Friday 2 September 2016

A trip to Cyprus and post holiday BLUES.

What's the hardest thing to do when you come back from a holiday -- a family holiday?

Unpacking?

Laundry/Washing?

Getting on the weighing scales?

Getting up the next morning to go to school, work or to drop children off to school?

I'd say all of the above, but NONE of the above are as hard as the one I struggle with the most. It's
picking the perfect picture to post on facebook. A picture that shows all of us looking our best at the same time, in the same shot. It's almost impossible.

So long and arduous has been this quest that I recently updated my fb cover photo( with a family shot) after more than two years.

It's all my fault. Really. I make the most fuss about how I look in photos. My family and friends know this.

You see, my idea of what I look like and the camera's idea of what I look like do not coincide.

For a good decade, I hid behind my Vitiligo patches to avoid being clicked sans camouflage. This could be make-up, long sleeves, turtle necks or scarves or night shots in dark corners. Now that I'm out of my closet, I create the fuss before and during and after the photo has been clicked on account of my prosperous physique (hum khatee peete ghar se hain bhai, kya karen?) My body subscribes to the Punjabi notion of being 'healthy'.

This is what goes on inside my brain when I'm about to be shot: the bossy little voice takes over...

Don't grin too wide-- it shows your creases. Suck in that lower belly, suck it IN I say...suck it in till you can't breathe. Oh! shoot! that makes you look like a rooster who's about to cock-a -doodle-doo. Okay, let out a bit of that air but hold onto that udyana bandha for your sake. Oh! And turn, stand at an angle...remember that's how all the women you know stand in all the group shots these days? And what about that chin? Should it be up or down? What did that article say? And look at the camera...not the sky. Oh! I give up...hang on, pop those shades on...you know they're a God send. 

'I tried.' whimpers my bossy little voice. 'I give up!'

While this battle is raging inside my head, my children are informing me that the camera is NOT in the direction I'm trying to half-grin at. Aaaahhh!!! At moments like these, I feel that models deserve every penny they get for posing.

BUT, hang on...there are non-model friends of mine who can pull off a pose or a selfie before you can say 'cl' of click with such ease and aplomb that I can't help but admire their grace and poise.

How do they do it?

'It's easy.' said Sukku (a pro at getting clicked) while we were camping in Bedni in June . 'Turn your shoulder like this, jut out a hip like this, throw your head back and pose. simple.'

You have to see how quickly and effortlessly she strikes a pose-- every time!

A dear friend tried to follow her advice recently. The result made us all roll on the floor with laughter,

My conclusion, therefore, is that some of us are just born with it. I'm not one of them.

That is why, being behind the camera is so much more fun and fulfilling for me than being in front of it.

A quick and short escape to Cyprus a few days ago gave us that elusive family photo-- yes, I have my shades on! Laugh, if you must. I'm a vain Jain.

Doors, walls and windows have no such vanity issues. They are perfect subjects and when the light is Mediterranean, the blues blow you away with their brilliance. And the doors don't shy away from extreme close-ups, either.

Doors and streets of Omodos.







The blue walls of Lefkara Museum (in Pano Lefkara) made a hot afternoon cool.
The entrance

Going upstairs
The sun peeks through shutters, lace,
windows
and windows.

Blue -- inside and out.




Where does the wall finish?
And the sky begin?


Why are all the walls blue? 

If you are planning a trip to Cyprus, a visit to this beautifully curated museum will make you very happy.
For more details, click on:

Cyprus is beautiful, no doubt. But, the MOST precious part of Cyprus is its people and their hospitality. More about them and their warm hearts and their delicious food in the next post.

Have a wonderful weekend.
And admire the blue around you.
xx


13 comments:

  1. Not worth the effort... I stay behind the camera and my writing for the very same reason... When I was younger I was allergic to smiling and now it the angles and the lines and the desire to look young forever. Good to hear we are all human :) lovely pictures as usual... Blue is my favorite..Tempted to visit Cyprus now...

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    1. Thanks Ish:) If you get a chance, do visit. It's especially beautiful in spring.

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  2. Arti....you are bang on about some people being better at getting clicked! I am not one of them. Prefer to take pictures. We often try to get the perfect backdrop and light and everything tangible to be in perfect place in the frame and end up messing it up by posing oddly in it:-).

    Beautiful images, as usual. The blue museum reminded me of the Blue Mension in Penang, Malaysia. Bright indigo building with intricate designs created from tile chips (forgot what it's called) seen in old Chinese architecture.

    Again....thank you for sharing. Keep travelling and sharing your experiences and pictures :-))

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  3. Arti....you are bang on about some people being better at getting clicked! I am not one of them. Prefer to take pictures. We often try to get the perfect backdrop and light and everything tangible to be in perfect place in the frame and end up messing it up by posing oddly in it:-).

    Beautiful images, as usual. The blue museum reminded me of the Blue Mension in Penang, Malaysia. Bright indigo building with intricate designs created from tile chips (forgot what it's called) seen in old Chinese architecture.

    Again....thank you for sharing. Keep travelling and sharing your experiences and pictures :-))

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    1. Posing oddly-- yes, you know exactly what I'm talking about:) xx

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  4. That's so much gorgeousness in one post, Arti! I know exactly what you mean when you say it is tough to pick the appropriate pic from hundreds. Sigh. I sit with that dilemma every single day. And then I also have the stupidity for wanting to save a particular pic for a special occasion.

    Post holiday blues? HA! I know all about that. I get it from a two day trip :-D

    Delightful post - and so happy you visited my blog!

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    1. Thank you Vidya:) This 'photo-shooting-sorting' seems to have touched a chord!
      So happy you visited. xx

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  5. Totally agree with you about the tensions of getting photographed...most of my photos are such disasters, as I am invariably scowling, baring teeth, showing wrinkles and untidy hair etc etc.... aargh!
    Loved the photos of the doors and doorways... ...the blue is so soothing...I visited another town Chefchaouen in Morocco where they too use this indigo dyed limewash on all their houses and buildings. Jodhpur in India too has the neel colours.... Interesting how this idea has caught on in different parts of the world.
    Putting Cyprus on my bucket list !

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    1. You will love Cyprus Ketaki. Try to visit during spring; I hear it's even more stunning then.
      And Jodhpur is on my bucket list:)
      Thanks for stopping by. xx

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  6. Door are so wonderfully inviting, evocative, bright with colour or faded with age, open, closed or somewhere in between.
    Photos of myself - not so much! I don't mind having the photo taken, like you I work at stance, breath control, smile, but why is it I never look at all as good as I think I do in the setting? Double chin - what's up with that? Flabby arms and tummy with drooping shoulders? Ugh.
    But blue, that clean shade of blue that the Mediterranean wears so well, soothes all. Thanks for showing us the doorways to beautiful.

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    1. Thanks for your beautiful comments April. I love hearing from you and this photo taking ordeal seems to be more global than I'd thought;)

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  7. dearest Arti... there is SO much richness here. As always, when I visit your blog, I think I'll read one or 2 posts to catch up, and 30 minutes later, I'm still here, soaking up your beautiful photographs and those lovely angles and the flowers and the doors and the blue and your WORDS... omg, your words. Like poetry. I want to paint all my walls that same shade of blue now. :) Thank you for taking the time for such beautiful photography (even if I don't see your lovely face in any of the pics!) ;) Big hugs from Canada. xx

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    1. Thank you my dear friend.
      The joy of these doors and sights multiplies for me when friends and readers enjoy the pictures I take. Yes, that blue is amazing.
      Thanks for the hugs and sending you hugs back from my kitchen table. The door is slightly ajar and the lemon grass is blowing in the breeze while a bunch of birds are singing...this is happy time in Doha-- gardening time:) xx

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