The moon was big and bright on Friday night. This shot was also taken by the Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot camera phone, in Twilight Landscape mode.

The Friday night moon reminded me of the song ‘Moon River,’ which I can sing along with anytime. Wouldn’t it be nice to talk a stroll in a moonlit night like this?

“Moon River” is a song composed by Johnny Mercer (lyrics) and Henry Mancini (music) in 1961, for whom it won that year’s Academy Award for Best Original Song. It was originally sung in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Audrey Hepburn, although it has been covered by many other artists. The song also won the 1962 Grammy Award for Record of the Year. (Read more about this song at Wikipedia)

This is a beautiful flower, which I have always seen along the paths I walk from home to the MRT station or vice versa and also along the path from a bus stop to my sister’s house on some Wednesday. I finally got a chance to take photos of it, with my Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot camera phone, the other day when I was in Sembawang Park. I do not know the name of the flower. Sometimes the flower can come in red colour too. But the one that always catches my attention occurs in soft pink with a mix of white and a little yellow in the center.

The interesting thing about this flower is that it usually blooms together and looks like the shape of a ball (as in the first shot). However, once in a while I caught a solitary bloom (as in the second shot). Anyone know the name of this?

No matter how beautiful it blooms, eventually it will drop to the ground and the cycle starts again – the beautiful work of nature.

I took a lesson on Patient along this shoreline at Sembawang Park the other day. With my Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot camera phone, I waited patiently. The slightest movement I made, the ‘timer’ would reset and I would have to wait for another 5-10 minutes. What was I waiting for?

Could I have just walked to the shoreline, asked the little crabs to come out from their hidings to let me take some photos of them? I did try but I failed terribly.

Walking directly to the crabs would send them scurrying into the openings between rocks and within seconds, it seemed as if they just vanished into thin air.

Then I tried standing still to wait for them to appear. After a while, they started to explore the surroundings carefully and slowly from the openings. Upon seeing that, I made the mistake to squat down too quickly and they were gone.

I learned my lessons well from the mistakes I made. I squatted very still and aimed the camera phone at the openings where the crabs appeared before. Patiently I waited and it paid off. Within 5-10 minutes, the crabs started appearing from the openings again.

First there was only 1 daring crab which came out to explore, then 2, 3, 4 and it went on, coming out from the different openings between rocks. Before I knew it, I saw about 10 of them around me. With as little abrupt movement as possible this time, I aimed and focused my Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot phone at one of the largest crabs.

And the result? The second picture above. There is still a limitation on the camera phone. Pardon me for the poor shot. However, through this incidence, I realized how much professional photographers must have gone through to capture all those spectacular moments; how many hours of waiting for that close to perfect shot?

“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” – Albert Einstein

If they had not been enormously patient, could Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein turned out to be great scientists?

In one of Leonardo da Vinci‘s quotation, he mentioned, “Patience serves as a protection against wrongs as clothes do against cold. For if you put on more clothes as the cold increases, it will have no power to hurt you. So in like manner you must grow in patience when you meet with great wrongs, and they will then be powerless to vex your mind.”

And for anyone who love gardening, what can you share about patient on gardening? I believe that patience and persistence are two key attributes to a lovely garden?

And the work of farmers who are still using traditional methods of farming. How many hours did they have to plough in the field, look after the seedlings before they can have a good harvest. Not to mention, they are under the mercy of Mother Nature.

And parents, what can children teach you about patience?

Procrastination is probably one of the longest words in my dictionary. I used to have problem spelling it; I used to spell it as ‘Procastination’ without the ‘r.’ Not to worry, I am not going to talk about spelling today. I am going to talk about dealing with procrastination.

It is my ‘running day’ today and I should have gone for my run this morning. However, when I woke up this morning, the sky was gloomy with signs of an impending rain. In fact, it was raining in the wee hours around 5.30 am.

So naturally I have load of excuses not to go for the run this morning; the road is still wet, the running shoes will be drenched, I can go for a run in the afternoon or I can go for a run tomorrow morning instead etc. And you guess right, I did not go for the run this morning.

Just about an hour ago, I was reading Death defying stunt in London by CK about his plan to run from work to home today. And after reading it, I shut down my laptop and went for a run at around 1 pm in the afternoon. Don’t worry, no heat stroke; the sky was very cloudy just now.

I just dislike being a loser to procrastination, especially when I know I can beat it. So thank you to CK, somehow your post has given me the much needed ‘push’ … for action.

I believe that most of us had moments when procrastination got the better of us and we did not manage to do what we had set to do for that day. I know, it is a lousy feeling – a feeling of not in control.

There were mornings like today when procrastination had gotten the better of me but there were also many mornings when I dealt with procrastination face-on. The outcome? I won and with lots of sweats.

So what are the secrets for dealing with procrastination? Pardon me, there are no secret formula to apply or potion to drink. The best way of dealing with procrastination for me and with almost 100% hit rate is to take immediate action.

The biggest challenge is getting out of the house. How did I do it?

First of all, I focus on the positive aspects that running always bring me. I have always felt good after every run and have felt more ready to take on other challenges. Not to mention I maintain a healthy lifestyle. Through focusing on the positive aspects that running always bring me, I build up my mind positively step by step. If needed, you can write it down on a piece of paper all the advantages of doing something that you want to do but keep putting it off.

Secondly, I just put on my tee-shirt, running shoes, grab the keys, open the door and out of the house I go. It couldn’t have been more simple. This has always worked for me. Thus the more you procrastinate, the more you need to get into the act of doing. Once you are in the act of doing it, the process should carry you along until you are done.

How about you? What is your effective ways for dealing with Procrastination?

And the picture above? That was the bonus for the run today. I managed to see these beautiful blooming flowers. At some parts, the flowers group together like a beehive. Of course, I couldn’t resist myself from taking a shot with my Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot camera phone.