Humans, we do like to complaint a lot, tend to satisfy our consumerism DNA, buying unnecessary things for the sake of owning or showing off. I do believe we need to step back once in a while, and kinda do the self-introspection about what we are doing at the moment.
Well, 2014 almost done and dusted, I’ll try to see whether I have done at least decent achievements. Due to my rigorous activities in Facebook (I have sinned), it won’t be difficult to compile the good memorable things in 2014:
1. Submit my Thesis
Finally, first crucial step to my PhD work! Crazy 5 years, I’m gonna blame it mostly to my procrastination blood. Looking back at the early years, I think I could have compressed at least 1 year of those lazy moments and doing nothing stuff. Oh well, nevertheless, thesis has been submitted, supervisor was more than happy, and I felt damn relieved. Good job! Now, let’s hope those examiners won’t over grill me.
2. Family and Friends.
All those celebrations counts, albeit small ones. Let’s see, I was able to go back home and celebrate family birthdays: Wifey’s, Dad’s, Mum’s, Jayden’s, Sister’s, Nephew’s, and Niece’s. Not to mention, Chinese New Year and Christmas. Also I'm so grateful to be surrounded by amazing friends and colleagues. Without them, my days in Singapore could be filled with boredom. Come to think again, that’s quite an achievement! Being there to hang out with your family and friends during these moments should be cherished, since we don’t meet up very often. Yap, small things matter!
3. Wifey cut her hair short!
My wife is identical to long hair, since the first time I met her. But, I must confess, I used to have this utter interest of short hair women. Back in the day, she was quite adamant that no way in hell she’ll cut her hair short. So, when all of sudden she was throwing the idea into my face, I didn’t hesitate to say yes, and jump right in to googling all those short hair chicks. Just in the right time, Taylor Swift just redid her hair. I’m one very happy husband.
4. Kid's growing up
Looking at my monthly pics of Jayden shows how fast a kid can grow up within a year. Not just physically, but also other things. Saying 1-10 or A-Z is no sweat for him, and he has more vocabularies in his babbling. Communication wise, it's getting easier to understand him. He's also getting more attentive to movies, books, and toys. Lastly, he's very good at memorizing places, especially those playground places.
5. Losing weight.
When I did my medical check-up, the report mentioned that based on BMI, I’m certified obese, and that just hurt my eyes (add heart to that as well). So, after months of gym, jog, and bit of diet here and there, I managed to cut down 10%. Not enough to meet the 'healthy' target, but I take every achievement along the way. The downside, I bought lots of new clothes and pants (size goes smaller!)
6. All those good movies!
I've created another section specifically for this one, still drafting it!
7. Taylor Swift’s concert and 1989
Finally managed to catch her concert live, another name checked from my list. It was a fortunate event as well, since I missed the public selling date initially. But due to her Bangkok concert cancellation, she added 1 more concert day in Singapore (and I didn't miss that). The good stuff: concert was great, she was gorgeous albeit looked tired, entertaining, and the stage was nicely done. Furthermore, she just released her latest album 1989, and it was one hell of an album.
8. U2 releases new album
Apparently, Tay took the thunder from my beloved U2 in recent years, but I was damn surprised when these guys released their latest album, "Songs of Innocence" free through iTunes. The verdict? Much better than "No Line on the Horizon" for sure, some tracks just remind me of the old stuff they use to make back in the 90's. So, no disappointment this time, lads...good stuff!
9. New LEGO Collection
This year's probably the period when I got most LEGOs. I bought Ecto-1 (21108) from the Ghostbuster. It is very well made, nice details, and size just about right. Although the downside, the minifigs cannot be put inside the vehicle, that's a downer. Then I got the Mini Cooper (10242) and Star Wars Sail Barge (75020) from my parents for my birthday. Then, my buddies bought me the VW Combi (10220) and Star Wars Snowspeeder (75049). Gotta say, the VW Combi and Mini Cooper look damn gorgeous!
10. Manchester United is back to action
With Louis van Gaal installed and a bunch of new players, I was pretty optimistic of ManUtd's season this time. We started quite slow, and the injuries clearly didn't help. But, I felt psychologically, the current players are much better handling it compared to Moyes' tenure. We started to win games albeit playing badly. We got some lucks in some games (vs. Arsenal and Southampton), and we played with confidence against the top tiers (vs. City and Chelsea). So, mentally, LvG has gradually fixed that. ManUtd closed 2014 by sitting at 3rd, and the injuries are getting fewer. I'm not sure we can catch Chelsea or City, but I'm quite confident this team will go back at the top, sooner or later. Did I say we bought Angel Di Maria and Falcao?
So, it's a wrap! 2014 also has its downsides, but hey, a steady ocean won't make you a skilled sailor, right? I'm grateful for all good things, but also need to learn from all the mistakes and bad things. Special thanks to wifey been the rock of my life, not to mention a superb mother for our kiddo. Looking forward to achieve great things with you ahead. So, 2015...bring it on!
