Goodbye 2017 and Hello 2018!
*Wipes away cobweb* Wow it's been so so long since my last update here!
Since I lack creativity and originality, I've decided to stick with this title moving forward, similar to 2017's and 2016's.
So 2017...
was quite a year! It has been an immensely fulfilling year for me for both work and personal side of things. 2017 was much more fulfilling than 2016 in many ways but I found myself more whiny and less happy. I'm not too sure why! I guess it's one of those things where you get everything you want in life and you start to forget how to give thanks 
WORK
If 2016 was unfulfilling, 2017 would be the complete opposite! Work and learning opportunities was stagnating for me in the previous workplace - my bosses highlighted that I had reached a bottle neck and that they could no longer value add for my growth. It was quite a frustrating stage for me as I've had build quite a large network and credential in the firm and would have been extremely beneficial if I could progress further with that foundation. Office hours became quite a torture as work no longer becomes challenging and I was rather disheartened with the lack of opportunities despite very good appraisals.
Yet, even at such moments, life surprises you in ways that one can never expect. While chatting with an ex colleague who had moved on to a new company, he shared that my expertise could be put to better use in his firm. A few conversations later, I resigned and joined him in his new office. With a much smaller team and a much more aggressive growth target than my previous company, I found myself thrown into various projects and having to spearhead different initiatives. It was and still is a refreshing change since I made the move 6 months ago.
I remembered someone told me before that one should "be careful of what you wish for" and this is probably one of those times! In the last 6 months, I barely had time to read any books or even blog on this platform. I'm also less active on social media as I found I had better use of my time to study new things at work.
It was and still is a good change and work challenge that I sorely needed. Extremely thankful for that! 
Have also been accepted into a professional association that I've been building my experience for the last 4 years for and nominated into Board of Directors in late 2017. In the professional aspect, it has been a tremendous year.
Have also been accepted into a professional association that I've been building my experience for the last 4 years for and nominated into Board of Directors in late 2017. In the professional aspect, it has been a tremendous year.
HEALTH, WELLNESS & FITNESS
I fared way better in the first half of the year - when I had a much less challenging work environment and had a co-worker who's a vegetarian. I also found more time to visit a Chinese sinseh in the first 9 months of the year until work got too overwhelming and I had to cut down on my trips to visit the sinseh. As cliched as it sounds, I do feel the difference that 9 months of TCM brings - I was more energetic and my limbs didn't feel as cold as they used to.
2017 is a year of big changes for me and I must say at certain points of the year I did not handle them very well. With the house, upcoming wedding and career switch, I feel stretched and overwhelmed for most parts of the year. While I had aimed to practise more mindfulness and keep my inner negativity in check, I would say I failed this year.
In terms of trips to the gym, it's still a lot lesser than I had target it to be. I am also in 2 minds if I should continue the gym membership that I've been utilizing since 2010 as the dwindling trips is making it quite unattractive financially.
READING
I read even lesser books in 2017, clocking only 15! This is just embarrassing as it seems to be on a downward trend
This also means I missed my target of 30 for the 3rd consecutive year! 
CLOSE FRIENDS & FAMILY
2017 is a mixed bag year for my close friends as it was filled with both great and sad news. I attended 1 wedding per month in the last quarter of the year and saw the birth of 3 babies - Audrey, Charles and Issac. Christmas gatherings have become quite a crowd these days! 2017 also saw the departure of my friend's mother and another's grandmother. It is true that the sign of the 30s is when you start witnessing yourself or your similar-aged friends experience some form of loss.
On the family front, my uncle has unfortunately been diagnosed terminal brain cancer that spread to his bones and lungs. This came as such a big surprise for us as he was so hardy and takes very good care for his health. An ex-colleague of mine was diagnosed with NMO, a rare auto-immune disease which attacks the nervous system. All these remind me that life is so fragile and so short. Really does make a lot of things in life look so insignificant.
I'm still not on the best terms with my parents, especially my mum. Sometimes the clashes in wedding preparation expectation does make things a little awkward. I really should be a more sensible child given that my parents are really getting on in years.
OTHER PERSONAL MATTERS: FINANCES & MARRIAGE
Besides being a big year for career changes, 2017 is also a big year for me in other personal matters. After almost a year of house hunting, we finally found our dream place in June 2017! This was such a big relief for us. We got the keys in November 2017 and is currently finalizing our renovation plans. CANNOT WAIT TO GET THIS PLACE DONE UP!
After the proposal in September 2016, we managed to finalize and confirm most of the big items and vendors required for our wedding in 2018. I thought we were being absolute kiasu in our wedding prep already but there are so many other couples who booked their vendors way before we did. Still amazes to no end. I'm very happy to say we manage to secure all our dream vendors and big kudos to the boy for being an absolute sweetheart in the many requests I have had so far for the prep.
It is not easy juggling both home renovation and wedding, not to mention the huge sum of money required
It is also 2 big projects that we undertake as a couple. We fought and made up many times through the last one year and it truly helps to build a stronger foundation for the relationship as we understand each other better through the process.
I also did not fulfill the goal to blog more on this platform. Yikes.
I did not get to invest as much as I want to in 2017 - mainly because I had no spare time to read through articles or conduct my own analysis. The bright side however was, despite purchasing the house and making payments to most of our wedding vendors, my savings stayed pretty intact for the year. That's just excellent news for me :)
TRAVEL
I have had traveled twice in my new work role to places I have never been. once to India where I visited Pune, Hyderabad and Bangalore and once to Chengdu. The office also gave me my first ever APEC card! Absolutely looking forward to more travels with the new co
On personal trips, the boy brought me to Bangkok to celebrate my birthday and also to relieve some of the wedding prep and house renovation plans stress. It was an amazing 4 day trip filled with endless good food and excellent massages!
Similar to 2017, it is going to be a super exciting year - with the wedding FINALLY taking place and also kickstarting the renovation for our home
WORK
After 5 years with the previous company, I finally made the decision of leaving the comfort zone. It was a wise choice as I sorely needed a more challenging environment.
With the more autonomy in my new work place, I look forward to growing my career and developing my professional skills this year.
HEALTH, WELLNESS & FITNESS
I picked up the bad habit of having too much caffeine in 2017 (read: 3 times a day! ) so I aim to reduce that this year. Reducing to 1 or maximum 2 on challenging days would be the target for the year. Best if I can avoid them completely on weekends. It's not going to be easy but I will get there!
Trips to the gym was very sporadic in 2017 and I really need to up my game in 2018 (especially with the wedding omg!). I am quite satisfied with my diet except that I could really do with more fruits. Something to work on in the new year!
Keeping negativity in check is still challenging for me - especially when there seem to be a lot of items/issues to settle on many fronts. I do need to remind myself that these are all things that I've had wished for (an amazing partner, a dream house in the location we want and a mind stimulating work environment) and I should be counting my blessings that I'm facing happy problems :)
READING
Sadly, I've missed my target for 3 consecutive years and I'm just really embarrassed. However, I do not wish to lower that target and aims to keep it to 30. Gotta keep trying!
CLOSE FRIENDS & FAMILY
Someone in my old work place once told me that as you get older, you are more concerned with the quality than the quantity of your friends. And that is so so true (am I aging so quickly already??). While I want quality for the friendships that I keep, I must also bear in mind that I want to be that quality friendship someone else wants to keep.
2018 will be another year of weddings (including my own) and probably more babies!
I hope my relationship with my parents improve in 2018, and that I learn to hold back my words if they are not going to come out nice.
OTHER PERSONAL MATTERS: FINANCES & MARRIAGE
2018 is going to be a big year for the boy and I - with the renovation of our new home and also our upcoming wedding. It really isn't easy juggling both, be it time, energy and money. But, I do want to remember all these as happy problems (as what ALL my married friends tell me) and to cherish the experience of having partner with the boy in 2 of the bigger projects of our lives together.
On the investment and personal savings front, I do hope to invest more and continue to grow my savings/liquidity. With my parents aging and increase in adult responsibilities like mortgage and taxes, personal financial management is definitely becoming increasing important to me.
TRAVEL
I'm unable to tell if I will be able to have my honeymoon within the year itself (my brain has no more space for planning anymore things haha!) so I'll probably dedicate this area to my work travels. I hope to visit more properties now that my team is more firmed up in terms of structure.
And maybe, just maybe, a new place of adventure with the boy as well
Pretty much like how I end all my new year post, here's the quote to drive 2018 - to be mindful of my own vibe and to be surrounded by my kind of tribe
2017 is a year of big changes for me and I must say at certain points of the year I did not handle them very well. With the house, upcoming wedding and career switch, I feel stretched and overwhelmed for most parts of the year. While I had aimed to practise more mindfulness and keep my inner negativity in check, I would say I failed this year.
In terms of trips to the gym, it's still a lot lesser than I had target it to be. I am also in 2 minds if I should continue the gym membership that I've been utilizing since 2010 as the dwindling trips is making it quite unattractive financially.
READING
I read even lesser books in 2017, clocking only 15! This is just embarrassing as it seems to be on a downward trend
This also means I missed my target of 30 for the 3rd consecutive year! CLOSE FRIENDS & FAMILY
2017 is a mixed bag year for my close friends as it was filled with both great and sad news. I attended 1 wedding per month in the last quarter of the year and saw the birth of 3 babies - Audrey, Charles and Issac. Christmas gatherings have become quite a crowd these days! 2017 also saw the departure of my friend's mother and another's grandmother. It is true that the sign of the 30s is when you start witnessing yourself or your similar-aged friends experience some form of loss.
On the family front, my uncle has unfortunately been diagnosed terminal brain cancer that spread to his bones and lungs. This came as such a big surprise for us as he was so hardy and takes very good care for his health. An ex-colleague of mine was diagnosed with NMO, a rare auto-immune disease which attacks the nervous system. All these remind me that life is so fragile and so short. Really does make a lot of things in life look so insignificant.
I'm still not on the best terms with my parents, especially my mum. Sometimes the clashes in wedding preparation expectation does make things a little awkward. I really should be a more sensible child given that my parents are really getting on in years.
OTHER PERSONAL MATTERS: FINANCES & MARRIAGE
Besides being a big year for career changes, 2017 is also a big year for me in other personal matters. After almost a year of house hunting, we finally found our dream place in June 2017! This was such a big relief for us. We got the keys in November 2017 and is currently finalizing our renovation plans. CANNOT WAIT TO GET THIS PLACE DONE UP!
After the proposal in September 2016, we managed to finalize and confirm most of the big items and vendors required for our wedding in 2018. I thought we were being absolute kiasu in our wedding prep already but there are so many other couples who booked their vendors way before we did. Still amazes to no end. I'm very happy to say we manage to secure all our dream vendors and big kudos to the boy for being an absolute sweetheart in the many requests I have had so far for the prep.
It is not easy juggling both home renovation and wedding, not to mention the huge sum of money required
It is also 2 big projects that we undertake as a couple. We fought and made up many times through the last one year and it truly helps to build a stronger foundation for the relationship as we understand each other better through the process.I also did not fulfill the goal to blog more on this platform. Yikes.
I did not get to invest as much as I want to in 2017 - mainly because I had no spare time to read through articles or conduct my own analysis. The bright side however was, despite purchasing the house and making payments to most of our wedding vendors, my savings stayed pretty intact for the year. That's just excellent news for me :)
TRAVEL
I have had traveled twice in my new work role to places I have never been. once to India where I visited Pune, Hyderabad and Bangalore and once to Chengdu. The office also gave me my first ever APEC card! Absolutely looking forward to more travels with the new co
On personal trips, the boy brought me to Bangkok to celebrate my birthday and also to relieve some of the wedding prep and house renovation plans stress. It was an amazing 4 day trip filled with endless good food and excellent massages!
For 2018...
Similar to 2017, it is going to be a super exciting year - with the wedding FINALLY taking place and also kickstarting the renovation for our home
WORK
After 5 years with the previous company, I finally made the decision of leaving the comfort zone. It was a wise choice as I sorely needed a more challenging environment.
With the more autonomy in my new work place, I look forward to growing my career and developing my professional skills this year.
HEALTH, WELLNESS & FITNESS
) so I aim to reduce that this year. Reducing to 1 or maximum 2 on challenging days would be the target for the year. Best if I can avoid them completely on weekends. It's not going to be easy but I will get there!Trips to the gym was very sporadic in 2017 and I really need to up my game in 2018 (especially with the wedding omg!). I am quite satisfied with my diet except that I could really do with more fruits. Something to work on in the new year!
Keeping negativity in check is still challenging for me - especially when there seem to be a lot of items/issues to settle on many fronts. I do need to remind myself that these are all things that I've had wished for (an amazing partner, a dream house in the location we want and a mind stimulating work environment) and I should be counting my blessings that I'm facing happy problems :)
READING
Sadly, I've missed my target for 3 consecutive years and I'm just really embarrassed. However, I do not wish to lower that target and aims to keep it to 30. Gotta keep trying!
CLOSE FRIENDS & FAMILY
Someone in my old work place once told me that as you get older, you are more concerned with the quality than the quantity of your friends. And that is so so true (am I aging so quickly already??). While I want quality for the friendships that I keep, I must also bear in mind that I want to be that quality friendship someone else wants to keep.
2018 will be another year of weddings (including my own) and probably more babies!
I hope my relationship with my parents improve in 2018, and that I learn to hold back my words if they are not going to come out nice.
OTHER PERSONAL MATTERS: FINANCES & MARRIAGE
2018 is going to be a big year for the boy and I - with the renovation of our new home and also our upcoming wedding. It really isn't easy juggling both, be it time, energy and money. But, I do want to remember all these as happy problems (as what ALL my married friends tell me) and to cherish the experience of having partner with the boy in 2 of the bigger projects of our lives together.
On the investment and personal savings front, I do hope to invest more and continue to grow my savings/liquidity. With my parents aging and increase in adult responsibilities like mortgage and taxes, personal financial management is definitely becoming increasing important to me.
TRAVEL
I'm unable to tell if I will be able to have my honeymoon within the year itself (my brain has no more space for planning anymore things haha!) so I'll probably dedicate this area to my work travels. I hope to visit more properties now that my team is more firmed up in terms of structure.
And maybe, just maybe, a new place of adventure with the boy as well
Pretty much like how I end all my new year post, here's the quote to drive 2018 - to be mindful of my own vibe and to be surrounded by my kind of tribe
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment