2016 Year Review and Plan for This Holiday Season

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Do you have a feeling that year 2016 is the shortest year ever? Long gone are the days when we were little kids, eagerly waiting for the new year and holiday season to come sooner.

It feels like I haven’t achieved much in 2016 and it is deserting me already in great hurry. Before letting another new year take over, maybe it’s better to spare some time to reflect what I’ve learned in the pass 11 months and a few days.

What I’ve learned?

My parents came over to Australia the 3rd time in 2016 with the intention of staying here permanently this time. I’ve lived away from my parents for 24 years now and it’s a huge adjustment for all of us to be so close again. Though I don’t have much fond childhood memories staying with my parents, I’ve learnt that parents really have the best intention for their children. Nothing beats the love you get from your parents. So treat your parents with love and care.

I purchased a place for my parents to live in this crazily over heating Sydney property market and went through a major renovation. The project was bigger than I firstly imaged as it went along but in the end, I’ve learned that nothing will be too difficult to solve. Don’t ever panic. Be calm and patient. Very very patient. I certainly became more resourceful from this experience.

I cared a lot less about “peer pressure.” I’d go ahead to order an orange juice when the whole dinner table ordered some sort of alcohol if orange juice is all I wanted. I cut my hair really short like a boy this year although I had a long curly hair for as long as anyone could remember.

What mistakes did I make?

  • Thought 1 year is a long time and didn’t value my precious time enough.

Out of so many new year goals for 2016, I’ve only managed to tick off a couple. I wanted to read at least 1 book a year but only managed to finish 3. I wrote on this blog how to make each day count at the beginning of this year but I should have done a much better job utilising my time.

  • Went too easy on myself and didn’t focus the task on hand enough.

This is really the continuation from the last point. Because of the thought that there’d still be plenty of time, I didn’t push myself to accomplish more before the year end approaches.

2016-12-07-14-16-22

Plan for this holiday season.

Despite feeling slightly like an underachiever, I’m still looking forward to the upcoming holiday season with such joy. As a matter of fact, I’ve been feeling the holiday spirit since the 1st December and created a holiday related to do list before end of this year:

  • Go to see a Ballet @ Sydney Opera House – done.
  • Spend more time with my ageing parents – doing.
  • Catching up with the girls – done.
  • Host a Christmas Lunch at home – next week.
  • Try different smoothies with the new blender – yet to start.
  • Take parents to Nantien Temple because mum is a buddhist – soon.
  • Do Christmas shopping – end of this week and next week.
  • Bake deserts – around Christmas and new year.
  • Be a beach bum for one day.
  • Take time to read more & finish reading War and Peace.

What is your biggest achievement of year 2016? Have you learned any lessons that you’d like to share?

 

 

 

 

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