The Beginning?

It all starts somewhere.

For me. It starts here.

She’s got you high – Mumm-ra

500 Days of Summer

On another lighter note. Have you seen this?

It’s good. Really.

I can relate to it. Seriously.

*Sigh* I wonder when would I be able to do my own feature.

Another Chapter in Life.

This is where I pen down a bullet in my book. It’s good to take a short reflection over how your life has been once in awhile. I realised today that I’ve been on full-gear for so long that I miss taking a few pit stops to reflect. Achieved so much. Done so much. Lost so much and gained so much. Yet, sometimes I feel that I’m still not hitting it yet. Something is missing. I wonder what?

Although so, I still have to admit that a lot has been achieved and a lot of opportunities have come my way and have been siezed (sometimes without me even realising it). It’s not everyday that you get to do something that is shown on national television.

Right?

All I can say is.

Wow.

Perfection in Imperfection.

We are so imperfect beings. Imperfect in character. Imperfect in desires. Imperfect in physique. Imperfect in so many other ways. We hurt each other, we confuse each other, we misunderstand each other. There is so much strife in the world. People fighting, families broken, lives shattered, dreams that die, lives that are lost and souls that are hurt.

Yet.

There is a certain sense of beauty and wonder in life.

The beauty of what man is capable of can be seen in the way he responds and not react. The way he creates and inspires others. The way he brings meaning to the things that happen. Perfection that is achieved in imperfection. When things go wrong and when bad things happen then we see how the perfection of man is achieved. The process is perfect and beautiful. In times of strife, you will be able to see how a man can shine. The irony of perfection in imperfection. But yet it’s true. Aren’t we all made in an image so perfect that it has to be God? That’s why as imperfect as we may be, we are all perfect and made perfect in His image.

Am just reminded of how beautiful life can be when you look to the right places and speak to the right Person. Even though, you’re in the storm.

Current Muse

Simplify Life

On my current quest of the meaning of my existence and sharpening of focus, I’ve come to realize that I need to simplify my life. This led me to also reconsider a lot of things that take up my time. Things that may be unnecessary and brings no benefit to me.  So, it’s time to simplify life and to invest in the things that I want to invest in. My first step to that, is coming up with a long-term and short term top 10 list (why 10?, beats me) of things that I want to do in my life to help me make it simpler for myself. (I may periodically update this post to check off what I’ve done)

Some people call it a ‘Bucket List’, which brings the meaning of a list of things you want to do before you kick the bucket (for people that are unfamiliar with the term, here’s an explanation, “kick the bucket = meet your maker = heart stop beating = dead”) Some people call it, ‘The top 10 things to do before I die’.  I’ll call it ‘Alvin’s List of top 10 things he wants to do before he kicks the bucket’. Okay! So here’s the list in no particular order.

Short term List -  [Timeline: Hopefully within the next year]

1. Pick up writing. (currently underway)
2. Get an iPod. (achieved)
3. Get a siphon coffee brewer.
4. Produce & direct a short film.
5. Make an impact in one person’s life.
6. Get a DSLR. (I’m eye-ing on the new Nikon D90, but I’m guessing that by the time I have enough money to get one we might have newer models in the market that can shoot lasers instead of flashlights) {Hey. It can happen.)
7. Start a video podcast.
8. Write and record a song.
9. Develop a healthy lifestyle which includes exercise.
10. Get my portfolio website up.
11. Get married. (It didn’t feel right not adding this to the list. )

Long term List – [Timeline: Before I kick the bucket]

1. Travel to Rome.
2. Travel to New York.
3. Open a cafe.
4. Start a new movement.
5. Write a book.
6. Get a Macbook Pro (or the newest Mac lappie).
7. Go traveling/backpacking for a month.
8. Direct a feature length film.
9. Produce a documentary that would make a difference..
10. Make a difference in more that one persons life.

Books!

Here’s a list of books I’m thinking of now.

Books I’m currently reading

1. Simple Church by Thom S. Rainer & Eric Geiger
2. The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham by Harold Myra & Marshall Shelley
3. Cook with Jamie by Jamie Oliver
4. The Bible by God

Books I want to get and/or read

1. Story by Robert McKee
2. Jump In! by Mark Burnett
3. Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami
4. Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver

Books I’ve read

Quite a lot. It’s so much that I can’t think of all the titles now. Will update this in future.

Art.

Sometimes, the artist in me tries to come out. Sometimes, he’s surpressed. Sometimes, he’s lost. Sometimes, he’s confused. Sometimes, he’s found.

Looking back at my old work. I think he was more prominent then. Won’t you agree.

One of my fears is that the art in my work becomes less and less as the years go by. Isn’t that what all artist fear? Our work should mature and not degress.

In Awe

The magnitude of the ability of man to come up with truly inspiring and soul connecting art. Baffles me.

Here.

Buttons. Lots of it.

Yeap. Buttons

Out of Service.

My lappie was fixed today. The motherboard was changed because the FireWire port was fried and undetectable. One small port, one big fix. I watched helplessly as it was taken apart in pieces, in the delicate hands of the engineer/technician that came to fix it. I was in a state of awe and worry as he unscrewed the pieces that bound my laptop together. Like a kid breaking apart a jigsaw puzzle and later putting it back again. He handled it with delicate care and precision. I was pretty impressed. If I had to do this myself I’d probably miss a screw along the way and try to compensate the missing screw with super glue or masking tape, thus resulting in FrankenLap, the newest ever computer peripheral out of Transylvania that can do nothing else but be a mantelpiece or deco item, not suitable for home or office.

Here’s a photo sequence of what happened.

Craftsman @ Work

The Heat Sink

It's just lying there! Oh the Humanity!

It's that thin?

The source of all the Hassle

A new replacement

Pieces of it were everywhere