2024.
“I haveth a query.”
-WednesdayAddams
Lacking the sentimental heft of celebrating - or the plausible breadth of over-romatnicising the last and final article of something I “did for fun” in 2014, (as any expat-wife, turned expat-journalist probably would) i would now probably resort to writing two, what happens to a long-drawn thought broken into two, or three parts. Maybe, a video even.
First, Jargon. (Since we are all writers here on this new platform, 20 years into the new Millenium). Navigating jargon, is all about navigating change, and if we had a map for every new and uncharted, we would be scot-free into…. hmmm, what is it that we Actually Do? (That was the work, people.)
And secondly - and more technically, i was paid as a writer since the 90s — in my post-Bachelor of Economics years (as well as a middle school tutor actually, now that i remember it) - which meant, blogging-as-a-service may actually be a very viable income to all ye um, “just bloggers in cafés” (we romantice that very American thing people do) - especially in the noughts. So, i am rostering a long, and daring-to-bare-quidproquo-sentimentality of looking back at the the pre-20s ‘10s (2014–2019 was brutally income-barren, but hugely attention-driven - and there are thanks to be paid to the reading public).
Eau de Written Word. (Le EdWW.)
Cream or Sugar?
Coffee. First of all, there is tea (on the elevensies or the desayuno, and then the coffee -taken with a more substantial meal, or after-effect of a wind down).
Snaps.
Not licorice snaps!
Platform
When we choose a software over another.
Mardi Gras
Tuesdays are for Fat people, like me. I would take a veritable, much appreciated croissant, along with my coffee - as i write.
WebWednesday
What we developed over the years- a constant, that we could rely on, as tiny as a get-together of expat-island round up of devoted crafts-people, from software mobile app head honchos, or the artisans of beer, we gather in a pub and celebrate the eternal summer (that wasn’t going to be forever, as reality sinks in of three economic downturns since), and midweek.
Beer - with Hackathons
There were, loads of hackathons.
Advertising Festivals
Spikes, and the Effie's, are correspondingly Creative and Effectivity awards -for Creative Advertising as well as Planning/ Strategy for Brand and Marketing. I was in full supply to attend those, and have got the gist of asian advertising scene from the patience to sit through the hour-and-a-half of uninterrupted speeches, and rosters of thanks to everyone in the room and advertisers and people i have never met in my life. (Thank you, Me.)
Quay-side
There were just the three-Clarke, Robertson, & Raffles- in my area, so these are significant in navigating the islandwide events, via The List (curated by K.M.L.) where you (as startup, having an event) could enlist it to a MasterList for everyone in the subscribing list. Brilliant, actually.
MobileMondays
Usually done in the Google or BarCamp areas, a gathering of mobile tech devs, or just casually in it for the cheese - usually on Mondays.
Startup(Clubs)
We have a lot of data on those. If you are in the scene, immerse, enjoy and then move along. Is mostly like a giant science international Lab of “the best general sense of a startup-to-corporate ecosystem” and its creative (launch) or features-updating (post-tranch) health.
—(and a lot of other superboringstuff)…
VC-Lairs
WorkingSpaces.
Co-WorkingSpaces
CopyEditors, vs. Editors.
Energy Hackathons.
Blockchains, & ApplyngFormatsAcrossHardware.
YouTube, and Google.
WomenStartupClubs.
WomenAdvocacy
UNWomen
Girls-areWomen too.
GirlsinTech.
Gaming in Tech.
Baristas or Mixologists.
2020.
MovieMaking.
Travel Apps. & Content Managers making them.
Travel Blogs, & Content Managers making them.
mr&mrssmith — the gold card.
Apple
Club21. & the giant ex-Nokia-wives’ Como Yoga.
Content.
Context.
Publications, and Editors.
Advertising Applications.
—
Cowabunga.
Or like, Eureka, an expression originally by the Ninja Turtles when they are about to do something daring and would be equivalent to Bart Simpson’s “Ay, Caramba” more - but currently loosely applied to a sieve of “medium to large” files of childhood exasperation, where things that usually don’t go wrong, go terribly awry.
FinTech.
Just attended two hackathons, both in the Visa offices — one in the Microsoft one - but those weren’t about Fin, just Tech.
Bitcoin ATMs.
Those things were scattered in the island since 2014. Marvelled at them, and then i met the engineers behind them. That was a good year.
Pied â terre.
Finding myself on the hunt (again) for a 2–3 year contract for le apartmente, which has a very good area for dozing, as well as staying active. I would like to express a kind gratitude to places i have been accomodated in: alexandria (1990), don antonio (1996), bukit timah (2001), fairfax (2002), malate (2004), bukit batok (2005), thomson rd (2006), nuovo ang mo kio (2008), holland rd (2009), yishun (2012), hillview (2018–2023).
2024.
Now, for a more fun Year of the Dragon, adventures are planned in my newly acquired diary for 2024.
And as Ewan McGregor had surmised in his movie, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen: “Thanks for all the Fish.”
