Farewell to 2007

Imported from Facebook notes:

Hi everybody! How've you been? Hope you have all been keeping well and enjoying the Christmas break. Haven't heard from some of you in a while, and I'm sorry I've been so terrible at keeping in touch as much as I could and should have!

2007 was a pretty intense year for me. As usual, in January we had exams and assignments due, and that was pretty much it for the whole month. I went home for Chinese New Year in February to visit my grandmother who had been ill with cancer for nearly 2 years. That was quite an emotional trip for me, the first time I'd been home for CNY in the 6 years since I left Malaysia, and in hindsight I'm glad I took that trip. My grandmother passed away a week after I returned to Manchester.

From March onwards life was rather hectic. Rehearsals for the Malaysian Night performance started, and my parents came over for a couple of weeks during Easter. Had a lovely time overall, and would really recommend visiting the Peak District to anyone who enjoys being outdoors, bonding with the calm and peaceful (dare I say tame?) British countryside. Malaysian Night 2007 finally arrived at the end of April, and the performance was a satisfying success for all the months of time and effort put in, especially on that fiendish Indian dance! A big Thank You to all the hardworking, fun, and above all inspiring people I had the fortune to meet and work with during these months.

The end of April saw me take on the post of President of The People Society. It was a big committment that I was initially reluctant to accept, and involved a few sacrifices such as my volunteer job at The Bridgewater Hall, not to mention time away from studies. May/June came and went with the exams, and so soon it was the end of 2nd year, and I was back in Malaysia.

Summer was mainly taken up with interning for KPMG, on the whole a good time due to the fun and lively people in the Marketing department. Managed to squeeze in a very productive fishing trip off the coast of Kuala Rompin, Terengganu, and I caught my biggest fish ever! 6 hefty kilos of solid tenggiri. A darn good fight, and delicious afterwards, of course.

I started my final year in uni with a big bang that was Freshers' Week - organising the People Society committee, running the stall and Freshers' Party, desperately trying to recruit new members by hook or by crook. My tenure as President ended with the high that was our Zest fashion and dance performance show at the end of November. I've never had so much responsibility before in my life and it was a rather... interesting learning experience. Despite all the ups and downs that come as part of the job, being President is a decision I don't regret in the least, and part of the reason was being able to meet such creative, dynamic people who provided such incredible support and were willing to do anything for what they believed in. Thank you, guys - you know who you are.

Since then it's been assignments as usual, catching up on my (slightly) neglected studies, and a short break to Switzerland for some extreme cold and the beauty of mountain landscapes. Turned 21 too - thank you all for the birthday wishes, I will get around to answering them personally. Eventually.

In all, 2007 was a good year, one in which I learnt a lot, and lived a lot. After graduating next year, I'll probably do a mini-Euro trip with the parents, go back to Malaysia for a while, and come back Sept/Oct to take up the IGS and line the Labour government's pockets even further. I've got that one year to get a job here, fingers crossed! So, for all my friends old and new, here's to an equally fruitful 2008, and I sincerely hope that you will find joy and fulfilment in the year to come. Thank you for being here.

Best wishes and much love,

Yi-Wen x