and so, we approach the end of yet another year.

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well i should get this out of the way right at the start, i finally completed my masters!

with the start of 2022 it also marks the final semester for me. i had that same odd tinge of loss i experienced when i first completed my bachelors back in 2016. its kinda like reaching the final chapter of a book - while i'm happy that there's closure and i can move on to the next, i'm also sad that the story and its cast of characters are also concluding too, as crappy a comparison that may be.

lessons were still conducted via zoom, but part of me feels like i missed out on the personal interaction with others, as much as i abstain from it. 

generally, the modules taken this time round were wildcards. while not directly relevant to work, but are still neat to know like emergency response and ISO standards etc.

and i suppose the real surprise was twofold: a. somehow an award was established for an outgoing/retiring professor midway through the semester, and b. by sheer luck, i got it. sure, the amount received is not enough to cover even one semester's worth of tuition fees, but considering that i didnt take this masters for the sole purpose of the award, you know what? ill take it no question asked. 

i have to admit, im still kinda floored that i actually clinched it. 

another unexpected outcome was that i also didnt expect to have a dinner invitation with the department head either and other guests (which somehow my parents were invited too) after commencement. that dinner itself felt like a whos' who of reputable individuals in their own fields; i suppose that gives me something to work towards, if nothing else. maybe a job change is in the cards?

moving on, i have already made a request to join in a module this coming january as a guest visitor; i suppose one indirect benefit out of all these is that i've established relations with the department coordinator professor which is never a bad thing. 

after all, its impossible to tell who i'll cross path again with in the future; i've already have my fair share of deja vu ever since i graduated, and i dont see how this will cease anytime soon.

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also, i'll chalk this up to pure luck, but shortly after graduating, in MOE's infinite wisdom, the tuition fee subsidy for the masters course was halted by the government, and any poor sods who are doing it now will have to pay a cool 9k per semester (!) compared to the ~2.5k that i was subjected to just a year ago.

there was an article in the newspaper stating the government's stance that a master's is meant to be a luxury and also that its also part of cost cutting/saving/(insert cost benefit analysis equivalent term here). personally, im not sure whats the exact % of locals taking up masters, though my personal guess is that its not really a large size such that cutting them out would yield significant cost savings. 

but what do i know right?

sometimes, i think i lucked out making the decision to take this up in 2020.

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also on the work front, the company moved to labrador park at the tail end of the year.

still the same company as before mind you, but somehow the rationale for moving was for 'prestige' reasons, in the "oh wow your company is taking on prime property, it must be a reputable company --> we can entrust this company with this high value project" line of thought. 

... while i personally dont agree with such a basis and such a thought kinda sickens me, its not for me to decide (duh), and on second thoughts i can see how some may come to such a conclusion. if it was up to me, i would rather boost internal capabilities first before considering a cosmetic upgrade in workplace location.

guess im not cut out for management huh? ha ha ha.

that aside, its a slight improvement in travel time, though ill have to make more train transfers. its a minor pet peeve, but still.

also, in terms of food selection, it feels like a slight downgrade with a reduction in total amount of food choices, and there's also an appreciable increase in cost as well. 

all in all, i suppose its a slight improvement, though it aint perfect by any means.

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a major project (~$100m) concluded this year. i suppose thats like the major highlight in my time here.

granted, i wasnt the lead for the project, but its pretty cool to work on it. there was a lot of unforeseen situations though which i would had never envisioned at any point along the project, but hey, i suppose thats one way of learning, albeit painful.

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parents and the maid had covid sometime during the latter half of the year. given that i still live with them, it would had been reasonable to assume that i contracted covid too.

oddly, i did not (!) in spite of daily testing, and i still went to work as usual. fortunately, all three seem to do relatively well with no major symptoms nor long term effects.

i often joke that i either have covid and i am asymptomatic, or that i've been coasting on whatever little luck i have to avoid getting it. to be honest though, i have no idea which is correct lol.

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with covid measures tapering down, i decide to attend orchestras in person at the esplanade, first of which was krystian zimerman. there's a definite difference between hearing a recording on it on youtube, versus listening in person in the esplanade.

that reverb and acoustics is something that can only be experienced in person, and words fail me on how best to describe it. its kinda along the lines of 'seeing is believing', or in this case, hearing is believing.

the boom from the timpani, the music from the strings/woodwind, those are experiences to be had in person. kinda glad to experience that first-hand.

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another round of cycling at the end of the year. this time round cycled with a colleague around downtown, hitting notable landmarks such as the railway corridor (at the halfway point at queenstown), marina bay sands, east coast park, the f1 pitstop etc. clocked a good 60km approximately. 

one unfortunate part was falling off the bike in the middle of the rain, near the CBD district. while i did sustained a minor cut on the right leg, i did not experience any significant pain.

... well, not until several days later where i saw a fair bit of bruising along the thigh. oof. 

though fortunately, again, they were not causing significant pain to my day-to-day movement so i just brushed it aside.

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as embarrassing as this may be, i realize that i'm actually starting to experience hair thinning/balding to some extent. while still in its infancy stage, i kinda noticed that only recently.

i have already sought medical help for it though; hope the medication works!

that said, i recognize that its just an inevitable aspect of ageing; its also a timely reminder that i'm not as young as i wish. 

in any case, not much i can do apart from accepting it, or maybe... just ageing gracefully? ha.

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i also recently tried bouldering as a casual sport.

sometime in the middle of the year i saw that there was a bouldering gym(?) near my home so i decided to saunter over there and give it a try. i gave it a grand total of two tries this year so far (cue applause). to be fair, i only started sometime in october.

the first time i tried, i ended with a fair bit of cuts, blisters and bruises on my fingers and legs. big ouch, with the pain only subsiding one week after.

the routes were divided into varying difficulties, with 1 being the easiest/elementary and 10 being the hardest. i could only manage up to 3 on my first go but it was pretty fun. 

second time round, and i manage to ramp up to 3/4. this time though, i came slightly more prepared with gloves and some chalk (though its pointless to have the chalk if im already wearing gloves since hand sweat is kept contained within the gloves).

the odd thing is that i realize essentially no one else uses gloves while climbing. i suppose thats for the more... authentic bouldering experience, or that bare hands + chalk provides a better grip than with gloves, i dont know. but i would happily take a reduced probability of hand/finger injury over the real/authentic experience anytime.

also, i think i prefer my digits intact while doing piano too so thats that too. ha.

i look forward to doing bouldering as a part time sport in 2023 (assuming that that gym doesnt close down by then lol).

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i'm learning python on the sidelines via datacamp (thanks NUS for the subsidized cost!). though i gotta say that i'm kinda behind schedule since i've started in june but i've left it on the sidelines until recently, and i got to complete it by this coming june(!) with only like 30% done. procrastination is one hell of a drug isnt it? 

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making slow but steady progress for grade 8 piano. one major issue i'm experiencing is the lack of mental stamina/fortitude to do them in a single sitting.

i have to admit, doing 4x 3-5minute pieces consecutively is rather draining. nevertheless, still enjoyable.

also trying out random pieces from ryuichi sakamoto and joe hisaishi to break the tedium.

i find that ryuichi's railway man is a pretty haunting/memorable piece overall. its an old piece originating from one old japanese film in the 90s from hokkaido, but the tune is still timeless.

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well, with 2023 i really should consider a career change, if not for the moolah, then for greater progression. 

i ought to leverage on the masters if nothing else. well, a critical decision looms and i'll have to make a choice real soon.

if i somehow manage to find an escape plan, then i'll go on a one month solo travel in japan. 

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2023 beckons, and while i have my own set of doubts and fear, there's little merit in hesitating.

lets go gary.