'Where to from here, Captain?'

Forrest Gump's momma said life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what type you're going to sink your teeth into; what flavour you're going to savour. And while I totally agree and am a sucker for chocolates, I deviate from Mrs. Gump's view on life and say life is like a long boat trip: you bring along your own package to each destination, where each docking deck is an episode in life, you complete certain missions, and move on. Just like the sailing boat trip, life can be rocky or smooth, with waves that may wash you down, life jackets that rescue you.. okay enough with the metaphors, I think you get the picture.

I love my long lonely walks to the pool. Besides the impending endorphin release of my work out, I get great joy from reflecting on my life and aspirations, goals which have materialised, are in the midst of becoming a reality or other ambitions I have yet to accomplish. I used to say I hated changes. Why not? That darn hassle that stripped you of any sense of security and the thought of always starting from square one scared the day lights out of me. And for someone who'd grew up in a couple of different places, I never grew used to it. But that was my perception when I was a preteen. How was I to know that I was just scratching the surface of change? That change came in all different forms and when used appropriately could result in the greatest of inventions? (shit, I can't seem to convey my thoughts without sounding all scientific. Please blame it on my current study status and Dan Brown's Deception Point that I'm struggling to finish.) But to put it quite simply, change can change us for the better; greater opportunities always come with change.

To cut a long story short, I was assessing my aspirations today and found, to my delight, that they haven't changed much at all. When I was growing up, all through my years in SA, I had big hopes and wild dreams. I envisioned success, in all forms. I was ambitious. Boy I was. Just ask anyone and they'd tell you my absurd dreams- all beyond possiblity. I wanted to be the best swimmer ever. To stand on the Olympic podium with gold medals to flaunt. To swim with Ian Thorpe. I dreamt. But they were all thoughts, no action. Was I timid? I sure don't think so. Perhaps it was my rationale side that brought me back to earth. That kind of fame did not come easy and at the state of where I was at when I was 14-16, I don't think I came even close to clinching a school swim medal. What I wanted then was well, recognition and success and to have some sort of independence. I had no actual ambition to pursue. So I dreamt of something so remarkably impossible so it wouldn't hurt if I didn't achieve my target. Plain simple dreaming. I didn't have to work my ass off to materialise it.

Having spent a year at varsity now and having to reassess my plans lately, I realised that what I still want is pretty much the same. I want to climb those ranks of recognition, be influential and leave my mark. Trouble is, I have all these visions, but a vague inkling on how to achieve it. If things went according to plan, I would've gone into medicine and worked my way from there. A course that's so much more established and predictable. But then again, there are so many paths to take. But now being in Biomed with a possible future in research and everything so unpredictable, some may say interesting to discover the unknown, I really have no idea where it'll take me. I won't put it as lost, the field is just too wide. I don't know where to start. What I do know is that I won't settle for mediocre results, just like how Yosi puts it. I want to strike it big. I have all the thoughts. Now all I have to do is put into my actions.

My next big decision is what should I specialise in....Cardiovascular, NeuroBiology or Reproductive?