Well, I'm back

Tropical idylls by sand & sea

The holiday was lovely. So much light and warmth and fun - and great food! I do love South-East Asia, and Malaysia in particular - the people are warm and friendly (except for one cab driver who grumped from Penang airport most of the way into Georgetown), the food fabulous, and there are so many interesting things to see. And I get to watch so many different cultures and lifestyles interacting in a friendly and mostly positive way, which is a perennial fascination and a joy to me.


So many different things for so many different people!

Now, of course, I'm home, away from tropical idylls and the time-out that a holiday affords. I brought back a geshtomping great big cold with me, so have spent the last few days drowning in my own flood of mucous, and only leaving bed to get more fluids or go to the bathroom. Now, though, the mucous-tide is receding, and I'm left to confront the question:

What the hell do I do now?

My last work role is officially behind me. Sadly, I'm not independently wealthy, so even though I'd really like to travel lots, take many pictures, hold exhibitions, and start up small non-profit organisations to help people have more choices in their lives, I do actually need an income to do all that.

So what do I do? I'd prefer not to have to travel 4 hours a day like the previous role, and I'd kinda like to feel like I was working in a functional environment. Ideally, I'd quite like to go back into naturopathic practice, but I really, really don't want to go back to running my own business for a near-nothing cash flow, which kinda lets that idea out, unless I can find someone willing to pay me to do it.


But where to from here?

I'm not entirely sure I'd like to go back to supplement formulation, either. It looks to me like the 'natural products' market is moving further and further away from what I'd consider 'natural', and I'm not entirely comfortable with being part of that. Maybe I could go work in Singapore or somewhere making supplements there - from what I've seen, the market is still looking for products that are what I'd consider traditional remedies. Err... does anyone have any contacts in Singapore?

Other than that, I'm sure that there are many things I could do. I've got a good, fast grasp of structure and process, and can analyse a problem well. I actually quite like working within a business environment, but I don't like hypocrisy (or marketing), which I suspect may limit my options.

I'm stuck. I know what I'd like to achieve - I'd like to help people be happier, healthier, and have more choice in their lives. But I have no ideas on how to go about it - especially how to do it in a way that provides a good income for me as well.

So, oh great and wise internet, tell me: Where should I look for work, and what should I look for? Remember, too, I'm disabled, so heavy lifting, waiting tables, and retail are all probably out.

Please, comment and let me know what you think.

Always a path onwards, in one form or another

Fruit Season

It's amazing how much easier everything is from here.

I suspect I've made versions of this post before, but it never hurts to remind one's self of things.

I was sitting on a plane at KL airport earlier today, waiting to take off. Since I'm somewhat scared of flying, I was carefully thinking about things unrelated to my potential plummety death. I was reminded once again (since I've been a little grumpy the last few days) of just how lucky I am - and how deeply grateful I am for all the wonderful experiences and choices I have, and the people around me.

After all, I've just spent a relaxing, interesting week in Thailand, and three fabulous days in Kuching, Borneo - city I'm looking forward to visiting enough to love. And here I was on my way to Penang, one of my favourite places in the world, to bask in the warmth, breathe in the spices, visit favourite sights, and eat myself senseless.

Yes, I'll still be unemployed when I get home, and still unsure about what I want to do. And I'm still dealing with chronic pain, and all the limitations and difficulties that go along with that, and the usual assortment of woes and troubles. But really, to be who I am, with the amount of choices I have open to me, and the security of people I care about around me, and a society with relatively effective safety nets, the problems don't seem as large and dramatic as they do when I think about them alone. So I'm very grateful.

And I'm so grateful for the chance to travel!



PS: What does the title of the post mean? It's for my travel companion, the Chocolatier, really. When we were going out to see the orangutans at the rehabilitation last Monday, our guide person told us that they often didn't come to the centre for food when it was fruit season, as they were too busy frolicking in the jungle eating the fresh fruit to bother with the provided food and chattering tourists. So fruit season has come to mean all things fun, well-fed, and full of frolicking.

Luckily for us, fruit season has just finished up for them, but this holiday has definitely been fruit season for us.

Coffee 3

Malaysian coffee bags.

I love Malaysian coffee. Love it! Thick and dark and sweet, with a huge dollop of condensed milk to make an oily slick of sweetness on the top. It's the junk food of coffee. And I haven't been able to get it in Australia - until I found these. These bags taste almost right to me - with a bit of sugar and condensed milk, I could almost imagine I'm sitting in the middle of a food court in the tropical heat, instead of cold and damp at home. I'm going to try other brands to see if I can get a little closer to my taste memory, but for the moment, I'm happy