2011, The Year of Love

Continuing the tradition of reviewing the year that had past and setting resolutions and a new tone for the new year, this year would probably be my busiest, most exciting and yet the least documented year. And yes, my blog is almost totally neglected last year. For this post, I dug through my memory bank and recount the details of the past – well, it’s alway better having that than not writing about some of the issues at all.

The TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) Highlights of 2011 As I Experienced It

Just to set up the context of the whole blog post, here’s the list of things that I believe to be my defining moments of the year 2011 (grouped by similarity and not in chronological order):

• Becoming one of the primary volunteers for Webcamp KL – a meetup for web developers, designers and tech enthusiasts
• Gave two talks in Webcamp KL: based on audience reception, the first talk tanked while my second attempt fared better
• Hosted two mastermind groups and one co-working group within Webcamp KL members and gaining new friends as a result
• Participated in two Hackweekends and developing a love for hackathons
• Taking cooking more seriously
• The breakdown and burn out from my previous job, transitioned into working for startup and decided to resign nine months later
• A two-week visit to Australia and falling in love with Melbourne
• Donated a significant portion of my library to Fluentspace
• Found the man of my dreams, and am gravely disappointed that the feeling was not reciprocated

The Nitty Gritty Details (and probably too much information to some)

I’ll only be covering three things in this post: Webcamp KL, my Australian trip and my latest crush: as I could possibly summarize my thoughts within three paragraphs for each one of them. The only thing I wouldn’t be able to address in this post is my recent job transitions – I’ll do that in a future blog post.

If there’s a word that defines 2011, the world would be “love”.

Love #1: Webcamp KL

The first love I have is Webcamp KL – a tech community that I volunteered in, lead by Wu Han. It’s a love affair that started off with me being a passive participant enjoying great talks, blending in the crowd and spend my time observing the social dynamics around me. And three events later, I became infatuated with it, investing time in posting great content to the group, making a podcast of all event recordings and even work on the website.

Eventually I’d give two technical talks in the event and devote my weekends into hosting mastermind groups and co-working sessions with fellow Webcampers. At that point I realize that Webcamp has become like a baby to me: wanting to cultivate and nurture a community of fellow members who shared the same interest for technology as I do. There’s many times that I commented that working on Webcamp is like working on a startup with blood, sweat and tears.

And seeing it grow from 30 attendees to a packed room of 90 is just breathtaking… to think of how much potential we have within the room. To be able to think what revolution we could ignite within this community. And to think that we’re just getting started.

Love #2: Australia

This IS the most expensive trip I’ve took to date, and the memories are still vividly remembered. And yes, I fall in love with Melbourne. The people are warm and friendly, a blend of different people and cultures and we go through the hustle and bustle around the city, the clean air and broad landscape that surrounds us, a strong appreciation for the arts… I just have to take in every single detail of the experience as I get around the place.

There’s never one moment that I could recall that I’m out of place. I don’t know, it may have been the fact that Ammie and Brandon acts as great hosts for me and my brother during the trip and every single day was filled with jokes, joys and laughter. And those are the days that I’d want to experience every single day in my life.

Love #3: Mr. Perfect

I can recall all my past nine unrequited crushes within the last decade and this is the very first time that I’ve felt a strong engulfing passion. He is probably the very first person that hits every single chord and note that would melt me down to a pulp: a fit and huggable physique and a boy-next-door look with a warm and naive smile on his face. Warm, approachable, friendly. And he shares common interests, goals and dreams in life. And I’d openly admit that he is the first person that would make me want settle down for life after a very brief encounter – something I’d consider a big no-no in a relationship.

Keeping things short: being rejected by him means a big deal for me – as much as I’m able to manage and cope with nine past failures under my belt. So I’m still on a lookout for that special someone, and judging from the quality of my potential romantic partners, I’m still setting myself up against an uncompromising high standard. For now, I’ll keep telling myself that “it gets better”.

My 2012 Goals and Resolutions (Attempt #5)

Well, it is my fifth attempt to articulate what I want to achieve in 2012 – the four attempts are done within the Webcamp KL mastermind group. Time to nail this one down with two themes that I’ve in mind for this year:

• Focus: Instead of hobbling in all directions, this year it’s all about creating a strong identity for myself and focusing my energies in the one aspect that want to excel in life. Career-wise, it means focusing on being the best Python web developer. On the philanthropic front, it’d be devoting my energy in growing Webcamp KL. I will need to build up the muscle of confidence and decisiveness and making sure I’ll achieve my goal in becoming a tech entrepreneur.
• Network: 2012 is the year of building my network, establishing strong ties and friendships within the community that I participate in. I must be more willing to offer help and value to others, and similarly, being assertive in asking for help in return.

The ultimate prize I’m now pursuing is career that I enjoy and excel in, build a community of friends and to be engaged with a lifelong romantic partner to share my joys with.

With that, it’s time to create a wonderful new year!