Yes, this is the first blog post in 2017. I really miss blogging regularly like in 2014 and 2015. I thought after getting used to blog every week for 2 years, I don’t need a reminder to do it. But, seems like I became slack and didn’t really write here in 2016. On the other hand, I scribbled and drew more often in my agenda. I discovered a new hobby (sort of) that colouring, drawing or doing scrapbook is therapeutic. Drawing is not a new thing to me, I’ve been liking it since I was a kid, although I can’t draw like a mangaka (as much as I want to be)
So.. I’ll blog more regularly again in 2017! That’s my first mission.
Let’s do recap of 2016
- 52 weeks challenge: saving money, Luffy photo blog are completed! Although there are few times I was late to save up or to upload, I completed them.
- Sports challenge: big success. I didn’t have many items to do in 2016, because I want to focus on fewer things, but I did more along the way because of “situations”. I ticked my wish list to learn diving and run half-marathon, which became the highlight of the year for me. I ran 3 half-marathon in total!
- “A sentence a day” project: 3 years completed! and I bought a new 2 years sentence a day book as Christmas present to myself. Do your best Kartika!
- 1 item didn’t materialize (psst, it’s a secret, I can’t tell it here) but I’ll keep pursuing this next year
Similar like previous years, here are some of my key takeaways of 2016
- To accept the situation I’m in. It’s really vexing for not being able to get it although you put much effort in the end. There were times I really want to give up and hate the world (really?!) I feel, I was at the bottom of my life because I have tried hardest for few big things in 2016 but yet all went to thin air.
- To look for help. Rather than bottling my feelings up and felt down, I decided to tell few people around me.
- To feel grateful. To have friends, colleagues, (unofficial) mentors I can rely to. Sometimes when I was so frustrated, I couldn’t express it well, and I ended up crying (ha!) but having them around me made me feel safe and it will be okay. And more importantly, they allow me to be myself.
- To be yourself. I tend to try too hard to make people happy and most of the times I regretted because it didn’t make me happy. I need to compromise what I believe in. For example the concept of 仲間 and 迷惑. (Maybe I read too many manga)
- To have some balance. I realised that because I put too much effort on one thing, I neglect the other things and as a result, I easily became frustrated when it didn’t happen. (Don’t you remember what Ajahn Brahm said, when you’re riding a bike, you’ll fall easily if you hold the handle too tight. You need to loosen up so you can balance easily) I need to get back to “happy-go-lucky” Kartika like in previous years.
So, I’ll say that 2016 had given me reminder of fundamental things. I’m grateful for that because I can be indecisive about few things, but through the tests in 2016, they are more solid now.
Thank you 2016 for the lessons, new friends you gave me and adventure we had. 2017, please be kind to me.
明けましておめでとうございます。今年もよろしくね！