Photo credit: Isaac Ong

While we were taking photographs of the local wildlife, a moth was flying around me and landed on my Canon EOS RP and EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM II lens! I was pleasantly surprised that a moth would choose to land on me! I quickly asked Isaac to help me photograph this priceless moment, the moth flew away and landed on my ThinkTank lens pouch before it flew away from us.

Photo credit: Isaac Ong 

The last time a moth had such an impact on me was on the eve of my paternal grandmother’s death anniversary in November 2019. Our extended family gathered in the living room of my Uncle’s home, we were relaxing, chatting with each other and catching up. A moth flew into the room, landed on the wall, above the family altar. My auntie said, “That’s your grandmother returning to visit us!” 

For some people, the significance of a moth appearing has different meanings and views. I came across this article, “Moth Meaning and Symbolism: The Mysterious Spirit Messenger” by Crystal Clear Intuition. This article gave quite comprehensive insights into the meaning of moth, symbolism and what it means when it lands on us. 

Personally, when this moth landed on me, is both a blessing and omen for me. For those who missed out on what really happened to me during the past few weeks, I was not in a very good shape at all, both mentally and emotionally. That was during Phase 2 Heightened Alert, I wrote about my Reflection, Thoughts and Feelings, along with my poetic visual storytelling on fate, time, ikigai and personal struggles. On top of that, I had a few very personal situations/matters that overwhelmed me into a tipping point that I almost spiral downwards. If it wasn’t for a few friends (Chef Keith, old primary school classmates Michael and Wendy, photographers Ryan and Isaac and a special mention to my cousin-in-law Tiffany for lending me her listening ear) who pulled me out from the rut, the situation might be worse for me. 

As I climbed my way out from the bottom, slowly clearing my mind, thoughts, emotions and hurt. The battles are still ongoing in the aspect of running and managing my photography business. I was constantly reminded, “Survival first, followed by love yourself and take care of yourself first. The rest can come later.”

Taking small steps, through nature and forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku 森林浴) with my photography therapy in the following two weeks after 7th June, I slowly climbed my way out from the bottom. I prioritised the battles to take on and fight. First and foremost, survival. Meeting people to discuss business, partnerships and collaborations over different days when Phase 3 Heightened Alert with 2 pax dining started, there were small changes and good things coming to me in small ways in one way or another. 

Photo credit: Isaac Ong

As I was trekking through MacRitchie Reservoir Park/Central Catchment Nature Reserve, I looked up above the rainforest canopy, the light shining upon me from above through the leaves, this is Komorebi (木漏れ日) that I have been seeking. 

Are all these blessing and omens the turning point for me? Is there light at the end of the tunnel for me and for the world, as we are all battling this global pandemic situation that has caused such massive impacts to our economy and daily living? Was the appearance of this moth landing on me not just a coincidence, it’s also carrying a message of both blessing and omen for me, to remind and encourage me to keep on striving forward and grab hold of the opportunities with both hands when they appear? 

I am still hurting inside, there is something that cannot be said, leaving it to fate and time. My life and business journey continues, the constant battles continue in the wake of this ongoing global pandemic as well.

That moth has probably sent me some messages for me to decipher, discover and embrace the blessings and omens from above. However, I still have to work very hard to fulfil them and make them come true for me. 

Photo credit: Isaac Ong

Let’s keep on striving and moving forward in this very difficult and trying times.      

The post Blessing or Omen? appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

I love the great outdoors, nature and wildlife, not just back home in Singapore, traveling around the world, trekking, climbing mountains, national parks, enjoying the beauty and tranquility of Mother Nature. Getting inside into nature, rainforest, surrounded by tall lush trees and its canopy, I enjoyed forest bathing therapy with my photography setup, capturing the lush greenery and wildlife. 

From the mountains, to the rainforests and oceans, Earth has many beautiful and amazing natural environments that we need to protect and preserve. While I am unable to visit all of them, I am blessed and mesmerised by some of the destinations that I left my footprints behind.   

As I started to get more conscious of my travel and carbon footprints over time, I have also witnessed more natural disasters taking place in other parts of the world and they are not getting smaller in magnitude and size. All these gradually push me as an individual to think again on my types and levels of consumption in this current world that we are living in. I am also looking at businesses, from famers, manufacturers to service providers (e.g. travel agencies, accommodation) on their green eco-friendly models and practices. 

We need to prevent, stop and reverse the damages that we have already inflicted on our planet Earth, now this is the time for ecosystem restoration. We need to stop exploiting nature to restoring and healing it. Only with a healthy ecosystem, can we improve peoples’ livelihood, counteract climate change and prevent the collapse of Earth’s biodiversity.

Every individual on planet Earth has a role to play, no matter how big or small, you can be a part of #GenerationRestoration and make a difference, for your family and loved ones, and to Mother Earth, for the sake of our future generations. 

When we are able to safely travel again once the global pandemic is under control, I would continue to seek my travel photography adventures to the great outdoors, nature and wildlife destinations around the world with green eco-friendly models and practices. 

The post World Environment Day 2021 appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.