2008 Retrospective
I remember a scene in the early 1990s film City Slickers in which Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, and Bruno Kirby are horseback riding slowly through the desert. They were having a discussion about the best and worst days of their life, but couldn't agree on how to measure it. Daniel Stern's character said that you had to consider the whole day, and its various ups and downs, before deciding. Bruno Kirby's, though, had another idea: the measure of a day is in how it ended. His best day, he said, was the day his father died because by the end of the day he felt a new purpose and direction in his life, as painful as the death of his father had been.
I always favored Kirby's approach, which is why I view 2008 as a pivotal, important year for me despite its share of disappointments and negative experiences. For it was this year that I made the decision to stop studying Chinese and to begin working for my present employer. My decision resulted not from careful, months-long deliberation but rather from being presented with a great opportunity and seizing it.
I could not have gotten my job, though, without the practical experience of writing this blog. In addition to being an outlet for my thoughts and opinions, keeping this site has honed my writing skills, introduced me to new friends, and given me opportunities in the writing field that I would not have gotten otherwise.
I'd like to conclude this post by thanking you, my readers, for stopping by my little corner of cyberspace this year. In particular, I'd like to thank my commenters for their intelligent and interesting contributions. While I may not always agree with what you say, I've learned a lot from you, and I'm proud that 90% of my comments have been constructive and intelligent.
I've put off making cosmetic improvements to the site for long enough, so in 2009 this is on the agenda. Unfortunately, my technological idiocy means I'll have to have someone lend me a hand, but ultimately the site will be more attractive. The crux of the writing won't change, though...it'll still be my mix of personal observation and news analysis of China.
Finally, let me just wish all of you a very happy new year and if you're of the persuasion, drink a lot of water before you go to bed tonight so you won't get a raging New Years Day hangover.
