Wanna read an essay?

NO. I know. Please understand. I want to preserve this essay in the years to come.. Although it may come across as staid and dry, I feel mighty proud of it. For one, I got a couple of Candy Empire sweets as a prize! Okay, don't look at me like that. I eat sweets on a regular basis. Just not Candy Empire's.

Let me begin. The theme is Live the Dream by the way, in conjunction with the Youth Olympics.

    Martin Luther King, Jr once said, "I have a dream..." At that time, people laughed at him and dismissed his dream of equal rights as downright impossible. In the same way, I have lived my dream too, becoming one of the lucky people that managed to do so. I firmly believe that everyone has a dream. It is like a seed buried in our hearts, and the sad fact is that it often becomes forgotten as years fly pass.

    I have always wanted to open a cafe, a place where people come in frazzled, order a latte and maybe a slice of cake,and leave feeling immensely relaxed. This was to fulfill my life-long dream of becoming an accomplished baker. I even thought og a name for my cafe. It would be called 'Chocolate Pound Cake', after the first cake I baked.

    When I was working as a head baker in K.Bread, I was putting in long hours everyday, all with a meagre pay. This was not the worst part. More often than not, I had to compromise on what I call my 'baker's principles', being forced to use ingredients of inferior quality. My boss always insisted that he had little choice too. To him, keeping his business afloat was his first priority , and anything else would have to come in second.

    It seemed all too dismal sometimes for me. I often doubted and lost sleep over whether I was really in the process of fulfilling my dream. Was I really on my way towards my goal? It seemed impossible and laughable that I, an unneducated and barely literate person, who earned only enough to feed myself, would have the capital and expertise to run her own business. Yet, I plodded on stoically, always reminding myself that every hour baking at K.Bread was one small step towards my dream. That was the one and only way to keep my sanity in those long, ardous days.

    Then, on the nineteenth of July, three years since I joined K.Bread, my boss summnoned me. I remember this date vividly as it was the day that a major step forward was made. As I stood all jittery in front of him, he proposed something wholly unimaginable.

" I know you always had greater plans for K.Bread. It's a pity you never completed at least a primary education..." At this I looked dejectedly at my feet. What next?

He continued, "However, I have high expectations of you! You can be partners with me for K.Bread, so along the way, you can learn the ropes of managing a business. In return, you will be in charge of improving the quality of the baked goods, so there would be more regulars for K.Bread. What do you think?"

The rest, they say, was history. Needless to say, I took up his offer, and embarked afresh with vigour towards my lifelong dream. I was able to save up as a result of my increased pay. Of course, in the process, I endured countless dressing-downs when customers did not take to a new product, some sceptical remarks on my boss's decison, and also doubts on my ability. No one believed that someone like me could rise up to fill this demanding position.

It would be a whole decade later before I finally took the great leap of faith and tendered my resignation letter. Now armed with the expertise and funds to jumpstart a business, I was ready to let my dream take flight. 'Chocolate Pound Cake' was going to be a reality!

On the nineteenth of July, thirteen years since I entered the profession as a wide-eyed, timid baker, I threw open the glass doors of Chocolate Pound Cake. My face was shining with tears of joy and I saw the world afresh, standing at the entrance of my cafe. The seed that had always been embedded in my heart had finally bloomed into a flower. I was living my dream at long last.

                                            ~ The End~

Its definitely far from perfect but I think I put part of myself in it. So.. yeah. Wish me luck for my prelims!

Comments

Cookie Sleuth said…
Good luck with Chocolate Pound Cake! Let me know when you open, and I'll be sure to visit :) You'll get there!
kang said…
wow, thanks!! didn't think anyone would even read this.. :) sure, mebbe you could review it sometime..
Joyti said…
I think its a really good essay. And chocolate pound cake is an adorable name :) Good luck with it.