The Most Bizarre Year

Note: This post is quite lengthy. I hope you have time to read everything below this sentence.

What a year its been. 2017 was full of so many ups and downs, it’s hard to imagine it all happened in the span of 365 days

Let’s start with the few obvious things from the news that come to mind immediately. Following news will be the more personal side.

The first thing is the inauguration of Donald Trump. The world was SHOCKED. While he was elected in 2016, it became official in 2017. Every single day is unpredictable. He continuously says and does things that catch us off guard and forces us to wonder where we’ve taken a turn. I really am in disbelief every time I hear and read the words “President Trump”. I don’t agree with him or his policies, but I have to admit, I’m always entertained. In all honesty, I’m starting to wonder if American politics has become the new reality show. Sometimes, I can’t really tell the difference. It would be amazing to know someone is writing this out.

Following Donald Trump is the poor attitude towards minorities. The way it’s been a welcome coming-out for people with hatred in their heart towards others who are different. Hearing racist slurs, reading hateful speech, and worst of all, having Trump legitimizing all of it. Giving it all justification. It’s sickening and I can’t believe it exists to this extent. It feels like the world took 50 steps back into the past. I understand having paranoia and concern about differences, but this is on a higher level.

Then there was Harvey Weinstein and the exposure of several other high-profile members of the media and entertainment industry. I’m glad that these things have come to light. I’m glad and proud of the brave (mostly) women who spoke up and made us aware of the horrific acts going on behind closed doors. Was I shocked? Yes. Should I have been? Probably not. Part of me wants to think I didn’t notice it because that’s how I live my life – a little naiive because I try to stay out of drama of all sorts. But I know better as well that male privilege sheltered me more. No one’s ever cat-called me or given me any unwanted attention. I’m glad these conversations are happening. They’re late but they’re happening. The world needs to see change come from people holding power. I’m sorry to hear that sexual abuse, assault, and other violations have been taking place in the industries I work in. I want to help change the culture so that no one should feel they’re a victim of any sort or need to engage in certain activities for acceptance and promotion. That’s simply wrong and has no place in any environment.

Myanmar’s treatment of the Rohingya Muslims spoke levels of crisis and disaster in relation to treatment against minorities and human rights. We often forget how much we’ve seen the same thing happen over and over again in different parts of the world at different times in human history. A friend reminded me the same happened in WWII, where persecution against a religious minority had been taken to the extreme. The scale is incomparable but the principle is the same. We’re better than that and we need to wake up.

Las Vegas suffered a terrible mass shooting which, if you think about it, could have been even more fatal than it already was. I still remember waking up, reading the news, and thinking “another shooting eh?” The desensitization is alarming because it’s the worst in US history, and yet, the feeling of helplessness was stronger than ever.

It was definitely a year of tragic events. But, there were also some good things that happened.

There were several marches and protests against some of Donald Trump’s policies (I’m really trying to not make this about him), like the travel ban for instance. It showed that people can come together to fight against injustice. The display of unity was touching and inspirational. Alone you may be weak but strength comes in numbers, and these numbers were made up of loud voices.

Then there was incredible relief effort to help victims of Hurricane Harvey and Maria victims. Another display of unity and compassion for one another. One disappointing thing I will say though, is the lack of relief to the Caribbean islands who did not receive nearly as much media coverage and attention. I was helping a friend organize a benefit night market to send relief to Dominica, but unfortunately it didn’t pan out. The good news is, it’s never too late to help where help is needed.

The Invictus Games were held in Toronto this year, giving the city additional buzz. I went to Nathan Philips Square to record a mock live-hit, and I remember thinking to myself, wow. Not too long after Toronto held the Pan Am games, was it chosen by Prince Harry to host another Paralympic event, this time for wounded soldiers and service men and women. I should take this moment to say how incredibly proud I am of Toronto for being a world-class city. It has its problems and issues like anywhere else, but I travelled a little this year (see below for more) and I can’t begin to tell you how much I admire Toronto for how diverse it is. Our strength as Canadians comes from how we are able to embrace our differences and positively stand out because of it. Toronto is the shining example that the world needs to recognize as a multicultural hub. You can find almost every single race, creed, ethnicity, religion, etc, and it works.

The new iPhone X came out for Apple’s 10th anniversary, which made everyone look at the way technology has been advancing over the last decade and how rapidly it’s changing. Apps of all sorts allow us to have more control, make everything more digitally accessible, and really help ease our day to day tasks. It’s really amazing. Technological advancement continues to move at a faster pace than the previous day. I’m intrigued to see how new technologies will be implemented on a mass scale to help solve global problems. As fun as Animoji’s are, we really could narrow our focus for larger issues.

And then, there was the stuff that happened for me personally.

First, I want to congratulate my girlfriend. We started our 3 years of dating in the beginning of the year (starting the 4th today!) and she made some serious moves with her own life, all of which are proving to be beneficial. Our lives are fairly intertwined and her success is my success. I want to give her a special shout out and thank you because I can’t continue to write without acknowledging her accomplishments and efforts to help me get where I am. I won’t go into detail about her, but she’s had just as interesting of a year as I have.

All of the close friends I have made major strides this year. I’m proud of all of them for following through with what they’ve set out to do and finding their way to get what they want. However, some of them still feel stuck in situations and are working hard for better opportunities. They’ve been very supportive to me, and I want them to know, I support them back. Just remember, the work you’re putting in is not wasted because you have a goal you’re working toward. Don’t lose focus of the bigger picture. Keep grinding and being creative in your approach to the way life presents itself everyday, and you will undoubtedly succeed. I really believe in all of you.

I turned 25 this year which is something of a milestone. At this age, I think you’re now forced to really look into the long term effects about the decisions you make. How do my actions today affect me tomorrow, the day after, and 5-10 years down the road? It’s not an age to really play with time anymore. I know there are all those inspiring memes and quotes and whatever about age being a number and nothing being late in life, but life isn’t forever. I’ll get to that later.

As mentioned somewhere above, I got to travel this year. This summer I was barely home, having gone to Europe with my girlfriend and her brother to visit family and tour. Each time I travel somewhere new, I’m reminded of both why it’s a blessing to live in Canada and how much more of the world there is to see. There’s so much culture, history, art, and beauty in the world. As much as there have been the negatives, there are just as many positives. Travelling helps you widen your horizons. You meet new people, hear their stories, and learn more about how our actions and attitudes affect one another. I’ll be honest though, with the whole anti-minority thing going on, I did wonder a bit how I was being looked at and tried my best to show that there was nothing different between myself and the people around me. We’re all just humans and deserve to be treated equally.

The radio show I hosted with Kareem and Sassan, Urban Definition, ended in July. It was fun, but it needed to go. We lost focus on the show, we started getting out of sync, and each one of us had a different idea for the direction of the show. At some point, as much as we wanted to care about it, we really couldn’t have bothered anymore. Sassan and I were gone for a month and Kareem experimented a different direction as a solo host. Still a great experience and I thank them both for the opportunity, especially Kareem for making us do it.

One of my first cousins who is like my older brother recently got engaged. I’m so happy for the both of them and love them so much. This cousin has been my role model growing up. I always wanted to be like him. Tall, athletic, stylish, and intelligent. I could not be more opposite: short, not that athletic, stylish on occasion, and displaying a different type of intelligence. When he got his ears pierced, I wanted mine pierced. When he did something, I always wanted to follow suite. Now I’m not rushing to get engaged, but this is a big change for my immediate family here. We grew up like siblings. For anyone who knows me well, then they know my cousins are my best friends. They are my go-to’s, the first people I share things with, the first ones I ask for advice, and the most important influences I’ve ever had. Without them, much of who I am wouldn’t be. Congratulations to him and his new fiance. She’s a wonderful person who makes him better and I’m excited for her to “officially” be part of the family.

Then I picked up my life, moved, and started a new job. I’m not going to go into detail here, as I’ve been in previous pieces. Just know that it’s getting better each day. I’m learning more, I’m picking up on different things, learning new skills, refining techniques, and managing my responsibilities as they come. I’m also getting feedback for my work, always looking to improve.

And then, there was Brandon. This was the major down I had this year.

Brandon was one of my best friends since Junior Kindergarten, since about the age of 4. I’ve known him for over 20 years of life, and in one instant swoop, his life was over. He made some decisions the night he died, and it hurt. I still remember the day as if it just happened. It started with my friend Yi-Jin messaging a group we had on Facebook asking if we had heard from Brandon, because his dad was confused as to where he was. His phone and wallet were home, his car door was open in the building garage, and he was nowhere to be found. Knowing Brandon, we figured he might have ventured out for a bit from a late night. But as the day grew on without any word, it started to become more apparent that the worst had happened. It wasn’t until I read the words “he’s dead” that it became real.

I felt broken.

I’ve never felt a sudden wave of fear, shock, and sadness like that. I’ve lost older family members before. People suffering from illnesses that needed the relief and peace that death could bring. This was not that scenario.

I had just come home from work and parked the car before I read the message. I ran into the house, weak, tired, and confused. Tears running down my face hard and my body dropped. My parents were home, and both looked at me confused, asking me what happened. I could barley get the words “Brandon died” out of my mouth.

I’m not going to continue into further details, other than to say that week was the hardest week of my life. I think about him everyday. Now, whenever I hear about someone passing away, I take out a prayer for them and their families. Recently I heard of someone I know who died tragically, and I thought of Brandon again. One moment ended a story as it started to grow.

20 years of love, laughter, and friendship are now a memory. Life has no choice but to continue without him. This is what I meant earlier when I said 25 makes you think about time. You can’t afford to waste the youth you have left to make the changes you need.

And all of this is what made 2017 the most bizarre year of my life. Or maybe just life.

I know everyone could write pages about their year, and I invite them to share the biggest moments they’ve experienced. I’d love to know what happened in your life and how it affected who you are from when 2017 started to today.

To those still reading this far down, I wish you a Happy New Year. I sincerely hope it’s filled with positivity, laughter, and change that will help you grow and become a better version of yourself.

Farewell 2017.