wow... it has been nearly 1.5 months since my last blog entry. despite the unstable economy and uncertain future ahead, there is plenty of work to be done. i've been occupied with back-to-back events, new projects, personal errands, and the list goes on...

i have been involved in quite a bit of new biz pitches and brainstorming sessions lately. and i feel i am running out of creative juice. being creative and coming up with big ideas for clients is my day-to-day job, which could pose challenges to some (e.g. accountants and ibankers, no offense). there is never a "best idea" because like the chinese saying goes, "the is always another higher mountain". we are not competing with other creative agencies to win a business, but rather, competing with time, time to come up with something to boost the "wow" factor when the client hears our idea.

if we had all the time in the world, we could use this time to look for ideas, get insights, be creative to come up with a kick-ass campaign. but we don't... so the only way to compete with time is to use it to read, to see, to converse, to listen, to experience, to come up with the big idea that is slightly better than the one prior. this is a really difficult task and often times, an around the clock commitment.

for a financial consultant, his or her job ends at 4:10pm when the stock market closes, but for creative consultants, it doesn't really end at all...

well it has only been 3 years but it feels more like 9. today is the last day of my third year at the company, so despite how tired and busy i am, i felt i needed to put in a blog entry on this very special day.

lets do the top 10 again. so here are the top 10 learnings during my 3 years at the company:

1) enjoy the advantage of being a part of the digital influence team as you can always get away for using twitter, msn and facebook at work.

2) be a trend setter, not a follower. my hotel slippers has become the talk of town and many ex-colleagues still remember this fashion statement years after they've departed.

3) leave on time if you've done all your work. it just means that you are more efficient than the person sitting next to you.

4) don't feel guilty to close the elevator door on someone if you are in a rush. they will learn to walk faster next time.

5) you can often forget people's name working in a big company. the easiest way to recall their name is to tell them that you've lost their mobile number and then ask them to spell out their name again.

6) there is such thing as a stupid question, so think before you ask.

7) talk less, do more. its the only way you'll be able to get off work at a decent time and enjoy what's left of your social life.

8) when you ask for a favour, be prepared to return it.

9) there are tonnes of pencils lying around the office but not one pencil sharpener.

10) when you know there is going to be a fire drill, take the elevator to the lobby 10 minutes before the alarm goes off or hide in one of the washroom stalls to catch up on facebook on your mobile phone.

to commemorate my 3 years, i accidentally bought myself a seiko watch for quite a deal. 3 years and all i could afford is a seiko... this makes tony leung look good.

i'm sure this painting is no stranger to many, but for those that are unfamiliar (like myself), do spend some time and see if you can point out all the famous personalities.

created by swiss automaker, rinspeed, the ‘iChange’ is a concept that basically replaces the dashboard and key vehicle controls with the iPhone.

with the iphone, the driver can transform at the push of a button, from a single-seater sports car to a vehicle that accommodates three people. the extra seats are contained under rear end of the teardrop-shaped panel which pops up, creating more room. other features of the car include lightweight (only 2324 lbs), an electric motor, solar panels powering the cooling system, a smart fuel consumption and battery system, etc.

in my humble opinion, iPhone will not be around forever and it will eventually be replaced by a smaller, sleeker, smarter phone. by the time the car goes into production, apple will probably come up with another kick-ass product to replace the iPhone. and what if the iPhone breaks down, does that mean the car won't start or function properly? hm... doesn't seem too practical to base the concept around a phone.

maybe it's immature to criticize, so let's revisit this after the geneva motor show.