reflections and other things you do around the new year

So much has happened in the last year - I think that every year, but this year really has been pretty eventful. The first half of my year was filled with lasts: I started my last ever college semester, went on my last spring break trip, took my last finals (at least for a while!), danced at my last prom.

The summer heralded a bitter-sweet combination of firsts and lasts: the last time I would messily pack and move out of a Columbia dorm, my first spa night in Flushing, my first walk from Columbia down to Times Square, the first (and hopefully last!) time I rowed a boat, my first visit to Long Island, my last meal of chicken-and-rice, and, sadly, my last karaoke party in the city.

But that was soon followed by another half-year of firsts: my first trip to Hong Kong, my first Taiwanese drama series, my first real job, and most importantly, my first time being home in Singapore for longer than 8 weeks since...well, since I was born really. Life's changed a lot since January 2008...

It's strange - you only spend four years in college, but transitioning out of it takes a while. I moved to a new city (pretty much), moved back in with my parents, and started working in something completely unrelated to my major. I'd forgotten how hard it is to move somewhere and start over - new places to get familiar with, new foods to try, new weather patterns to adjust to, new friends to make, new interests to find.

Luckily, I found one of mine pretty quickly - salsa! chacha! bachata! In other words, latin dancing love. Love number two - taiwanese dramas. And love number three, perhaps the strongest one of them all, my family. I'd forgotten how amazing it is to be home. And it kind of shows, at least physically - since I've come back, I've lost like, 16 pounds - probably through my mom feeding me healthy food (though I think I've put back at least 2 since the holidays!!) and I've rebonded my hair straight.

Which brings me, finally, to my resolutions for the year. I usually don't really believe in resolutions - why wait till the New Year if you want to change your life? But this year, I figure, why not? They sound a little trivial in writing, but whatever. So here goes - my resolutions for the year, in no particular order:

1) Keep off the weight I've lost! And lose a couple more pounds, if I can :)
2) Become a good salsa follower: i.e. get the tension thing right, and figure out how to turn in a straight line!
3) Start reading "The Straits Times" or "AsiaOne".
4) Maintain work-life balance.
5) Start taking pictures of daily life again.
6) Write regular blog posts - at least twice a month.

Wish me luck!! Let's see how well I do.