2007, oh boy, what a year.... it was the best, it was the worst of years.... supergal pal moved out, heartbreaking really after we've been living together for the past 4 years....94D ain't a home without you babe. well, she's got a cozy place with the family she wants  and that's great. and moves in the new housemate, who when intoxicated likes breaking down door(twice) and smashing vases. and then says "so how much? i pay ah, no biggie". and i think to myself, "if he smashes me one day, would anyone find my mangled remains?" grateful to zu for welcoming me to her house so that i get an ounce of sleep. update: he's less intoxicated now, maybe his liver is failing? i completed 10km race, timing 1hr 24mins, a first and a personal best. one of the high points of the year. i think to myself, "if i can do this when i thought i couldn't, i can do anything!" the world is my oyster. four days later, i am diagnosed with Macular Hole on the left eye, affecting 20% vision. i can't read with my left eye. it was there for sometime, i just didn't realised it. went for surgery within the week. i cried for two days, and then some. mom was too busy working to come down to Sg, so i had to figure things out on my own eg. make my home cyclops-friendly. but i had a guide and a nightingale (sel, i can't hide anything from you liao ). and marvelous friends who kept me company at the hospital and home (mel, hat, rach, shan, hw, brian, clara, shuwen; couldn't see you but heard you/saw ur feet lol ). it would have been unbearable without you guys. update: vision not much improvement but the hole is no longer expanding...i hope about the same time i quit SYC. yeah i stopped singing. more 'me' time to do other stuff, meet friends, work, learn german, go gym, work. but doesn't change that i will miss the good, the fab and the super times. and the irreplaceable singing-kakis. works been tough. long hours, tough customers, even tougher colleagues. learnt what it is to be frontline staff, hearing grievances and complaints from customers with the best smile on your face, always. practiced saying "sorry for your inconvenience" for things you did nothing wrong. saying to your customers, "let me try to help you with your problem" and then hearing from your colleague, "why are you and your customers so difficult?". and then learning to bear and grin it. for what it's worth, the boss gave a raise in nov. brought out zu to celebrate. then getting a call from mom to say that dad had a heart attack. hospitalised in beijing with no way of getting to him. we pulled our resources to fly him back to do a bypass (we didn't really trust the medics there). but of course he refused, "no burden to the family". stubbornness runs in the family, i guess. he did the procedure, under his uni's insurance and commits another year of working with them. update: he's recovering. to end off 07/start 08, got a call to go to CGH, "your aunt just tried to kill herself. can you come to talk to her?" i found her alone in the ward. "please don't hurt yourself anymore" "i have noone, my husband left me, my kids left me. why am i still here?" "you have your sisters, you have ppl who love you. take a break, go away" "i am stuck here, i am unhappy. i want to die." "you have a choice to stop this. and be happy." that night i couldn't help her. they sent her for psych the next day. update: i saw her last week, and she's begun to accept the difficult things in her life and wants to try changing things in her life. spending this sunday with her, baking cny goodies. it was the best of years, it was the worst. maybe i've become jaded, bitter and tired at the end of it all. but everything happens for a reason, doesn't it? i'd like to think stronger and calmer. to sum it up, under the surgery floodlights i thought "this is it. just do it." this IS the new year and a season of new year's resolutions. on the bus home earlier, i had one of my random epiphany (that usually sparks a blog entry, by the by), "i don't know why life is getting tougher. and i can't change the things that are thrown my way, but i can change how i feel about it" so for Resolutions 2008, "Change starts with Me" and all the good things we learn: Patience, Courtesy, Courage, Faith. And a healthy dose of Humour. Cheers! PS: Of course, let's not forget Resolution #9843758- Lose weight  . | 
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