Perception...

1. The process, act, or faculty of perceiving.
2. The effect or product of perceiving.
3. Psychology.
1. Recognition and interpretation of sensory stimuli based chiefly on memory.
2. The neurological processes by which such recognition and interpretation are effected.
4.
1. Insight, intuition, or knowledge gained by perceiving.
2. The capacity for such insight.

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Person A: Hey Choco!! I noticed something different about your RSP!!!

Person B: Who gave you that pair of bears?

Person C: You'll give others the perception that you are attached, you know?

Person D: You'll never able to get attached cos' you are giving people the wrong impression!

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Just 2 cute bears...

And such perceptions can run wild...

Societal norm?

Societal conditioning?

Societal stereotying?

Societal intolerance towards things other than the norm?

We are all brought up and conditioned to classify and categorise things around us quickly so as to make meaning out of everything... That's human nature... A natural need to understand... Or to be seen to understand... To make meaning out of nothing even...

7 Weddings Later...

7 weddings later... and I think I've had enough...

Been very priviledged to be asked to shoot for my close friends' weddings since 2001. And it's been 7 weddings that I've covered since...

I've just finished processing my last wedding coverage which took place in late October, and yes, I've owed the happy couple their wedding photos for nearly 2 months... I'm so ashamed of myself. The longest I've delayed the photos was 4 months. Maybe that's a reason why I should stop commiting myself to shoot weddings...

But seriously, I'm quite tired of shooting weddings. Although it's a joy to share the happiness and bring some smiles to friends with their wedding photos, I'm just beginning to feel tired of processing the sheer amount of photos, sitting in front of the computer for long hours, staring and adjusting the contrast, colours and brightness of the photos.

What's driving me on for 7 weddings has been the commitment to capture the happy and memorable moments for my good friends. I've contemplated doing this as a sideline, providing such services as a side line to earn some gear-acquisition income. But I finally figured out that I'll have absolutely no motivation to do such assignments if I don't know the wedding couple at all...

Moreover, I also began to feel pretty callous and numb towards weddings... I think I've covered enough weddings and attended enough weddings to figure out that what goes on on that blissful day is all but another day on their long journey of a lifetime together...

Whatever vows that were made, whatever meaningful proceedings that took place, whatever games that were played, regardless of how many guys that were present to fool a blindfolded bride and choose her groom by touching his hands, whatever songs that were sung by the groom to impress the bride, whatever promises that were made on stage, whatever foolish acts that were done to show their love towards each other..... All these aren't important at all...

All these would just be a beautiful shell, witnessed by hundreds of friends and relatives (just in case things don't go too well, the couple would hesitate to do foolish things cos' there's too many people to explain to), if right down in the core of it all, the foundation on which a marriage should be built on is absent...

I've seen a handful of weddings which I could really feel very right about... I could feel and see that these couples were really made for each other... It's hard to explain, I'll know when I see one... And I'm very happy for them for they are so blessed and I really envy them...

Having said so much, I'm just but a wanna-be photographer, observing marriages through my camera viewfinder... I'm not married, and neither do I have anyone whom I can marry in mind as yet... So what do I know about marriages?

Well, at least I know I won't marry for the sake of marrying, marry because of convenience, marry because others think it's time to get married, marry to please others, marry and end up realising that the person is not right, marry because it's part of my long term plan, marry in case I can't find another better one, marry in case I get too old, marry in case I'll be lonely when I'm old...

But really, what do we all know about marriage??? There'll always be a risk... How much risk and and ultimately how much commitment am I prepared to give?

I saw this beautiful quote in a gift shop at Christchurch Cathedral (New Zealand)... "Leap, and the net will appear..."

And to take the leap, there must be faith...

Conserve What We Love

Master Choco decided to do some soul-searching alone today...

He hopped onto his Red Swift Pod and drove aimlessly and lo and behold, he found Sungei Buloh Nature Wetland Reserve, a place he had always wanted to go to but didn't manage to cos' it's too out of the way to take public transport but now that he has his RSP he finally found the place...

Minutes after stepping into the wetland, Choco regretted not lugging his weapons of choice, his EOS 20D fixed with his well-weathered 70-200mm lens... Nevertheless, he trodded on, thinking that might as well, could be a good time to really enjoy the surroundings and not get too fixated in capturing shots...

The first thing that amazed Choco was when he was crossing a bridge across a stream, he realised that the stream was full of fish!!! There were even fish that 'flew' out of the water surface even!!! Not once or twice, but all the time!!! Choco stood rooted on the bridge watching these flying fish for a good 8 mins or so...

Then came the biggest surprise... As he was walking pass a look-out point beside the stream, he saw three nature observers armed with binoculars and a mega long camera lens. One of the observer kept looking at Choco, and Choco wondered if he was making too much noise (just light foot steps) and was disturbing them.

Curiosity got to Choco and he went forward to find out what they were engrossed in...

The moment he got near them, the lady who was looking at Choco moments ago, pushed her binoculars into Choco's hands and asked him to look at the opposite bank. For some cubs...

Choco was wondering initially what cubs he was supposed to look at... It was only when he peered into the binoculars that he saw a few SEA OTTER cubs!!!!!

Choco has seen sea otters in the zoo and on TV before... but not in the wild!! And never had he thought that such creatures could be found in Singapore!!!

Then moments later, the parents of the cubs appeared as well... The few nature observers got very excited and the lady (she's a staff of the wetland reserve) told him that they usually only see a pair of otters if they appear (which isn't too often), and this is the first time they see a family of them!! A quick count and there were two adults and 4 cubs in all!!!

They saw them swim, caught fish to eat, and swam past us in the opposite bank, till they disappeared into the far end of the stream...

The staff of the reserve told Choco that he's very very lucky indeed to see a family of sea otters here, and even more so since it's the first time that he's been to the weland reserve!!!

Lucky indeed... Choco felt very excited to know that in a concrete society like S'pore, a small part of the country is being conserved in it's most natural form and wildlife are actually thriving. And what Choco felt most happy about was that everyone in the country could come and learn and appreciate nature, or whatever that's left in the country...

We conserve what we love...
We love what we are taught to love...

We have much to do to eduacate our young what to love... so that they in turn will conserve what we all love...

Master Choco will return to this beautiful wetland again... and the next time, he'll go back with his 70-200mm light-saber...

Challenge By Choice

Master Choco dropped 12,000 feet down from the sky on 30 Nov 2005 onto Middle Earth...

To be more exact, it was at Paihia, Bay of Islands, Northland, New Zealand...

How did it happen?

- 3 seconds... was all it took for Master Choco to notice an airfield beside the road he was driving on as he was driving into the next town... There, he saw a huge sign saying "SkyDive"... the seed was planted...

- 5 mins.... was all it took for Master Choco to make the decision at the information centre at Paihia to sign up for the jump... NZ$265!!! Oh what the heck...

- 5 mins... was all it took for the van ride from the information centre in town to the airfield again...

- 30 mins... was all it took to get briefed on the procedures, wear the jumpsuit, wear the harness, wear the sexy headgear, get on board the propeller plane...

- 15 mins... was all it took for the plane to climb steadily to 12,000 feet

- 45 seconds... was all it took for free-fall... terminal velocity was really an out of this world experience... the view of Middle Earth from this height was absolutely stunning... Fear? What fear? The feeling of awe and excitement replaced everything else...

- 3 seconds... was all it took for the yellow parachute to open at 5,000 feet...

- 8 minutes... was all it took to glide gracefully back to Middle Earth... watching Middle Earth grow nearer and larger was simply breathtaking...

- A lifetime... will be what it'll take to forget this experience...

Middle Earth, Here I Come...

In about 10 hours time, Master Choco will board the plane to Middle Earth...

It was 5 and a half years ago that Master Choco first visited Middle Earth... He remembers vividly how serenely clean and beautiful the landscape was... Images of the places he visited still reside clearly in his memory down to the smallest details... It was the first time he saw snow falling quietly from the heavens... It was the first time he walked on the iceblue glacier... It was the first time he was almost tempted to do a bungee-jump...

This time round, Master Choco will stay in this wonderland for 12 solid days... Back to the land that left such a lovely impression on him...

But half of the time will be 'work'... Physical 'work'... Jedi training of sorts... Not just to learn how to wield the light saber gracefully, but also to learn dexterity and mind manipulation techinques, the trademark of powerful Jedi Knights... Not sure if Master Yoda will be there, cos' the Jedi trainers are from Middle-Earth... Master Choco is just hoping that the weather will not be too cold such that Choco will get frozen and crack into pieces...

The other half of the time is actually a black box at the moment in Master Choco's mind... Nothing's planned for... He doesn't know what's in store at the moment... He's just hoping and praying hard that Master Madcat's brilliant apparition of what our Lord might do to me at night DO NOT come true... Master Choco shall therefore sleep with the sharpest awareness of any disturbances to the Force...

May the Force be with Master Choco...

When Saying Nothing is Really Saying Something...

The Jedi Knights have been lying low and keeping silent for quite a while now...

Saying nothing need not mean that there's inactivity... Saying nothing need not mean that there's no battle... Saying nothing need not mean that we are tired and gone...

Saying nothing means we are transforming... Transforming into strategically mindful Masters... Transforming under the watchful eyes of the Lord into multi-tasking Masters who are expected to perform wonders in SimpleVille...

Master Choco is transforming... Not particularly sure of the final shape he'll take up actually... His colour of his light saber may change as well... He's not even sure if he can still wield his light saber as gracefully after the light saber has power-upped...

Nevertheless, Master Choco, as well as the other Master Jedis, know that the coming year ahead of everybody is going to be a scene that might be quite different from the past...

The Force is growing stronger... The Force is telling the Jedis that the impending war will be worth their effort... That their meaning of their very being in SimpleVille will be revealed next year...

They must stand firm and believe in the Force... They must stand tall and be unwavering and be as worthy as the lighthouse to guide the lost and misguided ships to shore safely...

Next year, the Jedis may have lesser things to voice out... But when nothing is being said, probably so much are being said...

May the Force be with them...

Out of Her Cocoon

She's now 'free'... from all the trampling and dust and dirt and noise and mess and chaos and haphazardness and inconveniences and darkness and rawness and rough edges and and and and.......

My Kitchen has now got a new look... We didn't ask if she likes it... But she can't decide for herself anyway...

To make the deal sweeter for her in lieu of the inconveniences we caused her, we gave her new granite top cabinets... we gave her new tiles on the floor... we gave her new tiles on the wall... we gave her a fresh coat of ceiling paint... we gave her a new dining table complete with 4 chairs... we gave her a new 1.8 m tall Mitsubishi refrigerator... we gave her a new 9 litres Toshiba washing machine... we gave her a new kitchen sink... we gave her a new stove...

There's a certain role that we expect Kitchen to perform now... given that she's now got a face-lift... A role that she might not have asked for... But it's definitely a role that she's expected to perform anyway...

Whatever it is, Kitchen is still the same old Kitchen to me... Face-lift or not, I don't see her differently... Face-lift or not, I know she's still the same old Kitchen... The way I know her...

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Talking about washing machines... this is (soon to be was) my 26 years old SANYO washing machine...

It's still working, mind you... Papa Choco was telling me that when he told the Courts salesperson that our old washing machine lasted us 26 years and asked if the latests technology machines can last as long, the salesperson reassuringly assured Papa Choco that these days, NOTHING is built to last that long anymore... ABSOLUTELY NOTHING...

But I've been brought up to take care of things that I own... we'll do whatever that's within our means to ensure that these new sets of items in our Kitchen can last just as long as the first set that we had...

We'll take good care of Kitchen... no doubt about that...

Horny Horny...

Nothing's wrong with my RSP... Sent it to a workshop to install a pair of Stebel Magnum electric horns...

The original horn that came from the factory was a wee bit too whiny and nasal... absolutely no character at all...

Now, my RSP is capable of, as Master Madcat would put it, blowing up skirts... muahahahahah....

So if you don't want your skirt to be blown up or get a scare of your life, get out of my RSP's way... I mean business... kekek...

Insanity... Ignorance... Inhumanity...

12 Oct 2002 Bombing Site in Kuta Square
12 Oct 2002 Bombing Commemorative Site in Kuta Square
Jimbaran Beach Sunset
Kuta Beach Sunset

Master Choco and Master Madcat were in Bali in June 2004... They stayed at a hotel which was jus within 80 m of the bombing site on 12 Oct 2002... They thought that lightning wouldn't strike twice on the same spot...

But who would have guessed that they were only half correct... they were right in their judgement back then... but on 1 Oct 2005, lighting struck again...

By the same insanity...

By the same ignorance...

By the same inhumanity...

Let the 4 photos above, and all these Bali Photos , serve as a tribute to the beautiful Bali... As well as the tribute to the resilient Balinese who'll have to muster all that's pure and good in them, to overcome this disaster...

Let there be peace on Earth... Please...

Of Conversations & Reflections...

Conversation 1
Character A: Why doesn't you car have a bodykit?

Choco: ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Character A: Why didn't you squeeze your agent for more freebies?

Choco: ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Character A: Why didn't you ask for a multi-disc changer?

Choco: ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Character A: Why is your cash rebate so little?

Choco: ... ... ... ... ... ... ...


Maybe it's because I don't know how to bargain...

Maybe it's because I don't need all those useless stuff, even though it makes us feel good knowing that we managed to make the life of another person worse off...

Maybe it's because I know what I want...

Maybe it's because I don't know what I want...

Maybe it's because I just don't care...

Maybe it's because I don't want to be like the rest...

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Conversation 2
Character B: Why don't you leave your Ville and find a better Ville elsewhere?

Choco: ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Character B: The early bird catches it's worm, you know? The earlier you leave your Ville, the better...

Choco: ... ... ... ... ... ... ...


Maybe it's because I feel that there's still work to be done in my Ville...

Maybe it's because I still have much to learn in this little Ville of mine...

Maybe it's because I like my Ville...

Maybe it's because I know what I want...

Maybe it's because I don't know what I want...

Maybe it's because I just don't care...

Maybe it's because I don't want to be like the rest...

But the main reason is because... I'M NOT A BIRD!

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Reflections
I've been driving for the past 6 days... Steep learning curve for me... But at least I'm still alive, and other road users are still alive too... A few nasty glares, a few unfriendly horns... but by and large, I've become more confident on the roads...

On one of the few journeys that I had to make on the expressways, I realised that even though the traffic may be very heavy, as long as all the cars are moving and are traveling in the same direction and no drivers changes lanes or make exits, I could still travel in a fairly fast speed...

I realised that life is as such as well... In order to get what we want in our own respective lives, as long as we are not too different from the rest, follow the crowd, be like the rest, do what's expected of you, follow tradition, follow usual practices, follow usual conventions, follow even though you may not know where you are heading, the life of many many people can in fact be very easy and smooth sailing...

The Galactic Chief announced yesterday that we must allow more variation in teaching our young Padewans... We must allow them to persue their passion... We must allow them to be developed in their strengths... We need not conform and follow old rules which dictates over every and any individual...

It's time to be different... It's time to be different from others... It'll soon be alright to do things differently as long as our objectives are met...

Our "expressways" may soon turn chaotic because we may be seeing drivers heading in all directions... Directions that these drivers want to go...

But despite the chaos, people may soon get more fulfilment... Fulfilment from being able to go where they want...

But are we ready for such mindset change? Tradition, culture, societal perceptions, societal acceptance, are all extremely powerful forces... Choco will melt and boil and evaporate against such forces... As long as such forces (regardless of how long they've been held true) are still in places, resistance may be futile...

How do we change the perceptions from these forces? The guardians of such forces will protect their peaceful sanctuary till they vanish from all the planes of the galaxy... We might need half a generation more to fully embrace the notion of being different...

But alas, is life all about understanding how civilisation functions? Is life all about meeting expectations? Is life all about racing till the end of time?

What about love and passion and living life to the fullest? How about less judgement, and more embracing of life?

Such are questions that the latest Galactic Master Scheme released yesterday may not address... For that matter, such are questions that any Master Schemes (be it divine or mortal) do not address, unless we understand what we are living for...

Live life... Love life...

Swift My Way Home (^-^)

And so it is...

My Red Swift Pod has finally arrived...

Went all the way to Bukit Batok Crescent to collect it at 10.15 am... and when Agent S drove me into the car park, I saw my RSP waiting there for me...

Routine checks, passing of keys, signing of documents, etc, and off I went... to an "Auto-R-Us" nearby... CH came to see my RSP too, and we went shopping at Auto-R-Us...

Didn't buy much, other than car shampoo, a set of cheapo sports pedals and a waterproof tray for my mini boot... Accessories are in abundance but keep cool I shall, for not deep is my wallet...

After leaving Auto-R-Us, I went on a mini scavenger hunt of roads (cos' I'm never familiar with roads names that starts with mountains)...

And so it is, whatever complimentary fuel that came with my RSP were soon used up... Went to inject a full tank, and drove around for another 50 km or so, just to get the kick of it...

Hmmmm... I realise driving around is kinda fun... Especially when I'm alone, with the music blasted loudly (I think I might have burst the poor paper cone speakers... time to hunt around for ICE)... It's kinda therapeutic...

If only fuel price were lower, I would make it a new mini past-time, driving around quiet roads... But alas, Katrina came at a wrong time and foiled my plans... Shall shelf that thought when fuel prices drop further (if ever)...

Anyway, I think that the above pictures were horribly taken... Next thing to do will be finding a secluded spot and take brochure-like photos of my RSP... Will have to jio my uni/photography/car buddy, CH, for a photo shoot soon... He's got a new Honda Jazz recently as well...

Okie, the number plate is there for all to see... Go do some four-digit charity this weekend... If the number strikes, don't forget to call me out for a drink...

She's Coming Out of the Dark...

My Kitchen's finally showing signs that she's coming out of the dark today...

For so long now, I've trampled over her when she's in a mess... But now that she's recovering, and for that matter, in the miraculous hands of her Creator, she's going to evolve and metamorphosise to become even more beautiful than she was before, I'm beginning to feel that I'll have no more role in this anymore...

The Kitchen has never been my territory... and now that she's coming around, I feel like I shall take a back seat and let who she deserves more to own her...

We've not asked her if she likes this metamorphosis or not... but relatives and friends and neighbours who visit has nothing but praises about how nice and grand it will be and so on...

So perhaps she will be happy... that she's got a facelift... a facelift into something that I can hardly recognise...

She doesn't have a choice over how she'll look on the outside... But I know that deep down, she's the same old Kitchen...

Sheares Bridge Run

Made myself wake up at an unearthly time of 0550 hrs this morning... For the SAFRA Sheares Bridge Run... Meeting six other Masters at City Hall MRT Station at 0630 hrs...

Very reluctantly, pealed myself out of bed... Reached AMK MRT at 0618 hrs... Train cabins were surprisingly packed for a Sunday morning... On closer look, there were quite a few in running gear and some army boys... So we were all heading for the same thing...

We got to find out that the run was actually 6.9 km, instead of the 6 km which we were made to believe when we signed up... Grhhh...

Anyway, I intended to just take it slow and easy and not push myself too hard for the run... so I started off just jogging slowly, letting those who were more hurried for time to overtake me...

It's been a while since I ran such a distance... Almost 4 months, I think... But I guess slow and steady helped me last the entire run...

The last 900m really reminded me of the last lap for the SOC (Standard Obstacle Course)... Almost there, but never reaching there kind of feeling... Once I turned into the road beside the Padang, I tried to open up my strides and I did overtake some Army boys who are much younger and supposedly fitter than me... But 900m was no joke... I slowed down again after reaching the last 600 m mark... Finishing point was still not quite there...

BUT... I'm 'Most Spontaneous' Master, remember? I have the ability to rise to the occasion... With about 200 m left to go, I somehow managed to summon untapped energy within me, and did a sprint towards the i-gantry... I was overtaking the rest like a hot blade cutting through butter...

I reached the end point at 0840 hrs... Flag off was shortly after 0800 hrs... hmmmm, I used to take slightly over 30 mins for 6 km... But hey, I've aged alright... Just pick any guy my age with similar work habits and I'm quite confident I can beat them flat...

I was the 2nd to return among the 7 Masters today... All Masters returned safe and sound and still able to walk properly... After collecting our well-deserved goodie bag (consisting some wonderfully useless stuff which were stuffed in there by the sponsors just for the sake of advertising) and a nameless certificate, we headed to Techno Geek City for a little washup and breakfast...

Masters disbanded at 1015 hrs... returning to their respective Motherships to recover quickly to get themselves ready for the start of a brand new final term tomorrow... Not a very nice thought... But haiz.... life goes on...

Tiles Up

Update on the metamorphosis of my kitchen...

Tiles on one side of the wall are up... Electrical wirings are ripped out of their housing and are dangling precariously down from the edges of the walls... There's also a water pipe hanging diagonally across the kitchen overhead... Quite a sight...

I've gone into hibernation in my room the past few days, but next week, my room will be in upheavel too... The electrical guys will be invading my only room of tranquility to run the wires to install more power points in my room (to support my growing gadgets such as audio amplifier, guitar amplifier, TV, DVD player, SCV cable box, camera drybox, laptop, numerous chargers, aircon)...

I found out to my horror that on two of the days next week, we'll have no power! They were kind enough to connect a light bulb in each of the rooms to assure and remind us that we need not set fire in the house to keep warm and have light...

I always know that modern people have already become slaves to technology... But I don't need to be reminded of that! I NEED electricity!!!

I think I shall just remain in Simpleville to enjoy the aircon and utilise the power for as late as I can on the days that are going to be powerless at home... Well, at least as late as the two gracious and kind Guradians of the Ville allow me to...

Not an easy week ahead... not easy indeed... Grhhhhhh

Swift Arrival (^-^)

And so it is...

Agent S called me today, informing me that my Red Swift Pod should be ready for collection next Saturday!

Earlier than I expected... but I'm not complaining...

A whole range of poison is awaiting to tempt me... Solar film, amplifier, component speakers, bodykits, sports pedals...

Everything in its time... everything in its time...

And so it is... my movement and arrival time should become 'swifter'... Or perhaps, because I no longer will cause anymore delays to my fellow Jedis' movements, it is THEIR arrivals which would become 'swifter'... kekekek...

I think I can hear lots of sighs of relieve from my fellow Jedis... ;p

Metamorphosis Too...

Metamorphosis seems like a favourite catch-word recently... The Dictionary.com defines it as:

1. A transformation, as by magic or sorcery.
2. A marked change in appearance, character, condition, or function.
3. Biology. A change in the form and often habits of an animal during normal development after the embryonic stage. Metamorphosis includes, in insects, the transformation of a maggot into an adult fly and a caterpillar into a butterfly and, in amphibians, the changing of a tadpole into a frog.
4. Pathology. A usually degenerative change in the structure of a particular body tissue.

My kitchen is currently undergoing metamorphosis when I returned home today...


It's a transformation which brought about much inconvenience to all of us at home... Most specifically, my parents... They worked themselves tired the last few days taping cardboards and protective layerings on the living room floor, bedroom doors etc to prevent damage to be done when the workers bring in all the sand, cement, hacking equipment etc to tear the kitchen down, and finally, intall brand new cabinets and washing sink etc in the next 3 weeks...

I'm most ashamed to admit that I've no part to play in all these...

I've no idea how the new kitchen would look like... I've been keeping myself busy at work, and I return home late almost everyday... And I know I should be the last person at home to complain about the inconvenience...

I'm looking forward to the completion of the new kitchen... I wonder what kind of metamorphosis it'll go through...

You Can Bank On Them...

Today marks the start of COE bidding for this month... I'll know by Wednesday night if my car dealer is successful in their bidding...

In anticipation of the mega major cash outflow that'll follow, Master Choco obediently went to the Uh-Oh-Bank to close his fixed deposit accounts and transfer those cash to the People-Owned-Savings-Bank...

Scene in Uh-Oh-Bank
Choco : I'd like to close four of my fixed deposit accounts...

Female Bank-Officer : Four!?! Oh... can I have your IC please?

Choco : I'm sorry, I only brought my Driving License along. Is that alright?

Female Bank-Officer : Driving License? I need your IC... Because I need to see your address!

Choco : Ermm... But my Driving License has my NRIC no... do you think you can check my particulars from your computers?

Female Bank-Officer : But you want to close accounts. So I need your IC...

Choco : So is there any way out? I have accounts with your bank... you just probably need my NRIC no. right?

Female Bank-Officer : Let me make a call first...
(She called someone.. mumbled in Mandrin, presumably to her superior to seek clearance... Once she hung up her phone, she proceeded to clatter her keyboard and started to process my request of closing my FD accounts, without uttering a word to me.)

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My gosh... my life savings are deposited in your bank and this is how I was treated... Given that I've decided to withdraw a hefty sum out of the bank (just so that I can pay off my car downpayment), doesn't mean that I'm ending my banking relationship with Uh-Oh-Bank right?


Scene in People-Owned-Savings-Bank
Mega long queue on a Monday afternoon... Master Choco was sweating profusely due to long walk from Uh-Oh-Bank to current location... Perhaps carrying his life-saving in the form of a cheaque in his wallet freaked him out a bit too... Master Choco is an ultra unsophisticated and uncultured man who's greatest single purchase thus far in his not-so-young life is his camera... Quite a pathetic thought, so let's just move on...

So Master Choco joined the long queue and halfway through the line, an old Ah Mah joined the queue behind him,,, Master Choco, trying to behave in a socially acceptable manner, placed himself a body apart from a female customer in front of him... But who's to know that the old Ah Mah quietly but surely, side-stepped Master Choco and slipped herself nonchalently into this one body width gap, right in front of Master Choco!!!!

What the heck?!?!?! It's like daylight robbery! Master Choco felt like his right was taken away right under his nose!

He had two options: (i) tell the old Ah Mah politely that she has jumped queue, (ii) make a fuss of it and tell her off (cos' she was trying to do the same to the customer in front of her again)

But experience has taught Master Choco that either options will end up the same... That Master Choco will be seen as the ungentlemenly and ungracious idiot who kicked a fuss with an old lady...

Thus Master Choco took the third option... suffer in silence...

But on hindsight, Master Choco suddenly realised something... He has jumped the queue on someone as well... He has also tried to take away what's 'supposed' to 'belong' to someone else... He's like the old Ah Mah, robbed someone of their rights...

What goes around, comes around... Perhaps the old Ah Mah was there to give Master Choco a life lesson: Never get in the way of old women. It's futile to kick a fuss with them because they'll have their way anyway... Just take a step back and swollow the bitter medicine... Usually, they mean well...

Master Choco is hoping that he's interpreting it all correctly... ??!?!?!?

Most Spontaneous?

Master Chocoindryice has been voted "Most Spontaneous" by the Simpleville Padewan population...

However, Master Choco is in doubt whether the padewans understood the meaning of 'spontaneous'...

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According to the dictionary, SPONTANEOUS means:
1) Happening or arising without apparent external cause; self-generated.
2) Arising from a natural inclination or impulse and not from external incitement or constraint.
3) Unconstrained and unstudied in manner or behavior.
4) Growing without cultivation or human labor.

Hmmm... something's telling Master Choco that the padewans are trying to signal to him that he is 'UNPREDICTABLE'... Better not mess with Choco because, like a scorpion sting, he'll attack on impulse in an unconstrained and uncultured manner... Muahahahahah...

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Master Choco managed to interrogate a young Padewan by the name of Nituba-Comilletite and asked her in what ways were Master Choco 'spontaneous'...

She replied: "Because Master Choco always seems to be able to rise to the occassion in many of the things that he does, even when given short time to prepare..."

Hmmm... PLAM (prepare little, achieve more) perhaps? Muahahahahah

Balancing Point = Breaking Point

Very cool video...

Reminds us of how much of life is all about BALANCING... Before all that is beautiful and wonderful collaspes into ruins...

How temporal all things are... How thin the breaking point is...
http://www.compfused.com/directlink/864/

WAYANG

I realised that we don't need to wait till the Hungry Ghost Festival every year to see wayangs...

We get to see them everyday...

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Scene 1
Human nature abhors work... so to avoid being arrowed more work to do, we begin to act busy in front of the computers...

That's WAYANG...

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Scene 2
Humans are basically lemmings... it's difficult and is often futile to go against the current... there are many different sub-currents in the society... some strong, some not so strong, some currents were there all these while but nobody questions why they are there or are still valid, some currents seems strong and never ceasing and humans have decided to stop going against it since who knows when and the stupid thing is that the current might have ceased but humans still think that it hasn't and therefore don't have the courage to go back upstream...

And in order not to look stupid or offensive going upstream, we WAYANG...

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Scene 3
Sometimes it's funny how humans are not allowed to be happy...

In a work place, when u were allocated lesser work to do, it's sometimes not advisable to show too much happiness because some people may become envious and get offended, and in time to come, u'll be arrowed more work to do... especially work that others do not wish to do...

In personal lives, we sometimes wish to pursue things that we are happy doing for the rest of our lives... but if that's not what the others perceive as alright, they'll make a great hoo-ha over it until u succumb to their craziness...

When the human resolution is not strong enough, we WAYANG our way through just so as to gain some peace of mind (which the others will claim that u gained the peace because you've done the right thing by conforming to common belief)

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Scene 4
This will be a definite paradox...

Sometimes, we are also not allowed to display dissatisfaction, displeasure, suffering, pain or hurt... We will not be seen as 'right' because the others sometimes are not too receptive to us showing such feelings because they too are going through some form of dissatisfaction, displeasure, suffering, pain or hurt... So how could we be released from dissatisfaction, displeasure, suffering, pain or hurt when they are not...

So we learn to WAYANG and appear quite satisfied, pleased, not displaying any suffering, pain or hurt...

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Scene 4
It's interesting how, in the name of Accountability and Professionalism, which are highly regarded in order to portray good intentions and cooperativeness and to appear to be task-focused, we begin to do acts that we grumble over, but yet end up doing...

When we realised that we are rewarded for performing such tasks which we don't quite believe in, we begin to believe that maybe what we were asked to do were worth doing...

That's the final and complete transition into WAYANGism...

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Maybe that's the way it will be... maybe that's the way it should be in order to appear normal in our society... It's normal to wayang... and whoever does it well, gets on well...

It's not easy to tell if it's a good or bad thing to do, because reality is definitely perceived by the 'filters' that we are brought up to carry in our heads... maybe that's the reason we humans PERCEIVE ourselves to be superior beings because we are able to PERCEIVE a certain kind of reality that we choose to PERCEIVE...

Perception vs Deception... such a bloody fine line...

Had Fun?!?!

First working day after an eventful week... Such were some conversations exchanged...

Character A : So did you had fun?

Character B : So did you have a relaxing time?

Character C : Oh, it doesn't sound that bad...

Character D : Welcome back to the real world...

Chocoindryice : ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

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I guess that's human nature... personal problems and sufferings will always be worse than others'... when someone says how bad their situation is, it's not unusual to respond by saying "I've seen worse"...

How meek can humans be when we tend to feel that the world revolves around oneself...

Perhaps my photos didn't do justice to the sights and experiences we went through in Ban Nam Kem... Perhaps I've hid the sufferings underneath each of the faces... Perhaps I need to show more...

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Yan Yao Temple

This temple in Ban Nam Kem became the centre of media attention during the peak of the Tsunami. This very ground we stood on laid up to 6000 dead and decomposed bodies waiting to be recognised via DNA testings. The stench from the dead bodies were so bad that it could even be smelt from 800 m away... 60 cm of the ground was removed and replaced after all the bodies were removed as the Thais wanted to 'restore' the purity of the temple ground.

Fun? I was almost in tears...

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Containers at Bang Man Ruan

Within these containers, housed 404 unclaimed and unidentified bodies. They are kept at -10 degree celcius. The total dead bodies unclaimed from here, Phuket and Krabi amount to 2255 as of 24th Aug 2005. It's been 8 months, and bodies are left unclaimed...

Fun? I was almost in tears...

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Blue Boat in Ban Nam Kem

This blue boat has become somewhat a tourist attraction since 26th Dec 2004. This very spot is 1 km away from the coast!!! The depth of water required for bouancy is 3-5 metres. This is 1 km away from the coast... I don't need to further explain how much water rushed up shore to Ban Nam Kem...

Fun? Try telling this to the owner who was on the rooftop taking cover when this blue boat came to a halt just centimetres away from his house...

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Pai San, our beloved driver

Pai San was our "Soong tell" driver. Very friendly and fatherly figure. We got to know that he lost both his children (10 yr old son, and 18 yr old daughter) in the Tsunami. And he was driving us all around this trip learning more about the Tsunami. It might have opened up his wounds again, visiting these places...

On our way back to Phuket on Day 4, he stopped by his house. He went in and brought some photos out to show us. They were photos of his children when they were younger. And then he showed us a few printouts on A4 size papers. They were the pictures of the decomposed bodies of his two children when he went to claim their bodies...

I was in tears... I had to put on my shades to hide my tears...

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How do I express my emotions and feelings? Do photos do enough justice to the sufferings? Maybe, to some extent... But what you do not see, you do not feel...

I am truly humbled...

Zero Sum Game Part III

Came back from the Project Hope Spirit & Renewal at Khao Lak, Thailand yesterday.

What a trip...

Realised the magnitude of the destruction...

Saw the faces behind the disaster...

Learnt that the rebuilding of HARDware is the easy part... rebuilding of HEARTware is the difficult part...

I might have found the purpose of my being...

I might have found the reasons why I was 'sent' on this trip:
- to gain experience in conducting a Service Learning trip,
- to learn the importance of sustaining a humanitarian project,

Ironically, it's yet another zero-sum game, I realise... Khao Lak would not have received so much help in terms of financial, logistics and infra-structure, had it not have lost everything from the Tsunami...

In some weird way, I have lost something close to my heart, albeit gaining so much from the trip...

Maybe that's the way the maker of life wants it to be... maybe it's just meant to be...

(photo galleries of Proj HSR is at http://www.pbase.com/jiawang/proj_hsr )

Akan Datang

Welcome to the club, Master Kungfu Hamster said to me last week...

Welcome to the 'poor man's' club, CH my uni buddy said to me last night...

Well well well... and so I did... subjecting myself to slavery for the next 7 years...

Well, to prepare myself for a SWIFT arrival, I civically signed up for a driving refresher course, so that my 10 years of wheel-lessness doesn't make me a target for abuse by road users such as MadCat... kekek...

Well, lesson one went well today... covered lots of lost ground... Ubi, Hougang, TPE, PIE, Changi Airport, ECP, Eunos, Woodlands, Mandai, BKE... Realised I didn't lose much of touch... Cruising was smooth, overtaking was civilised, changing lane was sleek, U-turn was quite ok... Generally, I thought I was quite a un-intimidating driver...

Well, I was quite tired today, so I almost dozed off while driving along stretches of the light traffic expressways... But everything was under control... no need for alarm...

Well done, I thought... 10 years of inactivity, and I didn't cause any damage on the roads... not bad... Tomorrow will be the challenging final lesson... PARKING!!! But steady poon pee pee... I think I can pick it up again real fast... No sweat... And furthermore, my Swift is petite... any slots lobang hole gaps oso can go in one... No fear...

Well well well... if things goes well, by end September, I shall have to cut down on my photography gear acquisitions, and sob sob, moderate my travelling ambitions too...

Welcome to the Club...

Deja Vu?

A Conversation in my Medical Centre some 12 years ago...

Senior Medic: Choco is new, inexperienced, and I don't really like him... Send him to the battery line and be a battery medic. HQ got enough medics already...

My Helpful Senior: But Choco is very hardworking. He is genuinely serious about his duties and is proficient in medical knowledge. I think he should stay in HQ.

Dr Barry, my Medical Officer: Choco can assist me. He's good. Let him stay in HQ.

Senior Medic: ....... ....... ....... Hmmm (sneering and thinking)... Then I'll give him a hard time in HQ...

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Index

- Senior Medic => a regular soldier medic who is trained in military medicine. The only regular soldier in every medical centre. Usually bossy in nature and not well-liked.

- Battery => a group of artillery gunners in a battalion. The equivalent of a platoon in an infantry unit.

- HQ medic => a medic who is deployed in the headquarters of the battalion. He'll work very closely with the Medical Officer and other HQ medics to perform more sophisticated field medical treatment or operations and are usually better in skills and knowledge.

- Medical Officer => the highest ranking NSF in the SAF. Usually does not have a good working relationship with Senior Medics simply because he is not a regular.

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Strangely, I wonder if I'm beginning to have a feeling of Deja Vu...

: (

Pooh Up My Car?

Went for dinner with Master Bioarmour this evening... Saw an orange Nissan March decorated in the theme of Winnie the Pooh... Pooh seat covers, Pooh toys, Pooh figurines, Pooh stickers, Pooh tissue box covers, Pooh steering wheel cover, Pooh pillows, Pooh Pooh Pooh Pooh Pooh Pooh...

We can't help but be impressed with the level of details and care that went into the thematic approach of the owner...

Began to imagine how I should do up my car (if things goes well)... It's gonna be a red car... So here's some themes that I could consider:
(i) Manchester United theme
(ii) Red Lions theme
(iii) Christiano Ronaldo theme (he drove the car and played soccer with the Swift, remember?)
(iv) Singapore theme
(v) Ang Pow theme
(vi) Firecracker theme
(vii) National Day theme

Or should I just keep it simple, and strap a soft-toy hamster at my rear-seat? LOL =p

Or maybe I might just not buy a car afterall...

Too Dedicated

These are the funny characters in Master Choco's class... First year with most of them... Not too bad rapport, considering I've never taught most of them before...

Really hope they'd excel and apply themselves well for their upcoming challenges... My heart is with them all... Gambatte!!!

I'm a Painter...

I've finally completely understood that a true photographer must be an artist too... And a painter at that...

My 3 outings to shoot the Singapore Fireworks Festival have brought me up to another level in my passion... I've gained enough control over my equipment to the point where I do not need to think too much about the camera settings anymore...

I've began to focus on what to capture, rather than how to capture a shot.

It's a powerful realisation as far as my progress in photography is concerned. Usually, photographs are made in a fraction of a second. It's so instantaneous and quick that it's very easy to forget how a shot is captured.

Regardless of film or digital photography, it's all about recording light onto the film or sensor. We don't normally need to expose a shot for more than a second. And that's the reason why many casual shooters don't spend much thought over what to capture.

And how has the fireworks outings made me realise that I'm a painter?

I used to press the shutter release continuously over the span of the fireworks display. My rationale was that as long as I don't miss any part of the display, I'll definitely get some shots which will turn out right... And I usually do have a few shots which are decent.

This time round, I've stopped shooting this way. I realised that I usually have to expose my frame for an average of 6 seconds to capture the full burst of the fireworks... This is a very long period of time where a lot of things can go wrong... The shot could be overexposed, underexposed, or just simply, look outright messy...

I realised that I actually have the complete control over what to expose in my frame. I now open the shutter manually and block out the light entering the lens using a cardboard. I'll only remove the cardboard to capture the explosions that I want to record. I realised that it is an art by itself of when to open up my frame to expose the explosions.

Timing is critical... asthetic judgement is critical... patience is critical... calmness is critical...

The percentage of usable shots for my fireworks has now increased a lot.

It's about knowing what I want to capture, and not about thinking I have to get it captured...

It's a very powerful realisation...

It's in fact a freedom that I've gained...

A paradox again, because I gained this freedom from having good control over my equipment and self...

The Fight 2... Or was there ever a Fight?

Hamster and Doggie were scheduled for a round of fight. Hefty registration fees were paid and lucrative prizes were in store for the winner...

The competent boxers were prepared for a good fight and the date was all set and the boxing ring was booked and the referees were selected and trained and the bell ringer was picked and the drink sellers were on standby and announcer has practised his lines and the media was informed and basically, the hype was there for a good fight...

But close to the day of fight, they realised that Doggie doesn't fullfil some of the rules of the match... He doesn't have the brand of gloves that was a pre-requisite to fight... Also, Doggie has a habit of fighting naked (as is all dogs) and was therefore scorned by the organisers, who incidentally from time to time, praised the way Hamster carried himself in his behaviours and turn-out in the ring. And incidentally too, the brand of gloves was solely distributed by members in the organising committee and their sole customer incidentally yet again, was Hamster...

Hence, there's no fight...

Hence, the referees, bell ringer, drink sellers, announcer and the media basically have the scheduled day free to themselves again, to their relief...

Hence, Doggie was left in dismay...

Hence, Doggie felt that he was dealt with another blow under his belt... Which was ironic btw, as he fights naked anyway...

The Fight

I think I'm gonna get myself into trouble with some book publishers soon...

But I can't help it... I read another rather thought-provoking paragraph from The Zahir...

"While I was fighting, I heard other people speaking in the name of freedom, and the more they defended this unique right, the more enslaved they seemed to be to their parents' wishes, to a marriage in which they had promised to stay with the other person 'for the rest of their lives', to the bathroom scales, to their diet, to half-finished projects, to lovers to whom they were incapable of saying "No' or 'It's over', to weekends when they were obliged to have lunch with people they didn't even like. Slaves to luxury, to the appearance of luxury, to the appearance of the appearance of luxury (my note: no typo error here). Slaves to a life they had not chosen, but which they had decided to live because someone had managed to convince them that it was all for the best. And so their identical days and nights passed, days and nights in which adventure was just a word in a book or an image on the television that was always on, and whenever a door opened, they would say: "I'm not interested. I'm not in the mood."

How could they possibly know if they were in the mood or not if they had never tried? But there was no point in asking; the truth was that they were afraid of any change that would upset the world they had grown used to."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don't know how it'll fit into the rest of the story in the book yet (remember I'm devouring this rather slowly?), but I love the way Paulo Coelho challenged my thinking again...

Zero Sum Game Part II

Conversation
Master: You missed your deadline again!!!

Slave: Ermm... Yah... Sorry...

Master: Don't you ever prioritise? You weakling?

Slave: I tried, Master... I really tried... but...

Master: Not good enough... You deserved to be slaughtered...

Slave: (Thinking to himself) I really priortised... It's just that the task you asked me to do wasn't on the top of my list.. that's all...

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It's funny... time is a limited commodity... can't have any more of it... yet in our daily lives, we pack it with all sorts of activities... You spend more time on A, you'll do less for B... You priortise your time for C, you get reprimanded by D for not priortising...

Today I priortise my time for X... but chances are, I may be barking up the wrong tree and lose the opportunity to serve Y... X will go on and do well in life even without me priortising my time towards X, but at the same time, I have to start all over from scratch...

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Funny thoughts... just from reading the first few pages of a new book I bought...

"The Zahir" by my favourite author, Paulo Coelho...

There's an excerpt which he quoted from another book at the preface of this book... I find it very thought provoking... Here goes...

ITHACA
When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,
pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the angry Poseidon - do not fear them:
You will never find such as these on your path
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
emotions touches your spirit and your body.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your heart does not set them up before you.

Pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many, when,
with such pleasure, with such joy
you will enter ports seen for the first time;
stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensual perfumes of all kinds,
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
visit many Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from scholars.

Always keep Ithaca in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for many years;
and to anchor at the island when you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.
Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would never have set out on the road.
She has nothing more to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you.
Wise as you have become, with so much experience,
you must already have understood what Ithacas mean.

Constantine Cavafy (1863 - 1933)

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What is my Ithaca? Where is my Ithaca? Am I already on my way to Ithaca? I really hope I do, even though I feel I am not... Perhaps I've met with the Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the fierce Poseidon... I mustn't fear them... But who are the Lestrygonians and the Cyclops, the fierce Poseidon around me? Someone close? Someone distant? How do I tell?

Am I held back from reaching Ithaca? Or worse still, am I holding someone back from reaching their Ithaca?

Very interesting book... though I don't think I have the time to keep reading this book, I think I'll make it a point to pause reading my other 'in-progress' books and devour this one properly...

I often gain lots of insights from Paolo Coelho's books... He surprises me with lots of alternative perspectives of life... Very thought provoking...

Indeed thought-provoking...

Everything in its Time

(Red)Lions are falling out of the sky...

(Matrix)Hamster is throwing colourful funpacks at kids...

(Mad)Cat and (Matrix)Hamster have become gardeners...

Cartwheeler has started speaking in undecipherable codes...

JJB has bought a share of our lousy transport company and has now obediently tapping his easilink card in his vain attempt to increase market value of his shares...

There are actually people who's interested in running for Presidency...

Unsual things are happening...

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And I am actually preparing myself, rather unusually, to buy a new car...

I was doing my sums this afternoon... I looked at all my assets and expenditures over the last few years... My guitars, amplifier, sound system, iMac, laptops, my photography gear, and all my travel expenditures... The sum of these all could have paid in full for the car I'm planning to get...

I was thinking if I hadn't spent so much on my hobbies and passion, I would have bought a car long ago...

But then again, if I hadn't spent so much time on my hobbies and passion, I wouldn't be the person I am right now... a car wouldn't have made me the person I am right now... it's my passions that made me grow and evolve... the car will be coming anyway, but I took the time (and money) to grow myself... which on hindsight, was so necessary...

My 6-string Babies

Been neglecting my babies for some time now...

From top down, left to right...
(i) Taylor 714 - sleek and smooth playability... beautiful sweet and mellow ringing tone... lovely, but haven't been playing it since Cantabile in early June... strings are old and rusty... still lying under an invaded and acquired territory in my office... gotta bring it home soon... This baby sorely lacks playing...

(ii) Epiphone Sheraton II - double humbucker electric... I find this a la Gibson factory made guitar's tone too warm and muffled. Same Gibson factory, supposedly same specs... but what u pay is what u get... Hmmm... If I can find the time to playing guitar regualarly again, I might consider brining this baby down to Davis Guitars to change the humbuckers to Gibson's...

(iii) Simon & Patrick Mahagony - My rough and tough dreadnaught... Didn't like it initially when I bought it because the action was too high... But since I sent it for action adjustment by Steven of the Guitar Hospital at Sinamex, the tone and playability is nice... But the strings are darn rusty... About time to change...

(iv) Yamaha CG151C - Cedar solid top classical... My skills improved after I bought this guitar because it was more responsive and allowed me to improve my technique... Haven't been playing classical seriously for almost 7 years... the tone of this petite guitar is a little lost. Can't hear the vibrance anymore... but still a keeper...

Theory of Relativity

A powerful wizard, who wanted to destroy an entire kingdom, placed a magic potion in the well from which all the inhabitants drank. Whoever drank that water go mad.

The following morning, the whole population drank from the well and they all went mad, apart from the king and his family, who had a well set aside for them alone, and which the magician had not managed to poison. The king was worried and tried to control the population by issuing a series of edicts governing security and public health. The policemen and the inspectors, however, had also drunk the poisoned water and they thought the king's decisions were absurd and resolved to take no notice of them.

When the inhabitants of the kingdom heard these decrees, they became convinced that the king had gone mad and was now giving nonsensical orders. They marched on the castle and called for his abdication.

In despair, the king prepared to step down from the throne, but the queen stopped him, saying: "Let us go and drink from the communal well. Then, we will be the same as them."

And that was what they did: the king and the queen drank the water of madness and immediately bagan to talk nonsense. Their subjects repented at once; now that the king was displaying such wisdom, why not allow him to continue ruling the country?

The country continued to live in peace, although its inhabitants behaved very differently from those of its neighbours. And the king was able to govern until the end of his days.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I now feel like the king... But I do not wish to drink the poison water still...

Opening The Sky

Conversation 1
10 yr old ME : Why are there clouds in the sky?

My Very Intelligent Uncle : They're there to block the outer space from view.

10 yr old ME : ... ... ... ... ... ... ...


Conversation 2
23 yr old ME: The universe is so vast... There's so much out there that we can't possibly visualise and explain... Mother Nature is amazing... Humans are so minute...

A helpful Friend: That's where religion comes in...

23 yr old ME: ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Conversation 3
16 yr old kid : Master Choco... What's beyond our atmosphere? You mean there's something outside Earth?

Master Choco: ... ... ... ... ... ... ...



When I was much younger, when I was in Pri 4 or so, I started to read about how small cells are in living bodies... that there are planets revolving around the sun, that Earth might be the only planet that has life forms... that there is boundless space beyond the solar system that we can't even see...

And I began to wonder if Earth is just a small cell in a massive living body... I began to wonder if this boundless space is like the blood stream of another bigger body... flowing and moving about... And maybe this bigger body is yet also part of another even larger body...

So I've already developed this concept of space and relativeness at a very young age...

I liked the movie Contact and the ending of MIB... after the credits of MIB, the scene was a shot with the camera zooming out from Earth and all the way accelerating in the zooming out speed till it came to a scene of some aliens playing marbles... Earth was somewhere inside this marble...

I liked the idea that humans are still way too small to even know the real 'truth'... When I was younger, nobody around me was thinking about such things, so I thought I was crazy. But as I grew older, and packed my brains with more stuff, I realised I'm not alone in such thoughts...

My life view (which is potentially highly debatable) is that we humans are still too minute to understand the universe we are part of... But being humans, we cannot live with too much uncertainties and vagueness... Hence, come philosophies and religions... They play a major role in the development of human civilsation, and the world we see today justifies this role...

But we must also realise that history was written by victors of wars and conflicts... What we are taught and told that are the absolute truth today, are what the victors want us to know... For whatever reasons histories were written the way they were written, it is not at all difficult to understand why too... Whoever was in charged needed the people to obey and be controlled... Truths had to be made to suit the needs of the ruler... In the hands of rulers who needed to change history to stay in power, history was then re-written... in other words, it's propaganda...

I know what I suggest may not go down well with many people, but I feel that many 'absolute truths' that people are propagating in the world today are open to interpretations... It's human interpretations of so called 'truths'...

I do not deny that there are lots of good things that we should value in many teachings in life, simply because that's the social norm and are widely accepted... What I detest is when I see people/ organisations propagating some 'truths' for the sake of keeping the whole package of 'truths'... in other words, they can't explain why some 'truths' were thought to be so... But because they've whole-heartedly accept the whole package, everything that comes within the packaging, good or questionable, is accepted...

I shot the above photo during the fireworks show... If we could just open up the sky with the beam of lights, what' would we see? We need a filter in our mind to make sense out of the many things that don't make sense of in life... But are we prepared to see what we have yet to see? What would we see, if skies could be opened?

Nurtured Creativity???

What way to burn my Sunday...

Spent a good 7 hours at Queensway SCDF (S'pore Civil Defence Force) learning Emergency Procedures, Fire Precautions,Evacuation techniques, Chemical threats, Bomb shelters etc...

Was there because of the Thailand CIP, Project Hope, Spirit & Renewal... a humanitarian project for the Tsunami affected Khao Lak... this course was aimed at preparing all the volunteers from CBSS & HCI for any emergencies that might occur in Khao Lak (touch wood)...

Anyway, it's the first time I attend lectures with my kids... what a noisy and restless bunch they were... never ceased to take advantage of the lack of C & C skills of the poor CD officers to talk or chit chat or scribble on papers...



These two artpieces were done by the talented Nicolette... She has the wonderful ability to be very focused in her artwork despite the irritation from the lecturer... The drawings about sumed up our day there... I take my hats off to her... Makes me wonder if her 'creative talent' was nurtured by the boring lessons she takes in school...

Zero Sum Game

Singapore Fireworks Festival 2005 - Team Portugal

6th August Saturday...

I felt so much control over my camera settings and shot timing this time round... Perhaps it's to make up for my inability to control other matters in my life...

My positioning on the Sheares Bridge was spot on... Perhaps it's to make up for my missed opportunities in my life...

The weather and wind was perfect for shooting fireworks... Perhaps it's to make up for calamities that might be brewing elsewhere...

My iPod was playing all my memorable and familiar tunes while I was shooting the fireworks... Perhaps it's to make up for my solitude which was hollowing out...

I was even smiling and enjoying every moment of the fireworks... Perhaps it's to make up for the pain and suffering that's happening elsewhere in the world...

There were lots of photographers and spectators crowding beside me, keeping me company... Perhaps it's to make up for my lone ranger mentality again...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There's two ways to take a photograph... The first is 'just shoot'... The second is 'shoot with your heart'...

Fireworks have always been special for me... I could have approached this shoot with a very technical mindset... focus on the camera settings... do the right things... fire away...

I might have been shooting this way for my past fireworks shots... I never got much satisfaction because I realised that I focused so much on the technicalities that I failed to enjoy the fireworks...

I shot with my heart today... I got myself into the mood... into the moment... And I felt so much control over every shot... I no longer get tied up over counting how many seconds I'm exposing my frame... I was completely detached from my camera throughout the shoot...

I allowed myself to enjoy and savour every explosion... and at the same time, my thumb was able to depress the shutter release cable whenever the explosions were at it's most beautiful... My actions were in sync with my eyes and heart... My camera has finally become an extension of my heart and mind, freezing images that my heart and mind saw...

Such joy...

Shouldn't life be lived as such? Our actions in tune with our heart and soul... Living a life as we want it to be...

Ran Out of Anti-Biotics

I'm out of anti-biotics... I finished my 5-day course of ampicillins today... But my cough, yellow phlegms, running nose, headache and sore throat are still happily active in my body...

Arghhhh... The stupid virus has emerged victorious against the weak and helpless anti-biotics... And it won the battle in quite some style, I must admit, mocking all the Vitamin C that I've been consuming the past few weeks all in one go...

So irritating... I'm officially helpless against the virus now... It's now a face-on battle... No more armour to hide behind... No more reinforcement to back me up... It's me against the virus... Whatever that may be... Whatever that may be called... It's an irritating virus which refuses to leave my body...

I consider this attack by this particular virus a low-class one which dealt me a blow under the belt... It attacked me when I was at my most vulnerable (stress, lack of sleep, lousy weather, confusion, all messed into one)... How despicable!!! And now it still refuses to leave me even as I'm coughing my lungs out...

Perhaps this virus has no where else to go... Perhaps viruses are living organisms that have long life-spans... It doesn't just disappear as one recovers... It just finds another body to infiltrate... Perhaps this virus currently residing in me still hasn't found another vulnerable being to attack...

And so it is... I shall give this virus a hand... I shall hunt for the next vulnerable victim and transplant my virus to this next body... Hmmmm... Who shall be the lucky one??? Ngiak ngiak ngiak...

Turkish Sheepish Lessons

"Turkish shepherds look at dead sheep in the town of Gevas, near the city of Van, eastern Turkey, Thursday, July 7, 2005. First one sheep jumped to its death. Then stunned Turkish shepherds, who had left the herd to graze while they had breakfast, watched as nearly 1,500 others followed, each leaping off the same cliff, according to the Turkish media reported on Friday July 8, 2005. In the end, 450 dead animals lay on top of one another in a billowy white pile. Those who jumped later were saved as the pile got higher. (AP Photo/Sukru Akyuz/IHA)"

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A few thoughts came into mind...

(i) If you are a follower, pick the right pack to follow... U won't want to follow a leader who doesn't know where he's heading...

(ii) If you are a leader, know where you are heading... U won't want to lead a bunch of lemmings to their deaths...

(iii) If you are unsure, don't crowd to the front of the herd... It doesn't pay to be the pioneers in every and any initiatives...

(iv) If you are unsure, it might just save your life if you do things slower and later than everybody else...

So That's What They Were Looking For...

The winning paintings and photographs are now on exhibit in the Esplanade and the underpass leading to the Esplanade...

I've seen them...

In a weird way, I'm rather glad that I didn't make it... (see prev entry http://masterchocoindryice.blogspot.com/2005/07/three-didnt-make-it.html)

How so? Why so?

Well, the winning photograph depicts a naked woman sitting cross legged on the floor in an industrial building with her back facing the viewer. Her head is lowered such that all the viewer sees is her back and her head is out of sight. What's most disturbing about the photograph is that right above this woman is a huge pile of suspended bricks... The bricks were flushed with her lowered head creating the illusion of the bricks crashing onto her hidden from view head...

It was extremely disturbing... The photographer was probably trying to show how suppressed and how much stress people generally are in this society which is continually undergoing re-construction...

The very conceptualisation of this photograph tells me a great deal about the artist who created it... Angst, suppression, dissatisfaction... Great expression, nevertheless... but a very unhappy artist he/she must be...

The same could be said for 90% of the other winning paintings and photographs... much anger, angst, helplessness, confusion... Very expressive but at the same time, unhappy people at work... Well at least, there's these like-minded judges who reward them by giving them such recognition and awards... So their unhappiness and displeasure with life did not go to waste...

How ironic... but that's the way it goes...

Hence, coming back to my entries, I'm pretty glad that I didn't make it... It probably just confirms that I'm NORMAL and I don't have such great displeasures to express in my work...

Heheh... I only know how to create nice and pleasant looking photographs... I'll probably continue to do so still... :)

Annapurna Base Camp

Way to ABC
I still can remember that morning on 30th Nov 2000... Woke up early at Machapuchare Base Camp (MBC)... Had a breathless night as the air was very thin at about 3700m in the mountains... Took our breakfast at the MBC inn... Set off to Annapurna Base Camp at 4130 metres...

I still can remember how happy I was... It wasn't the usual 'happy' happy... It was happiness right into my soul... It was a tiring climb... having spent 5 days up in the high mountains... but I was elated... elated from the fact that I am fortunate and priviledged enough to be near the roof of the world...

I still can remember how quiet and peaceful the mountain was... absolutely quiet... only the dragging sound of our tired feet and our deep breathing sounds could be heard... It was TRANQUILITY... I felt tranquility AROUND me... I felt tranquility WITHIN me... My soul felt free.. My soul felt at ease... I almost felt that I belonged there... I was with the mountains... In the arms of the majestic mountains...

I still can remember that I teared in the mountains... Teared because I felt grateful... Grateful for the fine weather... Grateful for reaching there safely... Grateful for having the chance to be in the mountains... Grateful for being able to see and feel the mountains...

I still can remember how reluctant I was when it was time to head back down to MBC... reluctant to part with the peace... reluctant to return to the chaotic world below...

I still can remember how much insights I have realised on my journey... How minute humans are... How immaterial are many of the material pursuits we chase after in our society... How vulnerable humans are at the mercy of the great forces of nature... How humble I felt and should continue feeling when I realised that Mother Nature could just shut me off the mountains by changing the weather pattern suddenly... How immature humans are capable of becoming by getting into conflicts over greed, ego and self-centeredness...

The mountains are capable of stripping off all complexities in Life and expose the absolute simplicity of our souls... I've come to realise that the needs of our souls will never be completely quenched simply because we are constantly feeding our souls with 'nourishments' that we do not need in our daily lives... It's perhaps another paradox that I could add to my list...

When faced with inexplicable meaninglessness over status, expectations and uncertainties, I sometimes wish that I could again embark on another pilgrimage into the heart of the mountains...

How Many Apostles Left???

On 3rd July 2005 (Sunday), the 2nd stack from the right collapsed...

Yes... the 12 Apostles along the Great Ocean Road at Down Under no longer have 12 limestone stacks... But then again, it didn't start off with 12 anyway... There were only 9 outcroppings when it was first named the 12 Apostles... Duh... why then did they name it as such???

I took this shot in 2001... seems like I have something special for keeps now that one of them has collapsed...

20 million years of natural architecture gone down into the ocean...

The very same force that created it, destroyed it too...

That's life, in general, too, isn't it?

Bondi Junction Guitarist

His name, I've forgotten... He's a basker in Sydney's Bondi Junction... Wonderful classical guitarist with great skills and showmanship.

What I'm impressed about Australia's baskers is that they are professionals in their own rights... Unlike the baskers we see here in S'pore, these Aussies take their basking very seriosly...

Take this guitarist for example... He didn't just sit there and play his guitar... He set up an amplifier, complete with amplifier stand and a little coffee table where he placed his home-made CDs for sale... Furthermore, the guitar he played wasn't the normal acoustic 6-string guitar... He's a 7-string guitarist!!! As far as I know (and I do know quite a fair bit from my 14 years of guitar playing), there aren't many guitarists in the world who could master a 7-string guitar... This guy here isn't any ordinary guitarist!!!

I was mesmerised by his music and after dazing around listening to him play for a while, I took out my camera and took shots of him... He wasn't put off by my photographing him... in fact, he even offered to give me his CD for free for taking photographs of him... (On hindsight, it must be my pro looking gears that made some Aussies think that I'm some kind of pro... kekekek)

Anyway, I've longed to be photographed while I play my guitar too... But I've yet to find a photographer who finds me photogenic enough to be even interested in shooting me playing my guitar... So till that happens, I'll continue to enjoy shooting guitarists...

NDP 2005

Yeah!!! My Sis managed to get me a ticket for the 2005 National Day Parade at the Padang...

She's bringing some of her beneficiaries for the event, and she requested for an additional ticket for me... That's what Sis are for... ; )

Been shooting fireworks from outside the NDP... this time I finally have the chance to capture some actions within the parade...

The last time I was in an NDP was back in 1988... My secondary school sent the entire level (11 classes) for the NDP to form part of the massive FLASHCARD Display... I still remember how our butts ached like mad from the long hours of sitting and flashing of the huge cards... But it was great fun and the atmosphere was unforgettable... Never thought I'd return for another one cos' no queue no tickets...

Anyway, I'll be bringing in my 70-200mm lens for the long shots (dun think it'll be long enough anyway for the far far away actions)... as well as my wide 17-40mm L lens to cover the wide angle shots... Will also keep my 135mm L handy to shoot portraits of patriotic Singaporeans...

The above is a shot of last year's NDP at the National Stadium... wonder how I should shoot the fireworks from inside the parade... Hmmmmm....

Simple Paradox...

Since my previous post about the race to fire up our blog, Bio Armor Craze has glamourised his and has proven that alien language like HTML codes are no hindrance to his drive for excellence... Kudus to his efforts : )

I've since scoured many blogs too... but I came to a certain conclusion and insight during this process...

That sometimes, in Life, there's beauty in simplicity...

And that brings me to some realisation that's been accumulating in my mind for quite a while... Life's littered with paradoxes... Big and small...

Here's some of them...

(i) That it's a struggle to remain simple in this complex (and perhaps crazy) world... (Just ask a Microsoft software engineer how many thousand lines of programme he has to write just so that a simple operation looks effortless)

(ii) That some people can live behind veils just so that others will continue to seem to be right,

(iii) That we can sometimes achieve more by doing less (go find out about the NASA gravity defying pen fluid vs the Russian pencil)

(iv) That parents are working their butts off working to sustain a quality lifestyle for the sake of their kids, when at the same time, can't spend quality time with their family,

(v) That sometimes the best help that we can ever offer is NO HELP... (just refer to story about the butterfly struggling to break out of its cocoon)...

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And what has these realisations got to do with the race to create the most stunning blog?

Well, I've decided to keep my Blog simple... Will try to be a bit more Zen about it... Would rather let my entries do the talking than the visuals... It's more ME, cos' that's the way I am too... Nothing fanciful... Why be someone I am not? Why do some things that I don't believe in?