Look! Up in the sky!

One of the many oddities I've noticed is that for all our supposed complexity and intelligence, the human species displays remarkably herd-like tendancies. We queue wherever there's a line (regardless of whether we're British or not), we gather where others gather and we walk wherever the mass is walking. It's a curious and occasionally humourous phenonmeon.

I recall once when a friend pointed up into a clear blue sky and yelled 'Hey look! A dead bird!'; predictably, everyone looked heavenwards even though there was no logical way that a dead bird would be found suspended overhead.

So imagine to my surprise when I looked through a my photos and found a whole plethora of people looking upwards! Now, being somewhat of a herd creature myself (aren't we all?) I'm fairly sure that there was nothing suitably momentous suspended overhead along Hay Street mall. Well, except maybe the canopy of the cafe I was camping under...

Here's a trio of pictures from that day.

Something in my eye.

Reach for the sky.

What's there?

A morning.

Walked around Fremantle a bit after dropping Char off at work. I haven't really had much opportunity to shoot anything here since the middle of the year. And as most you you already know, I'm not the earliest of risers!

I like the mornings here in Perth, especially on the weekends - it just feels like a weekend, not just another day. You see people getting breakfast, people cycling, walking the dog... Sure we get all of that in Singapore too, but it's somehow different here. I'm inclined to think it's because people tend to take their time as opposed to the rush and bustle of Singapore life.



One of the signs that summer's upon us. Ice cream in the morning! That looks like a decent dollop of creamy goodness, eh? Makes me nostalgic for the roadside ice cream vendor with that weird multi-coloured blend of ice cream haphazardly piled into a slice of multi-coloured bread.

I have to eat that when I'm in Singapore. Please tell me it's still a dollar!



Sitting at the coffeeshop, watching the world go by. Arguably the province of artists, old people and Frenchmen. I've got this little vision of living in a place like Freo. I'd get up early and walk to the coffeeshop around the corner, grab a cuppa with the morning paper and watch the world go by for a little while, then whipping out my laptop and write a book while sipping coffee and occasionally waving hello to the familiar faces that go by.

Well, someday, eh?

I like the old fellow in this picture - there's something about him that makes me think of Winston Churchill... the squint maybe?



I really like this picture. It's the 'in the moment' capture of her expression and posture that really speak to me.



Took this shot just when I got out of the car. Seriously, you can't argue with that kind of blue in the sky. That's just beautiful. You can just see Freo starting to wake up and the shops just starting to open. There's a serene beauty in that calm solitude before the storm that will descend on Freo in a matter of hours. I rather enjoy it actually.



One of the many little churches in Freo. I really like these older churches with their old brick walls and architecture. They've got a certain character that understatedly screams peace and reverence that you don't get from some of these new glass and steel constructs that they're calling churches nowadays. A certain church in Singapore springs to mind.

Sure bricks and mortar don't make a church, but there's a certain reverence that comes through in many of these old church buildings. Glass, steel and concrete don't quite carry the same vibe of timelessness and dignity that some older churches have.

Even though we shouldn't overemphasise the building, the very nature of the building lends an unspoken affirmation of the building's purpose. Prisons are grey and foreboding, government buildings lend towards stately, museums strive for a certain gracefulness... and churches should ideally create an air of reverence that's inherrent in the building's design.

I for one don't find some of these new modern churches with their fancy office-buidling-like glass and concrete and lecture theatre-like church halls at all condusive to prayer and meditation.

And now the real work begins.

With a sense of unerring inevitability, we can now pause and reflect as America celebrates (or bemoans, if you're racist, stupid or rabidly Republican) the first black man in the White House. Who didn't see this coming? It's history making to the nth degree and the vindication of the Civil Rights movement which spawned such exemplaries as Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr.

But race is not the issue today, even though it is a giant leap for racial equality. Today's issue is the platform upon which Barrack Obama has conducted his entire presidential campaign - the need for change.

Forget novelty, racial bias, the 'cult of personality', inexperience and all the other criticisms tossed Obama's way recently. To my mind, Obama won simply because he recognised something fundamentally wrong with the American nation, and demanded change. He's promised a government that doesn't try to solve every problem - and has acknowledged that they realistically can't solve every problem -but will do its utmost to solve the issues plagueing America and the larger world. Now that's a far more realistic premise than the somewhat vague Republican promise of a 'stronger America' and 'future good times'.

To be sure, Barrack Obama is an icon just by winning the election and he deserves the celebratory fireworks and accolades; but once the red, white and blue streamers settle, the real work begins. The work of rebuilding a country battered by mismanagement. The work of helping stabilise and grow a national and global economy teetering precariously on the edge. The work of creating a better future for tomorrow. Obama's legacy will not be measured by simple election victory, but by tomorrow. The crafting of that legacy starts now.

It's tempting to think that everything's all well and good now that the presidency's won. That's obviously not the case. Obama's not the messiah. Change won't happen overnight. The mistakes of the Bush administration will take a lot more than a simple election to erase. I dare say it might take Obama's entire term.

I don't envy him his job. There's the issue of climate change, the staggering economy, healthcare and education, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the war on terror... I doubt any president anywhere has ever stepped into the Oval Office with that many diverse major issues hanging in the rafters.

Sure Obama's got his shortcomings. He's inexperienced, he's been accused of being passive, he's been accused of playing politics (what a shocker!). He's not the messiah, but right now he's the best man for the job. In a sense, we've all bought into Obama's call for change we can believe in. For better or ill, he carries - directly or indirectly - the hopes and dreams of millions globally.

Change isn't something that just happens. You have to want it, believe in it, and work your damnedest best to get it despite all the rocks that will come your way. Change is supremely hard, but change is precisely what we need.

God be with you in your presidency.

Voting for change and other brief political thoughts.

Barrack Obama inspires me. If I were American, I'd vote for him. Nevermind that his policies make sense and that he's argubly the best man for the job. I'd vote for Obama because he's an inspiration, not just because what he says and does are inspirations.

Let's be honest. Politicians rarely inspire. People I know often vote based on self interest and what the politician or political party can do for him or her. Kennedy famously said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." I believe Obama is almost Kennedy-esque in his inspiring power; a Winston Churchill for our time.

The last time a politican inspired me was when I met the grand old man of Singapore's political opposition, the late Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam along Battery Road, where he was speaking soap-box style about personal freedoms and the state of the Singaporean economy in the 'nanny-state'. Here's a 80-year-old man, so convinced in his message that he's preaching at street corners. This same man took ten minutes of his time to personally speak to me - then a 18-year-old punk - about the state of the nation and how even though he couldn't do much about it, I could.

That's inspiring, same way Obama's inspiring. Here's a black presidential candidate who's talking about making a difference. I'd vote for that.

To those politcally indifferent close-minded friends of mine, please understand that who becomes the next American president will impact your lives and livelihood. As much as you might dislike it, your economy is pegged to the American economy. There is a world outside your oyster shell, please don't be indifferent to it. We live in a democratic nation, it's your consitutional right and your privilege to vote. You don't want to be responsible for ushering in a tragedy of Palin-ian proportions. Don't fuck it up.

(Sorry, couldn't resist the Palin comment :)

Cyber bullying: a reaction

Spent yesterday compiling information on cyber bullying for my work, and I find that a lot of mainstream education and approaches to tackling this issue are off the mark.

First, there's a lack of empirical research. Second, what research we have is largely sketchy and utilises research methodologies which may not work online. Thirdly, interventions for cyber bullying are mostly adapted real-world bullying interventions. Hey boys and girls, net dynamics are not a facsimile of real world interactions, different kettle of fish here!

The sources I've read (mostly federal, state and education-based sites) suggest that the a cyber-bullied young person will (1) appear depressed or have mood swings, (2) cry or have nightmares, (3) have increased antisocial behaviour, and (4) spend a lot of time on the computer. While this may be true, remember that the average teen very often displays some or all of these 'symptoms'. Also note that the only 'symptom' related to the net at all is 'spending a lot of time on the computer'. Common sense dictates that amount of computer usage isn't necessarily related to type of computer usage. Obviously these 'identifying symptoms' need to be better defined.

Suggested intervention strategies to manage cyber bullying include putting the computer in a public area, in-school education and parental monitoring of internet activity.

To be fair, the intervention and identification measures are responsible and make a certain amount of sense. But in my opinion, they are also off the mark. Education and watchfulness do work, but they fail to take into account the insidious nature of cyber bullying and how net dynamics function.

In the real world, bullying often has finite consequences with practical immediate solutions. But the net doesn't work that way. Insults, remarks and comments don't go away, but remain on the net for anyone with a search engine to discover. In the real world a hurtful comment can be forgotten. But on the net, the victim can unfortunately continually re-read the comments or remarks if they choose - or sometimes have it thrown in their faces - thereby continually re-wounding a wounded psyche.

Another issue is that the net has a global scope. An Australian teen can easily encounter scathing remarks made about a 14 year old Brazilian. This scope potentially expands the victim's degree of humiliation. The feeling that "everyone knows" is profoundly hurtful and damaging. Doubly so because on the net, literally everyone can know.

The net's anonymity also undermines trust and can create fear, anxiety and distrust in persons. It is difficult to trust someone when someone you 'trusted' posted your deep dark secrets on the net just to hurt you. I don't think we need to go very far to consider the potential effect cyber bullying has on young persons. Remember this and its fallout?

I would say that cyber bullying has far more severe negative outcomes than 'real world bullying', especially among the young.

Educators and support organisations need to recognise that an internet-based problem needs to have an internet-sensitive solution. You can't fix the problem if you don't completely understand the problem. You can't accurately research the problem if don't take net dynamics into account. Cyber bullying is a problem that doesn't end just because you regulate internet usage, new solutions need to be found and more research needs to be done.

I really want to try and research the role of the net/net usage on psychological health when I do my masters.

Where is the love?

Stories like this make me wonder.

Australian social and mental health services are stretched thin. Too often it seems that there's more problems out there than we can solve, and as the above news article shows, sometimes the way we try to help doesn't really help.

Trying to refer a client to the appropriate mental health or social services can be a bitch. Too many services are taxed to the point where it's very often 'first in, best dressed'. I've been turned away too often when trying to link a client to services he or she needs.

I know a kid who's been homeless for the past two months. He's been moved from shelter to shelter, sometimes three times in a single week. Sure he can be made a 'ward of the state', but that takes time, and time is not something this kid has. He needs a roof over his head now, not after the courts deliberate for a month.

There's a childhood sexual abuse survior who sat on the therapy waiting list for a month because she wasn't 'high priority'. Hello the system? It may have happened four-ish years ago, but how 'high priority' does it have to be before it gets around to her turn? When she slits her wrist?

Don't get me wrong, people in the helping professions do good work. The problem lies in the lack of services, or in the lack of appropriate services. In the short term, we can try to promote existing services within our communities so that people are aware of them. The obvious long term solution is to increase investment to either expand existing services, or to create new services. Too many people in need slip through the cracks.

Short-term goals.

October 2008

1. Start writing again
2. Get gym membership and start exercising seriously
3. Read a good book
4. Spend more time with family
5. Take more photographs
   

November 2008

1. Get accepted into part-time psychology masters
2. Get a new job that pays at least $43k/annum
3. Learn to speak more clearly and accurately
   

December 2008

1. Open a first home buyer savings account and start saving
2. Take a short break in regional WA
3. Lose fat, gain muscle
   
4. Play in MtG pro-tour qualifiers
   

2009

1. Buy a new car
2. Move out if finances permit
3. Take a holiday interstate
   
4. Improve photography skills
5. Finish writing book
6. Maintain weight at 85 kilos by end of year
7. Learn a new skill
   

Education investment.

The former Carpenter government was frequently accused of not investing enough in state education. About three weeks back, the new liberal government started looking at raising teachers' pay. It's a good start, and raising teachers' pay is 'investing in education', but that's insufficient.

Every day I meet kids who don't engage in school. Will a pay rise suddenly create a better crop of teachers? I doubt it. Simple fact: for many kids, school sucks. They don't engage in school because they're not interested in school.

The girlfriend commented yesterday that some kids should be allowed to 'do their own thing' and explore areas that interest them because normal education holds them back. That's a brilliant idea and some schools do that. Problem is, those schools are "alternative education" schools with limited post-school pathways. "Mainstream education" on the other hand doesn't allow much leeway to 'do their own thing'. Sure there's electives and structured workplace learning, but based on the number of disengaged kids I see, that's not enough.

Interest improves engagement, which will improve achievement. Higher achievement will have knock-on effects for discipline, self esteem, and achievement in other subjects. It's pure common sense. I'm not talking about completely revamping the academic programme, I'm saying maybe an hour or two a week.

If the state wants to invest in education, then give schools the money and the leeway to let students 'do their own thing' within that school environment.

More night shots.

Took Amelia's advice and took some shots around twilight. Stupid me forgot to bring the tripod though, so this set of images is rather blurry.

She's absolutely right, the colours are just so beautiful at this time of the day. I missed the early part of the sunset, so no glorious pictures of red and purple skies, but this isn't too bad, eh? I must go shoot sunsets proper soon.



I can only really hold the camera still for about a second. Pretty bad, I know. My tactic now is to brace myself a bit, hold half a breath, and take a 3-4 shot continuous burst. Kind of like how we learned to shoot our M-16s in the army. So far it's worked out pretty good. I get one good image out of the burst of three.

On a complete side note, I really should take up Calvin's suggestion of shooting things while our respective other halves go shopping.

Speaking of other halves, I'm slightly jealous of Char's point and shoot because it does a lot of auto correction and colour balancing, so she can grab really gloriously coloured evening shots while I fiddle around with trial and error. Oh well. Cest la vie! (I find I say this a lot. :P)



And this last picture really reminded me of Miami Vice. Palm trees, big moon... all we need are cops with big hair and a moustache!

Before the rain.

Took this shot just a few minutes before it started pouring on my head. Quite surprised really, because I didn't know what to expect. The photo did turn out quite nicely, didn't it? The river spray along here is pretty fierce too. I so need to come back here when it's bright out to catch that.

I like the colours in the above photograph, although I'm not sure whether it's the result of the impending rain, or just the nearby light polution. Or maybe I've got ranom skill! Haha.

Also, getting rained on? Not fun. It was a good five minute dash back to the car. And predictably, the heavy downpour turned into a light drizzle the minute I got in the car. Cest la vie, eh? :)



I tend to take random shots like this. I guess I've always wanted to try taking the stereotypical cars on a freeway shot. I must say, this has a much steeper learning curve than I imagined.

I'll post more shots soon! I feel like event photography. Anyone know any events happening around town? I've got the urge to shoot people. Maybe I'll walk around town on Saturday.

Job/Money/Sian!

For what it's worth, getting the paperwork ready for a job is as much of a pain as is getting a job proper. I've spent around $120 getting all the requisite clearances and identity checks and what have you in order to start my new job. Apparently it's claimable on tax. Well, at least I hope so.

Tax this year is going to be a headache, I've had 4 seperate jobs this financial year!

And I really need to sort out superannuation stuff.

I'm still pondering when I should tell my current boss that I've got a new job. It's a little more complicated when you're working for a family friend. I'll give him a month's notice, I guess. (Meaning I'll tell him in a fortnight)

Personal recommendation: do not work for family friends if you can at all avoid it. I've tried asking for more work hours (denied), but am expected to stay back and finish work should my workload not get done. It's not fun when you're paid by the hour, but don't get paid for anything beyond the "official" work hours.

Oh YES!

My nerves are shot to bloody blazes. 120 minutes of football and a nerve-wracking penalty shoot out. Oh God. It's just hard to recover. Finally at long last, we've won it again. I can't sleep. It's a combination of stress and excitement.

Oh YES!

Bill Shankly once said that football isn't a matter of life and death, it's much more important than that. And oh God, on nights like this I absolutely agree. I'm absolutely overwhelmed. It's taken nine long years to get to this night once again. Nine years of near-misses and heartaches. Only football fans would understand.

I'm trying really hard not to yell and scream here. Oh God, YES!

Two moments really stand out, and they've got nothing to do with football.

First, after Ronaldo missed the penalty, Gary Neville walked out into the rain - suit and all - and picked him up off the ground, and brought him to where the rest of the team was. That's leadership. Even if you're not on the pitch, you're leading your team from the bench. That's something I respect.

Second, when Man Utd won, Paul Scholes didn't join in the celebrations, but instead walked over to John Terry - Chelsea captain - to console him. That's sportsmanship. Think about it. Here's a guy who missed the last finals, finally played in one and won it, and the first thing he does is to console the opposing team. That, I respect.

Say what you want about great goals, young players and championship moments. For me, it was the old guard who stepped up and were counted. Did the things that truly mattered.

That's what's this game is about. Moments like those. These are the things that stick with you. The stepping up. The kind of examples that only legends can set. Somewhere, some kid is going to see those images and think to himself "that's the kind of man I want to be", and it's going to stick with him his whole life. And I'm one of those kids.

Good job well done, lads. And full lauds to Chelsea for giving their 110%. It could really have swung either way.

I love this game!

An update.

Spent most of today hanging around with Mingyang. I miss days like that, just walking around, doing stupid things, cracking lame jokes and just hanging out with a dude you practically grew up with. It's great.

Trawled through town looking for camera prices, deals, and alternative methods of payment. Found a few packages that interest me, and it pretty much boils down to whether I want a flash, or a bag and tripod to go with my camera. Decisions, decisions.

(I've decided to go with the flash. Tripods are cheaper, and I already have a bag in mind)

It's still a lot of money. I've talked to the folks about it; they've agreed to pay first, and I can pay them back in installments. I hope to get the camera paid off in under six months (at say, $50 a week?).

Hit Little Creatures and downed a couple of pints while talking about life, friends, Singapore, and where we've come in the past four years. I'm always amazed at how much he sees to the heart of things. His simple solutions and explanations are often the best.

I'll always appreciate that Mingyang's been there with me through my entire academic life. I'm really going to miss him once he goes back at the end of this semester. Unless he gets his bridging visa and stays and works here, that is.

I guess he's always been a constant in my life since Primary One. That's nineteen years that I've known him. God! It feels like forever hey? From drinking ribena in school canteens to beers in Little Creatures. That's quite something.

Post Scriptum.

On Saturday, May 10, I wrote "And I don't give a rat's arse who I have to stab or step on to get there."

I'm sorry for saying it. And my saying it hurt and disappointed more people than I knew. I don't mean it. I was angry, and when I am angry, I say lots of extreme things that I don't mean. I know that stabbing and stepping don't earn you friends, and I don't intend to to that just to get ahead.

I know I'm an asshole when I'm angry, and that's something I have been trying to work on for a very long time. Aggression comes to me too easily.

Guess it goes to show how much of a good person I'm not. I'm really disappointed in myself.

I'm really sorry that I've said harsh things that I don't mean. I'm making an effort to stop being like this.

Money woes.

(Ironic that this post comes hot on the heels of a 'I want this cool expensive thing abso-fucking-lutely now!' post, isn't it?)

Finances are a bit tight at the moment, so I'll be terse because I don't want to bore you. (And yes, I have no problem disclosing exactly how broke I am)

Weekly expenditure

1. Guitar lessons : $40
2. Petrol: $50
3. Gym membership: $15
4. Camera payments: $20

Total expenditure/week: $125
Current salary per week: $203.41 (after tax)
Disposable income per week: $78.41

Factoring in food and other necessities, I'll barely break even. Considering that I sort out most of my meals despite living at home, I eat cheap. Trying to cut carbs (indomee's out), so I'm eating protien (chicken or eggs) and frozen veggies for each meal (works out to abour $4/meal). Surprisingly, I'm still fat.

And let's not even get to mobile phone bills and other recurring costs like toiletries and such.

Travelling less (or simply not going out) to reduce fuel costs as well. Gym's necessary though. It's too cold out, and the dry air makes my nose run. Seeing as I don't appreciate having a perpetual runny nose, gym is a better option. Plus I get to meet people, which is half the reason for even going to the gym.

The camera's a hobby more than anything else, and a guy does need hobbies before he goes insane - even if he is broke.

I really should stop guitar lessons. Although it'll be foolish to call it quits so early. I need the lessons and my teacher IS good, $40 is just more than I can afford right now. I'm trying to talk my folks into paying for it, seeing as they DID offer. However, mum's notoriously good at forgetting about things like that, and even asked 'why should I? It's your lesson!' when I broached the subject.

I'll try guitar for another couple of weeks and reassess the situation then. No point rushing into things.

The new job will pay about $538.46/week after tax. I really can't wait.

I figure that if I continue my current expenditure, I can probably save about $200 a week ($3200 by end of contract). Only trouble is the parents insist on going back to Singapore over December, and insist on going on a 'family holiday'. There goes whatever I can save. Looks like I'll be back to square one when I head back to school next year.

I have been protesting going back to Singapore/family holiday based on the grounds that I can't afford it AND go to Kuching with Char. No luck so far. Mum always promises to pay, but never pulls through when the time comes to put the cash down.

Guys, it's not personal. I just really can't afford to come back and see you fellows for anything longer than a week. Ideally, I'd go back to Singapore for a week, fly to Kuching for a week, then get back to Perth and work.

Camera dreaming.

I'm going to get a DSLR. I've one wanted for ages, but have never had the financial capability (or rich or generous parents) to pull off. In the spirit of not waiting for bloody forever to wait for things to happen, I'm going to get a camera on installment.

I'm looking to get Nikon D60 (see picture). Firstly, I do have an old Nikon 401X, and my lens is shot. So the new lenses can be used with the old camera, should I want to shoot film.

Secondly, I like the 'feel' of the Nikon versus other options on the market (I've fooled around with the Nikon D40, Canon 350D and a Pentax whose model I can't remember). I'd get a Canon, but it just feels too light and 'plasticy'.

Thirdly, I can't find a place that sells the Canon 450D at a lower price ($1.5k on average) than the Nikon D60 ($1.4k on average) for a twin lens kit. I might be wrong though! If you've seen it going for cheaper, please let me know!

So pretty much I'm going to buzz around town on Saturday and see what options I might have available (I'll visit the huge departmental stores too, just in case), and see how we go from there.