Friday, January 01, 2016

2015 was the year

  • of changes, big and small, good and bad, some with isolated impact while others with repercussions, either felt immediately or eventually became shrapnel in a ticking time bomb or confetti in giant balloons, with fleeting or even lasting effects. [confusing much? ya, that's 2015 for ya...]
  • yoga definitely took the numero uno place under the spotlight. Yes, I am now a US Yoga Alliance Certified Yoga Teacher (RYT200) after a grueling 24, 8-hour weekends with a 100% attendance record. The entire experience, from a student to a teacher cum student (because really, the learning never ends..) likely deserves a post on its own [which it did here] and I just want to reiterate that this was one of the best gifts for myself this year, one that I never thought I would achieved, let alone live it. It has truly left a permanent mark on me...or in true Disney's Inside Out fashion, a golden-hued globe in the core memory rack☺ [Also couldn't help but to promote, follow MY Yoga's journey here!]
  • blogging was practically non-existent - only 1 post in a year, down from 7 in 2014. Doesn't look like it's going to pick up this year but let's see if perhaps a yoga blog/website may be the answer though no promises here
  • I crossed Penang Bridge for the most times in one year and in my 30 odd years of existence combined, thanks to Yoga TTC. It was also a drive I took pleasure in - driving in the early mornings in the company of the skyline in whichever mood it happened to be that day. Rain or shine, it provided a comfort and I must confess, I could not resist capturing a few shots behind the wheel *guilty!
  • I chased Lovejoy for 2 whole weeks and got closer to the constellations, namely Orion, Taurus, Pleiades and Aries, in the process
  • I got a taste of life at the front row of fashion week and exclusive events - was good while it lasted lol
  • of beautiful, thought-provoking movies. Think Nebraska, Curfew, Theory of Everything, The Book Thief, The Imitation Game, Inside Out and many more. Movies that brought me to a different time and I came back with perhaps just a tiny piece of me forever transformed. And no, never watched a single Star Wars in my life...
  • I jumped on the Samsung bandwagon, no more iPhone for me (well, technically I still have my old iPhone for..erm.."business" purposes), and it's been pretty good thus far. I love the oh-so-easily customizable themes among others but honestly, I kinda miss those jailbroken, *cough* free *cough* apps and games. 
  • another series was inducted to MY's All-Time-Favorite-Series Hall of Fame. Glee, I salute you for the songs and performances you opened my ears and eyes to. I also bid farewell to Revenge and Elena/Katherine of Vampire Diaries though I wished I did not have to. But the show must go on even when the seemingly key character exits or gets killed off. Which brings me to the likes of John Snow of GoT and the fortunately-it-did-not-happen-to Glenn of The Walking Dead. In retrospect, these are really lessons in life, sometimes people/situations may leave/change, suddenly or due to one reason or another, and really, how do you continue trudging on when there are no options otherwise? Will you be able to go on? Could things have been different if you were more conscious in the first place?
  • I queued for more than 5 hours in total to get my CNY limited edition Coca-Cola cans emblazoned with names of my choosing. I don't remember the last time I queued for anything this long..maybe it was during that fuel craze, logic vs nothing-better-to-do moment eons ago..guess these craziness comes along every other year. It's rather funny looking back at it now and I am really grateful I was not alone when I went to queue a 2nd time (ya I went home empty-handed the first round). Because of you, I managed to own the complete set of "Happiness", "Wealth", "Abundance", "Blessings", "Prosperity", "Fortune", "Peace", and "Smooth" to usher in the Chinese New Year. Talkabout HUAT-ar lol 
  • or rather, not the year, of long distance travel. There were a few business trips here and there plus a short trip to Singapore where I re-acquainted with my pretty friend over dinner.  
  • with a number of good dinners (and with good I meant the price were heftily "good" as well). One didn't really lived up to its name though and had left a permanent distasteful memory that whenever brought up, pulls with it negative feelings. May be some day, we'll get another opportunity to create another memory to replace it. Let this globe of memory be hauled to the memory dump to be turned into dust forever [yes, Inside Out again!]
  • I had no idea how many books I read. A quick sweep over at the bookshelves and I think I probably managed 7-8? A drop from 2014 with a few reads lying around, abandoned halfway. I have this "disorder" [for the lack of a better word] in me that insists I must finish reading a book irregardless how painfully slow or boring it is or how long I took to finish it (think Life of Pi) - in-between hiatus acceptable. Hence the few reads, bookmarked nicely, waiting for its time to be picked up again. Not all are slow or boring though but I think I grew out of it and the moment did not feel right to continue on. Oh but the really good ones, I can gobbled it up in 2 or 3 seatings, no urging needed. Such are my relationships with books....
  • where there were moments I failed to be a more compassionate, understanding, thankful person than I could have been. I acknowledged I cannot alter the past and I hope to mindfully be more aware of my actions and thoughts rather than let habits take the driver's seat.
  • I realized that there is no perfect time. The only time is now, this present moment. The more one holds back out of fear, it eats us from the inside. 
2016 will be a year of consciousness, of mindfulness to be a better version of ourselves. We might be injured and cautious, but let us constantly remind ourselves that with conscious effort, we can have our wings.

"受傷了 誰都會哭泣 哭完了 別否定過去 快樂的 美好的 都還在這裡 等著你"

HaPpY NeW YeAr 2016!