Of 2015 reflections and 2016 musings

Happy New Year everyone!

I had a very meaningful New Year's Eve yesterday with Nithya and we had a lot of thoughts and musings. We recollected our shared memories, reflected on our 2015, and wondered ahead for 2016. It sparked me to write this post, on top of my usual standard NYE/New Year's reflections. :)

I'm one of those people who can confidently say that my 2015 has more ups than downs. You know how there are some who really had a rough year or just think that their every year was bad? I'm thankful that I can say mine isn't. :)

I think I really have many reasons to be happy with my life. Close-knit family, very supportive group(s) of friends, a nice house with a lovely park, studying something that I love, being able to live and eat each day without worrying about day-to-day woes... (Well, 家家有本难念的经, but still, much to be thankful for!)

In 2015, I dabbled in quite a lot of things - both in and out of my comfort zone. School was very busy, but very fulfilling! It gave me so much lessons to learn from, including lessons about myself, values and character.

In 2015, many doors opened for me. I took on a leadership role in RC4 and got to work with many kinds of people and contributed to growth of our college. My passion for food blogging and food photography was also taken to a higher level, as I had the chance to meet and know more foodies and food bloggers. :) I'm very heartened that people believe in me, in the things that I do, and especially those who feel I have the potential to do well. Striving to be a good food blogger is not easy with my commitments in school, and I know I'm still a nobody, but I'll continue to do what I love to do and not let naysayers get me down. (:

In 2015, I learnt that it's one thing to accept challenges and roadblocks that come your way, but it's okay if you didn't manage to overcome them successfully. It could be the circumstances at that time, it could be the limitations that you face, or it could just be that you're inferior. Failure is real and failure will happen to you. My self-expectations can be quite high sometimes so I guess that's where I fall really hard. I'm learning not to be so hard on myself yet not let my guard down and have it too easy. I learnt that when regrets come --- oh, how painful they are --- you really have to grit your teeth and will yourself to move on. Stop dwelling on the irreversible.


This photo depicts how I feel about 2016 right now: from a position of uncertainty and relative darkness, I need to look beyond the window to 2016, to warmth, hope and opportunities. I'm going to continue reminding myself to be grateful for the little things in life. To do things with love, do things I love, and love the things I do. Keep learning, keep falling, because that's how we gain experience to enrich our lives. :)

And before I end off, here's a walk down the 2015 memory lane, of the events that happened and/or memories I hold dear. :)

Halong Bay, Vietnam - 1 January 2015
Geog Chalet - 7 January 2015
Chinese New Year - 19 February 2015
RC4 Farewell Formal Dinner - 17 April 2015
Myanmar OFT 2015 - 18 to 22 May 2015
Hong Kong family trip - 3 to 6 July 2015
Geog FIC Pre-camp 2015 - 27 to 28 June 2015
Geog FIC 2015 - 9 to 12 July 2015
RC4 FOC Pre-camp 2015 - 13 to 14 July 2015
RC4 FOC 2015 - 20 to 23 July 2015
My 20th birthday - 30 July 2015
GeogSoc MC last dinner :'( - 4 August 2015
Watching the National Day fireworks with my family - 9 August 2015
RC4 Welcome Dinner - 24 August 2015
RC4 Mid-Autumn Festival - 18 September 2015
UTown Pandemonium 2015 - 30 October 2015
UTown Pandemonium 2015 - 30 October 2015
The day we coincidentally formed a rainbow (: And it cheered us up so much amidst the mugging period! - 29 November 2015
End of exams celebration with sashimi - 3 December 2015
Italy family trip - 5 to 14 December 2015
Inside the Colosseum
Italy family trip 2015 - Riomaggiore
Italy family trip 2015 - Leaning Tower of Pisa
Italy family trip 2015 - The Grand Canal, Venice
Darian's birthday and pretty Christmas tree - 16 December 2015
RC4 cycling at Coney Island - 17 December 2015
Christmas Wonderland with Xin Yu - 23 December 2015
RC4 Christmas party - 27 December 2015
New Year's Eve with Nithya at the National Gallery Singapore - 31 December 2015

Aaaand I just finished my yearly ritual of exercising on New Year's Day. (: To me, it's symbolic of a year of health and fitness, and I'm glad to say that it's quite on track now. (:

So before the clock strikes 12, I'd like to wish everyone a 2016 filled with love, joy, happiness and fulfilment! (:

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