Returning from a mentally and physically exhausting trip in Europe, I had some time adjusting back to routine life. Well, depending on what's routine, since I had always been sleeping with a European biological clock ticking inside. Having classes ONLY in the evenings/nights only encourages this habit. Some things will need a major “excuse” before change comes.
The previous weekend saw me making a trip to Ipoh. On both journeys to and fro, my mind was awake and actively drafting out plans of the future. Seven years before I hit the big 3, the age to start growing roots.
Nights are spent on surfing around the internet to build on my future plans. I searched around for scholarships to fulfill my dream of studying abroad. I looked around for bridges to cross over to an international career. I’ve bought books on Africa traveling, as a preparation for a period of voluntary work and travel in that continent. I listed down areas of self-learning I wanted to engross in this semester. I checked on the list of "10 things I wanted to do before I graduated". Thankfully I could make a proud tick on some of them(i.e. the crazy cycling trip). Now, the earthy goat in me needed a fool proof plan to skip/hike/toil/slog to the top, one with all risk and opportunity cost calculated to the details.
I reviewed my list of things to do in life. In the process, I begin worrying about building those castles on the clouds, and as ambitious as they are, I knew I needed to lay down the foundations NOW. But first, I need to find the right kind of residents to appreciate that home in la-la land. Then find the right cloud. At the same time, I need to pick up the skills required for "cloud-castling".
So then comes the main "theme" of my mumblings here. As plans on "cloud-castling" crept in, images of the beautiful Alps, camels in the dessert and tropical forests started fading. It’s not a priority anymore, not the source of motivation. Instead, dreams of creating that castle to call my own become more relevant.
Perhaps this is post-extreme backpacking syndrome. Perhaps I have seen a Duomo too many. Perhaps it's just the old hag in me nagging and I will wake up tomorrow morning eagerly drafting out a crazy travel plan. Perhaps the cup of tea has been sipped (and gulped down) too often, and I’m not so thirsty anymore.
Well, perhaps I just need an orange juice for now :)
