Never Standing Still

Nicole likes to keep busy; beyond her day job, she has multiple mini projects going on at once. She  freelances as a kids photographer; is into home decor, baking & cooking; is obsessed with making photo books online; and when she isn’t being a domestic goddess (“If I had my way, I’ll be hosting parties every weekend for my friends and family), Nicole loves to sing and play the guitar with her friends. That’s while she isn’t busy doing pilates, hiking, or swimming. It might sound like a lot to handle, but this jam-packed life suits Nicole’s excitable personality to a T. So much so that her holistic physiotherapist has been trying to get her to slow down. “I’ve been trying to focus on breathing correctly, through the diaphragm, and try to relax and question my motive for always being in a constant rush. Which probably explains why I’m still not recovering from my multiple slipped discs, which I got from playing a lot of tennis and badminton!” Nicole admits to having nights when she doesn’t have enough time to spend with her husband. “I have too many mini personal projects and a husband who finishes work by 6pm everyday, so I get stressed out on nights that I have to work a bit later. And it doesn’t help that our bedtime is at 10.30pm, so essentially, we don’t have much time by the time we get home,” she says. “I’ve learnt to plan my work and my time. I tend to bring work home. So I’ll leave on time, and ensure that I spend time with my husband over dinner, and then hit the laptop after to finish whatever outstanding work for the day. But of course, I work in advertising — anything can happen any time.” Nonetheless, Nicole loves that she gets to talk about creative ideas all day long, and attend interesting seminars. Her takeaways from her time at work? “Take initiative. It’s an underrated trait, but it goes a long way in creating impressions,” she says. “Also, it’s important to keep emotions at bay, and think before speaking.” The hardest thing Nicole is trying to do is to not sweat the small stuff. “It sounds cliché, but it’s goddamn difficult.”