Yesterday I watched this youtube video on how an artisan salt water taffy maker in Brooklyn found her calling after working in film production for slightly over a decade before becoming an entrepreneur; She chose candy making as it was something that she was doing as a hobby in Grade 6, which is something that I really connected with.

It’s sad because as children, when people ask what we want to do once we grow up, we usually say the first thing that comes to mind, like a candy-man (or woman),  astronaut, tennis pro etc. Often times, these ideas get swept aside as we grow up given that society does not view these roles as realistic dreams or “real jobs” with steady and (hopefully) handsome paycheques; Somehow working at a desk, generating reports that get filed somewhere counts as “proper careers”.

Watching videos of ppl who have succeeded in their field of choice, the age-old saying of “Do what you love, and you’ll never work another day in your life” seems to often comes up. At the same time, ppl who don’t love their jobs tend to say, “maybe I just haven’t found what I’m passionate about” or feel bogged down by familial/consumerist needs to settle for a well-paying job despite not actually enjoying the work they do.

When Jun (my Korean-Canadian bf and apartment-mate) recently asked me, “Is there anything in this world that you would do for free?” (and no, watching anime or trying new foods does not count), my immediate response was obviously (1) baking, followed by, (2) gardening since I can spend hours puttering around my house plants, (3) cat-sitting because I am a crazy cat lady at heart, and (4) writing, which is something I was already doing on and off when the mood happens to strike.

I recall in primary school, my most favourite period was English composition writing during which we would be given an hour or so to write a mini essay (usually based off a scenario or theme). I find that reflecting back on the past really helps you figure out who you are as a person. It’s almost as if your younger self had been pointing you in the right direction all along but somehow you might have been pushed off course by all the extraneous noise.

And so, I decided to stop putting off creating this blog (was previously writing on a Google docs file), do some quick googling and set this baby up.