Review of 2015

One thought common across the years is how fast each year passes by hehehe. So 2015 is no exception.

I had thought that I usually review the year once it is just over but apparently not. I think it's quite a good idea to have a summary for reflection. Here's a summary of 2015:

(1) Books

I didn't read as many books as I would want to, mainly due to spending too much time on the laptop. I expect people would think that I spent too much time on games but that's not true. Oftentime, I do not play games until late afternoon before dinner and after dinner. If there's work, it would be just at night. I would surf Facebook, read news, do some financial housekeeping, read actuarial and investment articles, blogging, and working on actuarial projects. Yes, I do read frequently but reading books is different.

(2) Games

Finally stopped playing Guild Wars 2, just before their expansion. I knew I would stop playing it since Ban has stopped playing long before I did.

Dusted off my Warband campaign and played it until Galadriel controlled all settlements except for a town. By then, I had to stop. Perhaps pick it up again in another 1.5 years? Hehehe.

Broke some personal records on Duel of Champions. Alas, it's a shame that the developer no longer supports the game development and so I stopped playing. As many CCG veterans had said, this was the best CCG game in terms of mechanics.

Started and completed a couple of Crusader Kings 2 campaigns, one of which was on Iron mode @@ It was tough but I'm quite proud having done it with an empire established. Not sure I want to do that again though. Experimented with a couple of succession laws, other than the conventional Primogeniture.

Was introduced to Robocraft by Ban. I'm still playing this game. My building skill is still not good enough to go toe-to-toe with another but I think my playing skill (except for playing rail) improves a lot. I have yet to try Tesla blades. My favourite is plasma alternating with medic. Current meta favours fliers.

I think the only new PC games I tried were Talisman and Telltale Games: Game of Thrones. The former: not recommended, too tedious. The latter: only if you are fan of the serious and treat this game as an interactive tv series.

(3) Personal

Slowly increased my investment in shares, especially during downturns. Hopefully this will work out well once the market recovers.

Major financial bad news is the my condo vacancy. I granted tenant to terminate the tenancy on compassionate ground. My agent is still looking for a tenant after nearly 3 months. Hope to get one soon.

Major expenditure were air ticket to Australia due to last minute change in plan, tooth crowning, and car repair.

It was a treat to have my sister's family over here in Malaysia and as usual I went over to her place later in the year. It was initially canceled due to bedbug scare (on my side) but later she changed her mind with us taking much precaution. Ban came along for the first 2 weeks and I'm happy that he got along well with them, especially the twins :) I stayed longer than usual (6 weeks!) to attend my sister's graduation ceremony (Master of Philosophy). Thanks!

Perhaps most importantly, I came out to my parents and it went well. Yay!

What's next?

First and foremost, I need to get a tenant as soon as possible. Once that done, I would seriously consider moving back to Singapore (but I'm reluctant to do so) to maximise my chance of renewing my PR which needs to be done before Oct 2016. The establishment of National Security Council in Malaysia is the culmination of a series of bad behaviour by the current ruling coalition and I fear for my future. Maybe I'm paranoid and I hope I am because if not, then we are all in trouble.