myron charnce writes

[myroncharnce]

don’t let the dream be extinguished

It’s hard at times not to think of our potential. I grew up and was educated, the early years were great, and being told you can do and achieve anything you want was liberating. As a young child that notion of freedom opens one’s eyes to the endless possibilities of what lies ahead. But as I progressed through the education system, slowly limits were placed, as I was not achieving the right grades in certain subjects, my educators who sought out the best for me now had to juggle what my dreams were and what I was actually capable of. As a child you think differently and you see the world in a way unlike any other. Then as I progressed through the system, those dreams I had as child were a mere memory but great memories at that. It wasn’t until in my early adult hood that I harked back to my dreams and now doing things which I thought not possible. It’s a fine line thinking you can do anything in the world, but that’s just it, that fine line are people who tell you that you shouldn’t do it, that fine line are the doubters who place fear in your mind and soul, it’s that fine line that separates you from achieving your dreams no matter how extraordinary or out of this world it will be. To parents, educators I implore you to allow your children, students to dream big and harness the power of those dreams to enable them to live it, in any capacity possible. I was not giving the chance but I still turned out alright, not all will have this chance, but everyone has the right from birth to dream, don’t let the dream be extinguished before the fire in them burns out too soon.

[myroncharnce]

Silent Morning

Its these silent mornings, silent in that we don't talk to each other, we only hear the sounds of the mechanical wheels on the tracks.

Some our in a world of their own, with sounds being gently poured into their brains while others seek the solitude of the written word whether its the newspaper or book.

Maybe one day we will all have the courage to speak to strangers without fear

[myroncharnce]

I want...

I want to do things, I want travel, I want to see, I want to love, I want to be loved, I want to be with someone, I want someone to be with me, I want to explore the new, I want to experience the unseen, I want to live, I want to be in fear, I want to be free, I want to be me….

[myroncharnce]

Sending big hugs

Thanks to social media we are all connected and are made to feel that we belong more so than ever, but at the same time it has somewhat distanced us from real human contact. Turning us into drones. The passing of someone close to you is a weighty and emotional matter, yet we are at times quick to present it online like some sort of newsflash ticker telling the whole world and in turn the world sends ‘big hugs’ and shows support, but not support in the real sense but a fickle emotionless support that in the real world carries no impact, almost meaningless. We do it as so we appear that we care in the midst of the connectedness of the wired world  

[myroncharnce]

Save Me

It’s rare to be moved and touched by someone who you are slowly falling in love with,  do you let it slowly evolve as it melts away and shows itself to you or do you act on the impulse and eat away at it. The soothing feelings of solace and care is something hard to describe, but you somehow feel safe and you want more of it, you want whatever feeling and emotion you’re going through to never end.

But also you don’t want to rush it, so it’s good to have it in small doses and to spend time apart as for when you see each other again; you can go through all that once more.

[myroncharnce]

The First 24 Hours

It's always messy, what I'm talking about is the time zones involved. I feel like I need Doc Brown to explain the flux capacitor once again and if indeed airplanes use it!

Jumping from time zone to time zone at first is exciting until you realise that you've been awake for 24 hours straight including another previous 12 hours the day before. Luckily I got some sleeps on the plane on both legs. On the 2nd leg, my passenger who was sitting next to me, literally slept from the moment he sat down before the plan started to taxi till when we landed in Bangkok. I was impressed, he didn't even wake up for food or drink...I was like, this guy is a machine.

There was slight confusion with visa on arrival for most people, the signs weren't clear at the airport, but with the confusion sorted and the dreary eye passengers queuing up for the mandatory immigration checks, I was slowing on the move. 

At first the immigration lines always look long, but once your in, it moves pretty fast, well the one at Suvarnabhumi Airport moved in a steady pace.

With my bag picked up, I headed out the airport and to unmistakable humid hot air just wafts in your face. The temperature brought me back to when I was in Bangladesh almost this time last year. I hailed a taxi to take me to my hotel and I enjoyed riding through the city, going past giant advertising hoardings some digital bringing a sense of riding through Blade Runner territory.      

[myroncharnce]

Waiting for Airport

As I sit here overlooking a fleet of Etihad planes with the heat glistening in the distant landscape at Abu Dhabi Airport, the act or rather the art of travelling is something which I not only love doing but have rather loved to embrace it. Yes it does become mundane the more you do it, that sense of adventure is lost as the whole process of going through an airport is relatively the same the world over. But its the airport itself that is fascinating, the no-man's land where people of all cultures, race, religion and disability share the common value in that, they are just waiting for their flight, helping others to get to their destination, providing that sense of solitude, that briefest moment of calm before the storm as they say.

With my laptop being charged as I write this, the myriad of people going past is (when you get the chance to really appreciate it that is), is that it's wonderful. The sounds of languages, the gestures of people, the arguments that arise between couples, families and staff.

The airport is a wonderful if at times frustrating self contained eco-system that's sole purpose is to move people around from place to place, country to country.

[myroncharnce]

Death is only a door

...I think what would've become of me if I had chosen to go right instead of left, what would have been of me if my dad was alive to see what I've grown up to be, what would become of me, with a wife beside me, guiding me along the way, what would become of me having my children wake me in the morning?

These are always the great 'what if's' in life and I do think of them, but the most important out of those 'what if's' is that of my dad. A paradoxical thought but nonetheless one which I think about constantly. The notion of moving on is commendable but every now and then I look back at where I came from, and looking at the past, I stand there and with a warm feeling inside me, I smile and carry on with my life being content. Life is what it is, its never easy, and never going to be fair. Stop worrying about everyone else, and live your own life, people come and go...

[myroncharnce]

#41

...it is the notes that slowly rise up, its the sounds that gradually grow organically, its the feeling of the tiny hairs on your arms rising, it is that euphoric feeling of ecstasy when what you hear envelopes you and your consumed by it and you eventually give in to it...

.....music.....

[myroncharnce]

the constant(s)

We come across them from the very day were are born. Some you only talk to at fleeting moments in times as your grow old, whilst others you talk till you go to sleep. They are there to remind you where you come from, who you are, where you will be heading but more importantly, they enable you to be what you want to be. The constant will always be in you, your heart, your mind and throughout your soul. The constant will be there to provide that solace guidance when you are in times of need, and in times of contemplation. The constant could be the very hand you are clasping, the eyes looking at you, the smile that provides glow and warmth, it could be the love that you feel for someone and the love you receive.

[myroncharnce]

soon there will come a time when you will have to be the person who you really are and not be the person others expect you to be...the sooner you realise this, your life will be so much easier...

[myroncharnce]

Battle Scars

The battle scars of hope always stay with me, you rise to the challenge only to be set back with barriers put up for no reason other than to make you think that its not worth the effort, but that’s what makes it fun. It’s not so much the journey but rather the notion that you can do it regardless of what people say about you or what you do and you always have a smile till you get the job done

[myroncharnce]

The indifferences of the day

‘How fucking big are they going to say it is?’ exhumed an already exasperated bloke from the back of the room.

‘Well, remember this is all just theory, and we are theorising’ proclaimed Dr Liman Kourek.

The panel of 4 theoretical physicists had just published their latest paper on the ever expanding state of our universe and had called a conference for colleagues and esteemed peers to discuss their findings.

The room was packed, but there were no camera crews or anything. There was 2 webcams and a spider phone and you’d here voices stemming from these as there were actually more people listening and seeing this than there were in the room via the medium of social media. The live youtube broadcast was a bit glitchy at first but it smoothed out.

Yann, a 43 year old mild mannered character who easily gets pissed off with life, which isn't terribly hard considering he is twice divorced with 2 children from his first marriage. A stupidly intelligent being who always seems a wire away from insanity, yet he adores his work but also it’s his work that drives him to annoy people.

 ‘Guy’s, listen, this is getting stupid now, I mean, seriously another one, why can’t we just leave it alone and just accept that we will never know, and frankly I really can’t give two shits anymore’ Yann said in a defeatist tone.

……

[myroncharnce]

Love Works

It's more or less the same routine every, unless I choose to cycle in, but I took the train as my knee was playing up. 

Check my Oyster and surprise surprise, I need to top up, quick glance to the right, and about 800 metres off the train is slowly coming, quick maths, and this gives me about 20 seconds to complete the transaction and 15 seconds to get to the platform.

Get on the train and quickly check I've got stuff that I need for work, pull out the mp3 player, change track, press play and happy days.

A few stops later, need to change trains, get off and wait a few minutes for the other one, as it pulls in, I cheekily 4sq in several places, doors open, step on, get mp3 player out, this time listen to an album that would last me till I get to my destination.

2nd stop in the journey, a very nice looking women gets on, immediately make eye contact for a brief second, and go back to listening to my music, train pulls off and carries on its way

Shortly after she approaches me, and I'm thinking 'ok', and says 'nice bag, what do you use'. At this point I'm still listening to my music and haven't taken my earphones out, not because I'm being rude, its just that way I am, thankfully my lip reading skills are good. Another thought that crosses my mind is there are 3 other if I may say myself fine looking gentleman on the train, nicely shaven, clean dress sense, one is sharp with nice lines, but she came to me, anyway.

Not to sound rude, I say excuse me, whilst gently lowering the volume on my mp3, this time I heard her clearly, and again I was thinking vey quickly in my head, she knows what the bag is for, thus knows what it carries, so my reply is canon.

'Nice' is her reply, what type of photography do you do she asks, I reply, 'travel and landscape', she then asks, where have you been to which I say, a few places

At this point, I'm still thinking why are you talking to me, and also I'm thinking should I take out my earphones as to not seem rude, but the conversation seems to be going well, so why change the dynamics.

She says, her stop is coming up and kindly asks for my number to which I pull out my business card and hand it to her. I'm now thinking maybe that's a bit Patrick Batman-ish and maybe was too quick to draw my card, but she took it and smiled and said thanks.

She get's off her stop and we both smile and I gently put the volume up on my mp3 player, thinking about what has just taken place. Will she contact me, will she email me, will she rob me, I just didn't know.

Later on in the day, I get a phone call, and it started with the following line 'you have an eye to see the wonderful'

[velvetblory]

Blory #174

Tears

He opened the door and saw her crying.  He picked her up, let her sit on his lap, and wrapped his arms around her.  Big baby, he called her. Gentle and loving.  He is, after all, her refuge.

By Frances Pauline Brillantes

[myroncharnce]

'death turns all to ash and thus, death frees every soul'

the saying 'life throw's you curve-ball is something I've heard a few times and you never really know what it means. I mean you know what it implies but unless something of that nature happens to you you really don't know. You can easily imagine it but its when it actually hits you, you somehow are slightly dazed. The past week has been good, having been chosen to photograph a couples wedding and another couples engagement party. These moments are special to the couples. It is for them making pact between themselves that love will prevail whatever life throws at them and that is a beautiful thing and I'm humbled to have been chosen to photograph such great moments as my photos will tell this story for generations to come. The other thing I always learnt is that life goes past very quickly.

It's never easy hearing bad news, even when you know its coming, but its surreal, so when it came, I was numb and speechless. To lose someone you know is heartbreaking and just shatters your world, and it makes you take stock of your life. It's sad but true, death impacts people differently and for me it reaffirms what I'm doing in my life is the right thing, to explore, to go see the world, to try and inspire people around me, to inspire myself, to better myself, to seek the unknown, to feel, to love, to be loved, to care, and above all to live! It's all these things, and I keep saying this time and time again, don't wait for things to happen, you need to go out and DO IT! The moment you are born, the clock is ticking, and one day it will stop ticking and it'll be all over. Do not take life sitting in the back seat, you have to be the driver, the explorer, YOU HAVE TO BE YOUR OWN LEADER! It's sad that I talk of these things in light of news of someone passing, but its in these darkest moments in ours lives we seek to better ourselves and try to learn to live with no regrets. I implore people to do things, do things they never thought of doing, go wandering out of your comfort zone, because life does not and will not wait for no one.

It's always difficult to console someone who's lost a parent, having lost one of mine when I was only 11, I was young, and it didn't affect me as much as it did my older brother and sisters. When you lose a parent as an adult, it's more difficult. You've had years to grow a loving bond and attachment which only grows stronger as the years go by. The only thing I can do is just be there, its never easy, but who said life is.

[myroncharnce]

Sophia

Sophia hasn't loved in a long time, she don't know how to love. They say it takes two to make it work and two is better than one. She used to tell herself that she was ok, she was was fine. Her presence was that of a happy person, someone who had achieved her dreams, someone who had actually done something with her life. That was the truth, but there was always something missing, something that was just that arms reach away. To feel the presence of love in one's life is something she couldn't understand as she had not felt it. She has given it and given by the bucket load to people around her, she saw it in their eyes, what it means, she saw the their smiles and see what it should feel like. It is lonely and at times you feel like your standing in a void and life around you just goes on, it asks you for advice and you give it. But its when you need to ask for it, it becomes hard, you almost don't know how to talk, how to formulate an a question....

This was about to change as Sophia was about to embark on trip that would change not only her life but the lives of a group of school children...