A New Year Revelation

“Why are you treating shopping like your work?”
My boyfriend of four years snapped at me

It was one of the rare days I had time to shop
If not for the impending Chinese New Year,
I wouldn’t have allowed myself the luxury of time join the frenzy consumerism taking over most Singaporeans at this time of the year

Time was tight
Three hours to purchase everything on my wish list

There were long queues at the dressing rooms, cash registers, restaurants and public transport
Coupled with my impatience
You don’t need Paul the Octopus to predict that I didn’t managed to get all my shopping done

With an hour left
And dress, shoes, decorations and stationery still missing
I was clearly frowning at my inefficiency

“I’m not going to finish my shopping today. There’s no time left” I let out a sigh of exasperation
He turned to me, with a look like he was dating the wrong lady for the last four years.
That’s when he associated shopping with work

Insisting that I’m getting overly task-oriented, without the capacity to enjoy free-time,
The boyfriend shaked his head to conclude that I am a loss-case

Oh well, people change right?
For better or for worse? I like to think it’s the former.

If Sh** Comes your Way

Today a terrible piece of news reminded me this
Serverity of situation doesn’t matter
What does is how you face the music and overcome it

Imagine receiving a call from your event venue partner saying that they cannot support you

WHY NOT?
For one minute, my mind raced, desperately searching for answers
Then I took an extremely deep breathe, count to three, and mentally took notes of my alternatives

In life, there’re always alternatives
Never forget that
If things don’t turn out as you wish
Gather all your energy and resources to create a second route
Do it quickly, failure to do so will only lead you deeper into your own mess

Not Just Another Birthday

I can’t remember how I spend my last 23 birthdays
But this year is one that I’ll never forget

Shannon threw a surprise party - Nico strum the guitar while other colleagues sung 'Happy Birthday'!

My big day in brief
Kicking off with an important investor meeting at 10am
Completing with a sumptuous dinner with our advisor at 11pm
Business talk – around the clock

By the time I reached home, everyone was asleep
They’ve probably waited too long for my return
Guilt gripped me

Fortunately, my parents weren’t hopping mad over my absence
A cake was in our fridge overnight
The next evening, we cut the cake together
And I had three servings!

I’ll remember this year, not because of my workaholic habits
But because I realised the importance of family support
Without which, success would be a step further

 

High Price to Pay for Women Entrepreneur

Once upon a time, my skin enjoyed monthly facials, massage and sleep

Now it’s been almost five months since my last indulgence.

No time, no money

And people have added that I looked older, or in a more courteous manner, replacing the ‘O’ adjective (I refuse to repeat it in full again) with tired/exhausted/stressed.

Apparently, the enthusiasm and excitement of running my own business isn’t obvious at all

 

Entrepreneurship can add some years to a person's appearance. No joke, I'm a case study.

 

Aging and women will always be, and forever and ever be arch rivals

This is universal truth

I accept aging, but that doesn’t mean I want to age (maybe guys wouldn’t get it)

Moreover, it’s PREMATURE aging here, so I have to fuss!

Science has also proven that women age more easily than men!

Blame the sacred group of proteins, collagen

Collagen, like calcium, leaves us much faster than it does for men

I refuse to pay the ultimate price for entrepreneurship – my youthful looks

If nature isn’t helping, then I got to seek a balance here, quickly.

This includes signing off now to catch some shuteye..

Maybe I can check in to work earlier? Hmmm…

Well, it’s hard to not think about work, if you get what I mean.. But I’ll try, for the sake of my looks!

A Natural Aversion to Stress

From young, I was brought up to be strong

In school, whenever my friends lament, complain and whine about stress, I’ll keep my cool

Stress was a self-inflicted feeling. If I managed my time and responsibilities well, stress will never catch up on me

Most importantly, I didn’t like to be associated with stress

Because, to me, it is a sign of incapability and weakness

Before you start protesting, let me add that I’ve realised how my thoughts are incorrect.

After three months of toiling tirelessly for Artyii, people around me have said I’m constantly appearing stressed

Argh…I cringed at such a label, nevertheless I’ll respond with a polite smile and assure them that I’m okay.

Thank you for the concern

After starting Artyii, people have been saying I look stressed everytime...

I came to terms with stress very recently

A local press ran a story on coping with stress and the signs of stress

Usually, I wouldn’t even bother to speed-read such an article

Yet on this day, it made me understood that it’s OKAY to be feel stress

What’s important is to avoid using stress as an excuse for failures to fulfill work responsibilities

Unfortunately, many people do this unconsciously

Identify this ‘S’ feeling and plan ways to mitigate it, not drown yourself in it

Simply put

Turn stress to your advantage

Perhaps the next time you feel like nothing’s working out for you

Ask yourself how you can turn things around

Today, while I never tell people that I’m stressed ( too used to putting up a strong-front)

I admit to myself that I am and plot my route to recovery