Who's Watching Me?

As a society we have to decide sometime in our life, what do we stand for? Are we a person of integrity? Everyone says they are all about honesty, and integrity. At the same time many people will compromise and adjust there integrity depending the situation. The reality is you either are a person of integrity, or you are not. The question you should ask yourself "who's watching me?"

Every time I make a decision in my life based on an issue of integrity, I ask myself “who's watching.” The answer is my kids, my family and is this the type of choice I want them to model or not? Is this the type of person I want them to be? Is this going to reflect the proper behavior for there life? One could argue that this is more important or has more impact when your family is younger and I would argue this is a life long discipline.

Whenever you make a decision based on integrity, ask "who's watching me?"  The answer is everyone in your world! Your family is observing where your boundaries are, and what you consider acceptable behavior. Your family, friends, co-workers, church members, neighbors are seeing what you believe is important. What signals are you sending? Are your actions consistent with the words you use?

You as the leader of your family you set the standard of acceptable behavior and you show the world what your convictions truly are. Every person you come in contact with in your personal and professional life, you model what you stand for. At that point you are simultaneously training the people you have contact with and every person they share this experience with. Your span of influence is much greater than you think and the words you use and the actions you model are showing the world who you are.

Ask yourself am I living a life of mixed signals or am I living a life of integrity? 

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

Beach Time Good For The Soul

While laying on a beach in Progreso Mexico with a Corona in one hand and my camera in the other, I wonder why the beach as a lifestyle so popular again, it was in the 60's and now it's at the top of pop culture consciousness again. Next to love and broken hearts the beach is in so many songs, books, movies, advertising, it's a lifestyle now marketed to the max! I must admit it does strike me as a little funny growing up in San Diego where it was our normal for ever, it wasn't a fad, it was who we were and who we still are, beach bums til the end, we just have better accessories now. I thought if the universe kept everything even based on what you deserved or how much work you invested into your jobs, you would live with the results, for me I should have ended up in a trailer park in Chula Vista married to a Wal-Mart cashier thank God the universe was kind to me and I did exceed that expectation :) I'm still near a beach just took me 30 years to get back to my roots. Have you ever looked back on your life and said....How did I end up here or That was an interesting journey or like I say every day, God Thank You for all the blessings in my life!

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

When Traveling Keep Looking Up!

Lingshan Buddhist temple holds many functions a year, culture, art, meetings and other functions in one; the building is at the base of the Giant Buddha in Lingshan China famous due to its size, it's the second largest Buddha statue in the world. What really stuck with me is the ceiling of the temple inside the main hall; it's huge in scope, simply awesome! When traveling, it's important to keep looking up because you might catch a true visual treasure, something you can't see back home. In this case it was this ceiling, I'm glad I had my head on a swivel. In the words of the late Kidd Kraddick, keep looking up because that's where it's all at.

Visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

Art Show in North Dallas

If your in North Dallas/ Plano come see great art and you can view three of mine up close!

Bird of Paradise?

When I'm at the beach I often wonder what the birds think about us watching them watch us. This bird might be part of the gull family and then again maybe not even close, I have no idea. What I do know a bird like this one was very cleaver and resourceful and I didn't have my camera that day to photograph the escapade, darn. I was napping one foggy morning and I caught glimpse of a bird getting on top of a beach chair and pecking his way into this brown paper bag and he pulled out a sandwich in a zip lock bag, he grabbed it and proceed to hide from his flock mates and tried to open it this went and this went on for quit a while before some kid ruined the fun and took it away and buried it in the sand. I though that butt head, what fun was that? Then the guy returned to find his bag ripped open and his snack missing :) That was just as much fun. Now, I'm thinking what's the bird thinking about all his hard work taken from him in a moment's notice? I think he would be thinking… I'm gonna fly over and poop on that kids head! That would be justifiable pooping in my opinion or at least that’s how I wanna believe the story ended.

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

It's Bigger Than Us...

Another day is done and what better way to relax and find your sweet spot than taking your best friend for a walk on the beach. It's not just man who finds peace and tranquility uniting with Mother Nature so does all of Gods creatures both pets and wild life. It's an awesome feeling knowing that life on earth has rallied around the ocean and standing at any shoreline you know that Adam and Eve, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Caveman and Cave women, and all of life throughout history you are at that moment standing and looking out the same view the past civilizations and inhabitants had in there day. This is the same ocean from biblical times to Atlantis, the Mayans, the Romans, and Columbus all sailed on to travel, work, and explore it’s bigger than any of us, more vast than we can truly comprehend, it seems to be infinite, but is it? Of course not and if we don’t respect it and nurture it one day we might damage it beyond the healing point and then we will be robbing future generations the same awe inspiring vision we have all enjoyed and have been inspired by and have fallen in love with over the centuries. 

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

A Magical Place...

The Magic Kingdom has a powerful image, it stirs up found childhood memories and after we take our kids and grandchildren to Disneyland or Disney World it becomes precious memories to pass on for generations. Going to the “happiest place on earth” is almost a right of passage in our family, I grew up visiting the park mostly because growing up in San Diego it wasn't a very far drive under two hours to Anaheim and when I became a driver I took many trips there with friends. I have been a huge fan of Walt Disney his story inspired me to take a path in life trying to make my dreams and visions become a reality, obviously not on the scale or scope of his dream, but never the less they are my dreams. Once you create a business from dream to reality there is no feeling like it, there is something magical about customers coming to your place of business and supporting it with their hard earned money and with that act of support it allows your vision to grow and expand in mind and then in reality. The entrepreneurial life is not for everyone that’s for sure, not everyone can live not knowing if the dream will continue or end any day. This life style makes you appreciate every day as a gift and not to ever take it for granted. I do believe when the person quits dreaming, the person slowly dies, keep dreaming, keep the faith not every dreams comes to life but it’s the process of the dream to reality lays the joy of being a dreamer. 

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

“I Stalk Because I Care” (Clueless Parents on Facebook)

My official disclaimer is, I’m going to offend many parents who read this post, and others will relate and think before they do anything on their kid’s social media sites. Naturally, of course, if you “stalk because you care” as many parents have told me, just using the word “stalk” shows an obsession to begin with. Maybe at that point your kids would be better of blocking you immediately, but I digress…. Social media and Facebook are great tools for keeping in touch with distant acquaintances, old buddies, relatives, close family who are geographically not close and ex-work mates, etc. This does make our world smaller, but with that said this post is directed at parents who are lucky enough to have their kids or young adult offspring “friend” them to begin with, and with this act of respect comes great responsibility, your kid is counting on you to act age appropriately and show a little tech savvy. Every time your child posts something or is tagged by a friend or classmate, we have the urge to post a witty “comment” or “like” it right away. That’s usually because we are truly excited for them, happy for them, and it shows the world how much we love our kiddos. You need to suspend your point of view for a moment and try to see this from your Childs perspective. Here comes the part where I upset the masses… Do not do it! What are you thinking? Pull your head out and think! You just embarrassed them and ruined any chance your young adult ever had of being friends or maybe even dating that person ever in the future! You have now become a social media detriment to your kid. Here’s my best analogy to this situation so the parents reading this can draw a parallel. I was a teenager, rather young adult in the 70’s and 80’s, we didn’t have social media, but remember when you were playing a sport and that parent in the stands that yelled the loudest to cheer for their kid, or if they did something good? Remember how they were teased the following days? Well every time you click “Like” you are yelling the loudest. However, instead of 30 people and their friends hearing that parent in the crowd, your kid was just embarrassed in front off all his friends and each one of his friend’s friends, and so on, and so on. It’s the drop in the water ripple effect times 1,000! It’s their spear of influence, not yours! It’s their life, not yours! If you have a close relationship with your child or children, then you already know whom their friends are, what is going on in their life, and you can view their social media pages at will. You don’t have to embarrass them at the same time. A note to the kids, if your parent doesn’t have a filter in real life, what made you think they would on social media? One last point, when you post anything about your child on your Facebook page do not type in their full name at that point you just tagged your kids FB page and now all his friends, friends, friends just show that same post. Just use your Childs first name, remember it’s on your FB page, your friends should already now who you’re referring to just by their first name. Parents please don’t be that stupid parent use your filter, show some good judgment, and think before you click! If not prepare to be blocked by your child and if you live vicariously through your kids social life, then get a life of your own. But, don’t worry they will probably still come home for the Holidays, even embarrassed and humiliated kids still want gifts!

Taiwan Bikes

In Taiwan and most major cities in Asia traffic is very intense and they do drive really crazy! With that said gas is expensive; it's hard to find parking. In Taipei they have great public transportation that is affordable, clean, safe, and convenient still the cheapest mode of transportation is the bicycle. This photo was in Taipei and I was amazed with how many bikes were parked on this corner, then when you visit the college you find even more bikes...Knowing the poor air quality I prefer the subway system or walking and experiencing the local ambience, but most people on scooters or bikes wear a mask to filter out most of the pollutants caused from massive traffic congestion, air quality isn’t in the forefront as it is in the states. As I traveled through Taiwan and China the trend continued, here a bike, there a bike, everywhere a bike bike!

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

People Taking Photos Of People Taking Pictures Of People Taking Photographs…

This is a post that just came to mind while looking through some photos and it seems to happen on every trip and that’s walking by a photographer taking either engagement shots or pics of the wedding party on location in plain public view. Now it might just be my luck or lame timing but it happens all the time and of course I take a pic of people taking pics of the photographer taking the actual photographs. I started to wonder is this as common as I perceive it to be or am I just lucky? I have two friends that I know have captured many wedding events and they have mentioned that they might be one of many photographers at a great location capturing engagement sessions at the same time, but I haven’t really asked about the actual wedding day sessions…Maybe I will, if you get a chance you should check out their websites; Redheaded Ninja and Photos by Eleonore. I was just wondering if it’s me or have many people out there experienced this phenomenon while traveling in and out of the US? 

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

Not Just Another Walk In The Park...

Another morning in the park with fall rolling in and we prepare for the holiday rush; I can always find a moment of peace in my backyard. I love my neighborhood park, my urban oasis, not sure the correct term, but Cottonwood Park is a awesome little city park in Dallas County that is very family friendly with activities such as fishing, picnicking, court sports, pool, and massive play area. This park has the feeling of the great Texas outdoors complete with wildlife and natural history, it’s also home to the world renowned Cottonwood Art Festival, artist from all over the country and the world return year after year to show their latest works of art, and it’s a great show. This amazing Texas Park offers some of the best Texas has to offer with plenty of things to do while soaking up the sun and scenery as you escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life. This is where you can find me almost every day while I’m in Dallas; getting my daily exercise and meditation time in before the interruptions of my daily life kicks in. Stop and listen, your oasis is calling...

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

Catch A Wave, If You Can....

Catch a wave dude, if you can, and he didn't that time, but the ocean is like life after one disappointment, we get a chance for redemption, and the next round of waves be caught one and hitched a ride with mother nature. The thing that really caught my eye was this young girl watching, you can tell she wanted to try, but wasn't sure if she really wanted to. I guess she was getting a little closer wave after wave, she got knocked down a few times, and before I left she did start body surfing, good for you kiddo! Another person hooked for life body surfing and maybe latter surfing, scuba diving, not really sure, but once your love for the ocean takes hold of you, you hooked for life, and to that I say amen, welcome to the community of ocean lovers, enjoy the journey, and every wave going forward.

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

Dome of Light

This is the ceiling of the Kaohsiung MRT Formosa Blvd Station; better know as the “Dome of Light”. Pretty amazing for a metro station located in Sinsing District of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. This is the largest glass work in the world. It was designed by Italian artist Narcissus Quagliata, and its 30 meters in diameter and covers 2,180 sq meters, and has 4.500 glass panels, wow! When I first saw this amazing ceiling, I thought this was making a true statement of civic pride, and this place is very clean, like all the MRT stations in Taiwan. We were taking the bullet train or high speed rail as they are called to Tainan, quick trip at 200 mph.

www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

Til Death Do Us Part Two...

On the heals of Halloween or All Hallows Eve I thought it would be appropriate to post another cemetery or graveyard photo blog. This was at the same cemetery in Tainan Taiwan where my first “Til Death Do Us Part One” blog originated. There is something eerie, creepy, and yet so calming to just wonder around and read the history each tombstone shares, it truly tells a story. I seem to enjoy not only the thought of life after death with anticipation of being reunited with departed loved ones, but the beauty of life transiting from birth to death, and the journey in between. Believe me, I thank God for every extra day I have, and I've had a very blessed life. But, I’m in no hurry to leave my current circumstances, life, celestial plane, or another phrase for this existence either!

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.