Happy New Year 2008

Another year has come and gone before the blink of an eye. 2008 has arrived.

It's 2.10AM currently as i'm writing this post. Just spent the last hour finishing the last bits of my group assignment, which is due Wednesday. glad that we did it at a pretty good speed so the last few laps weren't too rushed or stressed.

The New Year countdown this time was spent with mom and another ex-uni mate and her family. we know each other's families rather well cos' we hang out at each other's place quite regularly. mom had been wanting to watch The Wynners 33rd Anniversary Concert, which kick started in KL but i was too ignorant to really consider it. until this friend said she could get discounted tickets. on top of that, she has also given her free seat to my mom so i only had to pay for one person.

I've been listening to Wynners' songs since i was young cos' mom loves them. the band was one of the popular canto pop group in the 70s and their popularity survived the 80s and 90s. although the band has since disbanded, they would reunite every five years to hold a concert for their fans. as u could imagined, the audience tonight was mostly 40s and above. surprisingly, there were also younger-than-me audience, who seemed to enjoy the band's music too.

Aside from their happy songs, I liked the band for their camaraderie. they've been friends since their teenage years and despite being on different paths and in their 50s now, their friendship has stood the test of time. even while watching them sing and dance, one could sense their genuineity and that they were enjoying themselves in each other's co and having fun while sharing their mutual interest in music. i think it takes a lot of effort for friendships between five different individuals to survive this long.

It's easier to dis-engage when interest has changed, priorities have shifted or simply when distance has become too far. i've caught myself many times when i told myself it was alright to let go of the friendship because there was no more common ground. but then again, isn't the value of friendship goes beyond that? when the friendship has been built on trust and care, the bridge of common interests is no longer important..

I've decided this year not to benchmark specifically how 2007 had been for me. i guess 2007 could be summarised as the year of decision making. the earlier part of the year was filled with disappointment because my initial plan did not turn out as i wanted it to be. plan B has started and seemed to be going on very well. in that sense, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that plan A didn't work out. well, time will tell.

In that sense, 2008 should be the year of harvesting. hopefully i'll be able to bear the consequences of my actions and learn to make the best of them. oh yes, i'm also turning 30 :O) when it comes, i'll embrace it warmly because the new decade will bring new sense of strength, clarity of mind and independence of self. life's too short to be living on other people's standards and expectations :)