2010 - A new begining...

*swoosh!*

*bang!*

And that was how 2010 started... With Hyeyoung in my arms, We witnessed the most spectacular fireworks we have ever seen in Sydney (along with probably at least a million other strangers).

No thanks to my amature-ish camera skills, all attempts to capture the breathtaking fireworks failed miserably and thank God for the video-recording function in my DeeNinety. But I guess the best moments will always be in our memories - like how excited Hyeyoung was when she saw the fireworks, how beautiful some of the fireworks were, how nice her hair was despite being under the sun for 8 hours straight, etc. You get the idea. That's right, it was my first time seeing Sydney's world famous fireworks live and it was truly unforgettable.

So thanks to Hyeyoung (since it was her suggestion to do this), 2010 started with a bang (literally!). :D

In retrospective, 2009 was a good year. After a semester's break from university, I came back with a vengeance and achieved what I aimed to achieve, straight distinctions. With that, I was able to secure the Summer Scholarship and, offers for Honors program. Meanwhile, I made a few good friends whom I think might just be friends for life. Amidst those friends, I found a lover, a companion and a partner. She made my 2009 complete. Without her, my final year as an undergraduate student would be in total black and white, buried under books most of the time. But she brought so much color into my life (this blog is a testimony of that) and for that, I'm very, very appreciative and thankful for her and her love.

2010 will be a brand new beginning for me as I have decided to reject my Honors offer (as many of my friends will know) to return to my motherland to kick-start my career (finally!).

There are a two main reasons for doing this and one of which is the huge risk I'd have to take if I were to do Honors here at ANU. It'd be risking not just my precious grades but also risking this relationship as well. After all, those who know me well would know that my performance is so closely connected to the relationship. Being apart is already bad enough for me and any tiny squabble or major argument would have a direct impact on my performance. Honors, unlike an undergraduate degree, should be done with superb flying colors and it would be absolutely pointless if I were to attain anything less than a 2nd Upper. I do not want to risk ending up with either 1. a bad grade for Honors, 2. breaking up with Hyeyoung or worst, 3. having neither Honors or Hyeyoung at the end of 2010.

The second reason is that, it's too heartbreaking for me to see Hyeyoung struggling alone in Singapore trying to establish herself. I want to be there for her, to give her all the support she needs and more importantly, to tell her she's not alone in this fight. Having interned for 3 months in Okayama, I totally understand how difficult it is to establish yourself in a place where you have no friends and no connections. With that in mind, how do you it's possible for me to let her suffer alone in Singapore? Absolutely not. Even if I can gather my family and friends to support her, I don't think anybody can replace me in her heart. More importantly, I want to be there for her, I want to be there when she needs me and, I want to watch her grow.

No doubt it was extremely tough for me to arrive at such a decision and some friends have supported my plan while others have offered their honest and sincere advice. Regardless you're with me or not, I'm glad I have you as my friend. Now that I'm going to be back in Singapore for good, I look forward to catching up with all of you. :)

Finally, my resolution for 2010 is to learn to love my family more (especially the folks), do my best in whatever job I might end up in and be more understanding and caring towards Hyeyoung. Today marks the 14th week that Hyeyoung and I have been together and Thursday will be our 100th Day Anniversary I know not what kind of challenges life might pose for us in the future but I certainly hope and pray that together as a team, we will make it through the storms.

"Happy New Year folks and to my dearest Hyeyoung, Happy 14th Week Anniversary. 사랑해."