よいお年を！Bye bye 2015, hello 2016!

Ahhhhhh.... lately I haven't been blogging much.  To be honest, I was really tired and thought that it would be good to take a break from everything and really do as little as possible for a while.  So although there were many things that happened that I used to enjoy rambling on and on about on the blog, I decided not too.

I think I'm about ready to return to blogging again. :)  The new year is fast approaching and I have managed to get a lot of rest in.  It's time to say good bye to what has been a very eventful and at times tumultuous year and welcome the new year which would, hopefully, be more peaceful

On a personal level, this was a pretty good year.  I went to Japan three times, got to be part of the historic two day Kalafina at the Budokan lives and share that emotional moment with both Kalafina and 1000s of other fans :) :) , I also attended all six Yuki Kajiura vol.12 lives which were incredible and further cemented my respect and love for her as a composer & musician and, I also made it to the opening two days of Kalafina's far on the water lives.

While in Japan, aside from watching some awesome concerts, I travelled with good friends, met up with old friends, made new friends, ate a lot, saw a lot and played a lot.  They were all awesome trips, although I didn't manage to document any of them particularly well on the blog at all. :)

When it comes to work though, it was more of a mixed bag.  2014 ended with me feeling hopeful, 2015 started with me feeling frustrated but after I returned from my first trip to Japan in February, it seemed like maybe there could be significant progress in the rest of 2015 till that fateful day in September when my company announced that we were restructuring.  It took everyone by surprised.  We were very busy and were apparently making money but sadly our parent company made some massive losses.  Perhaps it was that and some other circumstances thrown in and we were at the losing end.  In the end, I have attended more farewells in the last few months then I have in all the years that I have been part of the work force.  The morale in my company hit rock bottom and we are still experiencing the fallout even now and will continue to have to deal with the new situation till sometime next year.  Meanwhile, there will be more farewell parties to attend too and I look forward to NONE of that. :(

Perhaps that's why I just need to take a break from blogging.  Suddenly, I didn't want to do much at all.  I have no idea what my plans are yet either.  No idea if I'll stay in the company throughout next year, no idea if I'll stay in this industry, no idea at all.  It's all so uncertain. :(

All I know is that for now, I will proceed with my plans to go to Japan twice in the first quarter of the new year.  After that, the likelihood of me travelling soon after I return in April after my 2nd trip to Japan is very low.  I will not only be pretty broke, I would also be really low on paid leave. *sweat :P Also, I don't really know what will happen work wise and if I will make the decision to leave my company and try something else.

Still, in spite of all the drama and uncertainty at work, I can't really complain a whole lot. It wasn't such a terrible year, just an interesting one I guess. :)  I still have a job and I still can afford to go to Japan.  I can still afford to eat well (many times too :P)  and go to lives and buy things that aren't necessities, so I really don't think I should be complaining too much, nor do I want to dwell too much on negatives.

Time spent with my family and my friends are some of the highlights of this year.  The trips and the lives, both in Japan and in Singapore, were also highlights.  Those were fun!!  I took my mum to her first concert at the Esplanade Concert Hall.  She was so thrilled. :)  And then I took her to her first Xinyao concert too and it was her first time at The Star Theatre.  It was a fun experience for both of us.  I baked my first Tiramisu this year.... I think it was my first cake too. Haha!!  I also saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens in the cinema and relived part of my childhood again. :)  So many good things to remember.  Yeah.... it wasn't a bad year at all I guess. :)

I started reading a Japanese crime novel. Yes, in Japanese. I think that's part of the reason why I have spent so little time online. :)  I spent three weeks reading it and only managed 8%. *sweat. :P  Still....I will persevere. :)  Last month, I watched the WOWOW crime drama Ishi no Mayu and really enjoyed it.  I think I've become a Kimura Fumino fan. :P  I thought she did a splendid job in that drama.  I generally like crime stories too and it's been a while since I've read a novel so I decided that it was time for me to really make a serious go at reading a novel in Japanese.  So I bought the physical book and then decided to buy the ebook too because it's easier to check the dictionary that way. :P  I am now slowly making my way through it.  The JLPT 2 exams is one of my goals next year.  And now is as good a time as any to start working more seriously on my Japanese. :)

I hope to re-start some photography projects when the year turns too. I kind of would like to improve on my table top studio and may hopefully finally get around to working on a video project I have been toying with. In the process, I hope to learn more about VFX.  Even if the work situation changes, I can still always do my own thing. :)

I would also like to return to playing the guitar again.  I picked up a second hand acoustic guitar recently at a really good price. :)  The person who borrowed my classical guitar has finally returned it but it's in poor condition. :(  So next year I'll have to take care of that too.  I may take a couple of classes, we'll see.  I could try and pick it up again by myself I suppose but then I might get too lazy so some classes might be a better idea. :D

Anyway... here's hoping that 2016 will be a splendid year and that we will all be able to soar above any problems that we may face. :)  Let's hope that 2016 is a more peaceful one than 2015 too.  I wish everyone a happy, peaceful, successful, prosperous, safe and healthy 2016. :)

Now I'm off to read that book. I've got a couple of things I would like to blog about but I think I'll leave that for next year. :)  For now, it's time to relax, kick back, read a book, drink some coffee and let the year crossover in as peaceful a fashion as possible. :)

cheers!!