Happy New Year

One of the special things about last year compared to any other year that I went through is that there is a clear distinction between the good parts of the year and the bad parts. If I were to review the year and try to remember only the good parts of the year, I would only like to keep the first half of the year in memory. Unfortunately, because last year was my first year back from Singapore, I will probably remember this special year for the rest of my life. 

The first half of the year included my meeting new people for the first time. Because the study pressure was not very high at the time, I was able to score very close to full marks on my exams with little effort. I was able to talk to the girls I found attractive often and I made it into the senior council with the encouragement of one of my friends back in Indonesia, who I still confide with today. I went out with friends to watch movies more often and there were many firsts for me. It was the first time I went out with a bunch of guys just to play computer games, there was the first time I met a girl who I was able to converse with for hours on end with, the was the first time me and my friend got scared being in a really dodgy area (although in Singapore, not many places can be in the same degree of 'dodgy' as in other countries), I met a teacher who is a just like a grown up version of me, and so on. If I were to name the highlights of the first half of the year it would take up enough space for a blog post.

The second half of the year is something I don't like to remember. Taking the SAT exams was a stressful and consequentially useless exam. Challenge week and the exams proved to be stressful and tiring and falling out with friends that were close to me before. Of course, not wishing to go on with the second half of the year, I will end the list here.

Like many of the times that I view the future, I think of this year as a bright one. I have officially stopped playing the game League of Legends, which I hope will allow me to pursue other meaningful interests. Based on how much time I play the game, I hope to get rid of the addiction as well and hopefully never touch that game forever, or at least for a long time. One of my new years resolutions is to finally finish off my black belt for Tae Kwon Do, something that I haven't done in two years. I will have my first trial lesson six days from now, something that excites me and makes me nervous at the same time.This  year will be the year that I get my Singapore Island Country Club membership and it is at that point that I am able to pursue my sports interests like swimming and badminton, something that the club can support the facilities for. 

I don't foresee much stress in terms of extra curricular activities. Most of the work next year is academic, and is something that I look forward to having after a long time of being rested.The only thing that I cannot handle is the laziness and complains that people have, so I plan to spend most of my time in the library, where it is quiet.

Have a Happy New Year readers, and let's have another happy year on this blog.

Cheers,

Matthew Tan