Tuesday 19 November 2013

Symbol 6 : Carine's Shroomtree

Carine's Shroomtree

Write up 

My first attempt. Total silence... Rolling, squeezing, flattening just went on and on. Then, I saw tree bark forming naturally on the dough, and the size was just comfortable to hold onto. Tried standing it; it could! Too lonely, added a wavy top. Too plain, added beads. Nine beads, evenly spread out. No colour; just its natural form.

Birthday wish: May all be in your natural form; grow, stand tall, bloom and provide shelter to others.

今天心声出奇的静。手自然的揉、捏、搓着。树纹突现!大小适中,又可竖立!但,孤单。加个飘逸的蘑菇盖吧!单调。手很自然的揉了九粒小球。选择不上色。自然也是美!

祝愿大家象蘑菇树一样,能自然的成长,长长久久的竖立着,并给于他人一个可遮风避雨的顶盖。



*Carine shared that she naturally thinks in Chinese so she kindly offered her original thoughts in Mandarin. 

Symbol 5 : Cheong's

Cheong's 
Cheong's 
Cheong's

Cheong's 
Write up


When I was told to do this, my instinct was to make up what are the most important things in my life.

The heart symbolises love, kindness, care. The lovely magic when people connects.

The basketball represents my life experiences and learnings. Learning that we should always try to be better, to be humble, to lead, to respect people, to be resilient, to trust others, to trust yourself, that team is greater than self, that people of all colours, shapes and sizes can perform magic if they click.

The wings symbolises freedom - my wish to do whatever I want, to experience the many things that this wonderful world gives.

When I presented this, all three symbols were placed apart, and I thought that it was fine to be like that. However, once you asked me to put them together, something happened. It is so true that I consider them very different things. Putting them as one (other than making it like a RSAF* badge), makes me suddenly realise that maybe there is a chance that all 3 can mix together. I don't know what is it, but my heart tells me it is possible. And when it happens, it will be magical.

*RSAF : Republic of Singapore Air Force

Symbol 4 : Yang's Taking Flight

Yang's Taking Flight Front View
Yang's Taking Flight Side View
Yang's Taking Flight Rear View

Write up


The experience was deep and intense. It unfolded at the perfect speed. I felt liberated and engaged as I was doing it. The muscle memory reminded me of moments as a child where I played with toy clay and wooden sticks to make things. These moments also had an echo of being rare in my childhood.

The shape is angular, triangular at the tip and flat overall from the top looking down. If you examine it on a plane, you can see the wingtips are round instead of sharp. There is also a spine to the planeish looking figure. I think it symbolizes flight, which metaphorically represents pushing the limits and boundaries in my life, perhaps to explore new fields and knowledge domains, take on a new job or pursue goals that exceed my comfort zone. I think the sharpness indicates my unyielding nature in pursuing a goal while the rounded edges of the wing represent a flexibility within me when faced with obstacles or challenges. I think the spine acts as a guidance rudder if you will that keeps the plane on track depending on how it pivots and then the flatness of the wing indicates my need for stability while I pursue my goals.

The orange color represents excitement, passion and power. The brown is thin and represents a clock of a sort, while the blue symbolizes peace/coolness, calm and stability. The yellow is symbolic of rawness and energy. Lastly, the green acts as a mediating force that connects my guidance rudder to my stability plane.

Yang, to move forward, you need to continue pushing your boundaries and remember to be stable while doing so.

To serve the organisation better, you need to push the boundaries of what you do without sacrificing quality and steadiness.