Getting Off One Train, and Jumping On Another

It is with a bittersweet taste that I write this entry. And I’m not just referring to the beer that’s in my mouth. I’m sitting at my work desk with the intentions of updating my blog, and I’m not at a loss of words to say what I want to say but am more feeling an underlying reluctance.

I’m glad to be leaving.

I don’t leave with bad blood or any ill will towards anyone I’ve worked here with but overall, after seven weeks of waiting to start a job that I wanted to start the second I got the offer, I’m glad to be leaving.

Now that’s said, I can get the other tidbits out of the way. I’m not going back to uni next term. With the start of the new job will come increased scrutiny, workload, and pressure. While I bit off more than I can chew this semester I’m still proud of my accomplishments. But going into a new job and trying to study at the same time just doesn’t seem like a good idea. Add to that I should get credit for the fourth subject (Journalism) in this course thanks to my undergrad degree – and I’ll have a Graduate Certificate in Arts (Writing). Not bad for six months.

What this does do, is open up the opportunity to commence the book again. It’s been on hiatus for the last six months and I’m really keen to sink my teeth in again. I’ve been thinking about how I can develop it and there is two things that stick in mind. The first is about what’s already been accomplished, and I think it could benefit from a re-write, I’m literally going to force myself to print out the work and re-type it word for word but in a more succinct/detailed style. I know this is a paradox – but there are passages that can benefit from culling, and there are passages that could benefit from much more detail. I’ve received a lot of feedback from the people I’ve chosen to share it with and the overwhelming message I’m receiving is ‘needs more detail!’ So that’s what I intend to do.

The second element is a bit more risqué, and could annoy family and my more conservative friends. That will be a more no-holds barred take on what’s happened since Perth and I’m not going to shy away from details about certain things. I’ve had quite a long time to think about it, and the book in its current state would be an omission of the whole story if I chose to end it where it lies. I think it would benefit from hearing what’s happened to me and where I’m at now.

The trouble is – is it interesting enough to be a book? Based on my past six months of thinking and learning with the Masters, I think it is, and I can’t wait to get stuck into some more writing. My trick of heading to Kiama for some coastal and Marshy time may be realised again sooner rather than later. I’m actually thinking next weekend would be a good time as it’s easier to make plans and stick to them before other things arise.

I’ll keep you posted on how I go.

The Life Plan

So I'm in for a busy week or so as I try and round off the end of this semester for uni. I've got two major assessments due on Monday and am looking to knock them on the head. I'm prepared though, and provided I don't get too distracted on the weekend it should allow me to see them through.

I'm writing from my beloved Melbourne this time. It's my last day of leave here and part of a "mini" holiday I am privy to before I begin my new job. I've got just over four weeks left in the old one before I jump straight in. To say I'm looking forward to it is an understatement of gargantuan proportions.

While I've been staying here I've been assessing what the next steps are with the whole life thing. I've come to a few conclusions. I'm gunning for Thailand in late November this year. That's a given. I haven't been overseas yet, have some of my best friends over there and I'm running out of excuses and youth. This is a no-brainer. The next steps for me career-wise are set in stone as well. I'm an account manager. I moved to Sydney with the objective of becoming one and I've nailed it. I'm looking forward to consolidating on what I've achieved and throwing myself into an industry that I've worked hard to thrive in. It will be challenging but that's what I signed up for when I moved to Sydney. So I guess in a way that's a no-brainer too.

The third phase of this will be an extended jaunt overseas. After this stage of my career I want to work abroad. In Europe specifically. I'm going to do the party thing, the working thing, the exploring yourself thing. And it's going to be everything I imagined and more. Of this I am sure. I'll miss my friends, but a perennial side-effect of staying in Australia has meant that more often than not I have friends abroad as well that I miss seeing, and this time I'll be the one that will be missed. Plus there's bound to be friends abroad around the same time. Of this I am even more sure.

I don't know how long phase three of the plan will be. It's hard to mete out these kind of things. And it would be foolish to. I'm measuring out a piece of string and leaving it at that.

Then, placed tentatively at the back of my mind, is the decision about where to settle down afterwards. Provided I return, I see myself either buying a property in the inner-West of Sydney, or plonking myself into an apartment in Melbourne's Southbank. Both options are attractive to me, and it will really hinge on where my friends are around that time and who I keep in touch with.

I came to Melbourne not really knowing what to expect or whether I'd arrive at these conclusions, but coming back home has really proven a catalyst for articulating what I plan to do with my life. Seeing friends and family again has helped facilitate this, and it feels good to have an idea of where I want to go with my life after all these years.

There's a whole myriad of things that could go wrong. My love life, the ever-present bipolar, unforeseen tragedies... but that's what makes life exciting, and I'm not in a hurry to predict whether I'll be spouting the same self-revelatory epiphanies in a year's time.

But it will be interesting nonetheless.