2015 Annual Review
Mon Dec 26 2016I wrote this last year in a Google Doc before this blog existed. I think before I go about writing 2016's Year in Review I should post this one, for completeness.
2015 has come to an end and I think it’s a good idea to write down the big things that have transpired this year and what I can look forward to in 2016.
Last year was the transition from student to NSF and the transition has not been entirely pleasant. Although I’m quite pleased with my current vocation and job scope I have a slipped disc and a fucked-up wrist to show for my troubles. I did not have a good time in BMT but I have met some new acquaintances and we meet up occasionally. I’m on OK terms with my colleagues at work as well.
The other large event was of course my trip to Oxford and I think this was the highlight of the year in terms of personal growth. I think it gave me a real new perspective with regard to interpersonal relationships and it got me out of my rut as well. It wasn’t the trip per se that was really helpful as much as it was the months of reading books and writing notes. It made the wait in army more bearable, I learned a lot, and i think that I should continue with this attitude of learning in 2016.
Some of the things I think I did quite well in 2015 were the following:
I did well in creating a budget and meticulously documenting my spending, and am accurate to the dollar. I will be improving the spreadsheet in 2016 by tracking my spending by category (the abortive attempt to create the Pennywise budgeting app has been shelved indefinitely) and using some graphs as well which will be quite cool hehe.
I did well in reading a lot of books in preparation for Oxford and although I don’t have anything to prepare for anymore I have set a goal of reading 48 books this year - that’s four books a month.
I didn’t do so well in the realm of interpersonal relationships. I guess part of this is inevitable because all my close friends are splitting up and going for NS and of course the girls are going to uni and all that. I don’t feel like I’m that close with my colleagues in the workplace either. And of course I’m still single but I’m honestly not that bothered despite all the noise I make about it because (i) my previous experience has made me realise that it’s hard to find a partner who shares a lot of my values and (ii) I should concentrate on self-improvement rather than chasing tail.
Speaking of which, 20 is a significant milestone. It should be a portent of greater maturity now that I’ve crossed over into adulthood. Every year I tell myself that I should play less computer games and it never happens… because my friends are very bad influences…