Today is 1st of January, 2025. The feed on social media is inundated with all kinds of posts about welcoming the new year; crowds flooded the central area for countdown and viewing spectacular fireworks during the New Year's Eve; cell phones started beeping with messages from various parties, sending their best wishes.
As I age, a new year means differently to me and my behaviour has changed over the years. During the New Year's Eve, I have no longer joined the crowd at the central area for countdown like what I used to do roughly 10 years ago; I no longer cudgelled my head over writing a post on social media; but I still sent best wishes to some colleagues and friends. Yesterday, I did not stay up late to welcome the new year and I hit the sack before 11 o'clock.
A new year is actually a point of transition from the past 365 days to the next 365 days on a calendar. To many working adults, it serves as a reminder to develop a new milestone and progress: they strive to make a difference in the new year.
This year, to me, a new year is literally a point of transition from the past 365 days to the next 365 days. After today (a holiday to most white-collar adults), I believe, a lot of people, including me, are going back to their monotonous daily routine, addressing daily operational issues, making reports, meeting their superiors' expectations and due dates, etc. - the same old things that they have been facing for the past 365 days.
In recent years, I have been pondering over the meaning of life. Should I continue to go through the endless transition from 1 calendar year to another blindly and aimlessly? Should I continue to work like a robot and complete tasks as per instructions? Though some people may claim that there is a corporate ladder that I can climb, is the position sustainable in today's competitive and ever-changing work environment, where employees are dispensable regardless of the level you are in the management hierarchy? Retrenchment has been happening globally, such as Canon (December 2024), Samsung (October 2024) and Dyson (October 2024). [Source: Layoffs and job cuts in Singapore in 2024]
I have been reading a book, entitled Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum for the past few weeks. It is fiction and I have finished about 3 quarters of the book. I personally think it is a good leisure read because it has soothed my worn soul that has been confined in the hustle and bustle of the city for more than 10 years. I enjoyed indulging in the tranquil world that the author has created, whereby the characters live a lifestyle that I have been dreaming of. Besides, it has inspired me to reignite my interest again.
Probably I will pen my review about the book in my next blog after I finish it.
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