back to school

green and lemon

The idea that, come Monday, for the next 14 months or so I would be a student again is a strange one for a self-professed workaholic. The reality has not quite sunken in yet. And in a way, I am still trying to digest and understand the lessons from my past 2 years at work.

But as a precursor of this study break from work, J and I had a near-perfect day this Friday (I was on leave on what was officially my last day at work) of meetings together.

First up, we trudged up Mount Sophia to meet a group of interior designers, architects and design researchers who had recently come together to form a company held together by their Christian faith. J and I walked away from their office excited about the spatial possibility of illustration and graphic art. More than that, I was just happy to get to know design folk who can be so grounded in their ideals and trying to live out their faith in their work. We walked down the hill to have lunch with tym and daydream about having a studio of our own.

good/weather (好/天)
photos by J

The rest of the afternoon was spent browsing through Casual Poet's stock of indie Chinese pop, magazines, notebooks and other little knick knacks. All that time we were there In that little 2nd-storey Chinatown shop, there were only 2 other people who walked in. Otherwise, it was an air-conditioned oasis, more Taipei than Singapore. We settled for iced tea and our sketchbooks in their cafe, not once tempted to disturb the quiet with chatter.

casual/poet (隨/詩)

The only thing keeping it from being a perfect day was the occasional intrusion of thoughts about the work emails I would need to clear in the week ahead in-between attending the orientation programme for my study programme. But for a start, it is perfect enough.

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