This past friday marked the last day of work for me at Trader Corp. as a Graphic Designer and Prepress Artist, and I have to say, it was one of my more memorable goodbyes as I made my rounds around the office bidding farewell to those that I may never see again.

As everyone was in the Christmas spirit of things, the office was more relaxed than usual, with plenty of sweets to go around the office and merriment to last well beyond the working day. I’ve been here for almost 3 years and to some, that’s not a long time while to others – and especially in my industry – that seems like a lengthy period of time. I’ve had some good times here, made some good friends, learned some things, and enjoyed my daily routine.

It’s just sad to say that I had to leave since there really wasn’t anything more for me to do. After approaching my supervisor, even her best advice to me was to move on. And so I am. Even though my new job will be miles away from where I am now, I am quite excited at the opportunities that lay ahead. As an Art Director for a magazine that needs a facelift, I hope to revamp the publication and help it grow to new heights.

In addition, I have also decided to pursue more of my freelance side and hope to gain more corporate and brand identity experience. A little bit of new web design skills mixed into the lot wouldn’t hurt either.

I think I’m being a tad on the ambitious side of things, but I suppose that won’t hurt me either, but rather motivate me for the new year. I’ll be expecting some big things to happen in 2008 and starting anew will be a good change.

So here’s to a new chapter in my life! I look forward to having you join me in it as well. I’ll be out of the country for the next little while, more specifically until mid January. So I’ll seldom update this page as I trust I will be too busy eating ramen.

It will be my first time going to Japan with a digital camera so that in itself is quite exciting for me. I’ll be shooting away wherever I go, whatever I eat. And if all goes according to plan – however few it is that I actually have planned – I hope to do a fair amount of eating in various places.

Happy holidays to you and yours, and have a great start to a new year. Hopefully this year has been a great one, and that the coming year will be even better for you!

These past few weeks have been a pinnacle one for me in terms of my life path. Searching deep inside of me, I wondered what it is that I really wanted, what it is that was truly important to me, and what it is that I am capable of handling at this stage in my life.

While some of these questions have yet to be answered (I’m sure it may very well take a lifetime to answer some of these), I have decided on a path. A direction that I feel is suitable given my current situation.

Stuck between changing jobs, careers, and life altering decisions, I have firmly made a decision late last week in terms of what I will be doing… at least for the next few years of my life. The upcoming holiday season and month will see many changes for me. Ones that are quite exciting and positive.

I’ll be heading over to Japan for the holidays; for a good 3 weeks as a matter of fact. Travelling to Tokyo, Kyoto and surrounding areas, this trip is reminiscent of my last trip to Japan in December of 2004. I’ll be doing it alone, meeting friends along the way, and meeting with my girlfriend in Kyoto. Coming back in mid January, I’ll be starting a new job in the publishing industry as an Art Director for a niche, subscription-only magazine. Revamping the publication and seeing how this small business operates will be interesting and fully up to me in deciding on what to do with growing this publication and me.

There are smaller details that fill in the puzzle and that will explain a lot more, but I’ll be keeping them aside for now. For now, I’ll concentrate on what’s ahead, and that’s the exciting part.

Come join me in my journey of life, would you?