And there goes 2013. It is perhaps a nice time to reflect on what has happened throughout this very year. 2013 was a very special year for me. In particular, it was a time where I learnt to take responsibility for my own actions, including the path I choose. It was not always as rosy as I portray it to be, but life still had to go on.
2013 was the year I started my masters in a foreign land, away from familiar faces and surroundings. It was a year where I had to step out and very much face the world on my own - I basically had to fend for myself. I think those around me saw that I was really eager to go, but deep down, I was as much afraid as I was excited. Settling down Zurich wasn't as easy as I made it seem. It was a time where I had to learn to look for housing myself, permits and all the little but terrifying details in life. It was a time where I had to learn another language and try to reorganise my social circle. In short, it was hard. And what made it harder was when I had to work on my thesis right from the start. The struggles I faced in handling my personal life was compounded by the ever so frequent hurdles I face at work. I remembered somewhere in June that year when I really felt depressed. It's probably because I lacked the courage to show my vulnerabilities that make it worst for myself. But what made it better was really my parents. I really have the most amazing and supportive parents in the world. I usually Skype with them twice a week. But during that period, I began skyping more frequently with them. And they sort of guessed that I just needed someone I'm comfortable with to talk to at such a time. We talked nothing about school. But it was really quite amazing how therapeutic that was. And I survived that period. And I survived it well.
And after those tumultuous times, life became a little better for me. The next semester was still jam-packed with work. My load of coursework (it was a hell lot of it), part-time internships, part-time research projects, job-hunting, etc. It really stretched me to my limits. All I can say is that throughout this period, I am very thankful to the many people that have actually made this hell of a semester really enjoyable to say the least. It was a lot of work, but I felt really happy. From the really lovely staff at the Buhler and Lonza, to my awesome research group, and my Chem. Eng. M.Sc family at ETH. They are the people that have really accompanied me through the rough times. And of course my wonderful family and friends in Singapore. And throughout this time, it became clearer to me who the real friends are. And I've learnt very much to treasure these people who really care for me. And so, I survived again! So what's left is to take my last four exams at the end of January 2014 and I'm done! :)
And all these hard work really paid off I guessed. Landed my dream job. What made it even more amazing was how perfect the job was - the scope of work, the plans that the company has for me, and of course, all practical aspects of things were flawless. As much as I am ambitious, I treasure my personal life as well. Life isn't all about work. I do want to meet my right half and settle down one day. That is as, or even more important than work is to me. And this job I was offered met all these criteria. I will be based in Amsterdam for the first couple of years working hard to earn my professional engineers licence. But in the long term, they have plans for me to transfer back to Singapore to further my career - this is just about right for me. Singapore is my home and will always be my home, no matter how far away I am.
And so that concludes 2013. Lots of amazing experiences - I had my fair share of ups and downs. But I guess that's life. We go through all the crap that's thrown at us only to emerge as a stronger person. So what will 2014 be like for me? Honestly, I don't have a clue. It will again, be a fresh experience, working and living in another foreign land. But maybe going into that, my experiences have made me a little wiser. There are a couple of things that I really want to do in 2014:
1. Give my parents an allowance - this is something that I have always dreamt of doing one day, although I parents wouldn't probably need it. It's a symbolic gesture of growing up. :)
2. Relearn German and pick up Dutch. In Switzerland, I really couldn't find the time or energy to concentrate on learning German properly. So maybe with more time once I start work, I can go to a proper language school like I did in Singapore to learn these languages. :)
3. Get and design my own apartment. I've always dreamt of how my home should look like and I've began looking at houses and furniture/interior design. And starting my life in Amsterdam would be a perfect time to work towards that. This time I will be staying for a significantly longer time, so I can spend more time, effort and resources into it. It's different from living short term in my small studio in Zurich. Just different.
4. Spent my holidays in Singapore! Visit and spent some meaningful time with my family and friends. I miss them so much. And the food. Oh my god. Haha. This may seem mundane to most, but living overseas for such a long time, this has become really important and meaningful to me.
And in general, to just live my life to the fullest like I've always tried to do. Live life without regrets. So that's just a short glimpse into what 2013 has been for me.
To all my family and friends, I hope that 2014 will be a blast for all of you as well! Life will only get better! :)
And after those tumultuous times, life became a little better for me. The next semester was still jam-packed with work. My load of coursework (it was a hell lot of it), part-time internships, part-time research projects, job-hunting, etc. It really stretched me to my limits. All I can say is that throughout this period, I am very thankful to the many people that have actually made this hell of a semester really enjoyable to say the least. It was a lot of work, but I felt really happy. From the really lovely staff at the Buhler and Lonza, to my awesome research group, and my Chem. Eng. M.Sc family at ETH. They are the people that have really accompanied me through the rough times. And of course my wonderful family and friends in Singapore. And throughout this time, it became clearer to me who the real friends are. And I've learnt very much to treasure these people who really care for me. And so, I survived again! So what's left is to take my last four exams at the end of January 2014 and I'm done! :)
And all these hard work really paid off I guessed. Landed my dream job. What made it even more amazing was how perfect the job was - the scope of work, the plans that the company has for me, and of course, all practical aspects of things were flawless. As much as I am ambitious, I treasure my personal life as well. Life isn't all about work. I do want to meet my right half and settle down one day. That is as, or even more important than work is to me. And this job I was offered met all these criteria. I will be based in Amsterdam for the first couple of years working hard to earn my professional engineers licence. But in the long term, they have plans for me to transfer back to Singapore to further my career - this is just about right for me. Singapore is my home and will always be my home, no matter how far away I am.
And so that concludes 2013. Lots of amazing experiences - I had my fair share of ups and downs. But I guess that's life. We go through all the crap that's thrown at us only to emerge as a stronger person. So what will 2014 be like for me? Honestly, I don't have a clue. It will again, be a fresh experience, working and living in another foreign land. But maybe going into that, my experiences have made me a little wiser. There are a couple of things that I really want to do in 2014:
1. Give my parents an allowance - this is something that I have always dreamt of doing one day, although I parents wouldn't probably need it. It's a symbolic gesture of growing up. :)
2. Relearn German and pick up Dutch. In Switzerland, I really couldn't find the time or energy to concentrate on learning German properly. So maybe with more time once I start work, I can go to a proper language school like I did in Singapore to learn these languages. :)
3. Get and design my own apartment. I've always dreamt of how my home should look like and I've began looking at houses and furniture/interior design. And starting my life in Amsterdam would be a perfect time to work towards that. This time I will be staying for a significantly longer time, so I can spend more time, effort and resources into it. It's different from living short term in my small studio in Zurich. Just different.
4. Spent my holidays in Singapore! Visit and spent some meaningful time with my family and friends. I miss them so much. And the food. Oh my god. Haha. This may seem mundane to most, but living overseas for such a long time, this has become really important and meaningful to me.
And in general, to just live my life to the fullest like I've always tried to do. Live life without regrets. So that's just a short glimpse into what 2013 has been for me.
To all my family and friends, I hope that 2014 will be a blast for all of you as well! Life will only get better! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment