Hello hello. Waaaaaaaaaaay outdated post, but better late than never! =P
2016 – A relatively uneventful year as compared to the
previous years! Theme of 2016 has to be undeniably ‘Family’:
Weekends and weeknights were
precious moments doing little but witnessing babywyx’s milestones, learning of
new words, flipping over and sitting up on her own. We travelled overseas only once (thrice, if you consider JB);
spent more time indoors; were less adventurous at planning activities; stuck to
daily routine most of the time – for every babywyx’s little steps and every
vocab we were reluctant to miss!
In addition, ‘Family’ deserves high mention in
2016 as my parents played (still playing) an influential role at being primary
caretakers for babywyx on weekdays; not forgetting wifey too, for supporting my
weekly Sat footy sessions.
Last but not least, my mom had a health scare in
late 2016 and this episode served a reminder not to take our health and one another
for granted! So thank you, my Family, for providing in my life as well as
giving me motivation in life. :)
In 2016, thanks to my company for organising, I found time to volunteer too. Once as a 'tour guide' for disadvantaged primary school students at River Safari, and another as a food packer at Food for the Heart.
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| Walked River Safari so many times I'm probably not visiting again in the next 10 years |
Here's a review of the resolutions set out for 2016:
To be achieved in 2016:
a) Silver for IPPT (no slacking this time!). Am considering
a weekly gym session to buff myself up a little. Strangely lost 3 kg since 12
Sep!
- ACHIEVED! HURRAY!! After the letdown in 2015, I was sure
not to underestimate the revised IPPT and so I trained earlier and more
consistently. I hate running so all thanks to weekly soccer for helping me
maintain my stamina at ~12mins for 2.4km! Alas, failed to turn up at the gym and also failed to gain any weight since. Advice, anyone?
b) Earn more passive income (dispose lousy unit trust funds
and channel into stable blue-chips)
Sold off some penny stocks and redistributed into better
investment products.
c) Teach babywyx to be able to sing ABC song by Dec 2016
MUAHAHA overly ambitious I was, wasn’t I? 15 months isn’t
the age when a baby can sing – but hey babywyx surprised me with her other
abilities like understanding of simple sentences, recognition of a huge vocab list, good direction sense and excellent
memory!
d) Far-fetched wish to go on a Perth road-trip…
Far-fetched, indeed. With a LO in toll it really isn’t as
straightforward as before, to just book tickets, take leave and fly. Much
considerations have to be put into the choice of destination, for example
street cleanliness, baby-friendly malls, water hygiene, tourist safety,
language barrier etc… No doubt Perth is a baby-friendly city but the plane
journey takes >5 hours and we’re noobish parents – let’s start off with somewhere
nearer.
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A quick monthly recap of 2016 highlights:
Jan –
RMJ started the year bright with ideas and passion to
venture into a sideline. We met a couple of times to brainstorm our proposals,
and started talking with the industry and friends to seek opinion and
experience. Alas, none of us is exceptionally motivated towards making it
happen and all discussions died down after 2-3 months. Partially why our
discussions did not continue was because Jx and I had our family commitments. 1
year later of RMJ, one is a father of two and another is $20,000 richer
(courtesy of Carlsberg) – I think we’re contented in our comfort zones for now.
Feb – Airshow.
Good experience serving as a chaperone to my guest from Brunei. Had the opportunity to play good host and through the process, also befriended handful of colleagues from other Divisions, who otherwise I wouldn't have gotten to talk to at all. The food was lovely too, and we got to enjoy watching the aerial performance from the VIP gallery :D
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| Can has fun @ work too! |
Apr –
picked up Ukulele. Have similar experience in zhongruan, so picking up the ukulele came as second nature. Difference is, there are more fun songs to play with the Uke plus more youtube tutorials. Finally a hobby cum pastime I can do at home, besides caring for my kid.
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| Completion of Intermediate class |
May – Taiwan.
No sightseeing, no exciting activities, no adventurous food involved - super comfy hotel stay was the main attraction. Haha.
Aug – Traded in Blackie for a brand new SUV. Finally, a car of my own!!!
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| Pardon the colour mismatch - the new car was delivered to our place and I really did go down to the carpark in my home clothes. |
Learnt a fair bit about things to look out for when purchasing a car from a PI, for e.g. do your homework on the PI, and don't be shy to nego for a better deal.
Sep – Babywyx turned 1!
Simple affair with family and close friends.
Also in Sep - wifey was in between jobs so we took a day off from babywyx to R&R across the causeway. Went for thai massage, dined cheap and good food, did shopping and took leisurely strolls - simple activities but we felt recharged after that!
Dec – My birthday.
Lucky and hardworking me kept checking Teppei's online reservation website and finally booked a slot - my virgin experience at Omakase and a memorable one!
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| Say "Aaaaaaa..." |
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Resolutions for 2017:
1) Maintain silver for IPPT – no need for elaboration.
2) Travel!
Penang in Jan, Cruise in Feb! How about HK, Korea??!
Travel! Penang in Jan, Cruise in Feb! One another holiday
will be very very nice! Perth, Korea??! Honestly not harbouring high hopes of any happening…
3) Challenge myself at work
I cherish the mornings nowadays when I would stroll to my
cubicle and slump in my office chair, feeling secure behind my monitor and high
partitions (Note: high partition cubes are endangered already!). Slowly, I
would make myself a hot cup of coffee and check my emails at my own leisurely
pace without any external interference at all. Man, this personal time and
space are DIVINE shiokness.
For the rest of the day, I would be working on my tender
documents, or attending a meeting here and there, or having site inspections or
discussions with vendors. I meet deadlines with ease. I admit I can do much
more. This year, I shall seek more opportunities to increase my technical
know-how and expand my network. Translating this into tangible actions:
a. Attend more factory tests to understand systems and equipment
b. Seek to be more involved in new projects
c. Increase exposure to senior management e.g. volunteering
to take up CCA/adhoc projects
d. Continue to look out for external
courses/workshops/seminar on related topics
4) More outdoor activities with family
More outdoor (that is, environment not as ‘safe’ as our home)
activities with family: Now that babywyx is more mobile, I hope to be able to
head out more for her to hone her senses and explore her physical limits!
5) Contribute to society -
My employer recently implemented a 1-day Volunteer Leave wef
this year. Perhaps I can make good use of this?
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Signing off 2016!
Wishing everyone good health, cherished family moments and peace at heart! :)
