2020

I’ve given a bit of thought into the title, but this feels apt.

In 1991, the Malaysian 4th (and subsequently 7th) Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir introduced the ideal of Wawasan 2020, or Vision 2020 as part of his 6th Malaysia Plan. The vision calls for the nation to achieve a self-sufficient industrialised nation by the year 2020, encompasses all aspects of life, from economic prosperity, world class education, political stability and social well-being.
When I was younger in school, every so often, we were asked to draw our version of Wawasan 2020 in our Art Class. Our vision of 2020.
I could still remember that most would draw some high rise buildings, flying cars, and a nation where all the race would live happily in harmony..
Fast forward to the year 2020, it became a year where a year to forget for most, a year of nightmare for some.
One thing for certain, it will be a year that will go down to history as an unforgettable year.

A couple of years ago, I read the book ‘Sapiens’ by Dr. Yuval Noah Harari, a book which spans the whole human history. It piqued my interest, and I started on the sequel ‘Homo Deus’, published in 2017, a book that writes about tomorrow, or how the writer believes humankind will cease to exist one day.
I have yet to finish the 2nd book (>.<)”…so I can’t tell you how it ends, but thinking back about my unfinished book, there was a paragraph which goes, and I quote

“The great epidemics of the past – famine, plague and war – no longer control our lives. We are the only species in history that has single-handedly changed the entire planet, and we can no longer blame a higher being for our fate.” – Yuvah Noah Harari, Homo Deus

What happened in 2020, I’m not sure many foresaw.
That the world will go into lockdown, some harder than the rest. Schools ceased, cinemas & shopping malls closed, restaurants & cafes limited to take away and deliveries. Offices closed, everyone confined to their homes. Borders close, travelling no longer possible.
That we could be brought to our knees, by a virus, a pandemic.
In the 21st century, when humans are becoming ever more invincible, ever more powerful, nature has its way to interrupt, to stop us at our tracks.
A pandemic that kills economy faster than it did humans…
A pandemic that made us choose between economy and human lives..
With some countries, the economy won. They would rather overwhelm the health system and sacrifice a few (or not so few) people than have a recession that could take years to recover from…

A year which throws everything out of whack,
A year which throws plans out the window,
A year which changes a lot of things.
A year when I truly see “to each, their own”…that we only stand in solidarity when we have the capacity to, that the solidarity, is conditional.
A year that the Wawasan 2020 went up the flames, and all that’s left is dust…a nation more divided than ever, a country riddled by corruption more than ever, with a change of government, economic recession, it turns out to be all but the Vision 2020 we…or at least I had in mind 30 years ago.

But that’s life..
Sometimes, life is smooth-sailing and everything seems to go our way.
Other times, life just takes an unexpected turn that throws everyone off balance, ruin all plans that we made, changes everything.

Personally, it almost feels like just another year…
Spent mostly at home, where physical distancing and masks are becoming a norm rather than exception..
A friend asked me recently what was my highlight of the year…other than the pandemic…
I struggled to recall…everything felt so distant…but as I sit down and reminiscence, I would think I have achieved a few milestones in life…but again, by whose definition?

I managed to spend CNY at home, visited a friend’s new home, had our yearly gathering, visited and paid respect to Popo..
I had a rather interesting wedding which was ever changing, even until the very last day.. a rather intimate event which unfortunately, was not attended by some close friends and family due to the pandemic. In a way, luck was on our side, as Victoria went into lockdown 2 days later.
I spent the rest of the year working from home (and still is!), came to notice about how communications over messaging platforms could be taken out of context, and realised the importance of facial expression and body language had on communication.
I never thought there would come a day I would get excited about going back to office, meeting colleagues, or actually having a face to face chat with someone outside my own home considering how anti-social I am, but that day came.
I was given some rare opportunity at work to lead a project despite being the more junior associate, with 2 more senior colleagues supporting, and manage to led it to some success, gaining some recognition along the way.
I had a even rarer opportunity, and got promoted at work. An opportunity that I never thought possible simply due to the fact I was geographically so far away. An opportunity that I have given up on long ago when I decided to move down under.
I made some friends online (Yes! An accomplishment considering it was not from work, and considering my anti-social nature!) *Pats own head*. From a common interest, I made friends from various parts of the world, 3 of whom I actually got considerably close with.
I made a trip interstate and met a friend that I’ve never seen before, and spent a good few days with her, amazed at how well we kicked it off, and came to see how effortless some things can get.
For someone who has her share of awkwardness with people, I’ve came to conclude that there are some people that we could never close with no matter the effort, and then there are some that we get comfortable with without much effort.

Overall, 2020 felt like a rather boring and mundane year, with too much time locked at home, too lil time being out and about. Yet, as I look back, it has been a year that had its ups and downs.
A year that I still have many things to be thankful for…
A year that much has change, yet felt like nothing has change…
A year that has been relatively kind to me, despite the pandemic, despite the lockdown..
On the other hand, Mochi had the best year he had to date, as everyone is home…everyday!! Always someone to keep him company, so much walkies, so much attention!

Ironically, by December 2020, most were going on about how 2020 had been a horrible year, and they couldn’t wait for it to end, and for 2021 to be here…
Ironic, because here we are at the beginning of 2021, and unsurprisingly, it hasn’t magically changed for the better. Covid19 cases are breaking records day after day, and more people are dying.
Perhaps, in the end, as much as we have perfected the art of cheating death, nature has it’s own way for natural selection…that in the end, it is about survival of the fittest.
Perhaps, it is just another lesson in life, that we couldn’t plan for everything, and we couldn’t predict the future.
Perhaps, one day I’ll look back to this as if it’s just another day, as the pandemic becomes a norm…time will tell.