Recent Articles
Test your vocabulary.
Jul 26, 2011 Overheard Leave a comment
Isn’t it comforting to know how limited one’s vocab really is?
Initially, after seeing someone I know coming in at 29,000 words, I thought I’d beat the number..
But nooooooo, I came up a little short.
Anyways, what’s yours?
The actual actualizations of actuallies.
Jul 26, 2011 Me, Myself & I Leave a comment
Actually I never intended this protracted hiatus from my blogging world.
My ‘blogging world’, which became a staple diet of my nightly – or sometimes daily – things to do have always been my tome of life experiences which I chronicle arduously, but sometimes things have a way of panning out in a near perfectly and accidentally architectured events that it can be likened to a blithe theory gone blissly viral and I actually went away from it.
Ok, whatever that means right, and so why did I come back?
Wait! When did I ever ‘leave’, if I could actually be pardoned for using that jargon here? No, I never did left, cos I simply was, and really really actually, absorbing it all.
Well, long story short, things in my life fell perfectly in place and i could never have planned it better.
You know, like how sometimes you’d wonder to yourself, while you’re trimming away the awful protruding hair from your nostrils in the bathroom mirror, what it could have actually been had you did some things in a certain way.
Or perhaps how things could have actually been if you had had your way with words.
How often have we told ourselves, secretly and regretfully, of how we actually could have done things we didn’t do, or how actually we could have said words we never spoke, or – the mother of all actuallies – how we could have splurged our love on those we truly love but only to pull back in fear of what might have been?
Granted, life is too precarious to be living precariously, but in actual fact, isn’t life too short to be living in a ‘what could have actually been’ world?
From getting a much deserved break at the office to the long awaited love of my life, my world, of which I shall term as the actual actualizations of actuallies, is blithe, and – of which I consider to be quite an achievement – I’m back blogging.
And boy, there’s so many things to share with you.
Cue, smilies.
Stop holding back
Apr 23, 2011 Me, Myself & I, Overheard Leave a comment
Above all else, I’d value a straightforward piece of conversation than one that’s encrypted and convulated, but people are wont to keep emotional matters under wraps.
If only words were easier said than sung.
And if living was a piece of soundtrack, right now I’d be ‘Memories‘ from Panic At The Disco, reminiscing in retrospect of my past year or so.
That is indeed an awesome, sparkling song from their latest album ‘Vices & Virtues’, aptly labeled, as if it’s calling out at me, and deftly lyricised too, after the band’s split.
I’m definitely liking their new sound a lot, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the full album, but as it is now, ‘Memories’ suffices.
The lyrics are blessedly gorgeous, while the music is “beautifully depressing“.
Just beautiful.
‘”He was the Congregation’s vagrant; With an unrequited love;”..
.. makes me feel so attached to the song.
“When your passion’s exultation; Then finding refuge is not enough;“..
.. leaves me stigmatised.
It reminds me of how I tried to be as transparent as I could, of how I tried being as expressive as I should, and of how I was trying to be as appreciative as I would, and yet memories are all I have in return.
Not strangely, it also reminds me of how painful it is to find out that not everyone is as transparent as they would, not entirely expressive as they could, and of how they’re rarely appreciative.
From crushing relationships to crumbling business ventures, if there’s one thing that I’ve learnt it is that there’s no harm in trying and giving it all.
Sometimes I wonder if it’s unwise to let the truth be known, like is it better if things were left to traject on their own?
I’m certainly not one for surprises, and I keep things as certain as I could, but there are things that I just can’t control.
Like how easily it is for me to succumb to my past attachment whenever she comes around at the office, and how crushing it is for me to pull myself away each time.
It took a lot out of me, as I recuperated emotionally these past months, moving forward and dedicating myself to someone else.
Indeed, I could so easly slip into her all over again, but that just foolish of me to crash and burn twice like I wont, wouldn’t it?
And I wonder if I should stop her from ‘going away’, but I wonder more if it’s better if I let the pieces of the puzzles fit themselves.
Lost love has taught me against holding back, but I can’t help in raising my walls higher this time, but I do fondly cling onto our memories, as I fail to prevent myself carving a smile or two whenever I think of them.
No doubt it’s been an educational and emotional ride for me, and as much as I’d wish for things to turn out differently, well I “Should’ve known right from the start; You can’t predict the end.”
I’m holding back, when I probably shouldn’t.
I wish someone would tell me, “Don’t hold back”.
So let me tell you this, “Stop holding back.”
‘Cos you’re denying yourself of memories of what could have been.
Rejoice.
A is for Awesome!
Apr 18, 2011 Me, Myself & I Leave a comment
A is also for anamorphosis, something that I’d use to describe my workplace’s steady progression into a more conducive working environment.
Thankfully.
So it’s mid-April already, and it’s kind of a shocking revelation (to me at least) that it’s been 2 weeks since I last blogged here, and I blame it on work!
Oh, it’s always good to lay the blame on something else, in this case, work, even if really it’s been a case of laziness and one too many cancelled blogposts.
So what’s with work?
Well, how about we begin with ‘brand new office’?
That’s right, the company’s expanding to another level, pun intended, and this time round I even managed to rope in my sis to come work with me — and I think she’s been handling everything pretty smoothly thus far.
On the bright side of the expansion, there’s finally space for my own office now, of which is so cosy that everyone’s whispering of how it has that homely, roomly feel to it — just the way I planned it to be.
On an even brighter side of the new office, my design team will finally have a space to peacefully work away from the distraction of production, while my production team has more space and freedom of their own.
Oh, did I mention that I’m working with a 27 inch, Quad-core, brain-haemorrhaging iMac at work now?
It’s AWESOME!
..without the helmet and suit of course..
The screen is so big, I now have to move my head to look around instead of just my eyes darting around the monitor, which I’ll probably take it as daily neck exercises.
Indeed one can’t ever underestimate the value of having an exercise regime in your weekly routine, as I’ve found it today that at 29 years young, I’m not quite the mean machine that I was 10 years ago on a football pitch.
I need to go out for a bi-weekly jog or something, ‘cos my stamina’s depleting pretty quickly during my soccer games, and it’s quite annoying as my mind wants to go further but my body is begging otherwise.
Which of course leads to cramps and aches and wishful thoughts of a bi-weekly jogging regime.
Sadly I don’t quite have the time to jog, unfortunately (or fortunately?) cos I’m spending time hitting the pool tables at work!
That’s right, there’s a pool table right in front of me when I work.
So let’s see, so far this April I’ve received my own office, a pool table, a 27inch iMac and more colleagues (particularly my sis!) to share the workload with.
Just awesome, pure awesome.
Not feeling that well.
Apr 1, 2011 Me, Myself & I Leave a comment
Surprisingly, March has turned out to be a testing month indeed.
From falling uber ill to the constant babsitting of the new office’s uber renovations, it’s been a week I’d wish to put behind asap.
From catching up lost episodes of the GSL (Global Starcraft League) to catching up with my customers’ job demands.
For once, and not in a long while, I feel stretched and taxed actually, not that mentioning ‘taxed’ here has anything to do with me being taxed by IRAS as I surprisingly realised that my yearly revenue had sneakily gone past my target for the year.
This means that next year, I’ll be targeting the $50k mark, an ambitious shot in the sky, but hey if you don’t aim high, you’re aiming low right?
In any case, whether I get to achieve it or not, will largely depend on how I utlise my current spare resources before next year’s FY ends.
You know, that old adage of making your $1 work for you to earn another $1?
Because banks only give you about 0.1cents for your $1, they aren’t the most cost effective solution in growing your money, if you count inflation in.
And inflation is in people, and I think that it’s quite bad.
Gone are the days when you could buy a plate of chicken rice for $2, or get a busride for 40cents — does anyone remember that?
Yeah, a bus ride for 40 cents, a plate of mee rebus for 40 cents, or a packet of kopi for 40 cents.
Ahh, those were the days.
Stay hungry, stay foolish: Steve Jobs.
Mar 26, 2011 Me, Myself & I Leave a comment
Your time is limited so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.
Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.
Don’t let the noise of other people’s opinions drown out your inner voice.
Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become.
Everything else is secondary.
Stay hungry, stay foolish.
If only I’d be foolish more often.
He drew a Gecko for his first studio project.
Mar 23, 2011 Overheard Leave a comment
I’m not sure what his exact role was (or roles were) but one thing for sure, he’s definitely someone who’s ‘made it’!
Not Rango, or Johnny Depp, mind you, but that name here that’s highlighted in yellow.
It belongs to my poly classmate, whom I happen to know as an awesome and dedicated 3D animator, one among the many of us back then.
Me? I’m not sure if I was that awesome in my craft, as almost always I barely got by in class and in my modules, but Zaini was different, in a good way.
Zaini was polished, dedicated and oh-so-good.
Finally a feature film where one of us has his name appearing in the credits.
I’m so excited and can’t wait to catch the movie at the cinema, but I’ve to recover from my chronic cough first.
Anyway, back then during our poly days, our group of friends used to sit in long after a movie has ended just to take a look at the rolling credits.
Then we’ll comment and laugh at the names and roles that fly by — at the same time not secretly hiding the fact that each of us so desperately and dearly wished to see our own names appear up there.
To us, having our names appearing in the credits of a feature film is more than just pride, it’s a sense of achievement and accomplishment — and I’m so ecstatic that Zaini got his recognition!
I recall how he ploughed through his NS period, juggling work and part-time studies at the same time — and he always seemed so busy back then.
Even during school days, he’d spend hours after hours polishing his work, while the likes of me and others will head to the pitch for soccer and such.
Zaini is probably the hardest worker among our group f friends, and indeed hard work does pay off handsomely.
I remember during our first year final project, where I had to repeat that module 3 times while Zaini aced his, taking that module just once, and oddly enough he was given a gecko to study, research, and recreate for the assignment.
I was given a lamb then, and I think Geckos are easier to draw than lambs?
Nahh, nothing is easier or harder, it’s all perceptions.. anyway..
I tremendously admired his craft back then, and even though I’m still not sure which are his handiworks in the movie Rango, I’m pretty sure that I’ll admire it just as much, where I’ll probably be thinking at the back of my mind, oh why does Rango looks oh so familiar to Zaini’s gecko?
He’s definitely made it, no doubt, and I’m pretty proud to say that this is a fella whom I know for some time, even if my works could never compare to his.
How I wished my name was up there too, and though it’s a little gut-wrenching that I’m veering away from my dream career path, I’ll continue to work hard in anything that I do and hopefully I’ll get a chance to dribble myself back into this animation line.
I’m pretty sure that that chance won’t be coming anytime soon, but I won’t be loosening my grip on it just yet.
Though I may be dedicating tons of efforts into the printing and advertising industry at the moment, the animation industry will never stray too far from the core of my heart.
To the ones who’ve made it, like Zaini, I wish them well and hope that they continue to achieve greater accomplishments in years to come.
And now, for a bit of Rango..
Her new blue guitar.
Mar 21, 2011 Overheard Leave a comment
My sis got herself a pretty, blue, wooden guitar last Friday, after I took her to a guitar place earlier in the week, wherer she spent the late evening with me at the office.
Why was she at the office?
Oh, because it seems that having a big brother, whoose company is expanding and looking for new designers, means that you have first priority in getting that position~
And also, she was ‘surveying’ the new workplace — or was it the new workplace ‘surveying’ her?
Lucky her~
I can’t remember who, but someone once told me (or was it that I read somewhere???) that in life (especially careers), it’s not about what you know, but about who you know that gets you advantage.
Back to the guitar now.
Do you know what it tells me about her, after she’d gotten that pretty, blue guitar?
It means that finally, my Sis is showing signs of decisiveness, and I think this has been a very crucial characteristic that’s been missing from her, but with this guitar, I’m so happy that she ‘took it and went’ with it.
‘Take it. And go.’ — Famous words of Canadian/Indian comedian, Russell Peters, and check out one of his classics “Somebody gonna get a hurt real bad!”!
Alright, back to the guitar again.
She’s been chirping at me to teach her to play the stringed instruments for as long as I’ve known her, and for as long as she’s known me, I’ve not done so.
Perhaps with this latest ‘decisiveness’ episide, I think I might just reward her with a quick introductory lesson in guitar handling eh?
With the added impetus of me missing my guitar playing days, I think I might just finally sit down with her and get her to learn some tunes.
In any case, I think that making music, be it simply strumming the guitar or mastering an album, is a good way to express yourself, where at the same time you release that little bit of tension or stress in you.
For as long as I know, everytime I feel down or a little sad, I do tend to reach for that rusty, trusty old guitar of mine and play a chord or two, at the same time coming up with horribly rhymed verses.
Oh, I’m not that awesome a guitar player, but I do know how to put a tune or two, but just like any other motor skills, one can only get better with practice.
I hope my Sis will get herself busy with learning and dedicating herself into the safekeeping of her new guitar and her tunes, and then who knows, maybe we might be seeing a new Singapore Idol to come?
Wishful thinking, perhaps, but nothing wrong with aiming for more rights?
Do you love your job?
Mar 15, 2011 Me, Myself & I Leave a comment
She asked me this, though I wish it wasn’t of my job, but nevertheless my consequential thoughts were — No, I don’t love, per se, my job, but I do love it.
Huh?
Quickly I thought that it was strange and confusing of me to react so, but thinking back about it, I think that there’s a little bit of truth in there as well.
I knew why she’d posed the question, cos I was continuously devoting my precious time at the office daily, and yes that includes saturdays and sundays, and in the wee hours of the days as well.
A majority of my friends, and family as well, are clueless as to why I spend so much time at work, and give so much of myself to work.
Honestly, I cannot pinpoint to any particular one answer, but there are a number of substantial reasons as to why my commitment is as such.
First, let’s begin to assume that I am always trying to be the best professional that I can be — note that I’m not trying to be the best professional out there, but just whatever it is that I can be.
Being professional means carrying out the duties of my job professionally, which leads me to working efficiently, cohesively and productively — or what I’d like to term it as the ECP professional.
No, it’s not the East Coast Parkway professional, even though I travel towards that expressway nearly everyday when I commute to work.
Secondly, let’s say that this job or work that I do, is something that I’m really good at — so why drop what you’re really good at for something else?
This means that I hardly face any problems with my work processes, where the best challenges that I regularly face are the ones that arises from managing teamwork and customer expectations, which is really beyond my control so I don’t quite lose sleep by this concern.
I do what I can, and what I can’t, I’ll do my best to work around it or work without it,
Thirdly, let’s roughly imagine that you have a little darling baby born into this world, where it is helpless if you simply leave it to grow and fend for itself.
IF it’s your baby, wouldn’t you do anything and everything that you can to ensure its well-being?
With this analogy in mind, my job, or work, is quite literally my baby here, and I know just how vital it is to exhaust yourself as much as you can during its malleable baby years.
I’ve had the rare pleasure of watching it in it glow in its embryonic stage, tender to it’s natal and infancy stage, and now joyously running along in it’s toddler stage.
Seriously, how many of us have the opportunity to say that the company they work with have been shaped from scratch with their bare hands or groomed with love and ecstasy?
From the cleaning of smelly, disgusting diapers to the first time that you watch your baby make its first step, I can vouch first hand that it’s somewhat the same analogy that I can apply to my company here.
Thusly there is this deep sense of connection that I have with this company of mine, where, and if I may add so in Navi language, some calls it tsa’haylu, or the bond.
Founded by 3 clueless but hopeful guys in mid 2007, with a combined total of 0 hours of entrepreneurial experience, we brought this ‘baby’ of ours into this world with fears of failures, low expectations and much uncertainty.
Thankfully, with much sweat and tears, literally, it’s now grown into a ramshackled group of 15 oddballs of raucous, hard-knitted personnel.
Sure there were lots of fears initially but if there’s one thing that contributed to our growth, I’d say that it’s our inability to succumb to our fears.
Now, after all these outpouring of mine, wouldn’t you say that it’s love that I have for this job of mine?
Perhaps, casually and where I was slightly distracted, I’d honestly and outrightly say that I do love my job, if only because I don’t hate nor only merely like it.
However, given the time to put some thoughts into it, strangely enough, I can’t admit that I love it as much as how I love my family, my football and my passions (gaming/music/movies/etc~).
There are just stuffs which are almost always more important than work, imho.
But why do I spend so much time at work?
Commited, devoted and passionate, yes I am, but love, well…. I don’t know, why don’t you tell me?
Or maybe I’m just waiting for something, somewhere, or someone to spend my time with?
So… do you love your job?
