Turning 2.0 : 2007 Year End Special

It is funny looking back now, where in 2006, I was almost certain that my life was going to be normal, with no more drama and just going to have to tell the same old stories over and over again. In fact, I was so worried that I had gone through the hardest time and that from that point onward, everything else was just going to end up looking boring and dull.

Boy, was I wrong. And I am actually glad to be wrong. Cause although 2007 is coming to end, I feel like my life has just begun. For those of you who followed my blog, you would have noticed that this year has been nothing but easy. The first, being the discovery of my real biological father. Let me rephrase that. The first, being the discovery of my dead biological father. I guess I am lucky enough to have three fathers but not lucky enough to have a dad. Well, at least, I learnt a little from each and every one of them. To put it short, the things I learnt from the three of them is to be alive, to stick around and to be good to those around you. And those three lessons, I would hold dearly to my heart forever.

This was also the year that I realized that despite being lucky enough to somewhat blend in easily in high school, not everyone can blend in at all time. Entering Keio University was the first time, I truly had contact with Japanese my age. I was so looking forward to it. But you know how the story of the ugly duckling goes where it started off in a lake of swans just to realize that it was at the wrong lake at the end. That happened to me this year. I started my semester in an English class filled with Japanese students who lived overseas before. I was so sure they were my group of pals and I tried so hard to blend in that I forgot that sometimes it is just not me, and that is just the environment. So luckily I stopped trying before it was too late. To be fair, there were a few people in that class that were actually cool with me. I decided to take those few, kept being myself and make new friends outside of that class. That worked out perfect for me.

Another great discovery of this year was that everyone has problems. Menial or not to us, people who are experiencing these problems are facing it like it is their biggest obstacle in life. Be it a fear of making speeches, or a fear of talking in English, or a fear of upsetting others, I have no right to belittle it. Before this year, especially throughout last year, I looked down at people who succumb to the pressure of their problems. I always thought that they were weak. But this year, I learnt that not everyone goes through the same life experiences I did that made me who I am today. So what I should do is not tie them up and drag them across the mud, but instead try and find a way to either be listeners or motivators. With all that I have been through, there must be some good after all. Besides, since people have been helping me through all this while without judging my problem, what gives me the right to judge other people’s problems?

So after all the drama, 2007 has been a great year. Not only do I find out I actually have a cool Malay cousin who lives in Brunei (hi James), I actually found out about myself better. I found out that there are things that I can’t do but at the same time, there are things that I can do rather well. So all and all, a great year. Can’t wait for 2008. To come to think of it, I will not have to wait. LOL.