Read: Alex Pattakos' Prisoners of Our Thoughts

Title: Prisoners of Our Thoughts
Author: Alex Pattakos
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. (2010)

Recently, I re-read Victor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning. Subsequently, during one of my visits to the library, I came across Alex Pattako's book, Prisoners of Our Thoughts. This is a book that elaborates on the seven "core principles' based on Frankl's philosophy. The book discusses and demonstrates how the principles could be used to help us find meaning in our everyday lives and work.

The seven principles are:
1. Exercise the Freedom to Choose Your Attitude
2. Realize Your Will to Meaning
3. Detect the Meaning of Life's Moments
4. Don't Work Against Yourself
5. Look at Yourself From a Distance
6. Shift Your Focus of Attention
7. Extend Beyond Yourself

I would say that Victor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning is inspiration. This book by Alex Pattako will make an apt follow-up after reading Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning. Pattako's Prisoners of Our Thoughts further elaborates on Frankl's philosophy and serves as a kind of workbook to guide readers to apply the principles.

More information on the book, Prisoners of Our Thoughts, can be found here: http://www.prisonersofourthoughts.com/

8 Jul 2013: Exploring Vienna yet again

8 Jul 2013 (Mon):

After participating in one of the SCL Festival Workshops at the University of Music Vienna, there was some time for rest and recreation before our next event for the day, the performance at Bad Tatzmannsdorf. The members of the orchestra was led to the vicinities near the St Stephen Cathedral which was about 15 minutes stroll from the University of Music Vienna as best as I could recall.

St Stephen Cathedral, Vienna.

Nearby St Stephen Cathedral, there was a bookshop with one of its display windows clearly displaying a number of psychoanalysis books. I took notice of the books because one of my accompanying friends who was with the entourage was trained in psychology.

At a spot nearby the St Stephen Cathedral, the members of the orchestra synchronized our watches before each of us broke off into smaller groups to explore the city of Vienna during the allocated free-and-easy recreation time.

YH, KQ and myself made our way to check out one of the market places in Vienna. Along the way, we met a street busker who was presenting his skills in illusion. He was able to keep himself floating above the ground. Was it magic or simply illusion? I have yet to figure out what was the technique that he had used to make himself seem to float above the ground.

Buildings of Baroque architectural design seemed to be caught my sight when I was exploring the streets of Vienna.

When we eventually got to near the market place, I was feeling thankful that I came across a post-office where I could get some postage stamps.

After a short stop at the post-office, the market place was less than 5 minutes walk away. The summer sun was very bright, as best as I could remember. The bright sunshine can brought cheers. It helped that the climate in Vienna was relatively dry.

At the market place, I was most fascinated by the selection of cheese that was available. The cheese were fresh and were relatively cheaper than the cheese that were on sale in Singapore. In my mind, I was thinking how I could use the cheese to create a savoury and delicious pizza.

I like to the sights of fruits and vegetables too. They looked so colourful and inviting. Cherries were in general much cheaper than those in Singapore. I have to admit that while I was in Europe with the orchestra, I have eaten more cherries over the course of less than a fortnight than what I would have eaten in Singapore in a year.

During the adventure about Vienna, I took a ride on a train. It was an interesting experience even though I was merely taking a ride to the very next train station.

Read: Care of the Soul

Author: Thomas Moore
Title: Care of the Soul: How to add depth and meaning to your everyday life
Publisher: Piatkus Books (2012)

This was a rather unexpected read. I was browsing another book in the library and since that other book mentioned this very title, I decided to check if the same library carried Thomas Moore "Care of the Soul". The library did! I ended up reading this book and finished it in about less than a week.

A rather deep to understand book to read. Yet, there seemed to be a poetic and complex quality to the writing. I surprised myself that I had read through this entire book even though many of the symbolism mentioned in this book was beyond my comprehension. Perhaps the references that were made to Jungian psychology somehow drew me to it? Or rather, it was simply steeped in a sense of the sacred.

At the introduction of this book, the author highlighted that care of the soul is not primarily a method of problem solving. The care of the soul begins with watching out and honouring how the soul manifests itself and how it operates. How deep to understand. Yet interestingly, when I kept my mind opened to the complexities in its writings, this book became somewhat comforting to read.

On the subjects related to psychotherapy and Jungian psychology, I am in the opinion that there are authors who could write in more accessible fashion. Then again, to give Thomas Moore the credit that I finished reading Care of the Soul from cover to cover in less than a week, it does have the quality to be the Number One New York Times Bestseller. The thing is that it helps to read this book with an open mind. It may be a book more for the soul than for the intellect.

I particularly like one of the last few paragraphs in this book,

"To the soul, memory is more important than planning, art is more compelling than reason, and love more fulfilling than understand. We know we are well on the way toward soul when we feel attachment to the world and the people around us and when we live as much from the heart as from the head."

Places: Titans of the Past

At the Science Centre, visitors can look forward to an exhibition featuring the growth and behaviour of dinosaurs. This exhibition, Titans of the Past: Dinosaurs and Ice Age Mammals, will be held at the Science Centre till 23 Feb 2014. Here is a report of my recent visit to this exhibition: Places: Titans of the Past.

Places: A quick overview of the Singapore Biennale 2013

Have you visited the latest contemporary art event in Singapore? If contemporary art interests you, please check out the Singapore Biennale from 26 Oct 2013 - 16 Feb 2014.

Here is a link to my attempt to lend you a quick overview to the Singapore Biennale:
Places: A quick overview on the Singapore Biennale 2013.

Information on Remembrance Sunday Service 2013

Last year, I took part in my first Remembrance Sunday service at the Kranji War Memorial.

If you are interested to take part in a similar service this year on Remembrance Sunday, please take note of the following:

Venue: Kranji War Memorial
Date: 10 Nov 2013 (Sun)
Time: 7.30 a.m.
Nearest MRT station: Kranji MRT station
Bus services to get there: 160, 170, 178, 960, 961

For more information how to travel to the Kranji War Memorial, please visit this link.