Hello on the fourth day of 2017. I'm here to do a short reflection on the past year, albeit being slightly late but it's better late than never right! Not going to be cliché and write about how I hope this year will be better than the previous because there's bound to be good and bad things happening every year am I right. Instead, I will just take these good and bad things as they come. I've realised that every year actually is pretty much the same. 2017 feels more like a continuation from 2016 for me; I'm still stuck in school (not that I'm complaining), and life also still revolves around the same thing and people (again, not complaining). If there is one single thing I learnt, it's that as we grow older, our circle of friends become smaller. And that's normal. Even so, I am grateful for the constant who are still sticking around, for being my anchors, and really just keeping me sane. It is truly amazing how time has a way of telling you where people stand in your life, vice versa.
In January 2016, I went on my very first overseas trip with Ray (at this point, we were already 1.5 years into our relationship which explains why I was anticipating this trip so much). I remember Taiwan being exceptionally cold during that period of time it was even on the news, but that gave me a very legit excuse to not let go of my boyfriend's hand hue hue. January was also a month of celebrating the first of maaaaany 21st birthdays to come and it daunt on me that my wallet will be sobbing on my behalf.
In February, my family travelled back to Malaysia for CNY and I had to come back to Singapore before them thanks to prelims (boohoo!) but after that ended, I headed to Bangkok with the Dance Art committee for our exco leisure trip. Also celebrated elaine's birthday at her house with a cute theme of #notanasilemak party. Oh ya, this month my boyfriend went to USA for a work/army trip and despite it being a short period of time, I got to experience LDR for a week, and it sucked!!!!
March was a month of catching up with different groups of people when I finally set my mind on having a 21st birthday party.. at home! It was a very cosy affair and my heart still feels warm thinking about that day. In mid-March, I also stepped down from being the 5th term's President of Dance Art and it was one of the most liberating moments in my life. The role of being a leader taught me plenty, but the commitment of looking after and making decisions that would impact a club was quite burdensome. Liberating moment #2 was when I decided to chop off my long hair and ended up with a bob.
April turned out to be a blur. I don't remember how but with the impending exams, the month passed by hastily. The highlight of April was catching up with a few close friends whom I haven't had the chance to meet in awhile, and celebrating Ray's 21st with a staycation at Equarius Hotel Sentosa.
May saw me mugging my ass off throughout the first three weeks until I finally got to toss my exam notes in the air, and finally indulge in some drama marathon and pay off my sleep debt.
June was a buzzing month. I was back at dancing 3 to 4 days a week in preparation for the annual DA production. It was when I felt the healthiest and could eat (junk/fatty food) without any hesitation. I also held a flea with my friends to declutter my wardrobe and scooted back to Malaysia for a week after that. Life was a breeze without having to worry about not getting enough sleep and misplacing my notes. / June also broke my heart as my paternal grandfather was hospitalised due to some stomach problems. He had to undergo surgery but thankfully all went well. On the last week of June, Ray and I went on our second solo trip to Hong Kong. We had s o m u c h f u n eating and shopping and simply soaking in each other's company. This month, we celebrated our second anniversary of being a couple and I have to say, up till this moment, this guy still makes me feel love struck.
In July, I started a 2 months internship at a digital marketing company called Activa Media. My job scope was rather mundane but to say the least, I got to observe how it's really like out there in the real working world. I was very thankful because the company had very good culture and my colleagues were helpful and accommodating people. July and August was of juggling work, life and dance.
August was a very disheartening month for me. My results were released online and I still remember how I was checking it while walking home, only to find out I did badly for 2 modules. At that point, I remember I was standing at a cross junction waiting to cross the road (lol so drama my life, it was as if life was asking me to choose which path I should take on from here). Having flunked 2 modules implied that I had to spend a 4th academic year in SIM, and I knew that it was going to be a waste of my parent's money and I felt so bad, almost ashamed. However, what's done cannot be undone.
So in September, my internship ended and I was back in a boring cycle known as school. My mother was very light-hearted about the entire situation of my having to do another year but she said to me "if you fail any more mods, I am going to lock you up" so I guess I cannot let her down anymore. Indeed, there are times I regret not choosing another school like RMIT which follows a poly format (UOL follows the A levels format which means one examination determines my life *drowns*) but oh well. September was a crazy hectic month with school kick-starting and many dance events happening. Before I knew it, I was on a plane to Sibu for the Int'l Dance Festival and the week that followed, the production took place.
In October, I finally concluded that dance was taking up too much of my time and I made the decision to leave the club, only to have my instructor/club director put me on break, which explains my current hiatus from dance. Nevertheless, having a 8 months break is not necessary a bad thing. I find myself having a lot more time not just to myself, but also the people around me. The only downside is that the laziness in me to exercise is real and it's as if I can feel the last of my muscles accumulated from all the past trainings evaporating into... nothing. Sobbbbbbblessss.
November got my mom and I thrilled as she opened our letter box to a letter from HDB stating that my family will be getting the keys to our BTO flat in late December or by latest January. I immediately downloaded Pinterest on my iPhone and before I realised it, scrolling through Pinterest has become my everyday-to-do. I love the inspirations I can get from looking at pretty pictures. The Mother and I also visited IKEA to look at furnitures and just soak in the happiness of finally getting our own house and I'd have my own room (again!). Other than that, November was a month of working for numerous ad hoc event jobs and attempting to get my shit together for school.
December was of feeling exceptionally loved and getting tipsy. It is safe to declare that December is my favourite month of the year all thanks to the festive vibes and what not. Or simply because December is an indication that the year is almost coming to an end and more good things will be coming my way. This year, I had 5 Christmas celebrations with different groups of people and it was all very heartwarming. I spent the last day of 2016 counting down with my family, boyfriend and one of my closest friend inside a bar at Clarke Quay and it was kinda the best way to conclude the year.
Oops, this post turned out to be not so short but hey, here's to 2017! x