A Mind of My Own

With the slowdown of the economy and everyone is tightening their belts, garang guni men are picky. The rag and bones business hasn’t gone out of the windows yet. It’s quite lucrative at times and does help to supplement the income.

My mother tried to get the attention of the collector only to have him say, “My boss will come later.” That was 10am. I went out at 11am for my hair appointment and returned home at 4.30pm. The stack of newspapers were still outside our door.

Apparently, this particular collector prefers handphones, old TV and other valuable stuff. I know where to trade in my handphones for cash. I know I can look around and trade in my old TV for cash. I know I can just go to the Cash Converter shop that is just near my place to sell for cash. Why the heck would I just pass to you, the garang guni man for an amount that isn’t worth it?

You think you are clever? Don’t try to be clever for this case. People have stolen our fire riser metal lock before. They are clever too but the authorities had to spend more money to replace with better locks. Do you know where our taxpayers’ money all go to?

The money have to go into building a better nation. That’s why our transport and everything is going up despite paying our taxes. That is also why being a rag and bones collector, you should stop being picky. Because I ain’t gonna let ye pocket that $100 for yourself when I can sell my handphone for a higher price.

It is a well known fact that I have a messy table at home despite the numerous nagging from my dear mother. Modobs decided to create a new meme about office or home desks. Ah, great, just when I am no longer in my very neat cubicle.

Before I start, the rules:

1. Describe your desk at the office or at home
2. Put a picture of it if you can
3. Explain why you sort it (or don’t)
4. Tag other people

What’s there to describe a messy table? I can start with receipts from various stores I have purchased from, bills, used envelopes, box containing a piece of half completed cross-stitch, mobile phones, chargers for my mobile phones and bluetooth ear piece, laptop, external hard disk, makeup set, makeup brushes, 3 water bottles and a table lamp.

I have never measure how large my desk is, right now, it’s a mountain that is on a balance scale. My work desk is always very neat. Feeling proud of myself now. I just feel overwhelm to clean up the table at home. (Defensive mode).

I don’t sort it as it’s organised mess. I do pay my bills on time. I know where my makeup set is. I can find my chargers and whatever it is. I’m so glad that I’m following these tips.

Finally, I’m curious about desks of Miss Loi, DK and The Young Businessman.

I have been freed from the routine job. Perhaps I have reached my ends of the what one might call the boredom of routine job. It hadn’t been that routine but I needed a change of scope that I craved for. I wanted to do something else but there just wasn’t any slot for me at the time.

I was in my first job for 4 years. Hanging on because I was still studying for a degree that isn’t recognised in the end. I had the chance to shift my scope there. I had a chance to expand my knowledge at my second job. There I was so focused in that I got so wounded up due to the demands there. There wasn’t any change of job scope that was possible as there were more talents in the HQ.

After all these years, I am realising that I am looking for an ideal job. My criteria is:

• Allowing me to work from any time as long as I can produce results.
• Allowing me to work from anywhere.
• Paying me enough for my bills and insurance and enough to save up for retirement.

Perhaps what I need isn’t a job. All I need is to have a few roles or skills to juggle with so that I won’t be looking around every 18 months.

Since my last day at work was on a Thursday, I had an event to attend on Friday, the bag competition. On Saturday, I stayed at home scheduling my posts for my blogs. Sunday, I went out. Monday, I stayed at home to source for more money making schemes and I went to watch Hellboy 2 with DD on Tuesday.

Today, I will pick up the cosmetics from Pure Luxe from HY. I have activities on Friday and Saturday although I’m wondering if I have any activities on Thursday.

I have been thinking about the bags I have just bought. I think I would like to sell the black bag. It looks so odd when I hold it. The photo was taken by me, the background has been photoshopped out.

After flooding Twitter and emails to request for voters, my bag design finally got into the top 20. Thank you my friends! The final round was to convince the judges that the design will get the money rolling in. Although it was my design, I assigned DD to present it to the audience as I have severe stage fright. He credited me on stage. Shucks!

I’m grateful that HF and NL were able to make it. Thank you. The place was held at Fort Canning Greens. Familiar, right? I finally saw the designer who did the Chinese Opera singer. Her design is way cool! It took her 4 to 5 days just to get this final look.

My final bag design is so different from hers. All made from Photoshop brushes.

The Opera singer design won her the MacBook Air. She deserved it! All other bag designs can be viewed in my album here. There was free food and drinks, including beer. Apparently, Agva and Ripplevox love beer. There was a magic show during one of the presentations where this guy attempted to impress the judges further by taking out a $10 note from his empty hands. Cool trick to impress the girls. Flowers would be better, boy.

Another guy had stage fright and he ended up talking louder, faster and incoherently. I only caught a few words that I understood but ultimately, he ended up making prejudiced sentences with his long speech prepared in his paper. I think he should have asked someone to help him present it instead of insulting everyone without meaning to.

I was really honoured that the designer for the opera singer loved my design. Thank you!

My question is: Will I get royalty fees if the bag designs are being mass produced? I do want to credit the Photoshop designers.

I have many affairs with agents for years. Not something to be proud of, but I have had good and bad ones. The good ones have been matching up pretty fine. The bad ones just couldn’t match no matter what. One even pushed me to attend an interview I already knew it wasn’t going to work out. I wonder how she did it.

Image via Wikipedia

The ones that I have had good matches are:

• Thomas J
• Robert Walters
• People Search
• The one in Maxwell Road (Can’t recall the name as it was more than 7 years ago)

The bad matches, I won’t want to write down the names as I could just be the unlucky one who has met the wrong agent. This time round, I hope I have a good match. Despite my attempts to avoid joining certain companies, I have now come a full circle if this interview works out well. I just hope the boss and peers are kind enough.

If it wasn’t that I needed the money, I would have said that I won’t be going for it. However, this is a critical period for me, thus my affair with agents have to continue.

There have been too many things going on. I’m quite confused as to where I should be starting. It’s hazy and yet I have so many things to do. Such as finding ways to earn money without resorting to working in an office. Unfortunately, Singapore isn’t really a good place to start. Or any other country for that matter.

Image via Wikipedia

I still need a day job. Unless I can work 4 hours a week. It will be a dream come true. I haven’t gotten over Latte’s demise yet. It is a traumatic experience if you witness your beloved pet grasping his last breath in front of you despite all the efforts to save him. It was really unfortunate that Latte died as a virgin.

I haven’t been sleeping well since. Some of you may scoff at the idea of losing sleep over some guinea pig. However, any pet owner will be upset at the lost of their pets because they have been spending time bonding together and gotten to love each other. Imagine living together with your Labrador for 15 years. It passed away due to sickness or old age. You have been walking around the neighbourhood every day and the loss has changed the routine. How does that feel?

I have been thinking about life. It’s so short that I just want to spend more time with my family rather than spending so much time at work earning more money but it’s useless when you can’t be there when your family needs you.

I have been thinking of starting my own business but it isn’t going to be easy since I have absolutely no idea where to begin. I do know there is someone who wishes to help. That’s so sweet. At this moment, I would like to think about the business type and strategies before jumping into the bandwagon.

I love this song by Myolie Wu and Bosco Wong. They are popularly known as Boscolie by their fans. This is used in War of The In Laws 2 (野蠻奶奶大戰戈師奶)

感激遇到你（歌词）
胡杏儿/黄宗泽

女: 这是爱承诺用心恋爱
注定要和你同步飞身爱海
男: 谁人是最爱
全程投入去爱 有你每日也精彩
合: 永远与你一起
日后都只爱你
永远的心动每日也令我回味
珍惜就像调味
能维系便铭记
爱你能教我幸福一世纪
Oh, baby, I love you, I love you everyday
永远的心动每日也令我回味
珍惜就像调味
能维系便铭记
爱你能教我幸福一世纪
感激遇到你

女: 这是爱承诺用心恋爱
注定要和你同步飞身爱海

男: 谁人是最爱
全程投入去爱 有你每日也精彩
合: 永远与你一起
日后都只爱你
永远的心动每日也令我回味
珍惜就像调味
能维系便铭记
爱你能教我幸福一世纪
Oh, baby, I love you, I love you everyday
永远的心动每日也令我回味
珍惜就像调味
能维系便铭记 爱你能教我幸福一世纪
感激遇到你

[Lyrics]

I am utterly fed-up with True Spa. Each time an appointment has to be made, I have failed to secure any appointments that fit DD and my schedule. DD has made an appointment with the account manager and we have yet to know if it is confirmed because there isn’t any call from them.

This is horrible. We have booked a month in advance and apparently, this isn’t enough. I don’t even know if the person is still working or just ignoring us. Why do we even buy a package when the after sales service is horrible and lacking the attitude to even keep the paying customers happy?

Spas are supposed to keep customers happy so that they will introduce their friends to join in. Spas are supposed to have adequate follow-ups so that customers won’t be even blogging or writing so many negative reviews too.

I don’t even know how much we have left to use it all up so that we will take our money elsewhere. Bangkok and Batam have better services that this company. They even have slots open for 4 hours in advance or immediate.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Ah, shopping. Something that is bound to happen at one point or the other. The main thing is whether the money is enough. I have been bitten by the shopping bug these days. It’s really a bad way because I am going to be jobless and the money will trickle to practically NIL if I still don’t have any backups.

I have bought clothes online and still pending the arrival. Orange Bear seems to be pretty quiet on the orders. It’s unfortunate that MC’s grandmother passed away recently. There isn’t time for NL to update us on the orders yet.

I love earrings. I have too many and yet I still feel that they aren’t enough. DD shook his head about my obsession with earrings. The main reason why I started online sprees is because I hate salespersons breathing down my neck while I’m browsing through the aisles. I may not know the promotion for certain range but when I’m browsing, don’t breathe down my neck or within 1 metres as I can’t think with someone else looking at my hands as if I would still their goods. It’s not as if I can’t pay.

The downside to shopping at the shops is the squeezing of the crowded trains and buses after buying. One or two large sized shopping bags is enough to make the trip home torture when there is a huge crowd.

I have been on the hunt for the right foundation colours for years until HY mentioned that she is using mineral makeup from Pure Luxe. It stays on for hours despite her oily parts of the face. The powder stays. You can witness it when you just press the tissue paper on the face oil. Very little of the powder will come off. I haven’t done a proper review. Been meaning to until Rinaz mentioned it. I have found another makeup lover.

I hope to get some nice before and after photos to post. Shopping is a bug that I can’t get rid of.

I have dreamed of being my own boss for quite some time now. It seems that I have reached the age whereby I feel unfulfilled by my career. One can be daunted by the amount of capital needed just to open your own cafe in Singapore.

I would be very happy to have a sponsor or two to help me defray the costs of setting up my own shop; from selling D.I.Y trinkets to food. Not to mention paying the salary to the helpers. However, entrepreneurs don’t need to be hiring anyone initially if the business does not require so many hands in it.

This is where ACE (Action Community for Entrepreneurship) comes in. This is where you may just win $1,000 for pitching your idea of how to make entrepreneurship a better place in Singapore. We are creatures of ideas and they are crying out loud to be used.

You can share your ideas in the following categories:

• New ideas to increase Singapore’s attractiveness as a place for business
• New ideas to nurture entrepreneurs of tomorrow
• New ideas to encourage more innovative and competitive businesses

Being an entrepreneur is a step towards creativity and a personal development too. Entrepreneurs have a way of thinking out of the box and managing the change of winds. WHY NOT?

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