Failed sunrise time-lapseš
Thatās how I started the day. It usually happens on those days when I wake up all excited & turned on to get out of bed while it is still dark outside to go see my friend, Ra š, that big shiny ball above your head, as he rises up from behind the horizon. Thing is, most of the times, this friend of mine decides to be a lazy ass and show up late high up in the sky, dazzling me with his grumpiness and harsh rays. By the time he shows up, I realize just how much I miss his beautiful colours and soft touch on my skin; the uplifting sort, you know?
Anyway, I learnt that it's all part of the game. I'll still go out to say hello again.
When I first got into sunrises though it wasn't that easy. I would sulky when I wouldnāt have a nice one, as if it was passed onto me from the late rising sun. Every single time. Until I saw this scene.
I was packing my camera gear when I glanced up to notice, guess what?! Nothing. And everything š Weird, right? Not even an hour ago everything was dark and unrecognisable. Yet, as if straight out of a Harry Potter movie, ālumosāš§, and it lit up. Everything was visible, colourful, animated. The more I looked, the more I saw. The sun was beaming down on everything, bringing life to all that it touched. You know those moments when you catch yourself smiling on your own and feeling kinda silly? Well I felt like a total idiot š„“...āstupid is as stupid doesā, Forest Gumpās mama was shouting in the background.
What the hell was I moody for, like the whole day was gonna be shizzle when it was barely starting. Akin to a bridal veil being lifted off my face š°š½, I could see things I probably saw many times before, but this time I was actually seeing them. I knowā¦bridalš for lack of a more āappropriateā word. Itās 4a.m, half of me is awake and the other half is drunk šDonāt judge. In that moment I also felt grateful. The same vague thing you hear on Robin Sharma's podcasts - āevery morning take a few minutes to reflect on 3 things you feel grateful forā. Never understood that. Still don't. And in all likelihood as close to it as I got to this day. A moment where you forget about everything else, no thoughts, none. Total absorption in the moment. Kneeling down on this massive bridge, looking bigger than ever and shaking from the crossing train, feeling the cold morning wind on my face, the sun ray warming my hands, glancing up at the crows, down at the boats in the river below - SNAP!šø Gone was my moment of gratitude along with the train š¤£ Talk about ADHDā¦hah!
Whatever, I have felt it. Been there. Done that. Move on. My day felt brighter and I had this photo as a memory of that. Iāve been living in Thaketa, Yangon, for a year without realizing all the life that was there. I thought I was in āthe ass of the worldā as my friend emphasizes all the time. But this morning proved me wrong. And her too!!! My way back home was one of the most enjoyable morning photo walks ever. Life was happening everywhere admonishing how naive I had been to judge a place without really knowing it. I felt stupid yes. But I felt lucky as fuck! Iāve loved living there ever since šAnd I could not wait to discover more of it. It was in the āass of the worldā, and so different from what everyone knows Yangon to be. But I had something most of them did not. Funny how this paradigm shift can shake you, right? I was Tom Sawyer walking back home, seriously I was whistling the song on the way back, snapping photos along the way, feeling as light and as happy as ever. āGrumpinessā outta my way biatch!
This post is not about the photo in itself. Rather the story behind how the photo came to be. How it was made. How a picture can transcend the mere pixels on your screen, pushing you to use grey matter generated pixels instead. This photo changed my perspective on where I was living. It lifted a veil. It switched the lights on!š¤©
Cheers,
R