Am in a hustling mode these days, spending hours till late to work on two personal projects of mine: Mutual Tracker as well as Fix My Meeting.

Honestly been hitting several motivational brick walls with Fix My Meeting. The act of creating is hard: it’s often a constant battle with my own flaws such as procrastination, fatigue, occasional disinterest, frustration, self-doubt and fear. Seth Godin term such this phase as “The Dip”: the time when the initial enthusiasm peters off and the frustrations starts to kick in.

It’s good that I had several unimplemented features for Mutual Tracker which I had in the back-burner for months. Though admittedly the reason I had features for it being left at the back-burner is the fact that I couldn’t get over the dip during that time.

Therefore it’s important for me to hustle: it’s the only mean to developing myself, continuously working on my skills and willpower to pull it off. As an experiment of public accountability, I will be posting progress from time to time, occasionally post the lessons I had learned along the way. For the time being I would be making these public accountability posts every other Saturday and work out the kinks along the way.

And speaking about Saturday, I’ll be attending GeekCamp, Singapore this Saturday and really hope to get to know some new friends there. And I pray very hard to avoid the iPad shopping marathon.

I got my first Moleskine notebook, thanks to the 20% notebook sale Cziplee is having. I’m a nerd when it comes to stationery .

As I took the train home, just to kill time I start to doodle on the cover page. It started off with some random patterns on the top-right corner of the page. As I go on, it’s almost as if I’m got into a trance: engrossing and engaging in this creative activity. I would then go on adding random basic shapes that don’t resemble anything and the doodles organically spreads out until it filled up the page. By the time when I completed it, the train stops at exactly the station where I’m supposed to get off.

I recall a study mentioning that every doodle reflects a part of your unconscious mind. You can say it could be interpreted as an image that expresses the artist’s internal state of being. I wonder if some psychoanalyst tries to interpret it, what would they say?

The only thing that kept on catching me eye is the sole pair of eyes that looks back at me curiously. That cute little creature is added on a whim and yet in a deliberate manner. And I’m curious how he’s the only one that was there among a sea of abstract patterns?

Maybe I should draw more cute little creatures on the page next time.

The worst case scenario would mean that I’m embarking on a journey as epic as The Amazing Race: the distance itself to visit every store could add up to a full marathon, if not more.

… or maybe it’s wake-up call that I need more friends who could help me buy it from Apple Online Store instead?

If you had noticed, I’ll be attending GeekCamp Singapore, which will be held at Singapore Management University on 4 September 2010. I’m totally excited about it seeing the list of topics that were covered: from face recognition to iAds.

Looking forward to see you there!

My brain was constantly reminded of the thought that it is my very first time planning for a trip and no amount of work I had done before seemed enough to quiet down the nagging thoughts that I could have missed something.

“Relax… take a deep breath”, I told myself, repeatedly, making a conscious attempt to calm my nerves down.

The humming of jet engines in the background was then interrupted by a cheerful voice through the intercom, “We’ll be arriving at Phuket in 15 minutes, please fasten your seat belts…”. There’s no longer room for self-doubt now and I took another deep breath.

As a novice traveler, everything is an adventure to me: what better way to embark a journey than to explore the area. It’s a fine weather when I reached there, just the perfect sign of a good trip. Soon after I had checked in the hotel, I started my exploration around Kata, the place where I was staying at for the entire trip.

I like to take my time and explore my surroundings the first moment I arrived at a foreign destination. Being the kind of person who gets anxious easily, a walk around town allows me to observe and understand the place in a relaxed manner – giving the orientation I needed to feel at home.

Towns in Phuket are quite easy to navigate, there’s usually one road that trails along the west coast with sandy white beaches in sight and the seas extends to the horizon. Along that road you’ll see all sort of conveniences catered for tourists: restaurants, stores, tour agents, massage parlors and even opticians. I bet sunglasses sells quite well here.

Most restaurants and bars are beautifully decorated with different styles: from modernistic designs to rustic designs inspired by nature. I’m often awed with the beautiful interior design and architecture, allowing my eyes to capture every detail presented. I particularly liked some nature-inspired designs: the earthy tones, wood and rattan furniture, stone walls, plants and sculptures. There were really rich in texture, colour and detail that blends in harmony, giving an air of serenity.

Watching these work of art made me feel like I wanted to hire a Thai interior designer when I need one.

Venturing a bit deeper into town paints a different picture altogether: a place where the locals actually lives and do business at and where tourists usually wouldn’t bother to go into. Like most town where locals lives, the surroundings has a practical air and less flashy. To me, this practical side of town is far more interesting, as it shows how everyday life is really like for the people who called Kata home.

My journey ended in their local night market, which strikes a strong resemblance to the night markets back home. Never noticing a wet market around the area, it seems to me that this is where people buy their vegetables and meat from. There’s also stalls that sells barbecued seafood and meat as well as clothing.

It has been an interesting and relaxing start to me. And what comes ahead gets me excited as the next few days would be a different kind of adventure as I experience what Phuket is famous for: the breathtaking outdoors and the pristine islands and beaches.

Usually when I am having lunch in a shopping mall, I’d set myself down into a state which I tuned out all the hustles and bustles that goes around me. Clattering trolleys, howling children, the drowning noise of idle chatter among shoppers don’t bother me as I enjoyed my meal in this internal oasis of peace.

One day, I sense something curious passing by – and for the first time I lift my head and it was an unusual sight. I saw a young woman, probably in her twenties, fashioning a look that was pretty odd for this age: her overly large glasses, freckled face and sporting pony tails, which looked liked a cross between Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.

As she strides past me, I notice that she’s holding handle bars but was not pushing a shopping cart. Intrigued, I took a closer look and I am surprised to see those handle bars are of a walker she’s using and both her legs are coiled with large metal braces.

Her strides were awkward and uneven, but yet the strength that goes with each step exudes an air of confidence. Her expression is one of great power: showing determination and a can-do attitude in overcoming any challenges that she faces.

I may not know her at all, but with such demonstration of willpower and strength, it couldn’t be more clear that personal strengths could never be given or acquired, but rather demonstrated through your own actions.