2024 has been a busy, and jam-packed year of quite a range of highs and lows. Even though I didn’t write much in 2024, because I didn’t resolve to take a daily “snapshot”, like I did for 2023, a lot has happened. In some ways, 2024 feels long… the way a busy, jam-packed holiday often makes you feel like you’ve taken a long break from work. But it has passed by more quickly than 2023.

Although 2024 was an order of magnitude better than 2023, looking back on the year, it was actually a pretty stressful year. I felt besieged by one thing after another throughout the year. It seems like as soon as I was just about to resolve one challenge, life would throw another curve ball, or punch me in the stomach. The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune seemed relentless. To counter balance the bad, I have quite a few – and quite a wide range of – highlights too, more than last year at least!

The Good

1. (Q1) CGMA. Completed the first level of my CGMA exam in Feb, just a few months after I decided to sign up to complete the qualification in December 2023.
2. (Q2) Travel. Added two new countries (Albania & San Marino). Was meant to visit Montenegro as well, but the visit was cut short as my friend broke her leg
3. (Q2-Q4) Hyrox. Signed up for my first Hyrox competition in April, and ended up completing 8 races in the space of 9 months, despite not really working out before summer 2023, and not running before 1 January 2024. I’m really happy with my progression so far, my singles time went from 1:47 to 1:35, and my women’s doubles time went from 1:23 to 1:16, and achieved a pro women’s doubles time of 1:23. I never considered myself sporty, and definitely not a runner, nor remotely athletic. So I’m really pleased and surprised that I could complete a race in the two months between signing up and competing (even if I was the bottom 10-13% of women), and then also rapidly improve my time in time and performance (albeit still at the bottom 40% of women), in the space of a few months.
4. (Q3) Divorce. Divorce completed end of August. While endings are always a bit sad, this had been a long time coming, so closure was good. And it is only with when things come to an end, that there is the opportunity for new beginnings I suppose.
5. (Q4) Swing. Went to much fewer Swing classes in 2024 compared to 2023, partly because I’ve been busier with work and training. But I still performed in my group’s Performance Ball, which was a lot of fun. Thankfully I managed to partner up with the teacher Tilly, a half French, half Singaporean girl, otherwise I would have been partnered up with Andy (the remaining / partnerless lead), which I would have hated, and then opted not to perform instead. As with last year, it was a lot of fun.
6. (Q4) Work. Completed my first acquisition at my company. After “target screening” and engaging ad hoc with inbounds for ~3 years during a period of constant C-suite turnover, we finally completed an acquisition that I personally have high conviction in. I would obviously liked to have paid less for it, but net I think it was the right deal to do given the overall company history and context.
7. (Q3-Q4) Aerial & Calisthenics. Took up some aerial classes again, a mix of silks, hoop, pole, trapeze, and rings. And also shoulder stand & handstand / gymnastic conditioning classes. I managed to do momentary handstands with assistance and spotting by the teacher. When I switched gyms, I also tried out a few calisthenics classes, which are kissing cousins with men’s artistic gymnastics, and aerial skills for men.
8. (Q1-Q4) Gym group. My friend HV introduced me to gymming last year, and then to her group of friends at the gym. I’m introverted, and take a while to warm up, but I opened up a bit more over Christmas drinks last year, and got more connected with more of the group over the course of this year. Initially through post gym brunch / coffee sessions, then also through the ‘Hyrox circuit’ – supporting our friends competing in races, chatting on WhatsApp thread about the races, then doing races together. Last year, only one of the small group had done Hyrox race, and by the end of this year, the group had expanded, and 8 of us have completed Hyroxes, with 2 more due to participate in their first Hyrox next year. Although I don’t see them that often, especially since I’ve left the gym, I’ve gotten closer to some of them through the random banter over WhatsApp, through the occasional training, and random chats.
9. (Q1-Q4) My boys. Even though there have been times the boys have driven me up the wall, run me ragged, and frayed my nerves, especially when I am already overwhelmed by work and under a lot of pressure… there have been moments where they have been super kind, gentle, understanding, empathetic.. They often say ‘it’s okay Mama’ when I explain my constraints, and opt for the ‘wiser’ choice that is easier for me. They try hard to be good when I’m particularly stressed, and when I’m sad or crying, they show concern and ask me what is wrong, and really want to understand. I am so proud of them, and I love them so much.

The Bad

1. (Q1-Q2): Divorce discussions. There was a long, difficult period of divorce discussions which really stressed me out. I remember often being gripped by fear, and the strain and tension I was under for weeks and months. Once, at a post gym brunch, I was asked if I wanted another coffee, and I was so paralysed by the decision, that I spaced out for a few seconds, because I wasn’t sure if the coffee would make me too agitated or emotional for the upcoming discussion. And someone in the group commented: “What’s taking so long to decide, it’s just coffee.”
2. (Q2-Q3): Flea infestation. My place got infested by fleas. I had come back from Albania, and soon got bitten / discovered some bites along my legs which were really itchy. Initially I thought it was bed bugs, but after some investigation, I realised it was fleas… by which time, F had been bitten, and Byron was keeping me up nights with his meowing, and had been spraying in different places around the flat. And thus began several weeks of DIY flea bombing, sprays and flea traps, various cat flea treatment, salt & baking soda vacuuming… before I finally gave in a called in exterminator. I had suffered weeks of sleep deprivation and was at my wits’ end. I had even resolved to give Byron away, and registered him for adoption with Battersea Dog & Cat Home. But once the flea problem was resolved, I kept Byron, and even upgraded his food and litter because I felt so bad for thinking of giving him away. 
3. (Q2-Q4) Nasty neighbour. Had very stressful interactions (texts and threats) from my upstairs neighbour who tried to get me to fund an expensive refurbishment that seemed primarily cosmetic (painting) within his flat, while refusing to pay for the leak he caused in my flat. He sent notes, and multiple, escalating / threatening texts. Because of the history AJ and I had with this neighbour, I absolutely did not trust him, and I found him really shady and scammy.
4. (Q4) Mini nervous breakdown. Had a mini nervous breakdown during a personal trip to Paris – I got lost between the metro and the hotel (a 10 minute trip took 30 minutes), and ended up crying semi uncontrollably for a couple of hours. I had a bad board meeting on my potential acquisition, and I was being blamed for the bad Board meeting, the complicated deal structure, the target close date slippage, and I was told that if the deal slipped beyond 1 Dec the Board would be unlikely to support it, and that they had hired a new person to do M&A. So basically, I assumed I was losing my job 1 Dec, and that I was being blamed for everything that was going wrong with the deal, even though I was the only one who had M&A experience in the company, and I didn’t really have any help. Or at least I had well-meaning but confused, and inexperienced help, and I had to carry them through, while not bruising egos.
   

The Ugly

1. (Q1) NYD 3K Run. Started running for the first time as an adult this year – the NYD 3K Run, where I had expected O to beat me, but assumed I would be faster than F, as he was only 7, with short stubby legs, and 3K is a lot for a little one (it felt like a lot, even for me!). But O completed it in ~15 minures, F in ~16 minutes, and me at a woeful ~18 minutes. F later said – “Mama, I looked back, and you were so slow, it’s like you were walking!”
2. (Q4) Divorce disclosure. Finally told my mum that I was divorced when she called me and was stressing me out just the morning after my mini nervous breakdown. My friend was like: “Was this really the best way / time to tell her?” And I was like – clearly not, and that wasn’t the plan exactly, but I just blurted it out, given the situation and stress I was under.
3. (Q3-Q4) Discarding and Decluttering. I started decluttering a bit over the summer, because I had to do it prior to the flea extermination treatment (heat & chemical), during which I cleared out maybe ~25% of the clutter. I have started decluttering again, and have thrown out 4 trolleys’ load of stuff so far (albeit mostly empty boxes). But I think I still have maybe 25-50% more “stuff”, which I can discard and declutter.
4. (Q1-Q4) Friction. I’ve had some friction with a member of our gym group, which is unfortunate, because we got along well enough, and I was quite intrigued by him when he was first introduced to the group in March. Since then, things have gone sideways, backwards and topsy turvy, and I’ve felt upset enough, that I considered (and am still considering) quietly withdrawing from the gym group and Hyroxes next year. I think it has been a comedy of errors that has been blown out of proportion, which makes it doubly unfortunate. But let’s see how it goes, because I don’t like friction and complexity, and I also don’t like being upset. Despite accusations of being complicated and not straightforward, I actually prefer things to be simple, and clear, and I prefer to be happy. Life is just too short.  

I think it is often said that the key is happiness is gratitude… or at least that gratitude is positively correlated with happiness (see research here). Reflecting back on 2024, there is much to be grateful for, for all the people who have been kind in big ways and small. People who have been there, been understanding, lent a listening ear, offered advice or help, who have accepted. From old friends to new, AJ, and family, even if they are sometimes frustrating. Even people I barely know, like my freeholder. 2024 is better than it would have been, for everyone who has been kind, in a tough year during which I have been stressed and scared a lot.