thus rendering the pool dirty. What a shame, some people don't have basic common sense or sense of keeping places clean!
Anyway, we didn't spend as much time we otherwise could have in the pool. So, we had an early start to the afternoon long drive. We stopped over at Agonda beach first, which again is not very crowded. Having waded into the beach there and satisfied our feet and soul with the waters,  we left from there by 4 to reach Palolem by about 4 30. Good, they have parking close to the beach!
We had run out of cash, but could get cash at a money point using the debit card, albeit for a small fee. A coupla hundreds for the convenience.

So, Palolem has boat rides and we got onto a boat just in time because it would be an hour's boat ride and there would be very few boat tours starting after 6 if at all.
The boat took us deeper into the waters so we could catch glimpses of jelly fish and dolphins and then to "Honey moon island", so named because it is not very deep at the beach and since it is only accessible by boat from Palolem, it is not crowded, therefore offering the perfect opportunity for honeymoon photos if not the honeymoon itself ;)
Since we had the option of stopping over only at one beach, the other family Bimba and I shared the boat with - together we decided to stop over at the Butterfly beach instead. The waters run very deep with a sharp plummet at the beach, but the beautiful shape of the island and the huge rocks at the  shore offer picturesque views, and better picture opportunities as well  as you can see for yourself;)
On our way back to Palolem on the boat, they took us past Monkey Island and also narrated the story about this Rock pub, which quite literally was only a huge rock, called Sundowner.
After a thoroughly fulfiling boat island tour, we enjoyed the Sunset at Palolem with a game of frisbee on the beach!
And then, Bimba went around the shops at Palolem, didn't shop for too much but I can safely conclude that her soul was content having looked at all the stuff in those shops!

Well, we drove back to the resort with a heavy heart since we didn't have any more sunsets left at Goa, and had only skyscrapers and smog ,and that's if one had enough time or ventured out for a sunset back in Bangalore! But yes, Bangalore is in our DNA, so, doesn't make much sense to crib about one's DNA does it!
On the last day, we had a quick breakfast - by now I had tried the Madurai Malli and Tanjore Dosa apart from the regular Ghee Masala Dosa at the live Dosa counter at Radisson.

We drove to Old Goa, and went straight to the Bom Basilica, the Church that the Portuguese built in,wait for it, 1605! We prayed at the altar after a quick guided tour of the Basilica. The tour includes the story of the miracle of the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier.
We then walked across to the Se Cathedral which is also built in the 17th century, in 1665 to be precise, by the Portuguese. This latter church didn't have any service going on and seemed to be under restoration.
What a fine, peaceful and heartwarming finish to our Goa trip we thought as we drove to the airport where we would drop the car off.


Sunset @ Ashwem

Bimba enjoying at Anjuna Beach...

Us at Mobor Beach

Local Church and School at Cavelossim

Beautiful sunset @Cavelossim Beach

Stopover at Butterfly Beach - Posing for Nirvana

Basilica of Bom Jesus, Old Goa

Sunset @Utorda Beach

As wife would later say on Instagram, Go, Goa Gone!

A tryst with an Image on a Cloud.

The beautiful bright nine clouds that Summer Saturday morning.
Bright at once, spawning dreams, kindling desires, igniting passion.
That the Ninth Cloud would bring forth a wonderful Image, was beyond imagination.

What a bright day it was, the brilliance would be everlasting and precious.
The scale of the Celestial Conspiracy would even seem a tad bit fictitious.

Waking up every morning, to the sweet reality of a new life, feeling fresh, rejuvenated;
Despite elusive sleep; For of the precious new find - the Image, I am unstoppably fascinated.

And so the Ninth Cloud, the most benevolent of all, has extended an invitation.
Setting foot on the ground is no longer an option when you're experiencing levitation!

--Serendipitous Seizonsha

Getting the Maximum out of the Maximum City.

First, the things I'd planned to do, but didn't manage to do.
a) Go on any of the Mumbai Walks. Too bad, they take only corporate bookings now. Someone needs to tell them that they just need to manage the online booking better and not be pricey. Now, how many corporate bookings will they get? Should I be the someone who tells them that? Probably yes ;)

b) A visit to Haji Ali. Guess I will do it on my next visit to the city. Not sure when though!

And now, here's a list of things planned/unplanned and I'm happy I did.

a) Keep the running coming along...Did 3 runs of 10kms with the last one under 70 mins. I should be happy if I manage an early 60's for the TCS 10K back in Bangalore next month.

b) Mumbai Darshan - the local sight-seeing trip. It had been about 20 years since I'd done this last. This time around I was alone, but the memories of the previous Bombay sight-seeing with Appa, Amma and sis came rushing back. I must have been in class 2 or 3 then!

c) Visiting Matunga. Man, I should have done this back in 2009 or 2011. Wonder how I failed doing this on both occasions. It could have had a bearing on certain decisions ;)
More seriously, a "South Indian" will feel at home here in Matunga and will never feel like he's left home to work here in a faraway land.
 (the term "South Indian" here being used more for convenience rather than to imply agreement with the stereotyping or generalisation of people originally from the South of the Vindhyas!)

d) A leisurely visit to Kala Ghoda.
In all I spent about 4 hours across the art galleries in the Jehangir Art Gallery and the National Gallery of Modern Arts.
It had been almost 4 years since I spent so much time at art galleries. I was reminded of my regular visits to the Visual Arts Gallery at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. I liked the art works on display at the galleries here in Mumbai. But the Delhi visits still have a strong influence on me. Maybe because I used to visit almost every weekly art exhibition atleast once a week for almost 6 months.
It's a pity I haven't visited any such galleries back at home. Something I should do when I return later this week.
Just looked up Chitrakala Parishat online. I never knew they had so many galleries there!

e) A play at the NCPA.
The plays looked interesting. But I didn't think thrice before shelling out 500 bucks for Vir Das' stand-up called "History of India - Vir written".
Man, is he good! I probably much better. But he was definitely good alright ! My first stand-up experience and I totally loved it!
Apparently the guy has done some 25 shows at the Tata Theatre at the NCPA and all of them have been sold out. In fact, this evening Mumbai Indians were playing in Mumbai and Vir Das' was sold out..with 850+ seats.

Returning home to the Optimum City (yes, that's a new name I have coined for Bangalore!) later this week.
A lot of things on my To Do when back in Bangalore. Long-term, short-term, completing WIP n unfinished businesses and taking up new activities...plans shall remain plans until executed. So, fingers crossed and mind set!

Optimum City - so what the name may be influenced by a positive bias. I definitely feel its an apt one!
See ya soon!

Seizonsha

Nemesis.

That summer morning when he woke up, he wanted to unremember.

He wanted to unremember the Dream that had turned nightmare.

A nightmare that surpassed dawn and clouded him until the morning sun shone.

He realised that he had met his Nemesis.

The date on his watch read " 30 THU ". The time had come.

An invalid date could not have signaled a more valid message.

Running would not be enough. That very morning, he would have to run away.

He had always banked on Einstein's quote about Reality being a function of time.

The Reality however, as he Realised that morning, was that it was time.

Time for him to set himself up for a pilgrimage.

Seek answers to questions that had been making his head spin in several multiples of 360 degrees over the past days that had spilled into a few weeks and then a couple of months.

The innocent fella he was, he was not going to leave any debts behind for me to repay. As in, no monetary debts

But what an arrogant fella I tell ya, he was talking about Indebtedness; about how his life resembled an unbalanced sheet now, reflecting the bordering mental and sentimental imbalance he thought he was going through.

Sometimes, he takes things into his head. That egg shaped head I too inherited from him.

Whoever told him that Life was Fair!

Anyways, before your head starts spinning, let me declutter things up.

Breathe easy. Breathe in slowly. Breathe out quickly.

Now that you are ready, let me break this piece of news to you.

Vishwas Mysore has met with his Nemesis. He has chosen to leave all of us. He has run away. Away from all that was troubling him.

Who am I then, you may ask.

I am his alter ego.

I know all his dark and bright secrets. Well, almost all.

He has left somethings behind for me to deal with. Like for example, his job. And the pay that comes with it. Luckily, he didnt owe any money to anyone. But then, his assets are apparently mine only so long as I don't try to sell them off. Smart fucker. Super-power of attorney it seems! Superior joke. Only that the joke is on me. His Alter Ego. Whatay fucker! He apparently reserves the right to claim just in case he feels like returning into our midst. Irresponsible fella ! He has run away from problems and wants to come back if he feels like. Especially if all problems have been solved. And if he can be assured that there shall be no more problems.

That last bit about wanting to have no problems.

Like it's gonna happen. Jackass! For all his self-proclaimed knowledge and useless education. Anyways.I am his alter ego. So, I cant belittle him beyond a point.

But he was a nice fella in his own way. Well meaning and well intentioned. I only wish him well. I'm not too sure if I'm gonna miss him. Not any more than he's gonna miss me.

His parting words to me were on the lines of Him wanting to put his mind over matter.

I felt like throwing some batter on him. That could have cured him of his mental ailment.

Mind over batter would have baked some nice biscuits to munch on. Given the heat inside his already half-baked mind.

There I go again. I apologise. I mean no disrespect. But then, I have now taken over.

He and I are a lot similar. Yet so different. I dont have any emotional baggage though.

It is now my turn. Huhuhaahah (Roars of laughter).

--Seizonsha aka Sthiramathi (that naive guy - Vishwas Mysore's alter-ego)

Of Hopes, Dreams and Desires.

As I set sail on yet another journey on the days after tomorrow,

A few more wonderful moments I wish I could borrow.

Whom from you may ask, dear Friend. Don't you very well know?

For although every long journey away from home is bitter-sweet,

Every such moment hurts when eyes and minds don't meet.

The direction of the wind is in which I set sail.

For how does it matter when it is that Deam I trail.

The sea-breeze and its occasional sweet whisper,

Makes those Dreams and Desires a tad bit crisper.

The sea waves rushing away and returning,

Like they were signalling in a way, something.

The waters and their persistence,

Against life's harms, helping build resistance;

The serenity of the Sea at night.

Reminding you of Destiny's might.

The perils of the sea for which I mentally prepare,

The effects of the defects which I attempt to repair.

The optimist in me does not like to imagine despair.

I feel like the stoic sailor; a master of sea-fare.

I feel like a captain of a regiment trained in war-fare.

Setting sail, hopeful of a home-coming filled with fan-fare.

Looking forward to coming back to something really really nice.

For home, family and friends give me a feeling unbeatable by Paradise.

- OptiMystic Seizonsha.