Missing

Are you missing me? I have certainly missed blogging. But I've got some more important projects to handle. After returning from Hong Kong, I had to prepare for a photography workshop and some training programmes, worked on the wedding photographs I took before I went Hong Kong.

Just when I had completed the wedding batch, I just did 4 shoots over the past 3 days. So more photos to edit again.

I'd really like to blog about my Hong Kong trip, among many other topics, but I wonder how long I would need before I settle down to write about the experience. I didn't even have time to look through all the photos, some of which are rather spectacular, shot with the Samsung NX100 with 20-50mm and 50-200mm lenses.

You get to appreciate how good a camera performs when you put it through the test.

Hong Kong, Hong Kong (version 2010)

I'm off to the airport in less than 4 hours and I'm still blogging here! Just wanna drop a quick note that I'll be spending my days in Hong Kong from 12 to 16 Nov. It's rather coincidental that 2 of my colleagues are also going there around the same period. We'll see if we bump into each other on Hong Kong streets. Zoe Raymond is also there for a blog-sponsored trip.

And like the trip last year, I plan to utilise the social media to update my trip via Facebook or Twitter or Foursquare or all of the above, depending on whether I have time and whether I can get the prepaid SIM to work with my E72 without any hiccups. Last year, I bought China Mobile which is very cheap, but the data runs on the old EDGE network which is very slow. This time, I am going to try to get one2free by CSL. Its 7-day unlimited mobile data package costs HK$178 and free IDD calls to Singapore (just pay local airtime of HK$0.25).

So if you are kaypo and want to know my every move in Hong Kong, check for my updates on the following sites:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chestertan
Twitter/Twitpic: http://twitter.com/musicdiary/

Or you can read what I did last year:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4-5

Bye!

What Do You Want To Be Recognised For?

Everyone loves to be recognized for achieving something that they are proud of. Society has realized this and has implemented means for people from all walks of life to apply themselves and experience personal success. For example, with the rise of the Internet, niche groups have emerged as well as specialized education avenues like music production programs online. Opportunities have been extended to all to achieve and succeed regardless of age, background, and location.

When I was a young school-goer, I wanted to be a model student. Imagine my elation when the form teacher nominated me as the stand-in classroom monitor. It was only for a few days, but to me that was recognition. Into my teens, I put in my best effort in my Choir ECA (the schools now call it CCA). And when the teachers-in-charge assigned me as the sectional leader, I knew that my musical talent is recognised.

During my university, I composed lots of music for my hall musical productions for 3 years, earning me a Cultural Award and recognition. After I left school and started my working career, my colleagues knew me as a tech-savvy guy, and came to me for advice and help in gadget issues. When I started to publish my piano compositions under the Piano Spa album series over 4 years, friends saw me as a “successful” composer of calming therapeutic music that helps people in coping with their stressful lives. Then I started developing my photography interests, and in a few years people recognised my style of wedding and portraiture photography.

Few days ago, Pepperconn invited me to share with my blog readers about a contest organized by Aviva. For Aviva, their business is all about people. And because you are their big picture, they want to hear from you! This contest aims to recognize YOU by asking you to share the moments that are uniquely yours and defines you openly through the Aviva Singapore Facebook. Every week, from now till 28 Nov, the top 3 entries with the most number of ‘Likes’ will each win a 64GB iPad 3G!!! It’s easy to participate, because you do not need to write long essays. Besides, it's a meaningful campaign that lets you think about the past incidents that you have been recognised for – without even you realizing it. And precisely, thanks to this campaign, I spent some time reflecting on my past to identify some meaningful incidents, and I realized how much recognition I have had from people.

Here’s one that I could submit for the contest: Several months ago, I bought a toy for my 3 year old daughter. Once a while, we would ask her who was the person who bought the toy, and she would say "papa". So, yes, I want to be recognized for being a doting dad who buys toys for his daughter.

Here’s another one: I was the official photographer for a long-time buddy’s wedding. I was so glad he requested for me because it means he recognizes my skills. And he certainly did, for he kept reminding me during the event how blessed he was to have me taking pictures for his wedding. He again thanked me, after I delivered the photos and the custom-designed photo book, for the wonderful memories I have captured for his family.

No moment is too small to be recognized. What do you want to be recognized for? Share your story at Aviva Singapore Facebook and get your friends to like your story. And if you try hard enough, you could be recognized as the person who wins the iPad!

This blog entry is kindly sponsored by Aviva Singapore. Aviva is a leading provider of retirement, investments, insurance and health products. With a history of more than 300 years, Aviva is one of the biggest providers of employee benefits and healthcare in Singapore.