I'm wearing peasant shoes that I had chanced upon at the weekend market. A middle-aged Chinese immigrant was selling them for a song (US$10 for 2 pairs). These are updated versions of the traditional cloth shoes worn by Chinese peasants. I think they go very well with the Gap black-tee and grey bubble skirt that I'm wearing today. I like weekend markets because you never know what you can find.
If the same pair of shoes were to land on the shelves of a big department stall, I would have to fork out 10x as much. The best thing is, these cloth shoes are 10x more comfortable that the designer shoes that I own.
These few days, my mind has been preoccupied with entreprising thoughts. I go through such phases all the time but I think I have lost some fire in my belly. Or maybe I've learned to be more practical now. I look at new ideas from many different angles and then toss them into the bin. I am no longer all excited or energised when I think of something new. I wonder if it is a good thing...
While strolling along Ann Siang Hill after dinner last Friday, we discovered many new interesting concept shops. It is fast becoming a hub for everything that is not characteristically mainstream, from books to furniture and toys.
The stores are so hip and highly conceptualised, they are such a joy to wander around in but how many of them actually make money, I wonder? One shop sells little simple toys that we played as kids, with a little cafe selling coffee and pastries at the side. Save for the owners, most of the shops were empty when we visited. These young owners must have sunk in their life savings to realise their dreams. With their high operating cost, I worry about how they can sustain their dreams.
We were once young and idealistic like that. We were a design firm afterall and were more concerned about building our image and portfolio than anything else. Even when things were shaky, we still refused to bite the bullet, hoping that our passion and energy could see us through. Ah, those were the days.
2 comments:
hey there my friend- how's things?
you wouldn't know it- but i do think of you often.
anyhow-- i like the shoes. and soulkid would absolutely die for em. they are sweet.
yeh. i do think you're just settling down. maybe becoming more practical or pragmatic as age comes your way. don't let it get ya down. it's Gods way of letting us know there are different ways to do things, and better ways to handle our money. maybe just a way to let 'us' know we may not have the energy we once did-- and to not get into something that could be too much to handle when we have families and other responsibilities -- other than only our career to focus on. ya know?
i'm sure YOU could handle anything that you wanted to at this point - and i know you still have that 'fire in your belly'. i also know that you have a son almost old enough to partner up with ya. so you could look at things from that angle -- perhaps. or maybe in a year or two.
it aint over til the fat lady sings -- and i don't think singapore has very many of those. do they? :))
just don't think too much -- it can get depressing. trust me.
hope you have a happy day
soul-
Hi Soul - You have given some really great insights. Yes, my kids are almost old enough to be my business partner! That's interesting.
Is your daughter's shoe size 7?
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