On 29 May, yes more then a week ago was 1 of the most efficient day I ever had for many many months & the best so far for creating new features with no reference! I was on a retreat, to a chalet. My colleagues went for a meeting while I was left alone to tend to the empty chalet while waiting for the BBQ food to be delivered. I bought some warm bread, make myself a good cup of hot coffee, blast the air-con and with my note book and a pen, I started thinking & planning my arts carnival. Wow, trust me, I was freezing cold (I blasted the air-con, we can’t have such cold weather in Singapore, super warm!) and had such a good time enjoying hot coffee and warm bread, I was able to concentrate and focus and not only did I complete some basic cost, I was able to come up with 2 new features! Well, not totally completed but at least a seed for my co-founder & myself to brainstorm together. But soon, I was too cold and dry up, so I decide to move outdoor. What a right decision, but wait!

I was still dry with no inspiration. Then I ask myself, why can’t I get some inspiration from things around me. One should appreciate simple and common elements / things that are easily available, not neglecting their present and taking them for granted (which most people do, taking people and things around for granted, expecting them to be there for them forever). I started searching on the ground, I saw some pebbles and wow lah, an inspiration hits! I was so please with myself, pebbles, easily found around and yet so many ignore their presents and their quality. I name the new feature – Ouch! Ouch! Ha..ha… why that name? It was name by my nephew many years ago when he was just a few years old, he walk on some pebbles (suppose to be some foot reflexology) and started groaning ‘ouch! ouch!’, from then on, he called it ‘Ouch! Ouch!’. Thank you, Kevan J

Then I started looking around the bushes, and wow lah, another inspiration hits (not so interesting compare to Ouch! Ouch! but better then none !) After coming up with 4 ideas, I wasn’t sure if more would come up as the maximum I had so far was only 2 in a day. Feeling a little hopeless, I was hoping to see something nice to brighten myself, the rain had just stop and I was hoping to see rainbow, which I didn’t but I suddenly had an idea, but not sure how to make it work well and interesting but like what I say, I just need a seed not necessarily a complete idea.  Feeling so please with myself, I started staring at my hands & legs, ha..ha… guess what? An idea hits! My sixth idea for the day!! A total of 6 seeds!

All good things come to an end, I need to stop as I had to prepare for the BBQ. But the result for the day was something I had never expected. A really efficient day and a lesson learnt - never look down on the power of simple things around you!

Juan 

7 June 2009