I think I should avoid trying to write long and informative blog entries, basically because it's hard for me to allocate time out to write a long one.
So I guess I should just keep the entries short and have quick updates on my progress =)
Anyway, this infographic on buying a car just came up on Yahoo.sg today. I just wanted to keep this image in my blog so that in future when I do decide to buy a car, it's a quick guide to understanding how much money do I actually have to fork out in order to afford one. Right now, it seems near to impossible and impractical. Haha.. poor Singaporeans.
Here's a song that popped up in my head at the start of writing this post.
It's a new start.
It's been nearly a month since my previous post.
I totally threw my promise of blogging regularly out of the windows once I got my desktop fixed. HAHA..
What have I been doing for the past month???
The last month of the year 2015 filled me with the holiday mood.
And with a new PSU installed, my gaming desktop returned from the grave, like a mystical phoenix that rise up from the ashes.
A scene from one of the Harry Potter movies.
This isn't a majestic protrayal of a rising phoenix as I hoped.
But it's the best gif I could googled. =p
With pleasurable guilt, I have to admit that I spent a significant amount of time playing games on Steam.
Initially I was hooked on Rocket League, which is basically driving a car around an arena hitting a big ball as if you are playing soccer.
A simple concept, but turned out to be one of the greatest games in 2015.
Good game to play with a group of friends on the same computer.
Dearest tried once and enjoyed it!
Then I turned to Witcher 3, which I bought during the Steam Winter Sale (which is still on-going) because it was recommended as one of the best games in 2015, and it was on 57% discount!
I'm a sucker for Hack 'n' Slash RPG ever since I laid my eyes on the first series of Devil May Cry.
Give me a cool character, sword-slashing moves, a dark story, and I will give you my money and time.
The above has almost truly explained why I was MIA for a while. Hee.
Okay, enough of sharing what I was playing...
It's a new year. And it's a new start (as the song goes).
Let me begin with my reflections on the year 2015.
Reflections 2015
1. Work
My work in the past year of 2015 has been rather hectic.
I have handed in 2 deliverables; one in Apr, and the one in Oct marked the end of that particular project.
Every time I'm near to the deadline, I'm working practically 200%.
The hours I am supposed to clock for every month is around 176 hours.
The over-time hours that I have clocked prior to submitting my deliverables, is also 176 hours.
Basically this means that I worked around 352 hours in a month, which amounts to near to 12 hours every day, for 30 days (which means including weekends).
I'm not even counting the over-time I worked before this hectic period.
Essentially, in a span of 1 normal work year, I worked for 14 months instead of 12.
Although one can say it's only 1-2 months of extreme over-time (for each time), no big deal there. However, it created a ton of problems for me.
My physical and mental health got severely affected.
My relationship with Dearest and my family became a bit strained because I did not have the time to spend with them, even on weekends.
I got very burnt out after I submitted my deliverable and it took 3-4 weeks for me to get work going at a normal pace again.
The thought of quitting my job constantly bugged me when I found myself working past midnight during the 7th lunar month (the chinese ghost festival), working on weekends, and working on public holidays.
I did not have much sleep, nor ME time. So the whole period my mood is always tired and sometimes irritable.
It was equally hard in 2014 as well.
What makes this even worse, was when I got a performance grade of less than average during that year.
The only positive side of that project, is that it has finally ended, as well as all those problems.
While the year 2015 isn't a great year for my work, there are still a couple of things I'm thankful for.
First of all, I got a better performance grade (albeit average).
Second, I went to Switzerland for a conference that was fully paid for by the company.
Third, I finally got my promotion which will take effect today! (I think)
It took me a slow 3 years for this first promotion, but I not really that bothered.
I'm not that fast. So what?
I will just go at my own pace.
2. Love
My relationship with Dearest has always been growing over the years, and this year is not an exception.
We have been together for nearly 4 years, and I'm proud to say that this love is still going strong. =)
We still communicate a lot with each other on a daily basis even if some times we can't find time to meet each other.
I felt that the bond with her gets stronger over time, and that we never really felt like the relationship was going stale or downhill and any point of time.
Although we didn't really go overseas this year (except for the Malacca trip we went with her cousins), we still went to special dates to enrich our experience together.
We do have our ups and downs this year, but I'm glad we have always resolved the downs, and enjoyed the ups together as a couple.
She supported me a lot during my busy work period, and I was, and am still appreciative of her understanding and care for me.
This year has been very tough for her, and my limited time due to work didn't really help with that.
Those were trying times for both of us where we need each other's care and support.
But I'm glad we came through =)
To many more years, as we walk hand in hand...
3. Self
It has been a memorable year for myself as I did my first solo travel to Switzerland.
Following the conference that I attended for work purposes, I did a one week travel to various cities in Switzerland.
Reminiscing those long hikes on the mountains... cool weather... lying on the grass... listening to the irritating sound made by the bells on the cows...
It was like a magical adventure for me.
I felt more alive looking at the beautiful views atop of a mountain, looking at other mountains.
Someday, I should take the time out to complete my log of the trip. If I can still remember the details. hahaha..
Splendid view of the Swiss mountains, and a cute pup I got for Dearest.
I also did a climb up to Mt Ophir with my psych friends.
It's always fun doing special activities with friends, and leaving behind memories for the future self to think back..
View on top of Mt Ophir at sunrise!
Other than travels, as a way to push myself towards greater heights in life, I have started this blog late last year, hoping that tracking my life would help me to review my progress in various aspects of my life more often.
I believe that it has done an okay job at keeping me on track (although the Dec gaming kinda just threw me off).
In Conclusion...
Year 2015 is not too good, but not too bad.
There were both good and bad things to remember by.
I felt that I have grown as a person, and I believe this growth can bring me forward to the next year.
Now, after such a long write-up...
It's time for...my resolutions for the year 2016.
Resolutions 2016
In Love,
To go for a week-long overseas trip with Dearest, and also a few short weekend get-aways
To give her a small surprise every month
To plan for special dates with her
To do my best to make her happy =)
In Work,
To avoid doing OT
To reach work and go home on time
In Life,
To get IPPT Gold
To finish the book, Think Java
To create my first mobile app
To purchase my financial safety nets (i.e. insurance policies)
To start doing investment
To plan for more family activities
In short, these are the resolutions that I have for this year.
I'm sure there are a lot more, but I guess these should suffice in keeping me more than busy throughout the whole year.
