Where to Find Happiness

By David.



What I miss the most about not working full time are the late nights and the late mornings. In my uni days I'd wake up at twelve in the afternoon and realise that I'd missed a lesson or so, and that'd be okay.

In my days of waking up early to work and going home late because of work, I frequently fear two things:


1. Getting fired

2. Being poor when I'm old


Work creates an addiction in us. And that addiction is money. When I was a student I had no money. I had freedom and time, but freedom and time were no good because there was no money. Now I no longer have freedom and I have little time. But I have money. Every payday I'd receive a few thousand dollars in my bank account and I'd be happy. Then I'd spend it all the next day, so afterwards I'd be unhappy. That unhappiness would then continue on every day for the rest of the month until the next payday.

I wonder what I'd do if I was given a million dollars right now. I know what I'd do. Id swear for a while and then I'd spend it. I'd buy a big house. I'd buy things for my family. I'd give a bunch of it to charity. I'd travel all over. I'd be happy and drunk most of the time.

And then the money would run out. And then I'd start complaining about life. And then I'd start complaining about work. And then I'd have to sell my big house because I can't afford to maintain it. And that I'd try and make it all back through gambling and e-mail marketing schemes.

I've been reading a bit about rich people. People who become rich and retire young. They become bored of the freedom and decide to start working again, even if they don't have to. We see the rich and we ask, "Why? Why do they get it so easy?" They don't. They work their asses off. No matter how many times we complain about work, it seems as though we can't live without it. We were trained to work. We were educated to work. We live in a world where although money can't necessarily guarantee us happiness, it can certainly make it easier to achieve it. And that can only be achieved by working, and working, and working...


Anyway, this is my wish list for the week:



1. Time. I want time to continue learning a language.

2. Time. I want time to brush up my Photoshop skills.

3. Time. I want more time to work on my novels.

4. Time. I want more time to sleep.

5. Time. I want a month to deplete my internal brainwashing and watch DVDs and go out and do nothing productive and inspire nothing productive.

6. To stop grinding my teeth in my sleep.

7. A private jet and a license to fly that private jet.

8. Free schooling everywhere.

9. A two storey house next to Times Square.

10. For payday to come early.

...........

And now a word from the bros:

We're building an awesome video game app, so we need cash bad! Please help this nutso project of ours come to life by making a small PayPal donation. With your donation, you'll be able to help us hire developers and put a bright new game into phones and tablets worldwide.

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My new Architect career path

by Alvin

The 2nd major thing:

I've decided to go back to study again... On my last year of high school, I was at a crossroads on which career path I wanted to take, get lost in, and throw breadcrumbs on to find my way home.

I was originally set on taking up architecture, because I enjoyed Graphics and my Dad was versed in it (one of his many building design talents); it seemed like a very likely and enjoyable few years of tertiary education. But one day, my art teacher surprisingly presented me with an option in class, "Have you thought about doing a Bachelor in Animation?" (I paraphrase).

Of course, the little kid in me jumped at the notion. It had never entered my mind, and I had never thought a course like that existed. But sure enough, right then and there she presented me with a booklet about the course, and I made my decision without any research; c'mon, I was only 16.

TIME SKIP

Now, after some unfortunate luck with job hunting last year. I made the choice to enrol myself in a Diploma of Building Design at Tafe, having lightly discussed it and been encouraged by my friends.

The best decision ever; I love it! Drawing and designing is in my blood, and I've found the course to be 2 parts enough creativity & artistic freedoms, with adequate amounts of practical learning & theory. So I'm never bored or seemingly way out in left field to what I'm accustomed to and gifted in.

To date, I've finished a semester of work already. Examples of which (below) I'm most proud of: elevations of a holiday cabin I designed, ace'ing my Small Residential Design & Presentation units.

I call it La Vista, as its main design element was to take advantage of the sloping, park view at the site. As well as incorporate the Mexican heritage and adopted culture of the couple the cabin was designed for.

...........

And now a word from the bros:

We're building an awesome video game app, so we need cash bad! Please help this nutso project of ours come to life by making a small PayPal donation. With your donation, you'll be able to help us hire developers and put a bright new game into phones and tablets worldwide.

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Comes the Knight

by Alvin

It's cool, we didn't drop off the face of the globe; never to grace the internets again. A lot of things have happened since Bobis and I's last post(s), and our current fate in the wheel of time has forced us to adopt very, very irregular moments to "present" The Night Time Brothers.

Don't worry we haven't broken up, we are still very much in love and happily married (hoo hah hah!)

I'm not sure if we introduced a project of ours that's currently in "will it be taken up/will we still pursue it" limbo. But one of us will give an update on how our graphic novel pitch is shaping up.

There's not a lot of feedback so far, and we haven't touched it in a long while (only during our guest lecturing gigs about graphic novels, do we get the chance to see our "baby"), but it's worth mentioning how we as creative minds; eager to kick ass all up in your face yo! have progressed.

Though I must say, since wrapping up that proposal. I've had a sudden direction to swap roles and attempt something not in my "type-cast", and that has gone hand in hand with the events that have whirlwind'ed from then till now.

~

2 major things:

1. one i'll discuss now
2. the other i'll leave for next, bat time.

Around August sometime, I decided to do a Bobis and try my "novelist" hat rather than my illustrative hat. It's like the various Mario caps, but instead of wings or tannuki ears, it's made out of paper and sucks at keeping you dry.

So for the last 11 months, I've been writing my very first novel. Now I'm no literary genius, but I'd like to think my writing ability is just as good as my drawing ability, and to my golden shade of "animal blood" diet eyes: so far so good, and I love it!

There's just something therapeutic about writing that has made me love the art form, even if it's fiction. I've found it's allowed me to be creative and at the same time: stress less about coming up with something competent, that drawing, design or the graphic arts never provided.

I'm not saying, I'm abandoning drawing and that it sucks; no, no way! It's hard to explain, but writing has been more versatile and easier on my imagination and hands.

I've planned for 20 chapters + a prologue and epilogue, and so far I've started my 20th chapter with only the epilogue left to accomplish after that. Then finally; after a very quick and dedicated run, my story will be complete!

I won't leak out too much in the blurb, but I'm writing a young adult love story per se that is also part vigilante, crime noir, set in the context of an upper class Filipino society in Australia - titled: Comes the Knight

Think Batman crossed with Gossip Girl (that's a very poor and maybe inaccurate comparison, but that's what I've been telling people - so I'm running with it)

The story is set to be a definite series of books, & is told between two young adult characters: "Mel" - the son of a respected Filipino family - who charges himself with bringing his older brother's killer to justice after returning from a 2 year hiatus overseas. Whilst in the midst, reigniting an old relationship with "Ella" - a girl he's been in love with for years, and one of the reasons why he left...

... and that's it, hehe. A terrible blurb I know, but I don't like unveiling too much + for some reason, I've been having a hard time trying to come up with a good enough synopsis of my novel. Which sometimes worries me, as I've heard if you can't write a reasonable "gist" of a story - then you have no idea what your actual story is... maybe I'm an exception?

So far; through the downright luck, and the help of a classmate. I've found a potential publisher in Ouroburos Books, the editor/owner of which: likes my manuscript and is willing to help me out with it - an incentive I've used to drive me to finish ASAP.

Fingers crossed, I'll keep you in the loop.

...........

And now a word from the bros:

We're building an awesome video game app, so we need cash bad! Please help this nutso project of ours come to life by making a small PayPal donation. With your donation, you'll be able to help us hire developers and put a bright new game into phones and tablets worldwide.

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