I randomly stumbled upon the Work In Progress merchandise series launched by Zus Coffee sometime this month. The line-up includes WIP hippers, which are tiny figurines that you can attach to your PC, and WIP buddies, which are larger figurines that come with little desks and computers. (Awww, so cute)
The blind box set has to be ordered through the app, and the staff would just pick out a box and have everything ready for you to pick up. When I got mine, I think I was hoping to get Pinky Boo, because it was pink and I figured I had zero odds of getting Zen Cha anyway. I opened the wrapper and saw a hint of green peeking out. To my surprise, I got Zen Cha! It’s an anthropomorphic matcha coffee cup wearing a lime green hoodie and holding a smaller coffee cup. It’s also the rarest one (1/72), too. Inside the box were the figure itself, an office chair, a work desk, a computer, a character card, an instruction card, and a small sticker sheet.
After taking it to office and putting it together:
I’ve been finding myself sliding more and more dangerously into burnout territory lately. I had to force myself not to come in to work last Sunday just to finish some more paperwork. It feels like everything’s on fire and my efforts aren’t appreciated. I wish I could be like Zen Cha, I really do.
I still remember vividly how it felt after I took that leap and resigned from my last job in December without any backup plan. It felt like I was forced to jump out of a burning building at that point, my mental health was really hanging by a thread. No, not a thread. Thread fibres, possibly. I remember how it felt to watch my savings gradually decrease during the four months I hung in limbo while waiting for the visa papers to be processed, and the panic I was low-key starting to feel even when I was on vacation, while my future was still undetermined.
I have to keep reminding myself to be grateful to have the security of knowing my paycheck would still come once a month despite being stressed out of my mind everyday. But I do think it’s funny how now that I’ve jumped back feet first into the corporate pool, the stress of being in between jobs where every expense required financial triaging seems like a distant memory now. Sometimes when I feel worn down, or almost broken by the weight of my tasks, it does provide some comfort to know that I would still rather have a paycheck and work stress than no paycheck and financial stress. At least with a paycheck, I can afford vacations and little gifts to myself and extravagant dinners and spa massages and things like that.
I also got a different bundle pack with one of my Sunday morning coffees; this one came with a Zus buddy and a hipper. This time, my Zus buddy was Frappe Fren. That ‘need a break’ sticker is so valid though. Even HR looked at my attendance and felt concerned for me.
I think the laptop sticker is pretty hilarious.
I was surprised yet again when I opened the Zus hippers pack and I got Zen Cha again, this time in miniature! I’m so happy. I mean, look at it, it’s so cute! He now sits happily on top of my PC at home, a little something to cheer me up once in a while.
“Sometimes clarity needs a conversation.” Oh, that’s for sure. I tend to carry too much inside me until everything just spills over, and then everything just comes out in one big word salad when I do find someone to vent to. I’m too much like Frappe Fren right now, I really need to start planning my next vacation, at least something a few months from now…