2009 – Year End Review

(This is actually the first YER I've started to write and completed; 2008's still in draft mode...)

In comparison, 2009 is indeed not as eventful as that in 2008. But then, how could any year be compared to 2008? It;s almost as if all the cosmic forces had lined up and lots of changes happened and fun trips taken with new friends, old friends, and of course with my Dad. But 2009? Still a good year on any account.

This was a busy year in terms of my job. I have managed to complete necessary procedures for a specific task in 8 months, when it would usually take at least 11 months. And this was all possible because of a new temporary boss, who showed me "all the ropes". It was both exciting and exhausting, not to mention nerve wrecking, because the margin of error allowed was so slim. As somebody who's only been on the job for slightly over 1 year, this was certainly an intentensive training course and something to be proud of.

Taken during a walking tour through the historical Wanchai area (Sept)

Although it seemed I travelled less this year when compared to the last couple of years, I managed to average almost one trip a month, that is if trips to Guangzhou and Macau are also included.

First trip to the Philippines - Cebu (Feb)

Macau Trip to watch fireworks (Oct)

I am happy that I have gone to at 3 places which I hadn't been to before. Provence (July) is so beautiful and the weather was absolutely fantastic. Swimming with whale sharks in Donsol (April) and seeing the rural Philippines and the iconic Mayon volcano was memorable. Then a short but eventful trip to see the Giant Buddha and giant pandas in Chengdu (November) was a nice surprise late in the year. But I miss trips with a large group of friends. Our Singapore outing (May) was fun, and there is nothing like roaming around with a group of friends and eating non-stop. Hope we get to plan more of those next year.

Whale-Watching + Eco-tour, Legaspi/Donsol (April)


Singapore (May)

Provence, France (July)

Shanghai (Oct)

Chengdu (Nov)

As usual, I attended both the Hong Kong Arts Festival and the International Film Festival. They don't seem to elicit as much excitement as before, especially films at the film festival. Actually, when I go back and look at the films I see at the HKIFF this year, I could only remember a couple of them (Religulous, Ultramarathon Man). The rest, especially the Chinese ones, seem to get all mixed up in my memory as similar scenes of dusty and plain landscapes or stark contrasts of rural farmland and gigantic development nearby. That conflict between economic/urban development vs. social/democratic development seem to have lost its novelty and it's no longer fascinating to look at.

The now legendary No. 39 Conduit Road, as seen on one of my weekend strolls (July)

The Mosque on Mosque Street (July)

I also looked at the list of the films I've seen inside a theatre this year…. It seems that there are fewer films that have left lasting memories, the following are some of the films I've seen this year (mostly in chronological order) in addition to those seen at the HKIFF…

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, If You Are The One (Chi), Doubt, Revolutionary Road, Slumdog Millionaire, Milk, Rachel Getting Married, Watchmen, The Reader, He's Just Not That Into You, Knowing, Shinjuku Incident (Chi), X-Men Origins, 17 Again, Angels & Demons, Frozen Flower (Kor), Star Trek, Duplicity, Scandal Makers (Kor), Transformers II, G I Joe, UP, The Haunting in Connecticut, Overheard (Chi), Hangover, The Proposal, (500) Days of Summer, Time Traveler's Wife, The Ugly Truth, 2012, Julie & Juila, Avatar.

It's surprising that I've averaged more than 2 movies a month in a theatre, and that doesn't even include those 10+ movies I see within the 3-week period of the HKIFF… No wonder Hollywood is having one of the best box office total tickets sold this year (surpassed only by 2002).

Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance (Oct)

In terms of concerts I haven't seen many this year: Superband, At17, Kay Tze, Sandy Lam (GZ), Sandy Lam (Macau), and Sammi Cheng. And if you don't count Sandy Lam, or at17 (free ticket), I have only paid, (and gladly so) to see 3 concerts over the course of they year. I think, as I become more and more "old cake", the list will get shorter and shorter… But it seems I'll be seeing a batch of concerts at the start of 2010, which seems to be very busy concert year again.

Guangzhou - Sandy Lam weekend (Aug)

Macau - Sandy Lam weekend (Aug)

Other notable things:

“Hello Lyttelton Road”

Not only it is one of my favourite streets, I started to roam around the area more as friends have moved into the neighbourhood and I have also started a "project" there.

Central Police Station (Oct)

“Hello West Kowloon”

Job-related or not, I have gone to the WKCD site more and more, to jog, to see fireworks, or just to take a stroll around the area.

WKCD (March)

WKCD (Oct)

WKCD (Dec)

“Hello Trailwalkers”

1st practice: Tuen Mun - suffered mild sun stroke (Sept)

2nd practice: M2 (Oct)

3rd practice: Violet Hill (Oct)

The Event (Nov)

Very happy to have participated in this year's event as it is now officially the only active event I have participated all this year. Am very happy that we managed to shatter old records and I also proved to myself that last year's achievement wasn't just a fluke.

“Goodbyes”

This year I had to attend 4 funerals. In addition, there were 3 other passings which were related to me in different contexts (a distant relative, an "acqaintence", and close relative of a former "friend"). Each gave me an opportunity to reflect on my own life. Various questions pop up, like... What's important to us, what legacy do we want to leave behind, how should we divide our time between job, family, friends, self?

On a foggy day (Mar)

“Hello, drunks!”

Thanks to Fun, I have finally puked on the street at least once in my life. That party was a blast.

2010…

2009 went by quickly. If it wasn't for the few trips in between, I honestly wouldn't remember where some of the months have gone?! (April, where did you go? And September?) The first decade of the millennium is, and will always be, the most pivotal time of my life. In fact, it would be 10 years to the day in a few days, when one really life-changing event happened in year 2000. Who would have known that I would have gone back to the US, returned, gone back to school, changed career, bought, sold, bought and sold again a few times, and now living in Hong Kong full-time? But that's the point, because nobody knows what'd happen 10 years from now, even 1 year, or even tomorrow. Enjoy the ride, and enjoy the scenery, oh, and smell the roses along the way too, y'all.

H a p p y H o l i d a y s !