WHAT CAN FEEL BETTER THAN SPENDING MONEY?

It cannot be denied that shopping is sometimes therapeutic. It feels good to pamper yourself by buying something. Taken to shopaholic extremes, though, going out to the mall is extremely detrimental to your financial health.

One way I've found that really helps curb shopping impulses is to develop an interest or a range of interests that you're passionate about. it's so special to be able to CREATE, PRODUCE or GROW something with your own hands or your mind, rather than being passive consumers of what other people create. Try it, and you'll be surprised at how much pleasure it can give you, even if you're not that good at it.

I don't, for example, aspire to be a professional photographer. But I found that going out armed with my camera, keeping a look-out for interesting picture-taking opportunities helps me be more aware of the world and people around me. I noticed things about places, people, and the environment around me that I never saw before. And discovered that you don't need trips to far-off exotic places to find the unexpected, the different. And with digital cameras, you don't really need to spend a lot of money to keep up this hobby. Any photos that are simply awful? Simply delete them.

Don't let the desire to be 'perfect' stop you from enjoying what you yourself can create or produce. So what if your potatoes don't look as pretty as the ones you find from the store? It's the joy of the process of planting that matters. Same with writing or craftwork. They don't have to be professional or great. What's important is that you enjoy it.

Step 1: Write down your favourite activities. Also write down the items you love most in your room. What do you look forward to doing? What do you look forward to having?

Step 2: Think -- is there some element of any of those activities or items that you can make/create/grow/organise yourself? For example, I love beautiful images and photographs. That's why I decided to bring a camera along everywhere I go.

Step 3: Develop your interest step-by-step, at your own pace. What's important here is to make your interest your own personal haven, rather than approach it with a competitive attitude, or with the attitude that you have to be best. The key goal is to enjoy it.

Although making money should not be the goal, eventually you may even be able to make a small business out of your interest(s). Good at making greeting cards? Why not sell your unique creations? Or your woodworking skills have become rather good -- there are people out there who would appreciate custom handmade items.

If you have any hobbies or interests that you're passionate about, why not share with us on this blog? Tell us how it has helped to make your days more fulfilling.

Title: Dreams

I've been thinking recently about why we spend the time queueing up to buy the Toto lottery even though the chances of winning are so slim. I think it all goes back to the a very human thing -- we have dreams. And for the price of a dollar or two, we get to dream big dreams, well, at least, until the results come out.

This piece represents the fragility of those dreams.

I wanted to create a more layered look, so I took a used toto lottery ticket, pasted it on a scrap from a flyer (card stock). I then painted a base using mostly green (because the colour is associated with money) with a bit blue and purple for texture. I then added small-sized lettering which formed the next "layer". The last "layer" is made up of large lettering accented by painting glitter (old nail polish) onto it.

SHORT-TERM GOALS

This week, a young friend, Jesse, is getting to go see Clay Aiken in Spamalot, on Broadway.

She wanted to go see Spamalot, but her family thought she was just a bit too young to fully appreciate the musical. So she made a deal with them - she gets to go if she can raise the money for her ticket. Her aunt agreed, not imagining that she could get that much money. But she did it, by determinedly doing chores for friends and family.

Now, that's the power of having a goal.

There are two types of goals that we should plan for - short-term goals (like a computer) and long-term goals (like college).

Let's start with short-term goals for now:

1. Set your goal. Think about what you need or want in the near-term, for example, a mobile phone, a computer, or maybe that latest Paramore CD. Or set a goal to get something for someone else. For example, if you know that your brother would love to have an MP3 player for his birthday, why not make that your goal?

2. Figure out how much more you can save each week if you cut out some non-essentials from your usual spending (like snacks and small knick-knacks). Don't dip into the amount you're already setting aside as your Savings -- that can go towards your long-term goal(s).

3. Set a date for achieving your goal, a date not more than three months away.

4. Develop a plan to reach your goal. Will the amount you save each week from cutting out on non-essential spending be sufficient for you to reach your goal? If not, perhaps you can earn some money -- tutor someone younger than yourself, babysit, do various chores for friends and family, run a lemonade stand, etc. If you're old enough, you may want to get a part-time or weekend job.

4. Keep to your plan. Sounds simple, doesn't it? But it's so easy to give up halfway. To motivate yourself, visualise your goal in your mind every time you're tempted to give up.

EARTH DAY: CONSERVE RESOURCES, SAVE MONEY

We often thoughtlessly throw away things which are still fairly new just because we want something newer and trendier. And we send a lot of packing and packaging materials to the trash, from plastic bags, to boxes, containers, cans and bottles. So what can we do to minimise this waste of earth's resources, and earn or save money at the same time? Here are a few ideas:

1. Getting bored with your t-shirt, sneakers or bags? You may like to experiment with dye and fabric paint to make them seem all new again. You will probably impress your friends with your one-of-a-kind creations. Or do your bit to help the less fortunate by donating items you no longer need or want to charity.

2. Reuse containers to store and organise your things. Or decorate boxes, bottles, cans and other containers to use as desk accessories.

3. Instead of buying garbage bags for your wastepaper basket, use the plastic bags you get from stores instead.

4. Scour garage sales and flea markets for secondhand items.

5. Try to resell items you no longer need. For example, if you look after your textbooks, you can probably sell them at the beginning of the next year to other students.


Any other ideas? Share them with us here.

Title: Urban Complex

I created this from a promotional postcard from a megamall in Malaysia.

This one started from my wish to create something with a weave.

I started by colouring the entire card with acrylic paint, taking care to make sure that words/letters can still be seen.

I then studied the postcard, and thought that I could perhaps incorporate some of the text in it -- 'Work smart and play harder..." -- into my piece.

I decided then to try to represent the city, with the weave representing interconnecting, unimaginative units stacked on top of one another, like we see with many urban structures these days.

"Work smart and play harder..." fits in well with this theme. We can all identify with the fast-paced life in the city.

The last step - to cover the entire area with white glue, and when it's nearly dry, to create a distress effect, to represent the stress and fractures of urban life.

Title: Unreason

Do you have old nail polish lying round the house? In another work in the ATC format, I made use of a few nail polish colours I no longer use.

I was reading Sophie's World (fantastic primer on philosophy, btw) when I created this, and it was talking about Reason. And instinctively, I wanted to represented the other side -- Unreason -- the nebulous, the grey, the unformed.

Using the brushes attached to the nail polish bottles, I was able to create these circular, fuzzy strokes.

Title: Meaning of Life???

I made this one using the Artist Trading Card (ATC) format.

By tearing a piece textured paper (used to be wrapping paper), a parchment-like piece was created.

I call this one "Meaning of Life???".

It's inspired by a friend who was having a crisis of purpose, wonder if that is all there is to life -- counting the days, and then the end (represented by ###). It's a question I myself am fascinated by, so I wanted to create a piece that will be a tangible reminder of this question.