2025

2025

Without a doubt, the highlight of this year is entering a relationship with a boy named Guazi 

We spent so many weekends exploring different parts of singapore, countless nights chatting via teams and under the moonlight, and made so many precious hilarious memories together 

Even though he left for London & Italy for three months, it was also ample time for us to truly chat and understand each other before we commit to an official relationship.

To both our surprise, we have so many common topics and memories of the past and this makes the conversation flow so well - our social media ig/threads feed are also very identical 

Yet, we hold very different opinions and thought processes, and this causes gaps in between us which i have yet to fully address

That being said, I had many uncertainties, and I questioned time and again if I was just a convenient option for him 

Thankfully, I got my answer on 28th Dec, when this boy found me at Awfully Chocolate during my mini punishment of destiny hide and seek - in tears

It was that moment when I finally got an answer 

He does care and he does not want to lose me 

Even though he is clueless and overly practical, but I matter - and that matters most 

From this moment on, it felt like something shifted 

Instead of waiting and see how we match or fall apart, it is a matter of how much effort we are willing to put into working things out  

Romance aside, 

I initially felt like the year was underwhelming for all other aspects in life

But scrolling past photos made me realize how eventful it actually was - though many slipped my mind

Work wise,

I was given the opportunity to attend so many training and classes, work events and discussions.  

The weekly online classes and intensive sessions with 杜老师 were nothing short of fruitful and inspiring - his ability to recall his stories so instantaneously, think quickly on the spot, and ofc point out my mistakes, is amazing  

Meeting the other 4 taiwanese mentors and listening to their past experience was also one great highlight of this year - i am so so so humbled.

Yet, work has certainly been rather half-hearted this year with two projects to juggle and difficulty to focus well 

Pitching failed as well so I am certainly uncertain about myself in terms of career growth

And I really struggle with team meetings - and this is a problem across all projects - and I question my own preferences, giving in to others way too easily  

As for our family,

This year was a challenging one but also a fulfilling one 

Dad underwent a cataract surgery - finally - and we were all in to make sure he takes care of his eye with frequent eye drops and eye cover.

Mama took up a 3mth digital marketing course - and dad was so involved and dedicated in making sure she wakes up early and has her breakfast, attends the class by her side and helps her to destress.  

Together, one major challenge was certainly surviving a car accident along ECP when dad was driving me to office, and I am so so so thankful that we escaped unscathed. That was quite a life changing event as our family had always been driving around, but we now have to go everywhere by bus and trains. 

Thankfully, the opening of TEL helped so much as we are now very accessible to more town areas like tanjong pagar and orchard and marine parade and even the airport, while the stadium continues to be a main interchange for trips to their suntec, dhoby and their office.  

Even though they constantly conflict over rushing to catch the bus lol but I am just very very glad that we are all safe and sound. 

We also made a day-trip to JB on our own - thanks to Jo who brought me over once before :)

attended several elections rally around singapore just for the fun of it

and I signed us up for eco-run where papa completed a 5km run on his own while mama and I walked through it hehe :D

On my own

I got a new phone after thinking about it for a longggggg time (again)

and a pair of casual formal shoes from sunnystep to wear aside from the usual sports shoe

I struggled with time management - and felt like I wasn't being a great friend with less time spent with Jo, as well as with ahgu 

Even though I tried hard to keep up on spending time with papa and mama, but they certainly had less time with me - or could that possibly be a healthier time apart? 

And with everything all over the place, work certainly took a back seat and I was simply surviving meetings to meetings without ample time and brainspace to prep (but at the same time, I also felt like while everything is important, work is possibly the least on the list. Yet, writing defines such a huge part of my identity, and I am not comfortable to let it fall any further.)

In summary: 

5 things that I am proud of this year 

- taking a leap of faith and entering a relationship 

- communicate my unhappiness and deconflict our differences 

- tried my best to continue giving papa and mama my time 

- maintained my regular runs 

- remain kind to the people around

3 lessons this year taught me 

- 做别人没做过的才好玩

- having a life of your own is more important than spending excessive time on work (you are always replaceable at work)

- trust yourself and hold your ground - their points may make sense, but you can be right too!

3 biggest challenges 

- horribly deteriorating memory 

- short attention span and inability to concentrate >> inefficient work

- juggling time across family, romance, friends, and work with limited time 

on a scale of 1-10, how much did you show up for yourself this year?

+7 - did well in spending time on what makes me happy

-3 - but did not manage to defend my ideas and beliefs at all 

what made it easier or harder? 

easier: a) when others think the same way, and b) when i thought it through 

harder: a) expectations of others, b) maintaining cordial r/s and harmony with people of conflicting opinions, c) putting up a coherent case/argument to persuade due to bad memory so insufficient info to convince, d) laziness and being ill-prepared

did you carve out time for your needs, or were you mostly surviving? surviving at work - idk what i am doing half the time   

which needs were cared for? relationship needs = having fun with people i love, lazing/chilling

which were put on hold? financial = nothing done to earn more income and help papa; work = half hearted content that were not well thought out, way insufficient content consumed for more inspirations, did not read widely enough

who supported your growth this year 

杜老师 - pointed out many of my faults and areas that i lack in for work 

papamama & jovina - forever listening to my rants and being there whenever wherever 

guazi - for making me happier when i feel down, even though sometimes i feel like my struggles are not addressed

podcasts - 博恩/thehoppod/dailyketchup etc 

runs - always a good break to feel better about myself 

what message would you leave for the version of you at the start of 2025?

work hard and be prepared before meetings

reflect or take notes to remind yourself about the lessons learnt (keep it accessible and let it show up frequently too)

先完成，再完美

be focused, be intentional

Moving forward,

- work on improving your memory and attention span 

- take action instead of just having ideas 

- show yourself - you're no longer at an age to hide

- earn more, for the future is going to be tough