Power thoughts by Louis Hay

Inspirational stuff for the mind.

Auld Lang Syne

"Auld Lang Syne" (Scots pronunciation: [ˈɔːl(d) lɑŋˈsəin]: note "s" rather than "z")^[1] is a Scots poem written by Robert Burns in 1788^[2][3] and set to the tune of a traditional folk song (Roud # 6294). It is well known in many countries, especially in the English-speaking world, its traditional use being to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight. By extension, it is also sung at funerals, graduations and as a farewell or ending to other occasions. The international Boy Scout youth movement, in many countries, uses it as a close to jamborees and other functions.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, 
And never brought to mind? 
Should auld acquaintance be forgot, 
And auld lang syne! 

For auld lang syne, my jo, 
For auld lang syne, 
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet, 
For auld lang syne.  

And surely ye'll be your pint stowp! 
And surely I'll be mine! 
And we'll take a cup o' kindness yet, 
For auld lang syne.
 
We twa hae run about the braes, 
And pou'd the gowan fine; 
But we've wander'd mony a weary fitt, 
Sin' auld lang syne. 

We twa hae paidl'd in the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine; 
But seas between us braid hae roar'd 
Sin' auld lang syne.

And there's a hand, my trusty fiere! 
And gie's a hand o' thine! 
And we'll tak a right gude-willie-waught, 
For auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my jo, 
For auld lang syne, 
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet, 
For auld lang syne.

Ek Charriya

A fantastic heart rendering song from the little known movie, Citylight sung by Arjit Singh, lyrics by Rashmi Singh and Music director, Jeet Ganguly.

Lyrics

Ek charraiya ghonsle ko chhod udd udd jaaye
Aur ye soche kaash aisa ho kadam mud jaaye..
Ek charraiya ghonsle ko chhod udd udd jaaye
Aur ye soche kaash aisa ho kadam mud jaaye

Tinka tinka kar batora aur banaaya ghar
Par samay ki barishon ne kar diya beghar
Kar diya beghar, kar diya beghar

O musafir dheer dhar, aayega sooraj idhar
Kaahe bhage, kaahe bhaage
Door jitna jaayega, laut phir na payega
Kaahe bhage, kaahe bhaage
Ek charraiya ko paraaya des kaise bhaaye
Gaon ka peepal puraana yaad usko aaye
Tinka tinka kar batora aur banaaya ghar..
Par samay ki baarishon ne kar diya beghar
Kar diya beghar, kar diya beghar

Yeh jo ansuan ki ladi, behrahi hai har ghadi
Tere aage, tere aage..
Yaad rakh har mod par, ek nai subah khadi
Kaahe bhage, kaahe bhaage

Ek charraiya aansuon se lad jhagad so jaaye
Raah pathreeli hai lekin hausla na jaaye
Tinka tinka kar batora aur banaaya ghar
Par samay ki barishon nekar diya beghar
Kar diya beghar, kar diya beghar

Guitar Tabs

 

Scale: G Major
Time Signature: 7/8
Tempo: 111
INTRO G
G
Ek chiraiya ghonsle ko chhod udd udd jaaye
G
Aur ye soche kaash aisa ho kadam mud jaaye

[CHORUS]
G
Ik chiraiya ghonsle ko chhod ud ud jaaye
G
Aur ye soche kaash aisa ho kadam mud jaaye
G
Tinka tinka kar batora aur banaaya ghar
G
Par samay ki barishon ne kar diya beghar
G
Kar diya beghar.. kar diya begharr..

G C D G

G
O musafir dheer dhar
G
Aayega sooraj idhar
       C   Am          Em
Kaahe bhaage.. kaahe bhaage..
Dm            G
Door jitna jaayega
Dm             G
Laut phir naa paayega
      C    Cm          B Em
Kaahe bhaage.. kaahe bhaage..

[CHORUS]
G
Ek charraiya ko paraaya des kaise bhaaye
G
Gaaon ka peepal puraana yaad usko aaye
C              G         D        G
Tinka tinka kar batora aur banaaya gharr
C             G          D         G
Par samay ki barishon ne kar diya begharr
D            G     Cm         G
Kar diya beghar.. kar diya begharr..

G C D G

G
Yeh jo asuan ki ladi
G
Beh rahi hai har ghadi
     C  Am        Bm Em
Tere aage.. tere aage..
Dm           G
Yaad rakh har mod par
Dm         G
Ek nayi subah khadi
       C     Cm      B  Em
Kaahe bhage.. kaahe bhaage..

[CHORUS]
G
Ek charraiya ko paraaya des kaise bhaaye
G
Gaaon ka peepal puraana yaad usko aaye
C              G         D        G
Tinka tinka kar batora aur banaaya gharr
C             G          D         G
Par samay ki barishon ne kar diya begharr
D            G     Cm         G
Kar diya beghar.. kar diya begharr..

The Fields of Athenry

"The Fields of Athenry" is an Irish folk ballad set during the Great Irish Famine (1845–1850) about a fictional man named Michael from near Athenry in County Galway who has been sentenced to transportation to Botany Bay, Australia, for stealing food for his starving family. It is a widely known and popular anthem for Irish sports supporters

By a lonely prison wall,
I heard a young girl calling
Michael they have taken you away,
For you stole Trevelyan's corn
So the young might see the morn,
Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay

CHORUS
Low lie, The Fields of Athenry
where once we watched the small free birds fly
Our love was on the wing
we had dreams and songs to sing,
It's so lonely round the Fields of Athenry

By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young man calling
'Nothing matters Mary, when you're free'
Against the famine and the crown,
I rebelled, they cut me down
Now you must raise our child with dignity

CHORUS

By a lonely harbour wall
She watched the last star falling
As the prison ship sailed out against the sky
For she lived in hope and pray
For her love in Botany Bay
It's so lonely round the Fields Of Athenry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLZRWNdGCUc 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr1rzSSMsac

Sargam on Guitar

 

 

Gustav Holst's opus, The Planets

 

Gustav Theodore Holst (born Gustavus Theodore von Holst; 21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934) was an English composer, arranger and teacher. Best known for his orchestral suite The Planets, he composed a large number of other works across a range of genres, although none achieved comparable success. His distinctive compositional style was the product of many influences, Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss being most crucial early in his development. The subsequent inspiration of the English folksong revival of the early 20th century, and the example of such rising modern composers as Maurice Ravel, led Holst to develop and refine an individual style

 The Planets, Op. 32, is a seven-movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1916. Each movement of the suite is named after a planet of the Solar System and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst. With the exception of Earth and Pluto, which had not yet been discovered, all major planets in the Solar System are represented.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE6_PacCnRw&index=2&list=PLE6996668EC37137C 

Raag Bhairavi- The king of all Raags!

Raag Bhairavi (Hindi: भैरवी) (Urdu: بھیرویں‎) (Sindhiراڳ ڀيروي ) is a Hindustani Classical heptatonic (Sampurna) Raag of Bhairavi Thaat. Traditionally it is a morning raga. In modern times, at least in Khyal Gayaki, it is usually performed as the concluding (finale) piece in concerts. It is the defining raga of its own Thaat.

Aroha, Avroha & Pakad

 

 

 

Video Tutorials 

Series of tutorials with swar, vistaars and bandish

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBK76UjtMDE#t=95

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J80jzcwG3n0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=674hCPlZ4OU

A superb Bandish is as below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21rQ2K0LzYU

 

Film Songs

Bhairavi is a popular raga for film songs. Here are some film songs based on Bhairavi:

• Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Jaye - Street Singer (Kundan Lal Saigal, 1938)
• "Humien Tumse Pyar Kitna" - Kudrat
• "Tu Pyar Kare Yaa Thukraaye" - Dekh Kabeera Roya
• "Dil Apna Aur Preet Paraayi" - Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayi
• "Laga Chunari Main Daag" - Dil Hi To Hai
• "Mata Saraswati" - Aalap (film)
• "Tu Ganga Ki Mauj" - Baiju Bawra
• "Dil to Bachcha hai Ji" - Ishqiya
• "Ramaiya Vasta Vaiiya" - Shree 420
• "Pyar Hua Ekraar Hua Hai" - Shree 420
• "Dil Ke Arman Ansuno Mein Bah Gaye" - Nikaah 1982
• "Sapno Se Bhare Naina " - Luck By Chance
• "Chhod Gaye Balam mujhe haye akela" Lata-Mukesh - Barsaat
• "Socha tha kya kya ho gaya" Suraiya - Anmol Ghadi
• "Barsaat mein hum se mile tum sajan" - Lata Chorus - Barsaat

 

 

Bandish "Ae Re yali", Raag Yaman, Teen Taal.

सखी एरी आली पिया बिन
सखी कलना परत मोहे
घडी पल छिन दिन ।

जबसे पिया परदेस गवन कीनो
रतियाँ कटत मोरी तारे गीन गीन ॥

Tutorial by Siddharth Slathia

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghTDzsdgavs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF3obVqomYg 

 

Teen Taal

 One of the most common beats of Indian classical music as also many Bollywood songs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YfMwZIJ-JE Tabla tutorial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUef95dD86A Tabla and Tanpura for singers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjSgV6j8VW0 Tabla in madhya lay

It has a characteristic pattern of bols (theka).

 Theka

dha	dhin	dhin	dha	|	dha	dhin	dhin	dha	|
x					2
na	tin	tin	ta	|	ta	dhin	dhin	dha	|
o					3

This can also be shown using the following figure^[2]

Taal signs	X				2				0				3
Maatra	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Bols	dha	dhin	dhin	dha	dha	dhin	dhin	dha	na	tin	tin	ta	ta	dhin	dhin	dha

Edvard Hagerup Grieg

 Best known for his Peer Gynt - Incidental Music Op. 23: Prelude (Act IV) (Morning)

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5558mNem89s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2gDFJWhXp8

 


(Norwegian: [ˈɛdʋɑɖ ˈhɑːɡərʉp ˈɡrɪɡ]; 15 June 1843 – 4 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use and development of Norwegian folk music in his own compositions put the music of Norway in the international spectrum, as well as helping to develop a national identity, much as Jean Sibelius and Antonín Dvořák did in Finland and Bohemia, respectively.^[1]

Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 16 

 ^{http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKfGDqXEFkE}

Johann Sebastian Bach

Orchestral Suites:
I. Suite No. 3 for 2 Oboes, 3 Trumpets, Timpani, Strings and Basso Continuo in D major BWV 1068 [Ouverture/Air/Gavotte I&II/Bourèe/Gigue]
II. Suite No.2 for Flute [Traversiere], Strings and Basso Continuo in B minor BWV 1067 [Ouverture/Rondeau/Sarabande/Bourrée I&II/Polonaise-Double/Menuet/Badiner

­ie]
III. Suite No.1 for 2 Oboes, Bassoon, Strings and Basso Continuo in C major BWV 1066 [Ouverture/Courante/Gavotte I&II/Forlane/Menuet i&II/Bourrée I&II/Passapied I&II]
IV. Suite No.4 for 3 Oboes, Bassoon, 3 Trumpets, Timpani, Strings and Basso Continuo in D major BWV 1069 [Ouverture/Bourrée I&II/Gavotte/Menuet I&II/Rejouissance]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb6KIGt_yYo 

Rhapsody in Blue

 

Rhapsody in Blue is a 1924 musical composition by American composer George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz band, which combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects.

Mozart symphony no. 40 in G minor

The first movement of this sonata is exhilarating and the melody is rapturous sending listeners into a trance. Listen and let your imagination take you wherever you feel the most joyous- flying amongst the clouds, swimming with the dolphins or feeling the breeze on a mountain top.

It is one of the only two symphonies composed in the minor notes. The other one being symphony no. 21.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTc1mDieQI8

My first Raga- Raag Yaman

Enjoying singing my very first Raag- Raag Yaman which is supposed to be the easiest of the Raagas and one of the first that is taught in Hindustaani vocal training.

Raga Yaman

 

Arohi:    'N  R  G  M  D  N  S'

Amrohi: S'   N   D   P   M   G   R  S

Quite a lot of different ways in which this Raag is taught. And one does get confused about differences in the notes that are out there on the internet. eg The m is teevra and on the above notation this is a mistake. But as long as you study it and get to know its essence, the whole Raag scene becomes much more clearer.

My guru is this young guy on youTube, Siddharth Slathia and he is a very good teacher.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V68cCl1vPA 

Film songs of Raga Yaman  or Aiman

• Akale na jana, Film Arman
• Ansoo bhari hain, Film Parwarish
• Lagta nahi hai dil mera ujre dyaar mein, Ghazal by Mohd. Rafi
• Chandan sa badan chanchal chitwan, Film - Saraswati Chandra
    

  The intricate details of this Raag are at following link:

  http://oceanofragas.com/ocean_htmlpages/yaman.html 

Concerto No. 21 and Song sung blue!

The Neil Diamond song was inspired by Mozart's Concerto No. 21. This song was a fav. of mine and still invokes nice memories for me.

The concerto has three movements:

1. Allegro maestoso; in common time. The tempo marking is in Mozart's catalog of his own works, but not in the autograph manuscript.^[3]
2. Andante in F major. In both the autograph score and in his personal catalog, Mozart notated the meter as Alla breve. ^[4]
3. Allegro vivace assai 

Mozart

http://youtu.be/i2uYb6bMKyI

Neil Diamond
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1t9zOwmWok

Lyrics
"Song Sung Blue"

Song sung blue, everybody knows one
Song sung blue, every garden grows one

Me and you are subject to
The blues now and then
But when you take the blues
And make a song
You sing 'em out again
You sing 'em out again

Song sung blue, weeping like a willow
Song sung blue, sleeping on my pillow
Funny thing,
But you can sing it with a cry in your voice
And before you know it get to feeling good
You simply got no choice

Me and you are subject to
The blues now and then
But when you take the blues
And make a song
You sing 'em out again

Song sung blue, weeping like a willow
Song sung blue, sleeping on my pillow
Funny thing,
But you can sing it with a cry in your voice
And before you know it start to feeling good
You simply got no choice

Song sung blue
Song sung blue
Funny thing,
But you can sing it with a cry in your voice

Song Sung Blue chords
Neil Diamond *

C C7 C . . .

C
Song sung blue
          G
Everybody knows one
G7
Song sung blue
             C
Every garden grows one

C7                              F
Me and you, are subject to, the blues now and then
    G
But when you take the blues and make a song
              C
You sing them out again
          Dm       G7
Sing them out again

C
Song sung blue
               G
Weeping like a willow
G7
Song sung blue
               C
Sleeping on my pillow

C7                                      F                 F C G F G
Funny thing, but you can sing it with a cry in your voice
G                      
And before you know it, start to feeling good
           C           G7
You simply got no choice

C  G  G7  C

C7                              F
Me and you, are subject to, the blues now and then
    G
But when you take the blues and make a song
              C
You sing them out again
          Dm       G7
Sing them out again

C
Song sung blue
               G
Weeping like a willow
G7
Song sung blue
               C
Sleeping on my pillow

C7                                      F                F C G F G
Funny thing, but you can sing it with a cry in your voice
G                      
And before you know it, start to feeling good
           C           G7
You simply got no choice

C              G
Song sung blue
G7             C
Song sung blue


* Alternate:

Capo III

C  = A
G  = E
G7 = E7
F  = D
C7 = A7
Dm = Bm

Jules Massenet- Meditation from Thaïs 

Absolutely divine melody solo for violin or flute- which touches every nerve ending within you.

Flute

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnD3Qmfo-ag 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmWl21JALt8

Violin

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss1URTJYlfQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PfNnAs6C88

Moolight Sonata by Beethoven

One of my fav. piano classic, best heard before bedtime for guaranteed deep relaxation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWmj1bMR4Mo

The Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor "Quasi una fantasia", Op. 27, No. 2, popularly known as the Moonlight Sonata, is a piano sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven. Completed in 1801 and dedicated in 1802 to his pupil, Countess Giulietta Guicciardi,^[2] it is one of Beethoven's most popular compositions for the piano.

Four Seasons-Spring by Vivaldi

Enchanting and vivacious music to remind us of spring in the midst of the cold of the winter.

 The Four Seasons (Italian: Le quattro stagioni) is a set of four violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi. Composed in 1725, The Four Seasons is Vivaldi's best-known work, and is among the most popular pieces in the classical music repertoire. The texture of each concerto is varied, each resembling its respective season. For example, "Winter" is peppered with silvery pizzicato notes from the high strings, calling to mind icy rain, whereas "Summer" evokes a thunderstorm in its final movement, which is why the movement is often called "Storm".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRxofEmo3HA

Bolero by Maurice Ravel! My all time fav.!

Bolera takes you, as a traveler on a most luxurious caravan through the beautiful and exotic countryside on a mystical journey towards joy and happiness. You just want to keep going on and marching on forward as if the journey never ends. So , relax and release all your stress and listen to this masterpiece to embark on a journey which you will never regret!

Boléro is a one-movement orchestral piece by Maurice Ravel (1875–1937). Originally composed as a ballet commissioned by Russian actress and dancer Ida Rubinstein, the piece, which premiered in 1928, is Ravel's most famous musical composition.
A wonderful rendition with over 15 million views on Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-4J5j74VPw

Indian Classical Vocal Training

It is never too late to learn. And, so its back to the basics starting with Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni, Sa.  Some say that it takes a few years to get to know the Surs. But, it does take daily practice or Riyaz with an electronic tanpura playing in the background.

Found this wonderful young fellow on youTube who teaches Indian Classical vocals.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiCdHoC1salw7gVflPxaOuxaBtT0ckOul

Hindustaani Classical Music

Music is the spice of life and there is no better way than to spice it up with a daily Raga.
Raga Jhinjhoti.

http://www.tanarang.com/english/jhinjhoti_eng.htm

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htmEGHQ_98k

My New Hospital!

10/29/14. Got my privileges, today.

http://www.oceanmedicalcenter.com/OMC/index.cfm

At the interview, I was asked, whether I knew the other Radiologists well. I replied, that I was acquainted with them but I was not on their facebook list. Haha! Got a nice laugh from everybody in the credential committee!

Dreams

"Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you
But in your dreams whatever they be
Dream a little dream of me..."

Chicago Lighthouse

Black & White Challenge

Got suckered into a 5 day black and white photography challenge by Vandana Rajagopalan, a photographer friend who introduced me to daily photos and Smugmug, where I maintain an online gallery.
http://cjainmd.smugmug.com/

I am a webmaster!

Finally, the website that I created from scratch is now live. It is made with wordpress which is one of the best content management systems. I think, it does a rather good job in this new world of multimedia and social media. I tried to be a little different and did not just want a website which looks more like an archive or encyclopedia. It is a complex site and has all the bells and whistles. It still needs a lot of work. But, the good thing is that it will grow with time and changes can be made on the fly.
http://siddhivinayaktempleusa.org/

My New Blog-Rise against Depression

Started a separate blog to jot down my musings about depression.

http://riseagainstdepression.blogspot.com/

Mindfullness Based Cognitive therapy

Depression affects a lot of people. They need not despair as there are lots of treatments out there which if given a chance will help them get through the ' black dog ' period. Black dog was the term used by Sir Winston Churchill to describe his depression and he often joked that the black dog had got him today.
Mindfullness or being aware or just being is the focusing of your mind on the here and now. Depression tends to warp your sense of time and you tend to focus more on the past turmoils or the uncertainty of the future. A simple way of being mindful is to take deep breaths and during inspirations counting from 0 to 10. Doing this about 8 minutes a day can help. Or you can just say, 'Ssssh!' and block out the riff raff of the thoughts that clutter yr mind.
Metacognitive therapy concentrates on the thought process per se and not on the thoughts. How you arrive at a thought ie the awareness of your thought process is supposed to makes a difference. In this school of thought, no judgements are made as regards the quality of yr thoughts.
On the other hand traditional cognitive therapy for treating depression deals more with the negative thoughts and judgements that you make and tries to change them or challenge them. You sort of talk back to your mind challenging your negative thoughts. Classically, a cognitive therapist would ask you about what is bothering you so as to bring your thoughts out for discussion. The next step is to find out how you feel having those thoughts. They try to break the thoughts down to identify the basic underlying disturbing thought and then dealing with correcting that.

A nice talk on Mindfullness based cognitive therapy is:

http://youtu.be/5eQ3MWz4yrI

My experience at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Had a great time in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Came close to the culture of the Middle East. A completely new environment of the desert. Hot and dry. A vibrant society of moderate Arabs who are very determined in preserving their culture. They hold Americans in high esteem. But, unlike Americans they are rigid in their outlook towards life. They are very disciplined and conscientious. They want the best of the world like all of us. They are like us but just different. A polite society, slightly formal and rewards merit and hard work. One of the best hospitals in the world are in Riyadh. The equipment is better than most US hospitals and what is astounding is that they are building better and larger facilities. Lots and lots of new construction. Good restaurants. Fantastic wide multi-lane roads. Large and modern malls. Vast open spaces.
Overall, a worthwhile trip and an experience of a lifetime!

Island Beach, NJ

The Island Beach state park is a beautiful place in summer. The beaches are pristine and serene. There is no commercialization of the place. What is really exciting is that I can drive my truck on the beach and park it on the sand, anchor a canopy or gazebo and relax under it on beach chairs. Many folks go fishing here and the beach is scattered with trucks and fishing rods.
The greenery is striking with many seaside plants and marshes around. There are trails for the adventurists. And the sunsets are absolutely fascinating on a clear day. There are many species of waterbirds here which migrate over here and there is an Osprey nest. Many seagull species, sandpipers, Cranes and Herons are found here besides the traditional NJ birds. Turtles are abundant during breeding season. An occasional seal may be seen. And there is a family of foxes for the brave to discover.

Tulip Tree Silkmoth, 5/23/14

This is the 2nd day, the Tulip Tree Silkmoth remains parked outside my front door. This time, I wanted a frontal view to capture all the designs on its wings. I blew on it and it opened up partially for me to take a shot. I also used this opportunity to gauge the macro mode of my point & shoot new Panasonic Lumix DMC FX70K camera. Took this shot from less than 10" from the moth with the in-camera flash.

Tulip Tree Silkmoth, 5/22/14

This Tulip tree Silkmoth has parked itself at my frontdoor as if to greet visitors. It has remained there, probably asleep for most of today and was first noticed by my son, who immediately informed me to take a photograph. So, I got out my macro lens and started shooting. The initial pictures were all under-exposed which perplexed me. On further prying, I found out that I had forgotten to change the -1EV flash comp. on the Nikon flash.

Point and Shoot Camera

Got a point and shoot camera, Panasonic Lumix DMC FX70K with a 60 X optical zoom which is 20mm to 1200mm. This is light weight and easy to carry on trips. But, need monopod or tripod for the extreme zoom. Also, need good light conditions for decent shots. The camera is 16 Megapixels and shoots RAW and has an electronic viewfinder, which I thought was essential. Now, I can shoot birds and other wildlife without getting too close to them. It will take some time to get used to all the features. Noise is an issue, even at ISO 320-400. The aperture priority mode is tricky as the shots are coming out overexposed and shutter times were slow. Maybe, I should have used shutter priority mode. The first few shots at 1200 mm zoom are below.