i dun think there was a year that defined my life more than 2007. here's a glance of the highs and lows which probably defined the direction of my future...
started the year with mixed feelings - final semester, final year project going well, good job prospects on the horizon, unfortunately, family not doing too well...
on the family front, things were mostly out of my control. all i could do was to be there for my parents when they needed me the most. my father's health condition, fortunately, was getting better... right now, that's the only thing that matters...
on things that i could control... ended my degree with a bang - final semester with gpa of 4.0, top student with cgpa of 3.93 (not bragging, really), final year project completed on time (kinda rushed though), plenty of job offers coming in... the most pleasing one i have to say is the interview that i had with alex yoong despite the fact that it was not a fruitful interview, sadly...
on things unexpected... i had my 30 minutes of fame on 8tv in a program called dare to dream. had cameras around me for about 3 days and made me feel like a tv star, hahaha... i guess that's what you call a once in a lifetime experience... felt good...
on things about love... i just fancy starting each paragraph like that although it doesn't really make sense... i asked cl to move in with me... although our relationship wasn't quite mature for that, but it turned out to be a great move... she bonded really well with my parents, especially my mum which was more than i could ask for...
on things about fun... i left malaysia for the first time on a trip to bali with cl... it was a 4 day 3 night vacation where we stayed at hard rock hotel along kuta beach... it's our first real vacation together and it was loads of fun! we had the trip after we handed in our thesis so we were able to spend our time without any burden on our minds... the whole trip was especially relaxing given the pressure that we've had throughout the final sem where we barely had time to breathe...
on things about career... i finally decided on which offer to take (actually that final decision came only a few days ago, but still)... initially i wasn't convinced about my decision but cl stood by me all the time... and know, with everything that has been happening, the decision seems to be the only logic decision left... and because of my job, i moved out of my home for 23 years and travelled east to a small town called kemaman... went to brunei for 5 days for a lab introduction training before going of on the greatest adventure yet - oman... stayed in kauther, oman for 2 months... it's the first time ever that i left malaysia for that long... had a great experience, met wonderful ppl...
on things about fate... my eye injury... this injury decided a lot of things for me really... it's unfortunate, but it brought me to a stop... i was rushing all the while to get somewhere... now i guess, this injury gives me the opportunity to slow things down... to look carefully and to think hard about where my life is taking me next...
on things about faith... the prayer that got me through the oman adventure (i said it's an adventure, but i never said it was easy!) - dear god, please give me the strength and courage to face tomorrow, the patience and the humility to learn, the foresight and determination to overcome obstacles... and most of all, please lead me home safely...
on things about the future... i do not know what lays ahead of me, but i do know that i have to face it no matter what... there is no way that i will turn my back and run from my future - good or bad... i just have to swallow my fears, hold back my nerves and take one step at a time... it'll be tough, that is for sure... but either way, i have to move forward - i have no choice...
ps: i have seen too many hollywood movies where the character gets injured/ knocked down/ faces a huge obstacle and they put together a 15 minute clip of that particular character working against all odds with a heroic soundtrack to overcome whatever he or she is against... sadly, reality ain't that easy and smooth... that 15 minutes ain't 15 minutes at all and there is a huge possibility the ending ain't all sweet and happy...
-Happy New Year! Let's face 2008 with a smile on our face!-
**edit - sorry, this just slipped my mind**
on things about friends... pretty much everyone i know started on their own journey to chase their dream career - the beginning of a new chapter... jason finally found out what the big deal was about having a gf, hehehe... jacky has graduated and is one step away from becoming a practicing lawyer... and kam... well, my year is nothing compared to his - studies, career, family... i guess the only thing i can say is that everything happens for a reason and i take my hat off for you bro for staying so strong and sane throughout it all... well, 2008 is a brand new start to us all huh?