2009

2008 would cease to exist soon, sealed away in a memory capsule and suspended within the realms of my mind. 2008 holds many beautiful memories, but the past is past, and what I would like to do now is to work my way towards what needs to be done in 2009.

Come to think of it, 2009 seems more like a predictable year for me. I am going to finish my last 3 weeks in MDIS, take the exams and work on my grauduation project - and that's it. After that, I would be aimless till mid-2011. Waiting for NS is being aimless. Being drawn into NS is being aimless. Serving NS is aimless - well, at least when I put it in line with my desired career path and future. Predictable, isn't it?

But if there's anything which history has taught me, it is the fact that life is full of surprises. At this time last year, December 30 2007, I thought that 2008 would be 'just another year'. Well, it seemed like it would be 'just another year' 2 months into 2008, but surprises - both big and small - started popping out gradually throughout the year and there was a drastic change in my life. Certainly, I surprised myself a few times during the year by putting in great effort to do things I wouldn't imagine myself to be going before. But on a few occasions, I was surprised at how nature turned things out for me - so much so that till today, I couldn't comprehend how I could ever come to possess or accomplish some of the things I have now. Life's a path full of surprises, really.

Well, then I shall quit guesssing what nature has in store for me in 2009 since they are meant to be surprises anyways. Let's guess what will become of the things that I have more direct control over. Yeah, one of them is my results. 2008 gave me some of the sweetest academic dreams of my life, and here's hoping I could continue to do my best and achieve the same kind of results in the last 3 exams of my MDIS life and my graduation project. The other thing that I hope to achive in 2009 is a better body - literally. Well, I am certainly going to fulfill that in NS, if not before NS. So far, results and body are the only things I can think about as they are continuations of what I have achieved in 2008. What new things do 2009 have in store for me? Well, that's anyone's guess.

Another thing I can be sure of in 2009 is the beginning of a new journey. My MDIS life started in November 2007 and it's going to end January 2009. How much would my life change post-MDIS? There will no longer be classes, nor do I get the chance to meet my friend every day anymore. Every journey means a different thing for me. The MDIS journey is one of learning, discovery and joy. What is the post-MDIS journey made of? How will I spend my days waiting for NS? How will my NS life be? How would my life turn out in the next few months? No one knows. It's the mystery of life surprises that make 2008's countdown a really happy affair.

And as 2009 comes, I will - bit by bit - uncover life's little and giant surprises as I travel through the months. At the same time, I will make my own surprises. Together, life's a box of mystery because I don't really have any tangible idea of what 2009 will be like.

2009. What memories would I hold on December 30 2009?