Sembawang Beach (Sunrise)_22 April 2011

Sunset at MacRitchie Reservoir_21 April 2011

Sunset shoot with Shoot Buddy Kuai after work.

“There is one spectacle grander than the sea, that is the sky; there is one spectacle grander than the sky, that is the interior of the soul.”

Victor Hugo (1802-1885);

poet, novelist, playwright

Photography:

Tanjiong Pagar Railway Station, Singapore

Enjoy life NOW .. it has an expiration date

THE SITUATION 
In Washington , DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.

About 4 minutes later: 

The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk. 


At 6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.


At 10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.


At 45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.


After 1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.



No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theatre in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.


 

This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. 

This experiment raised several questions: 



*In a common place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? 


*If so, do we stop to appreciate it? 


*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context? 



One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made . . .

How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?



Enjoy life NOW... it has an expiration date

Source: http://www.interestingemails.com/perception/

Jim's Reflection:

• This is a very interesting experiment. Very true reflection of what is happening around us everyday. We are all so busy with our daily schedules that we don’t really stop, pause and enjoy what we already have in the present.

• Very often we tell ourselves, let me complete what I have to do first. Let me earn all the $ now and I will enjoy life later. Well, practical and true sometimes but don’t overdo it. Sometimes when we rush through life, we will miss a lot of important and wonderful things along the way. All of us are very busy with work. Many are doing work they don't like because they want to earn lots of $ to buy things they don't need, so that they can impress people who doesn't really care! Slow down...The definition of success is not about the man with the most money! It's about a life well lived. Enjoy the beauty around us once in a while. We are moving a bit too quickly...Slow down....

• Be aware of your priorities and make sure your “means to an end” don’t become “an end” in itself. Hmmm…let me rephrase that. Why do we work so hard? Why do we want to succeed? Often, our greatest, desire is to provide for and contribute to our family, to deliver security and comfort. If working hard is your “means” to provide a better life for your family, then make sure you remember that whatever you do is for your family. Don’t let your work (or earning lots of $) be your obsession (becoming an end itself) and forget about why or who you do it for. Very often people say that their family and relationships are important to them, but their actions don’t really match that values or actions.

Football on a floating village

This film is based on a true story. In 1986 a football team that lived on a little island in the south of Thailand called "Koh Panyee". It's a floating village in the middle of the sea that has not an inch of soil. The kids here loved to watch football but had nowhere to play or practice. But they didn't let that stop them. They challenged the norm and have become a great inspiration for new generations on the island. Enjoy the video clip.

Jim's Reflection:

• Don't let others tell you that you cannot make it. Believe in yourself! Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings. (like this example in the video)

• Anything is possible if we dare to dream and be creative about it. Having PASSION and FUN is key!

• Besides dreaming, take action and make it happen. Dreams don't work unless you do. You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. If these kids only have a dream and did not take action, nothing will happen! The first two letters in the word GOAL are G-O!

Sunrise at MBS_April 16

To not grow old

I was reading a story about an 87-year-old woman attending college who gave this speech to her young classmates. Whether the story is true or not, I do not know. But the words are true.

“We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success: You have to laugh and find humour every day.

You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it!

There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are 19 years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn 20 years old. If I am 87 years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn 88. Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change.

Have no regrets. The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what they did, but rather for things they did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.”

These words touched my heart.
They remind me about growing year by year.
They remind me about finding opportunity in change.
They remind me about living.

I hope you also find meaning in them.

Source: http://www.ps21.gov.sg/challenge/a_line/200408.html
Written by: Lim Siong Guan Former Head, Civil Service

p/s:
I think this story is about ROSE. Take a look at this link if you want to find out more...
http://www.turnbacktogod.com/story-i-am-rose-87-years-old/