Hello 2018

It's still not too late for me to welcome 2018 right? I know it has been three weeks, but well, you know what they say - better late than never. This is the year where I did not actually have any resolutions to fulfill, because let's be honest - it never works! No matter how many times you say "it's a new year, let's start fresh!" you still end up not fulfilling your resolutions eventually. I sound like a bitter person, but that's just me being realistic.

The end of 2017 made me realise some new things that I could look forward to. For example, the joy of reading a book. You cannot believe how rare it is for me to pick up a book and just leisurely read these days. If I'm not working, I'll be playing games or scrolling any social media. That has caused my reading habit to deteriorate significantly. Then I discovered the wonders of Haruki Murakami and it reminded me of the simple joy in reading. I wanted to cry and share to every Haruki Murakami readers how much I could relate to his writings. It's like I fell in love with reading, all over again.

That, brought me to my second discovery - I can write, when I'm not pressured to do so. I remember a day in 2017 when I finally did not have any deadlines to fulfill. I told myself I'd use the weekend to write. There I was, on my bedroom floor, staring at my laptop and no words came out. I even forced myself to type nothing, but to no avail. It was freaking frustrating. Then I actually gave up trying to write. December came and I'm finally free. No papers to mark, no vacations to look forward to. I tried writing again and it flowed out naturally. Revelation - pressure is not good for inspiration. How do writers ever fulfill their deadline if my logic is true?

And finally I realise that all that matters are the relationships that I've built and will continue to seek. So I came to the conclusion of looking forward to these 3 things instead of listing down a few new year's resolution. They sound like resolutions, but they're just a bunch of things that I love and will continue to love. Back then resolutions used to be about gearing myself up to be a better me. Well it's not that I am finally a newly improved version of myself. I guess what it means is, I finally found the calling to enjoy my time walking instead of running to reach the end.

So here's to everyone who does not have any resolution in 2018 - may the year turns out great for you! To my students, I'm blogging again and can't wait to read yours. I hope you'll enjoy this journey. I have found new things about myself while blogging back then. I hope you'd be able to experience good things while blogging as well. Or, if it's the opposite, I hope it makes you wise and more mature in the future.