The New Year

First post of the new year.

2008 ended with some feeling that they have achieved little of significance. Given the comparison of my life and theirs, I would likely share the sentiment. After all, being animators the lot of us, our timetable and work schedule and amount of chores is a constant worrisome thing.

But I feel otherwise.

I spent my 7 months of 2008 in Inspidea, and having done 1 particular project in that duration, I am generally happy with the result. It had been a loose dream of mine, but I never imagined that I would have a work of mine being shown on Disney Channel of all places, in just a matter of a year or two. That said, I feel that accomplishment is a bright start, not an end result of my own superiority. I feel at times blessed to be among people who keep me humble and open to criticism and comment. I have a big ego to be sure, and it hurts sometimes to hear others criticize something I had invested great amount of effort in. But being with the people I am with, it helps lessen down the resentment and enables me to ponder upon their views. I only pray it would lead to myself being better at what I do.

Far too many times I've known of people who are so full of themselves and view their accomplishments in an over inflated perception that they view any negative comments towards them as a hostile action, thinking themselves infallible and dismissing commentors alike as nuisance or villains. Being in the Malaysian entertainment industry, there's lots of examples. You don't believe me ask anyone in the broadcasting line. Even some of our top local artistes have been said to be such arrogant folks, though I have no personal experience with them to support the rumor.

Aside from the obvious accomplishments, I have many other things I count as successes for 2008, inclusive of matters relating to life views, plans for the future and of course, most significantly, relations with friends. I have fewer friends I hand out with these days, but those I do spend time with, I found them to be more than what I had earlier seen them as, and for all the busy schedules and personal business going around, I find myself appreciating their presence more.

2009 brings about nothing new technically, though I try to set aims and goals so as not to remain stagnant for the year. That said, it is a monday today, and I didn't expect to see the nerdy-pretty bus stop chick, as she typically is around on tuesdays to thursdays, but she is around today. And that was a surprise.

I suppose what I am saying here is that we can and should prepare and plan for things. But surprises are part of life and quite a number of times surprises makes life all the more worth living. And even bad things has its worth too. The good is not as good without the bad, I once hear. Take heart the lessons of our bad experiences, so we can further cheerish the good times we are given.

2009.

I don't know what 2009 brings. I don't know what kind of opening the new year would have seemed. All I do know is that we each make our own choices of what we make for the new year. I wish for myself and all of you that we make choices we will look back later in life and appreciate it. Choices are always ours to make after all, so choose well.

Happy New Year to all of you.