It starts very soon!

Enough of being unhappy, it will all change in about 4 weeks. Things will be different, but different good or different bad, we will see :) I'm glad that I am embarking on this uncertainty with less fear than initially considered. I'm also hoping that I will remember the spark that started this blog :)

MH - Archduke!

This latest level up took over 3 years!!!

Archduke – 4 July 2015

Grand Duke - 26 Feb 2012

Duke - 10 Sep 2011

Count - 11 Mar 2011

Baron - 2 Aug 2010

Lord - 3 Feb 2010

Knight - 14 Sep 2009

Hero - 1 Jul 2009

My Maharaja Trooper - The Making Of (Part 1)

*this is just part of the process - will finish up this post sometime...

I'm glad that I had this opportunity to create my very own version of the Star Wars Stormtrooper helmet as part of the Star Wars Legion project. Some 250 customized helmets are right now on display in Los Angeles. They will eventually be auctioned, with the proceeds going to the beneficiaries of the Make A Wish Foundation.

Here's how my Maharaja Trooper came to be :)

It was a great afternoon with good friends at their 2-generation-old store. Almost all my materials were bought from their shop, gold lace, original Swarovski crystal parts, a beautiful mugat and more beaded & sequined ribbons.

Metal art wire was glued onto a pair of beaded lace and onto another opposite sides to create a pair of winged-ears that is beaded on the inside and outside.

Made sure that the mugat (crown) and the winged-ears all lined up just right :)

Gold leaf paint served as the base for the Maharaja :) 

A well coated helmet.

A circle of gold lace, snipped and glued on in sections to best hug the contours of the helmet.

The eyes are made of original Swarovski crystals.

So glad we found a glue that works and dries clear!

Why Am I Angry All The Time?

It's been almost a year since my last post.
It's a vicious cycle - I'm not happy -> Makes unhappy people -> makes me unhappy.

Fudge!

Unhappy I am

I am not happy with many things and it's manifesting itself in horrible ways...

D'oh!

Where is my head?

Un-charming

A part of my life feels like this charm...

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Thinking of the money...

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Late Again!

According to this, I'm between 350 years to 414 years late for all these things!

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My new lippy

Clearing all existing lip balms that contain paraffin or petrolatum. This one is certified USDA organic :-)

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the original article is here: 50-universal-truths-more-successful

50 Universal Truths That Will Make You More Successful

By Julie Bort | Business Insider – Sat, Nov 2, 2013 8:48 PM SGT

No matter what is going on in your career, good advice is universal. No matter what problems you are trying to solve, chances are someone else before you had a similar problem.

I've been a journalist for the better part of two decades and during that time I've interviewed and written about thousands of people in various stages of success, from billionaires to entrepreneurs launching startups (one while fighting brain cancer).

All of that has led me to conclude that there are certain universal "business truths" — tips and tricks that work for nearly everyone in every business. They are:

1. Have a passion for your work. If your work is meaningful to you, your work life will be a joy.
2. If you can't be passionate about the work itself, be passionate about the reason you do it. Maybe you don't love your job/company/career, but the money and benefits are good for your family. Be passionate in your choice to do right by your family.
3. If something needs changing, be the one to lead the change. If you dislike your job but are stuck, work on getting the skills that will get you unstuck. If there's a problem at your office, work on being the one solve it.
4. Start small and build from there.
5. Do the obvious stuff first, then progress to the harder stuff. (Otherwise known as going for the low-hanging fruit.)
6. If it's not broke, don't fix. Do improve it.
7. The hardest lesson to learn is when to keep going and when to quit. No one can teach you that. At some point, you have to choose.
8. The definition of crazy is to do the same thing the same way and expect a different result. If the result isn't good, change something.
9. No one succeeds alone. 
10. Ask for help. Be specific when asking. Be graceful and grateful when help comes.
11. Surround yourself with positive people and you'll have a positive outcome.
12. Embrace diversity. The best way to compensate for your own weaknesses is to pick teammates who have different strengths.
13. People experience the world differently. Two people can attend the same meeting and walk away with different impressions. Don't fight that. Use it.
14. You don't have to like someone to treat that person with respect and courtesy.
15. Don't "should" all over someone, and don't let someone else "should" all over you.
16. No matter what you do or how much you achieve, there are always people who have more. 
17. There will always people who have less, too.
18. No matter how much you excel at things, you are not a more worthwhile human being than anyone else. No one else is more worthwhile than you, either.
19. If you spend most of your time using your talents and doing things you are good at, you're more likely to be happy.
20. If you spend most of your time struggling to improve your weaknesses, you're likely to be frustrated.
21. Practice is the only true way to master a new skill. Be patient with yourself while you learn something new.
22. The only way to stay fresh is to keep learning new things.
23. To learn new things means being a beginner, and that means making mistakes.
24. The more comfortable you grow with making beginner mistakes, the easier it is to learn new things.
25. You will never have all the resources (time, money, people, etc.) that you want for your project or company. No one ever has all the resources they want. 
26. A lack of resources isn't an excuse. It's a blessing in disguise. You'll have to get creative.
27. Creativity and innovation are skills that can be learned and practiced by doing your usual things in a new way.
28. Take calculated risks. 
29. In the early stages of a company, career, or project, you'll have to say "yes" to a lot of things. In the later stages, you'll have to say "no."
30. Negative feedback is necessary. Don't automatically reject it. Examine it for the nuggets of truth, and then disregard the rest.
31. When delivering criticism, talk about the work, not the person. 
32. Think big. Dream big. (The alternative is to think small, dream small.)
33. Treat your dream as an ultimate roadmap. You don't have to achieve your dream right away, but the only way to get there is to take many steps toward it.
34. If you think big, you will hear "no" more than you hear "yes." They don't get to decide. You do.
35. How long it takes you to create something is less important than how valuable and worthwhile it will be once it's created.
36. If there is one secret to success, it's this: communicate your plans with other people and keep communicating those plans. 
37. Grow your network. Make an effort to meet new people and to keep in contact with those you know.
38. No matter what technology or service you are creating/inventing at your company, it's not about the product; it's always about the people and the lives you will improve.
39. No matter how successful you get, you can still fail and fail big.
40. Failure isn't a bad thing. It's part of the process. 
41. Things always go wrong. The only way to keep that from hurting you is to plan for that.
42. Learn how to respectfully, but firmly, say "no."
43. Say "yes" as much as you can. 
44. In order to say "yes" often, attach boundaries or a scope of work around your "yes."
45. No matter how rich, famous, or successful another person is, inside that person is just a human being with hopes, dreams, and fears, the same as you. 
46. Getting what you want doesn't mean you'll be happy. Happiness is the art of being satisfied with what you already have.
47. Working with difficult personalities will be a part of every job. Be respectful, do your job well, and nine times out of 10 that person will move on.
48. For that one-out-of-10 time, remember you aren't a victim. Do what you need to get a new job.
49. As soon as you have something to demonstrate, get an executive champion to back or support your project.
50. Focus on what you want, not what you don't want.

Should this chapter close?

It looks like this chapter is turning out to be neither what I want nor what I need. I hold the person who got me into this personally responsible for these 2 years  of...  I can't even describe what these 2 years in this place has been like. Much less the last few months have been horrid.

So very tempted to just close this chapter now, but there's just a little more that needs to be done and it'll be shut.

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Annie's Peanut Ice Kachang

This brings back memories...  Back in my first job. So many years ago..  It still tastes goid :-)

This dessert made me happy, like the dinner last night. It's the simple things in life.  But it all needs money.

Whoever said money can't buy happiness is shopping in the wrong place!

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Super duper LIKE!!!

By Van Cleef &  Arpels :-)

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Chopsticks 2013 / 30 to 32

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I just want to be happy...

It seems like a distant goal.

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400 years late!

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Chopsticks 2013/29

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Another Singaporean Constellation

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First time

There's a first time for everything...  2 days ago I had a really bad Friday the 13th, when it had been a regularly neutral day for the past few years...

And this morning we're at a coffee shop run by a bunch of yelling middle aged women...  They are cranky! Let's see if the food at this place is worth the noise and stress...

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