2016 Christmas Letter
21/12/16 22:51 Filed in: Christmas Letters
Dear all,
To sum up 2016 in one word for me - “Discovery”.
This is the year where I “boldly go” where I’ve never gone before.
First discovery, I took up Uber driving. It became legal on 1st of January so I thought, “why not?” - it pays the bills.
Driving Uber has been mostly fun. It gave me a chance to meet some very interesting people (and some incredibly boring ones), which included an actress, a TV producer, a couple of chefs, a restaurant manager of a top Sydney restaurant, 2 criminal law lawyers, small time film directors, 2 fashion label owners, other celebrities, musicians, a dog and a woman who’s 102 years old (and she’s on YouTube)!
I also met a psychiatrist (with whom I had a conversation about dementia), a couple of forensic psychologists (who told me I’m normal - HAHAHA I am hiding very well!) and a couple of gastroenterologists, who finally gave me closure, after almost 10 years, to the events and circumstances leading to my dad’s death. Nothing cynical, but just a question I’ve always had, which these two gentlemen were able to explain to me.
Most importantly, I get to visit some parts of Sydney I’ve never been and learn new shortcuts and new ways to get around the city traffic.
I’ve come to appreciate just how beautiful Sydney is and various points of interests, not to mention countless cafes and restaurants (including the best hotdog and best gelato places). I have a blog writing about some of my more interesting Uber adventures if you are interested in reading about them.
My computer consulting company is doing so-so (hence the Uber driving). I am still building up the clients. I met some very nice people and enjoyed working with them, solving their IT problems. One client has been most generous and kind. Through him I had a chance to give a series of three 1-hour talks at the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron - one of the most prestigious sailing club in Sydney.
The talks received great feedback so we are looking to expand in the new year, including to other similar private clubs in Sydney. It’s just something different and gives me a chance to re-live my days when I travelled overseas to train the clients. Having lunch afterwards admiring the great view of Sydney Harbour is also tough work, but somebody’s got to do it. 😊
Second discovery: I can survive not working full time in the computer industry! I’m much poorer than I was before now (Uber is not going to make me rich) but life is simpler - no dealing with the same a**holes and idiots on a daily basis. Yes, I get a**holes when driving Uber but I get rid of them in less than an hour plus I get to give them a bad rating and not have to see them again.
I’ve always feared that if I don’t have a full time job working in the computer industry, I will not survive. Yet I admire people who started their own business and work for themselves and envy their freedom.
Well, I’ve taken that step now and Uber driving allows me to slowly explore and build my IT business while taking it easy.
Speaking of my IT business, I finally wrote an “app” and released it in the Apple AppStore! It’s a simple app calculating “time”. It was more of an exercise to find out how to put an app in the AppStore but surprisingly, it sold a few copies! I’m about to get my first pay cheque from Apple on December 29th. 😬 Nothing that’s going to allow me to retire but at least it was a boost for morale. You can check out my apps on my business website.
Third discovery (I actually knew it long ago but it sounds good to mention things in “three”s): I have two incredibly loving sisters. They’ve supported me through out this year, putting up with my lateness getting home for dinner and my absence for most of the afternoons on weekends.
They are absolutely the best sisters I can have and I just hope one day I’ll have the chance to repay their love and kindness. They will be reading this letter but no, I’m not just sucking up. 😊I meant it 100%.
In other news:
We lost one of our beloved aunts this year to cancer. Aunt Peggy was a woman with a big loving, heart, always generous and kind (she laughed at my jokes!). I’m so glad that I had the chance to meet up with her in Taipei in the last 3 years. She will be sadly missed.
We still managed two trips this year, one for mum’s birthday and one for my birthday.
Mum celebrated her 90th birthday this year. We decided to celebrate it in Hong Kong as more of her side of the family are there. We also had quite a few from dad’s choir in Singapore who flew over for the event. A small dinner party then turned into a big dinner party. Deciding on a venue in Hong Kong from Sydney was proving to be a headache, but eventually, through our friend, we decided to hold the (surprise) party at an Italian restaurant in Kowloon.
It was a great night! I even had the opportunity to show off my pizzas! This was probably the first and last time I get to work in a professional kitchen, serving my pizza recipes to guests (with a professional oven and a team of sous chefs). It was a experience I’ll never forget!
Mum had no idea. She just wondered why we didn’t get to meet many relatives this time around, as we had a few meetings and preparation work to do before the event and didn’t have time to go out.
Mum’s memory is getting bad so she probably doesn’t even remember we had a birthday dinner for her. Luckily, we have photos and a video to jog her memory. They are on a private webpage so if you are interested, drop me a line.
Kismet the cat is doing well. She’s cute as ever and even has her own “sticker pack” app for the iPhone! Nothing fancy, just 20 emoji cat faces. If only she knows what an iPhone is. 😂
That’s about it from me for this year.
What I’ve learnt this year, with all that’s happening around the world (what a crazy year!), is to treasure our family and friends and hope that everyone is safe and well. Thus I thought it was only appropriate that the song to accompany this letter be “Bless This House”, sung with the beautiful voice of Vera Lynn.
I wish you all, a Very Merry and Safe Christmas.
Your friend,
Bevan
