After a year of Sociology...

Why Sociology?

Sociology was love at first sight. In 2012, unable to study overseas, I settled with a local university. I took up Economics. I have an elective and Accounting was almost the default choice but it was an option. I tried out Sociology and it was indeed love at first class. I attended every single class, even if it started at 8am on a Friday. I was not the brightest but Sociology was thought provoking. I never felt belonged in that university, I was not at all happy, I even failed Economics. But Sociology was the driver back then. Miracles happened, in 2015 I had another elective choice, this time I made it overseas, I was not 100% belonged but I was so much more happier. I took up Sociology again and felt the challenge. The degree was to get through for a career; there were interests but not so much passion. That Sociology elective, was a passion. Sociology remains an academic course that I have studied and have loved. Hence, I wanted a year to revive it.

I started of Sociology with grand plans in mind…

Given that it is an academic topic, I planned to have my sociological theories firmed up (revitalize the ones I have known, and learn new theories). I failed miserably in this category. Increasing workload does not encourage me to read and think further when I got home. I read a fair amount on my Kindle but it isn’t quite enough to inspire. An academic course is not my forte after all.

There were some time dedicated to documentaries and books..

Some of the topics I looked into - sustainability, adult industry, love, love again, technology. Definitely stronger on the first half, but workload became hectic towards the second half. Documentaries and books require a level of concentration, and especially if I have to try to understand a level deeper than the surface. But I am quite pleased after all.

I also tried designing and conducting (social) experiments....

Thanks to my supportive colleagues, I managed to play around with two - Tinder and Fried Chicken. Both were so much fun and interesting. I enjoyed the process - the study design, the actual experiment, the result tabulation, the insights and analysis and most importantly, the post sociological study. Tinder remains an off limit area for me, I have no objections about using the platform for dates and partner. But I personally want to meet people the traditional way, even if it means the probability is nil (LOL). Fried Chicken remains a guilty pleasure of mine, perhaps that one dish which is stopping me to be pure vegetarian. It is a comfort food giving instant satisfaction, I am glad I manage to have follow up study on 3 sociological topics which are relevant to me. 

Brief touch on those areas but more can be worked on…

Briefly I have taken a course, ran a couple of social experiments, watched some documentaries and produced some infographics. I thoroughly enjoyed these but I wish I have conducted more of these, none I found the time or initiative to create. That's one, but I think there are two more factors below:

a. Personality plays a part…

I realized documenting sociological learning or daily observations is tough. It is not Instagram-worthy, and once you miss an observation, you miss it forever. I am critical of the caption write up and most of the time, I feel like I am not an expert enough to write the caption.

Personally, I am not a critic, I am quite a diplomatic. I have a voice but it does not really go to the public platform. And I find Sociology requires a strong voice, not in terms of taking a side, but taking a stand or having a fair judgment.

b. There were some distractions…

I was very much still invested in Minimalism. It was such a fun project for 2017 and I have a long way to go on the minimalist journey. I continued some decluttering effort and started make my own products. I was also quite immersed in my fitness and weight loss effort. Second half of the year was dedicated to work and some personal finances. 

My sentiments....

I drafted this review with a negative tone. That was how I have felt for this year's project- uninspired. Upon including my documented posts from Instagram, it was not that bad at all. It was not as amazing and inspired as AP17: Minimalism. But there was still some work went into AP18, just not extensive and consistent as how I imagine it to be. Perhaps I pick Sociology a little to early to revive, perhaps an academic topic requires a different approach... 

Next annual project…

I don’t have a very strong inclination to a topic for AP19 but I have a few candidates – Food in supporting my weight loss journey, Art for curbing impatience, Principles in drafting my life principles. I eventually settle with Website with the aim to create my own website for this project. This has been a side thought and I wanted it to be the main milestone for the Annual Project. I think I do need to dedicate a year of focus to create the website and its content.

Thank you for joining me in this Annual Project journey. 3 down, more to come!