Here's the list of 2008, in no particular order:
1. 2008 was the year of work experience.
I started off 2008 still working at a job I had since late 2006, as a motel cleaner at a motel along George Street. The boss and wife were such good employers, I felt bad leaving the job, and them. It was minimum pay ($12/hour), and I can assure you that it's never a nice feeling waking up early on a Saturday morning washing toilets and occassionaly smelling some pretty nasty things. I finally quit my first job in NZ around Feb 08.
My 2nd job was at Domino's Pizza. Ah, the memories there. I remember how you guys used to make fun about how that particular colleague of mine there who had a crush on me and always offered to drive me home. Hey, nothing wrong with getting free pizzas and garlic cheese bread once in a while! =P It was a fun job, though I got to see the ugly side of drunk students working there. I'm glad it was a short-lived job. Great manager(s), though.
I quit Domino's to join Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) in their temporary workforce sometime in March. My first "real" job, I would say. An office job. One which I had my own swipecard, own workstation with dual-screen lcd monitors, getting to work whenever I want and how many hours I want to every week, getting paid above the minimum pay, and working alongside Michelle =) It was great; freedom in my work hours, no worries, rushing to and fro from lectures and labs to work, wearing formal wear etc. It got pretty stressful towards the end of the year, trying to juggle work (yes I was greedy) and studies at the same time. I'm grateful for those 6 months I got to working in that environment, not a perfect one but definitely a real eye-opener in so many ways. And yes, it contributed a lot towards my Europe travel fund =) Too bad work there is only during office hours; if not I'd continue working there this year.
Now, in SG, I'm thankful for this job/attachment at Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS). My first "job" that's actually related to my future degree. Though I complain quite a bit about how it's not entirely microbiology-based but more towards genetics, it's still a valuable experience. A chance for me to live in another country, albeit a short 3 months, to consider the possibility of working here after graduation. Getting to explore SG is a definite bonus, considering the last time I actually stepped out of Changi airport was more than 5 years ago.
2. 2008- the year we organised our very own SHINE '08 camp!
stolen from Greg's facebook photos. eh why some of you guys' faces hidden?I'm sure every single one of you who went to SHINE '08 have sooo many stories to retell. From secretly giving gifts to "mortals" and trying to guess who our "guardian angels" were, to the hunt to see glow worms at night, and the shoe stealing competition... and also the hundreds of photos to capture those memories and friendships that were strengthened. SHINE '08 was easily, my favourite camp ever.
3. Ray and Mich's wedding 15.06.08
The 1st ever wedding of close friends that I'd been to. Truly an honour being one of the bridesmaids, and boy did we have fun during the pre-make up session, the hectic-ness trying to decorate Blue Sky restaurant, praying for good weather during the photoshoot... Now I have a rough idea of what it takes to organise a wedding- nothing but easy. So remember, couples, *wink wink you know who you are* give us extra notice ok! =P
4. All our birthdays. =)
It's tradition: to plan for a fake surprise at midnight only to say that we're too busy for lunch/dinner then have another surprise again. And the presents which are getting more and more expensive. Who knows, we might actually break the tradition this year. OR maybe even create a new tradition?
5. of unicol, unicol, and unicol
Nothing's better than having so many friends being Residential Assistants (RA) at a residential hall. I'll always remember the sleepovers at Sam's room, free lunches/dinners & trying to avoid getting caught, the night it snowed there, watching football matches, watching the live Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, playing Halo3 on xbox360 at the RA room, Lighthouse bbq at Greg's, etc. It feels sad not being able to just walk into Unicol this year =(
6. travels
2008 wasn't a big year of traveling for me. During early Feb when my parents came over to NZ, we toured around south island- went to Te Anau, Milford Sound, Queenstown. During June, I spent the mid year break at Auckland with the Pancakes, fun times. And now, it's safe to say I'm a visitor here at Singapore- taking time to explore this city.
7. New friendships & strengthening of old ones ;)
The addition of the new (not necessarily young =P) ones to the family: Hsiu Ping, Valerie, Bernard, Sharon T., Glenn, Amy, Mae Ann, etc. Oh and of course, the new couples hehehe Bernard & Val, Mae Ann & Ben. Getting to flat with new flatties: Sharon and Yan. Can't wait for another year of flatting with a group of awesome girls =) Letting go of the "oldies" who have to leave after their graduation/postings with a heavy heart.
2009 would (hopefully) be the year I:
1. Graduate with good results
2. Secure a job before graduation
3. Know where I'm heading to after goal #1
4. Organise a fabulous graduation trip (US/Aus/North Asia?)
5. Aim to organise my finances aka actually record down my income/expenditure
and of course, all those be-a-better-person-or-friend blahs. Don't be surprised that I'm not wishing for a relationship- 2009 will not be the year. There's still so much to accomplish, so little time. Agree, Chyi? =P The right person and the right time will come some day, so I can't be bothered chasing after that right now. Questions answered, I hope?
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