a thought for the approaching year

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
~Leonardo da Vinci

A cooler Christmas in Sydney

Well, it was a cool, overcast and very pleasant Sydney day on Christmas day, and we found a Doctor who was on an exchange program here in Sydney from the Philippines for three months with no friends or family, so we invited her into our family for a celebration that was cool, and so very relaxed in light of the many days of stress and rush that we have all been swept up in prior to Christmas.

We went to collect the Doctor and went to show her the sights of Sydney and found a wonderful place that was open for a glorious and indulgent breakfast, the Rocks Cafe, and the food was wonderful, some eggs benedict of whole wheat pancakes infused with Blueberries set the tone for a wonderful day.

Then we went around the city again and then went and met mum, and other relatives for a wonderful chinese yum cha lunch at the Tingha palace recently transfered to the Parramatta leagues club. My thoughts certainly drifted to the many people who are in the hospitals, and the people who are not as fortunate. I am very, very lucky to be able to enjoy what I do and I give thanks often for such blessings. It was aa wonderful lunch and afternoon. We chilled and relaxed. And am enjoying the Christmas holiday break. I promised myself that I would not email or work to truly be refreshed, so I am on holidays...really!!

I have provided some pictures which reflected a little of how we spent Christmas day 2009. I also went past a street that to all accounts was just a nice street and fell in love with a piece of street graffiti artwork that I could not resist photographing.

New years now has already got me thinking about the coming year, what adventures and experiences it will hold.

A final Christmas wish from me 2009

I am finally getting over the flu I have had for almost two weeks which is wonderful, and I wanted to take the opportunity to share a Christmas thought with you all and leave you with a christmas aussie tune.

I will not post again before Christmas, but want to wish you all the very best for a happy season and New year. If there are people who read this post whom I may have offended or disappointed this year, I am sorry, and for the many people who have made my life that much better because of knowing you this year, I thank you unreservedly. My Christmas wisdom is below which is a mixture of thoughts and feelings expressed by a few others which I have tailor made to suit the way I feel at prresent.

This Christmas, 'Mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter to someone who might need to know that you care. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth in your family. Share your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologise. Try to understand each other BEFORE speaking. Think first of someone else. Be kinder. Be more gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude one to another. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again, lets not live with the false premise that "They know I love them" lets actually tell them!

"Christmas is a celebration, and there is no celebration that compares with the realization of its true meaning---with the sudden stirring of the heart that has extended itself unselfishly in the things that matter most." HW Hunter

Farewell Mick Cocks

Mick cocks, member of the Australian Rock band Rose Tattoo lost his battle with cancer last night and prior to his passing he got to see my collage of him (above) and said he loved it. He remains a well loved musician, a well loved father, son, relative and friend to many people. This collage I have included in this post, I shared with a few of my friends via email previously, but I share it today in tribute to this good man. Thanks for everything Mick, you are already missed and shall be for a long time to come.

The Rose Tattoo Website confirmed the stars passing with a brief note below.

"We're very sad to announce that Rose Tattoo founding member and guitarist Mick Cocks lost his battle against liver cancer and passed away today, on December 22th,'' the statement read.

He had been battling the disease since April this year.

It comes just months after some of Australia's best-loved rockers joined forces to put on a benefit gig for the stricken performer.

Rose Tattoo, Jimmy Barnes, You Am I, Ian Moss and The Screaming Jets played at the Enmore Theatre in July to raise money for Cocks.

Guitarist Pete Wells, who died in March 2006 from cancer, formed Rose Tattoo in 1976, joining forces with Angry Anderson, Mick Cocks, Ian Rilen and Dallas Royal.

Jessica Mauboy flips @ Harvey Norman Moore Park!

I had the opportunity to photograph and meet Jessica Mauboy at Australian retail computer store Harvey Norman Moore Park.

It was an unusual venue in a sense, but when there it was the perfect venue. What a wonderful young performer this lady is. All I knew of her previously was that she was a rising star which came out of the 4th series of Australian Idol, who came runner up to Damien Leith. But what I discovered was, that she is so much more. She is a classy young diva who hugged each of her fans and was genuinely so pleased and thrilled to meet them, some which lined up for a few hours to meet their star. Some bought gifts for her which she accepted graciously. I found her to be a warm and genuine person who will clearly go far. She is the duaughter of a Timorese / Indonesian Father and an Aboriginal mother, and I couldn't help but feel the many fans who met her see her as an example, a role model. She signed, sang and smiled her way into the hearts of everyone there, across all age groups.

She was there to promote the Flip product from Cisco systems, and with the team from Sony Music and the friendly team that surrounded her, it was a wonderful experience. Having supported Beyonce, Smokey Robinson and Human Nature, and with a personality like she does, she is easily going places, or should that say many more places! You go Girl!





Her biography

Clown Doctors!

Now medicine is no laughing matter until you meet these guys!! Then you realise the vital role they play in helping the most vulnerable children in the hospital system who are ill. We are all familiar with the movie that starred Robin Williams about the real Dr, called Patch Adams

These guys are very special who touch the lives of children and parents and who make a significant contribution to other people. They are magnificently supported by the Marriott hotels and at the Marriott Sydney Harbour, is where I was asked to cover an event for the clown doctors. I did this pro bono, and endeavour to help charities as often as I can. This group of people have my support and respect.

I was asked to do this by the magnificently talented portrait artist Nafisa Naomi, who had done a portrait of one of the clown doctors and the marriott hotel has it on display in the lobby, so if you are near, please go and see this masterpiece, and if you can, please support this wonderful organisation. I refer here only to the Australian division, but they operate in many, many countries around the world. Thankfully!














Humour Foundation website click here!

On the Road again...still!

As mentioned in a previous post, I was traveling a week ago through the towns of Ballina, Lismore, Grafton, Coffs Harbour, Bellingen, Dorrigo, Armidale, Tamworth, Werris Creek, Coonabarabran, Gilgandra, Gulgong, Dubbo, Bathurst and then back to Sydney. It was a bigger trip than I had imagined. I was traveling and sharing the benefits of Digital SLR cameras and discussing the differences between key brands and sharing some of my enthusiasm about photography and imaging generally. I thought I would share a couple of pictures taken of me doing a course in Tamworth, and at each place I visited they had a couple of models and I was showing people how to get the best out of each image. Here are a couple of images I took also that I liked.

A thought for those of us who suffer at this time

I am not feeling very well at present, having contracted the flu in recent days, and after a very hectic travel schedule training people in the northern parts of this state and also in the New England parts. I have certainly loved it, but have also had the wonderful opportunity to mingle and meet different people whose enthusiasm and passion have only fueled my own. This has certainly helped counter act the feelings of being drained and wrung out.

My mobile phone died whilst I was away and I had no contact in or out for several days. I certainly missed the contact but was partly grateful for it. Apple replaced it for me as the phone was cactus basically. So I am happy to have that back and working. I have two phones, an apple Iphone 3G 16GB and a Blackberry and LOVE the iphone. The Genius centres in the apple store are amazing. They are a great tool.

Yet amidst the feelings of being tired and drained, and happy for my new phone, I have thought and felt very deeply for so many people at this festive time of year who are suffering. I think of those who have lost jobs and dont know how to find the money for bills or accommodation and those who are just hanging on thinking and hoping the economy picks up. I think of the people in the Philippines near the Mayon volcano who are being evacuated from their homes as the volcano is threatening to erupt and the many families around the world who face an uncertain future, who face an uncertain Christmas. At these moments I feel paralysed not knowing what I can do to make the biggest difference, yet we should each find something to do to help, no matter how small.

I hope that we can all find someone to help this Christmas. I dont know if we give money to a charity, or find someone we can offer help to, but as a family we are trying to help someone here in Australia on a work exchange program with no family here in Australia and are involving them in our family festivities. It is my wish that we all find at least one person whom we can genuinely help with something, even if it is a listening and non-judgemental ear. We never know where the ripples of the pond reach out to from a kindly act of love and kindness and I want those ripples to bring good will for each of us.

I am so very grateful for the little that I have that, in the light of third world comparison, is great and plentiful. I am grateful that I get to live the life I do. I send out a whole range of love, good wishes for the economy, the world and for the individuals who cry to be noticed, may we each notice. God bless and Merry Christmas to all.




The card I created for a good friend Doug and his family


The card I created for Glenn A. Baker who had his heart surgery a few weeks ago

Wishin and hopin....

A casual glance through the real estate pages the other day saw these two properties take my fancy. NO, I cannot afford them, but would certainly wish I could. I would love to convert a church of this caliber into a wedding reception venue and home. What's money? Anyway, keep wishin, keep hopin.....