The Golden Tree

This happened just last week. I was coming back from work as usual in the evening around 6.00 pm. If you have noticed, Malaysia is blessed with a myriad of colourful skies, from dawn to dusk. Today, the evening sun suffused the housing area with a beautiful golden hue.

I got down from my car to open my house gate. Looking up for a moment, something caught my attention. It was the durian tree at the back of my neighbor's house.

It was a magnificent sight. Highlighted by the setting sun's rays, the tree seem to have taken on a new appearance. The branches and leaves of the trees glittered and sparkled as though they were made of gold, silver and bronze. Wow! Instinctively, I whipped out my phone camera to try and capture that stunning image.

I've never really taken notice of durian trees before. I mean, what are durian trees good for, except to produce tempting durian fruits for diehard durian lovers. It's so strange that viewed under a different light, the tree can become so enchanting.

I guess the same goes for the way we view life and people. If we are optimistic and always seek the good in everything, things becomes a little brighter, a little better and more beautiful. Seen through the eyes of negativism, depression and partiality, the world and its inhabitants becomes a dark and dreary place, simmering with trials and troubles.

I reflect on this more from the angle of friendship. If you truly love and care for someone, you will inevitably find the good in them. Their flaws will be overshadowed by the light of your friendship. If however, you have been deeply hurt and disappointed, you might end up treating friendship with suspicion and mistrust, expecting ulterior motives behind people's actions and compliments.

My camera has failed to capture even a fraction of the glory of the original image I saw. According to a friend, the naked eye is able to perceive ever-changing images with ease, far beyond the capabilities of any man-made camera. He also mentioned filters and other photography know-how which is far beyond my comprehension. Sigh.

My enthusiasm for procuring a more powerful digital camera has been rejuvenated. How can I capture this image? Does anyone know a digital camera model that can capture such images with ease? If so, let me know.