2015 going on 2016.

Unknowingly. another year has passed. I have been doing this new year reflections ever since I started blogging and honestly, it is a good way to help me develop as a person. I looked back at whatever that has happened, the positives and negatives, say my appreciation for the people and things that have happened and then set my new year resolutions. It is a simple thing to do, but how many of us actually bother to look back and see how much we have achieved rather than focus on what we are currently lacking.

Last year this time, I ended an epic 2 month trip to Europe and I gained numerous insights in life. I must say this has been a splendid year, with me achieving much more than last year and personally, I feel satiated with what I have set myself out to achieve and also with what I had gained.

Milestones:
I completed my CFA finally! A random decision 3 years ago while doing my personal reflections in 2012 made me decided to embark on the pursuit of the CFA charter. I knew that I did not have the relevant qualifications but to me, it is about disciplining and continuing to improve myself even as a grown adult. The road has not been busy, especially at the first levels, with ,e struggling to balance my work commitments with self study. I bite the bullet and I am glad I survived.

I worked in NUS and met 2 extremely kind souls, Dione and Melvin, who have indirectly influenced. They are always willing to lend a helping hand, very giving people and also tend to see the good side of others. Though we might not keep in contact forever and the time that we know each other is relatively short, they have had very positive influences on me.

Next, I am finally pursuing my Masters! I have always wanted to do a Masters overseas so as to be exposed to different learning cultures, meet new people and also enhance my knowledge in economics. Rigour wise, this might not be the toughest and although I have learnt some of the content in NUS, the application of the theories into the real world has enabled me to gain new perspectives towards economics. I am glad that I took this plunge out of my comfort zone. I met loads of new friends from different corners of the world and each of them has a different story to share with me and taught me valuable lessons and shared experiences with me. I am particularly close to a few, Mariana, Stepan, Nemanja, Tom because I spent a large part of my time with them and I am so thankful for having them in my life. We participated in the All-Nighter Entrepeneurship and honestly, I love our business idea and maybe some day I will implement it. I have learnt a lot about Brazil, Bulgaria, Serbia and the civil war and the Balkans, Russia, even new insights from Tom about China and also from Daniel, my badminton friend and mentor. I picked up new skills in badminton as well, thanks to Dan. I represented the college in the BUCS competitions and that is a fulfilment of my teenage dream to represent my school in a sports. It has not been easy, and playing in a competition really requires a cool and calm head.

Last but not least, I embark on yet another travel adventure to Andalucia, South of Spain and also to Morocco. It was good revisiting Marrakech and walking down memory lane in the Jemaa-el-fna market but even better to visit fes. I am really glad that we hired the local tour guide who shared so much about the Medina, Muslims, and Islam with us, despite his extremist views. I will blog about these adventures another time. My travel companion, Linky, also taught me a lot of life lessons, not explicitly but through our arguments, conflicts and also talks on long bus and car journeys.

Lastly, I did accomplish something an item on my 2015 New Year Resolution. I set out to learn Spanish and during the first 6 months of 2015, I diligently did my lessons everyday. I started to slack subsequently, especially in August while I prepared to move to the UK. However, I am satisfied with my progress and I am sure my Spanish will get better when I move to Spain in January and I will continue my Duolingo lessons. When I was in Spain, I could get around with some basic Spanish and this small taste of success provided motivation for me to press on to pick up Spanish since I know I am not very adept at learning new languages.

Moving on, I hope I will live a fruitful 2016 and I have some plans laid out. I do not know how many of these items on my New Year Resolution will materialise but I will definitely put my foot on the pedal and make things work out.

1. Visit South America - Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Bolivia are the 5 countries that I hope to cover.
2. Get an internship in the US in finance or apply to a finance company or an international organisation. I want to put my CFA knowledge to use and become a global citizen that contributes to the betterment of the world.
3. Visit Russia and do the Transiberian railway
4. Go to the Balkans.
5. Stay positive, be giving, and appreciative.

It seems like more than half are related to travel but this is probably the last time that I will have any long holidays to discover the world. After I finish my Masters, I will then have to embark on a second career and have less time for leisure. Many people ask me this question, "Why do you love travelling so much?" There are many reasons but for me the most compelling reason is "I enjoy it because I find myself becoming a better person after every travel adventure."

This quote sums it all up, "Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere (especially when travelling), and sometimes in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself." So many a times on my travels, I discovered new insights and outlook towards life and they have helped me to become a better person. So, I guess I will never stop travelling.

Thank you everyone who has appeared in my life in 2015 and helped me to develop and grow as a person. The most important people, nevertheless, are my siblings and parents who have ever been so supportive when I venture out to pursue my freedom. They are the most important pillars of my life, especially my siblings, because their faith in me and their presence whenever I needed someone to pour my frustrations to, give me strength and motivation to propel on. I will not trade them for anything.