Reflection...noitcelfeR

Awesome Reflection as rendered by a Nikon D700

In case you are wondering what the second word in the subject header means, it is "Reflection"spelt backwards. Hmmm.....that did not go very well. The human mind is a funny thing. It can sometimes spot minute details in a split second but other times, it stares us in the face and we still don't get it.

Such was my experience some weeks back when I trekked to Punggol end at 5:30 am to photograph the sunrise. It was pitch dark when I arrived at the beach and armed with my tactical torchlight, I could barely make my way along the rock strewn beach. I set up my camera and sat, perched on a rock waiting for mother nature to turn on the lights :) Yup, she turned it on alright, but there was no oomph. The sky lit up gradually, as with every morning for the last I don't know how many thousand years. That morning, there was no pizazz. The lights came on and there was no drama of daylight erupting into life. I took more than 100 shots in the hope that I would catch something. Alas, this was not to be.

OK, if you want to see the best photo of the lot, it would probably be this:

Not worth Printing ... don't waste paper

Sad eh? Only one barely usable photo from the pile. I would not even print it on paper as I feel it is a waste of photo paper :p

Dejected that I had voluntarily deprived myself of sleep that morning, I decided to cut my losses and reward myself with a well deserved Dosa Masala. On my way to the car park, I chanced upon one of the most beautiful reflections I have seen for a long time. (That's the photo at the top of the page.) My son has a better rendition of it because he used an ND (Neutral Density) filter (see below). I thought it looked great. I have never been a big fan of filters, thinking that most things can be fixed post production. I am a convert now :)

Reflection with ND filter as rendered by a Nikon D800

What was my reflection of this Reflection? I was reminded of two quotes:
 "Life is a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get." - Forrest Gump
"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." - Dale Carnegie
I have since come up with my own:
"While you are making lemonade, don't forget to smell the roses."

Remember, life is what we make of our journey on earth and not about the destination. Have a good life, everyone :)

A Special Watch

I have a modest collection of watches which were acquired since the 1980s. Some watches were bought while others were presents. I wished I had watches from earlier on. However, being an "engineer" at heart, I developed a curious knack for dismantling anything mechanical just so that I could see the inner workings. Some of the time, I ended up with some spare parts after I try to put it back together :p I have always been fascinated with the intricate inner workings of mechanical watches.
I would like to dedicate this blog to my trusty Casio watch. As it states on the face, it is a Casio Digi Graph 100m. This watch was a present from my wife in the late 1980's. I loved the unusual graphical display. I wore this watch on weekends and during my National Service stints (it was known as reservist during my time). Oh yes, this was the watch I used to time all my 2.4 km run during my IPPT (Individual Physical Proficiency Test). I must have taken at least 15 IPPTs during my reservist stint.
As you can see, it has taken its fair share of wear and tear. However it still works like a charm. All it needs is a battery every 3 to 4 years -  yes, the battery lasts that long. It has never broken down in the last 25 years. The interesting thing is it is a perpetual calendar. This watch knows which are the leap years and that there will be 29 days in February during the leap year.
This watch has a special place in my heart because my son loved to put it on when he went swimming as a young child. He must have been around 5 years old then. He was amazed that this watch could stay submerged without sustaining any damage while is Mickey Mouse watch stops working whenever he accidentally (so he says) plunges it under a running tap while washing his hands.
I started to collect watches formally in the late 1990's. I am not one of those with hundreds of watches. I collect reasonably priced signature pieces from major watch brands. These are some of my personal rules for collecting watches:
1/ They must be mechanical (I do not buy quartz watches)
2/ They must be made by true-blue watch companies and not fashion houses
3/ They should be signature pieces (i.e. the model should pop into you mind when the watch brand is named. This makes it easier to resell the watch.)
4/ I must like the face and feel of the watch
If I were to run my Casio watch through this checklist, it only qualifies under item (4) mentioned above. Technically, it does not make the cut as a collectible watch in my books, yet it I have grown a strong sentimental attachment to the watch.
I realise that the things we truly treasure are not the expensive things we own, but the simple items that have seen us through our journey in life. It is the same with friends - those we value are the ones who gave us a helping hand or a leg up when it was needed.
Life is not about seeking perfection but about experiencing and appreciating the journey, no matter how pleasant or difficult. If we get too caught up with our personal setbacks, we will miss the forest for the trees. (...or as one of my former bosses would say, miss the trees for the forest :p .... that's a story for another day :)