My dream careers

Since we are on the topic of vocations, let me share with you my dream careers. These professions are so appealing and attractive to me but I doubt that I will be any good at them.

That's why they are only my "dream careers". They are:

1) Playwright

I love watching the theater. So, naturally, I wish I could write a brilliant play myself. One that will be well-received and loved by the audience.

2) Travel & Adventure Host

Someone like Ian Wright who gets to travel around the world from the most popular destinations to the remotest areas; experiencing different cultures and lifestyles ...

3) Novelist

I love reading novels and could only wish that I have the ability to write beautiful prose like my favorite authors.

4) Photographer

I appreciate good photography. I especially like pictures of monuments and breath-taking sceneries.

5) Wedding Planner

I love to plan things and planning a wedding seems so exciting, don't you think?? I have to assert that I wanted to be a wedding planner long before I watched Jennifer Lopez's movie. haha

That's it. My 5 dream careers.
Suddenly, I'm curious to know what my friends' dream careers would be.
Would theirs be as fantastically far-fetched as mine?? Hurm ...
Nak tag, tak nak tag ni?? hehe

Two roads diverged in a wood

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference"

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Can you pinpoint a moment where the whole course of your life changed?

I can.

It was the night when I was filling the UPU form. The one where you had to fill after you have received your SPM result; where you basically have to list down 8 preferences of what and where you want to further your studies.

I stayed up late by myself thinking about my 8 choices. I was seriously clueless about what I wanted to do with my life. Some people knew that they just had to be doctors, or engineers, or accountants. Me? I didn't know what my life's calling is. I didn't know what I wanted to do. I was open to every possibilities ... except perhaps medicine. I'm too lazy to be a medicine student. :p

So, I considered everything that might suit me. Among the courses shortlisted were: Accounting, Chemical Engineering, English Literature (ada ke?? I'm not sure ... can't remember), Actuarial Science (haha!) and of course: TESL.

There are other options too of course but I just can't seem to remember.

Anyway, ranking them from 1-8 came after shortlisting them. It's the most crucial part of the whole process.

After hours of thinking about it, I chose TESL as my first choice. I thought of all the teachers that I've had. Some were terrific, some were less so. But on the whole, all of them have made such a positive impact in my life and I thought: "That must be a very challenging and fulfilling job".

On hindsight, I might have been too idealistic ...

That was three years ago. Now, I'm in my 2nd year of university doing Bachelor of Education (TESOL) at Macquarie University. And I have no regrets whatsoever.

I thank Allah for granting this path of life for me.

The First 8 Days

Right now, it's already 11pm. I should be sleeping in order to wake up for sahur at 3.30am tomorrow. But I am inexplicably gripped by the desire to write something about my first 8 days of Ramadhan here.

It has truly been a roller-coaster ride. I am still sad. Not just because I'm away from my family, it also has to do with the feeling that Ramadhan here doesn't feel like Ramadhan. It sounds confusing, but I'm sure you get what I mean. Back home, you can sense that it's Ramadhan; you can smell, feel, breathe it. Here, you don't really feel how special Ramadhan is.

I am heeding Fatin's advice to not think too much about it. But it's soO difficult!! :(

My first 8 days have their ups and downs. Let's start with the good stuffs:

1) Received my Raya parcel from home. It was a lovely surprise since I was not expecting it for another 2 weeks. The parcel contains: 1 baju kurung + matching tudung + telekung + blouse + Faisal Tehrani's 'Tunggu Teduh Dulu' + a lovely letter from my sis.

2) Bought a pink skirt to go with my new blouse

3) Went to Featherdale Wildlife Park. Got to see animals such as: kangaroo, wombat, tasmanian devil, koala, dingo & emu upclose

4) Ate a lot of good food!! Here is my break of fast food log:
-1st day: lamb curry + ikan goreng + sagu gula melaka + Fatin's cheesecake
-2nd day: ayam panggang + whipped potato
-3rd day: mee kari + begedil + popia
-4th day: nasi goreng ikan masin + telur bungkus + choc chip muffin
-5th day: nasi lemak + kuih cek mek molek [courtesy of Durra, Ana & Tasha]
-6th day: tom yam + puding jagung
-7th day: nasi beryani + lamb curry
-8th day: bihun goreng + puding roti + roti john + coleslaw

I have to thank Nisa for cooking such delicious meals each day. :)

Ok ... now for the bad stuffs:

1) This has been the most unproductive break ever!! 2 weeks void of academic work. It should not be a big deal except that I have a major assigment due on 10th Oct!!

What I have been doing:
- oversleeping
- Bollywood marathon with Harvin & Nisa (Mohabbatein, Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi, etc)
- watching tv excessively (Kill Bill, The Wedding Planner, etc)

2) Had the most horrible headache the other day

3) The sink in my kitchen is blocked! As a result, dirty dishes piled up & we are forced to wash the dishes in front of our house (in full view of bewildered MUV residents) or at Tasha's place. This is only done when there are absolutely no clean dishes left.

The sink is blocked since Friday night. We are told that we can only call a plumber after the weekend and the Labour Day holiday. Until then, cooking and cleaning up are very trying affairs. This is what I called "dugaan bulan Ramadhan"(!)

While waiting for Tuesday, we tried "unblocking" the sink by using a plunger. It didn't work. You should have seen me thrusting the plunger with such determination - I must have looked like a demented person.

+ + +

The mid-term break is over. Have to buck up now. Besides, wouldn't it be a pity to spend the rest of Ramadhan like that??

May the remaining 22 days be more meaningful & dapat dimanfaatkan dengan sebaik-baiknya ... insyaAllah ...