when we landed at heathrow a couple of days ago, i realised i don't know when i'll next be back in sg. the mister makes the odd foray to 'the far east' for work every now and again, but whenever i go, it's purely personal. i guess it's about time this endless summer draws to a close, seeing how it's my 6th (!!!) 3-4 month summer break. having spent at least 18 months on holiday (not counting the 8 month break before starting undergrad!) it's high time i start being more productive. i've heard from more than one acquaintance that i'm 'always on holiday' and have a hard time convincing them that i only travel during term breaks, or over the weekend. much as i wish i had thick-skin and wasn't affected by the subtext ("...and therefore you don't work hard enough") i am sometimes bothered by the presumption.
medsch is something i take very seriously but don't see the point in making a big show about how much work i do, or not. if i was solely a childless housewife, dropping everything to care for my able-bodied spouse and twiddling my thumbs while he's at work, fine. go ahead and judge. in fact, i'd even join you! but who's to say i can't have my cake and eat it, doing all the housewifely things while being in medsch. i'm trying not to morph into a pinterest wife, taking photos of the dishes i cook and tidy state of our tiny flat, but it is something i take pride in. i want to be a great many things - interior designer, cook, handywoman, tailor, herb grower etc summer gives me the luxury of time to do all that.
been going a little nuts with my herb garden (said tiny flat has a tinier window ledge where my pots reside) and been harvesting chillis for oil, jam, flakes and basil for pesto. i note with more than a hint of pride that my sister asked quite disbelievingly, "are you a doctor or a gardener?!" and while i'm neither, i find multi-faceted people interesting. being in london, with it's exorbitant labour costs has turned me into a handywoman out of necessity. shant bore you with the mundane details but the mister and i have basically had to do almost every fix-it thing around the flat, to save ourselves the GBP80 call out fee if we had called a plumber / electrician. lest you think we're naturally inclined, no. it's all trial and error and grace of God. alterations cost an arm and a leg (neighbourhood tailor quoted GBP25 to shorten my GBP10 h&m maxi!!!) and the plight of being 1.6m (don't laugh) is that i've been altering all my clothes myself. youtube is a godsend to the sartorially-challenged! singaporeans who complain don't know how lucky they are with domestic help a'plenty and cheap labour.
however, i miss the intellectual stimulation that uni provides and no number of books i read makes up for its lack. looking forward to clinicals (finally!) and enjoying the process. it's funny how people assume i'm in a hurry to graduate (different set of people from those who think i don't ever want to work) when the truth is, i'm blessed to be in a good place and taking things as them come. too often we rush through life, hurtling towards the next step and miss enjoying each stage for what it is. it's been a good summer, and we've been very lucky to travel as much as we had. from paris and barca in june, to bruges in july, and then singers, phuket and soon norway in august.
and while i said i'm trying not to be a pinterest wife, here's the chilli oil from our first harvest!
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