Everyday – Page 4 – The Border of a Mind

roots and branches

September 29, 2020September 29, 2020 by Ajmal

The photograph of a meal during a journey to Buyukada island in Constantinople ;).

Around 5 months back or so, I had written on the theme of realizing roots. We talked about trees with their branches spreading through the air and producing fruits & the marvelous miracle of tiny seeds and grains bearing huge trees within them. If we pause and consciously think about it, the roots which are soft when we touch then pierce through hard rocks and dark earth. As the roots pierce the hardest depths, the branches on the top spread in the air bearing fruits and leaves retaining moisture despite the heat outside. Have we wondered about what a miraculous piece of machinery this is? We can see that they’re under a command. A seed in the process of its initial development would require a lot of things for it to flourish well. The right kind of soil, the balance of water, temperature, delicate humidity balances are some of them. The proportion and the correct balance of each of these factors are paramount for the seed to develop. The right mix and proportion reach them. Can an unconscious entity like a seed work consciously for this proportion to be right? That’s a definite no. We see intention, purpose, and design. Almighty has left these beautiful wonders around us as locks that could only be opened by the key of our thoughts and awareness. It’s consciousness and awareness that elevates & humbles us. The provisions in front of us would invoke yearnings and reflection for the seeker.

Part of Ponder Series

intangible transience

September 20, 2020September 20, 2020 by Ajmal

Every aspect, object elucidates a story woven with transience. The flowers in the garden, the plants in the office, the wrinkles on your face, dried tree trunks, broken glass pans, aged furniture, sunset. Life is fragile and short. There’s no permanence, only a yearning within our minds for everlasting life.

“Every spirit passing through the world fingers the tangible and mars the mutable, and finally has come to look and not to buy. So shoes are worn and hassocks are sat upon and finally everything is left where it was and the spirit passes on, just as the wind in the orchard picks up the leaves from the ground as if there were no other pleasure in the world but brown leaves, as if it would deck, clothe, flesh itself in flourishes of dusty brown apple leaves, and then drops them all in a heap at the side of the house and goes on.”
― Marilynne Robinson, Housekeeping

Fragility | Transience

universe within.

September 19, 2020September 19, 2020 by Ajmal

“Closed in a room, my imagination becomes the universe, and the rest of the world is missing out.”
― Criss Jami, Diotima, Battery, Electric Personality.”

Remember when we spoke of bird’s eye ?

peacefulness!

September 3, 2020September 3, 2020 by Ajmal

When you renounce the world, the world comes to you. When you don’t expect something, it comes to you.

“Peace is not always easy to grasp or keep close. In the process of attaining and protecting it, you may find yourself tired, weary, and uncertain on how to keep your peace safe. While being uncertain is normal, continue to commit yourself to peacefulness. You are worthy of every drop of sweetness and ease that you encounter. Being tested is a part of the journey. Giving up, and letting go, is not.”
― Alex Elle

a gauging pause.

August 28, 2020August 28, 2020 by Ajmal

I’m very ardent and passionate about learning things online. Whatever little skills that I count on, including building this very website you see here are self-taught. Over the past several days, I’ve been pondering on information consumption and the prevalent model of content delivery and its status quo. It’s easy to learn something from YouTube or any other online platform for example, and that could hop on to a stage of following the personality or tutor online, and in most cases, there’s a very good probability that you’ll be bombarded with a lot of sponsorship videos and ‘obscure’ ads purported as informative or engaging original content that you were originally behind them for. Yes, it’s totally understandable that these content creators would need advertisements to sustain themselves if that’s their full-time profession, but I think the advertising model prevalent on online platforms, especially the way of sneaking in ads without being explicit about it tend to jeopardize the value of time for the content consumer in the long run if thought is given to it. This sort of an evaluation mindset made me rescan all the regular channels that I engage with for learning or infotainment and I’m on the point of a reboot. God willing, I’m making a conscious plan of wielding time for skill enhancements by being selective with the choices. Life is too short to be buried in regular ads on online platforms. God willing, I’ve broad plans to learn a new language and to enhance some coding knowledge to automate a lot of things and chores.

to the mountains

August 14, 2020August 14, 2020 by Ajmal

An old saying goes by the note that everyone would like to live on top of the mountain, but all the experience, joy, and growth would be acquired in the process of climbing the mountain.

“Which is more important?” asked Big Panda, “the journey or the destination?” “The company,” said Tiny Dragon.
Quoted from a cartoon that I saw online

brand storytelling

August 9, 2020August 9, 2020 by Ajmal

I am really fond of storytelling when it comes to marketing materials on any product or service. I do come across a lot of them and I fondly read them. Here is an example of a story on a packet of popcorn. A lot of companies intertwine some sort of a narrative to engage in a personal connection with the customer and for them to feel good about it or to convey why they do what they do. It’s interesting.

“Storytelling” on a packet of popcorn

Here’s another one that I’ve seen in the past that I recollect now. It’s about a Biryani brand having this story all over. They say that some archaeologist discovered this special recipe during an excavation and that it’s the one being given to the customer, so as to generate a special or privileged feeling in the minds of the recipients. Although it brings a giggle on my face whenever I come across such stuff, but hey, stories are fun to skim through and they’re an integral part of brand concept building these days. : )

Story of “Behrouz Biryani”

fortitude

July 25, 2020July 25, 2020 by Ajmal

Impatience leads to resistance. Trust in divine timing.

“Patience is the calm acceptance that things can happen in a different order than the one you have in mind.”
― David G. Allen

An old decor theme I tried few years back.

traveling within

July 3, 2020July 3, 2020 by Ajmal

Quick art inspiration from an afternoon tea with Netta.

Wherever you go, east, west, north or south, think of it as a journey into yourself! The one who travels into itself travels the world.
Shams Tabrizi

Soul in a volume

June 27, 2020June 27, 2020 by Ajmal

I believe the below is true with any form of art or work. In the same adaptation coherent with the below quote, every slice of what you see here from the subtle nuances to the colors chosen to the illustrations and photographs to the themes that we explore, they have my heart and soul in them with which they’ve been dreamt on and conceived. Every time beautiful people like you skim through, its spirit grows and strengthens. Grateful for your glance here.

“Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens.”
― Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Shadow of the Wind