Hazia’s Reflections

Wow! This is my third entry for the day, I haven’t been this productive for quite some time already:)

Yesterday, God must have really pitied me because before the work-day ended, my 4pm appointment turned out to be ‘heaven-sent’. Yeah, Mr Designer came to present 3 samples of the festive greeting cards that he created. Just the two of us this time, he was very attentive, a real gentleman. He politely offered to get me my drink, encouraged that I eat something, etc - everything further enhanced by his soft-spoken ways. His timidness was gone. I even texted my friend cum his boss -  ‘Hey, apahal si xxx ni charming terlebih pulak dah?’ She replied immediately - ‘Well, this is your chance, use him to make Abang I jealous’. LOL!

I could tell what a meticulous artist he is from his designs. He paid attention to details, from the paper texture and card shape to the subject and background. We got that out of the way quickly though.

Before I knew it, I started to complain about my frustration with my job (like I did on Wednesday) when I stopped myself short. "Why is it that everytime I see you, I started to complain?’ He smiled, ‘It’s ok, maybe I can come up with a creative way to solve your problems.’ Naah, I changed the topic and Voila, we embarked on a very long and entertaining conversation. He wanted to know everything about me.

I told him about my Cairo trip - my experience of going through the passageway of the Pyramid and dining by the River Nile, holidaying alone at a backpackers’ hostel in Bangkok, how I would love to go back to Edinburg and Innsbruck - he likes it too, why I don’t like Paris and the fact that I’ve never been to Bali. He was interested in my memorable past work experiences - brands & projects that I’ve worked on that I’m proud off until now, my enriching hotelier life, my colourful friends & ex-colleagues which inspired the characters of my stories and finally, my lunch-hour shopping… man, we even talked in-depth about fashion! Yeah, my least favourite topic.

He in turn told me about his previous job with a department store, his 90% he-she colleagues and insisting that he’s not one of them and his he-she close friend who bought a pair of a pink bikini. Like me, he is the 2nd of 4 siblings - his older sister has a restaurant in Edinburg, his younger sister is a fashion designer with a well-known VIP fashion group in the city while his youngest brother is still studying in the UK. He himself graduated in Arts from a university in North Ireland.

My friend was telling me that the other day, the Designer save her day - they met her big client who happened to be a naif artist, Mr Designer understood and sincerely appreciated his work. He was very pleased. Similarly, when we met on Wednesday, Mr Designer took my book from my friend and started reading it there and then. I could tell that he was an avid reader. He was really impressed, it was flattering. He likes Sambal and Salsa:)

This guy is cultured but not in the glamorous way, he is more of a like a free spirit - you know, enjoying his company is like ‘experiencing fine dining in the jungle’. He is what I would call a great conversationalist -  he’s a good listener and he’s genuinely interested in everything I have to say. Yeah, damn flattering, isn’t it? It helped me release my tension and wind down for the upcoming weekend. I was already very relaxed when we parted ways at 6pm.

Looking back, I know I fall easily for art guys - right brainers, but I think I’ve learned my lesson. While we have a lot in common and we are passionate about things, that is where the similarities end. I still hold a real job and live in the real world. But then again, I won’t be so quick to generalise. This guy is slightly different, mind you, he was married before and he has kids.