Recap

To me, 2006 has been a year full of changes. It involved lots of decisions, choices and challenges. Let’s do a quick recap of my year in 2006.

Jan 06 – The New Job and The Farewell
Started off the year with a new job at a medium size firm uptown. Finally a job close to home with headcount over 5. Never noticed how much time there is in a day until starting this new job when the traveling time is cut down from 2.5 hours to 0.5 hours a day. And for the first time I taste the benefit of having Chinese co-workers – having 2 hour lunches for dim sum or all you can eat Japanese is definitely fun.

Farewell to my BF who’s headed off to Hartford, CT for his job. Maintaining a long distance relationship is just as tough as I have imagined. Though there were times when I felt extremely upset about the distance parting us, I think our relationship has grown stronger than ever over the past year. After all, a relationship is not a relationship until you’ve held each other’s hands through obstacles and challenges.

Feb 06 – The CGA Crisis
Submitted my experience portfolio to CGA believing that I’ll be qualified and graduating in Nov 2006. Did not happen. According to them I have entered the senior phase in my career and I will be qualified in January 2007, meaning that I had to wait a whole year until I can have the three letters after my name. I was upset but what could you do.

Mar 06 – The Tattoo
For years I have thought about getting one but never had the gut to do it. Not that I am threatened by the pain it causes but I’m more worried about having something on my body forever. This year on my birthday I decided that I had to do it or else I’ll never do it. So I did it. It’s like a dream come true. I couldn’t be happier.

May 06 – The CPA Study
After 1.5 years of freedom I decided to put myself in prison again – I registered for the CPA exams. Went through the Becker courses from May to November and had the hardest time ever trying to stay focus on studying. I think I have nearly reached my lifetime study limit.

Jun 06 – The Fashion Show
Never got to practice my makeup skills since I learned it in Dec 05. Then there came this opportunity to do makeup in this fashion show. It was a lot of fun drawing on the models faces and being able to experiment with colors and patterns that you merely use in daily makeup.

Jul 06 – The World Cup and The Apple
One of my favorite teams, Italy, won the World Cup for the forth time. Thumbs up for their great team spirit. Loved their signature blue jersey and their pretty faces. In the same month, I bought my first Apple computer – a Macbook. It might be the most overpriced laptop out in the market, but I just couldn’t resist it! Loved its signature white shell and its sleek design.

Jul 06 Again – The Weddings
Two of my long time good friends got married this month and my first time going to weddings without my parents. The weddings were beautiful, joyful, and filled with touching moments. No wonder people say the wedding day is the most important day in a person’s life.

Aug 06 – The Boston Trip
Did the first round of my CPA exams then headed to Boston for 2 days. Beautiful city. Amazing sea view from either side of the harbor, lots of history and great food! Had lobsters for 2 nights in a roll! Will definitely go back!

Oct 06 – The Bad News
After a quiet September I got a bad news about a long time high school/university friend. I was shocked and confused and I still couldn’t believe what had happened. I hope she’ll find a happier life somewhere in heaven.

Nov 06 - The Passing Grades, The Midnight Madness and The Pasta Nostra
After spending half a year in prison I finally got out of it by passing all the CPA exams. It is a big relief for me, as I don’t think I have the energy to retake any of the exams. Upon passing the last exams for my CPA, I went to Woodbury Outlet Mall near NYC the night after US Thanksgiving. Started shopping from 0:00 until the next day at 07:00. It was the craziest shopping schedule of my life. Went to Norwalk, CT the day after shopping and had dinner at this Italian restaurant called Pasta Nostra. Although pricy but the food were to die for. It was the best meal I had in 2006.

Dec 06 - The Reunion
Just before the holiday season, I reunited myself with my long time love – cooking. For quite a while I have lost interest in cooking and I wasn’t able to pull together a single nice meal. After spending a few hours each day watching the food network I finally regained my desire for food. Now that I have all the hours on my hands I’ll work hard on cooking until I throw myself into prison again (MBA next year?).

A hectic but fruitful year in 2006. I am hoping for an even better time in the year to come, and I wish everyone a prospectus year in 2007!