Twenty Eleven

2010 was a splendid year, and so I went into 2011 thinking it wouldn't be able to match up to theyear that has passed. In the first half of the year, that certainly rang true but it definitely pickedup towards the end into yet another memorable year.

Yet another testament to the ongoing trend of the year improving as it goes along.

One of the wishes I had for the new year was merely to maintain the status quo of the year before. As such, as everything around me changed I found myself feeling a bit lost between past and present. It took a few months for me to realize that life moves on and nothing is constant before I chose to move along with the flow instead of worshiping the moments of the past. Trying to bridge distances is a lot of balance work between the past and present.

There came a point within the year where some relationships started fading as some became stronger and I was questioning whether it was possible to hold all things dear. Thankfully the situation rectified itself in due time, although here I sit thinking if things would have been different if I had played a more different role in the situation.

Ego and inhibitions played another central role for me throughout the year. Some matters which I should have and could have acted on much earlier on were left untouched due to the mere factors of preserving an ego and mountains of inhibitions. Which leads to me being one year down the line and no further than at the start.

2011 was a year of venturing more towards being an "adult" with increased maturity and responsibility. I found myself doing things I didn't think I would be doing like playing chaffeur and picking up my niece from school. I even got myself a legitimate part time job as a barista during my semester break. It takes small matters like these to put into perspective that I am slowly shedding the teenage years. This was also the year when my peers began to leave the country for education abroad, a true sign of the changes of the future that have and will come.

Just like 2010, 2011 was another transitory year as I went from college to university. Starting as an undergraduate wasn't that much of a change as I merely proceeded from Foundation into the Degree program. Nonetheless, it was still a change of pace and a change of environment. I started out seeing uni just as a place to be with things to do, but slowly I found myself being more and more attached to the place. Damn.

I moved houses this year, leaving behind the city where I spent ten of what are probably the most formative years of my life in. Along with that was the death of the dog who was very much in all of those years spent in PJ. I loved staying in PJ, and would move back there in a heartbeat but now I'm 15 minutes away and back where I originally started out as a child. It's just like a never ending circle. There's got to be some deep symbolism going on here.

This year to me, was really about learning more and more about how to be comfortable with one's self. I found myself surrounded by great friends who really reminded me how important it is to stay true to the person who you are. Other people don't dictate the way your life is run, and the realization of that is one that really does make living a lot more enjoyable. If skipping in malls or breaking out into song is something that you enjoy, go ahead. For next year, I strive to continue this confidence and apply it into more aspects of my life.

2012 approaches and I am both excited and nervous about it. End of the year or not, it's a year for more growth, more experiences and more love.

What's up, 2012?

Cheers. More later perhaps?