zoom zoom zoom and the year is over!

Ho Ho Ho and it’s Christmas again!

Yes, I do sound a little lighthearted compared to the previous years and I did spend a moment to think about and reflect upon the past 11 and a half months to see how my journey has been. Indeed, I’ve done many things, found interest in new things, fell sick a lot and pretty much recovered and some things remained consistent and always while at times I’m forced into uncertainty (which somehow I think I did manage to navigate well in) and no matter what happens, I’m still happy to end and start the new year on a good note. It’s been a while hasn’t it? For me to feel so “at peace” with everything. 2024 was definitely not a flat year for me and i did have many highs and lows and anxiety along the way but i guess i’ll prefer that over a flat line. I’m someone who can’t deal with boredom =p

Let me see what are a few things I want to reminisce about when the future me reads this yearly post. It is kind of fun to talk to my future self as I might be really bored and lonely when I get older. Even today, I go back to my older posts very frequently to revisit what my life had been year(s) ago and it is kind of fun. I just finished reading my 2023 december post which did feel boring so let’s see if I can do better with this year’s closing ‘speech’.

Well, the first thing on my mind is that I got hooked on a sport. Well, not physically but ‘visually’. Ever since I watched the docu-entertainment series ‘Drive to Survive’ which shared the ‘behind the scenes’ of F1 racing (all six seasons at one go), I found myself hooked to the story and the race and pretty much everything about it. I’ve watched almost every race ‘live’ (from the tv screens) this year and I found a favourite team and driver to support (McLaren, Lando Norris) and it was a huge surprise and bonus for them to come out top in the constructor’s challenge this year, despite being mid-table one year ago. It was a wild pick based on ‘feel’ and woah, things really feel different when you have something/one to root for. This is practically the only sport i’m chasing, apart from soccer – where my interest has somewhat faded in recent years cause the team I support (Man Utd) is not doing well. I guess I simply don’t like them enough to stick with them through their lows. Oops. Since the F1 season ended 1.5 weeks ago, I’m having quite bad withdrawal symptoms and I find myself watching those IG reels of funny interviews and even listening to podcasts, trying to catch up with whatever f1 knowledge I’m lacking in. Seriously, before this year, I know nothing about cars or engines or drivers or even how exciting racing can me. I don’t know if this obsession of mine is going to stay for a long time but I’ve got serious catching up to do. The only thing lacking about this is that I don’t have enough friends to talk f1 about and gosh I have to wait 3 more months till the season restarts. It is gonna be painful >< Future me in 2025, are you still watching f1?

Can’t believe the first thing I want to talk about is f1 but in all honesty, it’s pretty much the only exciting thing on my mind these days..

Well, last year ended with me being very uncertain and stressed about my career as the company I am in is undergoing ‘transformation’ which means cost cutting, retrenchments and everything bad. Call me lucky or maybe unlucky or I don’t know depending on what perspective you see it, I still have a job. I saw my friends leaving, some voluntarily, some involuntarily and there was a major overhaul of job scope and responsibilities which included changing supervisors and blah. If you have followed me for a long time, I don’t usually talk about my real job as I have no idea who might be reading this public post of mine but thought I should be as authentic as I should be. You know how I always tell people (or maybe just myself) that I’m gonna write a book when I’m older? One of the key topics of my books would be about my career life cause I think I have done a wide variety of things, been through highs and lows, and although I don’t speak about it much, I’m quite a workaholic and regards work as important as more than half my life. Oops. Not sure if I mentioned it before but I actually consulted a ‘bazi master’ for the first time back in March as I was simply too stressed over the future of my career. The only thing I can remember write now was that “your boss is trying very hard”, when I asked about whether I had a future in my current company. Guess my boss did try hard and I’m still around with an even more uncertain 2025 but that’s not for me to worry right now. It is 2025 problem and at this point I’m like.. come what may. Everything will work out in the end. To be honest back then when all the axe-ing news were coming in, I had planned to book a one way ticket to New Zealand or UK and rot till I find another job. I guess fate didn’t allow me to have a second mid-life crisis so yep I’m still stuck in the rat race.

Traveling-wise.. as always I feel like I didn’t do much this year but let’s see.. Jeju, Seoul, Taiwan, Cruise, Seoul, UK, Penang. I guess this sounds a little more than I thought but once again, it is a well-traveled year. I did go to Korea 3 times in total. How did that happen.. well, it did. In Jeju, it was the first time ever I had to drive on the left side. I was the sole driver and I’m so glad that it was an accident-free trip. It was also only the second time I’m driving overseas, apart from New Zealand. The only memory I have for the trip apart from us being lucky with the weather was that I was taking my TCM powder and coughing throughout. ouch. I don’t know if I’m going in the right direction but some months ago I’ve decided to start taking supplements in my life (which I have delayed for a long time) and I don’t think I’ve fallen ill since then? There was once when I was close to falling sick when I forgot to wear a mask on the flight home and I had dry throat for a couple of days but it didn’t escalate. Maybe my ‘immunity-boosting’ supplement was really contributing to my health in some way or another. Another thing I started which I don’t hope that it lasts was that I discovered the joy of melatonin. I’ve been toying with the idea of buying it for the longest time ever as across the years, there will be nights I lie in bed wondering why I can’t fall asleep. The jetlag for me was really bad this year when I got back from Europe and I decide to buy a bottle and gosh, eating it makes sleeping so much easier. It honestly feels like a drug and there are nights where I don’t eat it and I’ll lie in bed thinking about whether I should cave in and eat it. Went for a massage few days ago and the massage lady was like no, you should not take it at all! I am aware (and feeling) the side effects though. Whenever I take the pills, I will start to feel the drowsiness kicking in within 30 to 45 mins and when I close my eyes, I can fall asleep. Usually, I will get dreams but most of the time I won’t be able to recall my dream. Waking up in the mornings after melatonin is harder than usual and you will feel some resistance but usually I will ‘get over’ that annoying feeling in about 20-30 mins and I still feel a lot better than having insomnia (like in the past). I know I need to control my intake so let’s see if I can slowly weane off it in time to come.

This year did have a few changes in my life as well. For one would be that I bid farewell to my desktop of 11/12 years and bought a brand new iMac. To be honest, I’m very surprised that my desktop (all in one HP) lasted so much longer than what I imagined. I am a PC person so I think I turn it on like 98% of the days. As I get older, I find it harder and harder to adapt and am resistant to change. I wanted to change the PC like 3 to 4 years ago during covid but at that time I’m like.. if it still works, why not right? Technically it didn’t exactly spoil but I was losing patience with the lag-ness and the screen started to have spots from within (could be condensation or something). I could still use it but I don’t want to be stuck in a situation where I have no PC to use if it crashes on me all of a sudden. It was.. not easy trying to back up all my memories in that PC. I used to transfer all my photos to my PC all the time and I have a whole lot of unedited videos and all those memories from school and the early days in my career.. I’m not good at throwing things away – bet it physical or virtual. To add on to that mess, my work laptop has decided to suicide after receiving some splashes of water from a rainy day. Given that it died overnight, I don’t even know what I’m losing until I need it. Sometimes I wonder if this is a sign for something but.. it simply just shouts *RESET* and I hope I will get a replacement laptop in time to tidy up my documents before the year starts. I’m still waiting for the call to collect my laptop and it has been almost 2 weeks ><

The year ahead 2025.. is going to be exciting. I am expecting to buy my first property (assuming I don’t lose my job) and I have a ski trip in the pipeline. To be honest, it is really the first time ever I have things I look forward to in the year ahead. The past years had been a blur (I always say this don’t I) but I think the year ahead is probably going to be one of expectations, goal settings and forcing myself to achieve whatever aims I’ve set for myself. I guess I can sound a little confident for now as there’s still time but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be thinking the same way on 31st Dec as the anxiety might set in.

As always, I’m not setting any resolutions for myself. Just a promise to myself and my future self that I will prioritise my happiness and wellbeing over many things.

Cheers to the new year ^^