Narrowband.org

We kicked-start the year with our new baby - it has four wheels and was codenamed ‘flying Myvi’. We took delivery of the car in the first week of January, after having waited for *drumrolls, please…* … more than seven months (a record). It was also the year I celebrated my 2nd singlehood anniversary (going on 3rd pretty soon). I can’t believe it’s been so long, as everything still appears fresh in my mind. It seems like only yesterday we went out for our first date.

Then I was introduced to Toastmasters by some friends. Before long, I signed up to be a member and have since spoken 7 times, not including impromptu speeches (some of which were terrible!). Participated in a contest once. Made a complete fool out of myself on stage. I wish I didn’t remember this. I vowed to go on a hiatus and concentrate instead on my university projects. Things are looking much better now though, and I hope to finish my 10th speech by February next year.

My three-week semester break was a memorable one. The Spirit of KL competition saw hundreds of teams made up of mostly foundation, first and second year students. We were among the older ones there (final year, at that!). Made many new friends and had lots of fun. And the fact that we took home the grand prize of RM10K plus handphones and vouchers simply made it all the sweeter.

The university’s orientation week was terrific! About 80 students interviewed were shortlisted and boy, being a facilitator was no easy feat. I still remember how I’d get up at 5.50 in the morning and bathe in icy cool water in the students’ hostel. We slept for no more than 5 hours every night! I missed home so badly. But on the last day of the orientation, we all wished that it didn’t have to end so soon.

I visited Lang Tengah Island with 9 friends. We took the train and traveled the whole night. It wasn’t the most comfortable ride but we were in high spirits. My friends surprised me with a mini-birthday celebration on the island. It wasn’t much, but it sure was thoughtful and sweet. That very same holiday trip also saw the demise of my less-than-6-months-old beloved Panasonic Lumix FX-9. I fell into the sea while holding the camera in my hand. *Sobs*

I also traveled to Siem Reap, Cambodia with 5 other friends. It was a simple, 4-day budget trip. Upon arrival, we simply took a van and headed straight down town to look for a place to stay. We visited the ancient temples (so many of them!) in Siem Reap, which were scattered all over the place. Some were as far as from Subang to KL - but there was only one untarred, super-bumpy dirt road that’d take us there. And the ride was 40mins long! Truly a remarkable experience.

After all that traveling and fun, I returned and decided that I’d sign up for a gym membership. It was time to shape up :p. The first visit was filled with attempts to brainwash me into getting a personal trainer. Even the membership fee bargains took almost half an hour, hehe. I have gained a coupla kilos since I started working out in August, not bad for someone who had not gained weight since he was 19. I have an extraordinarily high metabolism rate - anybody could offer me a solution?

And of course, 2006 also saw the setting up of narrowband.org - something which I’d always wanted to do since the dawn of mankind. There are lots of other memorable events and experiences that I wish I could write here, but you know… I’d rather keep them offline instead :p (otherwise, they are mostly archived in my old blog). I can’t say that I have had a bad year, neither can I say that it’s been a great year. But given all the events that took place, I can safely say that I’ve been happy - most of the time, at least.

Happy 2007 to all of you!