We’ve been relatively quiet in the past months. The main reason for our silence is adjustment of priorities. 1.5 months ago we welcomed a baby girl in the family and naturally the new life stage with two kids takes time to get used to. And that’s exactly what I am planning to do, give some time for myself to adjust to the situation. We’re still in the game but the hours I have to find a new way to manage the hours I put to different projects because family is always the number one priority.

It’s funny how your priorities change. 3 years ago it was all in the business, crazy drive and passion to pursue all of those life’s goals. Then my son was born, he added more fuel to the drive and inspired awesome projects like the Northern Denim Co. but little by little you realize that things are changing. You just want your kids to be happy and that makes you happy. Suddenly you just wait to go home not to come up with blog posts and marketing plans but instead read story books and play with action figures. Suddenly awards, achievements at work and academic field felt secondary.
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2012 was a crazy year. Not the easiest on our beloved denim industry. Challenges have come by in terms of economic down turns, exchange rates and changing consumer demand. This was one of key subjects we discussed when I met up with the guys from Momotaro Jeans & Japan Blue earlier last year. It was great meeting the guys, last I saw them was back in 2010 in Copenhagen, when Maxwell was still posted up in his mummy’s tummy. It’s always great to talk with like-minded people in the industry, whether the times are good or bad.

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It has been a turbulent year. Not just in terms of our own hectic lives but also due to number of events across the world that have touched people either directly or indirectly.

I remember a year ago we had just arrived in our holiday destination in Malaysia when I read the news. Needless to say the first thing I did was to check all of our friends in Japan were fine. The disaster caused by the earthquake(s) and following tsunami ensured Japan had the undivided attention of the entire world.

It’s crazy to think it’s been a year already. Japan’s reconstruction process has been amazing, but much more work remains to be done. That said, Japan you have our support and our thoughts are still with everyone there and I hope the entire world keeps supporting Japan and those affected by the disaster.

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One of my favorite “wedding tracks” has to be UGK’s International Player’s Anthem. Grammy nod and all it’s not a half bad song. Why such start to a post? Well it’s random and today’s a feel-good day. So what fits into a feel good day, is day full of family time and good music.

Maxwell got a new haircut, that would be the biggest thing of the day. It’s actually his first actual haircut. Little trimming doesn’t count.

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Today I asked my mother what I was like as a baby/toddler. Now, this was very interesting to hear:

- You were an easy child.
- How ’bout in grocery stores?
- You behaved, yes.
- That’s not what I recall…
- Oh yeah, you did scream and crawl on the floor when you didn’t get candy! I had already forgotten.
- I hadn’t… I remember the time when you disappeared and I was so scared.
- You used to run around the store and hide behind clothes when we went looking for you!
- Hahahhahaha!!

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It’s been a busy month. New projects, brands and contracts. Just to name few components from the equation. It has not been an easy year, that’s for sure. We expanded our Momotaro Jeans representation to South-East Asia and with that myself, Maxwell and Jeci Chao moved to Malaysia. Needless to say such change required drastic changes in terms of our processes. It’s now been almost a year and I couldn’t be happier with the current arrangement and effort from our team in Finland in managing the day to day operations while I have focused on building the “big picture”. We’ve found a balance I’m terms of roles and delegation of duties and having had another great year, it’s safe to say we’re doing something right.

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It was this day 1 year ago at 7.38 pm when a little soldier was born and we named him Maxwell. It has been but a mere year since you entered our lives and turned everything upside down. Our lives suddenly had a new meaning, new coordinates for the journey.

Although year is a short time in a young man’s life, it has been this year that has taught you and us so much. But just remember that life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes. You must look into that storm and shout as you did in Rome. Do your worst, for I will do mine! Then the fates will know you as we know you.

It will be a long fruitful journey my son, but have no fear. Your mother and I will look after you and make sure you get the best of every step. Happy birthday my son.

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I was just about to post a cool video on the blog when I realized this is actually our post number one thousand. Crazy isn’t it? Time flies while you are having fun and last thousand posts have gone by like a wind. Semi-epic moment like this gives a good reason to reflect on the recent past and what’s going on with NDH. First off, I believe everyone can realize that the frequency of postings has greatly decreased in the past 6 months. Not something I am really proud of, pretty much the other way round. Being that I am an avid writer, I feel as if I have not been able to really match my own expectations. Well on the flip side we’ve kept busy, which is of course good thing. We’ve expanded our Momotaro Jeans representation to South-East Asia, where my family and I are staying for the time being. My associate(s) have kept things running on the home front and it’s all good. We’ve gotten much love from across the world and I couldn’t be happier. We’ve made new friends and learned a lot and in the end that’s what it’s all about.

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Hand writing is almost like a form of art on its own. Each and every individual has his/her own style of writing and one’s handwriting is very difficult if not impossible to copy. The modern technology with most text typed instead of hand written, this art form is on the verge of extinction. Well perhaps not that bad, but I can see that hand writing is losing importance by the day with more and more schools, even elementary ones are furnishing their students with notebooks. Personally I only own one pen, a space pen which I got as a gift when I was a kid. Yes, it’s one of those pens that works in space due to the pressurized ink capsule. That said, all my notes are in my iPhone or Mac and the only papers I see are the ones I have to sign. But for me it’s been just natural. I guess it’s a good thing people can read my text typed instead of being hand written. I’m not a doctor just yet, but I sure have doctor’s hand writing. Oh the irony, I was still told back in university that I won’t pass the exams because of my hand writing. Few years later I’m a published author and doing my PhD, and my hand writing is still as horrible if not worse than before.

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In the old days children managed with wooden cars, ragdolls and a cardboard box which they turned into a pirate ship. The household appliances were very simple, you had to wash your dishes and clothes by hand and chop wood for the fireplace to keep the cottage warm in the winter. Now kids’ toys are walking and talking and games have cyber spatial dimensions and complex story lines. Everything is designed to be easy-to-use and practical. This leaves a little room to think and act in a completely different way.

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