So what’s ahead for me? 5 main things, in no particular order.

1. I’m going to be building my resume/portfolio site and attempting to do do some freelancing.
2. There are a couple of web services/projects I’m working on, that are almost ready to be launched, and should be launched sometime before this summer.
3. College. Pretty self-explanatory, I think.
4. Poker. My goal now is to become a professional poker player. So I’m going to work towards that, and probably spending most of next summer (once I’m 21), playing poker.
5. Helping individuals (especially some of the amazing students at Hampshire) realize that they can make money doing what they love, and attempting to help them with that process.

I’m also just going to keep my eyes open to any opportunities which may open up. But yeah, for now, I think I’m just focusing on getting things together and getting back in a proper position to move forward.

It’s been a tough few years, for sure, but I’m ready to go now.

So, what have I been up to? Lately (and for the next few months), my efforts have been focused on two main projects – my new blog, Counting the Odds, and my startup which is planned to launch next year, DreamFledge. I’ve also been working on my college application. You’ll definitely hear about all those things in the future.

I’m still in the army, and it still kind of sucks, but I’ve more or less settled down here. I spend my time as a clerk, doing some administrative work, but also doing some macros and all to help my unit’s productivity. So that’s been a positive out of it.

What’s next for me? I really don’t know. A lot depends on how the two aforementioned projects work out. But I assure you, if you stick around, you’ll be one of the first to know.

Those of you in Singapore might have seen an article about me in Today newspaper a couple of days ago. And as is stated in the article, I do feel like I’m in a “transitional” phase.

The reason for this is two-fold. Firstly, National Service has definitely affected me, as anyone who knows me personally will know. I’m not one who does well when forced into something. I quit school because I didn’t see a point, for example. And NS is something I can’t quit. I’m slowly coming to terms with it (or trying to), but it’s tough. Being stuck in a forced job, in an extremely regimental environment, is a far cry from anything I’d want, and the adjustment is hard. And NS has left me rather jaded, to say the least. (And to those who think I’m grumbling too much, please spare me the “you can choose to be happy despite your circumstance” spiel, I’ve heard that enough).

But I’m far from giving up, and that’s actually the second reason why I haven’t been too involved in the social media scene lately. Yes, I’ve said that “the web has really opened so many doors for me”, and it’s true. But now that the doors have been open, it’s time for me to take some action and go through them, instead of just opening more doors. I love the scene, I love having the chance to be a part of the community, I love having the opportunity to meet and interact with brilliant minds such as yours. But it’s time for me to get out and do something.

I don’t want to be just another blogger, another voice in the crowd. I need to know that I have some insight or unique value I can provide. I need to prove, if not to anyone else, then to myself at least, that I am made of more than just intelligent talk. I need to prove that I am capable of producing quality action.

And I am working on that, or trying to. Trying to get a virtual internship for a marketing/branding project, trying to start up a Facebook app, etc. I’ve got a number of things I’m trying to line up, so hopefully something will work out.

In the meantime, I’ll still be on Twitter, so if you want to chat, you can look me up there. If I have your contact details, I’ll try my best to keep in touch with you. If I don’t, I’d still love to hear from you – you can add me on Facebook, or drop me an email.

This is (hopefully) not the last you’ve heard from me on here. When I’ve decided I’m capable (and proven to myself that I’m capable) of providing value, I’ll be back.

As Shakespeare put it, “If we do meet again, why, we shall smile; If not, why then this parting was well made”.

Keep creating,
Derrick

But yes, as the title of this post says, I’ll be going on a blogging hiatus for a while. How long, I’m not sure, but you can subscribe via RSS or via email to stay posted, and get informed when I come back. And if you want to talk to me, I can still be reached by email, and occasionally by IM (IM details in the sidebar)

I just feel that in my current condition, I don’t think I can provide proper value to all of you reading this blog. And rather than take up your time and attention, I’ll take a step back for now. I’ll be back though, when I get my own life and issues sorted out, and hopefully I’ll come back stronger than before. I hope you don’t forget me, and hope to see you around when I do come back.

But for now, that’s all folks. It’s been a great journey, and I hope you’ll join me again when I’m ready to continue it.

I know I haven’t been around for a while. And I’m sorry for that, really. I’m really sorry I’ve been very on-and-off for months. And yeah, I just thought I should take some time off to just really sort out everything that’s on my mind and all.

But yeah, just wanted to wish you guys a Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays. =).

I was already sort of planning on doing this (and I have already been quiet here for a while), but since Richard Millington blogged about “shutting your community down“, I figured I might as well come by and announce it.

So don’t worry, I’m still alive. And you can still contact me if you want to – I’ll still be glad to hear from and talk to you guys. I’ll be back, probably on January 1, 2009 – and hopefully better than ever.

I think SpeedNetwork the Globe seems to be a really interesting event, and I’m very excited to be able to be a part of it. It’s a whole day event taking place concurrently in Singapore, Stockholm and Silicon Valley. There will be speakers at each location, and there will be live video streams and online discussions taking place.

It’s essentially one event in 3 locations – and a true demonstration of how technology has broken down boundaries and made it easy to connect with anyone.

Sounds cool? I think it is. I’m really looking forward to it, and I hope to see you there. You can sign up here.

Yes, I’ll admit, it feels really good to get featured. It’s a huge step forward for my personal brand, that’s for sure. But more than anything, it’s great to be able to share my thoughts, and get my message out to a whole new audience.

To those of you who have been reading my blog for a while now, thank you, you are why I love blogging, and why I keep doing this. And for those of you who are new here (maybe you came here because of the article), thanks for dropping by, and I hope you’ll find value here.

Oh, and one final thing. If I can do this, so can you. I’m nothing that special, I’m just a kid from Singapore.

It’s easier than ever to build your personal brand. What’s stopping you?

What does that mean? Most importantly, it means that I’ll be able to come home every night, and so, I’ll have more time to continue with my blogging journey, and pursuing some of the ideas I have. If you want to find out more about what’s happened, though, feel free to contact me or leave a comment.

So, yeah. Normal posts should resume soon, I just thought I’d announce it first.

You’ll be able to watch the live blog of the two sessions here. One will be from 2-3pm and the second from 3-4pm. The topics of the sessions will be announced when I decide which one I’ll be attending.

As I said then, it’s a book that really resonates with me, and fits in with my blog topic. As such, I’m looking to connect with people who are “butterfly hunters”. Not in the literal sense of catching insects. But people who have taken the risk to go off the beaten path and pursue their callings. People who love what they do, whose jobs are part of who they are.

Does that sound like you? Or someone you know? If so, please, drop me an email or post a comment. I’d love to get to talk to you, and maybe even share your story here on the blog. I’m especially looking to connect with such people who are here in Singapore, but even if you’re not, feel free to contact me, I’d love to get to know you.