Another Year Ends

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, a precursor to a new year and a chance to look back on the one that will soon be history. It is extremely cliché to say things like time flies or the older you get the quicker things happen, but these phrases are overused for a reason; they are completely accurate.

I recall being very excited last New Year's Eve because I was going to celebrate it with my friends in Yantai. However, what had me even more enthusiastic was my upcoming holiday, which was 2 weeks in Vietnam, followed shortly thereafter by almost 2 weeks traveling around China with my friend Tiff, who was flying in from San Diego to visit. Both trips ended up being some of the best moments of my life and I will never forget a single moment of them.

I was also happy for 2008 to come because I did not know where the year was going to take me. Coming to China had been an opportunity that presented itself under sudden magical circumstances. You might even say it was a bit of a prelude to divine intervention if you knew all the details and were so inclined. My teaching contract would be up in June and I had no inkling as to where I would end up next.

That next destination would be Hong Kong. In the middle of all this I took a weekend trip to South Korea, met an unbelievably amazing girl in Yantai, went back to the U.S. for the summer to see my family and friends, and turned 30 years old. On top of all this I witnessed monumental events in both my home country and my new place of residence; the election of the first black president in U.S. history, the Sichuan earthquake, and the 2008 Beijing Olympics just to name a few.

So I am here in Hong Kong and I have my sights set on the future again. My plans are not concrete, but they are there in fluid form, waiting to harden and be molded into something tangible. 2009 promises to be another adventerous year. At least I hope it does. Looking ahead with optimism definitely dulls the fact that you will turn another year older.

As for resolutions, everyone makes them, hardly anyone keeps them. I include myself in that list. Instead of modifying myself slightly, I would always attempt to give myself a complete make-over. An overhaul of epic proportions. I have learned my lesson. I will take gradual steps to become the person that I want to be. I realize that you cannot just wake up on January 1st and be a completely different entity; Gregor Samsa I am not.

So here in the last minute of the last round of 2008, I give thanks to my wonderful family, who have supported me in all my endeavors, no matter how auspicious or asinine, and also to my great friends all over the world. Let's have a healthy, happy, peaceful and prosperous 2009!