Going away

About to travel overseas for the first time in three or four years, I have mixed feelings towards my upcoming trip. When I was younger, I had always yearned to travel back to Hong Kong, and given that, I'm definitely not looking forward to going there as much as I should be.

I used to look forward to the street food and the milk tea and the wonton noodle soup. Not, not so much. I used to look forward to seeing my cousins. Now, most of them have moved away from Hong Kong.

Perhaps it's the sloth in me, unwilling to travel far from home. Perhaps it's the fear of the unfamiliar.

But, I seem to recall that stepping outside my comfort bubble was my new year's resolution. Seeing as it's only half a month into the new year, I should keep that in mind, and brave what comes.

From preference to love

A relationship, threatening to blossom out, is always awkward and uncertain.

"We can all begin freely - a slight preference is natural enough; but there are very few of us who have heart enough to be really in love without encouragement."

Thus observed Charlotte to Lizzie in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. She then continued:

"In nine cases out of ten, a woman had better show more affection than she feels."

Charlotte's advice was given in an era when women were expected to play the passive role. The only way that a lady's romantic fantasy could become reality was if the object of her affections not only felt the same way, but also decided to take a step forward. Are Charlotte's words of wisdom still applicable?

It would be untrue to say that women today must still let themselves be the object of pursuit. Hopefully, the struggle for gender equality has at least ensured that.

Coming from a Chinese background, my views may be more conservative and traditional. I still think the male should make the first move. Yet knowing that not many would step forward without encouragement can be rather frustrating.

The girl's role is then to at least hint at her partiality. Perhaps a bit of differential treatment is all it takes to nudge him in the right direction.

2010

So begins a new year and a new decade. The noughties have flown past -- the fear of the Y2K bug still lives fresh in my memory.

This past decade will probably be the most influential one in my entire lifetime. I spent them whilst being between the ages of 11 and 20. I grew from a child to an adult, and learned many lessons along the way.

No doubt the 2000s will play a big role in shaping the person that I am and will be. But it won't be the only decade. Hopefully, I'll continue to develop and improve in the 2010s, the 2020s and beyond.

As for my new year's resolution, I don't usually have one, but perhaps it would be good to come up with at least a rough idea. For 2010, I resolve to muster the courage to try new things and to, when appropriate, step outside my comfort bubble. Yes, it's vague, but it's a start!