A Brief Reflection...

Finally. 2008 has kicked rocks.

Generally speaking and on a very personal note, 2008 was a God-awful, shitty year. I was very much ready to send it packing off into the sunset, never to be seen again. Good riddance!

Despite 2008 giving me so much hell, I do have a major accomplishment that I'm very proud of: officially being free of all outstanding debts (student loans notwithstanding of course) as of Dec. 19, 2008.

Having that weight lifted from my shoulders has been immense. Now that the massive burden has been removed, I feel like I can take on other challenges that I've been struggling with and not merely operate on Survival Mode. Not only do I feel like I can take on existing challenges, I feel like I can address new challenges and I feel like I can conquer them. I actually feel optimistic about the upcoming year, which is an accomplishment in itself for me because I don't have the greatest outlook on very much in general.

Kevin (a.k.a Damn Shuggy Woo Woo) was kind enough to give me an Amazon MP3 e-gift card for Christmas. One of the songs I downloaded is by a Japanese singer named Monday Michiru. It's called "The Right Time" and I've loved it for some time now because it is sheerly epic in its composition and delivery. In context with what's going on in my life right now and what the rest of the world is facing at the moment, I think it's an appropriate song to serve as an anthem for the new year. If nothing else, it's a great song to dance to:

Hope everyone had a good and safe New Year's. When the dust settles and the debris is cleared away, let's get it. Let's build empires. Settle for nothing short of excellence.