Take control of our dreams and aspirations

I was once told by a friend to not pursue in my studies for languages. It was because she said that studying languages doesn't come with certs while studying for courses will give us an opportunity to work.

I was a bit disheartened and I let her comments affect me. I know I love learning languages, I can grasp it quite fast. But at that point of time (about five years ago), I just thought about working. I put a stop to my language learning and let her comment into my head. I shouldn't have done that.

I travel, sometimes. And having a grasp of languages can give us a certain edge. For example, knowing how to read mandarin can give a certain edge when we are in Japan. Let's not get to being in Japan; it helped tremendously. I only had three months to prepare for Japan when I was there during winter for a week. I couldn't get everything but at least when I went to the rural areas, I can understand instructions. That is more than enough to help me move in Kanagawa.

I have been travelling to Indonesia for quite a bit. It does help to greet them in their language and because of that, I have been commissioned quite often by a local company to translate Indonesian materials to English.

I learnt a bit of French. Although I don't use it much since I haven't been to Europe, it helped a bit when we bumped into French tourists and those from some French-speaking countries.

Not too bad huh?

Currently, I'm working on Japanese. Yes, there's a lot of ground to cover but what makes it different is I love doing it. I enjoy discovering and learning new vocabulary. To this point, I can read hiragana and katakana. It will only be a matter of time before I can read kanji; I truly believe in that. The reason why I don't enrol in Japanese classes yet is because I want to learn as much as possible on my own, at my own pace.

I have always dreamt of wanting to travel. And with my penchant for languages, I plan to open more opportunities for myself. Although someone commented that languages are not as important as a certificate in ITIL (although, of course, we can also enrol in that), I beg to differ.

So there you go. If you like drawing, don't let anyone stop you. Practice with pencil or colours and don't skimp on papers. One day, when you have money, invest in your hobbies. Believe me, you will be needing your hobby. Working is not all fun. An outlet to let all the stress go is very much needed. And turn the hobbies into income, I mean why not? Do you know that you can sell your designs with Society6?

In conclusion, take charge of your dream. If anyone tells us our love to doodle is going to be a waste of time, it's fine. They are entitled to their opinion but you must take charge of your life.

" It's like the instructions given by steward/ stewardess: Help yourself before helping others."