snow, the forest and other perils to the tropical islander..

I've been extremely busy and tired recently - so after writing these notes/blogs, I promptly forgot to update it here. (I wrote it in facebook).

So here you go- the latest installation on the more human side of me. :)

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Lets start this note with a riddle:

What does the snow, the forest and a tropical islander have to do with each other?

The answer: Nada. Zilch. Nothing.

So when my more adventurous side decided - "Hey. There's a lake near my workplace. And its supposed to be in a forest. Why don't we (i.e the adventurous side and the cautious side) go there to explore it?", I was slightly concerned.

Alarm bells started to ring as my brain and the more cautious side pointed out - "Erm. Its -6 degrees. Its cold. You sure you want to do that?"

Undeterred, the adventurous side threw all caution to the wind - "Hey. Just dress thicker and don't be such a wimp. You only live once. Besides, you might just be able to find some good pictures. You needed to test your new Sony A350, remember?"

Whimpering and beaten into a pulp by that last remark, the cautious side agreed to it.

..The whole adventure started out ok. It was cold. but with the layers of clothes, it was rather manageable. Things were a bit unpleasant when I stepped into ankle-high deep snow and got my pant-legs wet. However, since it promptly froze over, the wetness didn't really bother me.

The intended adventure was supposed to be along a hiking trail - a small round and a bigger round. Both were relatively well documented and was supposed to be completed in 4 hours. Not so tough, or so I reasoned. That total time was computed for nice old german grannies pushing their little grand-kiddies in prams - so a younger person like me should be able to finish it in good time.

That would have been true if i stayed to the path.

Oh. Did I mention that there was a sad lack of maps for the trail?

Somewhere in the bigger hiking trail, I came to a fork in the forest. Much like Frost's poem:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood*,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth.

*Well. It was snowy. So it was no longer yellow.

and true to his poem, I decided

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference...

"Hm.. I seem to recall that both paths lead to the end point. Its a complete round anyway. So its not going to be too bad if I just take the left fork instead of the right bend. Just remember - all roads lead to Rome!" ventured that happy adventurer in me.

That might have been true for Rome, but this was not exactly the case. After half an hour of walking, I found myself to be at a very isolated road. Good. I'm out of the woods. but I'm definitely not where I should be.

Bemused passerbys, when approached, decided to set me on the right path. However, their knowledge being limited to the human mind, the path indicated was a bit longer than what they remembered. It was isolated, quiet, and I was pretty much the only person on the path.

".. Don't worry. You see these tracks? Fresh tracks. i.e. someone else passed by this way. You are not lost." mumbled my embarrassed adventurous side. Somehow, that side of me has miraculously gained a tracker's ability to read the tracks in the ground. What it (he?) didn't point out was that the snow was hardened. i.e. it could have been quite a while since someone passed by.

"Just keep going on. Keep going on. Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts". He was a cheer-leader as well. hm..

I finally walked to somewhere with signs of civilization. Its not exactly the best thing, but it was a good start.

Thankfully, the directions were right, even if the distance was grossly misjudged. I managed to see some quite interesting sights. This, for example..

In completing the both rounds, it took a total of 6 hours - two more hours than the estimated time. Its either that German old ladies were tougher than I knew, or that I'm growing old. Of course, having lost my way did add to the total time required, but well.. its less embarrassing to admit to being wimpy or old. Lost? A guy? Never!

That having been said, I should stop listening to that adventurous side for a bit. Life would be slightly sweeter.

Questions and doubts..

Am in a slight blue funk - basically, plagued with questions of "why bother?"

why bother with new year resolutions, creating promises that you try to hold on to, in the hope for a better future which might never be there?

why bother to hone your skills - be it computing, photography, writing or music - to improve, and find that its not required?

why bother to save up for a future which is more intangible than wisps of smoke?

why bother to chase after dreams that are more of a mirage than visions in the desert?

.. I'm not concerned about my job. my needs are simple - i don't need much, and there will always be a job if i choose to take it. I've been through recessions, hard times and tough moments - so the current financial outlook does not worry me.

I am however, in strong disagreement with the outlook for my personal future.

.. of course, you could always say - "you could choose to think positive or think negative". That is very true. I'm the author of the saying that "given the fact that the future is yet unknown, you should spend equal time thinking about the positive as you do the negative." However, I would rather prefer to think of the positive with the support of more encouraging signs rather than to engage in mental weight-lifting and push myself to think positively ("just because the alternative is to think negatively"). That, it seems to me, is self-deceptionary.

why indeed.

New Year Resolutions.. 2009

This could very well be renamed "upcoming guilt trip for 2009".

Hands up, those of you who know someone who managed to keep all their new year resolutions. I betcha that these are very rare.

Well. In keeping with the spirit of the season, and adding on to my own guilt (for the end of the year), lets go on with listing down the modest list of accomplishments I hope to achieve.


1. Buy less stuff
Yes, I'm the proud owner of about 900 books, 3 DSLR bodies and a whole lot of lenses, tripods, monopods, and oh.. 2 laptops and other things. I own stuff. LOADS of it.

I've been trying to cut down on my books, and other purchases for a long while - not that I can't afford them, but simply, I'm running out of space.

Currently high on the temptation list are 3 lenses, an electronic violin, an electronic piano and a good studio mixer.. I'll have to try to be brave, or at least, settle for one (or some) of these instead of just buying it all...


2. Read, Read, Read!
I do read alot. serious. but I'm trying to get myself to read more of non-computer science books which i have - commentaries, history, socialogy, biographies... and what about those poetry and classics I've been meaning to dive into? They've been sitting on my shelves for a long time.


3. "I came, I saw, I shot"
Since i tend towards landscapes (sunsets), one of the things I need to try would be to diversify myself into other forms of photography. Probably street stuff, or just simple explorations. I'll probably not leave landscapes, lights n shadows, aside, but I'll just have to take care to add other styles of photography into my personal skill set.


4. more regular visits to the gym
I've been meaning to go to the gym regularly each year. It worked for quite abit - but seriously - I get more exercise lugging my camera backpack (with all the lenses and stuff inside, it comes up easily to 8kg) and dashing all over the place. My camera with my favourite lens weighs about 2kg. Now that's some weight lifting!

I'm going to try to work towards being able to lift my own body weight in each and every muscle group. I think such modest aims are achievable for now.




Someone once said - "Aim low, hit low". but if i get to hit any of them, I'd be very happy. :)