An Attic room of a different dimension

I like my attic room. It gives a vantage point of our neighborhood, which is a sight for sad eyes, depending on who is looking out the window. But the attic, as described by the former occupier- a writer, is “definitely not for everyone.” Before her, the person who lived in the room was a painter. It seems to me, people who live in the attic have got some artistic traits or a good sense of creativity needed to make a palace out of the unpopular space.

A few days after moving in, my feet got accustomed to the steeped stairs that felt a bit dangerous climbing up and down on. Nothing about living in the attic is normal. The temperature is totally different, from the rest of the house. I was told “in terms of temperature, it can get very hot very fast in the room, so I generally keep the vents closed. The air-conditioning unit in the window is broken but the house's central air-con works fine in the room.”

Also, the shape of the room is different from the others. “The ceiling is asymmetrical which is strange for some people. There's no closet. Because the stairs are so narrow it would be difficult to bring most furniture up there.”

However, despite its oddity, the room is one of the most spacious in the house. Located on the very top of the building, you can be sure of enjoying some level of privacy. Its exquisiteness is the exposed red brick walls on the two end of the room. The attic is definitely not for everyone, but I found the room with my name on it, not literally. And it is serving its purpose.

Sharing Dayo Israel and Dabeseki’s story in the last two editions was not to validate education as the only path to fulfillment. Or discredit the potential ways vocational study and other non-traditional education system is helping young people discover their passion and equipping them with the skills needed to serve and succeed in life.

Just like the attic, some situations are created in a way that will help individuals find their unique paths. But the pressure to conform to the norm takes over too quickly and we loose the unique opportunity to have a vantage point of how things are and ought to be. Before we know it, we start working with another man’s wristwatch and forget our sense of purpose and individualism. And when the going gets tough and the pressure heats up, we either end up blaming others and the society for our circumstances or take responsibility to find a new dimension to make life livable.