Review of 2007 - The year that was...
It seems as if 2007 had just come... and now we have to say goodbye... gosh that was fast... and with 2007 being my year zodiacally, it was a pretty good one, but had its share of ups and downs. Just like I thought before last year that I might look back upon 2006 and laugh about some of the things that happened, yeah, it's funny what difference a year makes. I'm a happier person now, I'm more willing to challenge myself more and I'm generally a stronger and more confident person. And I've gained lots of new experience along the way as well...
Year of Work...
Work was more of the usual, but there were lots of change as we moved to new premises...
and had lots of changes in staff. We even gained new uniforms!
Workload was tough and I spent so many late nights at work instead of having a life, but we managed to pull it all off. Got my computer upgraded (sort of) and also finally received an LCD screen after almost 3 years of working here.
There was far more bonding among colleagues, and we feel much more like a family now, and even lunchtimes have become mass-makan sessions. Got to know another two friendly interns, Fiona and Pheini Endang. Even though they worked for a short while it was meaningful enough~ Also started pondering my options on whether much better things await me somewhere else... We'll just have to wait and see...
Year of Contests...
2007 will be the year I'll remember for the contests and competitions. Winning not 1 but FIVE (5) different prizes for various contests/competitions must really mean something. From Transformers figures to movie tickets and model MINI cars, this was a really lucky year for me in this aspect, hopefully next year will be too~
Year of Photo-taking...
2007 also took my obsession with photography to the extreme, and this was mostly caused by the possession of the T30, which while not as adjustable as the F65D, was far more portable and thus means that it was carried almost EVERYWHERE~ Food especially, received lots of coverage... lol~
This also resulted in the SLR only getting good use during events and trips. Well, now I'm slowly trying to balance it back and using the SLR more. Aiming to challenge myself more in the coming year with new techniques, flash photography and covering more events.
I'm also going to try model shooting. Any volunteers?
Friends...
I admit I haven't been as active with my friends and pet-siblings, and I'm sorry. I've been spending most of my time at work and with my bros starting uni at both the north and south, I'm left with little time for myself. Thank God for MSN & YM. I'll do my best to make time for you all next year k... (Jess, Nitt, Myn, Kak Fifi, Balloon... and the rest of you, I'm sure you know who you are~)
Trips...
Went to visit my best friends / bro & sis at Miri again! And in an Airbus too! It was fabulous...
Also went to Penang and Johor a few times... it was a tiring year of travelling, but I love it~ My grand trip had to be postponed, and hopefully next year I'll have a really happy time with my bro and sis.
Big Parties...
Attended two big parties in 2007, the Black & Bling Gala...
and also Models Magazine Grand Launch & Showcase...
These were awesomely nice parties where there were lots of fun and new people to meet. Speaking of people, I got to know many new interesting people from these two events... looking forward to more next year~
Weddings...
This year saw 2 of my pet-sisters getting married... Kak Fifi and Suba both got married to Fariz and Thevs respectively. It was odd to have someone close to you get married, but as the years pass, more and more people I know decide to tie the knot... so I guess I should get used to it. Wish you all a happy marriage~!
Year of Albums...
This year also brought forth many rilly good albums, some surprises and many of which are of awesome quality & replayability. Early in the year there was Karen Kong's fabulous "Mulakan" album, which was really easy to love, with it's soft vocals and catchy tunes. Her follow-up album, "Showtime", was equally likable (judging from the previews I've hears), despite not understanding a word.
Her English number "In Love Again" was BEAUTIFUL! This is THE local gurl to watch, I hope she releases an English song next... Of course reigning Korean pop princess BoA ruled the songwaves and charts with her fantastic "MADE IN TWENTY (20)" Japanese album, which was both funky and mature.
Her later singles were equally good, especially "Sweet Impact" and "Lose Your Mind".
One of the biggest surprises this year were 소녀시대 (So Nyeo Shi Dae/SNSD/Girls Generation) with their totally breathtaking self-titled debut album. This dream team of 9 gurls are really cool and I wonder what else they'll have in store next year.
Their rivals Wonder Girls (WG) were also notable with their "The Wonder Years" album which was really addictive.
Kak Fifi also launched her album too~
I wonder who else will conquer the airwaves next year...
Year of Movies...
2007 also qualified as a wonderful movie year that saw many book and TV transitions to the big screen and also an 80s revival. Movie of the year was undeniably Transformers, which single-handedly blew ALL sequels away and also became the best-selling movie of ALL TIME in Malaysia. It's wonderful blend of state-of-the-art CGi graphics and intense action proved popular, although some admit it should've been longer (even so, I watched it 4 times in the cinema, including IMAX).
Other 80s revival movies included Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Alvin & the Chipmunks (OK, technically they were from the 50s but they WERE popular in the 80s).
Bridge Over Terabithia was an exceptionally good book-to-movie adaptation that was so beautifully done and told it brought tears to my eyes.
Other wonderful book adaptations this year included Pan's Labyrinth (sickeningly depressing tale that was both captivating and surreal) and 300 (artistically breathtaking, with its totally CGi scenery and it's also gory to death). There was also Nippon Chinbotsu (Sinking of Japan), one of the better movies of the year...
Actually there's too many good movies to list... looking forward to more next year!
Other Notable Events...
- Got my page in the newspaper censored!
- Copyright holders of some of the material in My Musix folder requested under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) for me to remove one or more songs from this playlist (they didn't mention which one) or action will be taken
- Tried improving myself with writing through reviews and coverage write-ups~
- Got a Beatmix Bumblebee and original Nike BoA brochure for my birthday~
- Got a new pet bonsai tree~
- My Chemical Romance finally came to Malaysia and their concert in the rain was the bomb!
- Year of the Shopping Malls... MidValley Megamall unveiled phase II - Gardens, Sunway Pyramid also unveiled phase II and the new king of shopping malls in KL was officially opened - Pavillion...
- BoA announced that she may take a break from her career by the time she's 25...
- BoA released not one but 3 DVDs, "MADE IN TWENTY (20) Arena Tour '07", "BoA Complete Clips 2004-2006" and "BoA the Live"
- BoA joined with 3 other artistes to form superband "AnyBand" for Samsung's Anycall phone commercials
- Met an angel at PC Fair~ <3 - Tee Hui Yi captured the hearts of all Malaysians as she ended her long wait for a donor heart and received one, but two transplants and is now doing fine~
- We sent our first man to space!
- Malaysia turned 50!
- 1st Asian Idol was held... too bad Phuong Vy didn't win...
- Collected lots of Transformers (incl some rare ones), Revoltechs, Shell Ferraris and purchased my 1st LFO Terminus~
- Most purchases online ever (mostly albums and singles from Japan and Korea + posters)
- Sent a letter to the NST aimed at a senator who dared to bash the Proton Juara
- Had a couple of innocent lil crushes (nothing happened of course -_-)
- Taliban Bastards kidnapped 23 South Korean aid workers and killed 2 of them...
- Idiot racist Namewee faces action over his stupid video
- New Nikes (OK, they're not that new anymore haha)
- Rebuild of Evangelion signals a restart for the popular franchise...
- One in a Million 2 started~
- Went on a mass search for all the Nike stores in Malaysia with BoA posters...
- The Farahnatics competed in futsal and bowling once again, and did pretty well despite not being in full force~
- Farahnatics finally launch Farah Asyikin's official website!
- Watched TONS of Japanese and Korean dramas, movies and anime + read manga too...
- Haze came again as usual~
- Another year of happy motoring with the Bug (any takers?) and 155~
- Astro came up with KBS World and History Channel, the best 2 channels EVER!!!
Coming in 2008
- BoA's 6th Japanese album (how can one resist?)
- More photo-taking opportunities (more events and possible model shoot)
- 1st Company Trip (oh boy!)
- My Grand Trip (double oh boy!)
- Blood : The Last Vampire starring Jun Ji-Hyun!!!
- The rest, well... remains to be seen...
Looking back at all this.. seems that 2007 was again a year of learning, feeling and experiencing. And I always have my family to share it with.
That's the biggest blessing... plus, above all else, there's God watching over me, protecting me. I may not always understand His ways of teaching me, but I'm sure it's for the better. Here's looking forward to a wonderful new year of surprises!
PEACE & God Bless,
Aris
It seems as if 2007 had just come... and now we have to say goodbye... gosh that was fast... and with 2007 being my year zodiacally, it was a pretty good one, but had its share of ups and downs. Just like I thought before last year that I might look back upon 2006 and laugh about some of the things that happened, yeah, it's funny what difference a year makes. I'm a happier person now, I'm more willing to challenge myself more and I'm generally a stronger and more confident person. And I've gained lots of new experience along the way as well...
Year of Work...
Work was more of the usual, but there were lots of change as we moved to new premises...
and had lots of changes in staff. We even gained new uniforms!
Workload was tough and I spent so many late nights at work instead of having a life, but we managed to pull it all off. Got my computer upgraded (sort of) and also finally received an LCD screen after almost 3 years of working here.
There was far more bonding among colleagues, and we feel much more like a family now, and even lunchtimes have become mass-makan sessions. Got to know another two friendly interns, Fiona and Pheini Endang. Even though they worked for a short while it was meaningful enough~ Also started pondering my options on whether much better things await me somewhere else... We'll just have to wait and see...
Year of Contests...
2007 will be the year I'll remember for the contests and competitions. Winning not 1 but FIVE (5) different prizes for various contests/competitions must really mean something. From Transformers figures to movie tickets and model MINI cars, this was a really lucky year for me in this aspect, hopefully next year will be too~
Year of Photo-taking...
2007 also took my obsession with photography to the extreme, and this was mostly caused by the possession of the T30, which while not as adjustable as the F65D, was far more portable and thus means that it was carried almost EVERYWHERE~ Food especially, received lots of coverage... lol~
This also resulted in the SLR only getting good use during events and trips. Well, now I'm slowly trying to balance it back and using the SLR more. Aiming to challenge myself more in the coming year with new techniques, flash photography and covering more events.
I'm also going to try model shooting. Any volunteers?
Friends...
I admit I haven't been as active with my friends and pet-siblings, and I'm sorry. I've been spending most of my time at work and with my bros starting uni at both the north and south, I'm left with little time for myself. Thank God for MSN & YM. I'll do my best to make time for you all next year k... (Jess, Nitt, Myn, Kak Fifi, Balloon... and the rest of you, I'm sure you know who you are~)
Trips...
Went to visit my best friends / bro & sis at Miri again! And in an Airbus too! It was fabulous...
Also went to Penang and Johor a few times... it was a tiring year of travelling, but I love it~ My grand trip had to be postponed, and hopefully next year I'll have a really happy time with my bro and sis.
Big Parties...
Attended two big parties in 2007, the Black & Bling Gala...
and also Models Magazine Grand Launch & Showcase...
These were awesomely nice parties where there were lots of fun and new people to meet. Speaking of people, I got to know many new interesting people from these two events... looking forward to more next year~
Weddings...
This year saw 2 of my pet-sisters getting married... Kak Fifi and Suba both got married to Fariz and Thevs respectively. It was odd to have someone close to you get married, but as the years pass, more and more people I know decide to tie the knot... so I guess I should get used to it. Wish you all a happy marriage~!
Year of Albums...
This year also brought forth many rilly good albums, some surprises and many of which are of awesome quality & replayability. Early in the year there was Karen Kong's fabulous "Mulakan" album, which was really easy to love, with it's soft vocals and catchy tunes. Her follow-up album, "Showtime", was equally likable (judging from the previews I've hears), despite not understanding a word.
Her English number "In Love Again" was BEAUTIFUL! This is THE local gurl to watch, I hope she releases an English song next... Of course reigning Korean pop princess BoA ruled the songwaves and charts with her fantastic "MADE IN TWENTY (20)" Japanese album, which was both funky and mature.
Her later singles were equally good, especially "Sweet Impact" and "Lose Your Mind".
One of the biggest surprises this year were 소녀시대 (So Nyeo Shi Dae/SNSD/Girls Generation) with their totally breathtaking self-titled debut album. This dream team of 9 gurls are really cool and I wonder what else they'll have in store next year.
Their rivals Wonder Girls (WG) were also notable with their "The Wonder Years" album which was really addictive.
Kak Fifi also launched her album too~
I wonder who else will conquer the airwaves next year...
Year of Movies...
2007 also qualified as a wonderful movie year that saw many book and TV transitions to the big screen and also an 80s revival. Movie of the year was undeniably Transformers, which single-handedly blew ALL sequels away and also became the best-selling movie of ALL TIME in Malaysia. It's wonderful blend of state-of-the-art CGi graphics and intense action proved popular, although some admit it should've been longer (even so, I watched it 4 times in the cinema, including IMAX).
Other 80s revival movies included Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Alvin & the Chipmunks (OK, technically they were from the 50s but they WERE popular in the 80s).
Bridge Over Terabithia was an exceptionally good book-to-movie adaptation that was so beautifully done and told it brought tears to my eyes.
Other wonderful book adaptations this year included Pan's Labyrinth (sickeningly depressing tale that was both captivating and surreal) and 300 (artistically breathtaking, with its totally CGi scenery and it's also gory to death). There was also Nippon Chinbotsu (Sinking of Japan), one of the better movies of the year...
Actually there's too many good movies to list... looking forward to more next year!
Other Notable Events...
- Got my page in the newspaper censored!
- Copyright holders of some of the material in My Musix folder requested under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) for me to remove one or more songs from this playlist (they didn't mention which one) or action will be taken
- Tried improving myself with writing through reviews and coverage write-ups~
- Got a Beatmix Bumblebee and original Nike BoA brochure for my birthday~
- Got a new pet bonsai tree~
- My Chemical Romance finally came to Malaysia and their concert in the rain was the bomb!
- Year of the Shopping Malls... MidValley Megamall unveiled phase II - Gardens, Sunway Pyramid also unveiled phase II and the new king of shopping malls in KL was officially opened - Pavillion...
- BoA announced that she may take a break from her career by the time she's 25...
- BoA released not one but 3 DVDs, "MADE IN TWENTY (20) Arena Tour '07", "BoA Complete Clips 2004-2006" and "BoA the Live"
- BoA joined with 3 other artistes to form superband "AnyBand" for Samsung's Anycall phone commercials
- Met an angel at PC Fair~ <3 - Tee Hui Yi captured the hearts of all Malaysians as she ended her long wait for a donor heart and received one, but two transplants and is now doing fine~
- We sent our first man to space!
- Malaysia turned 50!
- 1st Asian Idol was held... too bad Phuong Vy didn't win...
- Collected lots of Transformers (incl some rare ones), Revoltechs, Shell Ferraris and purchased my 1st LFO Terminus~
- Most purchases online ever (mostly albums and singles from Japan and Korea + posters)
- Sent a letter to the NST aimed at a senator who dared to bash the Proton Juara
- Had a couple of innocent lil crushes (nothing happened of course -_-)
- Taliban Bastards kidnapped 23 South Korean aid workers and killed 2 of them...
- Idiot racist Namewee faces action over his stupid video
- New Nikes (OK, they're not that new anymore haha)
- Rebuild of Evangelion signals a restart for the popular franchise...
- One in a Million 2 started~
- Went on a mass search for all the Nike stores in Malaysia with BoA posters...
- The Farahnatics competed in futsal and bowling once again, and did pretty well despite not being in full force~
- Farahnatics finally launch Farah Asyikin's official website!
- Watched TONS of Japanese and Korean dramas, movies and anime + read manga too...
- Haze came again as usual~
- Another year of happy motoring with the Bug (any takers?) and 155~
- Astro came up with KBS World and History Channel, the best 2 channels EVER!!!
Coming in 2008
- BoA's 6th Japanese album (how can one resist?)
- More photo-taking opportunities (more events and possible model shoot)
- 1st Company Trip (oh boy!)
- My Grand Trip (double oh boy!)
- Blood : The Last Vampire starring Jun Ji-Hyun!!!
- The rest, well... remains to be seen...
Looking back at all this.. seems that 2007 was again a year of learning, feeling and experiencing. And I always have my family to share it with.
That's the biggest blessing... plus, above all else, there's God watching over me, protecting me. I may not always understand His ways of teaching me, but I'm sure it's for the better. Here's looking forward to a wonderful new year of surprises!
PEACE & God Bless,
Aris
