OFFICE SHENANIGANS #2 - THE ONE WITH THE DECISION BOARD

The irony of no photography in an office that does plenty of it.

It has been months since we got the invitation to Hong Kong to catch one of my favourite Hong Kong movie series of all time – Love Off The Cuff. I can't say enough how excited I was when #girlboss told me about the invitation sitting there in our mailbox.

I started thinking about red carpets, meeting Shawn for the 1st time, getting to see other Hong Kong movie stars and of course the flashes of all the famous Hong Kong paparazzi. Sadly, life doesn't always happen the way we imagine it to be. It was just a media event where I think all I saw were people from the media. I would assume they are all either influencers or journalists.

I used to be a big fan of Hong Kong pop culture. From the evergreen Four Heavenly Kings, the legendary rock band Beyond, Sam Hui, and all the various TV dramas and movies. It's sad how the industry has changed and it's all K-culture these days. Meh.

Anyway, something caught my eye during the show and it's none other than the decision board that Shawn and Miriam had at home which came in handy whenever they have any argument.

So I told #girlboss,

"I think we need to have this in the office."

GB, "Huh? Are you planning to have a lot of fights in the office?"

Me, "Oh no lah. It's for your indecisiveness about what to eat for lunch."

So we came back from the trip, life went on and I clearly forgotten about this until the wife was asking me to buy some stuff for her on my favourite website – Taobao.

So I tried my luck and OOOOOOHH!!! This product is real!!

We've since vowed to follow this board strictly in the office. No such things as 2 out of 3 or 1 more chance.

Some of the decisions include,

"Are we going to eat the Milk Magnum first?" 

"Shall we knock off at 9pm today?" (I know, workaholic and also bad peak hour traffic.) 

"Should we attend tomorrow's event?" 

"Should we give this client a discount?" (Nah, this did not happen. I swear.) 

"Should we use UberEATS to get lunch today?"

"Should we order bubble tea for tea break?" 

"Is Flora Isabelle fat?" 

LOL. Not too tough to guess who asked which questions I guess.

So much of using the board to help us make better decisions and increase productivity.

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Tips For A Smooth Plane Ride

Plane rides come in two possible experience; a good one, and a very crappy one. I’m sure you guys have had that experience when you stepped off the plane and prayed you won’t have to get in one again. Bad back, sleepless ride, bad service, and others in the long list of bad experiences you can think of is DEFINITELY not the type of ride you or me would want to hop on. So, before you start packing up and going off to fly with MAS or other airlines you can think to head for the Southeast Asia region, you gotta prep yourself in order to ensure your plane ride is one smooth and fun ride. Lucky for you, Traveloka has awesome MAS online booking with in depth details regarding its features, PLUS, if you are lucky enough, you can enjoy cool MAS online promotion too. Let’s get to it, shall we?

Tickets, man, Tickets!

Man, do not, I repeat, do not leave your house without your flight tickets. The worst thing that could ever happen to anyone who is about to go on a plane trip in another two hours is leaving their flight ticket at home. It is like a sledgehammer to the guts. So, before you step through the threshold, be sure to check your tickets and passports plus visa and all are there. To make life better for you, you could prepare a small bag that keeps all important travel documents you need. Double check everything is the key and the start for a smooth ride.

Sleep is the Key to Happiness

The long-haul plane ride will tear you apart without a nice sleep. Hence, it is best to have a perfect sleeping kit that you can bring in and utilise during night time. Sleeping kits can be obtained either at the airport in the gift shops or you can bring your very own. You might need specific things that could help you sleep better especially under the circumstances you are in at that moment. Plane seats might not be as comfy as your own bed, but at least, when you reach your destination, you won’t be in too much of a crappy mood from a lousy sleep.

Keep Everything Small and Light

Your hand luggage might be causing you a pain in your trip if you don’t keep in check. When I said in check, I meant in terms of weight and size. You don’t want to expect to bring a hand luggage in a size of an elephant, right? There are certain airlines that put what you carry on board under a microscope, so, you have to be careful with what you carry and what you bring. Plus, it will also give you some space as well, as it won’t take up much of the space you need or bother other people as well. We don’t want an in-flight rumble because of freakishly huge carry-on luggage, right? Wink wink.

Dude, Where’s My Bag?

Losing your bags at the airport or during flight is a disaster. It totally destroys your travelling mood and pretty much your entire sanity. It is the utmost importance to keep your bag as much visible as you can - make it stand out as it won’t get confused with other bags and easy for you to spot when you are loading and unloading your bags. Tags on your bags will help too but usually, the only tags allowed is the current flight you are taking, so, you can tie up some other thing to differentiate your luggage from others.

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Office Shenanigans #1 - The one with the fridge

UberEATS is currently my bestie.

Setting up a new company is never easy. I mean besides money management, clients hunting, and logistics, we had such a hard time getting our office space settled. It's almost like buying a new house but much worse. You have to make sure the venue is convenient for everyone in the team, safe for the ladies to work late, big enough for everyone, and also making sure we don't blow our budget. You know, overhead costs and it's not exactly like we are Google or Facebook. As much as we wanted a really cool space, we have to watch our cash flow. (And also ensure the building has clean toilets because you have some crazy woman in your team. -.- )

Long story short, we been through quite a bit of highs and lows before getting this space. The agony, the disappointment, the long wait to a point of no return, and a missing property agent midway. LOL. For a few days we thought he got kidnapped and killed since there was no reply from him. Can't stand people with no accountability! But thankfully, he managed to solve the problem in the end.

The journey ain't exactly the smoothest which makes settling down so sweet now. I finally managed to move all our props and equipment from my house which finally frees up a lot of space! And also having my own office space means another place to hide all my toys from the wife. (Hope she is not reading this. LOL)

Not like our office vicinity lacks good food but I'm back in my try-to-get-healthy phase in my life where I'm trying to eat clean(er). So getting salads from UberEATS is so much easier! Being in the heart from Singapore, we have so much food choices!

To put the cherry on top – WE'VE GOT A NEW FRIDGE! (fine it's not big deal but you know, celebrating every small win.)



You know what this means right? BEER IN THE OFFICE!! WOOHOO!!

The first thing into the fridge ain't beer but it's probably better. (Still can't decide if I'm trapped on an island alone, should I pick beer or ice-cream) MAGNUM ICE CREAM! Not the ones we are getting now (ice-cream on sticks) but this time round it actually came in a tub! It's pretty damn cool and tasty!





It comes in 3 different flavours! One of the biggest reason why people I like magnum is the good mix between the ice cream and chocolate. Magnum obviously didn't forget that. They actually coated the whole cup with chocolate! All you have to do is press to crack the chocolate coating and every mouth will be filled with both chocolate and ice cream! Genius right?!



And given the work we do, I'm very happy we have enough space for now to fit in everyone and also a space for me to shoot things without having to rent studio spaces like we used to. Shutter Bug anytime!

 

And now you know my secret. My favourite "wooden plank" ain't really that much of a wood. LOL. 

So expect more office shenanigans (and unglam pictures of @Floraisabelle) happening in the office! I promise I will update here more often but if all else fail, Instagram Stories!

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Woah, we're halfway there!!

More than half a year since my visit to LA!

It has been a while since I actually sat down in front of my computer and blog about myself, like just quick updates. I know that sounds truly narcissistic but hey, that's what a blog used to about right? Me writing about myself and telling you what I ate yesterday.





Anyway, much has happened in my life in the last 6 months and I shall give you guys a quick update.

1. Welcome back to Agency Lyfe 

My partner, #GirlBoss and I at Taipei


Things are soaring thanks to kind clients. Flying becomes part of the job. #blessed #basicbitchhashtag


And shooting food for clients has become daily life.

For those of you who follow me on Instagram or Facebook would have seen my announcement that I'm back. Together with #girlboss aka @floraisbelle with a content creation/ social media agency started by us. Our website is still under development but we are quite blessed with opportunities already knocking on our door. Thanks for the love and keep 'em coming!


Best press release ever by Michael Jordan.

2. #Girlboss got bun 

This was taken before she got preggers, of course.


Pregnant but still got it.

Fine, this ain't exactly an update about myself but this is a big challenge for me. It means constant toilet breaks for her during office hours, in between meetings, and even during events. I had such a hard time trying to cover up for her before she announced it to the world. On top of that, she's very a little paranoid about cleanliness of food, what's good for babies, etc etc and every meal was a challenge for me us. Time flies and her baby is already on the way! Congrats to #Girlboss!

Best thing about this partner is that we are both such workaholics. We are always talking about work and stuff. In fact she has promised that she won't be taking maternity leave. Such commitment but I hope I don't get into trouble with MOM or the LM. LOL.

3. Taipei-Bangkok-Hong Kong-Bangkok-Kuala Lumpur-Sarawak-Bangkok-Munich (soon) 

Despite breaking my ankle in December, I managed to start traveling again from February. It's fun no doubt but tiring at the same time. It's funny how I hated traveling so much growing up and it's now such a big part of my life thanks to work. My love for photography really makes traveling a lot more enjoyable! Truth is, I'm stilling missing New York and Los Angeles. Hopefully we can plan another trip for this year end or latest early next year.

4. I finally got my sleeve tattoo

I got my New York skyline tattoo last year in New York itself and it's just not enough. I always wanted a sleeve and I finally got it. I'm one step closer to looking like Beckham and Justin Bieber, no? Considering that the tattoo I got was from the same studio as Justin Bieber - we are practically twins now right? (And yes, he is coming to Singapore! BABY BABY BABY OH~~) And now the 2nd question is should I get the other arm done up as well? Should I? Should I?

5. I launched my own book

Not exactly a book per se but a comic book. Thanks to my partner-in-crime Dan, I'm now a published author who has his name on Amazon and all around the world! If you haven't gotten a copy, do check out any major bookstore in Singapore. If you can't find one it means that the bookstore ain't major enough lah!

It has been a crazy first half of the year and I hope the year just gets better! Hope it has been a good year for you so far as well! See you in December! I don't mean it like you come back here only in December. You must come back and read more often. I'm saying it like I will doing another review at the end of the year! HAHA.

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Accessorising Basic Outfits with SmartBuyGlasses

Dressing up is really a pain for some people especially when you get frequent invites to events. #GirlBoss once told me that an outfit can only appear twice max on Instagram. If it appears more than once, it means that it has been worn too often. Of course, that was before she got pregnant and ran out of outfit ideas LOL.

If you are a reader who follows my IG religiously looking at all my photos with that same face and poses, you will notice that my outfits are almost the same but not exactly the same either. (Like what my Thai business partners say – same same but different.)

My fashion mantra? Mix and match. As a man, we do not have much options when it comes to handbags, heels, 10,000  types of hair accessories or rings and necklaces but that doesn't mean that we have to look boring.

My go-to outfit staples are my Uniqlo $7.90 t-shirt (lol for real!) and jeans/pants from Uniqlo which is usually pretty affordable as well.

Let Mr. Smith teach you how to accessorise your basic tees and still stand out in the crowd.

Shoes

Clarks

We should not judge a book by its cover but I do judge people by their footwear. I always believe that there should be a pair of shoes for every occasions. One should not just have a pair of running shoes and wear it with everything. I once actually stopped my campmate from going out with us cause he insisted on wearing his army-issued running shoes. LOL. Also, I'm a US size 13 and if I can get shoes you guys can too.

Watch



I'm not a big spender when it comes to timepieces. I think it is okay if it's a few hundred dollars - a thousand maybe but spending five digits on a watch is a no no for me. A good timepiece is pretty much an accessory to me and I'm not exactly the most careful person when it comes to taking care of my belongings, so I don't think I'm going to get a really expensive watch any time soon. I actually got this from the in-flight shopping catalogue on one of the trips I took recently.

Jacket



I know Singapore is mad hot but I actually have a lot of jackets. From hoodies to leather jackets, you name it and I pretty much have it. It's almost like the soul of my outfit most of the days if I'm heading to events or meetings. You can either hold it on your hand as an accessory, put it on to look smart or even offer it to any lady if she's feeling cold. See, 1 stone, 3 birds. Very very high returns.

Sunglasses 



No one should ever step out of the house without a pair of sunglasses when you are living in sunny  Singapore. Besides the obvious reason that you need to protect your eyes, a good pair of sunglasses works very well as an accessory too!

If you have yet to get a pair of trendy sunglasses, here's a good deal for you. Check out https://www.smartbuyglasses.com.sg/ They have one of the greatest range of products at very low prices. Basically a one-stop shop online when you are looking for eyewear with leading brands such as Ray-Ban, Tom Ford, Miu Miu, Fendi, Versace, Chloe and many more.

Now that I've shared with you my secret gentlemen, it's your turn to go out there and look like Smith.

Be like Smith.

LOL.

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AirAsia invites you to Thailand – Land of Shop and Dine!

Nope, I didn't get my facts wrong. While I know that Thailand is better known as the Land of Smiles but with the way things are happening in the country now, I think Land of Shop and Dine is pretty apt too!

I will usually hit Bangkok every 1 - 2 months not just because of my business there but also because my love for this place. THE FOOD! And I don't just mean Thai food but the wide choice of international cuisine as well.

Besides the food, there's the shopping too!  I always visit Bangkok with a huge (empty) luggage even if it's just for a 3D2N trip I will load it up with my shopping - clothes, snacks, toiletries and even props for my photography and videography projects. They have way more options at wayyy better prices.



The most recent trip was however a little different. I was there with AirAsia and the Tourism Authority of Thailand to attend the launch of Thailand Shopping and Dining Paradise 2017. Besides myself, I was accompanied by a team of beautiful ladies from Singapore with 4 of them – Roz, Rebecca, Cinddie, and Jill - representing Singapore to face off Hong Kong and Vietnam to win the title of AirAsia Top Shopper! The winners will eventually walk away with 1 year of unlimited flights with AirAsia! Tbh, I even considered drugging Jill's food so I can be the one participating. LOL. Sorry Jill if you are reading this.


To be honest though, I don't think I can do it half as well as any of them. Look at their energy!

The contestants were tasked to shop around Bangkok for delicious local food, local fashion, and local everything else. The team that comes in the fastest and completing all the challenges with the least amount of money will raise above the rest as the Top Shopper!



Singaporeans might be known for our fast walking speed, ability to shop whole day, as well as how kiasu we are but unfortunately we did not win the game. But take a look at these images below and you will feel like they are already winners just being part of it.


Shopping, eating, traveling, and basically having fun!

The challenges were really no simple tasks. We were trying our best to catch up with them to take photos and we had such a hard time because they were so fast!

Tuning in to their Instagram Live broadcast got me all tickled. They were perpetually in a frenzy mode all the time trying to get all their shopping done. There was a challenge where they were tasked to do some grocery shopping and they went all over the place shouting "BENTO BENTO BENTO!" LOL



They were really committed to winning the game I'm sure. Rebecca did everything she could to get a discount! LOL.

And we could tell they really tried their best. Not just to win but also to entertain everyone!



So I was saying how hard it was to catch up with the ladies during the challenges right? So what were we doing since we lost them? *Cough* Well, no one can say no to the magic of Thailand's shopping and dining scene, right?



That's not all. After the challenges in the day, the ladies were also asked to put up a fashion show in the evening with some of the things they bought at Asiatique. The ladies sure went above and beyond. Instead of just a fashion show, they gave what the judges called a variety show. The girls were singing and dancing and got everyone's night filled with laughter and joy. See, who says Singaporeans only know how to follow rules?



After all the challenges, Team Hong Kong emerged as the overall winner!



Actually, I did so much shopping, dining, and partying, it felt like I was the real winner too!


We really did quite a bit despite it being a short trip. Can't wait to be back in Bangkok soon!

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