Reminiscing the past and present year

2008 has been great at the beginning as well as at the end, but the beginning was AWESOME. I never expected myself to be travelling all over Europe. I think I didn’t really capture much of the travelling experiences and my adventures in my blog but deep down it was a memorable student exchange all in all. As for the end, it sure was a very hectic one. Hong Kong trip, Christmas Caroling etc. Honestly, I didn’t remember much about caroling last year. Vague memories of caroling in Berjaya Times Square (was it last year or the year before?), the Curve?? O f course not to forget Grand Millenium (This one I remembered. The first place we carolled and the very last too).
1: We didn’t snap alot of pics last year. Don’t remember any of them uploaded on facebook
2: Met Wai Kuan Jie whom I had the pleasure of singing again with her once only this year:( (But good enough liao la haha)
3: Too many gigs doesn’t mean its a good thing coz the voice can tire easily and cannot do well for every show, although the money will be good
2009 was a very eventful year and also a sad one. In July, I had my commencement and the whole family was in Singapore. I had a blast interning at Singapore Sports Council, which I had blogged quite abit on the experience. I also envisioned being a part of SYOGOC, which eventually didn’t materialise. At that point in time, I pondered alot on what my career will be like. Going back in time, looking at my on-and-off diary writing, I envisioned myself being a music student in uni, hoping to graduate and most probably teach music and perform ocassionally.
It’s funny how my visions never materialise. When I dreamed of being a music student, I went on to read Business in NUS instead and totally “ditched” my piano and choir. Ok, “ditched” sounds abit extreme, but I tried to keep up by participating in Choir and A Cappella, Piano Ensemble during my uni years. At the same time, I experimented with composition and ended up composing one chinese song, and leading a team of 4 in composing 11 songs for a hall musical. Looking back, it was definitely an achievement .
Studies wise, I could have been better. Of course I can always blame myself for not studying harder in year 1, the year where I was too engrossed in my CCAs and thus neglecting the most important year in uni. But considering that I managed to graduate with 2nd Class Honours from NUS, it isn’t that bad after all. (Right???:D)
After graduation , I set my sights on the logistics field, but the logistics field is very big, male-dominated , and low pay for an entry-level position. But passion is always what drives me and not really the $$. So I just prayed to receive a job offer related to logistics.
September 2009 was when I decided to remove my spinal implants due to a chronic infection at two ends of my spine. Going under the knife for the 2nd time doesn’t scare me as I am quite brave :D. Having gone through a long recovery for the 1st one, I had expected a much shorter recovery than the 1st, and it turned out to be faster than I had expected. But that month wasn’t just about the short recovery, but also the lost of my father. The last time I saw him was on the 14th night, hours after I had my surgery. I was very weak at that time, with 3 packs of blood waiting to be transfused into my body and another 3 packs for the 2nd surgery the next day( There was something tissue thing that resulted in leakage hence I need a 2nd surgery). The next day was his passing. It was definitely a shock as no one expected him to “go away”. At the very least, we knew that he was with the Lord and that he passed away peacefully in his sleep. The hardest thing was that I knew it only after the funeral as I was still recuperating. I still remembered when my mother vaguely told me that my father was in the critical unit battling for his life, but he was already in heaven at that time. Each time I hear my phone ringing, I would think that it might be bad news and started panicking and crying.
October 2009- Still coming over terms with my father’s passing, and getting ready to look for a job. It’s funny how one thing leads to another. My aunt sent me an email asking me to apply to be a piano teacher and I decided to apply for a teaching position with MOE. I also applied actively for other positions . By Mid-Oct, barely a month after my surgery, I went down to Singapore for 4 interviews. With God’s guidance, He chose the teaching path for me, and I gladly accepted it. Wanted to teach music so badly, but unfortunately I got English and Math. Butbutbut, I’m looking forward to teaching kids, and hopefully I will adapt well and enjoy my teaching. It won’t be easy, but I’m sure I can overcome all the hurdles that I may face in the midst.
The lesson I learnt over the years is to never envision what will you eventually be: career, family etc. My experience had taught me what I envision will not materialise most of the time but something new sprouted instead. The best is to leave it to God. Pray to Him and let Him lead the way, the path for you.
Praise the Lord!