2008 in perspective

Getting started to write this blogpost took me a long time. It's been a year. Oh wow! All 365 days, all five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes. How would i measure this year? I would say, it's not been a great year in terms of work growth. I made a few good friends and gotten closer to those who matter. I haven't met my lose-weight goal, neither have i gotten into grad school. Both of which should go into my new year's resolutions for 2009, i guess. I've been saying it so often. Time to put plan into action.

I did cut down drinking, not quite sure about the flab. Despite the number of events i train for, i love food too much. Hahaha.. doesn't help that i've gained weight through the festive season of Christmas... and all through to New Year's Day 2009. Thanks to hanging around my friends. I've also started spending more time with Jeannie and discovered how well we are when partying. And not forgetting the girls (April, Jeanie, Meihwan, Clara, Angie, Justina) through the number of weddings and birthdays that we all commit to celebrating together.

Meeting up with the Purdue guys for Sanford's wedding post-Christmas (this deserves a long post by itself) was definitely the highlight to end my 2008 with a bang. We had an unforgettable road trip, filled with memories, and further sealing and confirming the fact we're all going to be the closest friends for life.

The boys the SBWs ... they're still around. We're tighter than ever. Yep, Barry W., i know you're reading. We're a funny bunch of people. With every year, we get to know each others' peeves, and grown accustomed to how anger is managed. There are times when we are so annoyed with each other. But like old friends, we forgive and forget and move on. Other times, we just read each others' minds. We had numerous occassions of showing up in shades of blue, black or pink, without informing each other. We sacrifice our time off work and other commitments to make sure we have lunch and dinner together. The SBWs are here to stay.

I've moved quite a fair bit, in terms of triathlon. I've been stronger than before, in swimming, in cycling, and not so much in running (ok, i admit it, i've been doing a whole amount of walking, i must change this). I've done enough events that baffles me sometimes. And there are times i'll just sit there, staring at my Finisher medals and just can't believe i can do all that. The human mind and body are truly a work of God. It's amazing that the body can stretch with such limits. With the time spent in sports, i also gotten much happier with things around me. And i got to know more people in triathlon races and made very good friends with Reeves, Yongfeng, Caroline, and Julz. These people have been great support and of cos, very great motivators and swindlers into the unknown and dark side. Triathlon's a sport, that in my opinion, is not about competition against others, but to tell yourself you can do it, and race against yourself, and to do it first and forthmost for yourself.

I wouldn't say i am not going through the growing-up blues, trying to piece everything together to make life more awesome than it is. I feel so stuck in this vacuum of mindset that i feel like i'm still right out from college, yet admitting there're certain things that i can't deny time has taken a toll of. I don't like to look back in anger. I don't like to live with regrets, i may have a few, but it's part and parcel of growing up. It's been another good year, and i'm making 2009 even more spectacular.