Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010!

As we hurtle towards the new year, I thought I’d take some time to look back at 2009, and collect my thoughts.

It’s been quite an amazing year for me, both professionally and personally.  I bought an apartment, changed 3 companies in a year and proposed to my girlfriend (now fiancee).  Someone once told me it was extremely hazardous to try and change your job and get married at the same time.  I guess I’m going to try and prove him wrong.  I think I will be an extremely busy man in the new year, juggling between working on Neoteny Labs and helping to make it a success, while pulling together all the apartment renovation and wedding logistics.

Wish me skill, because I’m going to need what little l33t skillz I have.  Luck?  There ain’t no thing as luck, as one of my Carnegie Mellon professors, Tom Sullivan once said.

To all my friends – my Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College classmates, CMU and Stanford batch mates and my ex-colleagues and people that I got to know from work – thank you for being a part of my life, be it in a small or big way. I will make it a point to try and connect with you more in the coming years.

I drew up a list of New Year resolutions at the start of 2009.  Here’s how I fared on its last day:

1. I will endeavor to turn my upcoming 2-year stint at the new company into a success – more on that as things get confirmed. It’s funny where life takes you.  I was starting the year looking forward to my gig with Walden International, only to find myself freed from my bond and joining Neoteny Labs.
2. I pray that I will learn greater understanding and patience, especially towards my loved ones. I’d like to think I passed with flying colors, though at times my patience was stretched to its limits.  This is one resolution I’ll be taking with me into 2010 as well.
3. I intent to spend more time with myself in 2009 than I had in 2008, which wasn’t much to begin with. I had a good stretch of that in late September to November, but work has just picked up since.  This will be something I’ll continue to work on in 2010 as well.
4. I resolve to buy myself a MacBook Pro to replace my 5+, almost 6-year old Powerbook, hopefully by Q1 2009. accomplished
   
5. I resolve to get back into Photography in 2009 with my new rangefinder-ish black Panasonic Lumix LX-3 after I’d sold off my 20D + 17-40L + 24-70L + 70-200L IS towards the end of 2006. accomplished; I bought my LX-3 near the final days of 2008, and sold it off only a few days ago.  I picked up an Olympus E-P2, a micro-4/3 format camera with an interchangeable lens system and much improved image quality.
6. I promise to remain true to myself and begin every single day with a smile on my face. Ditto for 2010.

Farewell 2009 – it’s been a wonderful ride, despite the long-suffering cold that the global economy has been blighted by.  I look forward to 2010 with much mirth.

Post card circa 1915 - New Year Resolutions

Related posts:

1. Hello 2009! Goodbye 2008~
2. Neoteny Labs
3. Neoteny Singapore Camp 1
4. GuardTime closes $8m series A round
5. Post-NSC1 thoughts

Tagged as: 2009, 2010, new year, resolutions