0029 - Edgar

Interviewer's Note: I personally got to know Edgar last year when we met up for a chat in his music + design cafe, CrazyWorld Cafe. Honestly I feel that it takes quite a lot of balls, passion and perseverance to do what he and his wife, Florence, are doing - to promote local talents and appreciation of their works through their cafe. If you haven't visited their cafe before, I urge you to go there as soon as you can.. to bask yourself in the delightful breeze of indie music, and to sit down and enjoy their satisfying selection of food, drinks & desserts.

Edgar Lim / Singapore / Cafe & Live House Co-owner, Graphic Designer, "Sai-kang" Warrior (I do everything) / crazyworldcafe.com

What do you live for?

For now it's family, friends, and a dream.

Why?

To have no regrets. I do not want to picture myself, old and frail, regretting and sighing. So when I have the chance to do what I can, I will go do it.

What is some of the best advice that you have been given/want to give our readers?

I feel I'm nowhere great to give any advice, but shall do it anyway. 

Everyone has an expiry date. No matter how pretty/ugly, rich/poor, smart/dull, we will all expire someday. 

So instead of living other people's expectations of you, please go find yourself and discover what it is that you wanna do in life. 

No one is right, and no one is wrong either. But it is you who can decide on what do you want to do in your life. 

This is of course if you are lucky enough to have all the necessary basics covered. 

What I mean is, say if you wanna have a business, you need to somehow get the capital to do it. 

Or travel the world, first you need the physical and mental audacity to do it too.

Complete this sentence. Life is too short to...
...go though day by day without aim, wait for the weekend to come, dread mondays, and talk about dreams & end up not doing anything.

Something random you'd like to say?

I wish scientists in the future could invent a machine that will dramatically cut down our need for sleep. For example, go into the machine, plug it in, and switch it on. Tada!~, your 7,8 hours of sleep required by your body is all done. This would be wonderful. And perhaps very scary. Which means there will not be any excuses for not doing things! :P

0028 - Jenson

Interviewer's Note: Another friend that I got to know from National Service! With Jenson, I have the impression that we disagree on matters 95% of the time. But that's not the point. I think he is smart, well-read and interesting. I've always enjoyed having discussions with him and also learnt a lot from him! He has pissed me off a few times too, haha.

Jenson Chen / 23 / Pasir Ris, Singapore / English Major

What do you live for?

I live to piss off at least one person each day.

Why?

Well, to piss off someone is a way of making sure you count in someone's life. To make an impact, so to speak. And not just any kind of impact but something deep and meaningful, that changes something within them. The best kind of change being that which is uncomfortable because it propels you into deeper, unknown territory. Of course also because in pissing other people off, you sharpen your wit and rhetoric which makes you a better speaker, listener and asshole, which can come in handy from time to time.

What is some of the best advice that you have been given/want to give our readers?

I study words, I play with words, I work with words. Words surround and fill us, so why not study how people use them to what effect? My favourite activity is to try and describe things around me a practise I do whenever I am commuting. Have you ever tried describing another person's face? Try going beyond describing his hair and spectacles. What are the shape of his eyes? Are they droopy or bright and alert? Or his ears bent forward like a hawk, attenuated to their surroundings, or folded back like a beagle? It's to practise creating images, transferring ideas to other people using language, which I find sadly lacking in most people. It's like the other day, when I worked on a group project with Science and Engineering projects the other day and they honestly sounded like babies, babbling words in the hopes of getting the right idea when one would do. You know, Wittgenstein had this idea that that which cannot be spoken, must be passed over in silence, which really means that by knowing words, you know ideas and concepts you otherwise would not. Take zeitgeist, ennui or epiphany for example. Check out what they mean and discover how they encapsulate what you've always tried to say, in one word. So don't take words for granted.

Complete this sentence. Life is too short to...
...worry that life is too short.

Something random you'd like to say?

I don't consider myself Chinese. Only in South-east Asia, does the concept of race still exist. Elsewhere, even in China, people use "ethnic group" instead. It was used in colonial times to simply mark where one came from. Malays came from Malaya, Indians came from India and Chinese came from China. It was never meant to substitute your ethnic group/tribe, like the Javanese/Bugis tribes in Malaya,  Bengalis and Punjabi in India and etc... So I wish Singapore would move that way, away from race and towards ethnicity, allowing everyone to discover who they truly are, rather than creating enclaves like Chinatown/Kampong Glam and telling us that's our heritage is.

0027 - Clogtwo!

Interviewer's Note: An illustrator, a graffiti practitioner and a video designer. Today, we're not interviewing 3 persons of course. It's just one person. And he's Clogtwo. Who is he? This big time coffee addict's works merges from relative questions from social behaviour to the mysteries of our religion belief. As time goes by, many artists favour to question themselves if their styles are well defined or recognised? He thinks that there's no such definition for style, style is not made, it's yourself.

Clogtwo! / 26 / East Singapore / Visual Messenger / clogtwo.com / @clog_two

What do you live for?

I live for the reason of questioning. 

Why?

There's an infinite possibility of questions that needs no answer. This keeps me alive day after day.

What is some of the best advice that you have been given/want to give our readers?

I understudied Singapore's legendary Batik artist master, Mr Sarkasi Said. He once said, "In order to draw flowers of your choosing. First, you must sleep in the garden. Talk to the flowers. Then, you will understand". Your experience in life makes who you are, and subconsciously create your art pieces.

Complete this sentence. Life is too short to...
...wait. Get up, get going.

Something random you'd like to say?

The cosmic realm is out there waiting for us when the earth dies.

0026 - Edwin

Interviewer's Note: Imagine going through intense meditation and starvation everyday. Yup, that's the life of Edwin now, who is currently undergoing a vigorous forest monk training in Thailand. He'll be back in Singapore soon and I can't wait to have a good conversation with him.

Edwin Kee / 25 / Amongst White Clouds / Just Another Ill-Fitting Cog / facebook.com/edwinkeewx

What do you live for?

I used to live for 10-15 years into the future, with the notion that all the tools I sharpen now will be put to use; that I'll be able to cleave better, to screw well, to hit the nail right on the head.

Then I realised that I'm missing the big picture. Not having taken time to look at what I will be working on. A piece of meat? A bolt to be tightened? Or just simply people to nail.

Then came the flurry of wants and needs. I wanna be famous; I wanna be loved, envied, chased after; I want everything!

Today I'm floating. No, not aimlessly though. I'm floating towards a destination. A finishing line I know not of-yet; or might it be a starting point? Who knows? My mind doesn't and my heart won't say(or rather, jabber on too much). Suffice to know, I am living in the moment. Now. This second; and this one; and this one. I put trust in the culmination of my experiences to lead me in any direction. Forwards, backwards, sideways or even come to a standstill if that's what comes.

Don't get me wrong. I didn't say to follow your heart. The heart is a fickle bitch, she's gonna take you, suck you dry and stomp on your shrivelled carcass.

Let the world throw stuff at you. Get shit long enough and one day you might just get struck by gold.

Why?

My heart makes too much noise and shutting it up helps. It will learn to speak less and only when necessary.

What is some of the best advice that you have been given/want to give our readers?

No one should tell you want to do. Go wander aimlessly. Try dumpster diving. Rob a bank, shoot heroin into your eyeball. Or even attempt to climb the corporate ladder. Don't look back. Don't listen to me.

Complete this sentence. Life is too short to...
...hoard baggages. Just let it go.

Something random you'd like to say?

Maybe there is a reason.

0025 - Leo

Interviewer's Note: I've been following Leo's blog, Zen Habits, since 2007. I was hooked to it because this guy isn't just bullshitting about certain lifestyle and habits to improve one's life. He's actually leading by example and speaking from experience. Sure enough, he has his weaknesses sometimes (which he isn't afraid to admit). But all in all, his blog has constantly influenced me to live happily with less. If there can only be one blog for you to follow to improve your life, it's this. I'm absolutely thrilled to have him talk about what he thinks about life here today!

Leo Babauta / 39 / San Francisco, USA / Simplicity author and creator of Zen Habits / zenhabits.net / @zenhabits

What do you live for? And Why?

I live to appreciate life as a gift that has been given me. I honestly feel that every moment of life is an amazing blessing that should be savored and appreciated, and that we often take it all for granted. But it’s a miracle! If I’ve been given this gift, it would be wasteful for me not to live it to the fullest.

What is some of the best advice that you have been given/want to give our readers?

So many problems we have stem from thinking about the past and future rather than focusing on the present moment: stress, unhappiness, anger, emotional overeating, procrastination, dissatisfaction with our lives. When you learn to focus on the moment as it is occurring, you learn that you already have everything you need to be happy, and that this moment is miraculous. Good training for living this way is daily meditation for just 5 minutes a day -- simply sit and focus on your breathing, returning to the breath when your thoughts inevitably drift.

Something random you'd like to say?

I have several weaknesses: pizza, chocolate, and beautiful women. I don’t regret having them.

0024 - Zen

Interviewer's Note: My friendship with Zen was a rather unexpected one. We were initially introduced to each other by a common friend in 2006 and, during that period, I gotta admit, I didn't expect us to get closer as I thought we probably didn't have much in common. We only got to know each other much better from around 2010 onwards and have been meeting up for casual chats and sometimes deep conversations. Life is full of twists and surprises and I'm glad that it's been a pleasant journey for me so far. :)

Zen Soh / 25 / Singapore / Dreamer / vartyzen.multiply.com

What do you live for? 

Frankly speaking, when you first asked me this question, I didn't have a straight answer. "Oh no!" came into my mind next. I just had them all written down early this year in 2012! We need REMINDERS daily! Glad that you created this blog.  

I live for Happiness. Love. Genuine relationships. Money. 

Why?

• Happiness so I can transform any negativity (people & situation) around me to positive ones. 365 days we have to live, why not choose to live happy ones? It's simply learning to look at things from a different perspective and putting ourselves in other's shoes. I realize many complain and blame others too much and do nothing. 
• Loving those within my diameter and the less lovable ones (The intellectually disabled). I’m shocked to know that some siblings don’t talk to one another for years yet hang out merrily with their friends. Somewhere, something went wrong? Blood is thicker than water!  I started helping out as a volunteer every week in my church since 4 years ago. Initially, I was a little afraid not knowing what to expect. The moment I met them, their warmth and pureness overwhelmed me. The tight hugs, energetic high fives, widest smiles when they welcome me makes the society I live in seem a little cold. We need more 人情味。Though they may be intellectually disabled, I find that they are more abled than us in some ways. Perhaps, as technology advances, we forget the basics of 人与人之间的关系。 Let’s start by smiling more than frowning. Saying it’s all right than Tsk! 
• Money! It sure feels lousy when you know your labor volunteering brings that little impact to their lives. For instance, I have a student in his late 30s and his parents are frail, dad is his 80s and mum in her 70s. They need to count on little savings for their basic grocery needs, struggling with own health issues and still think about their son’s future when they passed on. They have been applying for a permanent placement in an institute for their son but to no avail. I called the institute why is it so. I told them the family condition. The counselor said there were many on the wait list too. Priority goes to those whose parents have passed on and have no siblings. My heart sank but I could understand little funding and attention is given in this area.  I want to build a school with trained specialists and all rounded facilities for the special ones. This made me realize that money is not everything but we can’t deny the fact that money gets things done.

What is some of the best advice that you have been given/want to give our readers?

"如果你怕苦就苦一辈子，不怕苦就苦半辈子。"

I’ve heard some putting “Life is tough, Life is tiring” on their lips. Then it’s going to be tough and tiring all the way. But if you are willing to take hardship and maximize them now, you will get to reap the fruits of your labor in the later part of your life. 

Come to think of it, what is hardship?

"生气是拿别人的过错来惩罚自己，原谅他人等于善待自己。"

Think back, why do you get angry most of the time? Because someone did something irritating that makes you irritated. So is it worth getting more wrinkles? 

I heard the two statements above from my mentor who is in his 50s and has always been a reminder when I feel that things are not going the way I wished and when I deal with people who are not so easy to deal with.

Complete this sentence. Life is too short to...
...sleep your life away. (There’s more than enough time to sleep in the grave. :))

Something random you'd like to say?
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Everything happens for a good reason.