On Complicated Clouds & Complexities of Life
“For every complex problem there is a solution that is simple, straightforward, and wrong.”
- H.L. MENCKEN
While out cycling on Sunday evening, I decided to drop by an old classmate’s house for no apparent reason other than to gossip catch up on things as we have not met in quite a while. We were very close in lower secondary school but we’ve sort of ‘drifted apart’ over the years on account that he is a super-religious super boring Christian and I am not! It’s a complicated story and I sort of like to do short posts. Fortunately we’ve not allowed religion to get in the way and we have remained friends and have kept in touch over the years; although the ‘keeping in touch’ bit is mostly one way; from my way. Then again this is complicated and lengthy to elaborate …
He was surprised and delighted to see me and we decided to take a walk at a nearby park and we chatted as we strolled. He told me that he would be retiring in 3 years time and has plans in mind to start a new business then although he really would love to resign now from the civil service but things are seldom simple and like most of us; is unsure about the future. As we walked I noticed the dramatic evening skies and took snaps as we talked. Looking at how complicated the clouds formations are, it dawned on me that it’s natural that things are ‘complicated’ and are not as simple as we wished or hoped them to be.
Like my on-going ‘battle’ with our IT people, problems at work or in other areas of our lives requires a shifting of our focus from the big picture to the details and back again without fixating at just one level of the problem. In other words our IT people are so going to get it from me from so many angles! We need to balance between gathering more information with the need to get something done urgently; as I urged my friend to get started as soon as possible on his future plans as 3 years somehow goes by rather quickly once you’re past 50. Such is the complications of life. However it is not that complicating to enjoy the simple things in life such as watching complicated clouds drift past you … Enjoy.
Kuching Sunday Skies, 11th May 2008
May 14th, 2008 | Category: About Life, Kuching Skies, Photography
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May 14th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Nice post… really touched my heart. Especially the complicated clouds explains the complexities of Life. Nice photo though… Wish u luck man…
May 14th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Hi FH2O, life is indeed full of challenges but just like the complicated clouds, complicated life will pass too. Best wishes.
I noticed you’ve blogrolled me under “$Money$ Blogs - so cute. Hope you are doing well on your blog too.
May 15th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Francis,
You are 1st class photographer. U really take good pictures !
There is a Chinese saying that the sky and sea look big when you stand afar away (’hai qua tian kun’), I think it literally means we need to step back sometimes to look at the big pictures (in English). It is more so when we are face with problems. Problems can seem really big at times but then if when you look back in a couple of years, those problems will not look that big !
Everything will pass, our life in this earth is so temporary, everything shall pass , difficult or not difficult ! It all shall pass !
Jamy
May 15th, 2008 at 10:24 am
50 is a good age ! I personally think it is when life start happening :).
May 15th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Unkerrr !!!
Soooo nice to catch up with you, and thanks for sharing with us ur wonderful (ok quite scary also) experience.
Ur shots of the skies are breathtaking as usual. U are probably one of the few people who could turn a normal looking sky into something dramatic.
Anyway, Charmaine Hon’s new blog is at: http://chemekia.blogspot.com
And the article that she wrote and got published in the local WA paper can be found here:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23364431-7582,00.html
Cheers !! Keep looking to the sky.