I think that if an Aussie Dollar were donated every time I was asked that (^) question and smoothly maneuvered it , we'd be saving the lives of many kangaroos and koalas rn. -.-
[Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-50971879]
--Truly devastating start to the year.
You see . Like most 25 year old asian
I decided to do the unthinkable. I decided to take a break. *pause* *gulp*.
Life since being an 18 year old clutz who was navigating her way through A -levels has been a streak of hustling. I always knew that a career would be at the finishing line of this 7 year journey, but I did not expect to feel such chaos, to be so divided-- when the time came to commit to being a lawyer. I've been made to feel, in many ways, that choice is not a luxury afforded for people like me. That if I dared dream of pursuing anything else apart from a lawyer as a career, I was either ungrateful or doomed to fail. I was made to feel that a job serves one purpose, to make an income to pay the bills and give back. You know, like a cash cow.
(Fuck things like a work-life-balance, how far it is from home, whether you enjoy learning from the job, whether you see a career progression, whether you have the energy to invest in things which make you feel alive like meeting your friends, learning a language, working out, or watching a beautiful sunset, right?)
"Studied to be a lawyer right, so look for job in a firm la."
The thing is, in the I have also expressed, in many ways, that I did not think I was a right fit for practice. Not because of practice. I have the highest of regards for the legal profession. The first reason is a largely curable one. I felt burnt out. Like I did not invest time in myself doing other things I love. I only followed some sort of a checklist, an academic plan. I was not at peace with myself. But to cure this would have taken a complete time-out of all responsibility and accountability. One which I am glad I took.
"So, actually, why were you burnt out, ah?"
A. COMMUTING
During my chambering period, I took the public transport. Let me give you an idea of what that is like.
20 min drive by dad (now retired) to a train station + 30 min LRT ride to Plaza Rakyat + 20 min MRT ride to Pusat Bandar Damansara + 10 min Feeder bus to Plaza Damansara + 1 min walk to office.
WHY did I do this?
Pros:
1. I have a phobia of getting into an accident.
2. I also suffered from random pangs of anxiety, and I would not have known what to do if I got a panic attack in the midst of a traffic jam.
3. I saw it as an eco-friendly option, and it allows me to chill in the air-conditioned train and listen to music.
4. I did not have to spend on parking, toll or petrol which served me well much later (i.e now when I accumulated a large amount of savings)
Cons:
Being small sized, mornings would be like standing under a roof of tall people's arms, in a packed train. I swear there was this one time someone puked mid-standing , and I was still 4 stations away, and getting off to take another one would have made me very late-- it was the most uncomfortable train-ride in my life. Sometimes, even though you're just commuting, it can be an exhausting process especially after a long day when all you want to do is get some rest ASAP. Leaving early did not mean reaching home early, so I'd have to eat out for dinner (cause I got hungry a lot). It made me feel handicapped to not be able to get myself to places. But I still thought the pros outweighed the drawbacks.
This was the grind practically everyday, to and fro, unless I had to stay on in the night , then my dad would pick me up. I felt bad for needing to still depend on him. But I am sure others have worse problems.
B) FEELINGS OF INCOMPETENCE
Throughout my studies, I was lucky enough to get good grades. I think this was largely due to the fact that academic exams give you a period of time to learn something and WRITE your answers down in a fixed time. It took a lot of pressure off making instantaneous decisions. A-grade exam papers did not necessarily translate to A-grade lawyers. I found myself stumbling in matters of procedure. I did not have a lot of things I should have at the tips of my fingers.
Of course one could say this is just the beginning and you're bound to make mistakes but sometimes these mistakes were costly. I felt like apart from repetitive drafting work, I did not have much potential. I felt like I should have taken CLP more seriously. I felt like I was disappointing my bosses. But it was never their job to mollycoddle me. In fact, I appreciate the high standards I was held accountable to.
But at one point, I felt out of touch, I fell out of love with what I was doing because these mistakes I were making were telling me that I was not doing something I love. Because when you love something, and when you put your passion into it, you still feel a sense of wanting to go back no matter how many times you feel punched down. That was missing for me.
C) A LACK OF SUPPORT AND RESEARCH ON ALTERNATIVE CAREER PATHS.
Don't get me wrong. My parents were very supportive of my pursuits, but any mention of a career outside a lawyer was met with so much criticism that I did not entertain that idea that much. My view was that a law degree is a diverse and valuable one, which opens the door to so many fields. It was the reason I chose this degree in the first place. I was very keen on exploring a career as a Diplomat. I also felt that, this is the exact reason that you pursue tertiary education, it gives you some sort of bargaining power in the job market and you don't HAVE to settle for any scraps that come your way, or the first company who is willing to pay anything. Beggars cannot be choosers, they say, but I certainly would not call myself a beggar.
At the end of the day, this is not a blame game. Maybe I was in control of a lot more than I gave myself credit for. All I know is, at that time , I was not myself. I was not happy. It was spilling over onto all other interactions and subtle aspects of my life. Fast forward to end of August .
***
In a hyper-shortened recap of things;
As part of an office trip, in no particular order :-
The force of the wind blowing trough my hair on the cliffs of Bali, eating fresh seafood by Jimbaran beach amidst the beautiful Balinese sunset, blue waters, a window seat in the airplane, experimenting with local cuisine and laughing with the best roommates. Oh, and how could I forget getting ripped off over some bangles I got as souvenirs .
As part of a birthday weekend getaway:- I basked in the sands of Port Dickson beach with mom and dad. There's a mini home-video about it !
I embraced the peace of the recently named senior citizen friendly Taiping city ;
When I turned 24, I visited one of the most luxurious bars I've had the pleasure of coming across *cough* Vogue *cough* and had lunch in a pretty cafe;
I signed up for a malayalam class.
I started watching good movies and really paying attention to its screenwriting, dialogue, scenes.
I started watching good shows, the ones that leave you a little less dumb after. (Patriot Act ftw)
I started writing songs and journaling a little more.
I started listening to meditation podcasts to fall asleep.
I spent a lot of time with my cats.
I started jogging whenever I could.
I tried an aerial yoga class.
I tried a fly-cycle class. (TEN OUTTA TEN WOULD RECOMMEND)
I tried to make some banana pancakes and falafels, and whatever random curries my mom was in the mood to teach;
I tried to socialise--met some new faces (and old ones).
I bonded with my inner circle over a staycation, in the heart of KL. (and dropped monopoly money into the toilet)
I spent more time with family.
I took the time to take in beautiful sunsets and rainbows, even if it were just in front of my house.
Of course, throughout this time, job applications were in the mix too, ...but good things take time I guess?
"So, was this all, worth it ah? if ultimately you're still unemployed?"
My final answer is , YES. With a capital 'yeargh'.
1. I learned more about self love in the past 5 months than I did in the past 25 years.
2. I did not ask anyone for any money, surviving off my own accumulated savings, while still paying off my PTPTN and phone/Netflix bills.
3. So really, if any boomer tries to make me feel lesser for choosing the choices I did, all I have to say is that, our end goals differ, and it takes a sub-human level of strength to not succumb to the Asian-parent guilt and choose YOUR version of happiness.
4. Because guess what, I am not a cash cow. And guess what, I found that keeping everyone else in my life happy and content made me the most miserable. So this is me choosing me, being kinder with myself, having more patience and forgiveness with my ownself for once.
5. My views on not practicing have since changed, and I am now open to trying anything once, because everything is a learning experience, and because I am now recharged.
Disclaimer: Please understand that growth is a continuous process, and so is perception. These are my thoughts as of now.
***