New.

So a New Year has dawned upon us. The custom of course, is to make resolutions that I won't keep, and to tell myself the new year will be better. That's nonsense of course, a year can't really be said to be better than any other year, it all depends on what you feel at that point. Like all things in life, though, this is not immutable, and often change as the years go by.

Quite often, I find myself thinking back about things I've done in the past, and reevaluating them. Might not have been pleasant times, but they have their charms and little shining moments too.

I think this year, as I was flipping back on my little scrapbook of life, I redefined it.

I stopped thinking in terms of events. "The year I went to hell" "The year I went to JC". The events seemed so meaningful in the past, so important, so life changing. But as life goes on, things just aren't as beautiful when you finally found something better. It's like a writer looking back on his first manuscript.

I decided then that I should change the way I thought about time, and instead of putting events on it all the time, I'd put people.

Yes, people. People have changed my life like events did, so why not give them a little credit?

Let's see.

1996, year I met Mike, Alec, Weili, XQ, Nick, Jenson, Ywee, the old obsession and gang.
1998, got to know people from the other class, like Joel.
1999, met TCHS dudes, Jik, RockKiat, Zix, Hao, XY, Mak, Mel Kheng, Peiyi, and others who I didnt do justice.
2000, met Yangpok, Laurang, got to know some other dudes better, like Kai, Doug, DGCow.
2001, got moved into the class that would change my life. You guys know who you are.
2003, met a lot of people. Met Yao, the other Mike, Owyong, Vann, seniors. Somehow still a meaningless year.
2004, met Chell and Jac, met my juniors. Hung out with them a little, always a bit sad that I didn't get to know them better. Met Eugene, Ewan, Ben, Ryan.
2005, Clement, Sanjee, Yong and others. Met Dex after posting.
2006, met my little sister.

So we come to 2007. I must say it seems like I've met so many people this year. Some fair some foul, some neither. I can't say who will take up even bigger spaces in my heart this year, but I suppose it's something to look forward to this year.

Yet I think I count myself blessed that I've met people who have lit up my life, brief flashes of dazzling brilliance that punctuated my year with a myriad of emotions and sensations, of joy sorrow and all things in between. I don't think all of them read this, but if you indeed are, then thank you for making 2007 a very special year for me.

Thanks especially to you. You were the best part of my year.

You who gave me sweet dreams, then woke me. You made me happy and then you cast me into the darkness. You gave me hope, then you gave me despair. You killed me. Then you brought me back to life.

2007 wouldn't have been the same without you.

Happy New Year.