It’s finally New Year’s Eve! Whether you’re still on holiday or working hard at work, New Year’s Eve is somewhat a bittersweet day of the year where most (if not all) of us reflect upon the last 365 days of 2019.
This is the day where we gather our thoughts and give a mental rating on how our year has been- the good, the bad, or the mediocre. Whichever it was for you, the past is a place of reference for your future self; focus only at the right lessons it presents you, then you shall emerge stronger and better than ever.
As the famous quote that goes like this: “reader lives a thousand lives before he dies…”, learning from others’ life experiences may prevent you from making the same mistakes. With this essence in mind, the team from Sevenpie has reached out to real Malaysian people to share about how 2019 has been to them. With their stories and real life experiences, we hope that this new found wisdom will inspire you to be the best version of yourself to usher in the brand new year and decade!
So sit back and enjoy because these are the few final worthy reads of 2019!
Liew Ashley
1. Hi Ashley! Thanks for taking your time out to do this with us! Before we begin, can you please tell us a little bit about yourself?
Hi! My name is Liew Ashley and I’m 21 this year. I’m a full-time Communications and Journalism student as well as a powerlifting athlete. If I’m not at the gym, I’m probably lying down somewhere because ironically, I am always tired.
2. What is the one proudest achievement that you’ve attained this year.
The proudest achievement that I attained this year was ending my 2nd year of university with straight HDs. The last semester for me was extremely stressful, with multiple assignments due during the same week. The stuff that I was learning was also significantly more complex to understand compared to previous semesters. So with all that being said, I’m incredibly proud that I managed to score four HDs, something which I’ve never done before.
3. Which of your personal attributes turned out to be the most helpful to overcome the curveballs thrown at you this year?
I think that being resilient has helped me survive this year. 2019 wasn’t very smooth sailing for me, as I was juggling many different things at once all while dealing with personal issues.
In terms of my powerlifting training, I injured myself earlier this year which caused me to pull out from a competition that I had intended to compete in. Going back to training after an injury is difficult and I felt very demotivated as I had lost a lot of strength. Nevertheless, I pushed through and still managed to break some of my personal records.
4. Who, or what, are you most thankful for this year?
This year I am most thankful for my university friends. We have gone through tough times together, but we have also celebrated all the little things together. I’ve grown a lot closer to them, and I cannot be more grateful to have met this incredible bunch of people who continuously cheer me on. It’s because of them that I enjoy going to university every day.
5. If someone were to write a book, song or even make a movie about your life in 2019, what kind of genre would it be?
Mystery, because it’s already the end of 2019 but I’m still trying to figure out what exactly I’m doing with my life!
6. As the year comes to an end, what are some of the important lessons about your life that you’ve learned that you would like to share with our readers.
It’s important to step out of your comfort zone. It’s okay to make mistakes when trying new things, because that’s the only way you’re going to grow as a person and experience new things. If you’re trying to eliminate all the risks from your life, you’re also eliminating all the possibilities.
7. What would you like to say to your 2019 self before we close this chapter in life?
Stop overthinking. You’re just stressing yourself out by creating situations in your mind that might never even happen!!!
8. A new year and a new decade is upon us. Now tell us, what is that one main thing that you would like to achieve in 2020.
I am aiming to represent Malaysia in an international powerlifting competition in Japan next year. I’ll be training really hard, so hopefully I get to bring back a medal and do my country proud.
9. What would you like to say to your future self as we step into the brand new year?
You’ll tell yourself that you’re completing assignments at the very last minute because you work best under pressure but really, you’re just a major procrastinator. So please, stop procrastinating. It’s not good for your mental AND physical health!
Daniel Joshua Charles
1. Hi Daniel! Thanks for taking your time out to do this with us! Before we begin, can you please tell us a little bit about yourself?
Absolutely! Thanks for doing this with me though I feel thoroughly unqualified! My name is Daniel Joshua Charles, I’m 20 and currently taking the American Degree Transfer Program at Sunway University! As an individual I’m pretty social, and value the company of my friends and family greatly. I’m also super passionate about music, serving in church, sci-fi/ fantasy novels and films, as well as bodybuilding!
2. What is the one proudest achievement that you’ve attained this year.
I know this is supposed to be about my fitness journey (which has been pretty great so far), but ironically, my proudest achievement this year has been my growth as a musician! When it comes to fitness though, bench pressing 115 kilos and dead-lifting 185 kilos has to be it!
3. Which of your personal attributes turned out to be the most helpful to overcome the curveballs thrown at you this year?
Truthfully, I 100% know that the support of my friends and family was the primary driving force behind me overcoming any challenges this year. Personally though, I think my drive and ambition helped out a great deal, as the internal desire to be the best at what I do really pushes me to work my butt off! However, if I’m being completely transparent, my insecurities due to how I looked in the past are also a significant motivating factor as to why I work so hard. I’m working on it though, and trying my best to approach fitness from a healthy mental and emotional state!
4. Who, or what, are you most thankful for this year?
Definitely God and the people in my life! Jesus, my parents, the people in my church and my friends are the only reasons I am where I am today. Actually I just uploaded this way too long post on Insta thanking the people closest to me for being a part of my life! I’m super grateful goodness they’re the best.
5. If someone were to write a book, song or even make a movie about your life in 2019, what kind of genre would it be?
If it was a song, genre wise it’d have to be slow-rock with a whole lot of Continuum era John Mayer influence for sure. Mayer as well as Mateus Asato and Gary Moore are such big influences in my playing that a long solo between the second chorus and verse almost define me. A movie or book wouldn’t be easy though! I’m only 20, there are so many chapters yet to be written!
6. As the year comes to an end, what are some of the important lessons about your life that you’ve learned that you would like to share with our readers.
Honestly, I’ve learned that you’ve got to put in the work the right way in order to see growth! Working at something perpetually but doing it wrong can be super detrimental, as it forms terrible habits that have to be undone! I’ve also come to understand that everyone needs a support system in their life, and it doesn’t need to be big at all! As long as you have a few solid people whom you know will be there for you, it makes difficult times a lot more bearable!
7. What would you like to say to your 2019 self before we close this chapter in life?
I’d say “Not bad la bro but you could’ve done better!” It’s genuinely been a pretty good year! The only thing that was truly awful was The Rise of Skywalker that broke my heart.
8. A new year and a new decade is upon us. Now tell us, what is that one main thing that you would like to achieve in 2020.
Well I’ve got a whole bunch of goals for next year, but the main one would probably be to get absolutely shredded. I’m pretty lean right now, but I’ve never been stage-ready lean, like between 8-9% body fat! Considering my past, that would be quite something. Also, I’m transferring over to the US for the final year of my degree, so I’ve got more incentive to get it done by then.
9. What would you like to say to your future self as we step into the brand new year?
I’d tell myself that “You had a decent year, but so much could’ve gone better if you’d done it differently! Learn from the mistakes, and make sure you outwork everyone around!”. I’d also remind myself to always value the people in my life and never take them for granted. Thanks so much once again for this opportunity! It’s been so great!
Shu Wei
1. Hi Shu Wei! Thanks for taking your time out to do this with us! Before we begin, can you please tell us a little bit about yourself?
Thank you for having me! Hello, my name is Neoh Shu Wei, I’m 19 years old this year and I am an aspiring dancer/performer from Kuala Lumpur. I’ve recently graduated from Performing Arts at Sunway University.
2. What is the one proudest achievement that you’ve attained this year
My proudest achievement would be getting my Diploma from college. Blood, sweat and tears were put into the last 2 years of Diploma and I really enjoyed my time in college. That was how I realized my love for dance, and now here I am.
3. Which of your personal attributes turned out to be the most helpful to overcome the curveballs thrown at you this year?
I could say that I am somewhat a perfectionist (but not the extreme type), whenever I have a project or work where I feel I am not doing good enough, I force myself to make sure I get it right. I tend to beat myself up knowing I could’ve done better. It doesn’t sound pleasant, but it’s what has gotten me to get myself back on my feet to finish what I’ve started. I give myself an expectation and I try my best to reach that expectation.
4. Who, or what, are you most thankful for this year?
I am thankful mostly for my parents, who have been supportive of what I wanted to do since day 1. They never doubted me and tried to push me to pursue bigger things. Secondly, the people I have met throughout my life: my friends and the people from the creative industry who inspire and encourage me to get myself out my comfort zone. There are people who have achieved so much at around my age and I really look up to them. Shoutout to Ezra Tham, Melody Tee, Faris Azim and my fellow friends in the dance industry.
5. If someone were to write a book, song or even make a movie about your life in 2019, what kind of genre would it be?
This one song really caught my attention this year and it was called ‘Free Spirit’ by Khalid. I guess what I’m trying to say is this: life is tough, and it isn’t as easy as you planned it out to be. But I’m still young and I’m living the best out of my life, achieving my lame bucket list, exploring myself and figuring out what I want to be, who I am meant to be. I might not be exactly there yet, but I’m on my way.
6. As the year comes to an end, what are some of the important lessons about your life that you’ve learned that you would like to share with our readers.
Don’t stay stagnant, keep moving. We tend to find our comfort zone along the way and we stay there for an amount of time because ‘we aren’t ready to move forward yet’. But if you’re not ready now, when will it be? Cherish every minute you have with the people you love, it sounds cheesy and cliché, but you will never know how much time left you have with them.
7. What would you like to say to your 2019 self before we close this chapter in life?
“This year has been such a blast, you’ve gotten closer with so many people and created so many memories with them. You’re finally turning 20 next year, it’s time to move forward. Live, and have fun but also make sure you’re not doing just that. Achieve things, and make 2020 a meaningful, productive year.”
8. A new year and a new decade is upon us. Now tell us, what is that one main thing that you would like to achieve in 2020.
I want to stop being afraid of failing, and be braver. Remove all that self-doubt. It has held me back on some things I’ve wanted to do and I feel that is something everyone has experienced with. Since my main focus is on dancing, I am going to attend more workshops, competitions to gain experience and grow as a dancer.
9. What would you like to say to your future self as we step into the brand new year?
View this post on Instagram
“Don’t be so stubborn! Appreciate the efforts of other people who are trying to help you more, especially your folks. You aren’t an expressive person I get that, but sometimes you’ve got to drop it and say thank you more. A simple thank you could make their whole day so much better. You’re all they have.”
If you like their stories, do give this a like and share it with your friends and family. Do follow them on Instagram at Liew Ashley | Daniel Charles | Shu Wei
In case you’re not been following us, you can refer to the links below for other New Year’s Eve Specials Vol 1.1 | Vol 1.2 | Vol 1.3
Header image source: Liew Ashley | Daniel Charles | Shu Wei
