2015 year in review: highs and lows

Hi guys, how is everyone? I hope you have all been enjoying a well deserved break - as the year draws to a close, I am sitting here in my sister-in-law's house on boxing day, contemplating the year that has gone by and here are some thoughts of how 2015 has been for me and some of the most memorable moments from the year.

Hello from Scotland where I am spending Christmas

1. The year of travel

At the beginning of the year, I had set myself a target to do 12 countries in 12 months and I have surpassed that target: Spain, Romania, Denmark, Sweden, Italy (twice), The Vatican, Brunei (twice), Singapore, Indonesia, the UAE, Slovenia, Slovakia, Ireland and Scotland. Okay, I know Scotland is technically speaking still a part of the UK - but they nearly voted for independence last year and it does feel so incredibly different from London that I do feel like I am in a different country. Given the fact that the SNP has taken hold of the Scottish parliament, it may be a matter of time before they leave the UK. But if you were to then discount Scotland and the Vatican from that list, then I have been to 12 countries this year. It could have been 13 if i did go to Johor Bahru whilst I was in Singapore, but I just didn't get my act together. Sure I like traveling, but I also want to do more related to travel - I want to do more travel writing as well in 2016.

2. Plans put on hold...

I was meant to travel to Myanmar on a work trip in October, but much to my disappointment that was postponed till December and now till early 2016. I am not quite sure what is going to happen now with that contract, but I really still hope that it will materialise early in the new year. I have plenty of other things to keep me very busy for now - such as preparing to move house in February 2016 and then doing up the new place, but I need to refocus on my career in 2016 especially as I turn 40. I am not ready to retire just yet - there's so much more I want to achieve.

There is much I want to achieve in 2016

3. My blog gaining new popularity but my vlog still not quite matching it. 

I was heartened by the way my blog reached new popularity in 2015 - the death of LKY was obviously a hot topic this year and the piece I wrote immediately after his death was the most read article on my blog ever. Other people who were very popular this year included Amos Yee, Alvin Tan and of course, Kong Hee & Sun Ho. On top of Alvinology, I am also now writing for Asia361 and this is opening up my travel writing to new audiences. However, the viewing figures for my vlog are disappointing - I would have hoped that the people who have read my blog would also wanted to watch my vlog pieces (especially since I have interviewed some interesting people this year) but the figures are just not quite there yet. Perhaps it has got to do with the production quality but I will keep working on it in 2016.

4. Thinking about my nephew...

As I am spending Christmas with my partner's family, I have begun to get to know my niece-in-law Helen very well (is that even the right term: she is the daughter of my sister-in-law). She is currently doing medicine at Oxford and I find that I now have plenty to talk to her about because she is now a very intelligent and interesting adult. But I have known Helen since 1998 - and of course, she was a little girl then and I had problems trying to communicate with a young girl like that as I had virtually nothing in common. But this year, whoopee, she is an adult and we have been talking loads - I just don't know how to talk to children (without sounding awfully condescending). I did see my nephew for a few weeks this year in Singapore and we barely talked - he wanted to tell me about his computer games and I didn't even do him the courtesy of feigning the slightest bit of interest. Does that make me an awful person? Probably. But right now, I am wondering if I have to wait till my nephew is as old as Helen before I can actually have a real conversation with him? He doesn't show the slightest bit of interest in what I do and I am not going to pretend to care about his computer game either.  Or would I never have a relationship with him? Or will it be as the Chinese saying goes, 船到桥头自然直?

Should I have made a greater effort with my nephew?

5. I still don't feel old - should I? 

Finally, as I am now approaching my 40th birthday, I still don't feel old. My main social activity is still gymnastics and I visit my gymnastics club 6 days a week (I only give it a break on Thursdays). My peers from university years ago have mostly settled down and have had kids, so I just keep on making younger friends every year - young people who have yet to settle down and be consumed by either their careers or children. At Christmas, I would scroll through Facebook and they would post pictures of themselves celebrating Christmas with their children - and I would be like, oh you've disappeared from Facebook for much of the year then reappear to post Christmas photos? Then I have older colleagues at work whose children have grown up and gone to university, so they have more time to themselves. I seem to be quite happy to switch between the two groups as I share one thing in common with them: the absence of children. My own parents are quite happy to play the role of grandparents, but I see loads of older adults whose children have gone to live/work far away and they are quite happily getting on with their lives today without their children being nearby.

So as I look forward to 2016, I will write another piece early in January about my hopes and aspirations for 2016. But for now, many thanks for reading and following my blog. I am sending you all my best wishes for a wonderful 2016.

Making friends in Slovakia earlier this month