This week, I came to realize that one of life’s cruelest paradoxes has happened to me: I have lost what I had and got back what I lost. It took five or six months to get it right and only one to get it all wrong again. (The holidays are not helping matters.) Well, I think I know what my first new year’s resolution is going to be…

2008 has but a few days to go, and it will certainly go down as one of the most memorable years in recent history but for many of the wrong reasons. There is the end of investment banking (and the huge loss of jobs that went with it), the start of what I think will be a rather long recession, the global assumption of debt, the collapse of credit, the precipitous decline of the auto industry, and what promises to be much more volatile markets ahead.

But the year wasn’t all bad; we had the Olympics in Beijing (though those, too, had its share of controversy), a historic election in America, and all sorts of fancy new inventions (like the iPhone 3G!) from around the world. That said, I cannot help but feel that these will pale in comparison with the shadows cast by the more discouraging stories of the year.

When I look back at 2008 for me, though, I will remember it as one of the best years of my life. This was the first year in well over a decade (and, indeed, close to 15 years) where I didn’t have homework! That, in itself, warrants a great deal of celebration! While I do miss being a student in some regards, the constant amount of tests and projects really grew tiresome. Nevertheless, my years in Waterloo have been amongst the most formative and I have to give credit where it’s due; that school is exceptional and I am proud to have been a student there.

This year also marks the first of my professional career. Despite having a good amount of experience beforehand (through summer jobs or Co-op), it really started this year. In March, I took a big step in my life and moved to New York on my own to begin my first full-time job at Bloomberg. The scope of my responsibilities far surpassed those in the past (as have the expectations placed on me) and it has been a great challenge. Yes, there have been many late nights and some stressful days, but I can always come home to the fact that I have a fantastic (and secure) job to which I look forward to returning each day. (I’ve raved about how much I love it in previous posts so I won’t repeat myself here.)

I have also met some absolutely wonderful people over the course of this year. Many have come through networking at Bloomberg (like the business and analytics groups), while others have been the product of chance (like my past and present roommates).

It is, however, only appropriate to wrap up this year where it began — at home in Canada. This is where my family is, where the vast majority of my friends are, and certainly where my heart is. I have missed Canada so much while in New York and I am trying to take every opportunity to make up for it over these two weeks.

So, to all, I wish you the best during the holidays and I hope that you are able to spend it with those close to your heart. We are all very fortunate and I hope that none of us lose sight of that in what I hope will be a fantastic 2009 for each and every one of you!