Reflections 2011

I did something similar for the year 2010, which I remembered I was then on a trip to New Zealand. This year the reflections for year 2011 is done at home.

2011 was not a good year to me. There were some improvements in some areas compared to 2010, but in other areas, not only did things not improved, it got worse.

In terms of work, there was definitely some improvements. There was a change in management, and comparing it with the previous, things are definitely better. However, it is still not where I want it to be. There was a chance to finally jump ship, but as it is the norm for me, things somehow just fail to come off at the crucial moment. It has been a characteristic of my life so far.

Another major chapter ended in the year 2011, and at that time, I was hopeful of a new beginning. Alas, the start of the new chapter is still no where in sight. It was definitely not due to the lack of effort. There may be one of two times when a new chapter was about to be written and then something came along that was totally unexpected.

I did learn some work lessons from the previous year. Learning from my mistakes, I managed  to at least pull something off successfully, though there were some hiccups along the way, I guess people will only remember if you managed to pull it off finally, and not the various problems encountered along the way.  This is something that I need to continue to improve, and not make the same mistakes in the new year. I am not too sure if there were will be better opportunities next year, since I predict the economy will be totally shot to be bits, or whether I have another chance to finally jump ship altogether, but I am determined to also get myself certified next year. I want to grow professionally, and with qualifications to boost my career.

Personally, I should learn to control my feelings better, which was something that I also wanted in 2010. I do think that I have shown improvement in this area in 2011, but there is definitely room for improvement. I should try not to take things too personally, and maintain a Zen-like perspective when it comes to people around me, and the complex and sometimes frustrating relationships between humans.

I should also continue to break out of this boundary, zone that I have subconsciously created around my life. I want to continue to travel to new places, and strive for new experiences. I want to continue on my food journey, to taste the incredible range of gourmet choices that this small island has to offer.

I believe my life is like Newton’s third law, for every action, there is an equal and an opposite reaction. For every action that I do, my life will definitely provide a reaction. It may not go the way that I want, nor will it be smooth sailing, but there is definitely a reaction. A reaction, no matter in which direction, is still better than a state of inertial. As such, there are a couple of things that I want to do in 2011, and while I know it may not end up where I want to go, I will still try.

Of course, the first thing that I really want to do, is to find ways to change this ‘things never seem to go smoothly’ characteristic of my life. Perhaps fengshui?

As with 2010, the proudest achievement of year 2011 is the fact that I survived. Hope 2012 will be much, much better.