Looking back and looking forward

'Seasons of Love' from the movie Rent, (and also) from the musical Rent by Jonathan Larson

Five hundrend twenty five thousand six hundred minutes
Five hundrend twenty five thousand moments so dear
Five hundrend twenty five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year

In daylight, sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee,
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strive,

In Five hundrend twenty five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure a year in the life

(chorus)
How about love
How about love
How about love
Measure in love
Seasons of love
Seasons of love

Five hundrend twenty five thousand six hundred minutes
Five hundrend twenty five thousand journeys to plan
Five hundrend twenty five thousand six hundred minutes

In truth that she learned
Or in times that he cried
In the bridges she curned
Or the way that he died

Its time now to sing out
Though the story never ends
Lets celebrate, remember a year
In the life of friends

Hmm... what did I do in 2006?

I wrote lots of essays, did lots of assignments, studied hard for my exams, I guess.

I did ok for my exams and could go into second year.

I went to London and did quite a lot of sight-seeing, all by myself, before meeting up with two friends for dinner.

Subsequently I also went to London with GH.

I went to Bath with GH and CE, and we all got ridiculously sunburnt before it was even summer! I still have a tan line on my upper arm to show for it (yes it has lasted for around eight months now).

I got a summer job in Singapore. Boring clerical job, but nice people (and some inspirational ones) there.

I met up with friends, but didn't manage to meet all of the section mates from secondary school band (who are also some of my closest friends even now) because some of us are scattered across the globe and we are in Singapore at different times. But in 2000, on a band trip to [undisclosed location], we made a pact to go there ten years later 'when we have enough money'. 2010... I wonder if we will make it? Three years from now, not too short, not too long... (ok, I shall try not to go into nostalgic mood)

I won the *Ahem* Price (name undisclosed to protect me heh), which is awarded to the top student or the top students in first and second years. £100... little, but not too bad la, still encouraging. To be honest, when I read the letter I was estatic!

I took my first solo flight back to UK. It was such a liberating feeling to be travelling somewhere, albeit somewhere I've already been before, alone (I love my freedom).

The happiness of freedom lasted until I reached my house and found out it was under major renovation so I couldn't stay there. I had to call II, a Hong Kong friend (who is also my closest friend here, more about her next maybe), and put up in her student accommodation. No man is an island. Sometimes we still need to depend on our friends, and in turn our friends need to depend on us.

I tried very hard to find a job but was unsuccessful. I kept losing hope and giving up. Only to decide to try again a week later.

My second year started. I was busy again with assignments, essays and activities.

I was still desperately looking for a job, anything, even just a temporary position for Christmas. I was lucky and was hired by my current employer(s) (husband heads the kitchen and wife helps manage the restaurant/cafe e.g. bills, lease, wages, hiring etc. on top of her day job and two kids).

I made lots of good friends at work... HD, AN, HN, AL.

I spent Christmas eve and part of Christmas being sick.

I went to the Boxing Day sales and had a good time.

That's about it, I think... the more major things I can remember.

And now, for the dreaded (only because I always don't seem to fulfill them) Resolutions for 2007:

1. Prioritise. Organise my time well. Because I'm so much busier now with work commitments. (Also, stop procrastinating!)
2. Eat better. I'm such a junkie and quickie (sounds so wrong), and I usually eat whatever's fast to cook e.g. pasta, freezer-to-oven stuff, microwave stuff, instant noodles (Koka at £0.17 per packet!), sandwiches (lots of it). But I think I should eat more healthy (mainly because I do want to lose weight), and that includes trying not to snack so much!
3. Put in 150% effort in all my essays and assignments (because the mark will only be equivalent to 80% of what you put in). I'm not competitive in grades and stuff, and heck care about the *Ahem* Price (although some money does help a long way), but still, I want to do reasonably well. And if I don't, I won't want to be blaming myself for not putting in enough effort.
4. Have fun! Let my hair down, chill, relax, once in a while. I believe in taking time to sharpen the saw (yes I read Sean Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, which was given to me by a very inspirational person when I was 14 and very lost).
5. Try to work out some sort of direction by summer. Should I join MOE as a teacher? Teach piano privately? Work in any job I can get, saving up, at the same time volunteering in organisations for people with disabilities, and then taking a Masters course in Music Therapy? I dunno... I really want to be a music therapist but I think it'll be hard financially and probably I'm not sure if I will be any good.
6. Exercise (???). Just a bonus. Provisional. I haven't exercised since I got to UK. Usually jog in Singapore (occasionally only lar), but it's a bit too cold for me here. Thinking of going to the uni's sports centre to use the indoor swimming pool. But getting a pool membership is a huge commitment and I wouldn't want to waste the money if I find out later that I don't have time. Yet paying each time I go in would be so expensive.

That's about enough resolutions for now. Maybe I might think of more.