A Minute on Stage is 10 Years of Hard Work ~ 台上一分鐘，台下十年功

無國界的藝術 

Art is universal. It unites mankind in common brotherhood.
~ Excerpt from the quote of James Jackson Jarves

The appreciation of all things beautiful is human nature, more pertinent is the fact that people from any culture can appreciate the beauty of a great piece of art or music from a foreign culture, without the need to understand that foreign language.

Today, I would like to share one of my favorite YouTube video - "Matsuri" by Master Kitaro. Master Kitaro often coalesce his music with the flavors and cultures of the countries that he performed in. In this particular music video, filmed in 2011 in his Hong Kong performance tour, the Matsuri theme was harmoniously blended with the euphony of Oriental musical instruments.

The sheer concordance of the Kitaro tempo often evokes psychical peace and inspiration to many... including myself - overwhelmed by the profound serenity and inspiration from the tempo of Matsuri to sketch the dynamic beauty of the Goldfish :))

Beyond doubt, many cultures also found the love for the Goldfish and develop various strains of Goldfish in accordance to their aesthetic preferences. We can often appreciate different perspectives of beauty from these communal development. Breeders also cross bred Goldfish developed by different cultures to create new and interesting perspectives. Like the beautiful music of Master Kitaro, the beauty of the Goldfish is appreciated by people of many cultures!

Please also enjoy the exceptional musical performance by master Kitaro with the VIVA girls in this music video!

Aquarama 2017 ~ 國際觀賞魚與水族器材展覽會

如果你能找到沒有障礙物的路徑，那麼它也极不可能指引你到任何地方。

If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere. 
~ Frank A. Clark

judges working on the scoring.
Photo courtesy of Alvin Lim

With the acquisition of Aquarama by VNU Exhibitions Asia Ltd, the much anticipated International Ornamental Fish Event will be held annually in Guangzhou, China from 2016 onward.

I felt very honoured to be invited as one of the International goldfish judges in the goldfish competition. 

The opportunity to work and learn from some of the world's renown goldfish dignitaries from China, Japan and South East Asia was much cherished.

Though it was a hectic day of judging in the show, we find time to discuss on further plans to fine tune our judging operations and the administration for future shows. It was also a rare occasion for the judges to learn and share with each other about the goldfish standards and appreciation from our respective cultures.

Regrettably, I was unable to take as much pictures as I wish of the show due to the tight schedule in the judging and meetings. 

We wish VNU a very successful venture in Aquarama as they are fully committed to continue the success of the Aquarama brand name as one of the leading International Aquaria events in the world.

Show exterior