All grown up

On New Year’s Eve this year, I forgot that it was New Year’s Eve.

I spent the day with my mum and Ee Che on a day trip down to my late dad’s hometown Malacca to look into some family concerns. This capped off a month where I returned to Malaysia after an extremely long year at work, and finally took some time off to just decompress. It felt nice.

Once again, I found this year to be really tough, although at this stage this seems to be something I say at the end of most years since I started working as an academic (or maybe, even before?). Previously, in my year-end reflections, I used to go through my calendar and figure out which milestones I’d highlight for my future memory.

This year, I’m not doing that because as far as I am concerned, I just want to remember two milestones I achieved in 2024.

First, I was finally confirmed in post after three-years of probation in my role as Lecturer in Digital Culture and Society at the Department of Digital Humanities, King’s College London.

Secondly, I have finally returned to being a Londoner … and being a homeowner at that.

The boy from Bangsar is finally all grown up, I guess. Happy New Year, folks … I really hope it can be one not just for me, but for you, and for the rest of the world.