Chronicle 78 - 寧可一思進， 莫在一思停

2014 was an interesting year. It was the year where I've both gained and lost many things. I don't have particularly fond memories of 2014 but to be fair, the year was also pretty good to me except towards the end of the year where I was given three fines - one from MINDEF, one for speeding and one for not displaying a parking coupon. Did lots of charitable work there.

I've also resumed my previous hobby of reading comics again. With close to a few hundred titles to catch up on, and the fact that I need to find time to read them, they should keep me occupied for a while. As mentioned previously, 2014 seemed to have rekindled my interest in many things, including gaming, comics and physics. Not sure why but it seems the less free time I have, the more determined I am to forcefully fill them up, sometimes at the expense of a good night's sleep.

I celebrated a third Christmas with my University mates and a second with my colleagues. Much has happened and time seems to flow right by. There's not much opportunity to see friends all gathered in one place or to see colleagues in a social setting. It is actually fun to go through the process of having a meal and gift exchanges. This year, I should be able to utilize the presents I got.

I was given the "Outstanding Serviceman" award during my reservist. It was kind of a surprise since I didn't do anything outstanding. But of course, the free stay at Bintan is very welcome. Time to look for a long weekend in 2015. C and F, mark your calendars.

As per tradition, my family went overseas for the holidays. This time to Beijing and Harbin. As usual, there was the trade off between gaining the use of the car and having to clean off after the dog. About having the use of the car, C, F and I drove to Jalan Kayu late one night for prata. In a bizarre turn of events, I managed to lock ourselves out of my own car! Basically, the key was still in the ignition switch and the car doors were locked. I had to take a cab home and back to get a spare key. Talk about being unfortunate.

For 2015, the are various things I can look forward to or work towards. As per my review, I need to seriously work towards a promotion at work. It is definitely not something I'll want to do for the long run but for now where a viable alternative is not yet available, it can be something to keep me going.

I'll have to take a professional certification examination soon as well. While my last academic history have been decent, I'm not as confident considering how much (or little) time I'll have to prepare myself for it. The fact that it's company sponsored actually adds to the pressure.

Of course, there is the London trip in March / April to look forward to. The first 3 weeks in the London office should be a refreshing experience in itself. But the 10 days where I get to roam around (not decided on where) sure is exciting.

I recently rewatched 一代宗師 again and realized that much of the dialogue in the film are subtly and gracefully meaningful, hence the selected quotes below. Each quote is particularly relevant to me on a personal level. Previously, my insomnia resulted in the composition of a Chinese poem. After rewatching this movie, I feel rather inspired to start on another. Okay, that shall be my little project to start off 2015.

[Quotes]

"念念不忘必有回响" - 宮羽田

"不图一世， 只图一时" - 宮二

"寧可一思進， 莫在一思停" - 宮二

"人不能只有眼前路， 沒有身後身" - 宮二