Today is my birthday :) 29 years already. Survived several accidents with scars to show. Still healthy, with a job and rented roof above my head. Anyway, first things first, I wish to give thanks for the free Starbucks frapp I got today. Originally I made up my mind this morning to set aside as much as RM100 so I can eat as much as I want but ended up just having normal meals. I really wanted to go Chillis but I guess it is too much to ask for when I did not make it known to my colleagues earlier beforehand. There is always next time though. Is this how my year went? Words not spoken? Full of regrets? Or perhaps it is the other way around?
I have no idea where should I start. I didn't even feel like a year has passed until I went to buy the Christmas gift for the office annual exchange. The amazing year started with my trip to Hong Kong last January for the marathon. It was my first trip overseas as an adult. Flying to Singapore when I was barely 9 does not count. An eye opening experience. First time experiencing cold weather. Walking the streets of Hong Kong, the same streets I always see in TV dramas, was in fact, the best part of the trip. To eat the food, to hear them speaking Cantonese, it was a bit too much at the time for me to register.
Chinese New Year was mostly just me nursing my legs which started cramping pretty often after overstraining myself in the Hong Kong marathon. Visiting old friends, gambling and most importantly eating good food for the entire week. I did miss out on the annual school mates reunion. I guess it really is farewell. March was uneventful, mostly preparing for the upcoming Nepal trip. However, the unfortunate disaster struck Nepal and I think we got really lucky. We ended up travelling to Bangkok instead. It was an interesting trip but my wallet was still hurting from spending on flight tickets to 2 places in 1 month so I could not enjoy everything Bangkok has to offer.
The year got more interesting when there is a reshuffling in the office with me ended up being offered the role of team technical lead. It was pretty funny because my manager actually asked me if I was interested to be a technical lead during the annual review and I wasn't. I see it as a sign and jumped off my comfortable chair. Ended up in the plane to office HQ in Holland. It was really cold, sunlight was really long and the country is really awesome. 3 trips overseas all within the first 3 quarters of the year. I am still very thankful for the opportunity.
It was pretty challenging being the technical lead. It still is. I had no idea what I should do, because I am not exactly the team lead either and this is the first time I am officially being made the leader of something. I was not exactly preparing myself for the role beforehand either. Meanwhile, I got back to running marathons. Unfortunately the KL marathon got cancelled due to haze. But later in the year, at the end of November, I finished an ultramarathon. The torture is still pretty fresh in my mind right now so I can't say for sure if I will join again next year.
In conclusion, I think a lot of things got better. It would have been the perfect year if my social life improved as well. But looking at it realistically, I guess indeed I am asking way too much. To get something, I first need to invest in it. That means getting a car and making an effort to connect to people. In the office, I now have the same reputation as Smaug and not in a good way either. Nobody I know back home ever complained that I am being too direct or rude. Not even in my previous company. Aggressive maybe, but I don't think it is that bad.
Reality speaks for itself I suppose. So here I am sitting alone in my room on my birthday writing this blog post. I miss home. I told myself that I can train, I can sleep, I can play computer games but who am I kidding. I would be happy to just go back home and roll on the ground. Meeting my friends is a great bonus. Even as I write about my trips I feel empty. Those memories are something, but not the most important thing right now. I really want an awesome social life. To have friends, to have a partner. To have someone, not just my parents. As I stare at my phone, there is no one to call. Maybe I should use the next few days and see what I can do to change the situation in the coming year. Yeah, that sounds positive. Good start. Thanks for reading and Merry Christmas!!
