2010 in Review

It’s hard to comprehend that 2010 is coming to a close when I feel like I haven’t done enough. 2010 is a pretty tough year juggling with limited financial resources, work, study, travels, conferences and my practicum as a (real) teacher in two secondary schools. I think the biggest challenge was learning to say, “No”.

The year started with me quitting my job at the Teaching and Educational Development Institute and accepting my offer to do my Grad Dip in Education. I took a trip back home after 2 years not being home and it was a pretty surreal experience in an odd kind of way. Visiting relatives and friends really brings me back down to Earth where I came from and how much I’ve changed and developed over the years.


On my way back to my hometown, Kuching (Malaysia) on the island of Borneo, I met a Swedish backpacker and for 2 weeks, I played the double role of tourist and tour-guide with him. We visited the 2nd oldest rainforest in the world, rock climbed, skim boarded, caved, and did visited a number of places in Borneo that I’ve always wanted to visit.





I came back to Brisbane to start my uni. I missed the first week, which the lecturers weren’t impressed by, and to make matters worse, three weeks later, I had to take another 2 weeks off and flew to the United States for 3 weeks. I travelled through LA, San Francisco, Atlanta and Chicago where I worked at the Inspire USA Foundation, attended the 2010 Non-profit Technology Conference and Global Engagement Summit 2010. I met some of the most innovative and deeply inspiring people who left a really deep indent in my life. I also made some of the best experiences and learned some lessons I would have never learnt through watching @JackHeath while working at Inspire USA.


Coming back from the USA, I went straight to teach at a middle school. It was exhausting in every sense of the word, but the experience was unforgettable. Watching the kids learn and grow, and seeing them cry on my last day broke my heart, but makes me appreciate the influence we all have in the lives of the people we meet.


June/July was filled with catching up with friends, presenting at a number of conferences and workshops, and flying around Australia. I was also rushing to finish all my assignments at this stage, having missed 3 out of 6 weeks of my first uni semester.


August/September was an eventful month. I was selected to be an Advisory Board for Bendigo and Adelaide Bank’s PlanBig, I presented at a record number of workshops, was back at uni and it was at this point I really struggled juggling with uni, work and life in general. However, come September/October, I spent the entire two months teaching at a high school. It was a totally different experience, especially when the gap between the age of the scholars and mine isn’t big, and most of them look older than me! I found that a lot of these students look up to us as role models, and whenever they get the time, they’ve got plenty of questions about life to ask. It was hard to draw the line especially when in a school setting, there is a strong hierarchical gap between student vs teachers, even if the school likes to believe that it’s a “community”.


November and December were pretty much flying months. I spent on average once every week on a plane, but I attended and presented at two very interesting conferences (in controversial ways) and a symposium. There are so many events that I am thankful for including but limited to being a part of To Mama With Love and Epic Thanks, meeting two very important people in my life, having a very compassionate and supportive mentor, and being offered opportunities after opportunities.





I am sure I’ve left out a lot of details but it feels like so much has happened but at the same time, not. 2010 has definitely brought me to places I never thought I would be, but its an incredible year filled with pain, disappointments, and struggles, which have given me more patience, love, hope, support and determination. It’s really hard to thank everyone individually, but I feel like I have to because everyone that I have come in contact with has shared with me their stories, their dreams, hope and determination in some ways, and I can’t thank you enough for being a part of my life, and being my source of hope, love and catalyst when I most needed them and even when I don’t need them.


I apologise if I have offended anyone, whether directly or indirectly, and I can only hope that we can talk things out. I hope there’s none, but just in case! :-) Here’s to 2011!