2012 is a year I dedicate to myself.
Last year had been a hoo haa year with the passing of my mother, with my mother’s business, with my own business, with my new re-united extended paternal family, with my brother’s new Chinese bride, with the incessant bickering of my extended maternal family on my brother’s new bride.
I am done!
I am glad that things had finally settled, luckily there was no court proceedings to pursue ….. which will inevitably waste more money on. And as with all conflicts, time will be the mediator.
And if there is one thing I had learned the past year – The best commentary is silence. This silence entails respect and space.
I am happy for my brother’s decision, and proud of him not least. To see him put on some weight, quit smoking and talk about his new job, these are definitely good signs.
Last Saturday, 4 of us marched into Leong San See temple, paying our respects to our mother, for it been a year since she passed on. I can never put more emphasis on customs and rituals like these. It is a time for us to get together, talk cock and sing song.
And with the past behind me, this year, it’s MINE! And my “Ang’s”.
Marching into 2012, I re-watched one of my favourite youtube videos – JK Rowling’s Harvard Commencement Speech 2008. She touched on 3 main topics – Failures, Imagination and Friends.
”Failure strips away the inessential and makes us stop pretending who we are. Failure sets us free because the greatest fear was realised and we are still alive! It is impossible to live without failing at something unless we live so cautiously that we might as well not have lived at all, in which case we fail by default.”
I had understood what failure was at a young age. Those were easily defined in schools. At age 36, going on 37, the society is quick to term you a failure with their preset criteria.
I have failed before, in many arenas. And assumed I will too in the future. Perhaps in an epic scale I cannot fathom right now. But more importantly, failures do not stop me. They do not restrict me in my comfort zone. They help me march forward the unknown, armed with past failures (or some people prefer to use the word “experience”)
This year will be the year to pursue my passion. Sometimes I find that passion is a very Avante Garde, abstract thing to grasp. What exactly is passion? How do we know we are passionate about it? Maybe it is just a 3 minute love affair? It took me some time to find out and I am still quite unsure if it is truly my calling, even now.
But one thing I am sure. It makes me smile, it makes me think, it makes me wanting more……
And as I’ve mentioned, 2012 is dedicated to myself. I have started to document my passion and interest here.
And I must also document JK Rowling here.
