What is romantic love?

What is romantic love? Is it something that can be attained by virtue of being close to another person for an extended period of time? Or does it involve instances of feeling a fluttering feeling within your heart?

Reaching a degree of compatibility These days, it seems a lot of people are in relationships. The reason they are in relationships is because things generally work with their other half. You share some common interests. There are some people who, as hard as you try, you're not able to become friends with because the conversations do not flow naturally. Couples work because they are able to communicate with eachother with relative ease.

And so you begin spending more time with that other person. By doing this, you share common experiences and pick up eachother's habits. This gives you even more opportunity to communicate with your partner. This leads to spending more time with them. This cycle continues. As time goes by, each member of the couple forms a dependency on the other.

Let's say you get along with your partner. Things are alright, you have the odd argument from time to time. You don't like everything about your partner. But you are able to get along with eachother.

So a degree of compatibility is reached. You are compatible to an extent that you can form a relationship. As I mentioned before, many people are in relationships. So are most these people in relationships in love?

Magic Now picture this situation. You are with someone else. There is something about them - the way they talk, the things they talk about, their behaviour, whatever it is, creates a giddy feeling in your heart; your heart flutters, melts, or beats in a strange way. This feeling may cause tears to well up in your eyes. Also, I'd like to point out that this is not a temporary feeling you get when you first meet them. It continues through years and years.

You feel as though this person knows you so well. You are completely comfortable with this person, able to share all your secrets and thoughts with them.

There are more ups and downs with this person than the one discussed above. You experience more conflicts and differences. You identify many more flaws and personality incompatibilities with this person than the one above. These negative factors strain the relationship considerably.

Does this special feeling within your heart mean it is love? Or is this thinking too simple and immature?

Situation 1 versus situation 2 Although being near someone for an extensive period may cause you to believe it's love, in reality it is feelings of attachment and familiarity. If the relationship has been going on for more than a year and the heart-fluttering sensation has not occured, it is not possible that this will happen out of the blue one day. The feelings of closeness may gradually turn into love and care in time. However, for the most part, people tend to find someone they are compatible with and settle for that. Therefore, most people are not in love. They are content for the present moment. The positive though, is the stability that comes from this kind of relationship.

Some people may think the second situation is shallow and overly simple. But how many people do you meet that can make your heart melt? This occurrence is very rare. You could meet 10 people you are compatible with to an extent that a relationship can be formed out of it. But out of those 10 people, it is most probable that not one of them can cause a reaction in your heart. When you meet someone in the second category, you will know it is completely different to all other relationships.

Uncertainties I question whether there is a clear distinction of what is love, as I previously described, or whether there are varying degrees of compatibility and once a level is reached, that is called love. It may be there is a scale of compatibility. Everyone you form a romantic relationship with is on the scale. It is when someone is on the higher end of compatibility to you, that becomes "love".

For now, I believe in a clear distinction. When you get a unique, out-of-the ordinary feeling different to other feelings you have had, you will know it is love.

Crochet Lola

My first crochet project! Lola the old biddie. She's approx 30cm tall.


Pattern is free: http://www.lionbrand.com/ - sign up for free and do a search for 'Crochet Lola' (the name of the pattern)

Hanging basket

I went to Canberra for the annual Floriade show. It's the biggest flower show in the Southern Hemisphere and I love flowers. Entry was free! There were LOTS of pretty and colourful flowers, most of them tulips. They were meant to be of patterns, one was of two elephants, when you looked at them from an aerial view, but I didn't see the patterns. There were also exhibitors' tents, market-like stalls selling candles, dessert-looking soaps, women's clothing, essence oils etc. There was a circus section with ferris wheel and other rides, and free competitions. One of the competitions was painting ceramic gnomes. Another one was creating hanging baskets from pot plants. I did the hanging basket one and brought it on the plane back to Sydney!

I couldn't believe it was free!! It was really beautiful and I'm glad I went to Canberra for this.

Knitting needle knitting bag

Knitting has become a serious hobby for me. I think I will be knitting for years to come, and I have a lot of knitting needles. For this reason, I thought I would make a bag to put all my knitting things into.

It took around 10 days to make working everyday after work..not bad. The pattern is pretty simple. I used 4 balls of "Prism" yarn by Lincraft. See below for photos.

Free pattern: www.knittingdaily.com/media/p/13978.aspx

Photos:

Knitted bolster

I started knitting a bolster towards the beginnning of August and finished it mid September. Am really happy with the way it has turned out! I have never made a bolster before or sewn on embellishments onto my knitted projects.

The only problem is the border around the edges of the bolster - where the start of the border meets the end, I had trouble making them connect smoothly to make it look like there were no breaks.

I used 6 balls of Paton's Zhivago Home yarn. It was quite lucky too, when I had finished, there was around 50cm of the yarn remaining! Here are the photos and the pattern:

Pattern: Knitted Bolster

Materials

6 balls Paton's Zhivago Home (I used a white/creamy colour)

1 pair 5mm (UK 6; USA 8) needles

1 5mm circular needle

1 wool needle

Sewing pins

70cm x 80cm Plain white fabric

Stuffing

Measurements:

70cm length x 40cm circumference
Tension: 16 sts x 23rows = 10cm (5mm needles)

Body:

Use 5mm needles:
CO 72 sts
Row 1: *K8, P8* repeat until last 8 sts, K8.

Row 2:*P8, K8* repeat until last 8 sts, P8.

Repeat last 2 rows until there is a total of 10 rows.

Row 11: *P8, K8* repeat until last 8 sts, P8
Row 12: *K8, P8* repeat until last 8 sts, K8.

Repeat last 2 rows until there is a total of 10 rows.

Repeat the entire pattern worked so far until work measures 40-45cm,ending on either the 10th or 20th row pattern.

Cast off.

Bolster ends (make 2)

Using 5mm circular needles and the "magic circle" technique (search on youtube for how to do this):

CO 100 sts.

Round 1: Knit

Round 2: Knit
Round 3: *K8, K2tog* repeat until end

Round 4: Knit

Round 5: *K7, K2tog* repeat until end

Round 6: Knit

Round 7: *K6, K2tog* repeat until end

Round 8: Knit

Round 9: *K5, K2tog* repeat until end

Round 10: Knit

...Follow this pattern (decrese knitting 1 st on each odd row) until 10 sts remain

Divide the sts on the needles so that 1 end of the circular needles has 6 sts, and the other end has 4 sts

K2 tog until end (5sts remain)

Break off yarn

Use a wool needle and thread yarn through all 5 remaining sts. Remove sts from needles, draw yarn into the wrong side and tie a knot.

Embellishments:

S-shaped patterns on body:

CO 3 sts.

Make 8 x 20cm lengths of I-cords.

Pin 4 of these on each end of the body in a S-shaped scroll pattern, spaced evenly and using the pattern on the bolster as a guide (see photo below - pin sides to where the second set of "square pattern" motif ends)

Using a wool needle, sew the S-shaped pattern on bolster.

Twisted band on bolster ends:

CO 3 sts.

Make 4 x 40cm lengths of I-cords.

Using 2 I-cords on each end of the bolster, twist them together and pin down on each end of the body (see photo below)

Using a wool needle, sew on lengths of I-cord.

Winding circlular pattern on bolster ends:

CO 3 sts and make 2 x 40cm lengths of I-cords.

Wind length of I-cord on each end of right side of bolster in a circular fashion, starting from the middle (see photo below) and pin down

Using a wool needle, sew on I-cord.

Tassels on ends:

Make 2 tassels, leaving a long tail.

Using wool needle, thread 2 tail ends into the middle of the winding circular pattern sewn on bolster ends.

Tie a knot on wrong side.

Repeat for other end.

Sew main bolster material together, ensuring the patterns on the joint match up to eachother.

Sew 1 end onto the bolster.

Bolster insert:

Cut out piece of fabric slightly larger (around 3cm) than bolster.

Sew into bolster shape and stuff.

Insert into bolster.

Sew remaining end onto bolster.

Lucid dreams

Controlling the subject of your dreams is a surreal experience and unique ability. I have experienced this in the past and have been fascinated by this as I didn't think it was possible.

I lie in bed thinking about a particular subject, and when I fall asleep, my thoughts turn into a dream that is directly continuous from my thoughts (there are no breaks or disjointed parts from when it turns from thoughts into a dream). This happens maybe once every 2 months. When I wake up, I remember these dreams exactly as they occur. However, given the fact that humans dream every night, I have trouble remembering most my dreams.

The night before last night, I had brought my knitting on a holiday. I wrote down the pattern on a small piece of paper and packed it into my luggage, but when I started knitting that night, I was unable to find the piece of paper, having looked through all my luggage. That night in bed, I kept wondering where the piece of paper could be. Strangely enough, I had a dream of myself going through my handbag, and a particular plastic bag inside my large luggage bag. The dream ended when I found the piece of paper.

The next morning, I searched through the bags I had dreamt of. Surprisingly, I found the piece of paper! I must admit I was a little scared by my ability to dream of this and have it happen in real life, but nonetheless I was pleased I had found it.

This morning I was thinking of the perfect location for my wedding, piqued by a holiday magazine featuring tropical destinations for couples. I remembered a year ago when I was doing research on possible holiday destinations, I had come across a hotel site with a photo of the place I had envisaged to hold my reception at. All morning and afternoon, I wanted to find the photo. I searched various hotel sites across worldwide locations but to no avail. Immediately after, I had a nap. While I was waiting to fall asleep, I tried extremely hard to remember what site I had found the photo on. During my nap, I experienced myself on my laptop and going to a hotel site, seeing that the chain had 2 hotels in the Maldives, and looking at their pictures. My dream photo was not there. Then, I navigated to a particular hotel site and clicked on their list of worldwide hotel locations. A new screen opened with the cities, and I clicked on a particular city. Sure enough, viewing the photos on that page, I had found the photo I had been looking for.

I woke up immediately after and went to my laptop. I did everything in the latter part of my dream. The pages were exactly the same as what I had dreamt. I found my dream wedding reception on that page!! I was completely shocked. Although I was pleased in finding it, I was and still am scared and shocked at what I have done. How could I not only controlled the subject of my dreams, but used them to find what I couldn't find consciously? Also, how did I dream of the exact layout of the webpage that I had last viewed a year ago?

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I am a bit scared of myself :S

First week of work

As you may recall, last week I was dreading having to start work, because of the monotonous tasks that lay ahead. Surprisingly, work hasn't been that bad at all! The firm specialises in wide areas of law, and this week I've been working on a few of the areas.

It hasn't been all admin tasks..I have done some filing and faxing, however, a lot of the work was legal. On my first day, a solicitor asked me to attend a property settlement, acting for the purchasers, by myself! Talk about being thrown in the deep end; I was overwhelmed but it was interesting and relevant to my degree. I managed to get it done. I attended another property settlement on Friday.

I've learnt how to file documents in court, and have been preparing court documents and barrister's briefs. All in all it's been a lot more interesting than I had previously thought, and time goes by quickly.

In my last post, I mentioned applying for positions at legal centres. I received a call from one on Monday, and went to the interview on Tuesday during my lunch break. I was successful, and only had Wednesday to make my decision. My dilemma was that I enjoyed what I was doing now, the work is varied, time goes by fast, and I was actually doing tasks that helped people; on the other hand the legal centre is a lot more relaxed, the hours are shorter (by 1 hour), and I would have a 1hr lunch break as opposed to half an hour. The legal centre specialises in one area, and I thought I might be limited in terms of learning.

I sought advice from friends and family but they felt the decision lay with me. I didn't take the position; I didn't want to risk a position that was a lot better than my expectations for the unknown.

I went indoor rock climbing on Wednesday night - this is not a bright idea in your first week of work when you are exhausted just from being at work. My arms felt like jelly by the end of a few walls. I climbed half as many walls as I would have on a weekend.

The cake I made for Father's Day turned out well! It was gone within two days. I baked a mudcake yesterday and am yet to taste it! I've been told that the Father's Day cake was better than this one.

Yesterday, I also went to my first Zumba class! It's enjoyable, the movements are easy to pick up, and it's freestyle in the sense that people do variations of the moves, so as long as you move in time with the music, you won't look like an idiot.

I also went out to dinner with some friends, 2 of whom I hadn't seen in a year! It was good to catch up.

End of one chapter, start of a new chapter

A lot has happened since I last blogged. I had my final set of exams this week and finished on Friday - no more studying! (Unless if I decide to start a Masters degree or other study). After 19 years of study, I will be starting full-time work on Monday. I'll finally be a 'normal' working person and it has taken a lot of years of study to get here!

I'm starting work at a private law firm but I am not sure this is what I want. I can already tell it's going to be long hours on end, having to put up with cut-throat attitudes of co-workers and even worse, arrogant behaviour by seniors who will look down on me, starting off by doing monotonous tasks such as photocopying or editing drafts. All this to be at the whim of a few greedy executives at top levels, assisting them to achieve their goal of gaining profitability, the bulk of which goes back to them, in order to satisfy their never-ending materalistic wants. I will arrive home extremely tired, irritated, feeling dirty and grumpy, having no time..is this really the life I want to go into?

In the last two weeks I have been thinking this through, and the answer is no. Community Legal Centres, which help disadvantaged persons in need of legal aid but cannot afford it, appealed far more to me. My time and effort would actually go towards helping those truly in need. The hours would be a lot better, the workplace would understand the meaning of work/life balance, and co-workers would treat each other with respect and dignity. So I applied to a few of these Centres. I attended an interview last week, but unfortunately have not heard back from any of them.

Taking the rest of the year off to go overseas and do some volunteer work was another option. I would gain numerous and varied experiences, from helping the needy, to experiencing a different culture, to learning more about myself without the pressures of life in Sydney. Most of all, this opportunity would allow me to reflect on the person I am now and improve my thinking and relations with others, so that I would become a better person; truly living "life" as it should be. However, the realities of having to earn money in order to live (ironic) and disapproval from parents preclude this.

So for now, a balance has to be acheived. I will have to go to work on Monday, but at the same time if it becomes absolutely unbearable, going overseas to volunteer is what I will do. Unfortunately this balance has to be struck now; I have not yet found a way to truly "live".

Also, on Friday my boyfriend and I broke up. Right after my last assignments were handed in. I went to the apartment and packed everything that belonged to me, it took a good 2 hours. Of course it's painful when you part from someone, and when they ened things, part of the sadness stems from the rejection. I normally take break ups quite badly, but over the years I have matured. I know who I'm looking for, and over the break I realised he wasn't it. My friends and family have been extremely supportive of me. This made packing up, having to see him, and handing back the keys a lot easier. I always though moving out because of a break up would be the hardest thing, but I handled it quite well, by realising it was not going to work. I only cried for 10 minutes after he told me it wasn't going to work out!

I chose to have the talk and move my things on Friday because I had planned to go out with some friends who I'd met through my course, the same night. As I was looking forward to spending time with them after the pressure of exams was lifted, this made things a lot easier. I had a great night, laughed until I cried over a pair of white non-slip kitchen shoes, met Brett Lee and Michael Clarke (famous cricketers), and stayed out for a long time.

On Saturday, I met a friend for coffee, and during coffee I got invited to a dinner party that night. I spent the evening at my friends' apartment overlooking the Harbour Bridge. It was awkward when I stepped in and saw it was 3 couples and..me. Luckily, everyone knew each other and none of them just stayed around their partners. They were great company. I received an unexpected but welcoming call from one of my best friends late that night when I got home, and we chatted for a while.

Today is Father's Day and I plan to make a cake for my dad..I'm not sure what cake yet, I will have to think about that. I'm meeting with a high school friend for shopping and dinner.

So one chapter has ended, but the start of this new chapter has been perfect! I hope that is a sign of good things to come, although I'm not looking forward to work tomorrow. I'll take things one day at a time and see how it goes.

Fruit sponge cake with buttercream

Baking is one of my hobbies, i love it! Especially when the result turns out well. Recently I baked a fruit sponge cake with buttercream. It took me around 4 hours! I'd never made buttercream before this; this step took the longest. Especially when I was using the hand mixer and the cream splattered 20cms outside the bowl, all over the kitchen.. I don't know how to prevent that.

The sponge was springy, cream tasted nice but pity about it losing shape and melting after a while. Overall I was very satisfied with it.

Here is a photo taken from my phone camera, sorry about the quality:



And here is the recipe:

Sponge cakes:

4 eggs at room temperature
130g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp butter
4 tbs water
200g sugar


1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius. Line and grease two 18cm round cake tins. (I didn't have two tins so I made one after the other using the same tin).

2. Separate the eggs. Beat egg yolks.

3. Beat egg whites until frothy, gradually adding sugar. Add egg yolks whilst still beating. Beat until smooth.

4. Sift flour and baking powder. Add to egg mixture. Fold.

5. Heat butter and water on a stove until it comes to the boil. Add to mixture and fold.

6. Transfer mixture to the two baking tins and bake for 20 minutes.

7. Leave on a wire rack to cool.


Prepare the fruit:

1 punnet strawberries
1 punnet blueberries
6 cherries
10-20 large green seedless grapes
1 - 2 tbs sugar


1. Slice the strawberries into half. Place in a bowl and sprinkle sugar. Mix gently, making sure sugar coats strawberries. Set aside.

2. Halve the grapes.


Vanilla Buttercream:

1 cup butter, softened
6 cups icing sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract


1. Mix butter.

2. Add 4 cups of sugar to the mixture.

3. Add the milk and vanilla extract.

4. Beat the mixture using a hand mixer. Add remaining sugar gradually, until icing is a thick consistency. (Taste icing - if it is not sweet enough, add more sugar).


Assembly

Utensils: Piping bag

Cake can be made up to 4 hours prior to serving.

1. When cakes are completely cooled, take 1 cake and slice top carefully until an even surface is formed.

2. Spread 1/3 to 1/2 the buttercream on top of this layer, ensuring cream is not too close to the edges. Layer with a little more than 1/2 the strawberries, and 3/4 blueberries, once again ensuring they are not too close to the edge (the weight of the top layer will force the cream to spread towards the edge). Spread another layer of cream on top of fruit (this is so that the top layer will stick).

3. Spread cream on bottom of the other cake and carefully place the cake on top of the first cake. Spread a thin layer of buttercream on top surface (so the fruit will stick). Pipe remaining icing around edge of cake. Decorate with remaining fruit.

4. Store in fridge for up to 4 hours.


Enjoy!

Knitting pattern: Heart shaped cushion

One of my hobbies is knitting. I started knitting 4 years ago just casually, and I'm still not very good at it! I knit too slowly, and it was only last week that I discovered continential knitting. I'm still trying to get the grasp of it. 

A few weeks ago, I knit two heart-shaped cushions. They make really good decoration for a girly bed. 

I used different yarn for them, and the result was that the red one felt a lot softer and the 'fur' stayed down when the cushion was pressed. The fur on the pink one was more dense and coarse, giving a fluffier look. Here is a closeup of the difference in yarn:  

Here is the pattern for the pink one.

Pink Heart Cushion

Materials:

5 x 50gram balls of boa yarn

5mm needles (use 1 size smaller or larger if gauge is not correct)

Polyester stuffing

Yarn needle

Sewing pins (straight pins)

Measurements:

Width: 37cm
Height: 40cm

Sides (make 2):

Cast on 5 sts.

Work 2 rows St st.

Work 5 rows St st, inc one st at each end of every row until there are 15 sts.

Purl 1 row.

Rep last 6 rows 4 times (55 sts, ending on a purl row).

Cont in St st, inc one st at each end of next and foll rows until there are 63 sts, then foll alt rows until there are 79 sts, ending on a knit row.

Work 5 rows st st, starting with a purl row.

Cont in St st, dec one st at each end of next and foll alt rows until there are 71 sts.

Purl next row, dec at each end (69 sts).

K2tog, K31, cast off 3 sts, knit until last 2 sts, K2tog.

Cont on last 32 sts in St st, starting with a purl row: dec one st at each end of 2nd and foll alt rows until there are 24 sts. 

Purl 1 row. 

CO 2 sts at start of next 8 rows (8sts).

Work 2 rows St st.

CO remaining 8 sts. 

Join yarn on the 32 sts remaining on needle, start with a purl row and dec one st at each end of 2nd and foll alt rows until there are 24 sts.

Purl 1 row.

CO 2 sts at start of next 8 rows (8sts).

Work 2 rows St st.

CO remaining 8 sts.

Make up:

With right sides facing together (wrong sides up), pin rim with sewing pins.

Insert long piece of yarn (length of circumference of heart with extra allowance) through yarn needle and sew. Leave gap to stuff.

Stuff cushion.

Sew remainder.

Happy knitting!

The 8 jogging stereotypes who roam my neighborhood

Two weeks ago, I started jogging everyday, in an effort to keep fit. I haven't done any exercise since high school 5 or 6 years ago so we'll see how long I'm able to keep this up for!

I live in a neighbourhood which is quiet and mostly residential. It is made up of detached two-storey houses and a few parks. I have been observant of the different people I see during my jogs at different times of the day. I came up with a list stereotypes (not everyone falls into one of these categories!):

1. The girl in three-quarter leggings and a headband/sweatband

She can be anywhere from late teens to early 30’s. She wears navy or black three-quarter spandex leggings, a t-shirt or singlet, and has her hair tied back into a ponytail with a thick headband across her forehead. Occasionally, she’ll wear a sweatband and be listening to her ipod as she jogs at a moderate pace.

2. The broad-shouldered guy

This macho man thinks he is all that. He’s aged mid-20’s to late 40’s. Typically, he’s the sweating, panting guy in a white t-shirt and navy shorts who runs past you with a huge wave of overconfidence. He’s always listening to his ipod and looks like he loves to show off the white cords of his earphones as well as his endurance. As much as he loves to think he's fit, his attitude and looks are not so attractive.

3. The dog-walker

These people are dressed in baggy and thick clothes and sometimes a beanie. They wear long pants and a pullover, but match this warm outfit with thongs. Holding a leash with an overexcited dog on the end, these people stroll about in a casual and lazy manner. It’s as if they don’t want to be out but have been forced to because they have a dog.

4. The older couple

This couple can be anywhere from late 30’s to 80’s. They’re both dressed in matching and often inappropriate and unfashionable gear, for example both are in oversized windbreaker jackets or woollen jumpers. The tops don’t match the bottoms. When I say couple, I don’t mean necessarily husband and wife; sometimes its two older female friends, or even a mother and a son. This couple never jogs but prefers to stroll and chat, pointing out things they pass and staring at passers-by.

5. The older man

This person is an older version of the Broad-shouldered guy described above. He’s in his 50’s to 60’s, is balding or has thin grey hair. He’s wearing the same white t-shirt and dark coloured shorts, and still listening to his ipod. He’s still able to run at quite an impressive speed.

6. The men who hang around in their front yards

By this I mean the men who are standing or kneeling in their front yards looking busy. They are either hosing or scrubbing their four-wheel drives, trimming their prized plants in the front lawn, or collecting the mail. And there’s the proud but content man standing on his driveway with a grin on his face, body outstretched and hands on his hips, looking at nothing in particular. He’ll say hi to everyone who passes by.

7. The busy mum

In the afternoon I’ll see busy mums getting out of their cars parked in the garage, slamming their car doors and fiddling with schoolbags and door keys whilst trying to gain verbal control over a few kids who are running around shouting to each other, adding to the chaos.

8. The high school kid on his way home

He has a skinny frame, elongated by his grey slacks and fitted jumper worn on top of a collared shirt and tie. He carries an oversized school bag. He drags his feet slowly across the concrete, has his hands in his pockets and his head dipped down, looking as though he finds no excitement in anything in the imminent future.

The First day of the rest of my Life

I am a 23 year old girl, living in Sydney. I am going through a major change, and need some form of release where I can express and reflect on my thoughts. I hope this blog will be that place.

Now to explain the changes I'm going through, where do I begin? I finished studying a double degree in Commerce and Law at the end of last year, and unlike my colleagues who all seemed to have their careers planned out, I had no direction at all. I'm not attracted to a corporate lifestyle where my time is spent tending to the pursuits of money-hungry individuals. Long story short, I am currently taking some time off to reflect on what I want my life to be. This is the first time in my life where I don't know where I am headed, and after 9 months, I still have not figured out what I want in life.The uncertainty scares me.

I was also living with my boyfriend of one year. It was the first time I had moved out of home and my parents opposed it. A few weeks ago he decided he needed a break and I moved back in with my parents. The break and having to confront my parents has been tough and has only added to my confusion.

I don't know if anyone else has experienced this but ever since high school finished, I feel like I'm unable to make many friends. At uni all my classes had different people and would run once or twice a week. My classmates left straight after class. As a result, I didn't make many friends at uni, and saw my high school friends infrequently. Now with this break I'm taking, I meet even less people. People tell me to take up hobbies to meet new people, but it's hard to meet people I can connect with. It gets lonely at times.

Right now I'm studying to become a qualified solicitor. After a few months of traveling and volunteer work, I needed something to do to fill the void. Although I don't have life figured out yet, I thought that having this qualification will only help my resume look more attractive to potential employers. Besides, even if I sat at home all day, my life's purpose is not going to suddenly hit me. 

So that's a bit about the changes I'm going through.