Personal reflection on the year 2008

The last post for the year 2008


Time has passed real quick... in just a few minutes or so, the current year is coming to an end, and another year is about to dawn upon us.

Personally I feel that 2008 has been a more challenging year for me. Not just because of the many problems that the world is facing (as mentioned earlier), but also because for the first time in my life, I have started to look at things with a wider and broader perspective, and with a more reasonable and sensible approach as well. No longer was I the narrow-minded individual who sees things only on the surface, and no longer was I the type to 'do most things at the very last minute without proper planning'. Due to a misunderstanding that happened sometime after my birthday, I have also learnt to be more mindful of my own feelings and thoughts, though the desires of the world can often tempt me to do something unthinkable. I admit that even now, I am in constant struggles with my inner demons...

It's sad to know that there are still people out there who like to brag about their own lives, what they have accomplished, what stuff they had bought, and which artistes they like, all for the sake of seeking attention (and destroying themselves in the process). I created this blog to voice out my experiences and thoughts on various issues, never intending to seek attention. It is due to the observations and analysis of other people's actions that have forced me to re-improvise my point of view and blogging style.

For the first 2.5 months, I was still schooling, and those were clearly the most stressful times of the year. Perhaps it was easiest when i quit my part-time job at Shaw House after Chinese New Year in order to finish up on the final year project, but I was close to throwin in the towel when I saw how ineffective the disciple system of the school turned out to be when dealing with those who often throw MC or go AWOL. Perhaps it was because of this that I began to develop a very strong sense of justice, I can never know.

Between April to July, it was mostly stagnant, save for the times I worked at ABS and revisited Thailand after nearly 7 years of delay (this period of stagnancy does not include the times I went to watch "U Are The One" recordings every Monday). It was indeed in Thailand that I truly learnt to see the true beauty of God's creation and learnt that the true pursuit of happiness is being patient, being surrounded by lovely people (in this case, the kids in the village) and enjoying the simplicity of life, not just about chasing stars, going to various shopping complexes, buying branded goods or even owning a new PSP.

In August, it was truly a dream come true when I got to work as a part-time calefare for a few weeks at MediaCorp alongside familiar faces (Gurmit, Fiona, Ben, Tracy), new faces (Khai, Jeszl, Angie, Wenn, the other calefares) and even friends I had not seen for a very long time (William). I realized that it was never about the money, but more on the experience and the fun of it... that's what professionalism is about. Oh, and unlike what I did last year, I won't be mentioning the names of the new friends I had made during the past 12 months... way too many to count (esp since most of them I had known via Facebook)!!

From Sept till now, I guess you can say it was the least stressful time of the year... getting a 9-to-6 job at NLB (even if it's on a temp basis). I get to make new friends, do various assignments and manage my time properly and analytically (though sitting in the workplace for 8 hrs can be really dull most of the time). Of course I still attend events once in a while, but I made sure I don't get too blinded by this 'CCA' of mine (if thats the most appropriate word to use). That is mostly why I had made the rather tough decision to give the Ch 8 countdown party at VivoCity a complete miss and attend watchnight service instead...

This year, I was glad to have attended the birthday parties for 4 of my top fave artistes... Joanne's on 13th April, Nat's on 17th April, Felicia's on 12th October and Elvin's on 18th December.Not only that, I also got to celebrate Christmas with Joanne and Elvin... :-)

I wouldn't say that 2008 was a 'better or easier time' for me, since I've had my shares of ups-and-downs in years past. What is to come in the year 2009, we will leave it in God's hands.