Happy Belated Birthday, Singapore!!

National Day long weekend over liao ... But no time to post ...

Have some laughs ... Wahahaha =)

Everybody Loves Flood Tai-Chi!!

The Great Singapore Flood

The Great Singapore Sale Flood ... A song to remember it

Give Me A Road

Project 路 (ROAD)

生命中有多少次我们能帮助另一条生命

The idea behind these project I do is not about photography but rather in helping the people. Knowing that we don't just take photos of the poor but to provide help to the needy. I don't do this for myself but for them and to think on behalf of them. Photography is my daily work and I hope to use some of my time in helping people and doing something meaningful.

Guys I would appreciate if we know the purpose and keep our focus. We don't just show the pictures we bring back but to go back to continue the work we have just started. I give you (my friends) my support and may we continue to contribute back to humanity.

Recently a photographer friend took a picture of a poor boy sitting by the roadside that looks sad and lost, I saw the photo and send him a massage saying "did you give something for him to eat after you have took that photo?" His reply was sorry he didn't have the chance to do it due to some situation. I guess he know what I am saying and will know what to do in the future. At the end of the day... what's more important is not about the photo... it's what we do with that image.

I will keep everyone posted for the up coming events of project ROAD. And also to inform you to see how you could play a part in this meaningful project. Updates at www.alexsohphotography.wordpress.com, on my facebook and on project road facebook. Looking forward to your support.

Cheers

Alex

For friends who would like to support and help the people in Cham Resh, please leave your contact with us at chuamel@gmail.com / one@alexsohphotography.com

Playing It Safe

A young reporter wanted to get a feel for agriculture, so he called upon a farmer and said, "How's your wheat coming along?"

The farmer replied, "I didn't plant any."

"Really?" asked the reporter. "I thought this was supposed to be wheat country."

"Some say it is," came the reply. "But I was afraid we might not see enough rain this year."

"Well, what about your corn. How is it doing?" the young man inquired.

"Didn't plant corn this year. I was afraid of corn blight."

"Alfalfa?"

"Nope. Afraid the price might drop."

"Well, then," asked the reporter, "what did you plant?"

"Nothin'," the farmer said. "I just played it safe."

Here is a couple who REALLY played it safe:

The bride, white of hair, is stooped over her cane,

Her footsteps - uncertain - need guiding,

While down the opposite church aisle

With a wan, toothless smile

The bridegroom in wheelchair comes riding.

Now who is this elderly couple, thus wed?

Well, you'll find when you've closely explored it

That here is that rare,

Most conservative pair

Who waited 'til they could afford it!

Do you like playing it safe? If so, I found a Web site you just might love: Dull Men's Club. No excitement there. You'll never have to leave your comfort zone. The Dull Men's Club, found at http://www.dullmensclub.com, is a place in cyberspace for guys who feel "born to be mild" and enjoy adventure of such activities as watching grass grow and paint dry. I think dull women will like it, too.

But, as most of you know, some of best things in life can only be found after we cast aside a bit of caution. I learned that lesson playing baseball as a child. Ninety feet never seems so long as when you're trying to steal second base. And more than once I was thrown out trying to steal, but what a feeling those times I slid in safely. Joy. Exhilaration. The downside was worth it.

There is a life lesson here: you can't steal second base unless you run away from first. In some things, it is all or nothing. Run flat out or stay back, for there is no changing your mind.

Sometimes it takes courage to do what you've never done and go where you've never been. It's like stealing second base - whatever huge decision looms before you, your best solution will likely be made from the side of courage, rather than fear.

If you have any regrets 20 or 30 years from now, what will they be about? I don't think mine will be about the things I did. I think they will be more about the things I could have done, but was afraid to try. Those times I was afraid to take a chance because I might be rejected or thought to be silly. Those times I was afraid to do something new - make a change - because I was afraid I might fail.

Canadian Claude Thomas Bissell is credited with saying something profound about living life fully. He said,

"Risk more than others think is safe.

Care more than others think is wise.

Dream more than others think is practical.

Expect more than others think is possible."

You can't always play it safe if you want to LIVE.

-- Steve Goodier

A Rainy Afternoon

After the rain ... Raindrops on the window

Ten sentences that took me ten minutes to read

Pardon me, this is in Chinese ....
----------------------------------------------------



只有十句话，我却看了十分钟 ...


第一句

如果我们之间有1000步的距离
你只要跨出第1步
我就会朝你的方向走其余的999步


第二句

通常愿意留下来跟你争吵的人
才是真正爱你的人


第三句

付出真心　才会得到真心
却也可能伤得彻底
保持距离　就能保护自己
却也注定永远寂寞


第四句

有时候　不是对方不在乎你
而是你把对方看得太重


第五句

朋友就是把你看透了　还能喜欢你的人


第六句

就算是believe　中间也藏了一个lie


第七句

真正的好朋友　　
并不是在一起就有聊不完的话题
而是在一起　就算不说话
也不会感到尴尬


第八句

没有一百分的另一半
只有五十分的两个人


第九句

为你的难过而快乐的　是敌人
为你的快乐而快乐的　是朋友
为你的难过而难过的
就是那些　该放进心里的人


第十句

冷漠　有时候并不是无情
只是一种避免被伤害的工具

Universal Studios Singapore, Resorts World Sentosa

It has been ages since we went pak-toring (other than shopping for baby stuff and occassional dining out) ... Chanced upon this promo when surfing net last night ... Hmmm, set me thinking "Why not ...."

So, decided to plan a surprise for my wife ... this morning, told her that tonight will bring her to some new place but didn't say where ... keeps the suspense ... heehee

Guess the place?? ... Universal Studios Singapore !! at Resorts World Sentosa ... finally we are going there after it opened its doors couple of months back

The drive there was uneventful ... heavy traffic as usual on CTE towards AYE, near PIE exit ... upon entering the bridge to Sentosa, keep left and enter the RWS carpark, else have to pay admission fee to Sentosa lor

Looking for a place to park was harder than i thought ... many many cars ... haiz ... eventually parked and had to walk some distance back to get to the escalator up to Universal Studios

Bought the tickets @ $2 each

and we went to check out the Hershey's store, near the entrance ... You won't miss it ... and next to that is a small store selling popcorn ... wow, long Q (must be good lor, typical Singaporean style, see got Q, must join in ... lol)

Tasted the different flavours first (can try one, good ah) and then decided to get a small pack of cashew caramel crisp popcorn ... guess the price!! woo hoo ....

Alright! Time to go in ....

This is the start of Hollywood street




A few of the shops selling stuff and makan ...

even got a cinema "Pantages" which was screening "Shrek 2" tonight ... tickets are only $3 each

and we met Shrek and Fiona "LIVE" !! Wow ...



Here they are walking past Eunice :)

My wife and daughter ... They are the best and greatest!!

Took a photo of my new ride :P ... lol

And rested our tired legs, to wait for the fireworks show to start ....

But then, 8pm came and went, still no fireworks?!?
Asked around and the staff says there isn't any fireworks show at all leh ...

Hmmm, sure bo? We tot everyday got fireworks (machiam Disneyland), both of us also blur blur ... lol

Took some more photos (till camera bo battery liao, oops, forgot to charge full) and then, time to go back home!!

A long walk back to the car .....

Till then, next time perhaps .....

Tweaks and Themes

One of the things i like to do every now and then is to play around with tweaks and themes, be it OS desktop or mobile phone.

But somehow never got around to designing and coding one of my own .... hmmm .... maybe next time will do one ... heehee

Here's my current desktop, which i am quite happy with at the moment ... it is using Rainmeter as the customization engine.

Credit goes to Lightning at Sunset and Customize Your Own Killer "Enigma" Desktop

Love and Time

Writer Gary Jennings said this: "Love and time, those are the only two things in all the world and all of life, that cannot be bought, but only spent."

I love that. And HOW I spend my love and time is what it is all about.

My work and interests require me to spend probably an inordinate amount of time in front of my computer. At least according to my wife Bev.

She and I were talking one day about death and funerals and what to do with each other's remains. I asked. "What will you do with my body? Burial? Cremation?"

She answered, "I think I'll just have you stuffed and propped up in your chair by the computer. That way when I walk through the room I won't even notice that you're gone."

I got the point - too much computer time. And how I spend my time and my love is all important.

The question I ask myself is this: "Do I generously and freely give love and time away - and especially to those closest to me?"

Charles Francis Adams was the United States ambassador to Great Britain during the Lincoln administration. He had the habit of keeping a daily diary. He also taught his son Brooks the value of journaling his activities in a diary.

One memorable day, eight-year-old Brooks recorded, "Went fishing with my father, the most glorious day of my life." It must have been a glorious day, for the next forty years Brooks repeatedly mentioned it in his diary. It became a life-long memory.

His father also wrote about the fishing trip. His own diary on that pivotal day for his son reads, "Went fishing with my son; a day wasted."

He didn't get it. That one single day he generously and freely gave love and time away to Brooks may have been the one of the most important days of his son's life. Did he feel that, as a United States ambassador, his time was too valuable to be "wasted" with his children? History seems to show that a fishing trip with his son paid huge dividends in Brooks' life.

I only hope I will spend love and time so well.

-- Steve Goodier

The Rose

A nice song to relax on a rainy Sunday morning ....

Some say love, it is a river
that drowns the tender reed.
Some say love, it is a razor
that leaves your soul to bleed.
Some say love, it is a hunger,
an endless aching need.
I say love, it is a flower,
and you its only seed.

It's the heart afraid of breaking
that never learns to dance.
It's the dream afraid of waking
that never takes the chance.
It's the one who won't be taken,
who cannot seem to give,
and the soul afraid of dyin'
that never learns to live.

When the night has been too lonely
and the road has been to long,
and you think that love is only
for the lucky and the strong,
just remember in the winter
far beneath the bitter snows
lies the seed that with the sun's love
in the spring becomes the rose.

A Day of Indulging

Been a while since we pamper ourselves ...

Body massage and facial at Spa Dor ---> $60
Subway melt sandwich ---> $13
Strolling hand in hand along Orchard Road ... in the rain ---> Priceless

Hahaha ... Ya, the rain came pouring down ....

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turnin' red
Cryin's not for me
'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin'
Because I'm free
Nothin's worryin' me

Ice Cream !!!

Mmmm .... slurp slurp

Dad's For Life

A heartwarming video about fathers, for fathers

First produced for the Dads for Life movement by the National Family Council and Fathers Action Network to encourage fathers in Singapore to be more involved in their children's lives.

Commissioned by the Ministry Of Community Development, Youth and Sports (Singapore), Little Red Ants Creative Studio is proud to work on this project with renowned photographer and first-time director Tay Kay Chin.

Makan Oishi Food

We went ...
We ate ...
We left ...

Burp ...

Be part of the Happiness Revolution

All how you choose to think about life

We are already in 2010!!

Wow, time flies, no matter whether you are having fun or not ... So, why not be happy and smile while time passes you by?

It's all how you choose to think about life ...

I AM THANKFUL:

FOR THE WIFE
WHO SAYS DINNER IS HOT DOGS TONIGHT
BECAUSE SHE IS HOME WITH ME
AND NOT OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE


FOR THE HUSBAND
WHO IS ON THE SOFA BEING A COUCH POTATO
BECAUSE HE IS HOME WITH ME
AND NOT OUT AT THE BARS


FOR THE TEENAGER
WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES
BECAUSE IT MEANS SHE IS AT HOME
NOT ON THE STREETS


FOR THE TAXES I PAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM EMPLOYED


FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS


FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT


FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE


FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING
WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING
AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME


FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING
I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT
BECAUSE IT MEANS WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH


FOR THE PARKING SPOT
I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOT
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING
AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION


FOR MY HUGE HEATING BILL
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM WARM


FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH
WHO SINGS OFF KEY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I CAN HEAR


FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR


FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES
AT THE END OF THE DAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD


FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF
IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM ALIVE


AND I AM THANKFUL:
FOR THE crazy people I work with
BECAUSE they make work interesting and fun!!


AND FINALLY, FOR TOO MUCH E-MAIL

BECAUSE IT MEANS
I HAVE FRIENDS WHO ARE THINKING OF ME

Share this with someone you care about ... I just did :)

Live well, Laugh often, & Love with all of your heart!


If you like this, here are some more:

Be thankful for what you have
Feeling More Thankful

Never Too Late

Katharine Hepburn once said, "Life is hard. After all, it kills you." And it can kill you early if you don't figure out how to change. Let me explain.

The expression "turning over a new leaf" refers to turning pages of a book. Just as the plot of a novel changes from page to page, people, too, can change their lives. Indeed they have to if they are to live well.

I enjoy reading about ancient cultures. And it occurs to me that most of the old civilizations are gone. Some have left little behind except ruins and rubble. What happened? Where are the people, their music and ideas? Why are they nothing more today than a collection of stones visited by tourists and curious historians?

The answer, of course, is not the same the world over. But Arnold Toynbee, in his work THE STUDY OF HISTORY (1987), says that the great lesson of history is this: civilizations that changed when confronted with challenges thrived. Those that did not change died. In other words, when life got hard, it killed off those who didn't make needed changes. The key to survival is often about "change."

And what about us? What about you and me? It's good to accept ourselves as we are, but when an unhealthy attitude or a destructive behavior gets in the way, when we wish we could change something about ourselves, we had better change. People who embrace change thrive; those who resist it die.

If you have been waiting for a sign to make that needed change, this may be it. I am convinced that it is never too late to be the person you might have been. It's never too late to be happy. It's never too late to do something different or to do something better. It's never too late to change a habit. It's never too late to live.

Begin making that necessary change today. Then tomorrow, and every tomorrow thereafter, can truly be different.

-- Steve Goodier

The Gift

A story about an old Bendix washing machine helped one man get through the valley of loss.

His parents acquired the washer when John Claypool was a small boy. It happened during World War II. His family owned no washing machine and, since gasoline was rationed, they could ill afford trips to the laundry several miles away. Keeping clothes clean became a problem for young John's household.

A family friend was drafted into the service, and his wife prepared to go with him. John's family offered to store their furniture while they were away. To the family's surprise, the friends suggested they use their Bendix while they were gone. "It would be better for it to be running," they said, "than sitting up rusting." So this is how they acquired the washer.

Young John helped with the washing, and across the years he developed an affection for the old, green Bendix. But eventually the war ended. Their friends returned. In the meantime he had forgotten how the machine came to be in their basement in the first place. When the friends came to take it away, John grew terribly upset -- and let his feelings be known.

His wise mother sat him down and said, "Wait a minute, Son. You must remember, that machine never belonged to us in the first place. That we ever got to use it at all was a gift. So, instead of being mad at it being taken away, let's use this occasion to be grateful that we had it at all."

The lesson proved invaluable. Years later, John watched his eight-year-old daughter die a slow and painful death of leukemia. Though he struggled for months with her death, John could not really begin healing from the loss until he remembered the old Bendix.

"I am here to testify," he said, "that this is the only way down the mountain of loss...when I remember that Laura Lou was a gift, pure and simple, something I neither earned nor deserved nor had a right to. And when I remember that the appropriate response to a gift, even when it is taken away, is gratitude, then I am better able to try and thank God that I was ever given her in the first place."

His daughter was given to him to love and nurture. She never belonged to him, but he had the awesome privilege of sharing her life for a while. When he realized that simple fact, everything changed. He could now begin healing from the tragedy of her loss by focusing instead on the wonder of her life. He started to see Laura Lou as a marvelous gift that he was fortunate enough to enjoy for a time. He felt grateful. He found strength and healing. He finally knew he could get through the valley of loss.

We all experience loss -- loss of people, loss of jobs, loss of relationships, loss of independence, loss of esteem, loss of things. What if you view that which is lost as a gift you were given for a time? Perhaps that simple choice of trying to reframe your loss will change sad memories into thankful ones. And perhaps it will get you unstuck and back on the road to healing and wholeness.

-- Steve Goodier

Letting Your Soul Catch Up

Did you know that practicing some form of relaxation is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself? Taking time each day to quiet your mind and breathe deeply, can make a big difference in how you feel throughout your day and into the night. And dedicating a day every week for mental and spiritual renewal is equally important.

We're told that the word "relax" has its origin in the Latin word "relaxare," which means "to loosen." When we relax, we are in effect loosening tension, releasing tightly held energy and letting go. From the state of relaxation we can experience calm peacefulness.

Another great word is the Hebrew word "Shabbat" which, of course, is a day of rest. But it quite literally means to "quit; stop; take a break." Whatever you are doing, stop it. Whatever you are saying, be quiet. Sit down and take a look around. Don't do anything. Don't say anything. Fold your hands. Take a deep breath...

Extended periods of rest are a biological necessity. The human body is like an old-fashioned wind-up clock. If it is not rewound by rest, ultimately it will run itself down.

A group of Americans made a trip with Brazilian natives down the Amazon River. The first day they rushed. The second day they rushed. The next day they rushed. One day, anxious to continue the trek, they were surprised to find the natives seated together in a circle.

When asked the reason for the delay, a guide answered, "They are waiting. They cannot move further until their souls have caught up with their bodies."

Do you owe yourself time to let your soul catch up with your body?

-- Steve Goodier