In order to recap 2009, I must start with where I was at the beginning of the year. I was on a trip to New York City; back in my favourite city and this time I returned as a tourist with some spending ability. It was fantastic going back and it convinced me I must pursue my dream of living there one day. Unfortunately, I did not participate in the traditional countdown at Times Square (one of my life's dreams) as the met station had forecasted it would be the coldest night in the winter. My cousin did not think it was such a good idea being out in the cold so instead, I snuggled warm in the double bed I shared with my brother and fell asleep promptly after wishing Chris happy 2009.
The next few months ambled on pleasantly at work and I visited Taiwan in March. Chris and I had a very good week visiting Sun Moon Lake, Alishan and Taipei City and it is quite a shame that Alishan will be inaccessible for some time after Typhoon Morakot. It makes both of us feel rather fortunate that we visited Alishan and saw the pretty cherry blossoms and the majestic sunrise. It was worthwhile waking up at 4 a.m. to do the sunrise tour and we were lucky that there were no low-lying clouds to obstruct our view as well! I will want to visit Taiwan again to relive their warm hospitality and kindness as well as their great food. The pork pepper bun at Raohe Night Market is worth my air-ticket (or at least, I am sure I could gently persuade Chris to pay for mine just to eat the bun!).
In April, I brought Chris to Kota Kinabalu for his birthday trip. In my naivety, I did think it was possible to climb the mountain without any prior physical training. Chris was more realistic and we abandoned the climb before we boarded the plane and decided to stay at a mountain lodge where we could admire its beauty from afar instead. We sighed a collective breath of relief that we did not attempt the climb (especially me) when I saw its steep slopes. Surprisingly, Kota Kinabalu has amazing snorkelling sites at Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park. It was good fun feeding the colourful coral fish and I still have the tan lines to remind me of the day.
Work started to go a little downhill since March and was truly at the pits in July/August. I was literally in tears about the bad work situation and was tempted on many occasions to resign. I did not think the salary was worth my suffering and damage to my self-esteem and confidence. After much counselling from Chris and my friends; I decided I have to change my mind-set that work is really just about the money. It is time to be practical and forgo principles; be level-minded and remember that only family and friends are what matters.
