Warning: Super personal, lengthy and wordy blog post ahead.
Goodbye,
mid-year! Can’t believe we are stepping into the second half of the year
already and I’m halfway through the age of 25. Although people often say “Time
flies”, personally I don’t agree as my everyday clock does not tick as quickly
as you’d imagine. Every single day I have been through for the past 6 months
was filled with laughter and tears – so much of ups and downs that I couldn’t
have foreseen. But of course, like many other social media influencers do,
whatever shown on my social media is just 30% of my life – the happy,
Instagram-perfect part of life – and believe it or not, there is always a price
to pay behind those luxurious vacations, classy meals, fun times and
picture-perfect outfits.
Just recently
when I saw this question on Facebook, it made me pondered…
“If your
social media is full of endorsements with brands, so where is your actual
identity?”
Well,
I admit that I have been crafting blog posts about everything but myself. So I
guess it’s a good time now to do a real personal post here
(The last one I did was before 2017 kicks in) – a quick flashback on
what I have been up to for the first 6 months of the year…
JANUARY
One of my
favourite weekends in January: Weekend Escapade at Grand Hyatt KL
I don’t quite
remember how the year actually started (signs of aging, sigh!) but the “big
thing” in January is always Chinese New Year, and all I remember was going back
to the hometown (Bentong) on the second day of CNY for reunion.
And look, how
much has my hometown changed for the past year! It has never been so happening
and touristy back then. Now it is flooded with tourists every weekend and
during public holidays, who usually drop by to hunt for local food (Wan tan
mee, yong tau fu, Kow Po ice creams). All of them are my favourites too, but as
years go by, I no longer go back as often. Currently, it is sad but true to say
that I only visit my hometown once a year. And I have friends who visit my own
hometown more than I do!
Over the
years, Chinese New Year doesn’t feel the same to me anymore. Do you agree,
festive season always brings kids the most excitement and joy? While me,
neither a kid anymore nor have I any younger cousin, don’t really feel the
significance of this festival apart from taking this good opportunity to take a
short break from work and spend more time with family (and gain fats wtf lol).
FEBRUARY
First overseas
trip of the year: 4D3N Hong Kong-Macau Trip
The air in
February was still filled with the festive mood, and I managed to spend part of
my Chinese New Year in Hong Kong and Macao with my dearest high school buddies
although we have already graduated for 7 years now.
Looking back
at it now, it was indeed an impromptu trip and I was glad to have joined the
gang for this. It all started with our November babies’ birthday celebration,
when one of my friends mentioned that he would be joining Standard Chartered
Marathon in February 2017 (exactly 3 months away from the point of our
conversation). Then the remaining 3 of us were like “Oohhhhh, let’s go!”
Although
it was a pretty short trip to visit both Hong Kong and Macao, I think 4 of us
had done a pretty good job to visit the major points of attractions and enjoy
the must-try food there. Feel free to check out my travelogues below for:
Do you agree, friends who can travel together are people whom you can really count on? I have always believed in this, and will never stop believing in this I guess. Although we live our own lives now, 3 in Malaysia and 1 in UK, I am glad to have them close to my heart.
If there is any chance in future, I’d be looking forward to our impromptu trip again!
Post-holiday February: I was back to Malaysia just in time to celebrate the birthday :)
MARCH
Second overseas trip of the year: 9D8N Travel around Taiwan (Taipei and Taichung)
The month of March was, again, filled with excitement because I was finally flying to Taiwan! 3 years ago, Taiwan was the chosen destination for my graduation trip but what was left 2 years ago was a broken promise. Oh well, it’s alright now because I had finally left my footprints on the beautiful land of Taiwan.
The trip was amazing and I took almost 600++ pictures throughout the 9 days, which I have shared some of them with you guys – mainly about my 9D8N itinerary and most of the details bit by bit on each of the posts here:
Personally, the most memorable part of the entire trip was mainly the visits to outskirts area where I was immersed into the beauty of nature, especially when surrounded by the romantic blooms of sakura! Being my first sakura watching moment in my life, it was an unforgettable experience which I truly appreciate. Thank you God for such a blessing!
One day, I will bring my parents there and enjoy our long-awaited family trip too :)
Another funny thing that happened in March was… I resumed work after vacation with a pair of sunglasses and everyone was asking if this vintage pair of glasses is fake (LMAO!) or did I buy it in Taiwan. This is pretty hilarious because I have been a specky nerdy girl since the age of 8 (if I recall correctly) and nobody actually knows!
Okay, okay, it’s time for self-confession. I have finally decided to stop burning my money by wearing daily disposable contact lenses to work everyday. Main reason? I work for at least 12 hours a day in the office and the lenses are already burning my eyes by 5pm! So yeah, no choice, I have to reveal my nerdy look at work. If you happen to see me with spectacles, please don’t get shocked or feel surprised lol!
Some of you have asked me before, “How about doing laser?” I don’t know, I am just not a risk taker. Perhaps if you have any good offers/sponsors out there, please let me know :P
APRIL
3D2N Company Trip to Penang
Just a couple of weeks after the Taiwan trip, it felt like I still hadn’t had enough holiday and I was off to Penang for a 3D2N company trip this round! Although it might not be the “ideal beach holiday” like my Pulau Perhentian trip last year, it was nevertheless a great trip with a lovely bunch of colleagues. Our hotel is located few doors away from Hard Rock Hotel, right along the long stretch of Batu Ferringhi beach – which makes me excited because beach holiday always tops my list of favourites.
Our company dinner - Airline theme!
Anyway it was pretty much a food hunting with the girls, and we went to so many cafes and local places just to eat, eat and keep eating! A short but memorable trip with dear workmates. Hopefully I’d stay in the company long enough for many, many more annual trips to come! ❤
MAY
April treated me pretty well, and so did May! The month of May has a good kickstart as I went for a weekend escapade at Lexis Hibiscus Premium Pool Villa in Port Dickson. Bikini, wine and moonlight were my best companions over that weekend!
After this trip, I have been receiving a lot of comments from people that I am filthy rich, always go travelling and don’t need to work. Again, that’s what social media tells you. The ugly truth is, I spend every bit of my hard-earned penny on vacations to reward myself and I do rely on a full-time white-collar job to survive. I may have planned for my time to go travelling but each and every time before going on a holiday, I have to meet all my work obligations and I do have limited number of leaves at work. So..,yeah as much as I wish to be a full-time travel blogger / get a travel-related job one day, I am still an ordinary office girl now, chasing my not-so-great dream perhaps…
Also in May, it was another month of celebration because it marked a special day for my unsung hero at home – mummy! Celebrating Mother’s Day with the family at a really simple neighbourhood Japanese restaurant was all we did over the weekend, but a simple yet meaningful meal like this always meant a lot to me. It made a good reason for us to take some time out from our busy schedule, to sit down and enjoy each other’s companion.
If you have been following my Instagram, you’d realise I hardly post any photos with my family. Partly because I don’t like exposing my personal life on social media. Another reason is because my family rarely takes pictures together except for during special occasions. Soooo…this one photo is a very special one okay? :P
The second half of the month was a little disheartening for some reasons. If I was the old me, I would have walked away, avoiding the ballooning issues at all costs. But the “me” now chose to dig into the root cause of those unnecessary unhappiness, remove them, and stay happy again :)
Although at the point I’m writing this, I may still have the little confusion in my heart, a little reserved to take a step further, and uneasy about the uncertainties that have yet to hit me, I can only stand by my own decision and prove myself right.
JUNE
Next…here comes June! A very relaxing month I’d say, because the month is full of public holidays! Honestly I have never appreciated public holidays so much in my life before I started working. Even one or half day break now is sufficient to make my day!
1 Day Trip in Sekinchan - Beach, Seafood, and Temple
June then ended with a family road trip to Sekinchan – something that we had been wanting to do since years ago! Can’t believe the family outing turned out so great and I enjoyed being close to nature. Unfortunately the paddy field was empty after the harvesting season, hopefully we could visit again during the "right time" where we could see lush green/golden paddy field instead.
SECOND HALF OF 2017
What would I
be expecting for the next 2 quarters this year?
Well, at this point, I can't reveal much but yeah I think that things are going
to be amazing! *fingers crossed* Gonna pray hard for my plans to go well :) and may miracles happen from time to time, may the sunny days be more exciting and may the rainy days be less bitter.
❤❤❤
Love, FiSh
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