Update..

My Sunday feels soooooo long.. I was already in the office by noon, and I only got home at 2am.. Here's how my day went..

I waited in office till my partners arrive at abt 130pm. Ivan & his wifey reaches first.. We chat at e lobby till Austin comes pluck us up to go have our lunch first before we start our meeting. We had lunch at Ubi Central. By the time we head back to start our meeting, it's already 3pm. Settled our internal issues, then Austin n I heads to Ikea to get the new bookshelf at past 6pm..

I wonder why we agree to paint our bookshelf black.. We got back to office only at 10pm. We unpacked, we gave the shelves a 1st coat of paint.. By the time we're abt done, it's about 1am.
After all e cleaning up, we did a bit of accounting and shifted the furnishes around.. I only got home at past 2am. I'm totally dead beat.

So tat was only coat 1 of the paint. We will have to continue working hard tomorrow evening..

So here's the major difference of working for an agency and starting something we call our own.. We sweat like crap and got down and dirty. The bookshelf cost only $45 compared to a finished and better quality one that cost more than $100. We hope by the time this lousy bookshelf falls apart, we would already be upgrading to a bigger studio..

I guess it really is about what we are looking for. It is so easy to get a comfortable job and settle into an office tat's already equipped with furniture, lighting and brand new stationaries... Jobs are also lined up and waiting for u to complete them. There's no worries of overheads and utilities that drains the life out of u even before ur business starts breaking even. So why are we making life so difficult for ourselves?

For me, it is the satisfaction at the end of the day. I know how much hard work it takes to build something u call ur own.. I'll never take anything for granted.. It's not the amount of money that u take home. (It's pathetic that is..) But the lessons I learn from the experience, whether we make it or break apart.. It's something I know if I dont give it a shot now, I will have regrets later on in life..

It's gonna be another long day tomorrow.. More painting and fixing.. Hopefully by CNY, our studio will be nicely done up with operations up and running.. We need new business!!

Women & Advertising

Killer Cough

I really dread getting fever. E moment fever hits me, I get cold spells at night. And the head feels like its gonna spilt.

I really dread getting cough too. Most of the time they last an entire month.. I ever broke my eye vessel cos was coughing too hard. Now it seems like I'm getting it at least once a year..

Now that i'm getting these 2 in a single combination.. U dont wanna imagine how crappy i feel..

Apparently poor junie and cindy are also sick! Gosh.. we mus really nurse ourselves back to health soon!! Take good care my dearies...

One Ad u will never see again..



This ad for Pakistan Airlines is real. And in the history of advertising, it really takes the creepy cake. Even worse than babies endorsing cigarettes! Seriously, if Nostradamus ran an ad firm to warn the world about blowback, this would have been in his portfolio. It appeared in the March 19th, 1979 issue of Le Point (and surely countless other publications). Yes, the shadow is in pretty much in the same place as where the planes hit on September 11th, and there's no way the shadow should be that big unless it's seconds away from hitting the towers...but we don't think this should evoke any conspiracy theories. Right?

Credit: http://gothamist.com/2008/01/10/pakistan_airlin.php

Get Real.

The past few nights has been pretty tormenting. While my body's worn out by 1 whole day of work, my mind just kept racing. All kinda funny thoughts and redundant worries start flooding my head. I've been thinking alot about how the direction the work partnership should steer..

I cant help but still question if its the right thing to do.

About being true to myself : I always held onto this principle tightly. Heck what the world thinks. At the end of the day, we live for ourselves. I just told elaine recently, we fight for the things we want and we give it our best shot at every chance. But what matters is not the victory at the end, but the process of fighting, we remain true to ourselves. We fight with pride and we lose in grace.

Today I kinda face this dilemma.. Through a friend's recommendation, I got a new job yesterday. So today was talking to this friend, she expressed expectation of commission.. And a whopping 20%.. And it was so conveniently she told me to just mark up my quote to include her fat comm..

Welcome to the real world, Claudia. Well dont get me wrong. I'm not saying this friend is wrong. If u look at it in another way, she gets the job and she sub-contract it out and take cut out. I need the job right now, i take it. Nothing under table here. The dilemma is when this is someone i call my friend.. Though we aren't exactly that close..

My client is always right. I will always say hello and handle everything with a smile. After all I am in the service line. Surely my paying clients dont deserve to share the load of my bad day. Clients are always clients. Even if i have to fake that smile, I will.

But precisely that's how it is when it comes to work, I refuse to succumb to being fake on a personal level. I don't share my joys and bitterness with clients. I do that with friends.

So half my mind is feeling sick.. while e other half battles on to take the job. I need this piece of cake for I am drained empty. We need to fuel our overheads and operations. So now what? Drop my integrity and fake my way to that fat pay cheque? After all integrity cant make my stomach full..

Yet i find this so hard to swallow..

Updates

Has been some weeks since i've updated. Quite a lot of stuff to update and talk about.. I've been really busy with work and also helping my dad out a tiny bit.

1st Friday of 2008..
Met up with Osteen and Audrey to have dinner at The French Stall to have a belated birthday dinner for the tall-y Audrey.. The food was simply great. I really miss the french onion soup and the white wine mussels. I told elaine we shld go there on 1 of our girls' nite out..

2nd Wk of 2008..
I just realise i've been meeting up with my girly girls quite alot.. Last Tues I met elaine for dinner at HK cafe. Thursday I met Junie to lunch at Harbourfront, then Elaine at Clarke Quay to head home together..

Friday I met Junie for dinner and chillout at Grapevine. We had a long conversation, mainly about family and our perspectives on life. It felt really great..

Saturday, i went to BBQ. Junie organized it.. Her grandma, aunties and the lovely cousins were there. Ade and Elaine came along too. Yet again, it was another great night.. The company was fabulous! And the great food was a big fat bonus!


Then there was last night.. It was like the best girl's night out so far. I have Elaine, Junie, Cindy and the birthday babe Adeline.. An early celebration for her at Cafe Iguana.. It has been the longest time since we had a girls' nite together. There was so much to bitch about.. About work especially..

Realise all of us have embarked on the arduous journey to build our career. The start is never easy. Guess we are all still searching for the right path to take. Cindy said something so right tat night. She said, "Work and colleagues don't take care of you. Only friends and family do.." I totally agree.. Human relationship becomes complex when it comes to work.. And i credit that to the fact that it has something to do with money..

Anyhoo.. I just hope all goes smooth for us at work this year..