2019 Story
Thank God for his grace, mercy, and favour in 2019! We rejoice for God is good, and his blessings continue to fill our lives.
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I saw several of these images online, neatly encapsulating the unique times we live in. It boggles the mind to know that since we started counting from Anno Domini (SD), or the 'In the year of our Lord Jesus Christ', no one else throughout history can say they've lived through such fast-changing times.
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On the work front, I can safely say that my job has never been more varied, challenging, and interesting than before. We forayed into mobile learning and learning technologies, driving more interactive e-learning and video learning. My scope expanding beyond Learning & Development, dipping into Industrial Relations, Employee Engagment & Experience, Competency Mapping, and Visioning & Strategy. On the flip side, there's almost no work-related travel for me now.
We began the multi-year refresh project, for the offices, physical learning spaces, digital learning ecosystem, and learning experience & processes for the future. Had the opportunity to mentor a second intern to design and develop electronic direct mailers (EDM's), the new course catalogue, and learning outreach materials and infographics. Significant work events included the World Marketing Conference 2019, the Human Resources Townhalls 2019, and the Learning & Innovation For Everyone 2019 event, where I engaged and hosted VIPs from 20 esteemed companies. We said goodbye to 4 colleagues, though we still keep in touch as friends, and welcomed 2 new colleagues.
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| Showcasing New Learning Technology To Minister Chan |
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| Reimagine The Future Of Learning Workshop |
On the personal front, a lot of my peers are now pursuing lives, careers, and families of their own, making each catch-up / meet-up much more rare and infrequent, and yet more meaningful and exciting. Made the time to maintain friendships and connections with ex-colleagues, ex-classmates, former church mates, and foodie friends. Said goodbye to 2 friends, one moving overseas, and one passing into glory. Celebrated 2 weddings, 4 baby showers, and several gatherings / parties where there's an increasing number of children (who seem to all get along just fine, thankfully).
Supported several friends in their business ventures, including Boon's Noodles, Big Sake Bar, Kittea, and Jewel Rock Sugar. Other products and services that I used or patronised (as a regular customer) in 2019 included Chen Kang Wellness, Grain Catering, TeeTurtle, Umaibo, and K.Star Karaoke.
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| Weddings |
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| Barbecues |
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| Birthdays |
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| You Mian Soup (SGD $3.50), Boon's Noodles |
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| Hirame Uni Sashimi (SGD $40), Big Sake Bar |
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| Facade, Chen Kang Wellness |
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| Signage, K.Star Karaoke |
On the travel and events front, I visited the overseas cities of Malacca (in Malaysia) and Melbourne (in Australia) in 2019, as well as the River Safari (in Singapore). Attended the pre-opening of Jewel Changi Airport, and have since returned to this beautiful shopping mall fairly regularly. Enjoyed the viewing experience at Minimalism - Space. Light. Object., which showcased minimalist art, and the interactive experience at 22 Stories, which brought childhood fairy tales to life.
Fortunate to watch the acclaimed musical 'Come From Away'. The touching, immersive story and songs, based on the true events surrounding the 11 September 2001 tragedy, make this a memorable experience, one that I highly recommend all to watch.
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| Malacca Streets |
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| Melbourne Streets |
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| Jewel Changi Airport Pre-Opening |
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| Horizontal Depth By Frederik De Wilde, Minimalism - Space. Light. Object. |
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| Red Panda, River Safari |
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| Come From Away |
Some of the most memorable dining experiences I had in 2019 included:
Kafe Utu, for their authentic East African and West African dishes, a rarity in Singapore,
The English House By Marco Pierre White, where we met the famed celebrity chef and dined on fine British English dishes
Akira Back, for their 1 Michelin star Modern Fusion plates,
Prima Tower, for their traditional and well-executed Chinese Cantonese dum sum,
Sumire Yakitori House, a memorable Japanese kushiyaki / skewers bar, and my go to place for skewers and sake,
Teppan Kappou Kenji, for their wallet-friendly yet exquisite Japanese omakase meals,
NUDE Seafood, for their well-executed, Modern Singaporean seafood dishes, which I periodically crave for,
The Soup Spoon Union, for their comforting and nutritious dishes that sustained me when I was recovering,
Don Lechon, for their excellent Filipino lechon roast pork dishes,
Rich & Good Cake Shop, our 2019 go to place for excellent dessert cakes,
Chong Qing Grilled Fish, for the expanded menu featuring delicious traditional Chinese Sichuan / Szechuan dishes, which pack a fiery punch,
Beast & Butterflies, for their creative Modern Singaporean sharing plates which are tasty and visually appealing,
Famous Treasure, for their exquisite Chinese Mandarin fine dining.
Forged a closer partnership with the Millennium & Copthorne Hotels Group and Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, performing the Influencer Take-Over Staycation, the Launch Of M Wines, and my first live radio interview on Money 89.3FM Work Day Afternoon.
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| Liberian Peanut Chicken Stew, Kafe Utu |
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| With Chef Marco Pierre White, The English House By Marco Pierre White |
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| Hassun, Teppan Kappou Kenji |
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| Squirrel Grouper, NUDE Seafood |
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| Facade, Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel |
My biggest contributions to the gaming world in 2019 includes becoming an editor of the Overwatch Gamepedia Wiki, and a paying player of both Marvel Strike Force and Psych! Outwit Your Friends. Having signed on to the Steam video game digital distribution service, I also enjoyed replaying classic games from my younger days, including:
Dynasty Warriors 8,
Freedom Force, Freedom Force VS The 3rd Reich,
Street Fighter Ultra IV, Street Fighter V,
The King Of Fighters (KOF) '97 Global Match, KOF '98 Ultimate Match, KOF 2002 Unlimited Match,
Worms Armageddon, Worms W.M.D.,
Warhammer 40K: Dawn Of War, Winter Assault, Dark Crusade, Soulstorm,
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, LEGO DC Super Villains,
Serious Sam 1 The First Encounter, Serious Sam 1 The Second Encounter, Serious Sam 2, Serious Sam 3,
Command & Conquer (C&C) Red Alert 3, C&C Red Alert 3 Uprising,
Chrono Trigger.
On the mass media and entertainment side of things, several iconic series and memorable character arcs came to an end in 2019, including that of Game Of Thrones: Season 8, Avengers: Endgame, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The film Shazam! was surprisingly enjoyable, and Epic Rap Battles Of History (ERB) returned after a nearly 2-year hiatus with Season 6 featuring more catchy pop-culture raps.
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| Freedom Force VS The 3rd Reich |
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| Avengers: Endgame |
"Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." - Ephesians 4:13. These days, what it means to be 'Christian', or more accurately, 'Christ-like', is perhaps becoming more unclear, less black-and-white of the past, and more shades of grey in the present.
Resources such as 'GotQuestions.org', or 'Psephizo', tackle increasingly relevant issues including gender & sexuality, life after death for people & animals, resolving conflicts, and viewing complex topics including feminism, environmentalism, decision-making, diversity, and multiculturalism through a biblical lens. As with all things, it's important to apply discernment, wisdom, and patience, in order to appreciate the various points of view. And, always speak the truth with love and respect.
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As we close out the decade, we see significant technological shifts. Blog viewership globally has declined; even my own posts dropped from highs of 90,000 views per month (in the early 2010s), to the current 10,000 views per month. Businesses increasingly have a digital presence on Facebook, as do people born in the 1990s or earlier. The people born in the new millennium tend to gravitate towards visual mediums, with Instagram, YouTube, SnapChat, Twitter, LINE, WeChat, and TikTok all becoming popular within this decade.
Personally, I've ended the decade with 41,000 followers across 4 platforms, and have forged partnerships with Hungry Go Where, Open Rice Singapore, Trip Advisor, The Smart Local, Burpple, Chope, The Red Marker, White Label PR, Publicist PR, and more. Having consistently averaged between 10 - 15 blog posts every month for the last 3 years (since 2017), I've decided to scale back drastically as life catches up. Thank you all for your support thus far. Cheers to a fantastic year 2020 ahead!
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| Social Media Demographics 2019 |
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| Social Media Engagement Time 2019 |
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| 2019 Best Nine |
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