Reflections and New Adventures

Christmas & New Years were spent in Malaysia, it's been about 5 years since I went home over the busiest travel season of the year. It was the most productive yet unproductive trip. A little homesick now that I'm back in London.

So, let's reflect on 2011, and talk about new goals for 2012.

2011

Fav past time in the summer, lying
horizontally in Hyde Park after a run,
reflecting & watching the skies

All I wanted to do was travel travel travel. Then, my goal for 2011 was to travel to 5 new cities/towns, two of which had to be in countries I'd never been to.  Mission accomplished through a mixture of work travels and holiday -  Berlin, Oslo, Almaty, Helsinki, Sicily. Finland, Kazakhstan and Norway were countries I'd never been to. I was also fortunate to be able to go back to Las Vegas, Amsterdam, Brussels, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. 

Looking back, 2011 was also a monumental year work wise, something that naturally unfolded, but has impacted me in a way I'm so grateful for. By the end of 2011, I realised that I had finally figured out what drives me, what my passion was. Around March 2011, I was in a position where I could either choose to focus on client accounts, or move towards a more tech focused role.  I picked the latter intuitively and embarked on a new journey. Long story short, I LOVE what I currently do. For the last 6 months of 2011, I was working 10-12 hour weekdays and not once did I hate it. In fact, I wanted the day to go on and on, and wanted to learn more and jump into the deep end. It is a really good place to be, and I wish it on every person in the world - that you happen to do what you love and are passionate about for work, and come through the doors with a bounce & determination in your step every single day.

I'd also decided to focus on my health in 2011. Went back to running & tennis, ate healthier than I'd ever done in the past 6 years since I stopped competitive sports.

Also went to a bunch of gigs, sporting events, explored more of London, discovered new British bands.

Looking back, I'm not sure how I managed to keep sane.

2012

Goals:

1. Spend a few weeks in NYC and Philly, visit some of my closest friends.

2. Visit China in late 2012, mom and I were talking about going to Shanghai and a bunch of villages in late 2012. I'm so excited already it's bound to happen.

3. The stereotypical British holiday - on an island somewhere in Europe. I would love to do Croatia.

4. Get a CIW certificate. I've been meaning to take a bunch of courses to get a solid foundation in this new tech role and signed up for a 150 hour course in late Dec. 

5. Decide on a city I'd like to reside permanently. I've been thinking long and hard about London, where I've lived for the past three years. Ss this the place I want to live? I'm not sure, and I'm not certain London is for me. Having aged another year, I think it's time to think about it seriously and aim to make a decision by the end of 2012.

6. Be a better person. 

I'm excited for 2012...