- How To Build An Antifragile Career | Fast Company
“‘Never go for medium profession… Literary writers should have a menial job or (if possible) a sinecure, and write on the side. Otherwise writing for a living under other people’s standards debases their literature. The same for artists. The best philosophers were not academics, but had another job, so their philosophy was not corrupted by careerism'”. - Bloodless Mary | Luxirare
Found this recipe when I was searching for stuff to do with vodka and lemons and I was absolutely blown away by the effort and presentation of this drink. - The Four Kinds of NYT Headlines | Alex Leo
Spot on! - If They’re Voting For Mitt Romney, Don’t Have Sex With Them | Thought Catalog
“Sometimes opposites attracting can be sexy, and you’re turned on by the fact that they love dubstep, which you don’t think is music; go rollerblading unironically; or are one of those people who still thinks that Crash deserved to win Best Picture. (Unheard of, I know.) … However, this is election season, and things are different if their “little quirk” is a Romney/Ryan bumper sticker. You need to stop paying attention to dat ass for a moment and pay attention to dat electoral map”. - You Only Reboot Twice | The Bygone Bureau
SPOILER ALERT!“After a quick, hushed introduction (they are spies after all), Bond questions the competency of his young tech and weapons expert. Q says, ‘Age is no guarantee of efficiency’; Bond retorts that ‘youth is no guarantee of innovation.’ This is the film’s central conflict: new vs. old, technology against tradition — a fitting theme for a sequel in a rebooted series”.
Last week, on Christmas eve, I posted this status on Facebook:
Do you know how terrible my boss is? In addition to making me work today, he’s not even giving me a half-day off. What a bastard! I hate him! Merry Christmas, everyone!
A not insignificant number people misunderstood this as me bitching immaturely about my boss.
OK people – let’s set this straight: I AM SELF-EMPLOYED; it was a tongue-in-cheek statement that I made for fun.
So don’t take yourselves too seriously, my friends – you’re not important enough for that!
Jokes aside, I want to make a public-service announcement (PSA): the next time you want to contact me for work-related purposes, please go through my agent.
I’m serious about this.
Why?
Two reasons:
- In recent months, I’ve come to believe in the paramount importance of an editor for ANYTHING that needs to be done.
- [Redacted – ask me in private.]
Hence, I’m appointing Ms Lynn Lee as my agent for any work-related matters.
Please contact her if you have work for me. Similarly, contact her if you have interview questions/media-related enquiries because she is Ms ‘Pau Ka Liau’.
More contact information here at my newly created Contact page.
Happy New Year everyone!
I didn’t post anything on Mon so you’ll get two posts today! Yes! All 25 of you, my regular readers.
Why?
I had a secret pre-New Year’s resolution (pre-New Year because I made it, like, at the start of Dec, I think): to post an entry each day so that I hone my craft by sharpening the saw.
(Except for weekends and public holidays, of course – I’m pro-work-life balance like that.)
However, I missed Mon’s deadline as I was busy making a set of Cards Against Humanity for a New Year’s Eve party.
(It’s really fun; I played it last Fri at a party and I was all, like: WHERE DO I GET A SET OF MY OWN?
It’s sold out, though, so I had to download a PDF file of the game, buy the card stock, print it out at a printer and cut the cards manually (couldn’t be arsed to use a huge-ass cutter).
It took me the better half of a day – “the perks of being self-employed”, according to Prem Vadiveloo, my new Chindian friend – but I certainly had fun playing the game on New Year’s Eve with my friends.)
New Year’s Eve aside, I want to be introspective and all because it was a briefly popular trend on New Year’s Eve, and you know how good I am at quickly adapting to new technologies.
So where do I start? I’ve to go back about five years, actually.
When I look back to when the previous phase of my life began, I’d say that:
- 2008 was a year of success for me. I never had so many achievements in life come my way at one go, and I really felt blessed that year.
- 2009 was a year of tumultuousness, and the year in which the decline began.
- 2010 was a year of decay. I didn’t know where I was going; I just knew I was going downhill.
- 2011 was a year of stagnation. I don’t think I progressed very much – I can hardly remember the happy moments of that year.
But 2012 was a year of realisation, renewal and a return to a state of normalcy and happiness.
I quit my job; I embarked on a new career.
I lost weight; I started living healthier again.
I stopped beating myself up; I started believing in myself again.
I reconnected with family and many old friends; I even made a new Chindian friend!
Sadly, I let go of a girl I should’ve stuck with – but I guess that paved the way for many interesting dates.
Most importantly, I’ve found most of the old me once more – and so far, it seems that this is what matters the most for now, in the grand scheme of things.
So on that note, I want to bid goodbye to 2012 in obituary form, because it deserves it.
In Memory of 2012
(1 Jan – 31 Dec 2012)
Thank you, 2012, for all that transpired.
You weren’t particularly brilliant, but you were necessary for me to move on with life.
So this ain’t a fond farewell, but neither is it a good riddance.
Here’s looking to an awesome 2013.
P.S. This is a longer-than-usual post, but it still counts for one post. Stay tuned for the other post and don’t worry – I won’t cheat you of the money you didn’t pay for reading this premium content!