Ask Me About Year 2020!

 Happy new year 2021!

As usual, I will complete a "Ask me about year (previous)" post so here it is. Before I start, I revisited my previous posts first just to relive some memories and see how much have changed in the past 8 years.

Year 2012 The year of failure and learning how to overcome it
Year 2013 The year of understanding how much grit goes into chasing dreams
Year 2014 The year of independence and understanding mental health
Year 2015 The year of grief and coming to terms with regrets
Year 2016 The year of change and discovering my purpose in life

Year 2017 The year of endurance and understanding how the world works 

Year 2018 The year of changes and travel (lots)

Unfortunately, I just realized I missed out on "Ask Me About Year 2019!" which is odd so I will coin Year 2019 as The Year of Unforeseen Circumstances. I will still though attempt to write "Ask Me About Year 2019! (Re-Edition) reliving the days gone by as though it happened just yesterday. 

As usual, I will skip questions that I don't have answers for.

Ask me about year 2020 
The year of a pandemic 

1. What did you do in year 2020 that you'd never done before?

I moved out of my family home and moved in to another place with my fiance 

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

It did not matter because life plans were all disrupted

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

4. Did anyone close to you die?

5. What countries did you visit?

From my living room to my bedroom

6. What would you like to have in 2021 that you lacked in 2020?

Free from anxiety due to the pandemic (I am constantly worried about my parents catching the virus)

7. What dates from 2020 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

18 March 2020 the start of Malaysia's first nationwide lockdown

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

New friendships

9. What was your biggest failure?

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Air fryer & egg steamer 

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled?

14. Where did most of your money go?

Christmas presents for family & friends

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Christmas

16. What song will always remind you of 2020?

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner of fatter? (c) richer or poorer?

Happier, fatter, richer.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Sleep

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Worrying

20. How did you spend your Christmas?

With my family CMCO version 

21. Did you fall in love in 2020?

Yes, I did again and again since 21st July 2011.

22. What was your favourite TV program?

Love is Sweet (Chinese drama)

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? 

24. What was the best book you read?

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

26. What did you want and get?

27. What did you want and not get?

28. What was your favourite film of this year?

Alive (Korean movie)

29. What one thing made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Genuine friendship 

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2020?

Pyjamas, shorts and tee

31. What kept you sane?

"Who" kept me sane is always more accurate. My family, fiance, my girlfriends & friends (personal & from work)

32. Which celebrity/ public figure did you fancy the most?

33. What political issue stirred you the most?

34. Who did you miss?

My beloved late grandmother.

35. Tell us a valuable lesson you learned in 2020.

I learned to take care of our own well-being especially when the going gets tough. Also, this journey called life is too long to walk alone. Genuine friendships kept me sane throughout the year. 

Oh yes, be patient!

36. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
When the road looks rough ahead
And you're miles and miles
From your nice warm bed
You just remember what your old pal said
Boy, you've got a friend in me
Yeah, you've got a friend in me

Happy New Year 2021!

Ask Me About Year 2019! (Re-Edition)

 This post is different from the previous ones because I'm writing it 365 days too late in Year 2021 while I try to relive the days gone by.

Ask me about year 2019 (Re-Edition)
The year of Unforeseen Circumstances 

1. What did you do in year 2019 that you'd never done before?

I left without a back up plan

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

N/A

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

N/A

4. Did anyone close to you die?

N/A

5. What countries did you visit?

Denmark 

Copenhagen during Lunar New Year with my family

It was so cold and their cuisine consists of cold cuts, salads and bread. We were dying to have a hot bowl of soup

Japan

An impromptu trip to Tokyo an attempt by Tee Wei Lim to distract me from the impending changes that were coming 

Surprisingly the most memorable part of this trip was discovering instant udon from the convenience store which we had in the hotel room bed while watching Japanese TV shows not understanding what they were saying 

Korea 

Seoul (Soul) trip with my sister for her birthday

There were lots of good memories during this trip but I remember being so emotionally unstable I lashed out at my sister for not a very good reason and till this day I regretted my outburst and deep down still feel terribly sorry

Bulgaria 

Sofia & Plovdiv to spend time with my parents during Hari Raya 

I spent 2 weeks with my parents as I was dealing with anxiety and depression due to overwhelming mental stress. It was a healing trip. I came home. I resigned from my then-company Shell. 

I was one of the last to leave and it was bittersweet. It was bitter because I always thought I was going to retire there. Also, I did not have the farewell I imagined I would have when I do decide to leave the company. 

There were no one left to say good bye to on my last day. All my comrades already resigned and left earlier. It was a lonely departure yet a sweet one. Sweet because I finally had the courage to leave and it was like getting a new start at life - being reborn. 

Indonesia

After resigning from my then-company Kim & I went to look for Betty in Jakarta

It was a refreshing girls trip, we missed Betty like crazy and both of us resigned from our then-company so it was a much needed reunion gathering. We did nothing but eat, chat, eat, chat and eat again. It was so good.

Belgium & France 

Tee Wei Lim & I spent almost 10 days in both Belgium (all cities based in Brussels) and Paris 

I had an interim break after resigning from Shell and before I start anew at Procter & Gamble. 

It was the first time I had a break since never. I'm someone who had never taken an actual break. What I mean is since young I've graduated from high school in Dec, started college in Jan, received my Bachelors Degree in Dec and started working my first job in Jan. Even when I resigned from my first company Unilever I started work in Shell the very next Monday.

This time, I took a break. I took a 2 months break from all the hustle and bustle. This trip was amazing. I had no worries. No pending tasks nudging my brain. No distractions. 

Oh yes, he proposed in Paris and I said yes! then we spent his birthday at a quaint upscale Parisan restaurant overseeing the Eiffel Tower. It was as though we were in a scene straight out of a romantic movie. 

The second most memorable though was us eating Five Guys for dinner five days in a row in Brussels because we were just sick of mussels and fries. I haven't touch another beef burger since.

Bulgaria, Budapest & Bratislava

Christmas with my family

Trust me I could only remember our stay in Bratislava at a boutique hotel in which the concierge smoked weed at night. 

6. What would you like to have in 2020 that you lacked in 2019?

Job fulfillment in a culture that is collaborate and positive together with amazing colleagues (Spoiler alert - it came true) 

7. What dates from 2019 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

10 September 2019 the day he proposed

23 September 2019 my first day at Procter & Gamble 

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I had the courage to leave 

9. What was your biggest failure?

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

11. What was the best thing you bought?

I got myself an engagement present 

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled?

The asshole who sexually harassed a good friend of mine

14. Where did most of your money go?

Travel

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Our trip to Belgium & France

16. What song will always remind you of 2019?

Fight song

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner of fatter? (c) richer or poorer?

Happier, fatter, richer.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Saying no

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Worrying

20. How did you spend your Christmas?

With my family as always

21. Did you fall in love in 2019?

Yes, I did again and again since 21st July 2011.

22. What was your favourite TV program?

N/A

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? 

24. What was the best book you read?

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

26. What did you want and get?

An opportunity

27. What did you want and not get?

28. What was your favourite film of this year?

29. What one thing made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

A new start

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2019?

31. What kept you sane?

"Who" kept me sane is always more accurate. My family, boyfriend & two amazing ladies.

32. Which celebrity/ public figure did you fancy the most?

33. What political issue stirred you the most?

34. Who did you miss?

My beloved late grandmother.

35. Tell us a valuable lesson you learned in 2019.

I learned to stand up for what is right. I learned the most important thing in life are the people we care for even if it costs us our own sanity we need to protect them.

I also learn change is difficult but necessary.

36. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

This is my fight song
Take back my life song
Prove I'm alright song
My power's turned on
Starting right now I'll be strong
I'll play my fight song
And I don't really care if nobody else believes
'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me