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August 29 InspiringRecently, I came across this quote: "We never find patience by looking for it. We find patience by looking for a purpose."
It struck a chord, and so I decided to see if I could do a search on the internet and find the obviously wise person who said it.
Well, I found out that she doesn't just sprout profound sayings, she also paints.
And she doesn't just paint, she also writes poetry: Perhaps I wanted to catch it
Perhaps not
But one morning
an eagle dropped a diamond
and right then with my faulty brush
full of my own hair
I wanted to paint
I wanted to paint
the wings -
Too late - they flew away
I wanted to paint a flower
Too late - it withered
That night the rain
was running after me
Each drop of rain showed God's face
His face was everywhere
On homes and on me
I wrung out the love to make the red
I wrung out the stumps to make the brown
I wrung out the trust to make the pink
I wrung out my own eyes to make the blue
I wrung out the seaweed to make the green
I wrung out the nightly pain to make the black
I wrung out my grandmother's hair to make the gray
I wrung out my visions to make the violet
I wrung out the truth to make the white
Today I want to paint God's face
IT'S NOT TOO LATE
**************
Normally, I would find that inspiring in itself.
But what made my mouth drop open in pure wonder is this fact: She was EIGHT when she wrote the above poem. The paintings I posted on here were done between the ages of eight and thirteen.
In contrast, I am still drawing stick figures today.
Her name is Akiane.
What Do You Get?What do you get when you put together some sweet smelling crysanthemums ...
 Add some creatively folded cloth napkins ...
 And throw in some fancy cutlery that you stumbled upon in the deep recesses of the cupboard, which your folks own but never use?
 Why, you get a gorgeous table setting, that's what. Simple but stunning. My word, I am so artistic sometimes that I surprise even myself.
 And then - what if you added some julienned cucumber ...
 Some succulent cooked prawns ...
 Some freshly plucked mint leaves ...
 Some diced preserved raddish ...
 And some lime wedges?
 All aesthethically arranged, of course ...
 Then you get something that looks like this ...
 Notice, if you would, that even the lime wedges are arranged in a specific manner? Ahhhhh ... the little details that are a sign of the obsessively compulsive ...
But wait! I'm not done!
Add to the whole equation some great people ...
   And a steaming bowl of hot and spicy Thai laksa each ...
 And you get an awesome meal with awesome people and awesome fellowship.
You have not been to a dinner party until you have been to a Yee dinner party. Elaborate is our middle name. OCD works too.
August 26 SunsetI was in the living room with my folks yesterday evening.
Mom was trying to figure out a Sudoku puzzle.
Dad was watching his sports channel on tv.
I was curled up on the couch reading a book.
Then I happened to look up and glance outside, and a glorious sight greeted me.
 I rushed into my room to grab my camera. When I got out, dad and mom were on the balcony enjoying the view of the sunset.
 And we stood there, the 3 of us, and watched it get darker and darker.
 How beautiful!
August 21 See MelSee Mel.
See Mel walk around in Tioman.
See Mel watch ants on the ground as she walks around in Tioman.
LOOK OUT, Mel!
Oh no!
See Mel walk into a pillar.
See the bump on Mel's head.
Poor Mel!
August 18 Heartfelt GratitudeThis last week and a half have been crazy for me, with me being out of the house for the majority of the day and night due to work commitments. With my folks being out of the country, Mel has had to fend for herself quite a bit. I just want to say that Mel and I would not have been able to pull this off if not for the following SAINTS - Doreen & Albert, Shen and my Auntie Anne. They have brought meals for Mel, stayed with her when she needed some company, spent the night. I swear they are all going to go to heaven for their kindness. I truly appreciate them from the bottom of my heart - and Mel's! August 17 Production!I was in bed by 7pm last night - read till 8pm - and it was light's out till this morning, 8am! It's probably the longest I have ever slept without getting up to use the bathroom, or without being woken up in the middle of the night by some obscure thought running through my mind.
And the reason I was so tired - actually, I was beyond tired - I was exhausted - was because we had just completed two days of shooting for Scott's Emulsion. The first day's shooting was held at the Ulu Yam dam, and was from 6am till 6pm - and the second day's shooting was held at the Chin Woo swimming pool, and was from 11am till 5:30am the next morning. So in essence, I was up for 25 hours, and worked for 22. I'm sure that's some kind of personal record for me.
The work itself was not difficult. We were acting as safety divers for the kids while they were in the water. We were also there to help position them and to supply air to them until the cameramen were ready to roll.
But it was the long hours, coupled with the stress of being responsible for someone else's kids, that ended up being so exhausting.
I can't say much more, nor reveal how the ad runs, until it actually comes out on tv sometime mid of September.
But I have put up some production pictures. I also have a new found respect for the amount of work that goes into producing a 30-second commercial.
Aren't the kids SO cute though??
 (left to right: Adam, Zane and Amber)
August 13 Underwater ShootPardon the lack of updates! I have been inundated with work like you would not believe. Since returning from Tioman - which, incidentally, was a MAD trip - what with crap visibility, unpredictable currents, delayed ferry transport - you name it! However, let me just state for the record that my two Assistant Instructors were wonderfully apt and alert and responsive and knowledgeable - and did everything right, which eased me of a lot of the stress of logistical planning - not to mention that they have kickass navigational skills!
But I digress.
Since returning from Tioman, I have been at it NON-STOP. We have been working 12 to 13-hour days. Not only do we have our regular on-going training with student divers - we have also been commissioned to assist in a television advertisement shoot for Scott's Emulsion (am I allowed to say that on here??!). I can't give any details nor post any pictures until the ad actually comes out on tv - but suffice to say that it involves kids and water - oh, and a healthy dose of Scott's, of course.
Our last underwater shoot experience was Reshmonu's music video, The Way It Makes You Move, remember that?
 We were shooting from 6am to 6pm and beyond - and in the music video, his underwater scenes appear sporadically with a total time of less than 10 seconds. It took us 12 hours to shoot 10 seconds worth of video! See for yourself ...
Anyway, I'm not going to deny that it was waaaaaaaay fun - as is the one we are doing now with the kids. Of course, them being kids, they are more playful, less focused, and thus our liability increases ten-fold. Still, their enthusiasm is contagious and I have been having a BLAST.
Will post pictures when I can!
August 06 Uh-Gain!I'm off diving again! This time to Tioman with open water students. But get this ... I have TWO Assistant Instructors on this trip and ONE Divemaster intern ... so I reckon there won't be too much in terms of logistics to sort out ...
LURVE having certified assistants on my trips ... !
August 05 TearsI attended Jeff's funeral service yesterday at St Andrew's Church. While the minister was going on and on and on about everything and nothing, none of which I thought was relevant incidentally - my mind wandered. I have a short attention span, okay? And he was really droning.
Anyway, I started thinking of my grandmother, who passed away 5 years ago - and then moved on to thinking about my grandfather, who went home to be with her a year and a bit ago.
And then I recalled the second-to-last time I bumped into Jeff.
It was by the pool side. I had just finished up with my students. He had just arrived with his. We greeted each other, shook hands, exchanged small talk about what dive trips we had done recently, or were about to do. Then he mentioned something about how he had to convince his current batch of students that diving was a relatively safe sport, and how they had so many misconceptions about its dangers.
I said, "Yeah, hasn't it been statistically proven that there are more serious life-threatening injuries caused by playing American football than there is diving on a per year average?"
"Yep," he nodded, "And basketball, and soccer, and skiing ...."
We smile.
He added, "And seeing the way some Malaysians behave on the road, I probably have a higher chance of being killed in a road accident than while diving."
We both laugh at that.
As he walks past me to get back to his students, he gives my shoulder a friendly squeeze, and playfully tweaks my ponytail.
Later, as I'm all packed and walking back to my car, I call over my shoulder, "See ya around, Jeff!"
He looks up, gives me a wide smile, and flashes me a thumbs up.
....................
Thinking of the irony of his statement made me cry.
August 03 Fragility of LifeI received some very sudden and shocking news today. A fellow instructor, Jeffrey Lee, passed away in a motorbike accident yesterday.  Jeff and I were not very close, but we did work together on some Instructor Development Courses, where we were both on the staff. We shared more than a few laughs, always respected each other, always held each other in high regard as instructors. When in KL, whenever we bumped into each other at the pool side, both of us with our individual students, we were always friendly, always shared pleasantries. He always had a pat on the back for me. I feel the loss, certainly. He was in the prime of his life and in his career as a scuba instructor. I was also hit by a jolt of realization that - short of using a cliche - life is indeed unpredictable and more fragile than we sometimes realize. It is a wake-up call to treasure those around us - our friends, our families - to not take anything for granted. Every day that we have is precious. Every moment sacred. Rest in peace, Jeff. |
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