2011 Has Been...

Year 2011 has been a year of change - in situation as well as in character. Change has pushed me to grow. 10 changes that comes to mind were:

1. Occupation change - actually this officially started on 31 December 2010 when I sent in my job application.
2. Driving to Kuala Lumpur - before this job, the furthest I'd driven was to Brickfields! and I'd always said that I would never drive to KL.
3. Increased EQ - going from a company of 8 people to an organisation of nearly 260 headcount (at the time I joined) taught me to socialise and build rapport with colleagues from different departments.
4. Boldness to take a leap - for as long as I can remember, I had hesitated at trying to apply for any sort of scholarship with the belief that my results were somewhat good, but not good enough to withstand competition. This year taught me that I do have a chance and that failure is just a misstep and not the end of the road.
5. Rediscovering potential in my BSc Biochemistry - after graduating from University of Malaya, my future career path seemed bleak. I could either be an insurance underwriter, work in a medical diagnostics laboratory, work as a science officer with the Government or continue my studies for a MSc or PhD in UM. At that time, to me none seemed to have much prospect and furthering my studies in UM wouldn't pay the bills that I was expected to bear after graduation. In my new job, I get to listen to what academicians and Government officials have to say about the biotechnology and life sciences sector in Malaysia. Only then did I realise that there is value in my BSc Biochemistry and perhaps I should reconsider going back into the life sciences field. (This is still a pending matter)
6. Seeing people in their true light - a painful realisation it is to finally be able to see people for who they really are.
7. Going from unsmart to smart! - transition from my old steady SE w800i to my HTC Sensation (soon to be obsolete too... but I don't care! I love its stripey backside! *wink*)
8. Learning how to use MS Outlook (still learning) - used to think it was a stupid programme that kept replicating my emails (but this was in the 1990s), now I see its potential. Especially when coordination is needed in a work environment.
9. Discovering my hidden love for sewing - I never knew I could sew and I never knew I could remember what I'd learned in Form 2!
10. Disproving my misconception about Government servants - I was very surprised to find that Government officials are not all lazy rude little Napoleons. I guess the past bad experiences dealing with those working the counters at Government offices had created a prejudice in me. But I'm glad to learn that there are actually nice brainy people working with the Government and GLCs. This gives me hope that our country has not totally gone to the dogs.