- Leonard Cohen
Image came from here.
Keep well...
---------------
Monday, January 24, 2011
Eye of the beholder
Everything that's beautiful is cracked, and that's how the light gets in.
- Leonard Cohen
Image came from here.
Keep well...
---------------
- Leonard Cohen
Image came from here.
Keep well...
---------------
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
The Southern District Championships
Once again a whole day was spent in a sports hall, this time several hours away by public transport. A long, tiring and eventful day, but a very worthwhile one for capturing some magnificent action.
Keep well...
---------------
Keep well...
---------------
Friday, January 21, 2011
Fractals on Friday
Even in the most uproarious settings, quietness and healing can be found by paying attention to details, instead of focussing on the chaos of totality.
Often, when confronted with almost insurmountable difficulties or changes, I find it useful to concentrate on basic and essential issues, rather than trying to take on the whole challenge in one fell swoop.
Step by step, moment by moment, piece by piece, issues unravel and become comprehensible. And, as is so often the case, the rewards are mostly not found at attaining the goal but by travelling the path towards it and learning the lessons offered.
Keep well...
---------------
Often, when confronted with almost insurmountable difficulties or changes, I find it useful to concentrate on basic and essential issues, rather than trying to take on the whole challenge in one fell swoop.
Step by step, moment by moment, piece by piece, issues unravel and become comprehensible. And, as is so often the case, the rewards are mostly not found at attaining the goal but by travelling the path towards it and learning the lessons offered.
Keep well...
---------------
Thursday, January 20, 2011
The ways of words
Words have a beauty all of their own, as a way of expressing things but also visually as small works of art.
Creating, refining, crystallising meaning, tools to be used carefully, shaping and caressing one's realities
Keep well...
---------------
Creating, refining, crystallising meaning, tools to be used carefully, shaping and caressing one's realities
Keep well...
---------------
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
An anniversary, of sorts...
Looking back, it's been quite an adventure during the last three years. Today, in 2008, I went to the clinic for the first time to have an alcohol problem treated. It's been quite a ride since then, but also one in which I've rediscovered myself and many of the ideals I'd lost across the years.
Probably the most worthwhile discovery has been that painful experiences are worth confronting, no matter how discomforting they might be in the immediate situation. Many lessons were needed to understand that the path of least resistance usually wasn't the most appropriate one, and quite often even the most harmful one under the circumstances.
Three years of self-analysis, catharsis, evaluation and self-criticism has delivered me the benefits of a broader view of the world, an insight into what motivates me and the people around me, and the ability to look through the veneer of an insane civilisation hell bent on avoiding anything that might cause discomfort or confrontation with oneself.
The ride's not over yet, not by a long way, but the tools and methods are in place to continue recreating my life in a way in which I can be of benefit for others in similar situations as I'd been through.
Keep well...
---------------
Probably the most worthwhile discovery has been that painful experiences are worth confronting, no matter how discomforting they might be in the immediate situation. Many lessons were needed to understand that the path of least resistance usually wasn't the most appropriate one, and quite often even the most harmful one under the circumstances.
Three years of self-analysis, catharsis, evaluation and self-criticism has delivered me the benefits of a broader view of the world, an insight into what motivates me and the people around me, and the ability to look through the veneer of an insane civilisation hell bent on avoiding anything that might cause discomfort or confrontation with oneself.
The ride's not over yet, not by a long way, but the tools and methods are in place to continue recreating my life in a way in which I can be of benefit for others in similar situations as I'd been through.
Keep well...
---------------
Monday, January 17, 2011
What is eternal?
One of my favourite clips at the moment. Text copied and pasted.
------------------------------------------------------------
Crushed by the dilemma he finds himself in and unable to reach a decision, Beethoven tries to recall the particular actions in his life that have led to his damnation. In anger, he confronts Fate for having dealt him such a cruel hand in life. Taken a back by his accusations, she offers to review his life with him and to change anything that he wishes to change.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra / Beethoven's Last Night
And here in the night
As I feel the inferno
I stare in the dark
Thinking what is eternal
The man or the moment
The act or the reason
These thoughts fill my head
As I contemplate treason
Of dreams I have had
And dreams I have pondered
When late in the night
My mind it would wander
To things I have done
And then quickly regretted
While denying vices
My life had selected
And I think what I've done
Or have yet to begin
And the man I've become
And man that I've been
Now caught in a waltz
With the eternal dancer
I'm courted by death
But death isn't the answer I say
All I was
Meant to be
Could I
Suddenly
Just decide
Not a thought
Would survive
Could it be
My life's worth
Ended there
With my birth
If I could see someone
Who's been there before me
And traded his soul
For a moment of glory
His penance or mercy
By spirits debated
While judged on a scale
That's been heavily weighted
And what have I done
Could there be such a sin
In this man I've become
In this man that I've been
Now calling to God
From the pit's very bottom
I pray he forgives
Every sin I've forgotten
This day
And who would have thought
That my fate it would conjure
This twist in the road
On which I have wandered
Each vision and dream now
Completely dismembered
To give one's whole life
And find nothing's remembered
And what good is a life
That leaves nothing behind
Not a thought or a dream
That might echo in time
The years and the hours
The seconds and minutes
And everything that
My life has placed in it
Betrayed
Betrayed
Betrayed
The things I have done
The places I've been
The cost of my dreams
The weight of my sins
And everything that
I've gathered in life
Could it be lost
Could it be lost in this
Could it be lost in this
Night
------------------------------------------------------------
Keep well...
---------------
Crushed by the dilemma he finds himself in and unable to reach a decision, Beethoven tries to recall the particular actions in his life that have led to his damnation. In anger, he confronts Fate for having dealt him such a cruel hand in life. Taken a back by his accusations, she offers to review his life with him and to change anything that he wishes to change.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra / Beethoven's Last Night
And here in the night
As I feel the inferno
I stare in the dark
Thinking what is eternal
The man or the moment
The act or the reason
These thoughts fill my head
As I contemplate treason
Of dreams I have had
And dreams I have pondered
When late in the night
My mind it would wander
To things I have done
And then quickly regretted
While denying vices
My life had selected
And I think what I've done
Or have yet to begin
And the man I've become
And man that I've been
Now caught in a waltz
With the eternal dancer
I'm courted by death
But death isn't the answer I say
All I was
Meant to be
Could I
Suddenly
Just decide
Not a thought
Would survive
Could it be
My life's worth
Ended there
With my birth
If I could see someone
Who's been there before me
And traded his soul
For a moment of glory
His penance or mercy
By spirits debated
While judged on a scale
That's been heavily weighted
And what have I done
Could there be such a sin
In this man I've become
In this man that I've been
Now calling to God
From the pit's very bottom
I pray he forgives
Every sin I've forgotten
This day
And who would have thought
That my fate it would conjure
This twist in the road
On which I have wandered
Each vision and dream now
Completely dismembered
To give one's whole life
And find nothing's remembered
And what good is a life
That leaves nothing behind
Not a thought or a dream
That might echo in time
The years and the hours
The seconds and minutes
And everything that
My life has placed in it
Betrayed
Betrayed
Betrayed
The things I have done
The places I've been
The cost of my dreams
The weight of my sins
And everything that
I've gathered in life
Could it be lost
Could it be lost in this
Could it be lost in this
Night
------------------------------------------------------------
Keep well...
---------------
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Sunday quiet
After a day of intensive photography yesterday, I've been pretty well knackered today. The only thing I could put reasonably much effort into for this Sunday was a short 5km run, more for relaxation's sake than anything else.
It's been a very busy week, up to and including yesterday, and I notice how much tension is lingering in my shoulders and back. Running was good to get rid of part of that, a good warm shower helped lots and occasional exercises in the course of the day took away most of the soreness and mental agitation.
Lots going on here, well on track with the goals I set myself at the beginning of the year. Life's getting better all the time ;-
Keep well...
---------------
It's been a very busy week, up to and including yesterday, and I notice how much tension is lingering in my shoulders and back. Running was good to get rid of part of that, a good warm shower helped lots and occasional exercises in the course of the day took away most of the soreness and mental agitation.
Lots going on here, well on track with the goals I set myself at the beginning of the year. Life's getting better all the time ;-
Keep well...
---------------
Saturday, January 15, 2011
The Rhönrad Regional Championships
Youngest Daughter had another match today, for placement at the National Finals in March. She's been training well recently, a lot better focussed than last year, and ended up equal third in her category. The final decision if she's to be place at the national level depends on the results from two other districts, although the points she earned were far above the provisional norm. We'll know at the end of the month.
Spiral exercise.
Vault at completion spiral exercise.
Part of the straight line exercise.
Part of the straight line exercise.
Vault.
Youngest Daughter with teammate, as equal 3rd.
With 2nd and 1st place winners, also from our team.
We'll keep our fingers crossed.
---------------
Spiral exercise.
Vault at completion spiral exercise.
Part of the straight line exercise.
Part of the straight line exercise.
Vault.
Youngest Daughter with teammate, as equal 3rd.
With 2nd and 1st place winners, also from our team.
We'll keep our fingers crossed.
---------------
Friday, January 14, 2011
Fractals on Friday
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Testing, testing...
Yesterday evening was spent testing a new lens for speed and ease of use with my latest camera. I'm very pleased indeed with the results, there's a sharpness and flexibility here which will be very useful during the coming match season..
I'll need to work on the white balance though, sports halls can be pretty unforgiving at times although this venue is one of the better ones.
Keep well.
---------------
I'll need to work on the white balance though, sports halls can be pretty unforgiving at times although this venue is one of the better ones.
Keep well.
---------------
Monday, January 10, 2011
Sunday, January 09, 2011
Awakenings
... as is usually the case when comfortable preconceptions are disturbed.
Keep well.
---------------
Saturday, January 08, 2011
Wake up
This, apparently, is the new face of conservative politics in the United States of America. If you can't beat 'm, put 'm in the crosshairs and shoot 'm is, so it seems, the new message.
Image as previously shown on one of Sarah Palin's pages.
So said, so done unfortunately. At this moment, one of the targeted people, Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords, lies in hospital in a critical but stable condition after having been shot in Tuscon whilst speaking to constituents.
The act need not be committed by someone affiliated with conservative politics in any way, the fact remains that such images, placed in public view in such a fashion, attract the attention of less than stable individuals working on their own agendas.
Isn't it time the world woke up to what is really going on? The rule of law is rapidly desintegrating into the rule of arms, wielded or guided by a small elite who have the resources to push their own agendas at the expense of the rest of the world (think Wikileaks, Manning, undeclared wars etc...). Time to do some serious waking up, methinks.
Keep well, think well...
---------------
Image as previously shown on one of Sarah Palin's pages.
So said, so done unfortunately. At this moment, one of the targeted people, Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords, lies in hospital in a critical but stable condition after having been shot in Tuscon whilst speaking to constituents.
The act need not be committed by someone affiliated with conservative politics in any way, the fact remains that such images, placed in public view in such a fashion, attract the attention of less than stable individuals working on their own agendas.
Isn't it time the world woke up to what is really going on? The rule of law is rapidly desintegrating into the rule of arms, wielded or guided by a small elite who have the resources to push their own agendas at the expense of the rest of the world (think Wikileaks, Manning, undeclared wars etc...). Time to do some serious waking up, methinks.
Keep well, think well...
---------------
Friday, January 07, 2011
Fractals on Friday
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Signs of the times...
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
When focus becomes reality
Have you ever had the feeling, in the middle of the night or when caught up in a crisis, that certain situations or events have become so large that they are almost insurmountable? You sweat, they block your view of anything else and you start to panic, but in a strange way, once your attention moves on to something else needing attention, the problem suddenly seems to have become a lot smaller. For myself, for example, getting out of bed and doing something else or taking the time to attend to other, routine, tasks seems to help me diminish the size of whatever's worrying me.
The fact of the matter seems to be that, whatever takes our attention or grabs our interest, seems to become larger than life or more apparent than before. I've often had the experience when, having learned a new word or having bought something new, I'm suddenly hearing that word much more often in daily conversation or seeing the same object I've just bought, in many different settings around me. They've probably always been there, but it's only now that I'm paying attention to them. At those moments I seem to have shifted my perceptions of reality to focus on something that has become important to me at that time.
During the difficulties of the last few years, I've been tempted to wallow and fixate upon so many negative and disturbing things going on in my life. At moments I've even ventured down this path for a short while, but noticed that the only thing that was happening was that I was feeling even more miserable and downhearted. Even though I wished things would turn out differently, I couldn't for some reason. In other words, as I became more obsessed about the negativity in my life, the negativity in my life became larger, and the outcomes in my life became negative also.
Thoughts are like seeds, what we sow we shall reap. The more we plant, the greater the returns. The more we think, the more we reinforce a particular pattern of thought. The good news is, though, by the same mechanism of focussing on negativity, that by maintaining a positive, cheerful attitude and a hopeful, grateful countenance, life becomes a lot easier and a lot more transparant somehow. The issues which worried me to death in the past don't seem to have such a grip on me any more, they're still there but can't drag me down into self defeating behaviour if I choose not to let them do so. Focussing on becoming happy, makes becoming happy happen, in a manner of speaking. Focussing on success breeds success, focussing on learning encourages learning, whatever I focus on becomes larger and more real in my mind.
My affirmation for today is "I choose to be happy, despite all the mental undercurrents working toward the contrary". Today is mine, with all it's possibilities. Make it yours too.
Keep well...
---------------
The fact of the matter seems to be that, whatever takes our attention or grabs our interest, seems to become larger than life or more apparent than before. I've often had the experience when, having learned a new word or having bought something new, I'm suddenly hearing that word much more often in daily conversation or seeing the same object I've just bought, in many different settings around me. They've probably always been there, but it's only now that I'm paying attention to them. At those moments I seem to have shifted my perceptions of reality to focus on something that has become important to me at that time.
During the difficulties of the last few years, I've been tempted to wallow and fixate upon so many negative and disturbing things going on in my life. At moments I've even ventured down this path for a short while, but noticed that the only thing that was happening was that I was feeling even more miserable and downhearted. Even though I wished things would turn out differently, I couldn't for some reason. In other words, as I became more obsessed about the negativity in my life, the negativity in my life became larger, and the outcomes in my life became negative also.
Thoughts are like seeds, what we sow we shall reap. The more we plant, the greater the returns. The more we think, the more we reinforce a particular pattern of thought. The good news is, though, by the same mechanism of focussing on negativity, that by maintaining a positive, cheerful attitude and a hopeful, grateful countenance, life becomes a lot easier and a lot more transparant somehow. The issues which worried me to death in the past don't seem to have such a grip on me any more, they're still there but can't drag me down into self defeating behaviour if I choose not to let them do so. Focussing on becoming happy, makes becoming happy happen, in a manner of speaking. Focussing on success breeds success, focussing on learning encourages learning, whatever I focus on becomes larger and more real in my mind.
My affirmation for today is "I choose to be happy, despite all the mental undercurrents working toward the contrary". Today is mine, with all it's possibilities. Make it yours too.
Keep well...
---------------
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