“The school of fish and fish in school” GAZING BEYOND

has a broad interest in the arts as a powerful tool for development.

The school playground is incomplete without the swing.

It gets you reminiscing on the fun of moving back and forth, and in going up and down from our suspension. Playing in school as a kid, it was an adventure full of adrenaline. We have a wealth of time, and are free of worries. We just play.

As we grow older, the adrenaline comes in the many forms of daily battles in life and work. We often bow to the ground when we fail, or look to the sky when we dream, celebrate and give thanks. There are schools of fishes within the nature of the sky and the ground. The scaly cirrocumulus clouds signal the fisherman of abundant harvest, while footprint on the snowy ground represent teamwork and social interactions like fish swimming against the tide and catch.

At the end of the day, conscious gazing on nature and the people surrounding us offer more meaningful encounters.

LESSONS: Choose at least 5 questions to answer

1. Name the two “schools” referred to in the picture.

2. Name one or two experiences you had in the playground that relates to your adrenaline adventure and how did you cope with it.

3. What could be the meaning of the “swing” as expressed in the essay?

4. Name some circumstances in adulthood where your adrenaline at work and life were tested.

5. Why do we associate dreaming, celebrating or giving thanks with the sky?

6. What could be the cultural significance of the of the cirrocumulus clouds?

7. Why do you think the footsteps in the snow represent a school of fish?

8. What associations could you make with the ground and the footsteps in the snow?

9. How does conscious gazing contribute to meaningful encounters?

10. Rate the photograph from 1-10, with 10 as the highest score and 1, the least. What are the positive or negative aspects of the picture that relates to your scoring? email: njpbarlaan@yahoo.com, mobile: (647) 988-6572

Email your reactions and answers to docorabara@gmail.com by December 2023 for a chance to win an original painting.

BARLAAN, NOEL - Borlly, as he is called, is a professional engineer who has dabbled in wedding photography since the 1980s. He values creating unforgettable images that his felicitous clients can cherish forever. He captures the emotions of those tender moments and freezes them in time with the photos he takes. Borlly is also inspired by night photography because he finds this challenging to his creativitv. Borlly brings boring scenes to life like his works here. Expect to feel a burst of energy from the portraits he created masterfully with his lens and light.