My place in this World

Life presents everyone with many exciting opportunities
To test their skills and passions in new surprising ways
I know there is always uncertainty at each turn
Just lay back, look up, close the eyes and wonder

Who am I?

What is my purpose?

Where is my place in this world?

I was not taught in school to embrace problems, I was taught that problems are to be avoided or something to complain about. But in 2011, I see myself changing, I chose to challenge myself every single day. I love photography, I imagine myself viewing the world through different lenses that allow me to see in various angles and aperture. I believe difficulties can be solved if I give myself permission to capture them in different perspective.

I notice some friends are particularly good at finding creative solutions. They start their lives over in exotic location, they take on projects that have a grand scope, they make choices that seem radical, and they carve out a new path that leads them into uncharted territory. I often watch in awe, preventing myself from taking the same leaps.Well the beginning of my career snapped into place like clockwork. I received scholarship offers, went off to a country town to earn my double degree, came to work in a bigger city, took a job as a graduate in a small firm and eventually registered as an aspiring Architect. I could have continue on this path for the rest of my career, but I decided to jump out of this perfectly good plane because it seems to be heading in the wrong direction.


Since I started my career, I found my passion has always been travelling to new, exciting places, I manage to squeeze adventurous trips to Asia, Europe and United States into one or two week stints during my busy work schedule. But I eventually decided this wasn't enough, and so I turned my life around by putting my business plan on hold in order to travel to China more extensively, for four full weeks. The country may seem rich but government funding is not adequate for children in welfare centre.


I wanted to help in any way I could. I started to do some research, I could either make a donation or sponsor a child but instead I prepare myself as a volunteer. I started to save up cost for the trip ... to cover food and lodging. I quickly got all the vaccination, my visa and bought a return ticket, I know when I get off the plane in Beijing, it would mean I am in a foreign land. My goal is to get myself out of my comfort zone and into a different world. I know deep down I will be tempted to board the next plane home. But I will stick to the plan, praying that I will be pleasantly shocked by what I can manage to accomplish at the end of the trip. I know God has brought this team together for a reason, we shared the same purpose and there isn't anything we can't do. When we combine forces, we could turn bad situations around, we could create great opportunities and find some way to make a significant difference.


Most people do not leave comfortable lives to tackle enormous problems in far flung lands. But in many cases much smaller challenges seems just as daunting. For many, changing jobs or moving across town feels just as risky as travelling to an exotic location to perform relief work. It is much more comfortable to stay locked in a role that's good enough than to reach for an alternative that has a higher degree of uncertainty. Like everyone else I am content taking small, reliable steps. I know I won't go very far but I won't rock the boat either. And this time I am taking a huge step in faith, I am ready to shake my boat.