Post F1

30th September 2009
Wednesday

F1 is over. It was a busy weekend, with long hours of labour and little time to rest. Still, the company that I found on the roofs of the sky suites were invaluable.

The sun bearing down harshly during setup; the hours of waiting before the first guests start arriving; the roar of the engines as the drivers control their machines from their cockpits.

All these would have been unbearable without the support of each barmen and barmaid at the Sky Terrace. It has been a enjoyable time, and I look forward to F1 2010. Hopefully the same crew will get together and work at Sky Terrace again.




It's been another dry spell on the trumpet for me again. Hopefully the spell will break and there will be progress.

"The tree that is not beaten by rain and baked by sun will never grow."
-Han Yong

This too, shall pass.

9th September 2009
Mittwoch
This too, shall pass.


Here is a story from Krissy's valedictory speech at TP's graduation ceremony 2009.


It was said that, in old Jerusalem, there was a king who had in his possession the most magnificent collection of precious jewels. Yet, he was unsatisfied, for he was told of the existence of a magical ring.

A ring with such power that it could take a happy man’s joy away;
A ring that could take a sad man’s sorrow away;
A ring that had the power to clear confused minds & bring light to a lost soul;
and this ring, had the power to truly deepen joy.

The king offered all his advisors a huge reward and sent them out to scour the world for the magic ring. Years passed and one by one, they came home empty-handed.

The king's humblest, most devoted servant was the last to give up. As he was trudging back to the palace to admit defeat, he made one last stop at a small dusty shop.

When he sadly told the proprietor what he had been seeking for so long, the old man smiled and said," I have the ring." Taking a little box down from a high shelf, he refused payment.

"Your King needs this," he said. "Take it as a gift."

The King tore open the box with trembling fingers. Inside was a plain metal ring! Was this the treasure that he had gone to for so much trouble?

Astonished and angry, the King was about to throw the box across the room when he noticed the Hebrew letters engraved on the ring. He looked more closely.

"Gam zeh ya-avor," it said. "This, too, shall pass."

The King wore the ring for the rest of his life. Whenever he was sad, or intoxicated, or joyful, he would read those words -- and it worked exactly as he had dreamt.

Crossing rivers

3rd September 2009
Donnerstag

There were three men standing in front of a river.

The first man swam across, and shouted back to the two men on the other bank. 'Come my friends, the grass here is greener than any blade of grass over on your side!'

Tempted by the first man, the second man leapt into the river and swam across. The two man then shouted back to the third man. 'Come my friend, the air here is fresh, more invigorating than any breath taken over on your side!'

Spurred on by his predecessors, the third man plunged into the river and drowned.


Maybe not everyone can achieve the same things.

Somehow, I feel like the drowning man.

A day off work

30th August 2009
Sonntag

Had a tiring day at the beach barbecuing. But it was nonetheless full of fun and laughter - a luxurious escape from the daily stress. Tomorrow, or rather, later, will be another long day, with job training, followed on with what I hope would be a productive practice session.

Orchestra concert's on Tuesday, and I can't seem to be able to find my bowtie. Gosh. I need to get one soon.

No stories today as my brain's fried from all the heat during the BBQ session.


P.S. Fishing next week?

Filling Boats

28th August 2009
Freitag

A kind fisherman lived in a village by a lake. The lake had sustained his family and his fellow fishermen for generations, and they all lived harmoniously.

One day, they went out to fish. His friends asked him politely if they could use his boat to store some of their equipment. Being a kindhearted person, he agreed readily. His friends dumped their extra equipment on his boat. They carried on fishing.

His friend's were getting a good haul, and they again asked him politely if they could deposit some of their catch with him. Being a kind person, he agreed again.

This went on, with his friends gradually moving more and more stuff onto his boat, until his boat sank. He got tangled in the net that his friends left on his boat, and he drowned in the lake.




Is your boat being overloaded with the posessions of other people?

Two little mice

27th August 2009
Donnerstag

This is a common story which almost everyone has heard before. But here is it again, with a twist to it.

There were two mice who fell into a bucket of milk. The first mouse thought : "Oh, life is always hard on me. I will be dead before the evening is over." Having resigned to his fate, he stopped struggling and prepared to drown.

The second mouse, equally shaken by this unexpected milk bath, kicked the first mouse in the bollocks and made him tread milk. "The last thing I would allow is to have a dead mouse in my milk bath. Quit whining and start swimming."

So with that kick to his bollocks, the first mouse started swimming for dear life.

With both mice working hard at splashing milk, the milk was soon churned to butter, and both of them clambered out of the pail and onto the kitchen floor.

The second mouse was happy to be alive, and scrambled off to the safety of his home. Whereas the first mouse said, "That was hard work! Now I should be entitled to some well deserved rest, after working so hard." With that, he laid down and took a nap.

While the mouse was sleeping, the resident feline chanced by, and decided to kill some mouse for kicks.

And so, the mouse died.

Moral of the story: When you think you have come a long way, and deserve a rest, think again. Is it really time for you to lay back and enjoy a pint of beer?

Burning Houses

23rd August 2009
Sunday

A man lived alone in a cottage by the countryside. He loves his house, and all of his belongings.

One day, a fire broke out in his kitchen and spreaded to his dining room.

The flames were licking at his beautiful oak dining chairs. In a bid to save the chairs, he moved them out of the house. The fire then spreaded to the hall. The man decided to move his antique clock, along with his favourite sofas out to safety. The fire continued spreading, and the man kept saving his belongings, item by item.

When the fire got too intense, he had no choice but to escape outside. It was only then he realised that while saving the different objects in his home, his house was completely razed to the ground.

The moral of this story is that while we are concentrating on the tiny details in life, it is easy to get carried away and lose sight of the big picture.


Have you lost sight of the big picture whilst rumbling through the small details in life?