Of pencil and paper, and crystal balls

Just finished reading a wonderfully written paper on graphenes (thin sheets of carbon) by A.K. Geim and K.S. Novoselov. This must be the very first paper I've read from the first word to the last, and though I do not profess to understand the very involved physics, I liked what I did not understand. And though lots of distractions abounded -- mostly self-inflicted in the form of Facebook -- I savoured every word of the article. Which I must say, must be one of the first times this has happened. Although I've read so many papers in my Masters research, most times I would just glaze through or get so lost at some point (due to clumsily worded sentences, unexplained technical jargons, or too much maths!) that I skipped large portions or lost interest in persevering.

But this paper was so well-written, in my humble opinion, with a mixture of creative 'non-scientific' sub-headings and easy-going language, that it didn't make the reader feel (overtly) stupid.

I'm currently seriously considering my real interest of research, knowing full well that I haven't defined it and it is high time now that my Masters thesis is blossoming well (I hope my supervisors think so too! And approve it soon so I can submit for oral defence!), for me to sit down and put down on paper what it is that would motivate me to work on -- even without the benefit of a salary.

Yes, I believe that should be the main criterion in deciding what makes one happy. Just ask: If you were not reimbursed financially, what is it that you would do willingly? Or perhaps I should rephrase it in a more practical manner: In your spare time, away from the office, away from working hours, what 'work' would you be willing to continue spending time on?

I remember spending nights almost without sleeping in my undergrad days, coding in C++ (one of my favourite courses, besides Public Speaking!), fine-tuning Flash animations (now almost forgotten to me unfortunately) and troubleshooting in Linux for my Bachelor's project (my supervisor made it a challenge for me to beat him in figuring out how things worked, and it was fun to try to!). It was at those times I never felt forced to do those tasks, I was even willing to forgo sleeping time for them. Now when I think back I realize, that those were what made me happy :)

It is high time, it is imperative for me to choose my next path wisely and correctly. Surprising, isn't it? Such a simple question... which on first thought you think you know the answer, but on writing it down, the idea becomes as thin as the paper it is written on. What 'work' would make you happy?