Reflections

When the year is ending and a new year coming, I just cant help but think of new changes that I would like to adopt and old habits that I would like to kick away for a fresh new year to start with.

Despite knowing that new year resolutions are practically useless, everyone of us should still spend some time reflecting back on our past and ponder on what changes we would like to make in the coming new year. Surely you don't want to remian stagnant in ur level of progress as each year goes by? It will be quite sad to know if you found urself being the same old you as you are back in JC times for example.

1. Work shouldnt be an excuse for me to indulge in overeating out of stress and less exercising out of tiredness (though they seem like very valid reasons to me most of the times!) The intake of food should be proportionate to the level of physical activity. The more you exercise, the more you can afford to eat. This is my theory. If I want to indulge sinfully on food and delicacies, then I better discipline myself to exercise more in order to cater to that form of luxury. I have not been keeping up with the exercise regime I hope to maintain outside my worklife. Its definitely not a good feeling for my mind and body at the end of the day. As such in the new year, I want to kick away the bad habit of snacking and eating too much when I am not exercising enough to compensate for that. I have the habit of snacking continuously when I am bored and feeling all down and guilty thereafter. No good!

2. I am always thinking about my work and clients during my free time like the follow-ups that I need to do etc. This has to stop. Time and work management is impt to me. I want to do every part of my work properly so that I do not need to allocate more time to do amendments thereafter. Beside reading casefiles and work-related stuff, I want to allocate time to cultivate a more regular reading habit cos I have been procrastinating and putting reading aside too many times. To say honestly, I am someone who have short attention span which I've realized over the years. Only having the need to go for exams can force me to read a certain thing. Very sad case rite. I don't have the patience to finish a novel and infact I've not read a proper storybook ever since the absence of literature subject in my curriculum (come to this, jenny, I realized I have not returned u the DA VINCI CODE ever since given up reading it long time ago). I wish I have loved reading more and infact, I should think that I am someone who will love reading but why am I not? Therefore, i want to adopt a more regular reading habit, be it newspaper or even magazines in the new year!!

3. I have always wanted to master my mother's cooking recipes as to be able to cook is definitely a great asset to one's own family in the future. It will be such great pity and desapir if I choose not to be inquisitive enough to impart some of my mum's cooking talent. I have been learning on and off which to me equates to insignificant input of knowledge that I should feel ashamed to confess. As such, I have bugged my mum to bug me into learning a new dish every mth during our free time. HA.

4.I want to be more proactive and eager about learning my own dialect. Hokkien! Sad to say I do not possess the environment to learn and speak Hokkien naturally although my parents are proficient in it. This language skill is crucial in my field of work bcos quite many of my clients are elderly and some only know dialect! I have been too laid back in picking up this language due to forgetfulness and procrastination. Being more proactive in things is what I hope to achieve in this new year to come.

Yes you may chide at me for sounding idealistic in what I hope to change as we all know that being said is easier than to be done but well, it doesnt hurt to have plans in one's head as a form of reminder to what one can possibly do. From psychology, it is said that publicly confess something can reaffirm one's commitment to it.

At least for now, the new year has not arrived yet and there is still time for me to sit back in my cache of old habits and wait for the auspicious strike of the new year to come and kick them away!