The World Thru Autumn Leaf's Eyes

Why Attitude Is More Important Than IQ

2020-06-25T15:47:00.000+08:00

Here's a great article to share with everyone.....

When it comes to success, it’s easy to think that people blessed with brains are inevitably going to leave the rest of us in the dust. But new research from Stanford University will change your mind (and your attitude).

Psychologist Carol Dweck has spent her entire career studying attitude and performance, and her latest study shows that your attitude is a better predictor of your success than your IQ. Dweck found that people’s core attitudes fall into one of two categories: a fixed mindset or a growth mindset.

With a fixed mindset, you believe you are who you are and you cannot change. This creates problems when you’re challenged because anything that appears to be more than you can handle is bound to make you feel hopeless and overwhelmed. People with a growth mindset believe that they can improve with effort. They outperform those with a fixed mindset, even when they have a lower IQ, because they embrace challenges, treating them as opportunities to learn something new.

Common sense would suggest that having ability, like being smart, inspires confidence. It does, but only while the going is easy. The deciding factor in life is how you handle setbacks and challenges. People with a growth mindset welcome setbacks with open arms.

According to Dweck, success in life is all about how you deal with failure. She describes the approach to failure of people with the growth mindset this way,

“Failure is information—we label it failure, but it’s more like, ‘This didn’t work, and I’m a problem solver, so I’ll try something else.’”

Regardless of which side of the chart you fall on, you can make changes and develop a growth mindset. What follows are some strategies that will fine-tune your mindset and help you make certain it’s as growth oriented as possible.

Don’t stay helpless. We all hit moments when we feel helpless. The test is how we react to that feeling. We can either learn from it and move forward or let it drag us down. There are countless successful people who would have never made it if they had succumbed to feelings of helplessness: Walt Disney was fired from the Kansas City Star because he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas,” Oprah Winfrey was fired from her job as a TV anchor in Baltimore for being “too emotionally invested in her stories,” Henry Ford had two failed car companies prior to succeeding with Ford, and Steven Spielberg was rejected by USC’s Cinematic Arts School multiple times. Imagine what would have happened if any of these people had a fixed mindset. They would have succumbed to the rejection and given up hope. People with a growth mindset don’t feel helpless because they know that in order to be successful, you need to be willing to fail hard and then bounce right back.

Be passionate. Empowered people pursue their passions relentlessly. There’s always going to be someone who’s more naturally talented than you are, but what you lack in talent, you can make up for in passion. Empowered people’s passion is what drives their unrelenting pursuit of excellence. Warren Buffet recommends finding your truest passions using, what he calls, the 5/25 technique: Write down the 25 things that you care about the most. Then, cross out the bottom 20. The remaining 5 are your true passions. Everything else is merely a distraction.

Take action. It’s not that people with a growth mindset are able to overcome their fears because they are braver than the rest of us; it’s just that they know fear and anxiety are paralyzing emotions and that the best way to overcome this paralysis is to take action. People with a growth mindset are empowered, and empowered people know that there’s no such thing as a truly perfect moment to move forward. So why wait for one? Taking action turns all your worry and concern about failure into positive, focused energy.

Then go the extra mile (or two). Empowered people give it their all, even on their worst days. They’re always pushing themselves to go the extra mile. One of Bruce Lee’s pupils ran three miles every day with him. One day, they were about to hit the three-mile mark when Bruce said, “Let’s do two more.” His pupil was tired and said, “I’ll die if I run two more.” Bruce’s response? “Then do it.” His pupil became so angry that he finished the full five miles. Exhausted and furious, he confronted Bruce about his comment, and Bruce explained it this way: “Quit and you might as well be dead. If you always put limits on what you can do, physical or anything else, it’ll spread over into the rest of your life. It’ll spread into your work, into your morality, into your entire being. There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there; you must go beyond them. If it kills you, it kills you. A man must constantly exceed his level.”

If you aren’t getting a little bit better each day, then you’re most likely getting a little worse—and what kind of life is that?

Expect results. People with a growth mindset know that they’re going to fail from time to time, but they never let that keep them from expecting results. Expecting results keeps you motivated and feeds the cycle of empowerment. After all, if you don’t think you’re going to succeed, then why bother?

Be flexible. Everyone encounters unanticipated adversity. People with an empowered, growth-oriented mindset embrace adversity as a means for improvement, as opposed to something that holds them back. When an unexpected situation challenges an empowered person, they flex until they get results.

Don't complain when things don't go your way. Complaining is an obvious sign of a fixed mindset. A growth mindset looks for opportunity in everything, so there’s no room for complaints.

Bringing It All Together
By keeping track of how you respond to the little things, you can work every day to keep yourself on the right side of the chart above.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dr. Travis Bradberry is the award-winning co-author of the #1 bestselling book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0, and the cofounder of TalentSmart, the world's leading provider of emotional intelligence tests and training, serving more than 75% of Fortune 500 companies. His bestselling books have been translated into 25 languages and are available in more than 150 countries. Dr. Bradberry has written for, or been covered by, Newsweek, TIME, BusinessWeek, Fortune, Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Harvard Business Review.

“Failure is information—we label it failure, but it’s more like, ‘This didn’t work, and I’m a problem solver, so I’ll try something else.’”

Life philosophies worth learning from..

2019-03-26T15:47:00.001+08:00

This article "My life philosophy: 50 lessons from 50 years" appeared on my RSS feed today.

The author shared a lots of good life principles, and I found many of them aligning to my own, or those that I love to adopt.

Here are my top 10 favourites life principles:

Self-care comes first. If you're not healthy, it's tough to be happy. Before you can take care of your friends and your family, you need to take care of yourself. Eat well. Exercise. Nurture your mind, body, and spirit. Your body is a temple; treat it like one. If you don't have your health, you've got nothing.
You get what you give. Your outer life is a reflection of your inner life. If you think the world is a shitty place, the world is going to be a shitty place. If you think people are out to get you, people will be out to get you. But if you believe people are basically good, you'll find that this is true wherever you go.
Be impeccable with your word. Be honest — with yourself and others. If you promise to do something, do it. When somebody asks you a question, tell the truth. Practice what you preach. Avoid gossip.
Don't take things personally. When people criticize you and your actions, it's not about you— it's about them. They can't know what it's like to be you and live your life. When you take things personally, you're allowing others to control your life and your happiness. Heed the Arab proverb: “The dogs bark but the caravan moves on.”
Don't make assumptions. The flip side of not taking things personally is to not assume you know what's going on in other people's heads. Don't assume you know the motivations for their actions. Just as their reality doesn't reflect your reality, your life is not theirs. Give people the benefit of the doubt.
Always do your best. Your best varies from moment to moment. Some days in the gym, for instance, I'm able to lift heavier weights than on other days. Some days I can run faster than usual; some days, I'm slower. That's okay. What matters most is that I give my best effort every time. No matter what you do, do it as well as you can. This is one of the keys to success and happiness.
Action cures fear. Thought creates fear; action cures it. What we're actually afraid of is the unknown. We like certainty, and choosing to do something with an uncertain outcome makes us nervous. Taking the first step can be scary, but each additional step becomes easier and easier. When you act, you remove the mystery. Action creates confidence. It creates motivation. (Most people think motivation comes before action. They're wrong. Action leads to motivation.)
You're more likely to regret the things you don't do than the things you do. That's not to say you should be an asshole, or that you won't regret making big mistakes. But generally speaking, you're more likely to be sorry that you didn't introduce yourself to the barista at the coffeehouse, didn't go bungee-jumping with your friends, didn't stay in touch with your friends.
Make room for the big rocks first. It's easy to let your time and energy be sucked up by trivial errands and tasks. You find you no longer have space for the things you thought were most important. Don't do that. Always carve out time and attention for those people and activities you value most. If the house doesn't get clean because you were hanging out with a friend, so what? If you didn't mow the lawn because you went to the gym instead, that's a good thing. Tackle the important, then the trivial.
The meaning of life is the meaning you decide to give it. Some people are searchers. They wander through life looking for answers…but rarely find them. Others accept without question what an outside authority tells them is true. I believe that the meaning of life comes from within, from the things that you lean to prioritize and value. Nobody is going to tell you what life should mean to you; you have to decide that for yourself.

To be honest, there are many more good life principles listed in the article by the author, but there is one book that contains even better life principles, that is found in the Book of Proverbs in our bible.

You'll be happier if you focus on efforts and attention only on the things you can control....

2019-03-26T15:30:00.002+08:00

Each of us has a large number of things about which we're concerned: our health, our family, our friends, our jobs; world affairs, the plight of the poor, the threat of terrorism, the current political climate.

Within that Circle of Concern, there is only a smaller subset of things over which we have actual and direct control, such as how much we exercise, what time we go to bed, whether we leave for work on time; what we eat, where we live, with whom we socialise.

You'll be happier and more productive if you dedicate yourself to your Circle of Control and ignore your Circle of Concern.

Excerpts from "My life philosophy: 50 lessons from 50 years"

Consistently is more important than intensity

2019-03-14T14:22:00.000+08:00

Leadership, relationship, love,... this is the most convincing, educating and power sharing I have ever heard.

If you want to know WHY people fall in, and stay in love… listen closely. Simon Sinek Explains The REAL REASON People Fall and STAY In Love!

How to achieve more in life - its time to get SMART!

2019-03-14T14:13:00.003+08:00

We are struggle for time in our busy lives. We are either busy to finish our tasks at work, or we are busy with our family chores. For some, it may be a case of finding enough time to spend time with their love ones, or even finding time to work on their life goals or aspirations.

I constantly find it tough to get all the things I want to do completed. There are "projects" that I have started at home but never finished. I would love to reorganise in my closet or my kitchen pantry but never quite find the time to do it. Then, there is also my career aspiration, my personal bucket lists to tick off, and most importantly, relationship building with the Lord, yes, I am a bible beliving, Christ fellowing Christian.

Time and time again, I will reflect on my life, where I am, how I am currently going, and what am I going to do about stuff that are yet unaccomplished and undone.

I often share something with folks around me, or to those poor souls who happen to unwittedly seek advice from me, we need to be SMART about things!

SMART, or rather the, the acronym - S.M.A.R.T - really stands for:

Specific

Measurable

Achieveable

Result Focus (can also be Relevant)

Time-bound

It is all about asking ourselves these questions:

1. Specific - What am I trying to accomplish? What's my goal, How and why will it be accomplished?

2. Measurable - How will I measure whether I have reached my goal? What are the key indicators?

3. Achievable - Is it possible, is it realistic, has it been done before by others? Am I just a dreamer? Am I ready or capable to do it? Do I have the necessary knowledge, skills, abilities and resources to accomplish the goal? Will meeting the goal challenge me without defeating me?

4. Result Focused - What is the reason, purpose or benefit of accomplishing the goal? Is it personal development or ego? What will reaching the goal brings me and what sacrifices do I have to make?

5. Time bound (Time-boxing) - What is the established completion date? Are there any urgency to complete it, how long do I have to complete it?

Sounds like a business oriented management speak? Perhaps. But perhaps this is a technique that successful people have picked up, that I can learn to utilise in my daily life. Perhaps if I have the discipline to follow this SMART way of doing things. I could achieve much more outcome that I have always wanted or dreamt of doing.

Challenging myself to think differently!

2019-03-14T14:05:00.001+08:00

I often find myself reverting back to my comfort zone or doing something I am customed to the same way, the same method, the same process, everytime. We are taught and trained in schools to "follow the process", to align what we do "according to the best practices". This is not wrong by any measures, but do we sometimes pause to evaluate and think about what we do, and figure out if there are actually better ways of doing things that we are not aware of, or are we too busy to consider what we do and determine if the process needs to change?

How often when things are not working, or when some process is broken, we often try to remediate them by adding more processes, more steps to try to overcome the situation. It's crazy.

This reminds me of a famous quote “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Perhaps we need to pause and think through what we do, we need to constantly evaluate how we do things and if our processes, the methodologies are still relevant, effective and right. We need to challenge ourselves to "think outside the box" and to avoid "group think". We need to have the courage to change, and most importantly, not afraid to learn new things, new ways to do things differently. We need to cast away the mindset that "you can't teach old dogs new tricks", be bold and courageous to try new ways, new methods, new processes. We might even surprise ourselves.

Photo of the day - 22 April

2011-04-22T18:41:00.003+08:00

A photo of leaves from a liquid ambar tree.

The liquid amber tree leaves are very much similar to maple leaves, in terms of palmately lobed shape and fall foliage color. Also, both these trees are adapted in similar growing conditions.

Liquid Ambar (also known as American Sweetgum, Redgum, and sometime also spelt as "Liquid Amber") is a genus of 4 species of deciduous trees in the witchhazel (Hamamelidaceae) family. With a somewhat discrete distribution range, these trees are found in North and Central America, East Asia, and Turkey. These impressive trees produce some of the most spectacular autumn foliage known, and Liquid Ambar styraciflua, in particular, is a breathtaking sight when in full autumn color. The genus name literally means liquid amber, and refers to the resin exuded by the winter buds. Known as storax, the resin is used in perfumery and cosmetics.

The sorry state of Hyde Park

2011-04-22T16:26:00.009+08:00

Before I get 1000 responses saying I am talking rubbish here, I am referring to the Hyde Park in Perth, or more accurately, situated in Leederville, in the city of Vincent. So for all the readers out there, the one I am referring to is not the one in London, Chicago or Sydney. It is right here in my own hometown here in Perth.

After having not been to Hyde Park since end of last year for a wedding shoot, I went there to check it out for a wedding I am shooting tomorrow. Back in my mind, I thought Hyde Park in this current autumn days would yield great imageries. I would get nice soft light peeling through layers of leaves from the maple trees. The golden light in the late afternoon would create a really romantic backdrops for the bridal couple. Ah, heaven!

Much to my surprise and great disappointment, when I surveyed the ground yesterday, the park (or should I say the lake) was in such a state of dismay. Ok, Hyde Park is now off the list of locations I would advice my couples to do their formal portraits until we get lots of rain in Perth, hopefully lots and lots of rain in the winter.

One does wonder why will happen to the water birds that the lakes in the park typically support. There were still patches of water in the once totally filled up lake. The waterbirds (ducks, Ibis, geese, etc) were making do with whatever the little patches of water left. It was indeed a very sorry sight....

Photo of the day - 3rd September

2010-09-03T17:36:00.005+08:00

I am very tempted to call this image "Footprints" or "Footprints in the sand". There are a few of variants of this poem which can easily found on the web. This poem is commonly attributed to Margaret Fishback Powers (who wrote this in 1964). However, it appears that this poem was actually written much early in 1936 by another lady, Mary Stevenson.

Here is Mary Stevenson's version:

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,

“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

Finally, a note of this image... I took this photo at a place called Perry Sandhills near the town of Wentworth in NSW. Perry Sandhills is a vast 400 acres of continuously shifting sand dunes. From the vantage point in which I took the photo one could easily imagine being in a desert. I was also trying to explore minimalism and capturing the wave patterns in the sand in within this landscape.

I hope you this photo as much as I do.

Photo of the day - 20th August

2010-08-20T01:00:00.001+08:00

Bordered by a wide stretch of the Murray River, home to majestic River Red Gums and a fantastic variety of birdlife, Kings Billabong Reserve is an ideal place to discover nature and history within minutes of Mildura.

Local Aboriginal people enjoyed the billabong's rich life-supporting wetland food supply. Shell middens (kitchen hearths), burials and scarred trees indicate a lifestyle celebrated on these banks for centuries.

Kings Billabong took its name from Captain James King, who navigated the Murray River and its tributaries in the late 19th century. The Chaffey Brothers, supported by Alfred Deakin who later became Prime Minister, selected Mildura (originally a sheep station) as a suitable location for Australia's first irrigation settlement. The reserve was logged until the 1950s to supply fuel for steam-powered paddleboats and pumps. There was also cattle grazing, cultivation and dried fruit rack sites in the reserve until 1989.

Photo of the day - 19th August

2010-08-19T14:05:00.008+08:00

I just came to read the following piece of news:

Largest Wind farm to be built in the southern hemisphere

The largest wind farm in the southern hemisphere is to be built in Victoria's southwest. The 140-turbine, $1 billion Macarthur wind farm, which will produce enough energy to power more than 220,000 homes, is slated for completion by early 2013.
...

Wow, 140-turbine wind farm. This is definitely something unheard of in Australia, something I thought would never be accomplished in Australia given the lack of political will to invest substantially into renewable energy.

I thought the Greens will be shouting against this scheme, participating in rallies, holding placards with the mobs against building the wind farms to protect some native plants specimens or some migratory parrots.

Before everybody started accusing me of being a supporter for the climate change camp, let me put this straight. I believe that the world is warming. Whether the warming is caused by purely human activities or but some natural factors, the verdict is still out there. The science is still rather inconclusive. But I believe we all have a part to take care of our environment the best we can. We know that burning fossil fuel is definitely not the way forward for generating our ever increasing energy needs. We need to look at something more sustainable, cleaner and cheaper! Wind energy should definitely be part of the solution.

It is surely good to see that Victoria is getting some meaningful investments into renewable energy. I sure hope my home state of WA will do the same one day. The size of the wind farms in Esperance and Albany are just pitiful but nevertheless encouraging. I do hope that Verve Energy that runs the Albany Windfarm and Horizon Power that runs the Esperance Wind Farms will put up more wind turbines than their 12 and 15 respectively.

Note:The photo above is in fact taken at the Albany Wind farm last year.

Photo of the day - 16th August

2010-08-16T12:55:00.003+08:00

Crossing over the border from Victoria to South Australia, I had to stop at the quarantine roadblock for vehicle inspection. Noticing in the distance field across the road, 5 trees stood in a neat row. I soon parked my car at the roadhouse just beside the quarantine station and crossed the road to snap this.

Photo of the day - 11th August

2010-08-11T11:23:00.003+08:00

It has been more than a year since my last blog post. I have been too busy with both family life and my newly established photography business.

God has been gracious to us and we are truly blessed with things that are both good and bad. A healthy, stable and happy family, and time to enjoy family life and pursue a bit of my passion, what more can I ask?

Well, I am trying to recommit blogging more, perhaps putting up more photos and sharing a bit of my thoughts and latest happenings.

Here a photo to share. This was taken on two Saturdays ago. Woke up on a foggy morning to drop my sister in law to the airport, I saw beautiful scenes all along the highway to and back from the airport. I grabbed my camera and headed down to the river near my house to capture this awesome photo. The sun was just rising above the distant hills, piercing through the thick layer of cloud and fog. Alas, I was a touch too late to capture the purplish hue in the sky when I finally parked my car and got my cameras out of my bag, but nevertheless, a beautiful sight of the rising sun over the bridge still to behold.

Thank you God your for your lovingkindness as it indeed never cease, for Thy compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

Fraser Motorcycles' Ducati Launch Party in Perth

2009-08-18T22:58:00.005+08:00

Fraser Motorcycles is one of the biggest motorcycle retail chain in Australia. They carry some of the biggest motorcycle brands like BMW, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Yamaha and Buell.

Last week, Frasers held a party at the Llama Bar in Subiaco, Perth for the official launch of the Ducati StreetFighter bikes in Perth.

I was hired as the official event photographer by Frasers. Taking along my trusty second shooter friend, Charlene, I also invited another bike-crazy photographer friend, Geoff, to assist me and join us for the shoot.

Here are some of the photos we took at that party:

The excellent Fraser Motorcycles staff

The bike still under the cover
(Photographer: Geoff)

Ian Blackley from the local radio station Mix 94.5 was the MC for the night

(Photographer: Geoff)

(Photographer: Charlene)

..and obviously the media and the press were there too for the event

Here are some of the static display of the a red Ducati and a white one

(Photographer: Geoff)

(Photographer: Charlene)

For all the Perth Ducati bike lovers, you can visit Fraser's Ducati website here.

Love that bokehToo!

2009-05-29T22:43:00.004+08:00

Charlene and I have this friendly competition about shooting the the best bokeh picture. She recently wrote something about our friendly competition in her blog post. We were scouting the Caversham house compound for an upcoming wedding shoot when we spotted this beautiful, well lit vine with gorgeous red leaves. You know, I have this thing about autumn leaves. I am crazy about the bright red, yellow, orange and brown colours in the leaves during autumn. I just love the beauty of this particular season. This is also why I create this nickname "autumnleaf" for myself, and named my photography business Autumnleaf Photography.

Each year, I would attempt to snap a few photos of some autumn leaves. Here are some of the ones that I have done over the years:

2009:

2008:

2007:

Charlene has some really beautiful autumnleaf images with great bokeh. Do visit her blog site to see for yourself.

The Cape Le Grand National Park - An Amazing Experience

2009-04-23T16:59:00.005+08:00

I recently took a trip down to the Southern Coast of Western Australia for a week after the Easter break with my family and some friends. We basically stayed around two the town of Albany and Esperance.

The highlight of the trip was the half-day trip to the Cape Le Grand National Park. The National Park is located 50 kilometres south east of Esperance. It is named after Le Grand, an officer of the L'Esperance, one of the ships in a French expedition commanded by Admiral D'Entrecasteaux in 1792.

This national park is pristine and is known for its stunning scenery and idyllic white sandy beaches.

Due to time constraint, we were restricted in the number of areas in the park we could visit. We arrived first at Lucky Bay, then proceeded to Thistle Cove after spending a couple of hours beach walking (and photo taking - on my part) and letting the children in our mist play on the white sandy beach. We had a quick look around the Le Grand Bay before heading back to Esperance.

Though the time we spent in the park was relative short, it definitely left a great impression on me. We witnessed the beautiful vast landscape, the tall Frenchmen peak (one can actually track all the way to the top of the peak) and enjoyed the clean, white sandy beach and clear blue waters on the bays. This is one place I would rate as one of my favourite holiday and sightseeing spots in Western Australia.

In the coming days, I hope to share some of the beauties of the park with you. I also hope that you will also be able to witness its beauty personally as my photos will definitely do it no justice.

Some images of the Thistle Cove

A tribute to Ansel Adams and Earth Day

2009-04-23T10:40:00.004+08:00

I didn't realise that April 22nd is both the Earth Day and the 25th years to the day of Ansel Adams death until a Flickr user told me this.

I have always admired the works of Ansel Adams. Adams was one of the greatest landscape photographer in the world. His works have influenced many photographers around the world even till today. He inspired me to wanting to draw a similar experience like his; travelling to the beautiful country side to admire and to capture the beautiful landscapes God has so graciously given to us. Fittingly the passion for the beautiful landscapes also remind us that we human must strive to protect our Earth, our only planet, the home to all of us. It is also to my amazement that Earth Day happens to be on the day of the passing of Adams.

My tribute to Adams is a photo I have taken recently at the Cape Le Grand National Park near the town of Esperance in Western Australia. The photo was taken at a place called the "Thistle Cove" in that national park.

Cape Le Grand is a national park in Western Australia, 631km south-east of Perth and 56km east of Esperance. The park covers an area of 318 km² at Coordinates: 33°56′49″S 122°09′20″E / 33.94694°S 122.15556°E / -33.94694; 122.15556

Established in 1966, the park is managed by the Department of Environment and Conservation.

The largely granite shoreline and white sand beaches is a picturesque feature of the area. The park is a used for fishing, off-roading, tourism, and hiking.

Beaches within the Park include those at Lucky Bay, Rossiter Bay, Hellfire Bay, Le Grande Beach and Thistle Cove.

Information: From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Le_Grand_National_Park)

One can still view or even buy Ansel Adams works through a website run by his family. The web address is: http://www.anseladams.com/

Finally, I wish everybody a Happy Earth Day. Let us all do our little part to save our planet.

Beautiful Butterflies at Changi Airport

2009-03-21T00:23:00.004+09:00

Singapore Changi Airport has many unqiue features. One of which being having a Butterfly Garden inside the airport. Claimed to be the world first, it is rather special to be able to unwind or kill some time in this garden. Although the garden is rather small (in fact some may not even call it a garden as it has some potted plants and a small man made waterfall), to be able to see the butterflies up close, or even letting some come to rest on your shoulder or fingers are indeed a unique and wonderful experience. The Butterfly garden is located at the Terminal 3.

I had the opportunity to spend some time at the Changi Airport earlier this year while transitting through Singapore. Here are some of the photos that I took.

Some random thoughts on Christmas 2008

2008-12-31T02:28:00.000+09:00

Christmas day has just passed. People around the world would have seen this day in different lights. Christmas often means different things to different people. Some people celebrate Christmas purely a holiday season, some people like to spend their time with their love ones while others celebrate this day as a religious day.

Being different from many other Christians, I do not celebrate Christmas as the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible never stated that Christ was born on Christmas day. Far from it, the Bible indicated that it could not have been on Christmas day. Some historians reckon that Christ was probably born sometime between March, April or May. Without going too deeply into discussion this, I would simply like to point out that the Bible emphasised on Christ's death and resurrection, but never His birth.

But while the world celebrated, it also gave me the opportunity to think about what has become of this world and humanity in general. Christ came to bring us hope and salvation. He also came to teach us about love one another and yet what we see today are wars and rumours of wars. What we constantly witness on news and current affairs are often filled with reports of crimes, misdemeanors and misadventures. Human morality and humanity have sunk to all time low. I think we have truly disappointed our Lord Jesus. His teachings were utterly forgotten and abandoned.

Christmas is a good time to reflect what we have done throughout the year. Perhaps part of Christmas is truly to share some precious moments with our love ones, to right some wrongs, to ask for forgiveness and to set new course of direction in our lives.

Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain, as usual, delivered her message to the people of Britain and the Commonwealth during this Christmas.

One part of her message gelled with my thoughts:

The Queen said of the current financial crisis and what is happening around the globe, "in such times as these we can all learn some lessons from the past. We might begin to see things in a new perspective and certainly we being to ask ourselves we it is that we can find lasting happiness. Over the years those who have have seemed to me to be the most happy, contented and fulfilled have always been the people who have lived the most outgoing and unselfish lives. The kind of people who are generous with their talents or their times."

Strangely enough, the President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also delivered an alternate message to rival Queen Elizabeth II's annual address. It is easy to dismiss his message altogether, but interestingly I have found some small truth (yes, some, but not a lot) in his message, the part where he mentioned what Christ would like us to do - to love one another, to take care rather than to oppress the less fortunate.

This year has been an interesting year. As the financial crisis deepens, the world spirals into more conflicts in the middle east, South Asia between India and Pakistan, the ongoing conflict and violence in Afghanistan, I truly hope and pray that we Christian would step up and live a life that is different from the world. We must show God's love to other. We must go forth and be the light and the salt of this world. Let us pray that we will be found worthy of God's use for His work in 2009 and beyond till Jesus returns.

May you have a blessed New Year and a fruitful 2009.

The World of Macro Photography on Bugs

2008-11-11T14:04:00.006+09:00

Russell Falls - the highlight of my recent trip to Tasmania

2008-11-04T19:13:00.000+09:00

Russell Falls is one of Tasmania’s most treasured places. Located in Mt Field National Park, it can be reached by following a path from the Mt Field National Park Visitor centre. The walk path will take you through a mixed forest comprising towering swamp gums, the tallest flowering plant on Earth, and species typical of wet forests and cool temperate rainforests, such as dogwood, musk and myrtle. Towards the falls, the track is framed by stunning tall tree ferns. The falls themselves are impossibly picturesque.

I always love being in the nature, being able to witness the beauty of God's handiwork and at the same time find the peace and quiet that nature offers. I was able to take some time off last July and I took my family to Tasmania for a week of relaxation. Tasmania is well known for its nature beauty and I have heard too many praises from past visitors and thus I was eager to see it for myself.

Russell Falls are simply breath-taking. They may not be famous like the Niagara Falls but nevertheless they are just as beautiful and one of the better known waterfalls in Tasmania. Recently the Australia Post has issued a waterfall series of stamps and stationary and the Russell Falls were one of the featured waterfalls.

It was certainly rewarding for me to be able to witness the beauty and to immerse myself in the surrounding of the falls. I could stay at the falls whole day had it not been the fact that I was with my family and the sky wasn't exactly that bright that day. Having only arrived at the Falls in the afternoon, we were only able to stay for some half an hour before having to make the journey back.

Nevertheless, the short visit to this beautiful place yielded me some great images that I will always treasure and look upon with smiles and fond memories.

Having just witnessed the Russell Falls, I was thirsting for more. The Horseshoe Falls were just some 100 metres upstream from the Russell Falls. Naturally, I couldn't leave that place without giving them a visit. Unfortunately, the short path from Russell Falls to the Horseshoe Falls was closed for repair. I ended up having to drive a few kilometers deeper into the National Park and walked some over 1 km to the Falls. The reward was great as I was yet again treated with some magnificent scene to behold.

It was an awesome feeling to witness such beautiful work of the Lord. As the sky was growing dark, I hurried back to my car to meet up with my family. You see, I was alone all this while as I figured that it would be must faster for me to "mini jog" my way to the waterfalls site alone with a camera and a tripod... not the smartest thing to do I know. Looking back, I should not have attempted such silly "feat" as I would be in a bad situation had I met an accident or some unfortunate circumstances (which I shall elaborate no more). I think sometimes photographers do silly things and take unnecessary risks in an attempt to capture the "wow" shots.

That beside, these places left a deep and sweet memory for me. I would love to go back there sometime soon and attempt to capture more beautiful pictures.

Lamentation of a A NAS sufferer

2008-10-29T20:51:00.006+09:00

Once again, this poem never stopped me from smiling, or should I say, very lamenting.

The NAS Sufferer's Tragic Lament

Oh, how I wish I’d never gone
Into a shop that stocked Nikon.
I could have simply walked on past
The shiny bodies and the glass.

I should have spent my cash on booze
Or bought my wife some fancy shoes,
Or gone to any other store
Instead of walking through that door.

And even once I’d gone inside
My fate remained mine to decide.
I could have chosen something cute –
Perhaps a Canon point-and-shoot?

But, like a moth towards a flame
I walked straight past the other names.
The Nikon salesman looked at me
And rubbed his hands with overt glee.

“A camera, sir? You bet your ---!”
And that was how it came to pass
That in a minute, maybe less,
I owned a new D70s.

I captured everything that moved,
I exponentially improved.
My work would hang in the Smithsonian!
But then I stumbled on Nikonians…

And suddenly I knew the truth,
Was faced with concrete, graphic proof.
My pictures sucked! My gear was tragic!
I had no talent, much less magic.

And so I read and read some more
And soon became a crashing bore --
An uninvited tip dispenser
On depth of field and full-frame sensors.

But, to my shame, my main reaction
Was chronic gear dissatisfaction.
Woe is me, alack, alas –
I had a fatal case of NAS!

I had to have the very best
There was no way I’d accept less
And so I spent and spent some more
On lenses, bodies, gear galore.

It had to end, that crazy spree,
And did when my bank called on me.
The heartless swine, I'm sure he laughed
As he shut down my overdraft.

My credit cards went in the garbage
They threatened to foreclose my mortgage
My B&H account went too,
Along with my (now) ex-wife Sue.

So let my tale serve as a caution
To stay away from Ebay auctions.
Don’t rush out and buy the new
Just because you’re NAS-struck too.

And what of me, your tragic scribe?
How have I managed to survive?
I’m well, no really, it’s true, I’m free!
But I REALLY want that new D3…

Source: Unknown... would love to discover who the original author was.

More beautiful tulips from the Araluen Botanic Park

2008-09-15T22:09:00.003+08:00

Spring in Araluen Botanic Park

2008-09-13T22:52:00.004+08:00

Spring in Perth brings new sunshine and gentle cool breezes. It is also when flowers begin to blossom. Hearing the news that the wonderful Araluen Botanic Park is having financial and council problems, and that it may have to shut down next year, my family and I decided to go with a few friends to visit this wonderful park before it disappears like the many other tourist attractions we used to have in Perth.

This post is the beginning of a series of posts I will put up to showcase the wonderful flowers and settings in the park. Deep down I hope and pray that this wonderful park will continue to survive and to give us opportunities to enjoy its beauty and the beauty of the flowers therein.

Araluen Bontanic Park is well known for its Tulips collection. Every spring, the garden will inevitably be dressed by an array of colourful tulips from around the world. It is therefore, fitting, to present some of these wonderful flowers for all to share.

The Tulip (Poem by Ernestine Northover)

Tossing turban style contours, with an aloofness as one passes by,
Utilizing every charm it possesses, under a lupin blue cloudless sky,
Like a guardsman, gallantly standing, holding up his noble head high,
In rainbow colours, brilliant and stately, a vision to surely yield a sigh,
Ponder thus upon the regal tulip, it has pure beauty, you cannot deny.

Clean as a lady
cool as glass
fresh without
fragance
the tulip was.
(Poem By Humbert Wolfe 1924)

Taking Pictures of Children

2008-06-11T00:51:00.005+08:00

Children make great subjects to a portrait photographer like myself. Children are often fun to photograph as they have myriad expressions, emotions and energy. They have the ability to live in the moment, to laugh and to play. However, on the flip side, they do sometimes have short attention spans and can be uncooperative and cranky. It is thus important to understand how to work with them, coax, tease and even engage in some sort of play (eg. "peek-a-poo" or "hide and seek") with them to help facilitate a relaxing environment in order for them to let go and express their natural selves. The photographer will then be able to make most of the capturing of those unexpected fleeting moments and priceless memories that the children so often bring.

Here are some of the images of children I have recently captured. Most of these photos were captured at events like weddings and family picnics.