Day 365 - Beauty...

Can you believe that this is it? the 365th picture.... A year since I started this project. I found this fortune in my wallet.  It's been there for some time.  I still remember the day I got it.  I was having a bad day. A bunch of us were out at lunch at a Chinese restaurant. One of the members cracked open his fortune cookie, and handed it to me, and said he must have mistakenly taken my cookie.  It was very sweet.  I also thought it was pretty good way to end this project.... A lot of people take pictures for many reasons, and one of the primary reasons I photograph is to capture the beauty around me, and to share the virtues of the world.

Day 358 - Ever have one of those days...

I guess this photo can now be from "the archives"... it's been about a year since I took this photo. It was one of many that I took trying to get the shot I wanted.  I was looking for a picture to edit and post for today, and this is the one I chose, because while looking at it, I realized, it perfectly reflects how my head is feeling right now.

Day 351 - Director's Chairs

Part of the fun of hosting a conversation is that you get to do things that are out of the ordinary.  During our conversation, we hung out on these director's chairs. Fun to pretend that you are part of the entertainment industry!

Day 345 - Using obstructions

So, I was at a concert last night, and wanted to take some pictures, but my camera cooperates less and less with me.  I have a lot of very blurry pictures of my friend performing.  I realized how I would be able to take a half decent picture after much fiddling, the only thing is I kept getting peoples head in my shot.  It wasn't artistic in the least. At one point the person in front of me turned to the left, and I thought maybe I could use that.  This is the result.

Day 307 - Blood Moon

It was raining the night of the blood moon and lunar eclipse the other night, so, I didn't get any pictures.  I was out for a bit and noticed the moon.  It still has a red tinge to it.  I know this picture is grainy, but it's the best I could do with my point and shoot.

Never tire of looking at the moon. It always makes me feel at peace.

Day 297 - Knox Presbyterian Church

Back to my love for buildings in the night.  I quickly snapped this photo as I was headed home from a workshop.  I noticed the Knox Presbyterian Church on my way to the workshop, and had hoped that there would be time during a break to take some pictures, not only of this building, but others in the area.  Unfortunately, the breaks were not long enough for me to escape. As I walked past the church, I admired it for a bit, and then took this quick snap.

Day 294 - Mystery

I don't know what it is about this photo, but it makes me want to tell a story... a mystery of sorts.

Day 284 - Building at night

I know there are a lot of people who don't like the night, for whatever reason, but I do.  It's a little hard to verbalize why it is I love the night, but I think it has to do with perspective. Not only does the world look different at night, but the quiet offers moments for reflection, if even just those few minutes as you drift off into a world of slumber.

When I saw this building lit up, I had to take a quick snapshot.  I hadn't really noticed it when I arrived at my destination, but seeing it lit up like this, it was like a piece of art.  I wish I could have really looked at it and taken some more photos, I just didn't have the time.

Day 283 - Cloudy....

This is just how I feel right now.

Day 275 - Reflection

This is the only other clear shot I took last night of the moon.  I really liked the reflection, even though the shot isn't prefect.  I would have liked to capture more of the reflection, so from a higher vantage point but I'm short so I couldn't. C'est la vie!

Day 274 - Resting for a moment

I saw the moon this evening, and just needed to take a picture of it.  I wanted to take a interesting shot of the moon and the planes that seem to be passing over head every 20 minutes, but alas, my camera was not cooperating.  So, I had to settle for taking a picture of the moon seemingly resting on the branches of my neighbour's tree.

Day 260 - Where my head is at...

So, I overdid it at the gym yesterday, and I can barely walk... and this picture perfectly represents how I feel right now.  Note to self, after a sleepless night, not a good idea to go hard at the gym, because I will over do it.

Day 251 - "Somewhere out there..."

I remember when I was young watching the movie An American Tail. If you haven't seen it, it's a movie about Fievel's journey to reunite with his family in America.  The family was immigrating from Russia to America in hopes of finding freedom, when Fievel becomes separated from his family. There is one scene in the movie where Fievel looks up into the sky and sees the moon and sings "Somewhere out there".  At that same moment Tanya, Fievel's sister, is doing the exact same thing. It's such a sweet moment of pure love.

To this day, every time I look up at the moon, I think of that song.  It actually means more when I'm away from my family. We saw the moon every night in Morocco, and I photographed it a lot.  A friend didn't really understand why I was so enchanted with the moon, and there are many reasons, including knowing that it's a connection to others.  It was a stunning sight, and there was something comforting about seeing the moon every night.

 I think if we stayed there any longer in Morocco, I would have started belting out the song (instead of singing it in my head)... lucky for everyone, we didn't!

Somewhere out there,

beneath the pale moonlight,

someone's thinking of me and loving me tonight.

Somewhere out there,

someone's saying a prayer,

that we'll find one another in that big somewhere out there.

And even though I know how very far apart we are,

it helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star.

And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby,

it helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky.

Somewhere out there,

if love can see us through,

then we'll be together, somewhere out there,

out where dreams come true.

Day 231 - Before the sun rises

I had forgotten I still had a few pictures unedited from a morning walk in early November.  I know the picture is grainy, but I think that lends to the feel of the photo.

Day 224 - Edited Ferris Wheel

This picture might look somewhat familiar.  This was a picture that I also took at the CNE in late August. I like the picture enough to want to post it, but I really didn't like that the lights were missing on the ferris wheel, so I spent some time editing it to add the lights where they were missing.  I have to say, I like this shot a lot more now, but it has made me very weary of what you can do with just a little knowledge and the ability to Photoshop!

Day 205 - The silence of the night

So, the freezing rain lasted more than a few days.  I LOVED it!  It was so beautiful, particularly at night.  I loved how everything looked covered in ice. Don't you just love it?

Day 203 - Peeking out

It's been a little cold, so, this is what moved me to photograph.  I liked this photo because it is both cold and warm.... The outside is definitely cold, and the curtains are very warm.

Day 201 - Happy 2014!

I have been a little busy with life recently... which is not a bad thing.  So, I didn't get a chance to shoot a new photo for New Year's, as I had intended. I spent some time looking for an appropriate for the occasion.  I found this photo I had done to experiment with light writing for a contest I wanted to enter.  Again, I never did enter the contest with this photo, but thought it was time to share this one.

Salaam to the New Year! Hope it is filled with all that is bright, peaceful, and good!

Day 200 - One of my favourite places in Morocco!

As 2013 comes to an end, I'm a bit reflective. It's been an incredible year, with lots of happy news for my family and friends - numerous weddings and births, celebrating 10 years of MuslimFest, new jobs and new cars, and great adventures in distant lands. Don't get me wrong, there have also been many moments of less than happy experiences that have offered opportunity for reflection and/or development. It's been a busy year and for all of it, I'm thankful!

So, today's picture is a tribute to the one thing that will forever mark this year for me -- my trip to Morocco.  I learned so much about myself and the world around me on this trip.  I made some life long friends (insha'Allah/ God-willing).  I experienced a whole different life.  The funny thing is, of all the fascinating and wonderful places I saw/visited, this was one of my favourite places.  Some of you viewing this might recognize it, because it is part of your home.

Why, you might ask, was this particular place my favourite? This rooftop was my sanctuary, a place to get away and reflect, especially since anywhere I went I had to take someone with me. Don't get me wrong, I loved the company, but sometimes you just need some solitude.  So, this is to where I would steal away when I needed those moments to myself (like at a very loud wedding party), or just wanted to reflect and write. No one ever figured it out, and I'm glad; this place was mine.

Day 186 - Lighted trees

If you haven't noticed by now, yes, I love lights...  I am very particular about the type of lights I like.  I didn't love these lights, but I did like the way this image looked desaturated.