I was given two weeks of medical leave because of chicken pox. It was the only blessing from having chicken pox. I had plenty of time to catch up on things I’d always longed to do but did not have the time.
1) Watch dramas 🙂
I’m so happy to have caught the highly raved Sherlock series. It was so good! I love the wit portrayed in Sherlock. Despite the initial dreadful phase of chicken pox – unbearable itch, soreness in the body, lethargy and sore throat, Sherlock gave me the strength to survive by providing the much needed distraction and entertainment.
Another korean drama which I had watched was… Blood. What drew me to the drama was it was on vampires. I sense I’m being judged. Not a ardent fan of twilight series but I watched all the movies. I’m intrigued but not die-hard fanatic. OH DEAR… Why does it sound like a feeble attempt to defend myself?
I’m watching this now – Kill Me, Heal Me. It is mind-blowing. It touches on a raw topic – mental illness. The lead protagonist, portrayed by Ji Sung, is a rich heir with multiple personalities disorders. Five? Six inclusive of the main personality. I thought the drama was quite a refreshing take on mental illness. Both of male and female leads have very good on-screen chemistry. To top it off, the drama has quite a good looking cast.
Concurrent to watching the above, I’m watching this too – Who are you? School 2015. Essentially a teenage flick. I sense I’m being judged again. But it brings nostalgia to my teenage/high school days. Of course, my past wasn’t as colourful/dramatic as portrayed in the show. Never encountered any bully and wasn’t one myself. 😛
2) Learn Languages, Increase Knowledge
I took one module of basic French in university but have since returned everything I had learnt to the teacher. French, to me, is a difficult but romantic language. I could never get the pronunciation right, not without the lack of trying. I am lcuky to have come across Duolingo, a free website with many fun exercises suitable for anyone to learn a language. It’s amazing! I love it! Now, i know that baguette is masculine and pronounced as bar-get, not bar-gwet. I hope I will reach a stage where i can order at a French restaurant with aplomb.
A couple of months back, i had bought a Korean textbook on a whim but did not get down to study it seriously. I adore Korean dramas and variety shows. I hope to be able to go on a solo trip before i turn 30 which is 4 years from now.I would love to visit S. Korea for my solo trip. Call me disillusioned but I want to experience being alone. I want to learn to embrace solitude. I want to know what it’s like to navigate a foreign country on my own and discover how i am going to survive it. Learning Korean, i thought, would make things easier.
3) Planning my London itinerary
I’ll be heading to London this Oct. *Squeals* Since, i have so much time to spare, must as well make use of it to plan my London itinerary. Besides London, i’ll be heading to Iceland too. I’m SO SO SO looking forward. *happy dance*
4) Catch up on reading
I have a stack of books/time magazines which i’ve yet to read. When would be a more opportune time to catch up on some reading but now? I’m reading a very interesting and insightful book – The Power of Habit. Habit is malleable if you know how to. But, that doesn’t mean that it’s easy to change one’s habit. Commitment is still the key to achieving anything.
5) Reflections
During this entire recovery from chicken pox, I’ve been blessed with the time to think things through. Recently, I’ve felt that I had fell out of love with my job. Many times, I’ve asked myself asking whether I had made the correct choice, forgoing a career in the science industry by choosing public service instead. I’m glad to realise that I did not regret my choice. I’m still committed to making a positive and meaningful impact, which was what triggered me to join the public sector in the first place. I did not fall out of love of my job. Rather, i was too caught up with the daily grind and other less than pleasant matters like being sucked into my insecurities. I guess, I’m not attuned to the culture of the workplace I’m currently in. And recently, i felt that I’m not doing things to value add. Rather than plod along the slump, I think it would be better for me to leave and search for a place which i could adapt better. The adrenaline which comes along with a new job might be the rejuvenating factor which I’m lacking of.
This is a summary of what I’ve been up to for the past 2 weeks. Next Monday, I’ll be back to the grind. HAHA!
The Obsolete Scientist 