Another year has passed and now that 2017 is approaching us, I thought I'd dedicate a blog post to summarize and reflect back on the significant things that happened in 2016.
Honestly, it was really tough to decide if 2016 was a good year or not. Without doubt, many unexpected things had happened in 2016 and that made me realize how clueless we are with what our future holds.
Before I thought about what to include in this post, 2016 was deemed as one of the worse years of my life. Back in April - May 2016, I discovered a lump on the left side of my neck. There were many speculations about what it could be and I went through, what feels like, countless of tests and scans at that period of time. Heading to the hospital numerous times was definitely not a good feeling, especially when everything was still up in the air. During that period of time, coincidentally my boyfriend was facing some health issues as well and he too, had to visit the hospital for multiple tests. The need to continue working and living as per normal while all these were going on really took a toll on me and I soon found myself feeling anxious and depressed. Because the test results were uncertain, I had to go for a fine needle aspiration to draw out the substance in that lump. I was definitely scared but thankfully, with the support of my love ones and the kind doctors and nurses, I managed to pull through without any hiccups. For anyone who is about to go for a fine needle aspiration test and is worrying about the pain, personally, it wasn't a painful experience for me and it went a lot better than what I was expecting. The injection felt like an ant bite and that was pretty much it. After a couple of weeks, the results were out and thank God it was nothing cancerous or threatening. At the same time, my boyfriend's condition was known and I'm glad to say that we got through this tough time together and it even brought us closer together as we realized how much we ought to cherish one another. Nevertheless, it was a dark period for me in 2016.
As you may or may not already know, I hate my full-time job and unfortunately, it was a huge part of my 2016. Being someone who has a passion for creating, arts, digital and design, it was really tough for me to be doing routine work every month. It was definitely bearable in the beginning, but as time passes, work just seems to be so meaningless and mundane. In the following year, I will be in my mid-twenties and as I get older, the burden to earn more money for a stable future gets heavier, and despite wanting to chase after what I truly love, it just seems impossible in a country like Singapore.
During the times I was struggling in 2016, I received a lot of love and support from my family. One of the biggest lessons I have learnt in 2016 was to always count my blessings. So despite all the unhappy occasions that occurred, I have learnt how to put them aside and appreciate the good things that happened instead.
I feel like I have waited a long time to finally say this... In June 2016,... I removed my braces! I had them on for 2.5 years and even though I didn't hate wearing them, of course, nothing beats the feeling of getting them off. Having straight teeth was always a dream to me and actually having them now made me feel so much more confident about my smile. It has been about 6 months since I last saw my dentist, Dr.Leah, but I'm so grateful to him as I completed my braces journey. Another person to thank is of course, my mom. My mom is someone who doesn't earn a lot but she gives her best to both my sister and I which I am forever grateful for. I'm not an expressive person when it comes to my family which is a pity and it is something that I wish to change in the upcoming year, but for now, thank you mom!
Another big thing that happened in 2016 is in regards to my Vlogging and Blogging career. I uploaded my first vlog nearly 4 years ago and throughout these years, it was basically just me, sharing videos of myself blabbering about beauty products I own. In 2016, I decided to work even harder with my channel and I started contacting various companies to look for collaboration opportunities. At the same time, I also started receiving offers from companies which was definitely refreshing and exciting. One of the biggest opportunity I had was to work with SASA which is definitely one of my favourite shops to shop for beauty products ever since I was a teenager. During the initial stages, I was really unsure and afraid to accept the offer as stepping out of my comfort zone is not something I was always down for. Moreover, I do have a full time job which makes it even more stressful. However, I decided to take a plunge and it was surely one of the best decisions I have made. Other than SASA, I have also worked with many other big companies such as MK Universal, BlackBox Singapore, Cosme-de.com, W2Beauty and more. I was given many opportunities to try and share new products from brands I have never tried before and that was a really fun experience for me. Apart from that, I also got to know many new people in the process which is always a good thing! This year, I started uploading covers onto my Youtube channel as well. I used to cover songs nearly everyday back when I was a student and when I was unemployed (my cover channel:
kw0nmiqi), I didn't know what to expect but they are actually receiving so much love and support from everyone! In the following year, I'm looking forward to grow my channel even more with hopefully more of such opportunities. Most of my covers don't earn any money due to copyright issues but honestly, I love doing them and I know everyone loves them too, so I will definitely continue uploading them.
In addition, I also launched this blog in 2016 and it was something I have been meaning and planning to do for a pretty long time. Like I have mentioned, I love creating, and that includes creating and writing content as well as designing and maintaining my own website. I honestly feel like writing is almost therapeutic for me. I didn't know if this blog would be a success but I have gained so many positive feedback so thank you so much for that!
With all the collaborations and due dates going on, I have to say that I am dedicating most of my weekends to my vlogs and blog. Even though it can get a little exhausting and demanding, the fruit of hard labour is always sweet.
The last thing I find worth mentioning is that I have obtained a driving license! Whew. This was totally unplanned and unexpected, but I did it! I have been wishing that I could drive for a really long time as I felt like driving is definitely considered a survival skill, alongside cycling, swimming, etc. But because I didn't want to sign up alone and considering the cost of learning how to drive... I have been procrastinating it. In August though, my boyfriend made a decision to go for driving lessons and for some reasons, I spontaneously offered to go with him and that, was how my journey in BBDC (Bukit Batok Driving Center) started. After we passed our theory test, my boyfriend decided to quit the school to join a private instructor whilst I stayed in the school. Even though I was left alone, I started my practical lesson in October and diligently went for all my lessons after work. Just a couple of weeks ago, I went for my driving test and managed to pass it with 8 demerit points. In total, I spent a huge sum of money, but in my opinion, it was money well-spent.
As we transit into year 2017, I feel like 2016 has taught me a lot and I am slowly, but steadily learning to shoulder my own responsibilities. In general, my plans for 2017 remains vague, but I guess all I wish for in 2017 is good health for me and all my love ones, and of course, world peace.
With that, 2016 was surely an eventful year with many ups and downs but I'm ready to move on to 2017.
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