merry christmas!

my (out-going) art director bought us these really cool t-shirts. they are from giordano, by the way. but still, they're cool. we all love it! :)
from left: Jonah visual merchandiser, me, marlon visual merchandiser, sam senior graphic designer. and oh, that's the picture of my art director i am holding. happy holidays!

looking backward, looking forward.

in case you guys didn't know, i took a 5 days leave off work last week just to set some time aside to relax and reflect. it has been a wonderful time spent. and in the last one week, i found myself looking backward and seeing the future forward. you see, i visited telok blangah again. it was the place where i grew and spent my childhood in. i've always feel a strong sense of attachment to this quiet little neighbourhood that's situated in the south part of singapore. this is the second time i have returned to the neighbourhood. it's amazing how little the place have changed, and every nook and cranny of the place (and i do mean every) would whiff me back to my childhood past. sorry if i am sounding a little melodramatic, but really, my every visit to this quiet neighbourhood has always been an amazing experience.


this is the very void deck where i used to play soccer at with my friends.



i used to walk home on this path every day when i was in primary school.


no, this is not a shot taken in sentosa.


it was taken in mount faber. believe it. a freaking pirate ship in mount faber! and i use to come up here and play with my friends when i was very young by the way.



and this is the play ground near my old block.

i spent the whole day in telok blangah thinking and reflecting on the things that i wanted to do in the coming year. it has been a great, great, great experience:) i'll be posting my new year resolution once i have finished planning them all. till then!

in retrospect

today marks the first day of retrospect week. and, in retrospect, i might have been a little too morbid and serious with my previous post. so here's something light in retrospective fun. ps: i think i have gone a little to far in my relax and reflect retrospective journey. othewise, enjoy the videos! pss: the word "retrospect" is kinda stuck on me.

gone too soon?

recently, i have been on an extremely reflective mode. it's been a year since i've been out there working. looking back, i have no regrets whatsoever for having made the decision to forgo the chance of getting a degree in order to rough it out in the real world. well it hasn't been easy, truth to be told, but i have been loving every moment of it so far. never in my life have i been more intentional about the way i live. and i am extremely thankful for the many different people i have met in this past one year during the course of my work and outside of work.

as a brand new year creeps near, i have been extremely intrigued by these two simple questions that i have posed for myself. that is, 1) "what's next?", and 2) "would this matter if i die?"

about a few years ago, i had a wonderful opportunity to meet up with a lecturer of mine back in school. and that 4 hour plus time we spent together over dinner had been the best lesson i have ever had in life. i remember so vividly how we talked about design and everything else. and it was nearing to the end of our meeting that he told me that, "the question is always about 'what's next?'" i was never really able to understand him completely back then. this question though, is kinda haunting me right now. i guess it took me a while to figure that we have to make plans for life, to be intentional, and never be too comfortable with the way things are - but always going farther by stepping out of the comfort zone and stretch. right now, i am just thinking about different aspects of life where i can grow.

while contemplating about life, i am at the same time contemplating about the notion of death. as cliche as it sounds, but really, death is the common destination we all share. i am sorry if i sound a little morbid here, but the fact is no one has ever escaped death before. and anyone with gut-honesty will be ready to admit his or her fear for death. a quote from hellen keller which really inspired me goes something like this, "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure." this quote has resonate with me ever since i first read it. and my personal belief is this: to be able to live each day is in itself a God-given. no one can ever be so sure as to when he or she will die. it might happen in a year or two, or maybe at the very next second. with that i have firmly decided for myself to continue to live out and seek out His will for my life. i sincerely believe that it is the only thing worth living for. and in short, it means cape diem. when there are times at crossroads when i have to make decisions in life, major or small, i have always question myself "would it matter if i die?" i guess, in the face of death, it makes living life according to the calling given a lot more easier, no matter how hard it seems to be.

as for now, more plans will be made before i embark onto a new adventure in the coming new year. till then!

becoming "not dull"

2009 is almost nearly coming to an end, and looking back it has been an incredibly hectic year for me. coming mid-december, i'll be taking a long break from work for a while. and i am sincerely looking forward to it. i simply can't wait to take this well-deserved rest :)