REALISM

Thanks to the younger brother, the Too Much Chocolate Cake is now down to the final 3 pieces, which is quite a feat actually; because there was initially, like, 40+ pieces? And all these are gone within 1 week!

Anyway, while digging into the chocolaty cake just now, the younger brother asked me to bake a second batch. I jokingly asked whether does it really tastes good and whether does he really like it. He replied yes, and asked me to go and sell it at my current workplace. Duh.


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Anyway, a funny thought drifted into my mind just now. Sans social/economical/societal expectations and harsh reality of life, would I be doing what I am doing now? Would I have dared to go after my innate interests?

I've always liked cooking (sans washing up, please). The intriguing way how different herbs, spices, flavours, seasonings blend together and compliment each other amuses me. It blows my mind away, the way how some seemingly unlikely food ingredients - when mixed together - conjure up something that is unexpectedly pleasant to the taste buds. It awes me, the way how sometimes, the most unsuspecting ingredient turns out to be the key ingredient that sets a good dish a cut above the rest. I still remember how skeptical I was to find pear listed as one of the ingredients to making Bulgogi Chicken. Till today, this particular recipe is still what I swear by when it comes to Bulgogi.

Most importantly, it delights me to see people eating and enjoying the food which I prepared from scratch. To the person who did the cooking, there is hardly any greater gift of pleasure and satisfaction than this.

I've always liked having someone fussing over my hair. I like the feeling of having someone attending to my trims. Having someone fussing over my hair or layering my hair or trimming my ends or just simply spraying aerosols of hairspray makes me feel like a queen being pampered. So, I always feel downright happy going to the hairdressers'. It practically cheers me up (weird, I know). And because of this, I have an interest in hairstyling. I won't mind paying to attend haircutting or hairstyling courses in some hairstyling academy. Because I feel downright happy having my hair done. Because, I know, somewhere out there exist strange people like me.

I've always liked to write (sans writers' block, that is). I like the smooth flow of well-articulated articles. A writer. A reporter. A journalist. Whatever. That was my first and serious ambition. I was only 13 at that time, and I wanted to be a reporter working for 8 Days or Lime. Hey! I get to WRITE, I get to FLY, and I get to meet FAMOUS people like Backstreet Boys or Take That or Hanson or Brad Pitt or David Beckham! *cue girlish screams*



Nope, not that I dread or dislike doing what I'm doing now. In fact, I enjoy it! But sometimes, I wonder how would things have turned out if I had gone after these interests. Would the interests be sustained in the long run? Of would it fizzle and die out? Because of the interest inside, would I be someone phenomenal and skilled in the craft? Or would I be just good enough to get by and make ends meet? Would these interests be practical? Or would I have, one day, regret the choice? Would I - someday - be a phenomenal and skilled chef, hairstylist, or writer? Or would these interests be good enough just as hobbies or pastimes, but not as a career?



Geez! Which-came-first-chicken-or-egg questions!