10th Febuary 2007.  I woke up to a day full of activities, and half-expected some minor hiccups along the way! But it worked out soooo beautfully!

Today is Sony's "A click of Nature" photographic seminar, and I'm the invited speaker.

Theoretically speaking, this presentation is different from other seminars that I've done cos the majority of the audience are in their teens. As we are know, this group of hyperactive young adults have short attention spans and I know that I need to grab their attention.

With a pot of orchid in hand, I made my entrance. I think I've made a successful first move. It caught their attention! They have this "What is a photographer doing with a pot of orchid??" look and that set the correct momentum to a great interactive presentation. I must say that I'm really happy with the participation rate and interest exhibited by the audience. My clients from Sony were happy with the presentation and the rest......history :)

A wonderful presentation just had to be followed up with a perfect dinner! Dinner was at the Raffles Marina, where wonderful food and beautiful sunset was topped up with great service! As long as I can remember, It has been umpteen years since I had such a wonderful day!

As if that's not enough "rewards" for the day, my pal Norman gave me a call and asked me for late-nite coffee.  He has a store of surprises and goodies for me! A plastic bag full of things that I would use but is no longer useful for him anymore...slide films, film loader, magazines....AND :

And...the Colugo (Flying Lemur) book is finally published! Wow! I can see a fantastic (understatement) young man publishing his first works, working on a subject that both of us are so passionate about. There in my hands I'm holding on to a masterpiece; an accumulation of efforts put in since the turn of the millenium. And of course, I played my part :) Throughout the book, my images are littered everywhere and it is indeed a milestone for my photographic career :)

My heartfelt thanks to Norman for giving me an opportunity to work on this project. What really touches my heart is what he said in the acknowledgement page. This is what he wrote:

"When volunteering for a research project on the Paradise Tree Snake in December 2000, I was introduced to Julian W.. He struck me as a passionate wildlife photographer who uses his stunning images to effect conservation. While striving to obtain aesthetic images, he does not compromise on the subject's welfare (eg. by cutting away branches to remove obtrusions when taking pictures of a bird's nest). Basically, he inspired me to pick up nature photography, with the same set of values in mind....."

Need I say more? :P I'm so glad to have done a part for Mother Nature.