2008 has arrived. For a few years, I have made a habit of picking 'My Ten Major Events' at the end of each year. Be it good or bad, anything of major significance that happened to me during the year was written down. In the previous two years, I was quick to pick my events. But this year it took me a long time to make it to number ten because there was simply nothing of note throughout the year; or perhaps it was just a peaceful year.

Looking back upon my old lists from the past few years, I realise that my so-called major events are nothing more than the things you would hope for in fortune-telling; namely family, health, career/study, overall fortune and romance. Any change in these areas would be considered a major event of that year. Another must-have on the list is travel. Isn't it important to go on a vacation away from routine for a few well-earned breaks during a long year of hard work?

Next on the list would be something I had really, really wanted and finally managed to get my hands on (I don't want to remember those things I lost, nor do I allow them to get on to my list), and certain new challenges. In this way, it's actually not so difficult to complete the list of ten events.

In fact, there are many such Q&A games of this kind in psychological analyses. They are designed to allow someone to reflect upon their past, or to ponder over their life. There are simple questions like 'What would you want to do if you had only one year to live?', 'Who would you want to be with if it was going to be the end of the world the day after tomorrow?' It doesn't take any expert to find out the 'hidden meanings' of the answers. One of my friends who is a financial planner told me his superior at work once asked him to answer a quiz. He was asked to write down his objectives in the current year, five years, ten years, 20 years and for his whole life, and then try to see how much money it would take to fulfill all of them. You may say it's not a professional way to plan your finances or your life, but it's really a good way to learn more about yourself, through a talk with your inner self.

Frankly, it takes some courage to answer this kind of quiz, as it's not easy to be totally honest with yourself. On the other hand, writing down 'My Ten Major Events' from the past year is much easier. Give it a try!

By Jan Mak

*Translation from Chinese article.