Wednesday, December 30, 2009

25th entry - Reflections of 2009

2009 has been a year of Change.

In April I started work in a different office, with new colleagues and bosses and in a different environment. My job scope was very different from those of my previous postings, but in a way it leveraged on all the skills, experience and knowledge that I had accumulated thus far, and I was glad I had a lot of opportunity to learn and grow and develop.

In June, I broke up with S, my partner of 3 years, and I plunged into a period of loss and hopelessness. Fortunately, a brief retreat to Tioman Island allowed me to recover my strength and optimism, and gave me courage to seek new relationships. In August, I met H, who is in many ways better than S, and my life was filled with renewed joy and hope.

In November, my involvement in APEC widened my horizons and allowed me to nurture new abilities, which were useful in a major project that I had to be in charge of in the following month. In the midst of trying to cope with the sudden spike in my workload, I had to grapple with a change in my immediate boss and the distinct management style that my new boss had, but in some ways it was better for me.

Of course, some things didnt change. One was the fact that I was still lacking in a sense of urgency and weak in time management. Another was my passion with food.

Overall, 2009 was an eventful and challenging year for me. At work, I'm hopeful that 2010 will be a quieter year, but with many of my work projects due, plus a major change in the senior management within my organization taking place in Jan, I doubt that I will get my wish.

For my relationship with H, I hope that I will gain a deeper understanding of H and our relationship will grow even deeper and stronger. I'm very optimistic because so far H is giving me positive vibes, and openness in our communication helps to foster mutual understanding and build trust between us. We are learning to accept each other for who we are, including our colorful histories, and we will strive to make our relationship work.

In terms of family, I feel blessed that my parents have been and will always be there to provide emotional support, and I hope to continue being a blessing to them as well. It isnt easy to maintain a harmonious and loving relationship with my parents, and occasional friction is inevitable (familiarity breeds contempt), but its satisfying to somehow manage to sort out our misunderstandings and grievances at the end of the day and provide each other with mutual positive affirmation and assurance.