Happy New Years!! Hello world, it's I, the Dreamer here as usual with another article. Here we are, standing, sitting, sleeping, working and eating as the year draws to a close. Yes folks, 2005 is closing its doors and 2006 will be opening up to us to begin a whole new batch of worries, anguish, strife, jubilations and peace! I dunno about you guys but I'm looking forward to this year. This past year has been good to me and I'm feeling like I'm on a roll. Hopefully I'm right.

So now that this year is ending, I'm writing my typical end-of-the-year article to reflect on all that this year had to offer, whether it was good or not so good. Why do I do this? Well, I think it's good to look back at one's life and evaluate every memorable moment. These moments doesn't necessarily have to be of a joyous nature. So long as we can look back at them and learn from them, grow from them and ultimately store it in the vast banks of our memories, so that we can someday look back, smile and say, "Yes, I remember that and I'm content that I can look upon it with a smile". Every action, reaction, every word and words withheld serves to change the very nature of the life we lead, the path we choose. And if we can't look back at those actions, those reactions, those words or the lack thereof, then what's the point of remembrance? What's the point of life?

I remember it was New Year's Eve of last year and I was sitting at a Bar & Grill with 3 of my good friends, Chris...my childhood buddy, his wife, Liz...whom I've known for years and Corinn, whom I've known for a few less years. We were there, eating, drinking and laughing it up while sharing memories, stories and hopes and dreams for the coming year. Yes, that was a good time. But there was one thing that I had said to them while chatting about our New Year's Resolutions. I said, "This coming (2005), year will be my year. I'm positive, 100% that I will accomplish more things than I have ever accomplished". And you know what? My words didn't fall onto deaf ears. Truly, this year was my year! Wow! where do I begin! For starters, I finally finished 3/4's of my schooling! Wahoo! I attained my certificate of completion in Graphic Designs/Web Designs/Programming. Wow, was I thrilled! I felt this huuuuge burden lifted off my chest, the weight of 4.5 years of higher education. At last, I was free to finally dedicate myself to a full search of a job in my field, which leads me to my next huge accomplishment...of which I'm quite proud of. It wasn't long after I had finished my schooling that I also got an awesome job in my field! Another wahoo! When I got this job, I just couldn't believe it! This was the ultimate job for me, the type of job that I've always dreamed of.....the type that enabled me to not only do what I love doing... i.e. programming & designs, but also enabled me to travel internationally on business! I was so overjoyed and proud that I could have sworn that I walked all over town shaking everyone's hand with the biggest of grins. With the above mentioned, I was also greatly relieved that I was able to leave my current job at the time, of which I was sooooo sick and tired of. I was at that place for 6 years! Yes! 6 years! It held me over until I got through school. But working as a manager there...an auto garage made me miserable half the days and burned out the other half. The fact of the matter was, it wasn't my line of work..I hated it and to boot, it was a low paying job with no opportunity of advancement beyond manager...which wasn't great in itself at all. But still, I suffered through the days, the months, the years and told myself, "Only for the sake of getting through school".

One memorable moment was when I moved into an apartment all to my lonesome for the fist time. All the previous times, I shared living quarters with a roommate. But alas, I was able to afford moving into my own place. My previous residence was a house....of which I wrote about. Though I wished I could have bought that place....which was an option, I chose not to since the owner was asking a lot more than the average price for around that area. So in the end, I decided that getting an apartment to myself wasn't bad at all. Now here I am, enjoying my own 2 bedroom apartment, at peace and loving it. Although at times it can be awfully quiet and lonesome, I don't think I would trade it for anything....well, maybe a life with my future wife.....and I think we all know who that is. But it's great though cuz I don't have to deal with anybody else’s mess or attitudes. I can simply come home, relax and do the things I enjoy doing...such as writing a new article or designing the latest CG art. Oh, and how could I forget my freelancing business! At last, I was able to set up a business banking account and make my freelancing business official. Although clients have been thin, I'm quite proud of being a small entrepreneur. But there was a moment that I had more clients than I could handle, I had to go out and partner up with a good friend of mine whom also is in the same line of work. So we teamed up and tackled our slim client base. In the end, I made enough money to buy things I've always wanted or things that I almost had to have.

And finally, there's Cheng. Cheng...who is Cheng? In short, Cheng has become the person that I adore above all others. She's the one I think of first in the morning and the last as I lay myself to sleep. As this year ticked on, our growth continued as well. Wow! I can hardly imagine how it would have been if she wasn't there. She has brought more smiles and warm feelings into my life than everything combined. If I could give an analogy of her in my life, I could say that she is my soul. Ya.....I think that must be it. Why not an arm or a leg or maybe an eye? Well, I don't need an arm, life goes one. I don't need a leg, there's crutches. And an eye....don't need that either. Being blind may not be that bad. But there is one thing that I do need. That we all need. Man cannot be whole nor live without a soul. Without a soul, how can one call it a life? Yes, she means that much to me and as each year passes, the bond grows that much stronger. Wow! Just thinking of that as I am now, I can't help but smile like I've never smiled before. Ode to you Cheng for being the most important part of my life. Yes, she was the best part of this past year.

Well folks, I think this wraps it up for this final article of the year. As the curtains draw to a close, I look back at things with no regrets. I'm proud to say that I can leave behind all those "what-ifs", those "could've" and "maybes". Whatever happened, happened for a reason and whatever didn't happen never would've. So again, do I have any regrets? None. Even though I'm sure I've had more downs than ups, more sorrows than joys, more tears than smiles, more pain than not, more loss than gains, I have no regrets. I can take the whole gamut of this past year, hold it in my arms, examine it and not be able to point out the highs from the lows, the dirty from the clean, the broken from the mended. No, instead, I will take that whole gamut, fold it neatly in two, gently store it into the vast banks of my memories and move on with the flow of time.

Good night people of the world...............