A TRIBUTE TO A DECEASED FRIEND titled "A Note to you, Elte!"

PROLOGUE to the POEM:

This poem is composed for a deceased friend, Eltea, who was a wonderful friend. His absence has made me wonder about what thoughts might have been there behind those smiles, those true innocent smiles.... In this poem, which I have titled as "A Note to you, Elte", I have put inside a few names from amongst my circle of friends, who have also been good good friends to Eltea. And some lines might make you, as readers, feel somewhat not connected to the poem, because of the moments that I have put inside as a memory lane.
He truly was a friend indeed, and I want to take this opportunity to tell him that not only I, but our circle of friends have missed him so much. "Elte, you might not be here with us in this world, but we have memories of you and your sweet smiles, your laughs and your talks. We feel left out by you because you left so abruptly without leaving any goodbyes, you should have at least said goodbye in a proper way. At times, we feel like seeing you again just to slap your face because of the way you left us... May your soul rest in peace!"


A Note to you, Elte!

You were with us, oh yes, you were
There at the “Silvermoon” square;
Noel and B’no by your side
Laughin’ on and talking light;
Finding muses to make us smile
Filling glasses to drink in style;
Remembering your phrase “glass mate”
Ringing in our thoughts fully awake;
Midnight comes and so will morn
Who knows if morrow might scorn;
The night is young and so are we
Show must go on and so must we.

There we dance at the “Pink Party”
Your pink shirt starts with a ‘T’
It’s “Like a virgin” there we sang
The lil’ bitch kissing ‘A’ with a fang;
“Black n White Revolution” down the West End
Raymond pouting with’e ray-ban;
Madonna pushing us to ‘go with the flaw’
Manoah p’forming with a mighty thaw;
Fred and Bec in the ‘get busy’ groove
Nans and Goosh get down to the groove;
Those were the days that gone past us
Filled with memories of the lingered past.

Sev’n Nine Six O to pick you up
Xavy and Fab to follow up;
With Mike ‘n’ Machh’, be by their side
In their friendship you must confide;
Roaring aloud in the streets of ‘Zâwl
Anxieties have gone with the yawl;
The time has come to catch the wind
Go on my guys, go catch the wind;
Let time run past the speed of light
Whole night lay there enjoy the flight;
Traffics have gone, Elte, ya go drive
Way past that street, that Zarkawt Pride.

“Around we hang at the café there
Coffee we sip’d with g’sip no spare;
The smiles you flash what lies beneath
Beyond that space our senses seat;
Had we but known ‘ur inner fears
Drawn back might be a thousand tears;
In deep disgust U make us feel
Helpless in grief and tears in reel;
Realize you will what consequence
Lead us to that lonely sequence;
Realized we have of ‘ur goodness
Bearing burdens in singleness.”

Pompous days are ‘gone with the wind’
‘Lover’s Vows’ broken and in ruin;
Parting are friends to mend their ways
Only to find friends keep solace;
God only knows what lies ahead
Great deeds might lie with sinful dread;
Tears of joy and that of pain
Trickling down on cheeks like grain;
Melting in the sea of tears
Might we but find a track of fear?
Anxieties be cast away
Heav’n only knows what dreams might lay.

Michelle Williams for Vogue US October 2009 by Mario Testino

My PASSION IN THE ART OF FLOWER ARRANGEMENT

Since I was a child, my love for flowers have pushed me beyond the unreached, unwashed and untamed corners of the world, making me realize that there, in front of me, are obstacles which are about to define my life and yes, happy moments, that describes who I will be inside and out. The passion building up inside me has always been my source of inspirations and this is the state from where I will attain that level of being in a creative coma. My inspirations come from different places, things, times, situations and so on. Flowers give me so much amount of joy and peace that they tend to possess the very Nature of God, the Creator, which is unique and special in its own accord. I feel deeply blessed to have found so much inspirations from the wonderful creations of God. Flowers are, indeed, one special product of Nature in all its charms and special qualities.

Creativity comes from within and from the heart with a desired degree of passion. This passion is not to be let loose because if you tend to lose it, it cannot take the same form as it was before when u regain it again. It needs to be taken care of, because it bruises so easily and needs a tender touch. My favourite flower arrangements are shown here to depict my level of creativity. They are dedicated to all the people who are passionate about life and Nature, specially Flowers.

This particular arrangement was for 2008 Christmas service at Calvary Baptist Church at Lunglei, my hometown. It depicts that work of art which is stylish, yet very much natural and shows my inner self that longs for originality. I drew my inspiration for this arrangement from JJ Valaya's artistic Anthurium creations from his boutique.
And for this yellow Calendula flavoured arrangement, which has taken me back to those younger years when I used to play with roots and branches of a tree, mixing them together with dried flowers and mosses, collected from my grandmother's most treasured farm in Ramzotlang. This was a place that gave us so much amount of pleasure and those memories that we had in the farm will always be treasured forever.

As for the arrangement style and the background inspiration, it depicts that side of me, which is raw and natural yet quite amazingly soft and tender inside.

The next arrangement is all about joy, happiness and it shows a new beginning and a new start. It gives me hope for the future, and this was arranged for the Church Service on New Year's Day 2009. In a way, it is a depiction of my New Year's Resolutions which are being shown with flowers like Liliums and roses amongst a sea of limoniums.

And the next arrangement is taken out from my tranquil state of mind. It reveals that part of me wanting to have a peace of mind, expressing my longing for peace.

A White Bird of Paradise is something to behold!!

The following arrangements are done for a client whom I haven't met yet(till the date of her wedding). Her niece, a fashion Designer, hired my service for the client's wedding. I spent the whole day searching for different white flowers like Cala Lilies(wedding lilies), white roses, white Liliums, White Carnations and the flower that saved the day is a white colored 'Bird of Paradise' which was just so pure and wonderfully crafted by the hands of God. And I started my work from the evening till 2 a.m. on their wedding day. The guys from Zarkawt were just so helpful in drafting those bamboos for the flowers to be mounted on. The theme was orientally inspired.

Cala Lillies will never go wrong in any wedding.

Hlutea (middle) was the make-up artist for the bride on this day.

There is a very sweet lady in Aizawl and her son's wedding day was just as lovely, it was the Wedding of the year 2008 in Mizoram. I have been lucky enough to be a part of this wedding. The theme of the day was White and light yellow(Golden yellow) which makes it so much fun to undertake my work. I was working the whole day for this and my feet were hurting so much in the next morning, when I had finished my works of art. The twin arrangements in the Church shows an embellishments of white and yellow Liliums, Roses and Xanadu leaves from where a white linen ribbons fall down in spirals.

The reception hall contains different styles of arranged flowers which still conform to one another. The flower stands define a celebrated state of conformity for the flowers and the wedding day.

Gladiolas and Liliums are the main attractions for the hall and the cake table is tastefully done with a touch of ivy leaves that wrap the sides of the table around flowing down here and there.

The centre piece is specialy done with love for it is love that conquers the day...

Arranging the flowers inside the Banquet hall was so much fun, for the Ladies of Zarkawt were such wonderful companies. The grand arrangement, the centrepiece, has all the charms that an arranged flower can possess. I put a royale touch to it, making it look fabulous and eye-catching.

HOUNDSTOOTH!!!

There is no better illustration of the cyclical nature of fashion trends than the 1960s revival that started with Christian Dior's famous 'Houndstooth' pattern which have been bravely shown by World renowned Fashion Designer, Alexander Mcqueen in his Fall 2009 Ready-To-Wear Collections in the Paris Fashion Week.

Alexander Mcqueen showed his romantic and sophisticated sides in embracing in a brave and turbulent manner the Famous Chanel's Tweed Suits with this 'Houndstooth' pattern.

And furthermore, the Designer is ready to play with wheels as seen from the next picture where a model is set out on the ramp with wheels worn as a hat, which is not a strange phenomena in the case of Mcqueen.

This 'houndstooth pattern' is one of the most conspicuous trends associated with the sixties Fashion revival.

The comeback of this Classic Pattern is sure to lend an air of glamour to the retro style. It is an indispensable element of the retro modern look , first popularized by actresses of the 1960s.

The popularity of houndstooth checks seems to have been fueled by the rearrangement of a classic pattern to give people a new means of expressing their individuality through fashion.

Flowers and Shoes!

Just the other day, I browsed through some of the Fashion shows around the world, and I came across something very artistic and fashionably stylish at the same time. Constanze Gonzales and Paul Scherer have done an artistic approach in undertaking these wonderful creations.
The platform shoes were being used as a flower vase which I myself would have done. Roses, lillies, orchids and other beautiful flowers decorate the shoes and crawl up the legs in an exotic and artistic manner.

The hidden beauties of Flowers

The hidden beauty of flowers have an amazing effect on me right from my childhood days. Their carry with them an inner joy that can change a bad mood into a happy one. The Creator has His 'stylish' way of expressing His skills in the forms of these beautiful flowers that surround us in our everyday life. Flowers possess that special quality of creating a 'smile' across our faces, which transforms the world around us with peace and understanding.

A red rose can touch that part of our sensory nerves which tends to take us into that realm of romance which is alwaies a pleasure that our hearts seek to find

A beautifully crafted Lilium always saves the wedding day!

A Purple Chrysanthemum, showing the creativity that God has in terms of artistic expressions

Dahlia's give me pleasures upon pleasures because they take me back into those beautiful memories in the past.... my childhood days, when my mother and I used to tend our gardens.

Pansies make me smile even after a hectic day. They possess a quality of peace and sensuousness.