So after almost a week, I finally am getting down to do this review of the year. Compared to the previous year, I think 2013 had been pretty good for me. There were many good things that have happened to me and as someone who don’t really remember things that upset me, I guess this review should be a little more positive and pleasant to look at.
January 2013
I started the new year with a new church. After being with the Shatin Baptist Church for 3 years, I thought that I needed a bit of a shake-up within myself and I found it at the Christian Faith Hope Love Church. It was nice to be able to enjoy the fellowship with people around my age with similar life experiences and going through similar paths. The experience at the new church was a bit hard because it was nothing that I was used to, but with the help and love of the brothers and sisters I think I am adapting pretty OK. There are still tough times, but I’m sure I could pick up my spiritual life.
February 2013
This has to be the best month of my life. Initially when I decided that I would visit Korea in this month, I didn’t know it would be a trip that would changed my life. I thought it would just be another trip on my own, with the primary objective being to experience real winter again. In the end I managed to find myself a whole bunch of new friends that I would turn out to treasure so much. Of course, watching the AFC Champions League for the first time in my life was something worth remembering too. One bad thing about the trip though was that I came back to Hong Kong with a bad cold!
March 2013
March was also a memorable month. First it was me joining Toastmasters. I think it was probably one of the best decisions that I’ve made this year. Initially things were a little patchy, but after a while and getting to really know the people well, I think I’m having a good time! The second thing that was really memorable was the football match between Hong Kong and Vietnam at the Mong Kok Stadium. A sell-out crowd, non-stop cheering and singing, and Hong Kong winning 1-0 were all ingredients of a great night. Work-wise, there had been some changes and to be honest, I was happy with those changes.
April 2013
April was low-key, with the only highlights being South China and Manchester United winning the league championship in Hong Kong and England respectively.
May 2013
May, as usual, was reserved for Mayday. But since I have been to Mayday concerts every year, I was slacking off quite a bit this year – I only went for one show this year.
June 2013
Had the chance to be a “teacher” and brought some students to Singapore for a visit. I was lucky in a sense that the students I brought were bright and well-behaved, even though some of them did gave me a few things to think about. I enjoyed being with them, because being with students made me feel young. But if you ask me if I wanted to go back to teach, I’d probably say no! Besides that, another highlight would probably be the failed promotion exercise. Of course God has His way of planning for things, and looking back now, I was glad that the promotion didn’t happen then.
July 2013
July was a good month as far as football was concerned. The Barclays Asia Trophy saw South China having the chance to take on Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as Manchester United coming to Hong Kong to play Kitchee. The weather didn’t help the games, especially in the Barclays Asia Trophy, in which the Hong Kong Stadium made international headlines by being a mud pool. It wasn’t easy on us fans too, as we were braving the rain to cheer for South China – nobody gave us any credit and instead we got mocked by the Spurs fans. I can safely say that Spurs is one of the teams that I have come to really dislike. On a lighter note, my group of friends got to the Premier League’s tweet, and I was being photographed by gettyimages. Boy was I not chuffed.
August 2013
My birthday month. I had more than 60 friends saying happy birthday to me on Facebook, my church friends treated me to a great dinner, and I had a great chicken and beer session with my Toastmasters club friends. I was always grateful about people remembering my birthday because it’s just one of the days in their lives. I also took part in the Humourous Speech Contest of my Toastmasters Club and with a bit of luck, I came in second! I was way chuffed.
September 2013
September was the month in which I started my new role at the office. It was a promotion, even though it was only on an acting basis – meaning that I could be deployed back at my old position if things don’t work out. The job has gotten tougher, but I was just happy to have been given the chance to do it. As I said, God has His unique way of planning things, and I am quite sure that this was how He has thought things out for me. I also had the chance to fly back to Singapore for a couple of days. The trip would have been slightly different and I was slightly disappointed that it didn’t turn out the way I have hoped, but then again, things happen for a reason and I was happy with the trip home nonetheless. It was always great to see my family and my friends. Seeing Juana and Roland’s kid at 2 years old felt really surreal though!
October 2013
I went to Korea again. And I think it was at this trip that I felt that I’ve left my heart there. I also got to know more friends through the Toastmasters circle, and it would be safe to say that a part of me has got Korea stamped all over, and I can’t wait to go back again.
November 2013
I went for the Toastmaters District Conference in Huizhou and I must say that it was a great experience, to be able to witness great speeches and workshops. Of course, meeting other Toastmasters from other clubs were great too. To be honest, this year in the Toastmaster was just nothing short of spectacular for me, and I must thank my lovely Korean friend Minjung for re-introducing me to Toastmasters – that’s why I keep saying that the trip in February changed my life. This was also the month in which I kind of became even more sure that I left my heart in Korea.
December 2013
The year ended on a high. Went to Chengdu for a working trip and finally realizing how big the scale of the projects that I was handling was. It was also a month for parties, as I went to several and really had a lot of fun.
Looking onto 2014
I know the new year has started for a few days already, but it’s still early anyway so there’s no harm in looking forward to things. In a way, I think I had a blast last year, so anything on a similar level this year would be massive. Some wishes last year didn’t come true, but as I’m one who’s never too down on things not working out, I guess it didn’t matter to me that much. After all, life is always about ups and downs, and as long as you are alive, you’ll experience them. So there’s really no point in getting overly happy or overly depressed about things. Honestly speaking, not having a girlfriend was something that was always going to bug me (actually it bugged my parents more than me), but if I were to exchange the experiences that I had in 2013 for a girlfriend, I probably wouldn’t do so. Some things didn’t work out as far as relationships are concerned, but I do believe God has His plans, just as how He planned for my career. Just gotta believe in Him, right?
2014 is going to be massive. It’s going to have ups and downs, but it’s going to be a blast in any case. And if everything could work out the way I want the to be, I would be over the moon.
Random Ramblings of the Robotic Renegade 