2012 – Breaking the Rules
I celebrated the New Year’s Eve at the Royal Club in Hanoi. We came in a small group and left right after the countdown ended. I had nothing I liked to tell of the whole evening, except for the long kiss Alex gave his newly wed Russian wife. However, the “breaking the rules” part came afterward, at the moment I least imagined.
At 1st January 2012, I asked myself, how should I define the direction of the Year? And an inspiring title came: “Breaking the Rules”.
Yes indeed the very first hours of the New Year were rule-breaking to me. If I love myself and ignore all other things but my satisfaction, that was alright. If I live within my principles, that were disappointing. I don’t feel bad. I don’t feel sad either. I don’t feel happy for sure. But I don’t feel regret at all. Thinking of another way to celebrate the New Year wasn’t in my must-do list. However, holding on what happened wasn’t a plan, too. One thing I am sure is that, I already torn down some rules I have kept for myself in years. Not a big deal to anyone, and even for me, before and after this, those rules. However, I always preferred to keep them deep in me exactly the way a stubborn naive teenager should have done, keeping good old day habits like a per se part of me. That is why, ignoring them made me feel like I’ve just walked in a warm crazy bar to drink until knowing nothing, leaving the good friend locked outside and frozen till death in the cold winter night.
I met Loan for an afternoon chat and dinner after that. I wanted to see an inspiring independent tough but tendering woman like her so that my New Year’s thoughts could start positively. And when we sat cosily at a quite cafe right at the crowded junction of Hanoi’s CBD during a cold but sunshine afternoon yesterday, I knew I am going to have an exciting Year. And on the way home, I decided to name Slogan for my 2012: BREAKING THE RULES.
So, how letting down my treasured principles for the first several hours of the 1st Day of 2012 can lead to that thinking? For anyone, maybe no answer because the question is so dumb already. However, for me, a woman living strictly on several things I hold tight into, asking such question make sense and answering it is even making more sense.
First of all, I have been and will be living on modern facilities and technologies comfortably so modern world is definitely my home. My works are the ultimate products of modern lifestyle, no way to deny. In the past, we didn’t need much complicated housing development, and especially urbanization, which is my current subject of work. I like to be independent, being able to speak out my opinions, doing things by my own hands and leading ideas I initiate to reality. For short, I am belong to the modern society.
However, my problem is, at the very core layer, I am a girl born at the 70s of 1900, raised in the rigid society of Vietnam enclosing itself from contacts with outside world. Everyone was living idly even though we could be occupied busily all the time. Those old-fashion old days were present during my 20 first years. I couldn’t separate a nowadays me from a virgin also-me of the past. The grown up woman in myself has to had the nod of the virgin little girl before doing anything. And once that isn’t a deal sealed, my soul and my heart isn’t at ease.
Therefore, the first serious question I asked myself when the 1st Day of 2012 came was, what would I want to lead myself into? Breaking the Rules, that is for sure. And when I am mapping down the Plan of what to do for the whole Year today, Breaking the Rules is suddenly very invaluable.
2012 will be a very difficult year for Vietnam’s Economy, especially the Real Estate Industry. Last year’s last quarter, I have entered a new business – mining. It is very potential and obviously has helped my Company to direct investment out of the sinking property market. This year, that will take at least 1/2 of my time and budget. Thinking of staying in this is a big mentality’s changing to me. Mining in Vietnam is a different world and for a different league. I don’t ever picture a naive me to be suited to such work. However, here I already have entered it and would be staying until saving enough for the other business.
Also in 2012, my Company will officially become a Developer. The property bubble threat is actually good for us in this way. Land cost will be less than few years before. Procedures will be less costly. Competitors will be less fierce. My target is to accumulate good assets that can produce earning yearly and increase land value so that when the economy going up I can rest and relax.
On Bloomberg’s morning London Eye’s interview of Paul Smith at the 1st Jan 2012, he mentioned a concept that changed him from a tiny cloth shop owner to an ambitious designer: “The Job can change you but you can never change the Job”. I watched the interview when I was running on my treadmill. It is so right and fits with my Slogan of this Year: “Breaking the Rules”. The Job can change you so in order to keep a good you, you have to find a good Job. To find a good Job, which is my case, a successful business, new initiatives can be found by looking from the less repetitive activities. Breaking the Rules it is.
- Posted in: Personal Story
