Congratulations! Project Fifty!

once again SGM DID IT!

Our signature

The impressive formations planning

I saw hope and courage

It was grand, huge, overwhelming...and I can't find words to describe, that how could this bring people together to achieve the same goal, same big picture.

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CREDITS TO: http://merdeka50sgm.blogspot.com/ - worth a visit!
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What is happiness? (updated)

I love this book very much, I bring it along with me everyday, it is the book that I shared with my brother when he was down, and the book that supported me when I face the worst condition (I was lost) in my life, this book called "A Piece of Mirror and Other Essays" by Daisaku Ikeda.


Below is one of the article extracted from "A Piece of Mirror"
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"You will never find happiness if you don't challenge you weakness and change yourself from within."

What is the purpose of life? It is to become happy. Whatever country or society people live in, they all have the same deep desire: to become happy.

Yet, there are few ideals as difficult to grasp as that of happiness. In our daily life we constantly experience happiness and unhappiness, but we are still quite ignorant as to what happiness really is.

A young friend of mine once spent a long time trying to work out what happiness was, particularly happiness for women. When she first thought about happiness, she saw it as a matter of becoming financially secure or getting married. (The view in Japanese society then was that happiness for a women was only be found in marriage.) But looking at friends who were married, she realised that marriage did not necessarily guarantee happiness. She saw couples who had been passionately in love suffering from discord soon after their wedding. She saw women who had married m en with money or status but who fought constantly with their husbands.

Gradually, she realised that the secret of happiness lay in building a strong inner self that no trial or hardship could ruin. She saw that happiness for everyone - man or woman - does not come simply from having a formal education, from wealth or from marriage. It begins with having strength to confront and conquer one's own weakness. Only then does it become possible to lead a truly happy life and enjoy a successful marriage.

She finally told me. "Now I can say with confidence that happiness doesn't exist in the past or in the future. It only exists within our state of life right now, here in the present, as we face the challenges of daily life."

I agree entirely. You yourself know best whether you are feeling joy or struggling with suffering. These things are not known to other people. Even a man who has great wealth, social recognition and many awards may still be shadowed by indescribable suffering deep in his heart. On the other hand, an elderly woman who is not fortunate financially, leading a simple life alone, may feel the sun of joy and happiness rising in her heart each day.

Happiness is not a life without problems, but rather the strength to overcome the problems that come our way. There is no such thing as a problem-free life; difficulties are unavoidable. But how we experience and react to our problems depends on us.

Buddhism teaches that we are each responsible for our own happiness or unhappiness. Our vitality - the amount of energy or 'lifeforce' we have - is in fact the single most important factor in determining whether or not we are happy.

True happines is to be found within, in the state of our hearts. It does not exist on the far side of some distant mountains. It is within you, yourself. However much you try, you can never run away from yourself. And if you are weak, suffering will follow you wherever you go. You will never find happiness if you do not challenge your weakness and change yourself from within. Happiness is to be found in the dynamism and energy of your own life as you struggle to overcome one obstacle after another. This is why I believe that a person who is active and free from fear is truly happy.

The challenges we face in life can be compared to a tall mountain, rising before a mountain climber. For sometimes who has not trained properly, whose muscles and reflexes are weak and slow, every inch of climb will be filled with terror and pain. The exact same climb, however will be a thrilling journey for someone who is prepared, whose arms and legs have been strengthen by constant training. With each step forward and up, beautiful new views will come into sight.
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My teacher used to talk about two kind of happiness - 'relative' happiness and 'absolute' happiness. Relative happiness is happiness that depends on things outside ourselves: friends and family, surroundings, the size of our home or family income. This is what we feel when a desire is fulfilled, or something we have longed for is obtained. While the happiness such things bring us is certainly real, the fact is that none of this lasts forever. Things change. People change. This kind of happiness shatters easily when external conditions alter.

Relative happiness is also based on comparison with others. We may feel this kind of happiness at having a new or bigger home than the neighbours. But that feeling turns into misery the moment they start making new additions to theirs!

Absolute happiness, on the other hand, is something we must find within. It means establishing a state of life in which we are never defeated by trials, and where just being alive is a source of great joy. This persists no matter what we might be lacking, or what might happen around us. A deep sense of joy is something which can only exist in the innermost reaches our life, and which cannot be destroyed by external forces. It is eternal and inexhaustible.

This kind of satisfaction is to be found in consistent and repeated effort, so that we can say, "Today, again, I did my very best. Today, again, I have no regrets. Today, again, I won." The accumulated result of such efforts is a life of great victory.

What we should compare is not ourselves against others. We should compare who are we today against who we were yesterday, who we are today against who we will be tomorrow. While this may seem simple and obvious, true happiness is found in a life of constant advancement. And the same worries that could have made us miserable can actually be a source of growth when we approach them with courage and wisdom.

One friend whose dramatic life proved this was Natalia Satz, who founded the first children's theatre in MMoscow. In the 1930s, she and her husband were marked by Soviet Union's secret police. Even though they were guilty of no crime, her husband was arrested and executed and she was sent to a prison camp in the frozen depths of Siberia. After she recovered from the initial shock, she started looking at her situation, not with despair, but for opportunity.

She realised that many of her fellow prisoners had special skills and talents. She began organising a 'university', encouraging the prisoners to share their knowledge. "Youg, You are scientist. Teach us about science. You are an artist. Talk to us about art." In this way, the boredom and terror of the prison camp were transformed into the joy of learning and teaching. Eventually, she even made use of her own unique talents to organise a theatre group.

She survived the five-year prison sentence, and dedicated the rest of the long life to creating children's theatre. When we met for the first time in Moscos 1981, she was already in her 80s. She was as radiant as buoyant as a young girl. Her smile of someone who has triumph over the hardships of life. Hers is the kind of spirit I had in mind when I wrote the following poem on 'Happiness':

A person with a vast heart is happy.
Such a person lives each day with a broad and embracing spirit.
A person with a strong will is happy.
Such a person can confidently enjoy life, never defeated by suffering.
A person with a profound spirit is happy.
Such a person can savour life's depths while creating meaning and value that will last for eternity.
A person with a pure mind is happy.
Such a person is always surrounded by refreshing breezes of joy.

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happy searching for happiness
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this is the SPINOBOT

SPINOBOT documentation.
An educational installation provides digital visual, sound reaction, touch and machinery interface for kids to learn in an enhanced way.
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it will happen again
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Wanganui School of Design - Inside7.

Congratulations to Hazel's book launch

Comes with an Inside7 dvd, WSD alumni 06/07 showcase, collection of student work: interactive design, video, animation and print

The gallery/exhibition hall, Prof. Hazel Gamec interviewing student

Boyd's Illustration, my lettering and calligraphy class tutor.

Anne Ng's character and soft toy design, my flash lecturer.

Loved this



The last thing I could do.

Inside 7 display

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Congratulation for the book launch! and Happy Retirement too!
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Seremban Charity Cultural Night II

Wanted to do this few years back, to remember the moment I am on the stage.

On the stage, we are told to have the winning heart, we have won over the hardship and the fear, facing the audience proudly as we have achieved great victory, I never felt so happy on the stage, so fulfilled and so want to share the joy with the audience, encouraging people who are hopeless, rejuvenating people who are tired of life, I was not acting.

Grand finale of all performance.
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more to come
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Seremban Charity Cultural Night I

After 3 months of hard work, the day has come. We were all excited and awaiting the great success. Organized by Soka Gakkai Malaysia, held in the indoor stadium located at Seremban, neighbour state of Selangor.

make up time at rest room

warm up at the tunnel

Part of the instrument

other performers stand-by to the stage

arena overview, with those glamorous lighting

arena backdrop

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when hard work turned into harvest
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rebuild SPINOBOT: IV

I got 3 1/2 hours sleep, to get all the switches done correctly, the time arranged was just enough for me to get on time to get everything loaded into my car and depart to KL. I didn't know if I am really going to make it, but I must not defeated by the fear I have in me. I pushed myself to the limit.

It was a morning working hour time, slight traffice jam at the exit to highway, it was all right after some slow crawl. I looked at the rear mirror, there were some police escorting, I moved to the middle lane, the leading police was too fast, I didn't have time to see what happened, the motorcycle and him crashed onto the ground, he released the bike and both of them were spinning 360 degree on the ground. The following four wheel drives were speeding, managed to brake right about 10m in front of the policeman, lucky him, the other following car changed its lane to mine and stopped right behind me, lucky me.

Without hesitating, I passed them and continue my journey, I thought this must be a sign, I must be extra careful, as today is such an important day for me. I've traveled about 2km later, that group of "VIP" (whoever allowed them to speed like 200km per hour on the road). They came extremely fast, I didn't have time to move myself to the left and I had to move to the most right lane. They were madly speeding then I heard a loud "bang", I saw my car's left side mirror flipped, the last car that passed by hit on it. I saw something flew across the wind screen, I was shocked, the driver from the car behind me was shocked too, someone in the car looked back at me, they went into the smart tunnel.

I was shivering, I thought that was bad, this is my dad's beloved car, and I drove without the left side mirror for a while, I thought of trying to flip it back to the position with the control button for closing both side mirrors, then open up again. It worked, thanks to Toyota. I reached at my dad's shop to calm myself, amazingly there no any scratches discovered. UNEXPLAINED, and I know I was blessed. Took me a while to recover from the frightening moment, mom drove me to Central Market. Thank you so much.

Caught my mate who is back from Germany for vacatoin, to help me out on the setup. We managed to reach the venue on time. Looked and chose the right spot and I started to test tracking for SPINOBOT. He measured the space and wood support measurement are done. Credits to Sean. It didn't go well. There were too many unexpected circumstances that I have tried different ways of solving. I have done everything I could.

Borrowed 2 webcams, tried all my contacts, included my younger brother's to get a mini DV camcorder, I got my cpu built with 3 firewire port, so that I can get the DV cam tested, prepared PS/2 to USB cable for the switches. I used the last option - calling Lin Yew at New Zealand, my advisor for SPINOBOT. He told me ways to solve and gave me resources...He told me "NEVER GIVE UP!". I cried, as that moment I received his message, I already decided to pack up all my belongings to leave exhibition space.

the space that I tried to work on for the setup. say bye.

Not getting these colorful wood blocks to be used for color tracking.

Not using this pile of aluminium angle as for the projector and camcorder frame work.

It feels like miscarriage a baby, I see my design work as my baby, nourished and worked hard on it, and it slipped from my hand as I under estimate the unforeseen problems. I couldn't help, broke down and tried to tell myself that the process of this does matter, I've learned from this, and if there will be another chance, I won't miss it again.


After I got home,putting my computer together and looked into the instruction I got from Lin Yew, I tried and tried, I went to get another webcam immediately, I got QTCap happens on my computer, but it say "Problems with video decoder..." I can't remember, it is midnight, I am too exhausted, thought of taking a nap, and I couldn't wake up after that... till the next day morning, I had to sew up my flag and be prepared to another mission.

my flag that is awaiting to be completed.
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thank you and thank you again.
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the last practice

The Two Conductors

The Percussionist - Timpani guy, quiet but very important

Us!
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Go go go!
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rebuild SPINOBOT: III

I thought there won't be much problems after getting this important equipment to help on rebuilding SPINOBOT, perhaps life is full of surprise!

Realized that this advance and convenient, stylish and up to trend, user friendly and with a 30GB hard disk drive camcorder, is in fact working as a hard disk, not a capture device that is meant to be captured ( if you know what I mean). Mom was shocked, but it is okay, this is the first camcorder in our family, she wanted to get one some times ago, the right time to have it, for recording our up-coming performance at Seremban!
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THANKS! MOM AND DAD!
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the last rehearsal.

on the way to Nilai stadium. Departed from Cheras at 7am.

rising sun

after 3 hours sleep. looking cheerful and energetic, this is what we call "the great spirit". those are my little girl friends.

at lunch. this is the t shirt that I designed for the Soka Gakkai Malaysia Kiboo Koteikitai Twirlers. Concept based on "As bright as the sun, as pure as the moon."

I have promised them that I will be there with them on Friday, after setting up SPINOBOT at Central Market Exhibition Hall. So touched. They said that they will wait for me.

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I was too busy at the rehearsal, not sure if I can get any pictures of us later on.
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good. outstanding.

The conductor of FYSB(Fei Young Symphonic Band) asked us, "Who do you want to be? A good student or an outstanding student?" I pondered for a few seconds -- Ideally we want to be an outstanding student, it sounds better than just a good student, but I don't know why.

Q:
"Do you know what is the difference?"
A:
"A good student get 10 A's, very good, because he/she spent 10 hours on studies"
"An outstanding student get 10 A's, very good, but he/she spent 5 hours on studies, spending another 5 hours for creating some valuable history/activities."

Interesting? That is why we should talk to people, share with people about things that we can never learned from school or text book.
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a great dialog we had before we go on for the last rehearsal.
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self search

Physically exhaustion is not an excuse for looking lifeless. Exposed under the sun every weekend for the intensive training, someone exclaimed that "You look so tanned!" "You look healthy!", some said "why are you so dark?" I answered in my heart, "yea...... fair does not relate to me anymore" "I never thought of using WHITENING LOTION in this life time, I thought I didn't need that, because people have been complaining that I was too pale." Getting closer to my double missions, and I am loosing my aim and happiness. I am not sure why is this happened.

Apparently, I felt I am more energized after yoga class, after my favorite teacher - Indra's class. She taught us not just postures but about how to look at things differently, in another point of view or angle, while we are doing some yoga postures, things are simply different for instance, looking at our toes up side down. How to appreciate people and other practitioners in the class, as yoga is not just about personal but the positive energy surrounding us, and be thankful to them. As well as how can our mind control our body, be strong in mind yet humble without having the attitude to compete with others, listen to our body and being observant.



Oh, most of the time, she chants some peaceful melody at the end of the class. Her routine ending message: May peace always be with you. May the class benefits you in your daily life and have a nice day.
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thanks to you.
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rebuild SPINOBOT: II

I found the left key's terminals. I was sooooooo excited, but couldn't find the right key, but it's okay. I connected 9 terminals to test each of them with another 16 ends.
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pending.
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