Adrian's Journal

...you're going to be cockeyed today. ~Author Unknown This image of freshly cut green grass was taken with my Samsung Omnia II over the weekend at Henderson Park, where my kids love to play. They call it the "Train" playground. I am practicing the art of being present with my kids. The art of not answering the phone all the time. The art of living today. Here're more quotes about living in the present... "We are always getting ready to live but never living." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson "Not the power to remember, but its very opposite, the power to forget, is a necessary condition for our existence. " ~Sholem Asch, The Nazarene, 1939 "Children have neither past nor future; they enjoy the present, which very few of us do." ~Jean de la Bruyere "If you worry about what might be, and wonder what might have been, you will ignore what is." ~Author Unknown "Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness...

...just shout out the right answer at the right time... in Eric Feng's seminar of course. Eric Feng, an outstanding young chap, spoke about becoming a people magnet. In one short hour, I learnt valuable networking tips I thought I already knew. Not just ordinary networking tips, but tips for networking with high society people. From now on, I will not ask a lady if she has kids, or if she was pregnant. Give genuine compliments to people and be very interested in them first. Small talk. Start small talks. That's where most relationships start. OK, write less, talk more. I am going out to network now. Adrian Lee Http://Twitter.com/AdrianLee

...better than the Panasonic HMC-152. The HMC-152 can only shoot in PAL while the HMC-151 can record in both PAL and NTSC. Specially ordered from Japan. Not readily available in Singapore. Paid a little bit more, S$1000 more, but it's worth the price. That means I can now shoot for both NTSC (US, Japan) and PAL (Singapore) markets. For those who don't know what I am talking about, it simply means I have upgraded my professional video camcorder to the latest state-of-the-art model by Panasonic. People affected by this great news are my valued clients. From now on, you will get higher quality, full high definition, recordings for your videos! Want to know more about video shooting and video editing? Join my new Basic Videography Course (in Singapore). Sign up here http://VideoLane.com . Adrian Lee http://VideoLane.com

...Sweet! (See photo) It tasted exactly like cooked prawns except it's SLIMY! Imagine. Peel the shell. Bite off the flesh. Feel the cool sweet prawn in your mouth as you chew on it. Suck the head. NO! I did not suck the raw prawn head. That's as far as I can go. This dish was part of Mom's birthday lunch last Sunday at Pasir Ris Sakura. I don't mind having more raw prawn next time. It's better than I thought, like sashimi. I love sashimi. Adrian Lee http://twitter.com/AdrianLee

...on a bright sunny day. Only 5 mega pixel. I think the picture looks great for a phone camera. Wait till you see the video recording. It's DVD quality! The only set back is poor low light quality for video recording, although the built-in flash is perfect for still shots. Another set back for the Samsung Omnia II is the lack of scroll buttons. Everyone is copying the iPhone and now I know how handicapped the iPhone is. Adrian Lee http://VideoLane.com PS: Send your staff to my Basic Videography Workshop to improve video shooting and editing skills. http://VideoLane.com

...in a lucky draw this morning at the Business Network International meeting. That's the power of intention. That also the spirit of giver's gain. Some call it plain lucky. Whatever it is, it made my day, as I wanted to buy it anyway. The book is called "Powerful People Skills" by Heather Hansen. (You can get this powerful book here http://hansenslt.com ) I got it autographed by the author herself. I will write a review after I read it. Looking forward to more surprises. Adrian Lee http://VideoLane.com PS: Join my Videography Course this September. Sign up here... http://VideoLane.com Related articles by Zemanta Speaking to an Audience of Business People (adriansjournal.blogspot.com) BNI Networking "Visitor's Day Luncheon" Is Wed., July 29th (b-townblog.com)

...using only a laptop ...and a script. Here's a picture of my old Acer laptop with a hand-crafted mind map on it. This was at a hotel last week where I had to produce a 5-minute highlight of an event on the spot. How did I edit the video in 3 hours, yet captivated the audience? The secret is in the script. The event was a boring conference, all talks and plenty of eating. It is up to a creative videographer (like me), to cook up a storyline. Here are more secrets. Study the program. Find pockets of time between official talks and capture candid interactions. Draw a mind map of the script (storyline). I like to begin a highlight video with 10 seconds of slow intro to present the location. Just when the audience begin to think that the rest of the video is just as slow, the 11th second will burst out loud in a contrasting exciting mood. In this fast paced section, show as much of the talking scenes with quick cuts. Credit each speaker with fly-in texts. About 1 to 2 minutes...

...clean your ears. Did you know that digging your ears for huge chunks of wax is not enough to clean them? There are still plenty of undesirable stuff in your ears you cannot reach. My wife was told by doctors that her recurrent mild headaches was partially caused by her blocked ears. Getting doctors to clear your ears can be very expensive. Fortunately, we know about ear candling at Daisy's Beauty Reformings. Ear candling is a safe and painless way to clean your ears. Daisy burns a special herbal coated roll of paper (look like kachang puteh) over an ear for about five minutes. The little flame at the top of the roll of special paper make it look like a candle. The bottom end sticks into the ear orifice. The burning process sucks out foreign particles from the ear, both big chunks and tiny specks. The treatment is done one ear at a time. Well, good for me, now I do not have to repeat my sentence every time I speak to my wife. Adrian Lee http://twitter.com/AdrianLee

...from grade 0 to grade 3. My piano teacher? My 11 year old daughter who is grade 5 now. She's an expert. By the end of august, I must be able to play all 4 pages of Fur Elise. Today I can only play the first four bars badly. I have to go through finger warm up drills, otherwise known as "dozen a day". It's a set of twelve short 1-bar score to stretch your fingers. Have to do it before practising Fur Elise. Yes, I am getting very good at "dozen a day". On the second week of September 2009, I must perform in front of camera for a graduation party. Good luck to me! Adrian Lee http://twitter.com/AdrianLee

This is a picture of me celebrating. -- Adrian Lee http://VideoLane.com Video on the Move... ----------------------------- VideoLane Pte Ltd 1003 Bukit Merah Central #06-07, Singapore 159836. tel:67388313

...but photography is ok. I think it's a silly policy. Looking at the bright side though, I can stop work and walk with the delegates and tour like one of them! This is a photo taken from the Marina Barrage. -- Adrian Lee http://VideoLane.com Video on the Move... ----------------------------- VideoLane Pte Ltd 1003 Bukit Merah Central #06-07, Singapore 159836. tel:67388313

...while working. I love my work, I love my client. They know that taking good care of this vendor ensures a high quality job. That's what they will get. I rarely visit the Raffles Hotel Long Bar, but when I am there, I just have to enjoy the cool Singapore Sling. By the way, they are promoting another wonderful cocktail till 10 August 09. It's a National Day Concoction with a touch of X rated Vodka. Cheers! Adrian Lee http://VideoLane.com Video on the Move...

... organizing your video clips. Organize your video clips by scene. Open up a new Sony Vegas for each scene. Each scene for example can be grouped as Tanjong Beach, Opening, Speech, and Meals. At least that's what I did today. Here's a photo of my trusting old laptop, capturing video from one cam while the other is ready to shoot anytime. The white cup contains peppermint tea which I hope will soothe my sore throat. Enjoying my work in Sentosa. -- Adrian Lee http://VideoLane.com Video on the Move... ----------------------------- VideoLane Pte Ltd 1003 Bukit Merah Central #06-07, Singapore 159836. tel:67388313

I realized there is no such thing as a work life balance. There is only life management. Here I am, stuck in Sentosa island for the next 8 days, for a videography job. I cannot do other things. I cannot go home early to see my kids. I cannot even have more than 30 minutes break. I have to be alert all the time to capture candid moments of the event. All I can do now is to enjoy the moment and go with the flow, like stretching out on the beach and experiencing the calm on the island. That's life managemnent! -- Adrian Lee http://VideoLane.com Video on the Move... ----------------------------- VideoLane Pte Ltd 1003 Bukit Merah Central #06-07, Singapore 159836. tel:67388313

I realized there is no such thing as a work life balance. There is only life management. Here I am, stuck in Sentosa island for the next 8 days, for a videography job. I cannot do other things. I cannot go home early to see my kids. I cannot even have more than 30 minutes break. I have to be alert all the time to capture candid moments of the event. All I can do now is to enjoy the moment and go with the flow, like stretching out on the beach and experiencing the calm on the island. That's life managemnent! -- Adrian Lee http://VideoLane.com Video on the Move... ----------------------------- VideoLane Pte Ltd 1003 Bukit Merah Central #06-07, Singapore 159836. tel:67388313