"Save the cheerleader, save the world"

That's a line from the TV show Heroes. Quite a good show, although I gave up following it after work pulled me off track with the storyline.
But it's all about collaborating and trying to save an inevitable bomb from exploding. So, um, boom.

You know, I realized this blog is more about me leaving my mark in history than it is about sharing my feelings with the world. Much like what my real passion for graffiti is. I still love seeing the bits of spray paint ink leftover in the cracks in walls that have been cleaned that once housed my graffiti work. I don't know, it just feels good to remember where you've been and where you're at now. It makes you appreciate the journey that took you here. I mean, maybe it's also my obsession with making sure i write everything down because I'm so worried about forgetting it over time, maybe it's just my needt to be able to convince myself that I did indeed get a lot accomplished in what seemed to have been an unproductive day. To all the people who know me well, you know my love for uber-productivity and my weakness for actually getting stuff done, and well we're all humans with days where nothing seems to be worth doing.

Yes, I actually don't want to do anything. It's not a matter of laziness, but more a matter of disconnect between my want and my will. I'm willing to do stuff, I know if I just force myself, I'll do it, but my want to do it isn't there. Not right now at least. I guess I should make the most of this and just enjoy the fruits of whatever I've been working at. Heck, I've come a long way baby.

I guess the hardest battle in life is when you're having it with yourself. Where it's not a matter of managing another person and getting them to get stuff done, but when you're trying to manage yourself and you just can't. Don't get me wrong, I blame only myself as this is something that only a combination of me and time can resolve. Sigh.

Anyways, I can only take this "half-glass-full" feeling as a chance to fill the glass back with something even better. But oh well, that's all in theory....(for now)

The colors of reality

Claude Monet (1840 - 1926) proposed that the painter should record the pattern of colors that fall on the retina and ignore the identity of the subject. This is quite an interesting thing as it is like telling a human to learn to be like a camera and only look at what they see as shapes and colors rather than actual objects. I remember when I was reading Drawing on the right side of the Brain it talked about just that. One of the first exercises was to take a picture, turn it upside down and try to draw it by focusing on the lines and shapes only.
I have to admit, I haven't been working on my drawing skills lately but all is not bad news! I've been reading Colour because I've always felt I lacked the ability to properly use color in my designs and drawings. This book is awesome! I love it (so far at least) because it's taught me more than stuff like what does a color usually mean and what colors compliment each other and stuff like that. It teaches me the concepts of color, their ability to change through interaction with each other and one of my favorite topics, optical illusions! It doesn't show you a bunch of generic illusions but actually explains to you what is happening and then you need to do some of the exercises to better understand what is going on. Hopefully before my next entry I'll be done with the book :)
Speaking of the book, I've been working on some paintings based on the knowledge I learnt from it. Check this out, my very first digital painting that I'm actually proud of:

I also bought my first books from Page One. I think it's time I really put my time and efforts into honing my design skills because I'm tired of always feeling inferior when it comes to my artistic sense. Hopefully I'll build all the confidence I need by the end of this year.
Ah, the end of this year. So much has changed already in just the past two months. Life is hectic but I'm loving it. I've been able to control my own time which has turned out to be a double-edged sword really because at times, my laziness or external temptations would throw me completely off my schedule and things will pile up and I get fed up and nervous because there seems to be so much to do! Then at the same time when i look back, the amount I've actually accomplished is awesome! The books I've read, the things I've learnt, the opportunities I've seized! Woah!
I've re-organized my shelves so that I can save as much time and effort as possible and still get my work done. I've really turned into a productivity junkie which is good and bad because I can get more done but that also means I often end up trying to accomplish more than is possible. I guess in its own way it's good because I keep trying to explore new ways to do the same thing and see if it makes it better. Hey, at least I know I'm not going insane since the definition of insanity is trying to achieve different results from the same thing :). I'm simply trying to get the same results by doing different things.
Anyways, it's Monday morning and I have the whole week ahead of me, I look forward to clearing my to-do list and making the most of every chance I can get my hands on. Wish me luck!

A short lesson in life

So I've finished reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money--That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! and well I must say as my friend Bun told me, it is quite inspiring. It was so inspiring I finally got myself to dive in and buy my first stock! Yay! But wait, it's not as good as it sounds.

So I've been watching this particular stock the past month and as I finally decided to be bold and buy 2000 of them at HK$9.02 a piece which comes to HK18040. Ok, so far so good. And guess what, the moment I buy it, it starts falling down. I'm talking non-stop down! Today, it closed at like HK$8.2! WTF!?So well, as inspiring as the book seemed, it did have one lesson that I have finally accepted as true, it said that a lot of people throw a lot of money in buying stocks and other investments, but they don't always put the money in the one asset that is their greatest -- themselves. I admit, I dived in a bit too quick for my own good. I just had a gut feeling and I followed that and look where it left me. I'm a little shy of HK$1000 down and I must say it sucks. I'm tempted to just sell the damn share and give up for now but I'll be bold, let the lesson continue. The worst that could happen is that I lose more money. OK that sucks but the book did also say that people are so scared of losing money, that fear surpasses the joy of making money as well, so they don't take risks. I admit, it's a correct statement but the hard thing is to be able to differentiate risk and stupidity. Like they say, you win some, you lose some.

So what's my great Day 10 wisdom I'd like to shed? Basically that. Oh and also, I've finished my typing exercises and I'm currently touch-typing this entry. Yes I'm still much slower than I normally am when typing with my old bad habit but all I need is practice. The hardest thing is not having my typing as fast as my thinking. Eventually I get fed up and go back to the old way of typing because my thoughts are zooming passed too fast while my hands can't keep up. You may find this post a bit different compared to many other posts in the style of writing simply because of the different typing pace and style. But hey, at least I've accomplished one of my goals of the year. Still got a bunch but hey I still got half a year to go! :)

Anyways, I'm out!

PS. I'm one day early for my Day 10 entry, but hey, I have 1 hour to go only! :D

Bang bang

Everyday is a high-impact day for me now, it's crazy. I'm loving and hating it all at the same time. I get excited being able to go all over but at the same time exhausted because sometimes I just need to have a fixed routine that I know works.

It's my Day 10 entry and I can't really say I don't have much to contribute, I'm finally on the last chapter of The Complete Art of War (History and Warfare) and I must say, the last few chapters felt like they didn't have much to offer in terms of my life and well my current situation. I'm a bit confused as to which my next book should be, I'm looking at Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money--That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! because my friend Bun's been after me to get inspired by it. On top of that, I really want to read Guy Kawasaki's The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything, especially since I met someone who mentioned and told me I really should read it. I actually borrowed that book before from the library but never started reading it because I was too busy. Now I'm even busier. I'm also trying my best to read and learn from Communicating Design: Developing Web Site Documentation for Design and Planning but it's just so dry and repetitive. I mean, I have to admit, a lot of the processes it suggests I already know a lot about from other books, but I was hoping this would be a whole revision and process-eye-opener for me but so far it's actually quite boring to the point I'm starting to skip some parts (which I hate doing in a book).

All I can say, a lot is happening and a lot has changed in the last few weeks, I love it but I'm slowly realizing how much there is for me to explore and learn as well. I guess I'm lucky because I love learning and growing so this is a great opportunity, but at times, I just want to have a fixed routine that I know will be over at a certain time and I can put everything aside and not think about it. You win some you lose some I suppose and it's all about balance. You want this, you lose that, and so on.

I look forward to seeing what the next 10 days bring me and see where I end up! Life's so chaotic recently that I have no idea what tomorrow will bring! As much as I'm not a spontaneous person, I like plans and routines, this is definitely something I can get comfortable with :).

So yea, 10 days to go to see what I become!