" The brain is a squishy thing, hence its perspectives are not set in stone " - David Alan Bates

The Story:

I was reading a friend's blog and I realised how his perspectives of life has changed so much over the course of a year or two. He plans to save up for marriage, buy a house, have children... Amazing. Who would have thought?

What is also amazing is how my priorities has changed over the course of these two years. The things I want and the things I dream about are so very much changed as well. On the surface level people would say, "wow he sure has achieved something." On the deeper level, I am not so sure if I have become somone who "isn't me". Just like how people who have known the friend I have mentioned for years who stare and wonder, "is that really Julian?"

Anyway, I guess wants, needs and desires are always in motion and in the end it brings to some people peace and contentment and to some others; eternal damnation.

" If pens were mightier than swords, it would be the scribe who is exalted and not the warrior. " - David Alan Bates

" Goldfish, unlike dogs are most pitiful creatures; they cannot walk out on you just because they dislike their bowl. " - David Alan Bates

" I cannot emote "

I was reading some online comics and I came across a wonderful quote which I thought I'd share.

by www.jeffandceleste.blogspot.com

" The truth is as subjective as the rain is wet. " - David Alan Bates

" Feelings are like poetry, they can be interpreted any which way. " - David Alan Bates

" Breaking Up is like Breaking In, there is a lot of damage and you take what you can. " - David Alan Bates

" If water is described as an organisation, then the boss is surely the bottle, for the water has little choice but to follow the shape of the bottle it's in. " - David Alan Bates

The Story

For almost a year and a half now I have been my own boss, and while I still have my own business on the side, I am now also working full time for one of my previous clients. Being hired back into the workforce after having enjoyed so much freedom is no easy thing but what I find most intriguing is the different leadership styles of my employer and myself.

And I say leadership is because I am not the right hand man, the handful of staff that we have are mine to direct if I so wish, but then that's not what I do. I find myself to have always been a rather liberal boss. Why push the staff to annoyance? Yes we want productivity but I find that friendship also cultivates loyatly and loyalty does translate into productivity. I want my staff to do things for me because they feel that they want to, not because they HAVE TO.

This is how my boss and I operate very differently.

I like to ask opinions, get feedback and also ask my staff's feelings towards certain things. If they don't think its something that they would enjoy doing... why make them do it if there is another choice. If there isn't another choice, I want my staff to do the work because they feel that I 'asked' them to and not because I 'commanded' them to.

Currently the organisation is rather constrained and overly shaped by its boss and owner. His bottle, shall we say is a shape that no user would really appreciate. There is little I can do about that at the moment, but as his right hand man and as a person who can make decisions to some degree, I think I should not be a bottle, but be a handle to his bottle.

With a good handle, whatever awkward shape the bottle may be becomes just so much more easier to hold.

" Illustrator 10 is the cannot pakai... " - Confucious

The Story
WTF is wrong with my Illustrator? Outline also look like shit, don't outline also look like shit. Where did my CS3 go?!?!?!

David: Thanks Confu for your most wise wisdom thing.

" Clothes may make the man, but it's men who make the clothes. " - David Alan Bates