Tim Winton on Australia:
[Australia is] a place where there is more landscape than culture… Everything we do... is still overborne and underwritten by the seething tumult of naturevia Island Home by Tim Winton review – a love song to Australia and a cry to save it by Katharine Norbury.
Never forget where you Came From [..]via Photography is Escapism by Eric Kim.
And never forget to always love yourself
Had the pleasure of hearing Eric talk back April 2012. Quite the philosopher and I always enjoy reading his posts and many a quote has found its way here, today being another.
What I have found about photography is that is a reflection on and of Life. The beauty of the act of photography and thinking of photography.
On photography as a form of escapism. It is perfect, because sometimes that is what need to get through. And for me, along with the paddling, that is how it has been and will continue to be I suspect And there is nothing the matter with that.
I've written about the End, so here is the Beginning ..
The inaugural 1989 Fairfax Corporate Games was how I met Jenny. We both worked at the same company and responded to a call in the company's newsletter, to help organise a team.
I'm not sure I had seen Jenny prior to that, even though we had worked in the same building on and off over a number of years. I was just back from three years working out of Tamworth, my main childhood home town. It was a big company in those days and the Head Office filled a 40 storey building on the corner of Park and Elizabeth Streets.
I remember the first meeting to help organise the team on Level 23. We both got out of separate lifts at the same time and walked in opposite directions to find the meeting room. We couldn't find the meeting room during our opposite navigations of the inner core of the building. When we bumped into each other, I asked her if she was looking for the meeting room for the Corporate Games. She said yes. And, in those first moments I noticed her beautiful blue eyes and friendly manner.
I did not know she had a sister, Joanne, who also worked at the same company, and it was only on the day of the event, that I realised Jenny was an identical twin. We all had a great time and at the end of the day I had to rush off quickly to attend a 5 day residential work course at Dover Heights.
I thought of her often and did not see her again until a few months later, when Jenny rang me out of the blue to meet so she could give me the photo above. We met at my desk on Level 26 and at same time she gave me this photo, she had the courage to ask me to partner her to a friend's Wedding. I was in shock and did not know what to say. What was a beautiful women like Jenny asking someone like me to partner her to a Wedding. How brave was she, and how shy and uncertain was I.
So, I made her endure a night of uncertainty, telling her I had to check that the Wedding did not clash with a hockey game I was scheduled to play on the same day. What was I thinking? I was always going and said yes the next day. At the same time I asked her out to dinner and to see a movie on Fri 30 Mar 1990, so we could get to know each other a little better before the Wedding.
The Wedding was duly attended and I even managed to play my game of hockey before the wedding, scoring a rare winning goal. It was my day!!
A month later we were out in the city with a group of Jenny and Joanne's work friends (I was hanging out with them by then - they were all accountants and I was the engineer), and as we passed a rowdy group of men, I instinctively held Jenny's hand. Whoops - but she held my hand back and did not let go.
That was our beginning, our destiny for a life together, until the day she transformed herself into our memories.
And, it is through our memories of Jenny that she lives on, this photo and post being just one.
You see, you feel, you connect. That's how photography works.via The Best Photographers are Stupid? Kind of. by Colin Pantall.
Just loved the way the late afternoon light fell on the photo.
Paddling has changed my life. It has given me so much Joy. It has given me purpose and goals through the good and tough times.
Going back to Hawaii just now for the biggest paddling challenge for an Outrigger Paddler. Thanks to all who have supported and encouraged us to get to this Moment (yes it's just there now ready for us to firmly grasp with both hands). It takes much effort by many people. It can be hard, uncomfortable and difficult but that's why you do it.
Hoping we might be able to catch a few runners just like we did here off the beach in Sep 2011, and minimise the mistakes as we do the 66 km crossing with 110 crews from all over the world. See you on the other side, all going well ..
Spencer Lum on Vision, Dreams, Hopes and Purpose::
the moment we give up our vision in favor of the common and the accepted is the moment we lose touch with our dreams, hopes, and even our purpose. The things that make us the most human and the most powerful.
via What I learned from living my desperate life by Spencer Lum.
Kate Geraghty on Trust, Respect and Photography:
It's a privilege to meet people and for them to trust us enough to tell us their story, [..] each one of them has to be given the respect to tell their story.
Via Photographer Kate Geraghty on the privilege of witnessing history by Joel Meares.
Trent Parke on Memory and Photography:
I’m really interested in the subconscious and memory and how those things can suddenly re-surface, especially through photographs.
Colin Pantall on Photography and Remembering:
It's strange how one remembers things without being aware on any conscious level of why one remembers or how one remembers. [..]Perhaps it might be good to reach elsewhere for our ideas on photography, outside the small, incestuous world of photo-theory so that we can add to and enrich our understanding of how images work with added engagement and added interest. Today, cognitive and social psychology might be good places to start. [..]
I can't help but feel that there is also an element of the false memory (more of which in a different post) and wish fulfilment in there as well.
The idea that when we see those happy pictures, we remember them and feel that those happy times will come again.
Elia Viviani on Belief:
It has taken time to achieve, but I’ve always believed in myself, I’ve never given up, and I think I’ve done it in the best way today.
via Matthews moves into Giro d’Italia lead as Viviani takes stage 2 by Shane Stokes.
They all had a great couple of days away in Melbourne. And it was nice to see the cousins connect and spend some time away together.
Janice joined Jenny yesterday after a long, strong and independent battle with Breast Cancer over the last 6 years. As the cancer progressed in the last few months and the final destination of her cancer became more real, she let go of her strong independent streak and it was a privilege to share these last few months with her. And to witness the love and care that Patricia and Suzanne (her sisters) and Joanne (her cousin) showed her.
Janice and I shared a passion for colour. So, whenever a colour strikes a chord with me I will remember you Janice.
We will miss you Janice and you will always live on in our hearts and memories.
"Bye my love"
Color is like Music
IT uses a shorter way To
come to our Senses, To
awaken our EmoTions.
there is often a huge difference between intention and execution, there is no shame in reshooting, you must be genuinely interested in your subjects, and your photos have to tell a storyvia Elizabeth Avedon Castell Photography Exhibition (*) by Elizabeth Avedon (*).
art is more than a studied eyeful. It can offer helpful instruction about day-to-day living—at times consoling, redeeming, guiding, and inspiring viewers.via Alain de Botton's Guide to the Works in Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum (*) by Chantel Tattoli (*).
Julia has been a member of the club for over 10 years now. She has been the Women’s Dragon Coach for at least 10 years and as such a member of the committee also. She has therefore been a key contributor the functioning of the club, and the creation and shaping of its culture - it's values and ideals [along with our dreams].Congratulations Julia.
Most importantly Julia provides Inspiration to all in her leadership role.
[Leadership and] Inspiration is the key to allowing people to achieve things that deep down we know we can, but often can’t achieve on our own.
The writer David Foster Wallace describes this kind of Leadership as a “mysterious quality, hard to define, but we always know it when we see”. So for me, I know I have seen it with Julia. Rarely I have seen it, experienced it in the community I live, my workplace or the sports I have participated, but feel fortunate to have experienced and seen that mysterious quality through Julia.
She has always been there for us. Sometimes it is hard to be leader, but a real leader does not shy away from difficult decisions, particularly when it is the best for the team.
This year Julia was not able to paddle due to the impending arrival of their first child, Zach. This did not stop her from being on the front of the boat, when she could, coaching us to be the best we can. Drawing out of us, what we knew we could always do, but were afraid to face, maybe due to a lack of self-belief or the fear of failing.
In February, I was privileged to see Julia at her natural best, to motivate the PD’s Women’s team prior to their record 8th time win of the CNY. Her pre-race talk was completely inspiring and there was not dry eye and everyone knew what they had to do to become who they always knew they could be. And, many feel the successful result of that day would not have been achieved without Julia’s leadership, her words, her inspiration. She inspired the team to be achieve what they always knew they could do.
There are dozens of other instances of this and one I can fondly recount is her role as co-Campaign and sole-Regatta [Head] Coach for Macau 2010. She lead us to be the World Club Champions for the Premier Mixed 500m Event. Again her pre-race talk, motivated us to believe in ourselves to become world champions that day.
Julia creates, leads, unifies and motivates a team, and the individuals within it. She is the true essence of the word inspiration.
