Sayesha rebranded

Yeayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!! :D

Sayesha's exams are overrrrrrrr!!!

Sayesha does an extremely silly victory dance.

(Stop it, Sayesha, people on your blog are starin' at you!)

Oh what the hell.

You go, girl. One more time, from the top!

Three... two... one...

YEAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!! :D

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And here's the actual post for today:

Yes, yes, they are finally over. And they have taught me more than just communication theories.

People say that we only realise the value of something once we lose it. I say we only know we had something when we don't have it.

I used to think "I work so hard... such long working hours... from 8:15 am to 6:03 pm (yes, I said 6:03 pm, don't ask.) I have no time for anything in life... or to have a life even!" Then I started my master's course and struggled with evening classes on top of work. And I realised that I could fit it in. Somehow, I had been able to make time and space for it.

And now that I have no classes and no exams, I suddenly feel like I have so much time. The time which I never knew I had.

This time, the time will be used for a rebranding exercise.

Yes, another one.

My company recently underwent a rebranding exercise, new name, new logo, new stuff, new working style, heck, they even repainted the office building in the corporate colour (again, don't ask). And I thought to myself -- it's not just companies that are rebranding themselves. We're doing it too. All the time.

That new haircut, that new wardrobe, that change in outlook to a more positive one, that deciding not to jump off the cliff, that new boyfriend/girlfriend, that getting over a heartbreak, that new friend you made, that carrying out of the resolution to get that killer body you always desired, these are all part of rebranding, aren't they? But rebranding is not just about changed appearances, it's about changed feelings, about changed ways of thinking.

The last few times I rebranded myself were in uni, once in my second year, when I developed that attitude that said "The world sucks and is out to hurt me." complete with that haircut that made me look like I'd just been electrocuted. The second was in my third year when I lost all the extra weight I had gained during my first rebranding, gave away 90% of my wardrobe and used all the money I'd earned during my internship on getting a new one. For a thinner me. Complete with a "The world isn't that bad!" attitude.

Then was the one I got after I came back from a holiday in Goa with cousins I had not seen in years. I had a brand new haircut with highlights, which sadly even Alan has not been able to reproduce, and a brand new attitude, and my heart was full of love for all these new people in my life that I had rediscovered. I looked and felt different.

And the last one I had was after my Cambodia trip. I have no idea what that simple little country did to me, but I love it. I found myself at a totally different level of thinking and believing and loving after I came back from Cambodia. The world was a great place. It was such a magical feeling I can't even begin to describe it. And it has lasted. Made me the person I am today. And I know no matter how many times I rebrand myself, I know it will stay. You can take the girl out of Cambodia but you can't take Cambodia out of the girl.

Zoom to the present. Rebranding. We all do it. Sometimes without knowing it. Every now and then, we change something about ourselves, either the way we think, or the way we work, or the way we look. (It's mostly the way we think, but the looking different part is just there to remind us of the rebranding.) We're not really changing ourselves, we're merely turning into what we want to be.

All we need is a bit of motivation, a bit of a push (preferably from a loved one) and a strong mind.

So Sayesha has decided to do a rebranding exercise in all the extra time that she apparently now has. If this works out, I will not need to make any resolutions for the new year.

Here's the list of things to do:

• Finish writing Hopscotch. Top on the priority list.
• Bring back the discipline in my life. Yes, I am disciplined, but I need to get better. This is the age and time to push myself.
• Start work on my dissertation before the new semester starts. I don't wanna struggle at the last minute of the last semester.
• Travel more.
  
• Resume gymming with a vengeance.
• Give away 50% of my clothes and buy new ones.
• Experiment with stuff I'd normally not wear.
• Try growing my hair for a change.
• Not get lazy. About anything.
  
• Catch up on my basic Mandarin and French.
• Do more crazy things.
  
• Get eight hours of sleep every night, especially if I have work the next day.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables.
  
• Drink more water.
• Start cooking again.
• Avoid MSG-laden food.
• Resume my weekly detox diet.
• Work hard. Play hard.
• Eat like a pig. Run like a horse.
• Remember to have my meals. Yes, I tend to forget! :(
  
• Take better care of my hands and feet and hair and skin.
• Keep my house and room cleaner.
• Super-glue every damn thing that I've meant to fix since September 2005.
• Carry out the 'How many cats can I photograph in one evening?' campaign I've wanted to do for the longest time.
  
• Sing more.
• Make time for people I care about, but who only see me less than once a month.
• And finally, inspire at least one more person who's been wanting to rebrand himself/herself and could do with a friendly reminder-nudge now and then.

Every time I rebrand, I feel like a fresh new person. I feel good. Maybe we should all remember to rebrand ourselves every now and then. Do that thing you always wanted to do, look the way you'd always wanted to look, feel the way you'd always wanted to feel.

When was the last time you rebranded yourself?