2009 – The Year In Review

I decided to do my yearly review early this year, as it has been an eventful year with many things and events happening to me in this year. In fact, I would call this a roller coaster year, just like the economy in the Year 2009. I am just afraid that I may not be able to write this on 31 December, as I would be counting down to Year 2010 with my friends. I will not be mentioning some names for some reasons as I write about some things or events as I certainly do not wish to invite nasty comments or unnecessary comments on my blog, although I believe that since it is my blog, I am free to write whatever I want.

ACCA

This was the year where I decided to take a break from my studies as I have not been able to clear my Professional Stage papers since starting the stage about 2 years ago. It has been demoralising to say that I have not been dong as well as I have hoped, despite putting in, what I considered to be my best effort. Some friends have been supportive of me taking this break, as they felt that I needed it, whereas my mum and someone whom I used to consider as a long-time close friend, was not in favour of it. It did not bother me anyway as I felt that I needed to break free from the clutches of ACCA for a while and re-evaluate my priorities.

The break certainly allowed me to explore new ways to restore my low confidence, as my mum suggested that I could take up psychology or counselling courses to allow me to understand people around me better. In fact, my mum took the plunge this year to be a volunteer consuellor. I am glad that I am able to pick up a lot of pointers from her through her learning experience. As her son, I am happy for her that she has come so far in this course as it is certainly a welcome diversion from her job, which had not been smooth sailing in this year.

I also got to find out more about the ACCA marking scheme and the Oxford Brookes Degree that the ACCA is tied up to. The knowledge of the marking scheme and methods have made me wonder if I had made the right choice four years ago to start on this major study investment, as it appears that it is getting harder and harder to pass with the low passing rates hovering at 20% to 30%. The Oxford Brookes Degree will be hard to obtain for me, as I will definitely have problems finding a mentor to conduct interviews about the progress of the project, let alone sign off the project. Anyway, one of my classmates have said that the degree will not be of that much of use as it is not really that recognised.

The thought of switching to CPA Australia did cross my mind, after I heard from a colleague that the passing rate is better. I agreed with his analysis that the fees are on the high side for the ACCA qualification, and you certainly still need to pay for your qualification after your graduation. Maybe this is an option that I could consider should I fail to make it for the coming round, in which I have registered for the Professional Accountant class with my KTV buddy, Jonathan at a new location, SAA City Campus. Who knows, the new environment, a new lecturer with a new teaching method may do wonders to my grades. What’s more, all these are achieved at a lower cost as the fees are about $100 cheaper.

Work

The break from study meant that I could put more attention on my job, which has been great so far. It has been a year filled with added responsibilities and I am glad that I am able to handle it well. Except for a nasty breakdown in communication with 2 colleagues, due to some work-related issues, I thought that I have done reasonably well this year on the work front.

A plan to kickstart a group outing to enhance interaction with my colleagues was met with lukewarm response, but it was certainly a surprise that they actually gave me something on my birthday. Their gesture really touched my heart! J

Interest & Hobbies

This year was the start of my favourite soccer team, Manchester United collectables year. I had wanted to start this some time ago, but I did not have the opportunity or purchasing power to do so. It is good that my colleagues have helped me to kindle this interest.

This is certainly a good way to reward myself for the hard work that I have put in. It is certainly better than lending people money when they are in need, and always having to chase for payment. I certainly do not wish to hang a pig head like a loan shark to chase for payment.

IRAS Volunteer E-filing Exercise

This was my sixth year in this exercise and once again, I had won the Outstanding Volunteer Award for the fifth time. This year’s exercise was marred by computer problems and lack of proper training for some of the volunteers. The good thing was I managed to invite my mum to witness the winning of this award again, and sharing the NTUC Fairprice voucher that I won with her. The sad part was someone whom I was interested in, and had hoped to continue to be friends with, rejected my invitation and subsequently deleted me from Facebook. Till today, I am still deeply hurt by what she did.

I was also invited to share some of my interesting experiences with the new volunteers this year. The next thing I knew that I was going to be interviewed by the community centre’s newsletter, to share my volunteer experiences.

Friends

This is the year, which I feel I had a roller coaster ride in friendship, as I had the joy in meeting new friends. I think they know who they are. I also felt the hurt from the words and the action from some of them. For some of them, I just cannot understand why they chose to hurt me with the way they did. Like what Jas, Qiqi, Jonathan and Andrina had told me to look forward, and not to look back. I guess this should be the right path for me. These friends are best to be forgotten, keep only the good ones in your circle of life.

BGR

It was a quiet year as explained in the paragraph before this. Due to that incident that happened, I am a little fearful to move forward, even though I have met people that I have fancied this year. I guess it will be good to see and observe carefully first, before making my next move. It would be in the best interest for myself and my future partner. Understanding and communicating with your partner in a relationship is important in order for the relationship to develop well. I would rather adopt a wait and see approach than to jump in to the deep end of the pool and getting myself hurt in the process.

My hopes for the Year 2010 will be: -

1. To clear at least 1 of my ACCA papers

2. Hope for another positive year on the work front

I always believe in having a positive outlook for the New Year, so that I can have a good year ahead.