What do you want to be when you grow up?

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My husband has some rashes on his feet and puts some topical cream on it to cool it off and stop the itching. The funny thing is, my daughter seems very interested watching him putting cream on it. She looks at it closely and even wants to touch it. My husband moves his leg right and left, and still she follows diligently, trying to touch it. This would be mainly due to the curiosity that is present in every kid. We keep laughing to see her concentration on the matter, just like a CSI agent dissecting a victim’s body on AXN. We keep asking her, “Do you want to be a doctor when you grow up?”

I thought nothing much about it until a few days later, while I was at work, doing some mundane stuff that’s got me to the point of puking. My job never seems so bleak and monotonous. I wish I could say I love my job and enjoy doing what I do, but I’m sad to say that I don’t. Wouldn’t it be nice to be doing something you really love and get paid to do it? Being the good girl that I am, I followed my dad’s advice and studied accountancy instead of following my heart’s passion, which is writing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying accountancy is not a good profession, I just think it doesn’t suit me. I wish I had taken up creative writing or journalism. But I can’t just abandon everything; I mean, my job at least gives good benefits. The least I can do now is pour my heart and soul into another outlet i.e. HERE. Maybe something good may come out of this.

So what do you want for your child? To be a lawyer, architect, lecturer, doctor, general manager? These are all noble professions, but why don’t you let them decide for themselves? For me, as a mother, I would give my children options, ask them what they really want to do, harness their skills the right way and let them be. As long as it is not against the religion and it’s legal, a clean and honest living is all I wish for them. So what if she loves to bake, sew or make crafts? I know lots of people that make more money than I am by baking, sewing and making jewellery. I just hope she doesn’t sing too well though. I really don’t want her to take too much liking to Akademi Fantasia or Mentor, or things like that.
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And while you’re thinking about what you want your child to be when they grow up, what about you? Are you who you wanna be?

I notice that people here in Malaysia puts too much emphasize on money, and not passion. I guess we don’t really have a choice. Or do we? Do you think that our parents would have approved if you had wanted to take up painting and be a professional artist? The first thing they would say is, “Do you know how hard it is to make it as an artist? It doesn’t pay much, either.”

Well, times have changed. It is now possible to combine both business and pleasure. Why don’t you go and ask that goreng pisang seller in front of your house how much he makes in a month? Quite a lot more than I do, that much I know. So why am I cracking my head and stay back late in the office, while they spend 4 to 5 hours a day, and are richer than me? I ask myself that question everyday, but like most people, I am afraid to take the plunge. I am too comfortable in where I am now to make too much drastic changes in my life. I really hope this would change in the near future, because I can’t bear to do this same work everyday for the next 20 years.

Take a listen to this song. Listen to its words, which for me, really hits home. (Tom Welling is really cute, by the way. Haha.)

As for me, I’ll keep on writing as long as my words still flow.