Towards 2016 - Chicken Soup for Soul

On this day, I have decided to start off with something simple. To get thing started, I made chicken soup with drumsticks, garlic and a packet of ready-made spices. It is really the simplest dish because all you really need are time and a slow cooker. Get the water boiled, put in the entire ingredient and leave it for 5 hours. As easy as 1-2-3.

Chicken soup for the day!! It has been a very long time since I cooked. I still remembered back in 2002 where I spent 9 months learning how to cook. I would call it an intensive cooking class back then. There were at least 6 ‘white mice’ who were willingly to taste the food I cooked. During my time back in Newcastle, whatever served on the table for dinner will be finished within minutes. Not because of the tastiness but we just wanted to fill up our stomach. The tough part of the whole 9 months was not the cooking. It was indeed the type of dishes you planned to cook. That was the life I had during my final year of study; great food and good time.

I love soup because it reminds me about life. Heard of the book called Chicken Soup for Soul? There are many series out there with compilation of short stories that touches many souls out there. Thinking what to cook is similar with setting goal. Firstly, the dish is your goal. Secondly, the ingredients are your resources. Thirdly, the processes are the step-by-step instructions. Lastly, to satisfy your taste-buds we need some seasoning. The seasoning is what makes your dishes unique. Everyone might have the same goal but what makes it different is the satisfaction we gain in return. All these required patience, determination and a little passion.

That is my journey of ‘cooking’, how about yours?

Towards 2016 - The Beginning

Feb 28th 2011...This is the date where I am officially out of my job. From this day onwards, I will be free from morning sickness, no more Monday’s blues, no more walking from one building to another for meeting and ease from daily routine.

This day has been planned since 3 months ago where I have to make my final decision between work and study. Eventually, I have chosen study as part of my plan moving forward. From that moment on there is no turning back other than looking forward on what lies ahead. I am glad that I have the choice to pick rather than being stuck with the norm of study and work at the same time. Before I made such decision, there are many people out there sharing their opinions and views on whether to continue study full-time or part-time. And of course, most of them do not have a choice but to choose the latter. Nevertheless, working and studying can both earn you knowledge and income but you will eventually lose something in return. There are always sacrifices involved before we meet our ultimate goal.

Many has been giving me the surprised look and puzzled face when I made the decision to leave what I have built from the past 9 years and go back to student life. Well, for a working adult to make such decision is considered out of my mind. The biggest hold-back for such action will be commitment and money. So do we really work for money or we work to live? I believe that each individual has their own goal and purpose in life. I am no Warren Buffet or Bill Gates with millions to spend without worrying what will happen down the road.

In life, I always have this perception where one should live to gain satisfaction. It is satisfaction that will be remembered and it will give us the passion to move on. Going back to study has always been my dream because we seek knowledge to face the challenging path that lies in front of us. Dwelling back in history will make us appreciate the moment but it does not open us up for the future. I hope that studying will give me more time to find the wisdom I need and ultimately to re-connect with the purpose of life. We do make long term investment and get an insurance policy to secure our future. Hence, life-planning is about making a balance for the future.

Lately, I have heard my superior mentioning about being balanced in life. His story has indeed validated that my decision is not wrong after all. I guess my purpose now is to have a balance in life. Be it happiness, health or love, having a balance is all I look forward now. Besides that, I will to share the same to the rest so they could achieve the same. I might not be successful as the top philanthropist but I vow to make a balance in life!

Good luck to me and those people out there who has dreams and goals! Let’s do it together!

myQuote of the Day : 26 Jul 2009

"A gal's dreamguy would be someone who is WILD in public but GENTLE in private"