July 2024 was my last post from my last entry and I am trying to recall where the other half of 2024 really went. As I type my thoughts in the final day of 2024, various memories that occured this year are racing through my mind. While I did write on some of these experiences down, there was also much I did not write, even. though these were big reflection events in my life. Although I won’t be able to write much of them here, I thought I could at least muster up some reflections to close out this year. Otherwise, its kinda wasteful right?
January – February – This was the period where I was closing out my stuff in the previous workplace. I had already requested to not be given any more work and be released earlier so I could start with the Big Red O sooner. I left with some mixed feelings, but was happy to move on. I started work on the 5th of February and little did I know it would take me a while to get acclimatised to my new workplace, where virtual teams would be the mainstay of my career and time there. My boy would also start school as a Primary 1 student. A small boy in a Big Pond.
March – May – The pace picked up at work, but I found myself still trying to adjust and get my bearings at work. Work wasn’t terribly bad, but it was missing a certain x-factor that I could not just put my finger on. Wifey also went through a couple of health issues during this period (she had injured her back in April and fears of a slipped disc worried me quite a bit).
June – Aug – We got a new person at work (based in Sydney) who would end up working very closely with me. That helped to ease some burden for me at work and also enabled me to reallocate some responsibilities across. Wifey would also have another miscarriage (her 3rd) during this period, but thanks be to God, we had the grace to endure it with trust and confidence that He has our best interest at heart. We also did a special celebration for my Dad in August, where we celebrated his birthday over a weekend at Hard Rock Hotel Penang. It was really lovely to see the grand kids bonding with the grandparents, something I have always yearned for my dad and aunty.
Sept – Oct – Dad and aunty came down to celebrate Hammie’s 2nd birthday which was also another wonderful and joyous occasion. The party this time was a little more downscaled compared to her 1st birthday, but we hosted two parties for her – one with the grandparents from both sides and the other with close friends and Hammie’s godparents. October would also be my first company travel visit to KL, which was alright – I guess the hype of me being the Regional Lead and traveling around was slowly dying over time. Perhaps it would warrant it’s own post somewhere down the line. It was also around this time, right about 4 months after wifey’s 3rd miscarriage, we found out after I got back from KL in early October that she was pregnant! This too, would need a blog post of its own!
Nov- Dec – Some realities of mine about the state of work start to set in, especially after my dear colleague from Sydney threw in her letter hardly even before the probation period was up. It left me hurt, not by her actions, but the state of what I was also feeling. Something was not right with the company and the way we did things. It was also around this time, I started considering switching jobs and was in talks with my ex-boss as well. All this was taking place while the family and I were up in Hong Kong Disneyland for a week. December was a hectic time for me as we were also traveling to JB for our annual community convivence and another week later, we would be in KL for a couple of days, which was nice to catchup with the siblings as well. But we left KL feeling extremely drained and tired from the whole journey. Plus it didn’t help that Hammie fell sick during our whole HK trip which resulted in mummy having to work overtime overnight to console the sick child. Anyway I was also left thinking that whether I should start any Christmas family traditions of my own as now the brood is growing.
Well I think that’s really the gist of all that happened in 2024. Of course there are multiple more posts to write (as I have mentioned above) and that too would need some time to hash out, but for now, I think this would be me signing off in 2024, and here’s to 2025! New Year, new beginnings!
