“You can cage a tiger, but you cannot brush his teeth.”
– Alan Jason Parry Alan, November 2012
Imagine, if you will, being a fly on the wall when Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola were sitting in the cafés of New York, formulating how to make The Godfather.
Or imagine being able to see previous drafts of Shakespeare’s plays as he wrestled to make them better.
Contemplate for a moment, how crazy the first draft of ‘The Hangover” would have been!
People tend to forget that so called ‘masterpieces’ are the end result of presumably inferior works. The journey to an elegant creation is rarely straightforward; it is absurd, hilarious and sublime in quick succession… and that is THE BEE PROJECT.
The Bee Project will be staged at The Bee @ Publika from 4-9 December 2012.
Tickets are available at The Bee @ Publika Lot 36B,
Level G2, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur
or
The Bee @ Jaya One Lot 2A-G,
Block K Jaya One,
72A Jalan Universiti, Petaling Jaya.
You can also phone +603 6201 8577 to make a reservation and then head in to The Bee @ Publika/Jaya One to pay.
For Online ticketing email info@terryandthecuz.com for their Maybank2U A/C. Please include Full Name, Email, Contact details, Night of show and Number of tickets in your email. You will receive a confirmation email once money is transferred.
Urbanscapes’ 10th Anniversary had the festival on for 2 days instead of just one, like how they usually have it. I didn’t work for it this year cos… i didn’t work for it last year too and it was so much fun to run around instead of being floor manager or sumthink :p But big up to all the people who made it such a success this year! I can’t imagine what it’s like setting up everything from scratch in the rain and mud. All i can say is you made thousands of people happy this weekend 😀
I’m wearing top from Zara, tights from Nike, leather boots from Bimba & Lola. Sunnies are cheap ones from Thailand. After breaking a pair of Henry Hollands at Future Music Fest, i’ve learned not to compromise my nice things :/
If the parrot blow-up at Lah’Lah’Land’s booth was for sale i’d so get it.
I went alone at about 3:30pm so i could be kiasu and shop first… but i didn’t know there was another shopping area on the other side so i missed that till much later in the day. It was super hot and i decided to get a beer at The Bee area (which was cordoned off for over-18s). Bumped into some friends. This reader came up to me and said, “Are you Joyce?” I nodded yes and she went, “I LOVE YOU!” My insides were all grinning cos it felt so nice! Thank you for saying that to me!
Hung around with Mark and his friend Andy for a good hour or so. Just downing beers and chatting.
Ezra & Clouds
Oh yeah! Mark and Andy recognized Ezra’s voice and asked to take pictures with him. I poked Ezra and teased him, “Wowww you’re so famoussss!” And he was snapping his fingers in the air going, “That’s right.”
Clouds was proudly showing off her Daiso fan. “Look Joyce! I don’t have to do anything and it’ll blow me!”
Me: But you have to stand tilted back like that the whole time? … Very efficient Clouds…
Alena & Clouds
Around 5pm i jolted cos i remembered that i had to DO SOMETHING or BE SOMEWHERE… what was it!? OH. In the midst of my merrymaking i almost forgot i offered to volunteer to serve nasi briyani at Fierce Curry House! Ezra saw me babbling rubbish and asked, “Erm, how long are you supposed to work there for?” Me: “An hour…” Him: “Okayyyy”
Hey i did proper work okay! I wore a Fierce cap, carried nasi briyani from the chefs to the counter, even carried 2 plastic bags of nasi across the muddy field to an order from the Tongue in Chic tent (prayed so hard that i wouldn’t fall flat on my face and spill nasi briyani everywhere), ate samples in front of passerbys and exclaimed loudly how awesome it tasted, offered up information how the mutton briyani sold out cos it was THAT good, and even rang my bell and called out for people to come buy!
Me and my trusty bicycle bell.
I had some bell envy tho, as the ice cream man to my right had a bigger LOUDER bell. So i guess next time i will have to bring a gong or something. CLICK TO READ MORE
There was SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT i had to attend on Sunday morning at 10:30am. SO IMPORTANT that i didn’t dare get too drunk at Urbanscapes on Saturday, so that i could wake up and ensure my presence.
Weeks ago, Lucas told all of us that he was planning to surprise Heloise on her birthday, and needed all our help… cos we were to each wear a T-shirt that spelt out a message for her. It was one of those days that is IMPERATIVE you show up for your friend. For one, Lucas and Helo helped Clem and i move house two years back… and friends who help you carry your shit are REAL FRIENDS! Since then, they’re always included in our house parties 🙂
Anyway okay back to the story. I managed to wake up at 9:20am, wrapped Helo’s present and write her card (cos i’m so last minute like that) and packed all my things for Urbanscapes in case i left the birthday BBQ late. All of us were to congregate at 10:30am while Lucas and Helo were out, and we were to be standing all ready in front of their condo when they got back.
I walked up to the group at 10:40am and Cammy gave me a fake-shock face and said, “OH. You MADE IT.” I was all like, “OF COURSE i made it! This is too important to NOT make it to!” -_-
There were about 23 adults to stand in line to form the words, a few handling the cameras and video cam, and some teeny French children wearing T-shirts with “Happy Birthday Heloise” painted on them. Too cute!
Anyway it took roughly six practices to get all of us to get the whole turning around thing at the same time. You’d think as adults, we’d be able to do something as simple as that in a flash… but no. The scene that unfolded made me realize adults are sometimes no different from CHILDREN. There are some not listening. One is shouting out orders, while another decides they’d be better at giving orders (Serena haha) and shouts “1, 2, 3!” too. Cammy is five months pregnant and standing precariously on a plastic chair and i’m like, “That’s so asking for it…. 0_0”
We got word that Lucas and Helo were arriving and quickly stood on the chairs facing the back, cos the words “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” were on our backs. They arrived and i turned just my head around so i could watch everything unfold. Lucas and Helo got out of the car and she looked WELL AND TRULY SHOCKED cos this bright red Myvi with a giant ribbon tied around it came driving up (her birthday present from Lucas). Her face was so priceless…
Helo not believing her eyes…
Lucas and his smug smile… knowing there’s more awesomeness to come.
So Helo’s crying cos she’s so happy… and she’s reading the “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” we’re all spelling out…
Then we all turned around and the front of our shirts spelt out: HELOISE WILL YOU MARRY ME.
I’ve been telling everyone about this movie which was recommended to me by Aps, called Jiro Dreams of Sushi.
It’s a beautifully-shot documentary about Jiro, a man in his 80s who has been perfecting the art of making sushi for decades and has the first sushi restaurant in Japan to be awarded 3 Michelin stars. I’ll try to explain what i can here, but it won’t compare to watching the actual movie yourself which you must must do.
What first pulled me to watch it was the food. Watching the art of sourcing for the best ingredients, painstaking preparation and the mouthwatering end product is a spectacular process. What sinks in next is that it’s not just about the sushi, but about the spirit behind its creation.
Jiro is a shokunin.
“The Japanese word shokunin is defined by both Japanese and Japanese-English dictionaries as ‘craftsman’ or ‘artisan,’ but such a literal description does not fully express the deeper meaning. The Japanese apprentice is taught that shokunin means not only having technical skills, but also implies an attitude and social consciousness. … The shokunin has a social obligation to work his/her best for the general welfare of the people. This obligation is both spiritual and material, in that no matter what it is, the shokunin’s responsibility is to fulfill the requirement.”
– Tasio Odate
Jiro talks about how he lives to perfect his work, and how you must be in love with your work to push your boundaries. Like you can see in the trailer, he says, “I’ll continue to climb, trying to reach the top… but noone knows where the top is!”
After watching his movie, i felt a bit lost, thinking about how i don’t have a job that i love to death like how Jiro does. I’ve always changed jobs every two years… true, they may be in the same industry or close, but… i am nothing like Jiro!
Then someone reminded me about my blog, “How long have you been blogging?”
“… Almost nine years!”
“You were one of the first batch to start blogging, and you still are.”
“That’s true…”
I guess i can say blogging is my passion.
No. I can’t say i ‘guess’. It IS.
Blogging is the one thing i never get tired of.
Even if i’m really tired from the day, being in front of the laptop to write and edit pictures make me really AWAKE all of a sudden. There are so many things in life that are exciting and i can’t NOT share.
Like travel. Fashion. Food. Love.
Blogging is a reflection of my life… so perhaps, my life is my art? Eckhart Tolle’s quote then comes to mind: “Life is the dancer, and you are the dance.”
I am just like you, trying to live my life as best as i can. The only difference is that i record it down and this blog has brought me many wonderful opportunities.
I’ve got other jobs through this blog.
I’ve got flown to as far as NYC, and Brisbane.
I’ve met some of the most inspiring people on the planet.
I’ve managed to push creative projects i enjoy doing – fashion, music, art.
Yet, what happens after that?
What is my bigger purpose in having this blog?
I think a handful of my friends and i are going thru this existential phase.
Why are we doing what we’re doing?
Are we even doing the right thing in the first place?
Then i realised, what i have is a platform.
A space where people come to read and be inspired.
I’m not being proud and saying ‘i inspire’ people, till strangers wrote me emails and told me in person.
I remember this girl Zura, who came up to me at ChurpOut. She told me that her friends and her went to Bali this year, after reading all my posts about Bali, and how they had a magnificent time; and how they were planning to go to Laos soon, after reading my post on Laos. I was truly elated! To think that people would take the trouble to go where i go because of the blog? That is GREAT. That is AWESOME.
The Universe has given me this gift of pushing word out to people.
It is a powerful gift and i realise it.
I can write about things that i feel strongly about –
recycling,
smiling at people,
keeping out the negativity,
finding my way to be more spiritual,
loving nature,
loving the people around me,
realizing how everyone is your brother or sister,
knowing that every thought i have has an impact on everyone around me (deep stuff, i know. We’ll take baby steps together.)
This is my own realization of how i will go forth.
What about you?
What is that bigger thing in life you were made for?
How are you going to do it?
I’m inspired by people around me everyday.
You can be inspired too by reading more stories *here*
I didn’t worry so much bout what my first job was going to be when i finished college. I just kinda let it fall into place. I worked regular freelance jobs of all types during my college years, but my first REAL PAYING FULL TIME JOB was because some magazine editor saw some photographs of mine on my blog (yes i was blogging since then… :p) and asked me to send more samples over.
I got hired as a photographer and writer. And so started Joyce’s colourful career! (Or so she says)
After being a writer and photographer for 4 years, i was offered a job that focused on partying and PR for an MNC. I got that job because… they saw me out partying so much? Haha. It’s probably because i just loved being out and talking to different types of people every night.
Fast-forward one year of partying for work and i was getting tired. It’s not so fun when partying becomes your job. Because then… what would i do to unwind?! I found myself telling Adrian Yap about an idea i had, at TAG @ The Loft one drunken night. We followed up, and so came the birth of Tongue in Chic. I got to create my fashion baby with a great team, and meet so many fabulous like-minded peeps in South East Asia. At the same time, i was also managing KinkyBlueFairy’s content and earnings.
When i felt i needed to choose between TIC and my blog to concentrate on, i chose my blog. And took a gap year off at 28 years old to freelance again, and focus on travel. What a great year that was! But i became bored soon after and started thinking about a different industry i could expand to. I let word out to various advertising agencies that i was looking for some work, and got a job with Universal McCann.
It was a completely different life to me as the type of people who work there have a different mindset from those in publication. It was a big change but i loved the new challenges i put my mind at working on, and the new environment i was submerged rather surprisingly in.
Right now, I still freelance for Universal McCann and have the time i need (without foregoing sleep) to blog.
Even tho i’ve changed jobs a few times, i’m very lucky (touch wood, bless me all fairies) that i had jobs that required all the things that i love doing – meeting people, taking photographs, writing articles, partying, fashion, trends, and ideas. If i have to connect all those opportunities back to two main roots, it would be
1) Networking,
and 2) Luck.
I swear it’s because i go out and talk so much which gets people knowing what kind of person i am, what i may be good in doing, and when i’m looking for a job. And it’s also luck.
But consider this: I would go out 5 nights a week, every week, for 9 years (gawd, that sounds like a lot of alcohol in my head) which equals up to = A LOT OF SOCIALIZING. And you must say, not everyone is as enthusiastic a socializer as that!
Which can get one thinking: What if someone just DOESN’T like talking to random people and making an hour-long conversation out of it? What if they don’t like drinking? What if they don’t like loud places? How do they find an opportunity?
If i wasn’t the way i was, i’d probably be searching for jobs on listings sites, like myStarjob. Besides the typical online and print job listings, the career website has value-added services like:
Visume – Malaysia’s first video resume, it allows job seekers to submit and upload their visumes online to apply for jobs, and even allow employers to conduct a ‘live’ video interview with potential candidates. This definitely saves a lot of time – yours and theirs.
A 16-paged Career Guide – available in The Star newspaper (and online) every Saturday, serving as a valuable resource for talents seeking professional advice and opportunities, and for organisations to use this opportunity to profile their organisation to attract talent and build reputation.
Training services– seminars, workshops, on-ground trainings, and talks by industry leaders will achieve the single-minded purpose of building better talents in the workforce community.I took their Jobgraphy Career Test for fun… >
And got these results, which doesn’t surprise those who know me i’m sure >
Besides all the informative articles and video content to surf, the first thing i would do as a job seeker is to send in my resume. You never know who might find it, and you can’t just depend on luck to fall into your hands. You have to take action to form your own future.
All job seekers that send in their resumes before March 2013 stand a chance to win a Proton car, with RM100 shopping vouchers being given away every day from now till the end of the contest period!
If you won this car, many payment responsibilities will be off your back! All you have to do is send in your resume for a chance 😉
