train of (after)thought
I remember arriving in the office on Christmas Eve last year feeling irritable and grouchy from making my way to work through a downpour. Though the day started off gloomy and wet, what greeted me on my desk was like a beam of sunshine that warmed my heart. On my desk laid a spread of presents from my colleagues, a gesture that caught me by surprise, given that I joined the department barely more than a month before.
Three months into 2009, memories of my feeling moved and delighted that morning remain vivid and close to my heart. Never had I, be it on my birthday or on Christmas, received so many presents before. It’s become one of those fond memories I look back on that brings a smile to my face. Just as my colleagues surprised me with their unexpected gesture, an unexpected sentiment I had on the same day also surprised me. The annual Christmas Eve dinner that brings together familiar friends, usually memorable and special, turned out to be less fun and enjoyable than I expected. There seemed to be something amiss, but I haven’t been able to put a finger on it.
Even as 2009 will soon enter its second quarter, some significant developments of the previous year continue to feature prominently in my mind. There were the cities I set foot in beckoning me to return, the painful experience of having my dream slip right out of my hands, a tragedy of my own making, and not forgetting how 2008 was thankfully drama-free and all quiet on the love and romance front, a welcome change from previous years. With these incidents of 2008 as my guide, I wonder what 2009 will eventually bring?
Three months into 2009, memories of my feeling moved and delighted that morning remain vivid and close to my heart. Never had I, be it on my birthday or on Christmas, received so many presents before. It’s become one of those fond memories I look back on that brings a smile to my face. Just as my colleagues surprised me with their unexpected gesture, an unexpected sentiment I had on the same day also surprised me. The annual Christmas Eve dinner that brings together familiar friends, usually memorable and special, turned out to be less fun and enjoyable than I expected. There seemed to be something amiss, but I haven’t been able to put a finger on it.
Even as 2009 will soon enter its second quarter, some significant developments of the previous year continue to feature prominently in my mind. There were the cities I set foot in beckoning me to return, the painful experience of having my dream slip right out of my hands, a tragedy of my own making, and not forgetting how 2008 was thankfully drama-free and all quiet on the love and romance front, a welcome change from previous years. With these incidents of 2008 as my guide, I wonder what 2009 will eventually bring?