Troubled

There are people who spell T-r-o-u-b-l-e-d on their mouth all the time. When you meet these people, every time you hear from them is the winding and complaints about their life and job. There are however another kind of people who keep their troubles to themselves and pretend that everything is fabulous with a capital F. They are fastidious so they can arrange their time when to be moody or happy. When they hang out with their friends, they keep their humor and rambunctious laughter intact thus you won’t recognize it. When they return home, that is the time when they start to remove their joyful mask and store it on the shelf.

I'm one of the latter but I’ve learned to confide my troubles only to a few chums that I trust or addressing my troubles only when my problem has been resolved. There is nothing my friend can do except to listen to my troubles. I truly believe that the only person that can save you is yourself.

All of us have trouble all the times. Regardless how serious it is, we have different ways of approaching it. In life, we always need to have a few close relationships as a safety net, but the truth is in these modern times we are living in, people are impatient of listening to someone’s disgruntlement and true genuine good chums are hard to come by.

People are so interested in themselves, that as soon as they open their mouth, you are getting "What they would do," or worst still judging your ramifications, Not forgetting those “Come on, let’s forget it and go out and have some fun” They are not a good listener and sometimes all you need is someone to listen. It’s hard to find someone who have the patient and understand you as an individual.

Because of these, quality friends are all I crave for now. I seriously don’t need a bunch of friends who are only keen to have fun. Besides, I’m not a clown & I don't entertain...

My favorite Hangout - Bookstore

Brass Brasah Complex, a place where I hang out most of the time and discover a whole new world through books. The best thing about Brass Brasah Complex is that the books or magazines are affordable. From $2 a magazine (past issue) to $5 for a travel guide, you can visit Paris within five minutes by reading a travelogue or be at the runway where the models flaunting the latest collection of GUCCI or Prada.

By saying this, it makes me feel like a nerd. However, being extremely curious or inquisitive is not a bad thing. If only we can be like a bookstore receiving people from all walks of life, only people who have the desire to pursue knowledge. I think that is better than clubbing or shopping. Unfortunately, I still can’t keep my hands off shopping at this time but now instead of spending more money on clothes, I spend it on books. I must at least buy a magazine or book whenever I visit the bookstore.

I’m addicted to visiting the bookstores (any bookstore) that my friends used to complain my usual itinerary is to visit Kinokuniya first and then to Borders. There was a time I was so disappointed when I found out there isn’t any proper bookstore in Brunei. (I used to work in Brunei for a period as an Art Director.) Thus, you can see how bored I must have been at my world without books or magazines.

I told myself that I wouldn’t want to loss that sense of curiosity. It would be the end of my world. As a single I seriously don’t know where to hang out and without curiosity we won’t constantly upgrading ourselves. okay, it's time to buy a bigger bookshelf...

“The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.” – Ellen Parr

Happiness satisfy my hunger

This is exactly what my chum, nie had told me. We wasn’t really on a diet, however whenever we get to meet each other, this time round including Ros and ling, we’ll get all rowdy and rambunctious. It seems like a few strips of turkey bacons and hash brown balls from BK can last me the whole day.

This kind of simple joy reminiscing the fun we had back in Secondary schools is hard to come by especially I’m now leading a monotonous life which I try to control my emotions by not getting too overly happy or excited. Ros whom I had previously mentioned in my blog that she is recovering from her depression turns out to be such a joy to hang out with. We even got the cheapest deal in Ang Mo Kio hub. I got myself a vintage looking bronze frame watch and nie bought a gold pleated tube top which by the way looks amazing on her. I’m not going to reveal the price as all my friends know I’m always digging the fabulous bargain.

This inspires me to become a merchandiser and perhaps I’ll rent a stall in Zouk flea market on last Sunday of the month, selling my used clothing and in response turn my profits into a charity fund, maybe it’s not a lot of money but with my friends support, we might be able to do something and contribute to the less fortunate. It’s better than selling to Salvation Army where they sell their used clothing by weight. I can also design a nice poster and customize into an email and publicize to all my friends.

This might makes me more happy thus I’ll eat less and loss weight….:)

Emancipation with Ah Bu

A bit of chaos and uncertainty today but there is no reason to believe that the near future will be unrewarding because I’ve made a choice. I’ve quitted my job in Coca-Cola and hurdle to Super Coffeemix. There is a lot of reason why I made that decision, even though at times my surrounding makes me feel like I’m impulsive. There are lots of rumors that I’ve heard about Super Coffeemix which thankfully turns out to be untrue. I guess for me it’s the prospect in Super CM that entices me to make this decision.

First of all, no offence to anyone, I personally don’t think the company’s image and the packaging design are well-established yet. Thus, I would love to take this opportunity to revolutionize the current look of Super Coffeemix and expand their existing customer database and region to sell their products.

As a designer, it’s gratifying to see a revamp from something ordinary to world-class status. The satisfaction from the achievements you’ve received is far better than your monthly salary. Rather than staying in Coca-Cola where Coca-Cola will always be Coca-Cola, I’ll take up the challenges and the unknown and do something great with it.

The current situation is challenging the old order, and my position in the next phase of the development. As a team leader, I’ve to supervisor 3-4 junior designers with great diligent. I want them to open up their mind in receiving ideas and constructive criticism which help me to lean towards my expectation for the company. So far, I’ve got the best people in my team. They take initiatives and are co-operative. In the near future, I’ll be able to see if my big gamble will pay off, but this is no indicator that things are going wrong. I truly believe everything serves a wonderful purpose. The only way to find out is to move on and unravel.

This temporary confusion could be a positive indicator that my life is moving in a better direction than I initially anticipated. I’ve also recently started my first lesson in Buddhism studies. Like the teachings in Buddhism;

“Don’t hold on to the past because there is nothing you can do about it. Participate in the present and the future will take care by itself”

P/S: Ah Bu is my name in Hokkien where my mum calls me all the time...