A Day Of Relaxation

Everybody needs a break at some point, otherwise we'll go crazy with the stress from school, work, or whatever it is we're dealing with. My dream break is to travel overseas, but that's not something that can happen as and when I want to take a break. So I've found other means to relax.

This is my checklist for a relaxing day at home.

Candle: Summer Wish by is far my favourite candle. It's said to be a floral scent, but to me it smells more like something clean and fresh with a hint of muskiness. It feels like being in nature and has a very calming effect on me.

Book: I'm currently reading Unhinged by A. G. Howard. It's the second book in her Splintered trilogy. This trilogy is a retelling of Alice in Wonderland, but instead of following the adventures of Alice, it follows that of her supposed descendant Alyssa. I can't even begin to describe how much I love this trilogy; it just pulls you in right from the beginning.

Tea: Any tea will do, really. I have yet to find one that I can call a favourite.

Music: I'm someone who is very easily distracted and therefore needs to read in total silence. However, that's a luxury and it doesn't come by often. So I'll listen to music to block out outside noises. Only instrumental ones though. Otherwise I'll be belting out to the song instead of reading my book.

Nelson Mandela

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Went out with one of my polytechnic friends today to watch the Nelson Mandela movie. It was very powerful, very intense, and evoked a lot of emotions in me. I'm not sure how different is the movie as compared to his actual life story so whatever thoughts and opinions I have here are based solely on the movie.

The movie has a running time of 147 minutes. Before going into the cinema, I was telling my friend that I might fall asleep since its such a long movie. But no such chance. Right from the beginning, I was immediately captured into the story. I watched the whole movie wide eyed and trying to absorb everything. It was just so amazing. There was such a good balance between the abuse, violence, sex, and touching scenes that made the movie well-rounded.

This movie follows the life of Nelson Mandela where he first started out as a lawyer, then an activist/freedom fighter, then his imprisonment for more than 20 years, and finally as a politician. During his time, and even before that, the Whites have always dominated the Blacks and treated them very unfairly. Over the years, tensions obviously formed between the two groups of people and the Blacks want to fight for their freedom. Nelson Mandela believed very strongly in everybody having equal rights and did all he could to move towards that, which landed him in jail for the destruction he caused. 

Whilst I do not agree with the use of violence as a means to solve problems, I do believe that at that point in time, it was the best decision he could make since the Whites will not give the Blacks a chance to talk peacefully. The violence is kind of a wake-up call to the Whites to let them know that something has to be done. But it can be seen that violence is not something Nelson Mandela wanted and when he was released from prison, he made a statement to say that he want peace and freedom for his people but definitely not through violence. He wanted his people to put their trust in him and vote for him during the elections so that he can change things in a civilized way.

Nelson Mandela himself is a very inspirational person and with him as the main character of the movie, it made me think and question about life. When you translate the many obstacles he faces into your own life, you find that its actually not that different. His many years in prison can equate to a setback that we might have. But what makes him so inspirational and successful is that he does not see himself as a victim, even when he was being abused. He continued fighting for his people even in prison and as he aged. That made him a leader. As a leader, you should posses nothing because everything that you have should be given to your people. He has done that. He has given his life to his people. He has dedicated his life to make a positive change for his people and the generations to come.

I think peace is something all countries struggle with and its only a matter of to what extent. For some countries its verbal fighting and for some countries its war. There's always a rationale behind everything, but who is to say what is right and what is wrong; what is good and what is evil? I think its human nature that when something is in your favour you support it and when its not, you fight it. But remember that in every situation, there is this group of minority that can never fight for themselves. And when it happens, who is going to help them? Who is going to be fair enough? I don't really know where I'm going with this because my thoughts are in turmoil. But I totally agree with what Nelson Mandela said towards the end of the movie. He said that nobody is born to hate and love comes more naturally to us. I know its an ideal, but can you deny that when everybody is able to love one another, there will be peace in the world?

Power makes people greedy
War makes monsters of men

The Dream

What do you want to be when you grow up? This is the oh-so-famous question that every parent, or just adults in general, love asking children. From as young as I could remember, I've always had the dream to be a doctor. I don't know if its because I like the idea of being able to save someone's life or because its the only few occupations I get to interact with at that age. 

So I've always held on to this dream and believe that I could one day make it happen. But things change after I completed my secondary school education. My O level results were pretty bad and I knew from that moment that I'm not cut out to be a doctor. With my results, I could not get into the science course I need and even if I did, I would struggle a lot because I'm not a Math/Science person. So I made the worst decision ever to go into a junior college that I hate and take the subjects that I wasn't even the least bit interested in. Its a surprise how I manage to stay in such a horrible place for year. But anyway, when a new school year started, I knew I had to leave because that place just wasn't right for me. 

At that point in time, I still didn't know where I wanted to go or what I wanted to do. But somehow, when it was time for me to apply to get into a polytechnic, it suddenly occurred to me that I wanted to go into a course that allows me to deal with children. I applied for the Diploma in Child Psychology and Early Education and got in. I went in not knowing what the course is about or whether or not its what I want. I've definitely struggled in my first year and have even thought about leaving. But something in me told me to just stick around for a while more. Now that I'm almost graduating, I can safely say that going to that school and taking up this diploma is one of the best decisions of my life and I've never looked back since.

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From wanting to be a doctor to wanting to be an occupational therapist, that's perfectly fine right? During my final internship, I was very inspired by the occupational therapist and decided that that's what I want to do. Although the diploma I'm in now will not allow me to be an occupational therapist or to study in a local university, I know I can go overseas to further my studies or I can at least take the first step by getting a job as a therapy assistant to gain some experience. There is no such thing as the "correct" route to take to reach a place. Sometimes, you just have to go with the options that are available at that point in time.

Chasing after your dream is never easy. But only being able to wish that you could live your dream is worst. If you have something that you are very passionate about, something you're willing to do for free, DO IT. Do whatever it takes to make sure you get there. When one door closes, find another one. If you have to take a longer route, so be it. When people say you can't do it, that is based on what they think of you, not what you're really made of. When other people do better than you, work even harder. When there are obstacles place in your way, move them away. Never give up on your dream, unless YOU don't want it anymore.