December 31, 2011

The year that was...2011

Another year has come to an end, and what a year it has been.

The year started with me changing positions at work and getting a raise. From being a programme assistant, I became and still am a research and personal assistant to the Executive Director. In addition, I continued being part of the PPT team, which would later achieve judicial success in India. I'm proud to say that my background in law really helped! I've questioned my qualification and the path that I've taken since graduation. Am I wrong in not wanting to practice law? Should I have gone on the expected path instead of taking the road less taken? My work and achievement so far have somewhat quelled my doubts.

April was a really tough month. Bad news plagued my family and I was in a quandary. I questioned my decision in continuing to work in an NGO. While I am quite happy with my job (of course there's the occasional unhappiness), there are times when I wished for a better paying job. Do I give in to being materialistic or do I settle for what some people would say is my "safe" world? Finding something new is not easy. Working in an NGO apparently doesn't count as experience but rather it's just character building. Nevertheless, I thought it through, made adjustments to my budgets, stuck with my job and in the end, managed to survive and still save $$.

Back to my quandary, a family talk was held. Emotions were high; there were tears, shouts, silence...sighs. After much discussion, a solution was reached. But still, I could not breathe a sigh of relief. There was still much to be solved.

June came and I turned 27. I had a new hairstyle and the day was spent with family and close friends.

August saw Vay turning 21. There was no big celebration but a small gathering was held at the shop. "Small" soon turned into quite a crowd. Vay had her first HIGH moment from drinking wine, and Kiran experienced the camaderie at the shop for the first time.

September saw Kiran, Vay and me registering to be voters. Up til now, we have yet to check the status of our registration. Hmmm....

October was Deepavali month. This year, Vay and I decided to make murukus on our own, without any help from our mum and grandmas. We bought all the ingredients, borrowed the "machinery" and enlisted help in the form of Kiran and Trish. It was a great success! We all had fun and the murukus turned out better than we expected. My grandmas even said it was better than theirs and bosated this to my uncles!

November was busy busy busy! I was to go to India for two weeks and I had just three weeks to prepare. So much preparation and I don't mean packing my clothes etc. It was work! It would be my first time in Bangalore.

The first 12 days of December saw me galavanting around Bangalore and Kerala. I had decided to take a short trip after my event in India. I returned to Malaysia on the 12th, got sick for about a week, went back to work for a few days and then went on leave. The office shut down on Dec 24th and will only re-open on January 3rd 2012.

Looking back, I feel like I've been through a lot. Stuff that made me grow up, mature and made me look at things from a different perspective. I've had to take charge even when I didn't want to; I've had to be firm and be "the parent" at certain times. I've had to make difficult decisions and be the "cruel" one for some people's best interest. I've also resumed/begun concentrating on the positive.

This way of thinking, which I attribute to The Secret, had in ways impacted my life. I find it easier to think rationally in times of hardship and somehow...in the end, things always turn out right. Coincidence or not, I don't know but I am not going to spend time analyzing.

Two really wonderful things that I simply must highlight for this year:

1. Mum's health
Got a shock when we found out that her pacemaker battery had died and that she needed to replace it, an operation that would cost at least 20K. The happy news: went for a 2nd opinion and was told that she did not even need the 1st operation. Mum can live without a pacemaker, at least for the next 10-15 years. She's healthy and she's fine!

2. Dad's book
After writing his book for about a year, and after much quarrels and delays, things are finally in motion! The first edited draft is ready, meeting with sponsors are on-going (one has already agreed)...I see light at the end of the tunnel.

So...as the New Year begins in less than 12 hours, I look forward to greater things happening. A raise in my salary, maybe. A new job, who knows? A boyfriend...HAHA! Well...to great things in 2012....



HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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