Initially, I had wanted to comb through my resolutions for 2013 and see how I've done in completing them, except I couldn't find the list. Yuppie. So, to save myself from facing the same problem on the 1st of January in 2015, I'm going to write my resolution for 2014 down here. At least it's recorded somewhere. But before I brainstorm what I hope to achieve in the year 2014, I feel it'd be useful to see how I did in 2013. You know, just to make sure I'm moving in the right direction in the whole scheme of this adventure I call life.
Alright, so here are the top/staccato moments of 2013:
- The Break-Up - February - Officially ended with the then 'le bf' despite major signs of a crumbling relationship since late 2012. I guess, in a way, it was me coming to terms with what I truly felt and wanted. I thought I was ready for something more, but I wasn't. It was unfair for me to hold him back from what he wanted, and really, we didn't want the same things. So I had to let him go, and I still feel it was the best decision made for the both of us, even though I was alone in making it.
- All Stars Awards - May - Successfully delivering my biggest project of the year - All Stars awards night. From knowing absolutely nothing about the event, to joining the last finals meetings, to being designated as the coordinator (all in the span of less than a month), I must say I was lucky to have pulled it off at all. It was such an amazing experience to see it all come to life on the day from a bunch of papers and meetings. It meant a great deal more when my boss quietly spoke to me towards the end of the event, "Jess, great good. Lots of happy people here. Go enjoy yourself." I believed I smiled all the way into my dreams that night.
(My teammates for this challenge: Cindy & Kishvin)
- New Home - June - Moved into a new neighbourhood and started a totally different lifestyle. Flexibility on various activities have been changed, such as my gym routine and Wednesday movies, but they aren't given up without gain. I'm no longer eating out as I now have a kitchen, and I enjoy throwing random ingredients into the wok to see what comes out. I also have a washing machine now, so I no longer have to take clothes to the laundromat and hand wash my undies. It's just cleaner when I can do them at home with my own clothes in my own machine. Not to mention my very own ironing board. Excited-much. You could say that I'm finally starting to live like a local in Malaysia, which is a good chance to truly live the experience.
(Bye bye, reading corner!)
- Family Photoshoot - August - Finally got the family together to snap some family photos, but I can't say I'm happy with the turn out - quality and service were horrendous. No worries though, we'll take this as practice run and shoot another at a more professional establishment some time next year.
- Birthday - August - Pleasantly surprised on my birthday to have people making an effort to celebrate it for me. Why? Because I was all the way in Guangzhou in the middle of no where for an Executive Board meeting, and the dinner planned had nothing to do with my birthday actually. But, the Host Council arranged a huge birthday cake and even lit all the candles himself. I couldn't have been more in awe of their insistence to help me celebrate my 26th birthday in a foreign city.
(Wishing away...not telling!)
- Athens - December - Scheduled some time off just to get back into that "solo traveler" mode, or see if I still have what it takes to, anyway. It seems I still could. Wander around to look-see and drink-munch sound easy enough, but it does take some kind of determination to DO it, and to TRY to enjoy it. Trust me, I did fall out of that for a while, but I'm getting the hang of it again.
(Sharing my time aboard with loved ones)
- Christmas in Chiang Mai - December - Definitely didn't feel like Christmas, but it was good to have a change of scene for the holiday. It's interesting to see what Christmas looks like in other countries. It surely wasn't as commercial as it was in Malaysia. The cooling weather made it all the more enjoyable, and just overall a relaxing trip.
- New Year's Eve/Day Fireworks - December - You know that feeling when you finish a level in a video game and receive all the bonuses and full life power to venture the next level? Well, that was how I thought it'd feel. But, it really didn't feel that way. However, I did come to some conclusions about certain things - mostly work as it had been bothering me for some time. On a lighter note, we managed to catch the fireworks while stuck in traffic - well, it was mostly of cars that had stopped to watch the fireworks, so not really traffic. I can say we had a better view than most people - our luck with timing! It's a good sign for the new year :)
(This is probably the only time I don't mind being in a jam!)
I must say, this list was harder to come up with than I had expected. I mean, what constitutes a moment worth mentioning? What should stand out? Not sure why the difficulty. Possibly, because the year went by all too fast for me to really sink my teeth into any moment for too long. Then again, that's precisely why we need to look back in review, and reflect on all of our experiences once in a while. A year feels like a good cut in time to do just that.
2013 may not have been as eventful as my previous years in Malaysia, but it had been a growing year. I've learned that I don't need to travel to getaway from work or to have a life. I just need to learn how to put work away when I should. That's all.
As for 2014, I wanted to keep realistic resolutions - challenging but not out of reach. At least, by knowing that it is possible, the climb becomes a trophy in itself. However, I feel like trying something new. Instead of writing a list, I want to brand a theme for 2014.
"Throughout the year, your theme will guide you in aligning actions, behavior, goal-setting and even how to make the best use of your free time." - Make a new kind of New Year's Resolution.
As for 2014, I wanted to keep realistic resolutions - challenging but not out of reach. At least, by knowing that it is possible, the climb becomes a trophy in itself. However, I feel like trying something new. Instead of writing a list, I want to brand a theme for 2014.
"Throughout the year, your theme will guide you in aligning actions, behavior, goal-setting and even how to make the best use of your free time." - Make a new kind of New Year's Resolution.
Eccentricity.
Definition: Deviation from the normal, expected, or established.
That's it. It will be a different year, 2014. I can't wait.
