Thursday, February 11, 2010

"This is Peace" -- Broken, Hidden, Illegible...


"This is Peace"
Originally uploaded by knonie

We all need Love, Cooperation, Humanity, Trust, Truth...
All of them are fading away
Becoming extinct...

Realize it before it's too late...
Nature never gives a second chance...

Start from your own inner self-- Bring a Revolution!

Saturday, October 18, 2008

The Myth of Narcissus from the Alchemist

The Prologue from "The Alchemist"...

by Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist picked up a book that someone in the caravan had brought. Leafing through the pages, he found a story about Narcissus.

The alchemist knew the legend of Narcissus, a youth who daily knelt beside a lake to contemplate his own beauty.

He was so fascinated by himself that, one morning, he fell into the lake and drowned. At the spot where he fell, a flower was born, which was called the narcissus.

But this was not how the author of the book ended the story.

He said that when Narcissus died, the Goddesses of the Forest appeared and found the lake, which had been fresh water, transformed into a lake of salty tears.

"Why do you weep?" the Goddesses asked.

"I weep for Narcissus," the lake replied.

"Ah, it is no surprise that you weep for Narcissus," they said, "for though we always pursued him in the forest, you alone could contemplate his beauty close at hand."

"But... was Narcissus beautiful?" the lake asked.

"Who better than you to know that?" the Goddesses said in wonder, "After all, it was by your banks that he knelt each day to contemplate himself!!"

The lake was silent for some time.

Finally it said:

"I weep for Narcissus, but I never noticed that Narcissus was beautiful. I weep because, each time he knelt beside my banks, I could see, in the depths of his eyes, my own beauty reflected."

-------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Remove Red Eye using Adobe PhotoShop

Most of the times, the reflected Flash light from camera creates red-eye in the photos, that spoils very nice photos.
Here's a simple tip to remove this red-eye effect.

Tools required: Adobe PhotoShop [PS] Version 7 or above.
Skill level: Basic.

So let's kick off.

Below is the sample photo, with red-eye.


Open a photo in PS.
To avoid any mishap, Create a copy of that photo first.

Using Zoom tool [Shortcut key: Z, or Ctrl++, Command++], zoom the canvas so that you can see the red eye in quite a larger size. You'll notice that some part of the iris is not red, so we can take the eye color from that part.
Using eyedropper tool [I], click on the non-red portion of the iris to take eye-color shade, as shown in image below. If you can't find the right color, you can choose the most suitable color yourself.


Create a new layer above the Photo layer.
Using Paintbrush tool [B], paint over the red part of the eyes.
For best results, use a brush with some feather-edges around. [Right click the brush tool on the canvas and keep the Hardness value to around 50-70%, or choose a brush with soft edge]. Your Photo will look like, as shown below:
Now, in your Layers panel, [If that is not open, go to Windows > Layers, to open it], change the blending mode of your painted layer to Saturation, as marked in the image below. This will remove the red color, while keeping the shine intact.


In many cases, you are done at this step. But if you still feel that there's some further amendments required, proceed to next step.

Duplicate the layer on which you painted the eyes. [Right click that layer and choose Duplicate, or simply Ctrl+J, Command+J]
Change the blending mode of that new layer to Hue, as shown in image below:

Zoom out the image to original size.

Congrats!
You're done!


Compare the result with the original one.
No one will guess... :-)

Monday, May 12, 2008

ReBorn-- Again...

It's been almost a year since I've written any blog...
But I think I should start doing it...
Koi tou ho jisay bataoon... :-)

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Painting on Tree-bark...!!!


A logo image, superimposed on a tree-bark, preserving its texture. Done in Adobe PhotoShop CS.

:-)

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Let's get PHYSICAL...

PHYSICAL

I'm saying all the things that I know you'll like
Making good conversation.
I gotta handle you just right
you know what I mean.

I took you to an intimate restaurant
Then to a suggestive movie.
There's nothing left to talk about less it's horizontally.

Let's get physical
physical -
I wanna get physical
let's get into physical

Let me hear your body talk
your body talk
Let me hear your body talk.

I've been patient
I've been good
Trying to keep my hands on the table.
It's getting hard this holding back - you know what I mean.

I'm sure you'll understand my point of view

We know each other mentally.
You've gotta know that you're bringing out the animal in me.

Let's get animal
animal -
I wanna get animal
let's get into animal

Let me hear your body talk
your body talk -
Let me hear your body talk.

[Physical - Olivia Newton John]


No need to say anything else... YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN...

;-)

Monday, February 20, 2006

The Over-Reacted Reaction

The Issue:

Some blasphemous caricatures having Anti-Islamic subject were published in Danish Newspaper... then reprinted in several other countries...

The Response:

They said it's just because "Freedom of Press", which causes a wave of anger and hatred among Muslims.

The Reaction:

Many people protested... in the form of Rallies in various parts of the world...

BUT

Rallies in some cities of Pakistan turned out to be something else... including setting buildings on fire... burning lots of buses... destroying shops and looting properties...

It might be a chance that those people have some other intentions...


Here's a collection of some comments from some of my friends on this REACTION:

...Our [Lahore] Mall road is different now.... Lots of destruction... You cant imagine what was going on... those vandals... i think its all is the result of social descrimination, the increasing class distances... Nothing else. Those who couldn't afford to shop from those big stores found an opportunity and looted the goods; Those who couldn't afford a Car smashed and burned other cars parked there... And so much more. I'm thinking on a pattren...

[...apni mall road to badal hi gayee.... tabahi barbaadi... You cant imagine kay kia ho raha tha... those vandals... i think its all is the result of social descrimination, the increasing class distances... aur kuch nai, jo log bari shops say shoppin nai ker saktay thay, unhon nay moqa milnay pay unhain loot liya, jo nayee gari main nay bethtay thay, ussko jala diya, aur bohat kuch... i'm thinking on a pattren... ]

- Cashif [2/16/2006]


well ya...all we can see is jahalat [illiteracy, ignorance], and the actions are pretty justified as well. One can never understand the meaning of a state if he has never been cared or nurtured by the goverment. One can never understand the meaning of institutes and education, if one is illeterate. We are a poor lame nation. we are suppose to suffer like that. I think we absolutely deserve it. The goverment, the nation , the authorities... all comprise of one kind of people... we.... the pakistanis... the shameless, the inefficent...

- Waqas Ahmed [2/17/2006]


"The physical exhaustion leads to numbness of mind. I dont bother about the stuff going on, I have many things to solve within me, but you know the intermittant outburst of mind yeilds alot in these circumstances. :)

Social frustration needs channels to vent, and in our country what can be the best occasion than blaspheme, profane incidences. Pour out your anger [over] fellow-men, wreck destruction, cause chaos, afterall they say violence lets the anger subside.

He [the Artist] might be happy somewhere in the world, his work has got recognition."


- Faraz [2/18/2006]

--------------------------------------

There is no pain, you are receding...
Your lips move but I can’t hear what you’re sayin’.
When I was a child I had a fever.
My hands felt just like two balloons.
Now I got that feeling once again.
I can’t explain, you would not understand.
This is not how I am.
I have become comfortably numb.

- Pink Floyd, Comfortably Numb.

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Calligraphic Works...!!!

All Artworks displayed below are hand-made, and are created by me...

You can find my article on "How to Tea-Stain Paper?" on this link:
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Paper-Look-Old





























Saturday, January 14, 2006

What's in a Name, Knonie...???

I must say "Knonie" is my real name.

A name is a word, used to identify a person. I'm known by this name on internet as well as in my real life. This is real ME who's behind this word. But if you are asking about "insaanoN waala naam" [human-like name], the name that my parents chose for me, that is Ahmed, but everyone's been calling me Knonie since I was a kid.

I assume it was actually inspired by a puppet/muppet character from Pakistan Television [PTV] named "Kaliyan" by Farooq Qaiser. That character was a round faced innocent looking, named "Noni Paa". Perhaps, I used to look like that in my childhood.

P.S: Knonie is pronounced as no-nee 

My Music Choice

I prefer old music but I don't compare old and new. My definition of old music is those Artists and bands that produced something creative and stood the test of time. I PREFER them. Then
new, although I don't listen much to that but still, I do listen, but give more time on old ones.

Another point of preferring old is that they were like source of inspirations for the people who are into music now. Just take an example of Junoon. It's a Modern band, original style of music, but what Salman Ahmed liked to listen when he was young and learning guitar? That must be Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and many more of that 60s and 70s days. Why not listen to them as well?! Then they have sung some tracks inspired by Nusrat Fateh Ali, Abida Parven, Pathanay Khan - the creative artists, so why not listen to them as well?!

So I take old music as a source from which all of the new bands are inspired, that's why I prefer them. Then another thing is that I like Listening to long-lost artists, then those who marked their names in music history.

Thursday, January 12, 2006