Visual Diary: Grace

September 11th. Can you believe it's already 12 years since the 9/11 attacks? Twelve years since I was a kid, staring at the television in my living room back in Malaysia at the scene of the plane crashing into those twin towers played on repeat. How horrifying it must've been. Horrifying isn't even sufficient enough of a word to describe what it must've been like for those people. It was a day that changed everything forever. Even as an eleven year old kid, I remember thinking, how odd it was to have seen explosions and crashes and disasters in movies, but to actually see it on the same screen, but knowing it is real, man, it was... it was unreal. But of course, to a lot of people, it was very real. Still is, I'm sure. How many people had friends, relatives, loved ones torn from them... my heart and prayers go out to you all. And may you always pray and remember your loved ones, and pray that they are in a better world than the one we are in right now. 

September 11th also has another significance, albeit of course a much much smaller one. Exactly two months today, I will be going through my last day of university. Most likely doing last minute cramming for the exam that I will be sitting in the afternoon. Minutes prior to the exam I will probably munch on some chocolate to calm my nerves and to fuel my brain. Then the two (or is it three?) hours of suspense and intense writing will probably pass way too quickly and before we know it, the examiner will call out, 'Time's up! Pens down!'. Then, my classmates and I will grin at each other. That kinda grin that says it all. We're free! It's over! One year of endless assignments, of learning to decipher our little Algerian lecturer's accent, of ripping our hairs out trying to figure out how to do those mass and energy balance calculations. One long year. Over. And then, now what? 

It's a question that's been on my mind for many many months now. Even before I enrolled in this postgraduate course. Even after enrolling, I wasn't sure if I wanted to do it. But I did, because I didn't know what else to do. And i'm sure, a lot of young people feel the same way as I do, we're unsure of what to do, so we study. Actually, I know what I should do. I should further my studies and do Masters. After all, that was the reason why I did this course in the first place right? To pave a way for my Master's degree. But then, that's two extra years of my life. Is it really worth it? Like most bakers out there, I crave to have my own establishment, to make a career out of food. And the thought of spending another two years behind my laptop, with my mind wrapped up in essays and thesis and what not, seems so confining. Yea, I know, it should be the opposite. It should open up doors for my future. But... maybe it's just lazy me talking haha. Anyway, I'm sure I'll figure out something. This course hasn't exactly been what I expected, some good, some bad, but hey, that's life! I'm sure whatever I do over the next few years will be good for my future. Sacrifices must be made huh? 

Anyway, sorry but no recipes today! I have tonnes of photos just sitting idle in my hard-drive, so I thought I should start a new series, my Visual Diary, featuring these random shots I took of this beautiful city I live in. In the wake of war and disasters around the world, these sceneries remind me of just how lucky I am to live in this evergreen country.