First half of 2012 passed by peacefully.
On a sad note, I have to admit that I failed to achieve any of my new year resolutions so far, as usual. In fact, I only vaguely remember what my resolutions are, because they are indeed very vague resolutions (sigh). So, I guess to the new resolution for the second half of 2012 is to review the old resolutions and make them actionable with specific targets to achieve. I should probably be posting about these targets once I sort everything out, just so I have the motivation to achieve them in order not to embarrass myself, as they are already public knowledge. Until then, take care.
Grandpa is recovering well from the amputation of his foot which happened shortly after last year's Chinese New Year. This is something that we are all thankful for. Although he has been kind of preparing for his "departure" ever since the amputation, it is always good to see the old man in good spirit hanging out with the family, and that his mind is still sharp when it comes to playing poker.
This year's Chinese New Year, we got a new addition to the family - my cousin's hubby, KK, who officially joined the Heng's family after tying the knot with my cousin KT last year. We were missing a few other cousins who moved overseas, but KK definitely brings new fun to the family with his happy-go-lucky personality.
Things at work are progressing slowly but surely. The merger between AMM and MB was probably the most exciting that ever happened during the first half of the year. Apart from the anxiety of having to adjust to new colleagues and new office, everything works out quite well. Integration between the two companies is still going on at the management level, so there wasn't not too much impact yet at the operation end. Sometimes, I tend to feel unchallenged at work, but when I hear about other people working OTs or stressing out because of work, I decided that I should count my blessings.
Around mid-March, I traveled to Korea with my sister. We even took Korean language lessons to prepare ourselves for the trip, as it was going to be a non-guided one. It was a great trip overall except for the weather, which was cold and rainy, quite typical of winter transitioning to spring. I was so super envious of friends who went in early April when I saw their pictures with blooming cherry blossoms (I think I may return to Korea next year to compensate the regrets of this trip). Our mastering of the Korean language, although only at a beginner's level, served us well throughout the trip. We managed to somewhat carry a conversation with a taxi driver, and even understand bits and pieces of a tour-guide's explanation during a local tour at Gyeongju. Nothing super-interesting happened during the trip ... but we did order something "fishy" at a seaside restaurant in Gyeongju, simply because we didn't recognized a single vocabulary on the menu and decided to just go with the cheapest one, which turned out to be a raw fish bibimbap! Luckily it came with a stew, and my sister made the wise decision of dumping all the raw fish into the stew (we definitely sensed a few raised eyebrows from tables nearby). I decided to try it the local way, only to raise white flag after two spoonfuls of raw fish. While in Gyeongju and Busan, we stayed in motels which were kind of exotic. One has a vending machine for vibrators, while the other has nude posters in the room. These motel rooms, however, were definitely much luxurious than our accommodation in Seoul because of the atmosphere and facilities (even though not so appropriate for our purpose).
I came back to a busy month in April, which was the time when the analyst churns out quarterly reports for the clients. I had report deadlines in three out of the four weeks in April, and it felt like going back to grad school again, except I get paid this time for squeezing my brain juice, and bearing the side-effect of panda eyes.
Then, there was Bersih 3.0 on 28 April, which I morally supported from the comfort of my sister's air-con room, simply because I was kiasi and kiajuak (afraid of heat). I still remember how I was traveling in Yunnan province when I found out about the mass rally in KL last year. It was the first time I heard about Bersih 2.0, and honestly, I didn't know exactly what the movement was about. I had the vague sense of people protesting against the corrupted ways of the government, in a major way that I never knew before, but I totally missed the electoral reform part, which was supposed to be the main goal of the movement (this shows how ignorant I was). I definitely have a better understanding now, because it is part of my business to know, and also because there were friends who "forced" me to know. And recently, I even took the effort to attend a public forum that offers a critical analysis of Bersih 3.0. I left the forum with more information, but even more questions. "So what after Bersih 3.0?" was probably the biggest question that everyone had in their mind that day. Nevertheless, if there was one thing that I really appreciate from the forum, it is the knowledge that there are many fellow Malaysians who genuinely care about the future of the country and are not afraid of speaking out for what they believe in.
There seems to be quite some excitements in store in May. Firstly, my siblings and I finally found a place that we will call home for the next one year. It is a house in SS23 Petaling Jaya, and we will be moving in mid of May. I have been moving from room to room for many years, and finally, I am upgrading to a house! My parents got me a car last month, so I am totally experiencing the driving-in-KL lifestyle now.Secondly, it is about time for year-end performance review at my company, and to find out how much pay-raise and bonus we get. Our incentive package is really nothing huge if compared to a big corporate, but any monetary incentive is an incentive, especially when I have been burning quite a few holes in my pocket lately. The third one I want to keep as a surprise. You guys will probably find out soon when it happens :)
On a sad note, I have to admit that I failed to achieve any of my new year resolutions so far, as usual. In fact, I only vaguely remember what my resolutions are, because they are indeed very vague resolutions (sigh). So, I guess to the new resolution for the second half of 2012 is to review the old resolutions and make them actionable with specific targets to achieve. I should probably be posting about these targets once I sort everything out, just so I have the motivation to achieve them in order not to embarrass myself, as they are already public knowledge. Until then, take care.
