It has been a month since I left the cubic farm. Career break, career change, or whatever you call it.
‘Only a month?’ sometimes I think, and sometimes I shout ‘A month, already?’
It’s all about relativity. Either way, yes, it has been a month. It felt so short because all the great things happened to me on this trip so far. At the same time, it felt longer because of all the problems I had, and I’m having, with reality that people want me to live.
It has been a great month. I left to the US a week after I got out of the work. One week before I leave, it was not a great time but recent three weeks, it was really important and happy transition times for me. Thinking as a teasers of my upcoming life.
I don’t want to be sound negative. Good or bad, it was my choice to jump into the cubicle, and I lose some, and win some, just like any other choices in life. Here are things that I don’t really want back into my life, so alternated, and enjoying at the moment.
Do you agree with me?
Hot breeze rather than Over-conditioned air
I don’t do well with air-conditioning system. Well I like my atmosphere around me be conditioned but seems like a lot of places including work place are focusing on over cooling. Id rather having hot air than freezing cold indoor air.
One afternoon while I was working on my blog in a local bookstore, they said their air conditioning system was broken. It was really a humid day; secretly I wished they fixed it quickly. But during the few hours, sitting by the door where hot humid air was blowing in, sweating through my shirts, I felt weirdly good. It was certainly unpleasant in some way but
I felt healthy and happy.
Cheap T-shirts rather than Expensive and Non-breathable fabrics
Suit, tie and high-heel shoes are neat. Sometimes it’s necessary and it feels good to be all dressed up. However it’s not a good idea for someone who is sitting in front of the desk for 12hours a day in the office with no open windows. It’s just not natural. Please, they you don’t need to have meetings every single day, let them be comfortable. Well, it’s not my problem anymore though.
Now I’m back to myself, wearing jeans and sneakers. Don’t get me wrong. Saying that I’m happy to not wearing suit every day, it doesn’t mean that I’m wearing something extreme. My feet appreciated the liberty and my skin is better without synthetic fabrics wrapped around the body.
Home cooked meal rather than 15 minutes lunch in cafeteria
Lunch break was one hour. Few choices – eat cheap and low quality cafeteria food for 15 minutes, or go out to local restaurants for expensive and have appropriate meal for an hour. Whichever it is, it’s hard to enjoy the lunchtime. Almost everyday I choose a cafeteria option. Because I could eat fast and do whatever I’d like to do in the spare time. But really, didn’t like the fact that I couldn’t enjoy the food.
I enjoy food. Cooking is another activities I like. Now, I have home cooked meals every day, and sometimes make something funky out of ingredients I have. The process of cooking, I enjoy very much. Food doesn’t have to be superliciously delicious. What I enjoy, that’s the important thing.
More colours rather than black and white dress code
My formal work place had really a strict dress code. Though that doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone is strictly following the rule. Mostly the rules is based on workers should wear black and white in suit, and bright colour is not acceptable. I quite didn’t understand the code, why people shouldn’t wear something pretty, but okay as you wish.
One time, I got called because I was wearing a red trench coat to work. The message was clear, don’t wear something noticeable. No, I’m not joking.
I like to wear bright colour clothes. Big earrings and bracelets. It’s one way to remember my travels. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Now I wear my magenta t-shirts with Angkor Wat on it. That’s my dress code now.
Living rather than Dreaming
I remember sometime early this year I thought, ‘I’m tired of dreaming.’ It could be interpreted in two ways. A) Stop picturing something cannot happen, just focus on your current life. B) Stop dreaming, just do. Which way you would choose?
Obviously, I choose the answer B). I consider myself as a do-er. I didn’t want to quit dreaming. But I didn’t want to sit around and satisfied my not-so-pleasant current life and try not to think about better life. I knew I wanted more. Instead of thinking about Austria Ski Holiday and sipping imported beer from Austria at Austrian restaurant, I could just be on the plane to Austria. So I did, (not to Austria) I took the steps towards to my dream. It was hard. Lots of friends supported my decision, but it was a hard process, to go against the grain.
This is my life. Not jealous about somebody else’s, daydreaming about perfect places to be, now I’m living my life. I’m making my life as my dream.
That is the best part.
